"Why are you hitting me? How dare you ask?" Wang Gouzi's eyes were bloodshot, his expression as if he wanted to devour Su Manxiu alive.
"What did I do?" Su Manxiu asked, unwilling to give up.
"You slut, you're a deserving bitch, and you dare to tamper with the food you were supposed to make for Xiao Cui. Are you trying to make me childless? A hen that doesn't lay eggs, and you dare to lay hands on my seed, I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death, you slut..."
Outside the window, Wang Pozi, alerted by the noise from her son and daughter-in-law's room, cursed sharply, "You hen that doesn't lay eggs, why are you crying like you're mourning at midnight! Second son, beat her to death, beat her to death. If you beat her to death, Mother will send someone to propose marriage tomorrow and take the young widow as your bride."
Following that were unspeakable insults directed at Su Manxiu.
Su Manxiu's heart grew even colder at her mother-in-law's words.
This was the mother-in-law she had served for many years, and she had never shown such filial piety even to her own mother.
Yet, she could say such words, telling Wang Gouzi to beat her to death. Had she never thought of any of her past kindnesses?
Was her life really worth so little?
She had once been a beautiful young girl, how had she fallen to such a state?
Incited by his own mother, especially upon hearing that beating Su Manxiu to death would allow him to marry his beloved, Wang Gouzi's slaps became faster and heavier.
His palm, like a cattail fan, landed blow after blow, interspersed with kicks, all delivered with great force.
At first, Su Manxiu could still wail a few times, but later, she didn't even have the strength to cry. Her ribs felt like they were about to break, and the pain made it impossible to catch her breath.
Su Manxiu's heart gradually numbed.
Listening to Wang Gouzi's curses, she understood the cause of the incident.
Liu Xiaocui claimed that after eating the food she sent, her stomach felt uncomfortable, and that she intended to harm her unborn child.
Wang Gouzi, the man, actually believed it and came to beat her to vent his anger.
She was blocking Liu Xiaocui's path. As long as she refused to divorce, Liu Xiaocui could not marry him. A pregnant widow was considered damaged goods.
Liu Xiaocui's child was almost three months old. If she didn't marry soon, it would be impossible to hide. She was anxious!
Because she refused to divorce, Liu Xiaocui had been instigating Wang Gouzi to beat her frequently.
Amidst Wang Pozi's clamoring outside, Wang Gouzi's unrestrained curses, and the sounds of slaps and kicks, Su Manxiu recalled her years of life in the Wang family and was astonished to realize she was a joke.
There is no sorrow greater than a dead heart. She finally fainted.
When Su Manxiu, lying on the ground, woke up, it was already late at night. Her entire body felt as if it had been crushed, and she was in unbearable pain.
She endured the pain in her body and looked around. The room was dark. Wang Gouzi was not there; he had probably gone to see the widow Liu again.
It was quiet, and she could faintly hear the sounds of chickens and dogs barking in the distance, proving that she was still alive in this world and had not been beaten to death by Wang Gouzi!
Thinking of how brutally Wang Gouzi had beaten her, she couldn't help but smile, but the smile held unspeakable desolation and helplessness.
For a few instigating words, that inhuman creature Wang Gouzi had resorted to beating her. Was he still her husband?
No, he was an enemy.
For so many years since marrying into this family, she had endured beatings, scolding, hunger, and cold.
But her husband was constantly thinking of another woman and always wanted a divorce. What could she do?
Su Manxiu was unwilling to divorce and continued to endure inhumane torment.
A divorced woman would be gossiped about, and even her own brother and nephews would be shamed and unable to show their faces.
It was enough that she herself was not living well, but she could not implicate her maternal family.
Looking at her nephews, who were getting older and nearing the age of marriage, she couldn't ruin their lives because of her own affairs!
Slowly, Su Manxiu made up her mind.
Hongxin Brigade.
Today was the day for grain distribution, and the entire brigade was filled with joy.
The brigade accountant had already calculated that each person would receive seventeen catties more grain this year than last year. This was truly great news.
"Comrades, the piglets have also arrived this year. Anyone willing to adopt piglets can sign up with me. Each household can adopt a maximum of two piglets!" Su Changjiu announced happily at the grain distribution site, sharing another piece of good news.
