Shen Ning was also grateful that Rural Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Wars had become so commonplace nowadays. Otherwise, with that blow she'd just delivered, the old woman could have milked it for all it was worth.
The entire courtyard was filled with the old woman's wailing cries.
As if whoever made the loudest noise was automatically in the right!
Does the crying child get the candy?
Well, she could cry too!
"I can't go on living! Third Brother! Why did you have to leave like that? Why didn't you take me with you? You've left us orphans and widows to be bullied and trampled upon! Third Brother, if your spirit watches over us, open your eyes and see this! You can't let these people get away with this!"
Her wailing was so loud it completely drowned out Old Lady Li's cries, and every word was crystal clear, ensuring everyone present could hear her perfectly.
Although there had been recent crackdowns, superstitions about ghosts and gods had existed for thousands of years. The less educated someone was, the more they tended to believe in such things.
When Old Lady Li heard her mention the deceased Third Brother, her droopy eyes flickered.
Her crying noticeably softened.
She was feeling guilty.
"Let me go! What's the point of me living anymore? Let me die! Let me go ask Li Laosan why he was so heartless! He left without a care, leaving me and three children to be humiliated and bullied! We might as well all hang ourselves together! Wuwuwu…"
While crying, she struggled desperately toward the wall as if to crash into it.
"Niang Niang! No! Don't do it, Niang Niang!"
Li Jianjun, who had been unable to help earlier and was then held back by his brother, could no longer hold back his tears upon hearing Niang Niang's words. He threw his arms around Shen Ning's leg, terrified she might actually crash into the wall and lose her life.
Before Shen Ning could react, her other leg was embraced too—this time by little Li Jianguo. "Niang Niang, I don't want you to die!"
It was rare to see him so emotionally exposed, utterly heartbroken.
It was impossible not to be moved.
Shen Ning crouched down and gathered both children in her arms, gently stroking their heads over and over to comfort them.
"Niang Niang! Niang Niang!"
Xiaohua, covered in dust, crawled out from under the bed and rushed crying toward the three of them. The little girl's tears fell like broken strings of pearls, dropping one after another.
"Niang Niang, don't leave me behind! Niang Niang, are we going to find Daddy?"
The child's innocent words tugged at heartstrings, making everyone feel heavy-hearted. Several of the aunties had moist eyes, quietly wiping away tears.
Zhao Fuquan felt a headache coming on as he witnessed the scene before him.
Why did they have to cause trouble every few days!
"What's going on this time?!"
Shen Ning didn't give Old Lady Li a chance to speak, cutting in sharply, "It's her! She came to my house to steal things and even threatened to beat the children to death! She's simply inhuman!"
"Bullshit! When did I ever come to your house to steal? Watch your mouth!"
"Pah! If you weren't here to steal, why would you come when I'm not home? If you weren't here to steal, why were you pounding and smashing my door? The moment I got back, I saw my Jianguo beaten to tears! If I hadn't returned quickly, would you have beaten the two younger ones to death too?"
She spat fiercely in Old Lady Li's direction. "You're simply not human! You're trying to drive us mother and children to our deaths! You wicked old hag!"
Being pointed at and cursed like that, Old Lady Li couldn't bear it. Her face flushed crimson with rage as she tried to lunge toward Shen Ning.
"I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Unfortunately, several people around her held her back. The moment she moved, she was pulled back.
"Everyone, calm down. We're all family here, all family!"
"Yes, yes, Auntie, don't be angry. If there's any misunderstanding, we can talk it out properly."
"Don't resort to violence!"
…
Amid the chaotic attempts to mediate, Shen Ning refused to give any ground.
"I'm calling the police! This old woman barged into my house, rummaged through everything, and who knows if she stole the money I had hidden! I can't reason with her!"
Once money was involved, the situation became far more serious.
The onlookers' gazes toward Old Lady Li turned distinctly unfriendly.
Though no one spoke, those judgmental looks seemed to nail her to the pillar of shame.
It was utterly humiliating.
"Damn you, what nonsense are you spouting? Which eye of yours saw me steal your money? Keep talking nonsense and I'll rip your mouth apart!"
"Well, isn't this hilarious? Ever since I married the third son and we set up our own household, when have you ever visited me? You probably think that now that the third son is gone, we're easy to bully, so you came to steal money when I wasn't home!"
"You… you… you…"
Before she could retort, Shen Ning planted her hands on her hips and glared fiercely. "Let me tell you, this matter won't end here today!"
Zhao Fuquan's expression also darkened considerably.
Usually, he might turn a blind eye to minor squabbles—after all, every family has conflicts.
But theft was unacceptable; it reflected poorly on one's character.
If word got out that Xiaohe Village had produced a thief, he'd lose all face as Village Chief. How disgraceful!
"Zhu Darong, is this true? Did you come to the third son's wife's house to steal money?"
Hearing the Village Chief call her by her full name, she instinctively looked at him. His dark, stern face instantly filled her with fear.
"Uncle Fuquan, I really didn't steal her money! Truly, I didn't!"
"Then what did you come here for!"
If she admitted she came to the newly widowed woman's house looking for food, that would sound just as bad!
Seeing her hesitate, Zhao Fuquan felt a surge of frustration. His voice grew stern with anger. "Speak! What exactly did you come here for?"
Frightened by his tone, Old Lady Li blurted everything out. "My precious grandson wanted to eat the buns His Aunt makes. I just came to ask her to make some for Zhenxing! How could I steal her money? I would never!"
Shen Ning was taken aback. She never expected today's commotion to be over something as trivial as buns.
That Li Zhenxing really was something—sending his grandmother to demand buns after his mother failed? What a treasure the Li family had raised!
"Hah."
She let out a scornful laugh. "Your Li family is truly remarkable. I'm a widow with three children, no fields, no land. I haven't asked your Li family for a single bite of food. Even when I gather a few rotten branches from the ground, you curse me to my face. How dare you have the nerve to come to my house demanding buns? You really have some audacity!"
She knelt down again and hugged the three children, her tear-filled eyes turning toward the Village Chief. "Second Grandpa, how could we possibly have any steamed buns? She claims she didn't come to steal money, but this made-up excuse is utterly ridiculous!"
Li Jianguo stood up, his small face filled with rage. "Our family has no steamed buns, nothing at all! They barged in and ransacked our home. When they couldn't find anything, they forced me to hand things over and even hit me!"
After speaking, he lifted his pant leg to reveal a long red welt on his calf. It was clear the strike had been delivered with vicious force, the skin already turning bluish-purple.
Shen Ning narrowed her eyes at the sight, silently cursing that her earlier retaliation had been too lenient.
Zhao Fuquan glared at Zhu Darong with furious disappointment. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"
Zhu Darong stood dumbfounded. She truly hadn't found even half a steamed bun—not even any flour. There was simply no way she could defend herself now!