Chapter 105: Mrs. Liu Froze to Death, Stiff as a Popsicle

At the township clinic, Liu Jianjun’s parents and Lin Xiaodou arrived in a hurry.

Outside the ward, the doctor said slowly, “Comrade Liu Jianjun was given a sedative earlier. He’s still asleep and probably won’t wake up until later.”

Liu’s mother looked frantic. “Doctor, my son... what happened to him? Why would he suddenly go mad?”

Liu’s father stood there with a grave expression, and Lin Xiaodou was equally curious.

The doctor shook his head. “I’m not clear on the details. When I arrived with the others, I only saw him strangling his wife like a man possessed. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t pull him off.”

Grinding her teeth, Liu’s mother said, “Then I’ll go ask that woman.”

“You mean your daughter-in-law?” the doctor said. “Her family was discharged just now. They’re no longer at the clinic.”

Liu’s father’s face darkened. “It was definitely those Huang people stirring things up. Afraid we’d hold them responsible, they ran off the moment this happened.”

Lin Xiaodou quickly said, “Uncle, Auntie, don’t panic. Once Brother Liu wakes up, we’ll know exactly what happened.”

Liu’s parents could only nod helplessly.

After waiting about an hour, Liu Jianjun finally woke up.

The moment he saw Liu’s father and mother standing by his bed, tears began to stream down his face.

“Dad... Mom... I’ve let you down... I was wrong...”

Twenty minutes later, after hearing everything Liu Jianjun had to say, Lin Xiaodou’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

That sister-in-law’s family was truly vile.

They had not only cuckolded Liu Jianjun, but also wanted to make him raise another man’s child?

No wonder the honest, mild-mannered Liu Jianjun had snapped and tried to kill someone. No one could bear a thing like that.

Liu’s father and mother were even more furious, trembling with rage.

Liu’s father gritted his teeth, his face livid. “This is outrageous! The Huang family simply never took our Liu family seriously!”

Liu’s mother was red with anger. “I told you that Huang Cuifen was no good. She even dared to fool around behind his back! I’m going to report her right now!”

Liu Jianjun looked utterly defeated. “Mom, it’s useless. She’ll never admit it, and without the child being born, there’s no way to prove anything.”

Lin Xiaodou nearly spat out her water.

What a useless coward. Truly useless at everything.

Before anything had even started, he had already collapsed.

In this day and age, there was no prenatal DNA testing, so there really was no way to prove who the child’s father was.

But there were plenty of other ways to deal with people.

“Even if it can’t be proven, it doesn’t matter. Just find a few gossiping old women in the village and let them loose. In less than a day, their whole family’s reputation will be ruined.”

Huang Cuifen’s family was from the neighboring village.

The two villages were right next to each other. Once such talk spread, a chorus of spit alone could drown them.

“Besides, her younger brother got a girl pregnant before either family even arranged the marriage. That kind of thing is a stain on public morals.”

These days, people feared exactly that sort of scandal. One denunciation and they were done for.

In Lin Xiaodou’s view, the Huang family was also a bunch of spineless fools, letting themselves be led around by the nose by the woman so thoroughly.

If they had truly wanted the girl to marry into their family, there were plenty of more ruthless methods they could have used.

Just like the Liu family, they had been blinded by that unborn grandson, yielding again and again.

Brother Liu was the same.

For the sake of a child not even born yet, he had been willing to abandon even his own parents.

Lin Xiaodou looked down on men like that from the bottom of her heart.

If his wife had not betrayed him, he probably would still have remained lost in that delusion.

What she had said was not to help him, but because she simply could not stand it any longer.

Liu’s parents were growing older by the day. They were kind-hearted old people; how could they endure such torment over and over again?

They had always treated Lin Xiaodou well, so if she could help, she certainly would.

When the others heard her, their eyes immediately lit up.

“Let’s do exactly as Xiaodou says,” Liu’s father said. “We absolutely cannot let this go. We have to make a scene out of it.”

“In our village, that Ma, the big-mouth gossip, is the best at spreading rumors,” Liu’s mother said. “I’ll go find her the moment I get back!”

Liu Jianjun looked at them with great emotion. “Dad, Mom, you rushed over the moment something happened to me. You’re still the best to me.”

Liu’s father snorted. “We already have nothing to do with each other anymore. Don’t call me Dad again in the future!”

Liu’s mother nodded. “That’s right. We’re not helping you; we’re defending the honor of the Liu family. This has nothing to do with you.”

Liu Jianjun lowered his head in shame.

He was truly useless. Not only had he made his parents suffer, he had also left behind such a huge mess.