The piglets were uniformly allocated by the commune. In previous years, the first batch never reached Hongxin Brigade. This year, for some unknown reason, Hongxin Brigade was the first to receive them, and the quality of the piglets was much better than last year.
At this time, raising pigs was mainly done through voluntary adoption by members and centralized breeding by the brigade.
If a member voluntarily adopted a pig, they would receive two hundred catties of coarse grain for one pig. By the end of the year, they had to submit one hundred and fifty catties of meat to the brigade.
In fact, this amount of coarse grain was definitely not enough to raise a pig, but who would raise a pig with grain?
Raising pigs mainly relied on pig feed. As long as people were diligent, there was plenty of pig feed on the mountain, and raising one or two pigs was not a problem.
The members were waiting for grain distribution and heard that they could adopt piglets, their spirits became even more uplifted.
Su Changjiu vaguely felt that today's events were related to what Minister Chen had said before.
This was all thanks to the Su family.
"Grandma, why don't we raise two piglets too?" Su Wu Rang approached his own grandmother and whispered his suggestion.
Little Tian was very capable now. Raising chickens allowed her to lay eggs every day, and the family often had eggs to eat.
If they raised two pigs, by next year, would the family be able to eat a little more meat?
Families that raised pigs, after handing over the required amount of meat to the brigade, could sell the remaining meat to the brigade at a fair price. However, pig farmers could keep some meat and also receive offal.
Although offal was not as delicious as pork, it could still satisfy cravings.
The Su family had not raised pigs for many years, mainly because the adults had to go to work, and the children had to go to school.
This year, Grandma Su had no such thoughts, but when her grandson spoke, she seriously considered it.
Indeed, this matter was quite feasible.
After all, the children now basically did not go to school, saying that school was not suitable for studying, and it was better to read at home.
Moreover, even if they didn't understand something, they could ask Chi Ge and Du Tong He for help.
During this period, they went up the mountain every day to cut pig feed and pick fruits, and their harvest was abundant.
If their own family raised pigs, not handing over pig feed to the brigade would at most result in a loss of work points. But by next year, they would have money and more meat to eat, which was considered good.
"Okay, our family will adopt two piglets."
Grandma Su was a decisive person. She promptly went forward to register and indeed signed up for two piglets, then retreated to the back with satisfaction.
Those who registered could soon choose their piglets. Grandma Su, being very superstitious, brought Su Xiao Tian along.
Yes, that's right, she let Su Xiao Tian choose the piglets.
Grandma Su believed that her granddaughter's luck was good and she would definitely pick good piglets!
Whether the piglets were good or not was related to whether they would grow well next year. If the piglets didn't grow, the pig-raising family would have to compensate.
A large group of piglets was loaded onto an open carriage, grunting.
However, Su Xiao Tian did not choose the largest or strongest piglets. Instead, she chose two that looked very ordinary.
The surrounding onlookers couldn't help but comment, saying that the old Su family spoiled their children too much, letting a little child make such a big decision.
But some people were relieved that the best piglets were not chosen, and they had a chance to pick the best ones.
Although Grandma Su was puzzled why Su Xiao Tian chose these two ordinary-looking piglets, since her granddaughter had chosen them, she firmly believed in her.
Perhaps, it was arranged by the Dragon King!
Grandma Su asked Su Lao San to carry the two piglets home and happily returned to the field to wait for the grain distribution.
Just then, they heard a shocking piece of news.
Li Zhuzi went to the commune and heard that Su Manxiu had committed suicide by drowning herself in the river!
Upon hearing the news of Su Manxiu's suicide by drowning, Grandma Su was so distressed that her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
The crowd, who were waiting for grain distribution, no longer cared about it. They rushed to help, some went to find Doctor Li, some went to call the captain, and some chased after the messenger to confirm the news.
Not to mention the Su family, even the villagers did not believe that Su Manxiu would be gone like this.
She was a rare good girl in the village. When she married Wang Gouzi, many people said it was a pity for such a good girl.
A hardworking and good girl, how could she have been so disheartened as to drown herself?
