Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Pinning Down Liu Guifang

The onlookers outside were eager for more drama, gossiping and speculating about what had happened between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo this time.

A few young wives could barely contain their excitement, wishing they could cheer them on. This was just too thrilling—when else had anyone seen a daughter-in-law pinning her mother-in-law down and beating her? Only in Xujia Village!

Gu Qinghuan was really making them proud.

Some of the older women who were close to Liu Guifang tried to rush over and help, but Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu blocked their way.

“This is outrageous! The mother-in-law is getting beaten up by her daughter-in-law, and you people aren’t even helping!” someone shouted.

“You useless thing, hurry up and get home! What are you standing around watching for?” one aunt yelled at her own daughter-in-law.

In short, the scene was utter chaos.

Someone hurried off to find Xu Mingshan and the other village officials.

Liang Zhiqiu quietly leaned over to Yun Runtong and whispered, “This is so satisfying! I guess sometimes you just can’t worry too much about saving face. Our daughter-in-law is amazing.”

Yun Runtong nodded in agreement. They’d always been too concerned with appearances, which hadn’t done them any good. Sometimes, fighting fire with fire like Gu Qinghuan did was just the way to go!

When Liu Guifang got close, Liang Zhiqiu even ran over and kicked her a couple of times herself—though she held back a bit. Still, for her, that was already quite something.

Lin Xiaomeng stood in the crowd with Dacheng, both of them stunned.

They’d heard the commotion outside and came out to take a look.

Was she still half-asleep? How was she seeing Gu Qinghuan pinning Liu Guifang to the ground and beating her up?

Gu Qinghuan was usually a principled person, not one to lose her temper easily. What on earth had Liu Guifang done to provoke her this badly?

But honestly, Lin Xiaomeng had never liked that crazy old woman anyway.

As Liu Huaizhi, the son, of course he couldn’t just stand by and watch his mother get beaten. Lin Xiaomeng tried to stop him, but he rushed in to intervene—only to be held back by Yun Runtong.

Yun Runtong wasn’t someone to mess with either, and Liu Huaizhi was no match for him.

“Gu Qinghuan, what are you doing! Do you believe I won’t have you thrown in jail?” Xu Mingshan came running back, panting heavily.

Gu Qinghuan stopped her one-sided beating—she was getting bored anyway, since Liu Guifang didn’t even have the strength to fight back anymore.

She looked up, facing off with Xu Mingshan with great interest.

“I think the ones who should be in jail are you people. Human trafficking—how many years would that get you? Maybe we should let the police investigate first!”

Gu Qinghuan was deliberately testing him, wanting to see if he knew that Xu Huaian had been trafficked.

The result was obvious—he clearly knew, or else he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.

Xu Mingshan’s pupils contracted, as if he’d fallen into an ice cave, his whole body going cold.

Everyone around was shocked by what they heard—how had this turned into a human trafficking case?

Who had been trafficked? Could it be that Grandma had sold Dabao and Beibei?

Now that the main players had arrived, Yun Runtong let go of Liu Huaizhi.

“Qinghuan, what’s going on? Is there some misunderstanding? Mom might have her faults, but she’d never do something like that,” Liu Huaizhi tried to explain, completely in the dark about the truth.

Gu Qinghuan pointed at Liu Guifang. “Misunderstanding? Why don’t you ask your wonderful parents if this is a misunderstanding!”

Xu Mingshan, the old fox, reacted quickly.

“Human trafficking? I don’t know anything about that.”

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

“Save it for the police.” She didn’t want to hear it—these people would have to pay for what they’d done.

Suddenly, Xu Meiling stepped out, holding her child. “Second Sister-in-law, please don’t call the police. Our family raised Second Brother for so many years—even if we didn’t do it well, we still put in the effort. Please, let Mom and Dad go!”

Xu Meiling had overheard her parents talking about it when she was young, so she knew her second brother wasn’t their biological child—he’d been brought back by their grandaunt from somewhere else.

At this point, the crowd, who had been completely confused, finally realized: the person who’d been trafficked was actually the Xu family’s second son? What on earth was going on?"

"Chapter 305: Justification, Old Acquaintance

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t wanted to say much, but Xu Meiling’s words completely infuriated her.

“Credit? Hard work? You’ve got some nerve!

Xu Mingshan, you knew full well he was a kidnapped child, yet you went along with it, kept him here, and still dared to be the village secretary—what kind of morals do you have?

You kept him, but wouldn’t even treat him decently. He lived in your house worse than a dog! So young, yet he had to fend for himself, and even support you bloodsuckers.

