Chapter 55: Chapter 55 A Face of Gloom
Chuner had been beaten by Old Lady Mo until she was drenched in cold sweat, her pain searing.
“Mother, Chuner is in so much pain, am I going to die?” Although it was clearly winter, Chuner’s pain soaked all her hair, her small face scrunched up in agony.
Madam Xie was in extreme grief, tears and snot streaming down her face as she wept, “Chuner, be good, just endure a little longer, it will be better soon.”
Madam Xie knew very well, no matter how painful, she could only ask her young daughter to endure; if the wounds were not tended to and became inflamed, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The scene inside the house was heartbreaking; no one from the Mo family even thought to come and see them, not even Mo Xiaoqiang, the girls’ own father. He was not only indifferent to his daughter’s life and death, but he even had the nerve to think about divorcing his wife. The village head felt very angry with the actions of the Mo family members.
Xuexue saw that Uncle Village Chief had a grim expression on his face and knew that her wailing in the yard earlier had had an effect.
She quietly pulled Uncle Village Chief aside and whispered, “Uncle Village Chief, with grandmother and father treating us this way, you must stand up for us. Otherwise, we, a few mother and daughters, will have no way to survive.”
Xuexue’s calm demeanor surprised the village head. He turned his head to glance at the panicked Madam Xie and Chuner, who was crying out in pain, before turning back, puzzled, and asked, “At a time , you still have the mind to talk about this?”
“Of course I have to talk about it, otherwise by tomorrow, my mother will be driven out.”
Xuexue knew that being so calm as a little girl amidst such a major crisis indeed might raise suspicions, so she added, “My mother is now so frightened that she can’t make any decisions. As her daughter, of course, I must think on her behalf; otherwise, if we get thrown out of the Mo family in this freezing cold, wouldn’t we have only a dead end?”
Upon hearing this, the village head suddenly came to his senses and nodded, “That’s right, Xuexue, you’ve truly grown up, knowing how to protect your mother.”
“Then, Uncle Village Chief, you…?”
“Don’t worry, Uncle will definitely see that justice is done for you, and won’t let them drive you mother and daughters out.” Xuexue was so filial, and the village head truly liked her from the bottom of his heart.
“Don’t let them.” As soon as Xuexue heard this, she couldn’t help but cry out.
“Don’t let them? What do you mean, Xuexue?” The village head turned his head, looking at her with confusion.
“Uh! Uncle Village Chief, what I mean is, let them separate us mother and daughters from the family, let us live on our own, life and death unrelated to them.” Realizing she had reacted too intensely, Xuexue quickly composed herself and explained.
The moment Xuexue said this, it indeed gave the village head a start: “Xuexue, living on your own, what can you mother and daughters do for a living? It would be better to stay with them.”
The village head’s words were not without reason; even if they received some provisions from the Mo family now, come next spring, the work in the fields would be arduous. Could they, several weak women, handle it? He feared that, in the end, mismanagement might lead to no harvest and starvation.
“Anyway, we might eventually be beaten to death by grandmother if we stay in the Mo family, so rather than that, we mother and daughters might as well strike out on our own and try. We might have a chance to survive.” Xuexue had a determined, all-or-nothing look.
The village head turned to glance at Chuner, who had fainted from pain on the bed, and immediately understood. He sighed inwardly, “Such hard lives.”
“Alright, Xuexue, Uncle promises to help you, but I hope you won’t regret today’s decision in the future.” The village head was still full of concerns, after all, his decision would affect the fate of the mother and daughters.