The word flashed instantly through Shen Qingyuan’s mind: Run!
As long as she could escape this place, she could avoid the tragic fate of being tortured to death by the future antagonist.
Yes, that’s what she would do!
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sound of sobbing pulled her back to reality.
Following the sound, she saw Sanya curled up tightly behind the cabinet, her head buried low, not daring to look at her, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The intense suppression and restraint were painful to witness.
Shen Qingyuan could see the little girl’s fear of her, and her heart ached unbearably.
She couldn’t help but curse inwardly: The original owner was truly despicable.
Just as she was about to step forward to comfort Sanya, she heard someone outside calling her name, the voice urgent and frantic.
It was Zhou Shi, the original owner’s birth mother, along with her two older brothers. She hurriedly opened the door and went out.
Zhou Shi and her two sons had been working in the fields when they heard the news of Zhao Anbang’s death in battle. Fearing that Shen Qingyuan might do something rash in her grief, they immediately dropped their farmwork and rushed over.
When they saw the blood on Shen Qingyuan’s head, their hearts leaped into their throats, filled with guilt for arriving too late.
Zhou Shi, her eyes red, was the first to speak.
“Qingyuan, even though your husband has died in battle, you mustn’t harm yourself like this! Look at all this blood—do you want to break your mother’s heart?”
Shen Dali: “That’s right, no matter what happens, your big brother is here for you. Don’t be afraid.”
Shen Erli: “Your second brother has plenty of strength. I can support you for the rest of your life.”
Warmth flooded Shen Qingyuan’s heart, and she instinctively threw herself into Zhou Shi’s arms, sobbing.
“Mother, Big Brother, Second Brother, I didn’t do anything foolish. The wound on my head was from Zhao Zhihong. He and his mother want to drive me out of the Zhao family! I don’t want to stay here anymore either. I want to sever ties!”
She thought to herself: The first step to escaping this fiery pit is to sever ties and return to my maternal home. Once I have a place to stay, I can figure out a new path forward.
This explosive decision also drew gasps of shock from Zhou Shi and her two sons.
“What?”
After a moment of stunned silence, the three of them finally reacted.
Zhou Shi: “Mother will listen to you. If you want to sever ties, then we’ll sever ties.”
Shen Dali: “Right, if life here is no good, just come home. Big Brother will find you a better match in the future!”
Shen Erli: “That bastard Zhao Zhihong dared to hit you? I’ll break one of his legs right now to vent your anger!”
Shen Qingyuan couldn’t help but think to herself: The feeling of being unconditionally pampered by family is just too wonderful!
She stopped Shen Erli and whispered to her family.
“If we want to sever ties smoothly, you must all follow my lead!”
Then, she briefly explained her plan.
Zhou Shi and her two sons nodded, and the plan began.
Shen Erli turned and shouted toward Zhao Zhihong’s room.
“Zhao Zhihong, you bastard! How dare you hit my little sister? Get out here and see how I teach you a lesson!”
Inside the room, Zhao Zhihong’s back instantly turned cold with fear.
He knew the temper of the Shen family—they could go mad for Shen Qingyuan, they could go crazy for her, they could even smash their heads against a wall for her.
Especially the hot-tempered Shen Erli, who was a fanatical doting brother, quick to throw punches at the slightest disagreement.
“Mother, that fool Shen Erli wants to hit me. What should we do?”
Granny Li spat contemptuously.
“This is Zhaojia Village. You’re a Xiucai, a respected scholar. I’d like to see who dares lay a finger on you!”
With that, she stood up and walked outside. Zhao Zhihong had no choice but to brace himself and follow closely behind.
Once in the courtyard, Granny Li pointed at Shen Erli and scolded loudly.
“What are you howling about!”
Shen Erli did not wish to argue with a woman, so he pointed at Zhao Zhihong behind Granny Li and questioned him.
“You, a scholar, actually laid hands on a woman? Have all your years of study gone to the dogs?”
