“Brother… Brother Beichen, why are all of you here?”
The moment Song Beihai saw the approaching group, his legs gave out beneath him.
With a thud, he collapsed onto the ground.
The fury burning in Song Beichen’s eyes, along with the cold expressions of Song Wen and Song Wu, terrified him so much that he nearly lost control of his bladder.
“We heard the villagers say your house was being torn down, so we came to have a look,” Zhou Rong said with a cold laugh. “And it seems justice truly comes swiftly. What a wonderful sight. Your family of ungrateful white-eyed wolves dared to scheme against my Xiaoyu. Ending up like this today is entirely your own fault!”
At last, the resentment that had been building inside Zhou Rong’s heart for days found an outlet.
Thinking back to how her sons and daughter had returned home before dawn, exchanging suspicious glances and acting strangely, how could she and Song Beichen not have figured out what had happened?
“Father, Mother, hiding the truth from you this morning was entirely my decision.”
Song Wen stepped forward calmly.
“Brother Wu and Little Sister were only following my instructions. They had nothing to do with it.”
In a few simple sentences, he summarized the events of the attempted kidnapping and deliberately took all responsibility upon himself.
“Father, Mother, I don’t think we did anything wrong!”
Song Wu tightened his grip on the hoe resting across his shoulder.
His face was filled with stubborn determination.
“Song Wen and Song Wu did exactly what they should have done.”
Song Beichen’s voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it.
“Your Uncle Beihai and Uncle Beishan have completely abandoned the morals expected of elders. They’re no better than beasts.”
Long ago, Song Beichen had lost all faith in his two younger brothers.
Learning that they had tried to abduct his daughter in the middle of the night did not surprise him in the slightest.
In his memory, his third brother, Song Beishan, had always been a calculating and selfish man. Without question, the entire scheme had originated from him.
As for Song Beihai, he was strong in body but weak in mind. He spent his life blindly following whatever Song Beishan told him to do.
At most, he was an accomplice.
“Eldest Brother Beichen, Eldest Sister-in-law, please save Xiaolan!”
Xiao Wang suddenly dropped to her knees.
She slammed her forehead against the stone ground again and again.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Each impact made the surrounding villagers wince.
Everyone knew the saying that a child was a piece of flesh carved from a mother’s heart.
For the sake of her daughter, Xiao Wang had completely thrown away her dignity.
Although she had never been especially close to Song Xiaolan, largely because Old Madam Song had spent years teaching her that daughters were worthless while sons were treasures, Xiaolan was still her own flesh and blood.
She had spent twelve years raising the girl.
Now that Song Xiaolan had been taken to the Zhao family estate, it was almost equivalent to a death sentence.
Xiao Wang had no choice but to beg the first branch of the family for help.
Song Beihai lowered his head in shame.
Then he slowly knelt beside his wife.
“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law…”
His voice trembled.
“I don’t have a single coin to my name right now. I know Xiaoyu earned a great deal of money from selling that black bear.”
“Please consider the money needed to redeem Xiaolan as a loan.”
“I swear I’ll repay every copper in the future.”
By now, the villagers who had initially gathered outside the yard had gradually moved closer, eager to watch the drama unfold.
“Song Beishan really refused to give up, didn’t he?” one villager muttered.
“First he tried to sell Song Xiaoyu. That forced Eldest Song’s family to separate from the household.”
“Now he and Second Song even tried to kidnap their own niece in the middle of the night.”
“If you ask me, something must be wrong with the Feng Shui of the old Song family’s ancestral graves.”
Another villager nodded.
“They were willing to sacrifice their own niece for a few taels of silver.”
“Now Second Song’s daughter has been taken in her place.”
“Retribution really comes around quickly.”
Old Madam Zhao, who had been listening nearby, finally spat onto the ground in disgust.
“Bah!”
“When it was time to sell Xiaoyu, you two were the loudest supporters.”
“Now that the same knife has fallen on your own daughter, you suddenly know what heartbreak feels like?”
“It’s too late for regrets.”
Someone else lowered their voice and added,
“I heard Squire Zhao’s son is being buried this afternoon.”
“The burial customs of wealthy families are complicated and prepared well in advance.”
A fearful expression appeared on the villager’s face.
“If you ask me, Xiaolan might already have been nailed alive inside the coffin.”
“Ai…”
“That poor child is probably facing certain death.”
The crowd instantly fell silent.
A chill swept through everyone’s hearts.
Even the villagers who had been gossiping moments ago looked visibly disturbed.
“Brother Beihai, Sister-in-law.”
Song Beichen finally spoke.
He turned his head away, unable to bear looking directly at the pitiful pair kneeling before him.
“Xiaolan is innocent.”
“I will do everything I can to save her.”
His voice grew colder.
“But the two of you, as her parents, need to reflect carefully on your actions.”