When he was useful, you squeezed him for everything he had. When he wasn’t, you tossed him onto the kang and left him to die alone.

Liu Guifang, your house is full of grain—did you really begrudge him a single bowl of rice? He was starved down to skin and bones, relying on two children to keep him alive.

Are your hearts made of stone?

And now you want to talk to me about credit and hard work? Don’t you find that laughable?”

Gu Qinghuan pointed at their noses and scolded them.

Xu Huaizhi and Xu Meiling fell silent. What Liu Guifang had done was undeniable, and they themselves had turned a blind eye to all this injustice.

Liu Guifang lay on the ground, whether from exhaustion or shame, she said nothing.

Xu Mingshan looked utterly defeated.

He’d lived in fear for years, and now the day had finally come.

The onlookers were in an uproar.

“So Xu Lao’er isn’t their biological child?”

“That can’t be right. I remember that year Liu Guifang went back to her mother’s house pregnant. What happened to her own child?”

“I knew it! Of all the Xu kids, Liu Guifang treated the second one the worst—always beating and scolding him, using him like a beast of burden. Turns out he wasn’t her own.”

“Worse than a beast! At least animals get fed on time. You didn’t see it, but two years ago I went to their house to borrow something and saw Huaian tied to the kang, so skinny he was just bones. It was horrifying. His wife is right—they’ve got some nerve!”

“If you don’t like the kid, don’t take him in. But to bring him home and treat him like that? That’s just inhuman.”

...

Xu Mingshan and his wife were finished—their reputation was ruined.

As a father, Yun Runtong felt as if these words had punched a hole in his heart.

Liang Zhiqiu rushed forward and grabbed Xu Mingshan: “Why did you take him in if you weren’t going to treat him well? Even if you didn’t love him, you could have at least fed and clothed him. That child was so good to you—are you made of iron?”

This was a mother’s anguish. She had only hoped her child could grow up healthy somewhere, not daring to wish for more.

But this family wasn’t even poor, yet they wouldn’t even give him enough to eat or wear, and tormented him in every way. How much pain and despair must he have felt!

Xu Mingshan understood—these were his real parents, here to reclaim their child.

“Eldest, get everyone out. I have something to say to our guests alone.” Xu Mingshan looked at the stunned Xu Huaizhi.

Xu Huaizhi and Lin Xiaomeng quickly ushered everyone out of the courtyard. Soon, only the family remained inside.

Gu Qinghuan also wanted to see how Xu Mingshan would try to justify himself.

Xu Huaizhi helped Liu Guifang up; she was so ashamed she didn’t dare look at Yun Runtong and his wife.

“Back then, my wife was pregnant and went home to help with the harvest. She overexerted herself and gave birth prematurely—the baby was stillborn.

The next day, her aunt came over with a baby a few months old, crying from hunger. My wife had just started lactating, so she fed him.

Her aunt saw that we’d lost our child and that this baby needed care, so she asked if we’d be willing to take him in.

At first, we didn’t want to, but she said if we raised him, the gold locket he wore would be our reward.

I was young and greedy, so after discussing it with my wife, we agreed.

The child had not just a gold locket, but two solid gold anklets. His swaddling and clothes were all fine things. I guessed he’d been kidnapped—otherwise, her aunt wouldn’t have hidden her identity and come back to her mother’s house.

But for the sake of that money, I kept quiet and went along with it. Before I knew it, so many years had passed.

At first, we actually treated him well, or he wouldn’t have grown up healthy. But then we had more kids.

Over time, my wife became partial—loving your own is a mother’s nature. I couldn’t stop her.

We may not have cherished him as our own, but we did raise him, didn’t we?”

Xu Mingshan was clearly trying to excuse himself. He could tell that Xu Huaian’s biological parents were not ordinary people.

It was too late for regrets, but at least he hoped they wouldn’t retaliate against his family.

Yun Runtong looked him over. “You can save those words for the police. They won’t wrong a good person.”

He couldn’t choose forgiveness for Xu Huaian, but he also wouldn’t abuse his power for revenge. He’d leave it to the law.

Xu Mingshan had touched on something true: though they’d treated him badly, at least they’d fed him and kept him alive.

Not seeking revenge was his last bit of mercy.

Gu Qinghuan understood as well—this was the best way to handle it.

“You may have raised him, but you know exactly why.

He owes you nothing now. All these years, he’s obeyed you in everything, handed over every cent he earned. He’s long since repaid whatever tiny kindness you showed.