After Chang Pozi pinched Su Grandma's philtrum, Grandma Su recovered and began to wail loudly, completely disregarding her appearance.
Su Changjiu, who had rushed over, already knew the news and frowned, asking, "Li Zhuzi, where did you get this news?"
Regardless, Su Manxiu was also a member of Hongxin Brigade. With the person gone so inexplicably, he, as the captain, could not ignore it.
"I went to the commune today and heard gossip at the supply and marketing cooperative that Sister Manxiu drowned herself a few days ago, and her body has not been found yet..." Li Zhuzi's voice grew quieter as he spoke.
Grandma Su had already fainted from the shock, and he was now afraid that his words would further stimulate the two elders, Grandma and Grandpa Su.
"Li Zhuzi, are you sure you heard correctly?" Su Lao Er's lips moved, and he stared at Li Zhuzi in disbelief.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, his younger sister had visited home, and she was fine then. How could she have died?
"I was afraid I misheard, so I specifically asked that person," Li Zhuzi said quickly.
To inquire about this matter, Li Zhuzi even gave away the half a catty of sugar coupons he had painstakingly obtained!
Only then did he confirm that it was true, that Sister Manxiu had indeed committed suicide by drowning.
"That person also said that Wang Gouzi is preparing to marry a young widow in the next couple of days!"
"I'll go chop Wang Gouzi." Su Lao Er shouted heartbrokenly and was about to rush out, but was stopped by other members.
"Second brother, wait a moment, let's discuss this!" Su Changjiu said quickly.
"Discuss what? It must be that Wang Gouzi had other intentions and forced my sister to her death!" Su Lao Er, a grown man, cried tears as he uttered these words.
Su Lao San, bringing Su Xiao Tian back to the field, was also shocked by this news.
Su Xiao Tian found it hard to believe.
She was foolish.
It was her fault. She should have realized earlier that such a day would come. Why hadn't she taken action sooner?
"It's my fault, it's my fault!" the little girl murmured to herself, but no one paid attention.
Everyone in the field was now focused on the news of Su Manxiu's suicide by drowning, and no one would notice a little girl.
But Chi Yi Yuan noticed.
He was also waiting for grain distribution today. Seeing Su Xiao Tian standing there foolishly, shedding tears, he thought she was just sad to hear about the death of a relative.
However, when he walked closer, he heard her repeatedly saying it was her fault.
"It's not your fault, it's not your fault!" He quickly patted Su Xiao Tian's back and said, "You're just a child. You can't be blamed for something like this!"
"Brother Yi Yuan, it really is my fault, it really is my fault!" Su Xiao Tian cried louder and louder.
Chi Yi Yuan could only gently hold the little girl in his arms to comfort her.
"I know you're blaming yourself, but some things have already happened. What's the use of blaming yourself? Xiao Tian, you need to be stronger!"
Chi Yi Yuan tried his best to comfort Su Xiao Tian.
He had already experienced the pain of losing a loved one years ago.
He never expected that this sunny, smiling little girl would also experience it one day.
Meanwhile, Su Changjiu finally decided to lead the young and strong men in the brigade, especially the men of the Su family, to seek justice for Su Manxiu.
Whether Su Manxiu drowned herself or was thrown into the river was unclear, but the Wang family had gone too far. Not only did they fail to notify anyone, but they even dared to arrange a marriage with a young widow.
As for the grain distribution, it had to be postponed until tomorrow.
Li Accountant was not satisfied with this. He had worked hard to set up the site, and now they weren't distributing grain. What was the meaning of this?
It was just the death of a woman who couldn't have children.
A woman who couldn't have children, if she died, she died. What was the point of her living!
But did he dare to say these words? No!
In fact, his wife was Su Manxiu's clan sister, so not only could he not object, but he had to go along.
But he didn't want to go, so he quickly found an excuse, stating that he had to stay at the brigade to take care of the matters at the site.
Su Changjiu glanced at Li Accountant and waved to the others to set off.
Grandpa Su and Grandma Su were persuaded to stay at home.
But Grandpa Su and Grandma Su both disagreed.
The deceased was their daughter. How could they be reconciled without seeing her one last time? How could they be reconciled without seeing those people suffer?