From now on, he would spend the rest of his life making amends.

...

Back in Blackstone Village, Liu’s mother instantly transformed into a machine of battle, going from house to house to spread the news among the gossip-loving old women.

In less than half a day, every version of the rumor was circulating through the village.

Soon enough, it spread to the neighboring village.

At the old Huang household, in the courtyard, Huang Cuifen was sweeping the ground with her belly protruding.

She was almost four months pregnant now, and her stomach was already showing. Moving around had become a little awkward.

At the Liu house, she had never had to do any work at all.

But things were different at her parents’ home.

Her mother was old and in poor health, and her father and younger brother were both useless at household chores.

So whenever she came home, cooking, washing, and cleaning all fell to her.

Huang Cuifen did not think there was anything wrong with that.

Being able to help her family was her honor. Her mother had taught her that from a young age.

As she swept the courtyard, Huang Cuifen could not help rubbing the bruises on her neck, still shaken.

She had not expected Liu Jianjun, that useless weakling, to become so terrifying when he flew into a rage.

It was just one child. Did he really need to get that angry?

She wondered how that fool Liu Jianjun was doing now.

If, in a fit of anger, he told his parents everything, they would surely never forgive her.

She was not really afraid for herself. What worried her most was that her younger brother’s marriage was still pending.

If this affected that, her parents would definitely blame her.

Sigh. If only she had not told them who the child’s real father was. She had made an utter mess of things.

Huang Cuifen was sighing when a figure quickly approached from outside the gate.

The moment the person arrived, they slapped her hard twice across the face.

Huang Cuifen was stunned. “Mom, why are you hitting me?”

“Look at the fine thing you’ve done! Now the whole village knows you’ve been fooling around behind your husband’s back!”

Huang’s mother pointed at her forehead, grinding her teeth in fury. “If you dare affect your brother’s marriage, get out of the Huang family at once!”

Huang Cuifen panicked immediately. “Mom... I was wrong. Please don’t throw me out!”

Where else could she go now? The Liu family had already torn the face between them apart. She could only stay at her parents’ home.

Huang’s younger brother also came storming over, looking angry.

“Sis, what on earth were you thinking? Why did you have to go sleeping around outside?”

He looked vexed and went on, “I just went to Xiao Hua’s family, and they wouldn’t even let me in the door. They said they were afraid of being implicated. It’s infuriating!”

The moment he finished speaking, a voice came from outside the gate.

“People of the Huang family, hurry and take a look! Something’s happened over at your in-laws’ place.

A group of red-capped enforcers has barged into their house. They say she got pregnant before marriage and has ruined public morals, and they’re taking her away for a public shaming!”

“What?!”

Huang’s mother and the others grew frantic and rushed off in a panic.

Fortunately, the two families did not live far apart.

By the time they arrived, they saw the girl being dragged out by several people while they shouted.

“That’s my wife! Let go of her!”

Huang’s younger brother yelled and charged forward.

He failed to save anyone and instead got beaten black and blue.

Before this, aside from the two families and the Liu household, no one else knew the girl was pregnant.

Though she had only been pregnant for two months, because it was twins, her belly had grown more and more obvious.

Even if Liu’s mother had not deliberately spread the word today, the other villagers would have noticed eventually.

That was why the girl’s family had been pressing the Huang family so hard, demanding that they gather the bride price and quickly send her over.

But once the matter erupted, troublemakers came out of the woodwork.

After much explanation, pleading, and the assurances of the village head, the girl was finally not taken away.

Still, because of this, the girl’s family completely fell out with the Huang family.

If not for the fact that their daughter-in-law had disgraced herself by fooling around, they would never have been humiliated like this.

They would rather forfeit the money than swallow such anger.

The very next day, the girl’s parents took their daughter to the town for an abortion.

When Huang’s father learned of it, he beat Huang Cuifen brutally and ordered her to get out of the house.

Huang’s mother and younger brother stood by coldly and said nothing in her defense.

Huang Cuifen was thrown out with nothing at all.

She cried and begged outside the door for a long time, but her family remained cold-hearted and never opened the door.

In the end, Huang Cuifen shamelessly found her way to the Liu family, asking to be taken in.

Liu’s mother flew into a rage, grabbed a broom, and cursed her out in a storm of abuse, driving her away.

Huang Cuifen fled in utter disgrace.

It was the dead of winter, and late at night.

With nowhere to go, Huang Cuifen could only wander aimlessly, searching for shelter.

In the end, on the road, she accidentally fell into a drainage ditch.

Another night passed.

By the time the villagers found her, she had already frozen stiff as a plank of ice...