From now on, he’s himself, and you’re yourselves. No need for further contact. Go your separate ways—if you see each other on the road, just pretend you didn’t.” With that, Gu Qinghuan left with Yun Runtong and his wife.

After giving Liu Guifang a good beating, she’d helped Xu Huaian vent his anger. From now on, they’d have nothing more to do with this family. What a relief.

Xu Huaizhi had never known his younger brother wasn’t biological.

Suddenly, all Liu Guifang’s past cruelty to the second child made sense.

He slumped, looking at his parents in disappointment. “You’ve gone too far.” They’d taken someone else’s child and abused him—no wonder his real parents had come for him.

What could have been gratitude had turned into hatred.

Whenever he thought of the suffering his brother had endured in their home, he felt a pang of guilt.

“Oh, what do you know! Back then we were dirt poor, barely enough to eat. If we hadn’t taken him in and pawned those trinkets, how could we have raised you?

And I did feed him for a year, didn’t I? That makes me half his mother. They wouldn’t dare do anything to us.

But you, always picking on your own family. Even Meiling stood up for me just now—what about you? Raising a son is useless!” Liu Guifang moaned as she spoke.

Now she dared open her mouth, though just now she’d nearly wet herself from fear.

Xu Huaizhi slumped to the floor.

Xu Mingshan could tell Yun Runtong wasn’t planning revenge—maybe just let them suffer a little. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they kept their lives, there was hope for the future.

Lin Xiaomeng sneered, “You really are short-sighted! What could have been a debt of gratitude, you forced into enmity. Impressive! Truly!” She even clapped sarcastically.

She used to see Gu Qinghuan as a rival, but now the gap between them was like heaven and earth. Forget it—better to get along, just in case she needed her someday.

Besides, she was about to prepare for college entrance exams—who knew what the future would hold?

“Sister-in-law, what’s with the sarcasm?” Xu Meiling glared at Lin Xiaomeng.

“I’m talking about you!”

The two started bickering.

“Enough! Take it elsewhere—don’t squabble here!” Xu Mingshan was already irritable and didn’t want to hear it.

By evening, the sun had sunk halfway behind the mountain, painting the sky with a brilliant afterglow.

The three finally met the one who started it all.

She was old beyond recognition.

Her face was lined with deep wrinkles, her body gaunt and stooped, hair completely white, clothes ragged, her whole figure decrepit.

When she first saw Yun Runtong and the others, she didn’t react, thinking they were just asking for directions.

Until Yun Runtong said, “Aunt Chun, we’ve been looking for you for so many years!”

God knows how long he’d waited for this moment. He’d thought he’d be furious, but now he only felt calm.

Liu Chun’s weathered face showed shock. She took two steps back, trembling all over, not daring to meet Yun Runtong and his wife’s eyes.

Liang Zhiqiu’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

“To think someone as wicked as you is still alive in this world. But good—heaven has eyes, and we get to see your downfall!”

Liu Chun forced a twisted smile.

“Sir, madam, it’s been many years. How have you been?”

“Thanks to you, I haven’t slept a whole night in all these years. Every time I dream, it’s of my poor child.

We treated you well. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?

Why did you take my child? Why didn’t you find him a good home? Why? Why!”

Liang Zhiqiu grabbed Liu Chun’s shoulders, screaming hysterically, tears streaming down her face.

Liu Chun let her vent, not defending herself. Tears rolled from her own cloudy eyes.

After Liang Zhiqiu calmed down, Yun Runtong got straight to the point: “Why did you take Zhouzhou all those years ago?”

There was no deep hatred between them. In fact, their master-servant relationship had always been good. Liu Chun had even given the child’s jewelry to the Xu family, so it wasn’t for money—she just took the child and hid him for decades.

He needed an answer.

Gu Qinghuan handed her handkerchief to Liang Zhiqiu, who wiped her tears and looked at Liu Chun with red, swollen eyes, waiting for her answer.

“I… Sir, madam, just think of me as heartless and vicious, unable to stand seeing you happy!” Liu Chun wiped her tears, her words vague.

“What do you mean, ‘couldn’t stand seeing us happy’?” Yun Runtong couldn’t accept that answer.

If Liu Chun had truly hated them, she could have killed the child, or ransomed him for a fortune and disappeared, or abandoned him in the mountains.

But she’d chosen the most troublesome, mutually destructive way.

She took the child, hid herself, gave the child and valuables to someone else, and ended up with nothing, living a hard life.

What was she after?

Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu simply couldn’t understand."

"Chapter 306: Liu Chun Has Committed Suicide