Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Tragic Woman

“She never raised me for a single day and took the pension my father left to support the three sons she had later. I owe her nothing. On the contrary, she owes the Gu family; she took me and my sister away, but never raised me for a day and also lost my sister.”

Gu Zhishu said, his eyes turning red, his voice somewhat choked.

Feng Xisheng patted his shoulder, comforting his soon-to-be son-in-law, “Don’t be upset. An irresponsible mother is one you don’t need to acknowledge.”

“From now on, you have Yuan Chun and us. You’re not alone anymore,” Liu Qingqiu said sympathetically.

Being alone, living by oneself, is a terrible feeling.

She understood.

Back then, when she came to the countryside, her relatives weren’t around, and she didn’t know anyone nearby. She had to learn to do farmwork while being harassed by the village rogues and couldn’t eat enough. She felt like she didn’t want to live anymore.

Luckily, she met Feng Xisheng; otherwise, she would’ve had weeds growing tall on her grave.

“When she remarried, she didn’t want to take me to her second husband’s house. My grandfather and uncle forced her to write a document severing ties with me. Before my grandfather died, he gave me that document. So, when Yuan Chun married me, she wouldn’t have to worry about any mother-in-law issues; she doesn’t have a mother-in-law.”

The Feng family heard this and secretly sighed in relief.

That year, Gu Zhishu spent New Year’s at the Feng family, and for this reason, his relationship with Yuan Chun became known to the entire village.

Afterward, Gu Zhishu specifically bought a bicycle so he could see Yuan Chun every day, going back and forth from early morning to late night.

Even his comrades teased him for being eager to marry.

During spring plowing, Yuan Chun went to the field to bring water to her family and saw Granny Chen slacking off, dozing against a tree.

Yuan Chun sent a spiritual power fly over.

With a smack, Granny Chen fell.

Two front teeth were knocked out.

Her mouth was bloodied.

Her leg was fractured.

Her calf bent and deformed.

Nearby workers gathered around, some went to call Chen Shengjin’s brothers, others went to call the village head and the brigade leader.

As everyone busily took Granny Chen to the town hospital, the doctor told her that her leg was crushed and couldn’t be repaired; she’d be disabled for life.

Chen Shengjin’s three brothers were lazy; earning a day’s work points didn’t compare to what a woman earned. The Chen family relied on Granny Chen and Li Woniu for support. Now that Granny Chen was disabled, not only could she not earn work points, she needed caretaking, which made Chen Shengjin’s brothers resent her a lot.

They blamed her for being careless while slacking off, resulting in her disability.

The three brothers were unwilling to take care of Granny Chen.

Li Woniu had to work in the fields, do all the housework, take care of the disabled mother-in-law, and endure Granny Chen’s complaints and beatings. Within days, she collapsed from exhaustion.

Chen Shengjin, thinking she was pretending to slack off, beat and kicked her until she was dead.

This scene happened to be witnessed by several passing villagers.

After Chen Shengjin killed his wife, the village head quickly sent a young villager to report the incident to the town. Soon, Chen Shengjin was arrested, and three days later, he was sentenced to death.

Of the Chen family’s four sons, two became criminals, leaving two lazy bachelors who were ostracized by the villagers, living impoverished and difficult lives.

Initially, they would send food to Granny Chen. Later, seeing her alive as a waste of food, they eventually starved their mother to death.

Later, the national policies changed, and young villagers went out to work and made good money. The Chen brothers envied and also went to work in the South but ended up beaten to death during a fight at a construction site.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep