mc-med Chapter 178 Li Xianglian's attempt to gain sympathy succeeds; she retaliates against her stepmo
Chapter 178 Li Xianglian's attempt to gain sympathy succeeds; she retaliates against her stepmo
"What?!" Aunt Hua was so shocked that she dropped the melon seeds in her hand.
This is big news!
Li Xianglian seemed to have opened a floodgate, pouring out all the bitterness that had been building up for more than twenty years.
"I was born to my father's first wife. My biological mother passed away not long after I was born. My father then married her."
Li Xianglian pointed in the direction of the courtyard gate, her eyes filled with undisguised hatred. "She gave birth to Li Dabao as soon as she entered the house. From then on, I was no different from a pig or a dog in this family."
"Not having enough to eat or wear is a minor matter; beatings and scoldings are commonplace. For the sake of her precious son, she arranged for me to be married off to a family in the next village three years ago!"
Aunt Hua gasped in shock; this was utterly despicable!
"Later, her daughter-in-law ran away, and she...she became even more ruthless!"
Li Xianglian's voice trembled, "She forced me to divorce her, and even had me sold! Sold to a butcher named Zhang!"
"Auntie, you might not know, butcher Zhang was just arrested by the police a couple of days ago. He's on charges of murder!"
"My God!" Aunt Hua exclaimed in shock, jumping up from the stone bench.
She knows about this!
The news spread throughout the residential compound a couple of days ago that Wei Yanwang from the Criminal Investigation Team had solved a major case and arrested a murderer!
After all that fuss, this girl almost ended up in a wolf's den!
Li Xianglian covered her face and cried even harder: "If it weren't for my husband... if it weren't for Brother Shan's kindness in rescuing me from that hellhole, I... I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a bone fragment left..."
"We finally got to live a peaceful life and bought this house, thinking that we would never have to suffer like that again."
"But what about her? Seeing that we're doing well, she's swarming back like a fly drawn to blood!"
"They came to our door today and immediately demanded 100 yuan! They said if we didn't pay, they'd cause trouble at Brother Shan's workplace and report us to the Industry and Commerce Bureau for speculation and profiteering!"
"Auntie, you be the judge! What kind of mother is this?"
"This stepmother... is even more heartless than Huang Shiren from those operas! Is there any hope left for me...?"
Li Xianglian cried her heart out, as if she were crying out all the grievances she had suffered in her life.
Aunt Hua was completely dumbfounded.
Her mind was racing, filled with thoughts of stepmothers, arranged marriages, murderers, whistleblowers… The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, more exciting than all the movies she had ever seen combined!
Looking at Li Xianglian, who was crying her eyes out, her initial desire to watch the spectacle vanished, replaced by a surge of sympathy and anger.
"This...this old woman is such a scoundrel!" Aunt Hua was so angry that the fat on her face was trembling.
"This isn't a mother, this is a living devil! She's treating her daughter like this for a spendthrift son? Doesn't she fear divine retribution?!"
She held Li Xianglian's shoulders, her voice full of heartache: "Good child, don't cry, don't cry."
"You've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Luckily, you married a good man. Comrade Qin is a real man; he'll protect you!"
"If that old woman dares to cause trouble again, just close the door tightly and ignore her!"
"These neighbors in the courtyard aren't unreasonable people. Auntie will talk to everyone about it later and let them all see her true colors! Let's see how she'll ever dare to step foot in our courtyard again!"
Aunt Hua patted her chest and guaranteed it.
Li Xianglian nodded, sobbing, wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, and looked at Aunt Hua gratefully: "Auntie, thank you. I... I just felt so suffocated, and I had no one to talk to."
"No need to thank me! From now on, we're neighbors. Just let me know if you need anything!"
Now, the more Aunt Hua looks at Li Xianglian, the more pleasing she becomes, and the more her heart aches for her.
What a wonderful girl! She's beautiful, gentle, and so sensible.
After offering a few more words of comfort, Aunt Hua got up to take her leave.
She was carrying such a big secret in her heart that she couldn't wait even a minute longer; she had to find someone to share it with right away!
Watching Aunt Hua's plump figure disappear hurriedly through the door, Li Xianglian slowly straightened up, the grief-stricken expression on her face gradually fading, leaving only a calm expression.
She walked to the water vat, washed her face with cold water, and looked up at the pomegranate tree in the yard that was blooming brightly.
Brother Shan, don't worry.
I can protect this home.
As Li Xianglian expected, before noon, the news of the Qin family's new daughter-in-law's "tragic background" had spread throughout the back street of the machinery factory's residential compound.
