Liu Sanjin was called over last time by Ming Liang to argue with the people at Lai Zi’s house. Lu Zhenping mentioned that his comrade sent him and Lu Changzhu two pairs of round-toed furry boots, especially warm and comfortable to wear.
She is not an ignorant person; she has seen them before on her own son. They’re leather boots suitable for the winter, able to walk through snow and rain. At her age, she no longer wanted to dwell on past issues; as long as Lu Zhenping still carried the Lu surname, he was her eldest son, and she could continue to reap endless benefits.
Lu Changzhu was genuinely upset because Lai Zi’s family had gone too far; he knew all about it. This time, Lai Zi directly threw his two grandchildren into the river. Although they were not biologically his, they had lived under the Lu Family name for many years; it was a direct slap to Lu Changzhu’s face.
Xie Jinghao wiped away a tear and held Ni in her arms. Since Ni was born, her grandparents had never properly held her. Now that they had separated, she realized how challenging life could be. Xiao Gang also shuffled closer to her, clearly disliking Liu Sanjin and Lu Changzhu.
"My dear grandson Ming Liang, how are you, it’s so cold, the water so chilly, how could their hearts be so cruel!"
Shen Meng saw Liu Sanjin heading straight for Ming Liang and tenderly stroked his hair, not even giving Ming Fang a glance, which left her feeling uneasy. She hugged Ming Fang a bit tighter and rolled her eyes at her.
"You tell me, what kind of mother are you? Your child has suffered so much, and you were nowhere to be found, always away from home. Where have you been all this time? I have never seen a mother like you."
"I was right here, wasn’t I? This is how I mother, okay? Stop bringing up the topic every chance you get. Why don’t you speak about Lu Zhenping, he wasn’t at home today either!"
Liu Sanjin was momentarily choked by her rebuttal, thinking that Lu Jiasheng inviting her must mean Shen Meng needed a favor, expecting her to be polite no matter what he said. But she was surprisingly stubborn, which annoyed him greatly.
"You talk back with three sentences for every one I say; always so defiant."
"Mom, stop taking your anger out on me. Use the time to deal with Lai Zi’s family instead. You know why I went to the county today, don’t you? Lu Zhenping’s comrade sent over those big head cotton shoes. They were meant as a thanks, I went with the children to express our gratitude."
Upon hearing this, Liu Sanjin’s eyes lit up and she stopped talking, with Lu Changzhu pulling her aside.
"Enough, there’s no need to lash out at Zhenping’s wife. It’s good that the child is safe. I’ve asked Jiasheng to find Hongfa and Debang. We’ll call Director Guo too and head to Lai Zi’s house to seek justice."
"Hmph, they dared to bully our old Lu Family members; we’ll see if their heads can withstand today."
Meanwhile, when Lu Zhenping arrived at the Shen Family, it wasn’t long before Shen Shoutian, Shen Yutian, and Shen Xiaobin came by bicycle, joined by Lv Qinlan and Su Xiaomei.
A large group gathered directly at Lu Jiasheng’s house; Xie Jinghao pulled Shen Meng aside, wanting her to leave a few children at home. It wouldn’t be good for the children to see a fight.
Shen Meng shook her head; holding Mingyang and the other three children, she looked at the people in the courtyard and said, "I’ll tell you, we don’t start trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. Your father conducts himself honorably and wants to seek justice for you, but he’s too reasonable, which just makes others walk all over him. So, even if your father doesn’t fight today, I’m the petty one. If someone respects us, we respect them tenfold, but if someone disrespects us, I will repay it a thousandfold. The elders here in the courtyard are all here to support you. Do you want to take a look?"
Mingyang looked at the people standing in the courtyard and nodded.
"Mom, we want to go."
"I want to go too."
Ming Fang and Ming Kai also held hands and drew closer to Shen Meng, clearly wanting to join as well.
Shen Meng led a crowd to Lai Zi’s house, where, upon arrival, Lai Zi’s family was beating Shirley with sticks, while Daya and Xiao Ya were crying loudly beside her.
Dezi, holding his bowl, was eating a fried egg and shouting to his grandparents while eating, "Beat her hard, let her disobey again. She even dared to hit me today, huh, she deserves to die if beaten to death."
Upon hearing her son’s words, Shirley felt that the last bit of maternal connection with this child had also been severed.
Lai Zi kicked her in the back, and she stumbled forward a bit. There was a rock near the corner of the wall; she glanced at it. As she heard the commotion outside, her body leaned forward, and as Lai Zi’s second kick came, she jutted her body forward, hitting her forehead on the rock.
"Uh~!"
Lai Zi’s mother hit her with another stick, saw no movement, hit her again, and still no movement, which made her heart skip a beat and step back nervously. Although beating a wife or daughter-in-law was normal, killing someone was serious.
"Why isn’t she moving? Could she be dead?"
Lai Zi didn’t care; he even kicked her again, "Mom, don’t worry, she won’t die that easily. Just leave her be if she wants to lie down."
Lai Zi’s parents exchanged a glance and were just about to check on her when suddenly the courtyard door was kicked open,
"Who is it, looking for death kicking my door? Do you know who your grandpa is you..."
Daya and Xiao Ya were crying over Shirley’s body, trying hard to lift her.
"Mom, mom, don’t die, mom, woo woo woo..."
"Mom, wake up, I’m scared, I’m scared woo, mom..."
Normally, if they cried like this, they would definitely be beaten, but now Lai Zi’s family was too busy to care about them. Even Dezi, who was holding his bowl and eating an egg, was silenced by fear.
Shen Meng, leading four children at the forefront, followed by a crowd of people, among which there was no presence of Zhenping’s people.
"You, what do all of you want coming to my house?"
Lai Zi’s mother said this with a very stiff facial muscle and twitching lips, while Lai Zi hid behind them. Lai Zi’s father, rubbing his hands, braved forward with a ruffian look towards Lu Changzhu.
"Hey, isn’t this the father of the big official? What brings you to my house for inspection, got any instructions? We’re busy, please go back!"
"If you want us to leave, that’s not going to happen. Today you bullied our Lu Family’s children, if we let you go, you’ll turn the heavens upside down later."
"What are you talking about, we don’t understand, don’t understand, what’s this about bullying? Just leave, why isn’t Zhenping here? He’s a soldier, letting his family cause such a ruckus, isn’t he afraid of being reported."
Xiao Mei exclaimed as she looked towards Shirley, who had quietly turned over. By then, the moon had risen, casting moonlight over the courtyard, revealing to everyone the woman who lay motionless on the ground now face covered in blood.