"On this joyous occasion, with everyone here, I have some good news to announce!"
What news?
The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Some villagers, still confused, looked at Ma Jinhua with curious expressions, waiting for her to continue.
But Zou Xiuzhi and the others knew that this old lady and her family were all incompetent!
Ma Jinhua: "I'm so happy that my second daughter-in-law was released from prison today. Finally, I don't have to watch my poor grandchildren crying and begging for their mother every day anymore..."
At this point, she glared fiercely at Liu Yingying again, "Speaking of which, Qiu Mei was also confused, which is why she fell into someone else's trap!"
The old lady said that because she thought everyone would be on her side, after all, her son had become a high-ranking official!
But the truth is that everyone looked at her with disdain.
After all, everyone knows what Ma Qiumei did, and only this old lady has the nerve to say it!
They say she was framed!
Who harmed them?
Could it be that Liu Yingying was behind this? How ridiculous!
But at this moment, Ma Jinhua didn't care what others thought or thought. She announced with a smug look on her face.
“A year ago, my eldest son went to the capital to take the imperial examination. You all thought he was dead. Now I want to tell you that my son is not dead!”
Ma Qiumei chimed in, "Yes! My uncle isn't dead!"
After saying that, he looked at Liu Yingying with a malicious expression; "You're finished!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
"What? Zhu Jianqiang isn't dead? He's even become an official?"
"Then why hasn't he come back in all this time? Even if he couldn't come back in person, he should at least have written a letter to put his family at ease..."
If Zhu Jianqiang is really still alive, then what he did was absolutely wrong!
Doesn't this just cause your family unnecessary worry?
Zou Xiuzhi and the others were genuinely worried about Liu Yingying. Zhu Jianqiang hadn't actually treated Liu Yingying very well when he was alive.
In the year or so following his incident, Liu Yingying completely severed ties with the Zhu family. If Zhu Jianqiang really died, it wouldn't matter.
Let's just tear off the mask of civility!
Anyway, no man is overpowering her anymore.
But now things have taken a turn for the worse.
If Zhu Jianqiang is still alive, then everything is different!
Zou Xiuzhi and the others observed Liu Yingying's expression with concern, but she seemed to have no psychological burden at all...
“Liu Niang…” Zhao Di quietly walked up behind her and called out to her with some concern.
Liu Yingying turned around and gave her a slight smile, then squeezed her hand to reassure Zhao Di.
"It's alright, don't be afraid. Your father being alive is... a good thing for you."
Zhao Di's feelings were complicated at this moment. In fact, she was happy to learn that her father was still alive, but for some reason she was worried about Liu Niang.
Her father wasn't good to Liu Niang before. Now that he's back alive, will he bully Liu Niang?
She wanted her father to come home, but she also didn't want Liu Niang to be bullied.
For a moment, Zhao Di was also extremely conflicted...
Liu Yingying saw through the child's conflicted thoughts, but she didn't blame her.
No one wants their own parents to die. If she could, Zhao Di would definitely want her father to be alive, and Liu Yingying could understand that.
“When my brother-in-law comes back, I’ll tell him everything you’ve done, and he’ll definitely divorce you!” Ma Qiumei said, her eyes filled with malice.
Zhang Qiaonv and her daughter Zhu Dongxi, who were standing behind her, were also secretly pleased.
They've been waiting for this day for ages, and they really hope that Zhu Jianqiang will divorce this bitch tomorrow!
Lin Cuicui and Huiyun, along with several other children, stood behind Liu Yingying, their hearts filled with trepidation and unease.
Especially Huiyun.
She had been sold by her biological parents, but her godmother brought her back and gave her a home.
But if even her godmother is to be kicked out of this house, then what will become of her and her godmother?
Liu Yingying remained silent, her face showing no sign of panic or guilt.
She ignored Ma Qiumei and instead stared intently at Old Lady Ma.
"Mother-in-law, is Jianqiang really still alive?"
"Of course! The officials themselves came to tell me that today!"
As she spoke, Ma Jinhua slammed her cane on the ground with a bang, her chin slightly raised, her expression full of arrogance.
She looked down on Liu Yingying from the beginning, as she was an old maid who couldn't get married and was also known as a jinx.
If it weren't for the circumstances at the time, and the fact that the family urgently needed a woman to manage the household chores and take care of the children, she and her husband would never have let this woman into the house!
In fact, her initial concerns were not wrong. This woman had only been in the family for a few years when she caused her son to have an accident. Fortunately, her son was very lucky and survived.
That's how I escaped disaster!
"My son passed the imperial examination with top honors and is now an official in the capital!"
His words immediately stirred up a huge wave of discussion!
Upon hearing Ma Jinhua's words, the villagers present had various thoughts.
Wang Delu, who was originally standing very close to Liu Yingying in the crowd, involuntarily took a few steps back, creating distance between them.
His first reaction was regret; he regretted intentionally or unintentionally ostracizing the Zhu family in order to please Liu Yingying.
When Zhu Jianqiang returns, will they hold him accountable?
Wang Delu felt very uncertain.
But he wasn't the only one who felt uncertain...
Amidst everyone's astonishment and uncertainty, Liu Yingying spoke again: "Since Jianqiang didn't die, why hasn't he sent a single letter back in over a year?"
She asked the question with a calm expression, simply looking at Ma Jinhua, making the other woman involuntarily begin to feel guilty...
Many villagers present shared the same question as Liu Yingying.
"This..." Ma Jinhua choked for a moment.
The reason her son hasn't returned for over a year is because he married the legitimate daughter of a marquis in the capital!
When Ma Jinhua learned of this news, she was only concerned with showing off and boasting in front of Liu Yingying.
But she completely forgot how to come up with an explanation to cover for her son…
"That's because...that's because my son is valued by the Emperor and entrusted with important responsibilities, which is why he couldn't get away!"
That's right!
Ma Jinhua herself believed these words!
These words actually intimidated the villagers who were unfamiliar with the rules of the imperial court.
Liu Yingying's lips curled into a mocking smile.
According to the court system of the Great Xia Kingdom, even the top three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were not qualified to enter the palace to meet the emperor, so how could the emperor entrust them with important responsibilities?
However, she also had some doubts.
What exactly caused Zhu Jianqiang to be delayed, not even writing home to inform his family of such a momentous event as passing the imperial examination?
Seeing that she was somewhat lost in thought, Ma Jinhua assumed that she was stunned by what she had just said and said smugly;
"What, are you scared now?"
"Afraid my son will punish you when he gets back? That's no use. When he comes back, I will tell him everything you've done during this time, every single thing. Just you wait!"
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