There are several versions, but the core content is similar: a poor girl encounters a wicked stepmother and is almost sold to a murderer. Fortunately, her heroic husband saves her. Now that she has just started to live a good life, she is entangled by her vampire family.
This story, full of blood and tears, good and evil, is even more captivating than the tales told by the storytellers outside the supply and marketing cooperative.
In an instant, public opinion completely reversed.
The gossipy women who were talking behind Li Xianglian's back yesterday about her being "unfilial" now look at her with pity when they meet again today.
"Oh my, this girl has really had a tough time."
"Having such a stepmother is truly the worst luck imaginable."
"Her husband is really capable. Who else would dare to snatch someone from a murderer?"
Even Wang Chunyan, after hearing her mother's embellished retelling, had her powdered face turn red and white in turns, and couldn't say a word for a long time.
But Li Xianglian, the one who started all of this, kept the courtyard gate tightly shut.
She knew in her heart that while she sympathized with Niu Guihua, Niu Guihua's final words, "Go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to report her," were a knife hanging over her head.
In this day and age, self-employed individuals already have a bad reputation.
Once you're associated with the term "speculation and profiteering," you're in big trouble.
She sat in the main room, looking at the thick stack of ten-yuan notes in the drawer, and for the first time, she felt an unprecedented sense of worry.
Brother Shan, you'd better come back soon.
-
Xiao Lan was awakened by the clear chirping of birds outside the window.
She stretched and felt completely relaxed.
I slept soundly last night. Without that bull Xu Yuecheng bothering me, I slept until I naturally woke up.
After a quick wash, she changed into a clean polyester shirt and navy blue trousers, and tied her hair back neatly with a red hair tie, making her look both energetic and capable.
Those sacks of cloth were her first battle to fight.
She carried the enamel basin outside, intending to pour out water and also to sound out Aunt Hua.
To mobilize the women in the family compound to engage in production, Aunt Hua, a well-informed and organized "leading figure," was the first link that had to be won over.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, I saw a crowd of people gathered under the big locust trees on the back street.
Aunt Hua stood in the middle, gesturing wildly with her hands, spitting as she spoke. Her expression was a mixture of anger and sympathy, as if she had just finished watching a performance of "The Injustice to Dou E" at the theater.
"...You didn't see it! That stepmother's face was blacker than the soot bottom of our pot! She demanded a hundred yuan right off the bat, and threatened to report us for speculation if we didn't give it to her!"
"That Qin girl was crying so hard, she was like a little weeping baby, saying she was almost sold to that murderer, Butcher Zhang..."
"If it weren't for Comrade Qin's heroic rescue, this perfectly healthy young woman would be dead long ago!"
The neighbors gasped in shock, and the chatter was deafening.
"My God! Is this stepmother's heart made of stone?"
"Speculation and profiteering? Comrade Qin is from the transport team. What's wrong with helping him haul some goods? This is just jealous of his profits and trying to ruin him!"
Xiao Lan, holding a washbasin, stood not far away and quickly gathered most of the information in just a few words.
Qin Rushan's wife? Forced to come to his door by her stepmother? And she's even going to report him for speculation and profiteering?
She raised an eyebrow slightly.
This is interesting.
She originally just wanted to talk business with Aunt Hua, but she didn't expect to stumble upon such a good show.
She wasn't particularly interested in Li Xianglian's tragic background, but the words "reporting speculation and profiteering" stirred something within her.
In this era, the weight of these six words is enough to crush any newly emerging individual business owner.
No matter how arrogant Qin Rushan is, he's still just a transporter. If he gets targeted by the Industry and Commerce Bureau, he'll be lucky to escape with his life.
If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.
She and Xu Yuecheng had just brought back a truckload of "waste cloth scraps." If something really happened to Qin Rushan, her business wouldn't be able to stay peaceful either.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lan put the washbasin against the wall, straightened her collar, and walked straight toward the tightly closed red-lacquered iron gate.
"Knock knock knock".
She knocked on the door with a moderate force.
Li Xianglian was staring blankly at the stack of money inside the house when she heard a knock on the door and jumped in fright.
"Who is it?" she asked warily.
"I am Xiao Lan. I'm from Brother Qin and Xu Yuecheng's racing team."
The voice outside the door was clear and crisp, "Open the door, sister-in-law, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."
Xiao Lan?
Li Xianglian was stunned for a moment.
She had heard Qin Rushan mention this name before, saying that she was in charge of logistics for the motorcade and was a capable widow.
She hesitated for a moment, then went over and unlatched the door.