Chapter 22: Beating Her Was a Waste

“Help! The widow is murdering someone!”

The piercing shriek was so loud that the nearby villagers all turned to see what was happening.

Lin Bingwei scooped up a shovelful of dirt and stuffed it straight into their mouths, packing it in tight until they couldn’t spew another curse.

“Go on, keep cursing. Barging into my house to ‘teach me a lesson’ and even wishing for my husband to die? Let’s see how I shut your filthy mouths now.”

The villagers gathered around and, upon seeing Bihua and Third Sister-in-law of the Lin family covered in dirt and flailing in the ditch, clicked their tongues in disapproval.

“Wow, Weiwei, aren’t these your mother and your third aunt-in-law? What did they do to you? Why did you kick them into the ditch and stuff their mouths with mud?”

Lin Bingwei sneered, “Didn’t you hear them? Every other sentence was wishing for my husband to die, calling me a widow before he’s even gone. Tell me, have you ever seen a mother curse her own daughter and son-in-law like that? Even in the most male-preferred households, where they sell off daughters just to buy wives for their sons, have you ever seen something this vicious?”

The villagers murmured amongst themselves, and suddenly, the tide turned in favor of those suspecting a baby swap.

“I knew it! This Zhang family daughter-in-law must have been swapped by Lin Wangsheng and his wife! Who in their right mind curses their own son-in-law to die and hopes their newly married daughter becomes a widow?”

“Exactly! Bihua, did you really switch your child?”

Bihua spat out a mouthful of mud and coughed a few times before angrily retorting, “Don’t talk nonsense! That never happened!”

“You’re just being stubborn! No real mother would treat her child like this. Even my mother, who was the most biased towards sons, never wished for me to be widowed. If anything, she hoped my husband would earn more money so she could take some to support my younger brother.”

“That’s because that wretched girl refuses to acknowledge me! She married Zhang Tingyuan, and I didn’t get a single penny out of it. Of course, I hope he dies! If he’s dead, I can remarry this ungrateful girl into a wealthier family!”

She would rather be cursed as a heartless mother than admit to the crime of swapping children.

“What?!” The villagers were stunned.

They had seen biased mothers before, but never one this extreme.

Even those who had initially just come to watch the drama started feeling sickened.

Wishing for her son-in-law’s death just so she could sell off her daughter again for money?

What kind of mother does that?

How heartless could she be?

That wasn’t just cruelty—it was outright evil.

At that moment, Li Yurong arrived, holding Zhang Jianguo’s hand. Hearing the villagers’ discussions, she immediately understood what had happened, and her heart ached terribly.

“Weiwei is such a well-behaved and sensible girl. How did she end up with such a cruel mother?”

She wiped away a tear and accused, “Even if she isn’t your biological daughter, you still raised her! Even a dog would develop feelings after being raised for so long. She’s a living, breathing person! Doing something this heartless—you’ll face retribution for it!”

The villagers also started scolding Bihua relentlessly, expressing their sympathy for Lin Bingwei.

Bihua gritted her teeth and endured the insults, but her confidence was clearly shaken.

Still, there was no way she could admit to swapping children. That was a crime.

As the villagers’ scoldings intensified, she occasionally tried to argue back.

“What’s so special about a girl? No matter how much you love her, she’ll still belong to someone else’s family once she’s grown. Only sons can continue the family line. Only sons are truly ours. Only sons can support you in old age!”

That was her real belief. Even if Lin Bingwei were her biological daughter, she would still leech off her to raise her son.

No matter how fate changed, Bihua would always be the villain.

Her words enraged the villagers even more, and they berated her mercilessly.

“You’re a woman too! You were born from a woman! Why do you have so much hatred for women?”

Even among the villagers, many shared her preference for sons, but they at least had some dignity. Even if they thought like her, they wouldn’t dare say it out loud.

Yet Bihua had thrown all shame aside.

Even Lin family’s Third Sister-in-law, who had previously sided with her, was now staring at her in shock, unwilling to speak up in her defense.

“Seventh daughter-in-law, that’s enough.”

“Third sister-in-law, you’re here to help me, aren’t you?” she reminded her, while making a hand gesture, meaning she would add two more radishes for her later.

Lin Family’s third sister-in-law was a bit speechless. This wasn’t about radishes—if this went on any further, she would offend the entire crowd.

“I still have things to do at home, I’ll be leaving first,” she said before slipping away.

Bihua saw that she was now surrounded by people with no one to help her, and she started to feel uneasy.

She also wanted to escape, but before leaving, she spat out a cruel remark: “Ungrateful wretch, just wait until you’re a widow—then you’ll come crying to me!”

Hearing her curse her own son’s death, Li Yurong was so furious that she stomped her foot.

Just then, Zhang Tingyuan, draped in a military overcoat, slowly walked out of the house and stood properly at the courtyard gate.

“You’re bound to be disappointed. I’m alive and well—she won’t be a widow.”

The once noisy crowd immediately fell silent.

Lin Bingwei guessed he was forcing himself to come out, so she quickly stepped forward to support him. “Why did you come out? Come on, go back inside.”

She hurriedly tried to push him back into the house.

Zhang Tingyuan was holding his chest, and even so, he was still in unbearable pain.

But he didn’t resist. He nodded and let Lin Bingwei help him inside.

Outside, the crowd was dumbfounded.

Wasn’t it said that Zhang Tingyuan was on the verge of death? That he was beyond saving and had been carried home to await his last breath?

How was it that yesterday he was lying down, but today he was standing?

“Yurong, your son is fine?”

Li Yurong said, “How is he not fine? He broke a rib, that’s all—he just came home to recover.”

“Huh? Just one broken rib?”

“What else did you think?”

The crowd: “……” Who was the one spreading rumors that he was beyond saving?

Wasn’t he supposed to have been brought back to die?

Bihua felt utterly awkward. She had really believed Zhang Tingyuan was about to die, which was why she had come to make a scene.

She thought that brat was going to be widowed, that she would be scared, realizing that without her husband, she’d eventually have to return to her maiden home and compromise.

If she made a fuss, she could get back that 888 yuan.

But it turned out to be a complete misunderstanding—Zhang Tingyuan wasn’t dying at all.

Someone mocked her: “Oh my, you were hoping for him to die so you could take Weiwei back and marry her off again for money? Looks like your plan has fallen through—he’s alive and well.”

This time, Bihua had completely lost, but she refused to admit defeat.

“Even so, she still can’t hit people! That ungrateful brat hit me—I’m reporting this to the Public Security Bureau!”

Li Yurong fumed, “Hmph! You still dare to report it? Go ahead! Report it now! Let them come and settle this. You cursed my son to die—let’s see what crime they charge you with!”

Bihua’s face darkened.

An old lady turned to Li Yurong and asked, “Yurong, how did your son break his rib?”

“My son is a soldier. How did he break it? Of course, he was injured while protecting the country and catching criminals. He even earned a merit for it—it’s an honorable injury!”

“Aiya, he got hurt defending the country, and yet here you are cursing him to die. Bihua, you’re heartless! Someone should report you to the authorities and have you arrested!”