Chapter 208 Sending Signals from the Mountains
"Father, help! Father, Li Meng has gone mad!" Li Man frantically pounded on the door and shouted.
He turned back in fear and begged for mercy: "Little sister, you can't do this! I'm your second brother, your own second brother!"
"Second brother? I remember when Liang Youtian beat me up, Dad asked you to bring me two catties of beans, and you saw it all."
Li Mengxiao's smile was both ironic and shattering:
"But Liang Youtian gave you 300 coins and a jar of wine, and you came over to persuade me that if I can't have children, I should listen to him and not let him divorce me, so that the Li family can't hold their heads up in the village!"
"From that moment on, I knew my brothers wouldn't stand up for me. Having four brothers was the same as having none at all!"
"Because of your indifference, Liang Youtian beat me even more severely later. Once, he beat me so badly that I couldn't get out of bed for ten days!"
I haven't been home for six months, but not a single one of you went to visit me!
Before she got married, she clearly did her brothers' laundry, cooked, sewed clothes and made shoes, and never made them worry about anything!
"I've let bygones be bygones before. It was my own cowardice. I just pretended that I didn't have you brothers and sisters-in-law. But... why are you trying to harm me now?!"
The blood-stained axe slammed into the door, startling the people outside who scrambled back.
Li Laogua seemed frozen in place.
My mind was filled with what Li Meng had just said.
"I haven't been home for six months, but not a single one of you went to visit me!"
He didn't know, he really didn't know.
He even complained in his heart that a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; she really is someone else's family now, and she hasn't come back to see him for half a year.
He really doesn't deserve to be a father!
Being born into their family is truly the worst luck imaginable!
"Dad, what are you standing there for? Get out of the way!"
The third brother hurriedly pushed him aside and, together with the fourth brother, rammed the door.
But the door to Xiao Zhang's house was too sturdy; it couldn't be forced open!
"Get out of the way!" a loud shout rang out.
Magistrate Xu arrived with his men.
After some kicking and banging, the door finally collapsed.
The scene inside is chilling.
Li Meng was pinned down by Li Man, the axe was taken from her, and it looked like it was about to be chopped down on her.
"stop!"
The officers rushed forward, kicked Li Man over, and pinned him to the ground.
"Sister Li Meng!"
"Sister Li Meng!"
Lu Qingqing and the others quickly ran to Li Meng's side.
Li Meng's face looked as if it were covered with a layer of white powder, like a ghost, and her eyes were devoid of any life.
Lu Qingqing quickly took her pulse.
"Qingqing... I'm useless. I can't be the kind of brave and resourceful woman you described. I'm too tired. I'm going to find Zhang Lin..."
"What nonsense! Who told you to be someone else? Just be yourself!"
Lu Qingqing took the pulse, her brows furrowed, and then took the pulse again as if uncertain.
Her blood and qi were circulating rapidly, and her pulse was faint and slippery, not very obvious. It was uncertain whether this was because Li Meng's mood was fluctuating too much at this time.
"Sister Li Meng, when was your last period?"
"Gui water... I forgot, it should be coming soon."
"She's not coming! Sister Li Meng, you're pregnant!"
Regardless of whether it is true or not, Li Meng is currently in a state of utter despair; she needs to calm herself down first!
Li Meng's eyes gradually focused, and she placed her hand on her stomach.
Pregnant?
Is she pregnant?
This was something she had thought about countless times long ago, and at one point, she even dreamed of herself with a big belly.
My blood pressure is abnormal, and I vomit no matter what I eat!
But after she married Xiao Zhang, she was busy working during the day and at night, and had no time to think about having children.
But then, it happened?
Yes, it's Zhang Lin's child!
Overwhelmed with joy, she felt a tightness in her chest and wanted to vomit!
Also, it was only at this point that I felt my lower abdomen tighten and ache, which was extremely uncomfortable.
"Qingqing, it hurts... for the baby!"
"It's nothing, it must be a miscarriage injury, just eat it."
Lu Qingqing gave her a pregnancy-preserving pill.
In the courtyard, the officials arrested all the people groaning on the ground, even those with severed hands and ears, and those who had fainted from fright.
Li Meng just woke up as if from a dream.
He committed murder.
She killed someone!
They also chopped down a bunch of people!
"What should I do? What should I do? I didn't know I was pregnant! If I had known..."
"Don't panic! It has nothing to do with you, don't talk nonsense!" Lu Qingqing gave her a reassuring look.
Magistrate Xu then ordered in a deep voice, "Thieves who break into a house in broad daylight, throw them all into jail!"
"No, we didn't! Sir, sir, it was Li Meng who killed him!" Li Man shouted.
"First comes entry, then comes the killing! The law of thieves says: 'Entering a house without cause and killing is not a crime!' Besides, now, only a hand and ear have been severed; how can that be considered murder!"
"But you, just now, in full view of everyone, raised an axe to kill someone. If you are not punished, how can justice be served!"
"No, no, we didn't steal anything! She's our own sister, we came to comfort her! Please, Your Honor, please investigate!" Li Zhi, covered in blood, ignored his broken ear and shouted his innocence.
Magistrate Xu, his face cold and indifferent, looked at Li Meng and asked, "Is what he said true?"
All four of them looked at Li Meng for help.
Li Meng spoke clearly and distinctly, pausing between each sentence: "It's not true! They came to steal! The silver on the ground is proof!"
The light in their eyes vanished instantly.
Unwilling to give up, Li Man shouted at Li Laogua again: "Father, Father, say something! Father, we are your sons, your own sons! Third brother, fourth brother, say something!"
The third brother remained silent, while the fourth brother spat and cursed, "Serves you right! A bunch of heartless bastards!"
Xiao Zhang had only been gone for a few days, and the whole family was extremely worried. These people came to take advantage of the situation and harm their own sister. How could they have the nerve to ask for help?
Li Meng looked at Li Laogua.
Li Laogua now realizes that Li Meng actually harbors resentment towards him.
Because she had always been a filial daughter, she never said it aloud.
She has an older brother, but it's the same as not having one.
She has a father, but it's as if she doesn't.
He, as her father, did far too little for her.
“My daughter is right. We had already cut off all contact with these two families a long time ago, and everyone in the village knew that.”
Just now, Li Zhi lied to us, saying that he saw an injured hunter in Xishan, which is why we ran there.
These two households clearly committed premeditated burglary!
As soon as Li Laogua said that, all four of them collapsed in despair.
Pang, who had lost too much blood after his hand was severed, fainted again.
Li Meng lowered her head and silently shed tears.
Her father, unaware that these people were trying to push her back into the fire, was already protecting her like this.
It's clear that it wasn't that I didn't care about her before, but that I was truly negligent and careless.
In the end, because the families of the deceased had children to support, Magistrate Xu only imprisoned Li Man, who had attempted murder, while the others were each given thirty strokes of the cane.
Liang Youtian was never mentioned at all.
"Qingqing, did you hide Liang Youtian?" Li Meng asked softly.
"No, the people who went up the mountain may have disturbed the wild animals. Some wild animals came down and killed him. They didn't even know who he was. The adults had him carried to the mortuary." Lu Qingqing winked at her.
When she reported this to Magistrate Xu, he didn't say anything and just had the men carry her away.
She thought at least a check-up would be done.
All the efforts she and Erhu made were wasted.
Li Meng immediately understood, and tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes again: "Qingqing... ugh... ugh..."
The nausea that had been building up in my chest finally surged up.
However, my stomach was empty, and I just dry heaved.
Just as Lu Qingqing was about to help her into the house, someone ran up to report:
"Sir, a signal has been sent from the mountains!"
"It's yellow smoke!"
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