“Oh my god, didn’t they say Third Brother Li had died?”
“Is… is this a ghost appearing in broad daylight?”
“A corpse coming back to life?”
For a moment, everyone gathered outside the courtyard stepped back in unison.
But one quick-witted person glanced at the ground and exclaimed in surprise: “He has a shadow! Third Brother Li isn’t dead—he’s alive!”
“And the two children in his arms—aren’t those the Wa Er who were sold?”
Gu Wenshu turned around in disbelief to see a tall, handsome young man over six feet tall with cold, clear eyes walking in. In his arms, he held two children about three or four years old.
At the sight of Gu Wenshu, the children flinched at first. The boy turned and clung to his father’s neck, while the little girl looked at Gu Wenshu and burst into loud sobs: “Mommy, I want Mommy to hold me.”
Hearing his sister cry, the boy holding his father also began to tear up, though he didn’t dare make a sound.
Because every time he and his sister cried aloud, their mother would start hitting them.
Gu Wenshu sighed inwardly. After a brief internal struggle, she resigned herself to stepping forward and taking this unexpected daughter into her arms, soothing her gently.
Li Xiuran looked at his wife before him. If looks could kill, he wished he could end this woman right then and there.
He truly couldn’t imagine what would become of his children if he had died out there.
Every time this thought crossed his mind on his way back to the village, his heart wrenched with pain.
How could there be such a cruel mother in this world?
Meeting his cold, emotionless gaze, Gu Wenshu thought of all the things the original host had done and felt her heart shrink. This man’s eyes were terrifying—if he ever found out what the original host had done, her fate would be unimaginable. For a moment, she felt an impulse to just die and get it over with.
Old Woman Li was first shocked, then overjoyed to see her youngest son return. If he wasn’t dead, it meant she could still get her hands on his allowances. Suppressing her delight, she rushed over weeping: “My third son, you’re finally back! This thieving wife of yours has been carrying on with other men while you were away, sold your two children, and even hit your old mother and sister-in-law just now!”
“You must divorce her! Divorce this wretched woman!”
Old Woman Li’s ferocious expression frightened Xiaoni, who quickly patted her daughter’s back to comfort her while shooting a glance at the accusing Old Woman Li: “What era is this? Who still talks about ‘divorcing’ women?”
Then she turned to Li Xiuran: “Li Xiuran, while you were gone, your parents and their whole family have been bullying me and the children—starving us, denying us water, beating and cursing us. When word came that you’d died in the line of duty and your body couldn’t be found, they became even worse. Your mother took all your pension money and tried to drive the three of us out. When I refused to leave, they hatched a wicked scheme.”
“Your two children were sold by your sister-in-law and your mother. The money is still in their hands.”
She felt she still had to fight back and not just admit defeat. Throwing this mother-in-law and sister-in-law under the bus was the best move right now.
Fortunately, the children had been asleep when they were taken away and didn’t know they’d been sold by their own mother.
Moreover, the original host had been very cautious, covering her face when selling the children. The couple involved only cared about the children and didn’t pay attention to the seller’s appearance. If it really came down to a confrontation, she could simply shift the blame onto Chen Hongzhen. After all, Chen Hongzhen wasn’t innocent—she had been the one brainwashing the original host, persuading her to agree to sell the children.
Li Xiuran gave Gu Wenshu a deep look before turning his gaze to his mother. “A Niang, I’ve already clarified everything. It wasn’t Wenshu who sold the children.” His eyes then fell on the disheveled Chen Hongzhen. “Sister-in-law, even if I had died in the line of duty, my wife and children would still be recognized as martyrs’ family members and protected by the state. How dare you sell my children without a word? Your audacity is astounding.”
Chen Hongzhen’s face paled with fear at his words. She shook her head frantically. “No, I didn’t sell the children.”
Although the couple who bought the children had been arranged by her, she and her mother-in-law had planned to sell Gu Wenshu along with the children. Unexpectedly, that wretched woman had secretly met with the buyers and rescheduled the handover. By the time she and her mother-in-law found out, it was too late.
The thought of being outmaneuvered and severely beaten filled her with hatred for Gu Wenshu.
“Third Brother, I’ve already told you—it wasn’t me who sold your children. It was that promiscuous, thieving wife of yours!”
Old Woman Li nodded in agreement. Not only had she been beaten, but she also hadn’t gotten her hands on the hundred yuan from selling the children, nor had she managed to sell off that wretched Gu Wenshu. The thought infuriated her. Now, hearing her third son defend Gu Wenshu only fueled her rage, and she cursed inwardly: That seductive fox!
She plopped down on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing loudly. “Third Son, I’ve already told you it was that wretched Gu Wenshu who sold the children. Why are you blaming your sister-in-law?”
“You ungrateful wretch! You’ve forgotten your own mother for the sake of your wife! You’re nothing but a heartless ingrate!”
Li Xiuran sneered coldly. “The people who bought my children are distant relatives from Sister-in-law’s maternal family. No matter how capable my wife is, she wouldn’t have been able to track down your relatives.”
Gu Wenshu stared at Li Xiuran in shock. So he already knew!
Li Xiuran’s dark, penetrating gaze swept over everyone present. Thinking of the potential dangers his children could have faced, he suppressed his rising anger.
“For the sake of my elder brother, I won’t report this to the authorities today. But if anything happens to my children in the future, I’ll hold every one of you accountable.”
With that final warning, he picked up the children and strode back to his room without so much as a glance at Gu Wenshu.
Gu Wenshu felt the last remark was deliberately aimed at her.
The thought brought a wave of bitterness. The original host had truly dug her own grave.
Xiaoni clung to her mother, anxiously watching her father’s retreating back. In her tiny, milky voice, she pleaded, “Mommy, I want to find Gege and Daddy.”
Resigned, Gu Wenshu hurried after them.
Li Xiuran laid Sanbao down on the bed, then glanced at Gu Wenshu, who was still holding Xiaoni. “They’ve cried a lot today and are exhausted. Let them rest for a while.”
Gu Wenshu hummed in agreement and tried to place the child on the bed, but Xiaoni clung tightly to her neck, whimpering, “Mommy, don’t go.” She was afraid that if she let go, her mother would disappear again.
Seeing this, Gu Wenshu softened her voice. “Be good, Xiaoni. Mommy won’t leave. I’ll stay right here with you and your brother. Can you let go and sleep now?”
After hearing this, Sanbao was utterly astonished. He cautiously glanced at his mother, worried that he had misheard.
How could his mother, who usually despised him and his sister to death, be so gentle today?
And even offered to sleep with them?
Though his heart was filled with doubt, he was only a five-year-old child. Despite often being beaten and scolded by his mother, hearing that she was willing to stay with them still made him very happy.
He even looked forward to his mother holding him and his sister as they slept.
Li Xiuran stood nearby, watching the woman softly comfort the two children, his eyes filled with scorn and fury.
This woman was truly a master of pretense.
After the children fell asleep, Gu Wenshu had no desire to face the impending storm. She needed time to carefully consider her current situation and decide what to do next. Lost in thought, she simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped Gu Wenshu’s neck and lifted her up. As their eyes met, his cold gaze gradually turned bloodshot. She could see murderous intent in this man’s eyes—he genuinely wanted to kill her.
Terrified by this realization, Gu Wenshu dared not move, fearing he might snap her neck the next moment.
He gritted his teeth and said, “Gu Wenshu, you truly are a heartless and vicious woman. Do you not feel any guilt when taking money from selling your own children?”