"I must go, so that the old witch of the Wang family can't use her age to pressure people!" Grandma Su said firmly.
Grandma Su knew what kind of person Wang Pozi was after so many years. She knew that the old witch was difficult to deal with, and if only the young people went, they might suffer.
If she couldn't get justice for her daughter, she wouldn't be able to swallow this.
Grandpa Su also explicitly stated that he wanted to see the faces of the Wang family.
Since no one could dissuade them, they were allowed to go.
All ten members of the old Su family went, including seven-year-old Su Xiao Tian. Not a single one flinched.
Su Xiao Tian felt that her aunt was not dead, but she couldn't say it. She had to follow to take care of her grandparents.
Li Accountant refused to go, but Li Accountant's wife, Su Taohua, was the first to express her willingness to go.
Su Taohua was a strong woman with formidable combat power and was quite famous in the brigade.
"Why are you going? Are you not going to manage the house?" Li Accountant objected, shouting at his wife.
"Are you even human? Manxiu is my sister. I watched her grow up! Our Su family children cannot be bullied like this. If we back down this time, what about my daughter in the future?" Su Taohua said firmly.
She also had two daughters. Putting herself in their shoes, she couldn't bear this!
If her daughter were bullied like this, she would surely tear those beasts apart with her bare hands!
Li Accountant was looked down upon by everyone. The way they looked at him was filled with disdain.
Villagers, accustomed to this for generations, had no regard for such cowards who dared not show themselves.
But Li Accountant felt that he was a civilized person and certainly couldn't go looking for a fight.
After everyone had gone far away, he was still muttering about people being uncivilized, his tone filled with indescribable disdain.
Chang Pozi heard this and couldn't help but retort, "Li Accountant, what are you saying? So, when our people are bullied, it's civilized?"
After speaking, Chang Pozi didn't forget to spit heavily.
Although she and the woman from the old Su family were not on good terms, on this matter, she stood with the Su family. The villagers were going to avenge Su Manxiu, and she hadn't gone, but she had arranged for her son to go.
Li Accountant was a relative of the old Su family, yet he was here watching the show!
Sixty to seventy people from Hongxin Brigade, carrying sticks and hoes, marched mightily towards Wang Gouzi's house.
The momentum was immense!
As they passed through several brigades, some people were curious why the people from Hongxin Brigade looked like they were going to fight a group battle.
Those who knew the inside story explained that the old Wang family was wicked. Not only did they torment their good daughter-in-law, but they also wanted a divorce, and finally pushed her to her death. It was only natural for her maternal family to seek justice.
At this point, someone else broke the news that the wicked ones of the old Wang family had an affair and got a woman pregnant, which was why they were so eager to divorce.
Naturally, some people cursed, and some curious onlookers even followed from afar to watch the excitement.
When Wang Gouzi and Wang Pozi received the news, they were startled.
How did the Su family find out? And why did they gather so many people to come to their door?
"Mother, what should we do?" Wang Gouzi, who was helping with the red flowers and preparing for remarriage, asked anxiously.
"What are you afraid of? Just insist that the shameless slut ran off with someone else," Wang Pozi said calmly. With a roll of her eyes, she came up with a plan.
"At that time, we'll also ask the Su family to compensate us!"
The more Wang Pozi thought about it, the more feasible this seemed. Although they didn't spend money to marry the young widow this time, it was good to extort some.
"Mother, will it work?"
"Why wouldn't it work?" Wang Pozi said dismissively.
As the mother and son were discussing, they heard the noisy sounds from outside the courtyard. The Su family had already arrived at the door.
"Hey, Wang Gouzi, you look like a decent person, wearing a big red flower, what are you pretending to be, a big turtle?" Su Taohua cursed as soon as she saw Wang Gouzi wearing a big red flower.
Along the way, she had learned a lot about how the old Wang family had tormented Su Manxiu, and she was full of anger, waiting to vent. Wang Gouzi was actually wearing a big red flower, which was like hitting the muzzle of a gun!
"Why are you cursing people as soon as you open your mouth? You shrew!" Wang Gouzi retorted, his face flushed red.
"Smash it for me!"