As he spoke, he was about to strike Zhao Zhihong.
Granny Li hurriedly stepped between the two men.
Just then, someone from Zhao Family Village appeared at the gate, drawn by Shen Erli’s loud voice. She immediately shouted,
“Quick, someone come! Shen Erli is trying to kill the Xiucai! Our Zhao Family Village, which has produced only one Xiucai in nearly a hundred years, is about to be beaten to death!”
Hearing this, the villagers from Zhao Family Village outside the gate grew agitated.
Most of Zhao Family Village shared the surname Zhao, and every household was related by blood or marriage. They all relied on Zhao Zhihong for future support, so they couldn’t just stand by and watch their future benefactor be beaten by an outsider. They rushed into the courtyard to protect Zhao Zhihong.
Seeing this, Shen Qingyuan immediately began her performance.
She covered her face and pretended to cry.
“Oh, how miserable my fate is! I just received news of my husband’s death in battle, and now my brother-in-law has beaten me until my head is bleeding! Seeing that I no longer have a man to back me up, they bully me!”
“If they hit my head today, will they break my legs tomorrow? Will they have everyone collect my corpse the day after? I don’t want to live anymore!”
The villagers who had rushed over stopped in their tracks, exchanging uncertain glances.
Could there be more to this story?
Although Zhou Shi and her two children knew Shen Qingyuan was pretending, their hearts ached for her nonetheless.
Shen Erli clenched his fists tighter and glared at Zhao Zhihong, who was hiding behind Granny Li.
If an uncle can tolerate this, a brother cannot!
He thought to himself: Just you wait!
The villagers looked at Shen Qingyuan, who was slapping her thighs and weeping incessantly, unsure of what to do.
Was the wound on Shen Qingyuan’s head caused by Zhao Zhihong?
Was that why Shen Erli wanted to hit Zhao Zhihong?
But Zhao Zhihong was a refined and gentle scholar—how could he resort to violence? And to hit his sister-in-law?
Surely not?
Granny Li had no intention of admitting this in front of the villagers.
“I know Anbang’s death has hit you hard, but you can’t ruin Zhihong’s reputation just because you’re throwing a tantrum!”
From the crowd, their plump-faced neighbor, Granny Liu, quickly stepped forward to support her.
“You’re just a madwoman. How often do you lose your temper for no reason? Who knows what you’re trying to pull this time? Maybe you just fell and hurt your head and decided to blame our Xiucai for it!”
The villagers nodded in agreement.
Shen Qingyuan was often seen in a foul mood, her face dark, and she frequently beat her three children—everyone had witnessed it.
Shen Qingyuan wore an expression of grievance.
“I admit I’ve been emotionally unstable because I’ve been worried about Anbang’s safety, but I’ve never disrespected my mother-in-law or brother-in-law! My family dotes on me and worries about me. Every time I return from visiting them, I give all the food I bring back to my brother-in-law.”
“Now that my brother-in-law has passed the imperial examination, he treats his widowed sister-in-law like this. If Anbang knew, he would be heartbroken!”
The villagers of Zhao Family Village fell silent.
They had seen Shen Qingyuan return from her parents’ home with a basket more than once, saying she would save all the food she brought back for her brother-in-law.
She always said that studying was hard on the brain, so her brother-in-law deserved to eat well to nourish himself.
Shen Qingyuan continued,
“If this family can’t tolerate me and sees me as a burden, then let’s sever ties. I won’t hold back the Xiucai any longer!”
Her words left everyone stunned.
To give up a family with a Xiucai—was Shen Qingyuan out of her mind?
Granny Li and Zhao Zhihong were also taken by surprise.
They were just about to drive Shen Qingyuan away, never expecting that Shen Qingyuan would take the initiative to leave.
Wasn’t this the legendary case of someone delivering a pillow just as you were about to doze off?
It saved them a lot of trouble!