Half a Brick
Chapter 38 A Kind-Hearted and Honest Man
It was said that when the daughter-in-law first married into her husband's family, everyone praised her for her good fortune, saying that her husband's family was especially good. The old man was diligent, the old woman was kind, and the man was motivated. Although the family's conditions were not wealthy, as long as the daughter-in-law lived a down-to-earth life, this family would definitely not mistreat her.
Marrying a rich man also has its hardships, and marrying a poor man can also bring happiness. They told the daughter-in-law to cherish such a good family and never have any snobbish thoughts.
The daughter-in-law listened with a smile, her eyes full of longing for a happy life in the future.
The following year went as the villagers had imagined. The family lived happily and harmoniously. Although the daughter-in-law was not as diligent as ideal, and her temper was not as gentle as expected, she was generally still passable and worthy of such a good family.
But in the second year, the situation was a little different. The daughter-in-law's temper became increasingly irritable. Sometimes she even pointed at her mother-in-law and cursed in the street, angering the village elders who wanted to hit her with iron shovels. But the mother-in-law firmly protected her, saying that the daughter-in-law was young and didn't know any better, and she would teach her slowly. She also said that it was her fault that the daughter-in-law couldn't speak properly, and they should blame her, telling the elders not to be angry with the daughter-in-law.
The mother-in-law protected her ignorant daughter-in-law so much, but the daughter-in-law didn't appreciate it at all. She still glared at her mother-in-law. The villagers gradually couldn't stand this daughter-in-law, and some people openly and secretly advised the daughter-in-law not to be like this and should cherish the life in front of her. But the daughter-in-law still went her own way and didn't listen to anyone's advice.
By the third year, some people even saw the daughter-in-law giving her mother-in-law stale leftovers while she ate fresh food.
In the fourth year, even more excessive things were encountered by the villagers almost every once in a while. No one wanted to talk to that daughter-in-law anymore. The daughter-in-law didn't care and glared at everyone in the village.
By the fifth year, everyone in the village knew that this daughter-in-law was abusing her parents-in-law and having an affair behind her husband's back. Even the children in the village would throw stones and spit at her when they saw her.
But strangely enough, the parents-in-law were abused by this daughter-in-law every day, but they were all strong and healthy. The mother-in-law was even whiter and fatter than before, and the man was also radiant, walking with his head held high every day. The daughter-in-law, however, after being a villain for five years, had made herself look sallow, haggard, and as if she had been seriously ill for several years.
The villagers all said that evil people will be punished by Heaven. The woman had a dirty heart and rotten lungs, and she had depleted her body by sleeping around. She deserved it.
Finally, one day, the daughter-in-law stood at the street corner and cursed her mother-in-law with dirty and vicious language all day long. But when it got dark, the mother-in-law still went over to call her home for dinner. The daughter-in-law not only didn't feel grateful but instead picked up a brick and smashed it on her mother-in-law's forehead.
The mother-in-law's head was instantly smashed and bleeding. Passing villagers quickly called 110 and 120 (police and ambulance), and several women held down the daughter-in-law, saying that they must send her to the police station.
The daughter-in-law didn't know where she got the strength. She looked so weak, with only a skeleton left, but she actually bit the woman next to her and ran away.
The villagers originally planned to catch her back, but then they saw her running into the desolate village, seemingly towards the old well. The villagers stopped.
After all, so many people had died in that well, and it was late at night. No one wanted to tempt fate with those little ghosts.
After the woman entered the desolate village, she indeed did not come out again. The police uncle did come, but the injury on the mother-in-law's forehead was not serious. It was just a scratch and not a big deal. If the daughter-in-law was here, she would only be educated. Now that the daughter-in-law had escaped, it was impossible to issue an arrest warrant like they would for a murderer. They could only leave it at that for now, and if they found any inappropriate behavior from the daughter-in-law in the future, they would report it to the police again.
In a flash, seven days passed, and there was still no news of the daughter-in-law. The villagers all said that it would be better if this daughter-in-law never came back, so as not to harm honest people. It would be best if she died in the desolate village and was eaten by those little ghosts.
The mother-in-law cried and explained to the villagers, saying that the daughter-in-law didn't want to kill her, and told the villagers not to curse the woman so much, as she was still her family's daughter-in-law. The villagers all said that the mother-in-law was too stupid and too kind.
But it was this stupid and kind mother-in-law who died that night after crying with the villagers. She died very tragically, her heart and lungs were dug out and hung on the clothesline one by one, and all the bones in the rest of her body were broken. The corpse was lying on the ground and couldn't be collected.
The next night, it was the father-in-law. The father-in-law's belly was as big as if he was ten months pregnant. He bloated himself to death. When the villagers planned to help him collect the body, they found his belly move. They thought he wasn't completely dead yet, and they were about to give him artificial respiration when the father-in-law suddenly opened his mouth, and a bloody rat crawled out of the father-in-law's mouth.
Then there was the second, the third, countless rats scrambling to squeeze out of the belly through the mouth. But there were too many rats, and the passage was too narrow. In the end, they burst the father-in-law's belly, and the rats poured out like a tide. The people collecting the body were so frightened that they ran outside the door.
On the third day, everyone was worried that the man would die, but it was not the man who died, but an old woman who was their neighbor. The old woman was over seventy years old and didn't have many years left to live anyway. She was a very upright old woman all her life, and she had worried and worked hard for the neighbor's unfilial daughter-in-law. In the end, she met a tragic death, crushed into渣 by a large truck.
On the fourth day, the daughter-in-law's affair partner died. His death was also very tragic. He was stabbed to death on a high branch.
On the fifth day, the elder who swung the iron shovel to hit the daughter-in-law also died. Both hands were cut off before his death.
At this time, the villagers generally knew what was going on. That daughter-in-law was dead, and after death, she turned into a ghost and came back to make trouble, wanting to kill everyone she hated.
Therefore, those nosy villagers who had once rebuked her in person, or even stood up for the parents-in-law and taught the daughter-in-law a lesson, were afraid. Five people had already died. Who would be next?
However, what puzzled the villagers was why the man was always okay? Although he also lived in fear every day, the daughter-in-law didn't seem to want to harm him. The villagers even had the last illusion, thinking that the daughter-in-law still had feelings for her husband and couldn't bear to kill her husband who had once shared the same bed with her. They hoped that the man would talk to the daughter-in-law and tell her not to trouble the villagers anymore.
As a result, before they could go to the man, the man took the initiative to find them. The man knelt at the crossroads and said a shocking truth.