Chapter 30: Nonsense

“Aaaaaah, Qiao Youcai, you two bastards! My pig is dead, and you’re going to die too!!!”

Hearing the curses from afar, Qiao Youcai and his brother immediately tensed up.

“Afang, Jiangxin, quickly go back to your room, don’t come out, your grandma’s back,” Qiao Youcai urgently told Liu Afang and her daughter.

Qiao Jiangxin turned to Qiao Jianguo, “She’s back so soon?  Then Qiao Jianguo still has a chance to be saved?”

Qiao Jianguo was overjoyed at the news of his mother’s return.  His mother’s return meant salvation.

But Qiao Jiangxin’s next words nearly made him furious.

“Quickly kill him.  Failing to eliminate the root will only allow it to grow again!!”

Qiao Jiangxin lunged towards Qiao Jianguo, reaching for his right chest.

Qiao Jianguo’s mind went blank, and he cried out in despair, “Mom!!! Save me!!!”

His voice was tragic and heartbreaking.

Qiao Jiangxin slapped Qiao Jianguo, who instinctively moved aside.

The movement caused him excruciating pain.

Lei Honghua, having just entered, almost burst into tears at her son’s cry.

Turning to her son, tears welled up.

That bruised and battered figure on the floor (beaten with a stool by Liu Afang) was that Jianguo?

At that moment, maternal love overwhelmed her grief over her beloved pig.

She had forgotten that Jianguo was injured.

Those two bastards hated her, and she and her husband were gone for half a day.  Jianguo might have been skinned and eaten alive by those two brats!

“Jian, Jian, Jianguo?” Lei Honghua croaked, pushing past Qiao Jiangxin.

Seeing her son, she was speechless.

Qiao Jianguo was also crying, seeing his mother, his lifeline, in this life-or-death situation.

“Mom, quickly, save me. My leg is broken, my ribs are broken, they’re piercing my heart, I’m going to die.  Waaaaah, Mom, I don’t know if I can ever repay you. I’ve been disobedient. Waaaaah… If I die, don’t be sad, take care of yourself…”

“Jianguo aaaaaah, what do we do? Who did this? Who did this?!”

Lei Honghua’s heart shattered.  Her hands trembled as she examined Qiao Jianguo, unsure where to start.

Her Jianguo was already saying his last goodbyes.

Qiao Jianguo was desperate, his will to live driving him to sit up. “Mom, Mom, I, I might still be saved.”

“Quickly take me to the hospital.  Any later, you can just order my coffin, the red-lacquered kind, waaaah…  Make sure you burn me a couple of wives, I haven’t even married yet…”

Lei Honghua muttered, “There’s still hope, still hope. Yes, to the clinic, to the clinic… No, find Liu Haimou.”

Qiao Jianguo quickly stopped her. “Mom, Liu Haimou said I’m beyond saving. Quickly take me to town, borrow money from Big Sister.”

Lei Honghua yelled at the stunned Qiao Jiuwang, “Qiao Jiuwang, you old geezer, what are you standing there for?  Quickly, go borrow the tractor!!!”

Qiao Jiuwang, still grieving the potential loss of his son, was jolted awake and ran outside.

“Quickly, help, quickly carry Jianguo out,” Lei Honghua yelled to Qiao Youfu and his brother.

Overwhelmed by the scene, Qiao Youfu and his brother stepped forward, lifting Qiao Jianguo onto a table and carrying him out.

Lei Honghua followed, repeatedly saying, “Slower, slower, don’t bump Jianguo.”

Qiao Jianguo, sensing the somber atmosphere of his “funeral procession,” continued to moan and groan.

Lei Honghua’s tears flowed freely, her whimpers incessant.  She was about to lose a child.

Only after Qiao Jianguo was carried away did the onlookers exchange bewildered glances.

“How did this happen?”

“Yeah, this afternoon, Haimou said it wasn’t serious, just rest?”

A man who had a past conflict with Qiao Jiuwang sneered, “Who knows?  His fourth son… you know how he is. He’ll create drama even when there’s nothing wrong. Maybe he’s faking illness to get money again, like last time.  Humph, those precious younger ones, a little scratch and they’re rushing to the hospital.  They don’t seem to mind spending money.”

Aunt Niu, gossipy, asked Qiao Jiangxin, “Big Qiao girl, what happened?  This afternoon, when Haimou came, we heard Jianguo say you and Youfu ran a cart over him?”

Many eyes turned to Qiao Jiangxin.

Qiao Jiangxin looked righteous. “Would we do something like that?”

“It’s…,” Qiao Jiangxin hesitated, unable to speak.

Aunt Niu pressed, “What? Tell us, we’re all from the same village, we won’t spread it.”

Qiao Jiangxin paused. “You really won’t spread it? I’m not even sure myself. If Grandpa and Grandma find out I told you, they’ll beat me to death.”

The onlookers were even more eager.

“What really happened?”

“We promise not to spread it!”

Seemingly cornered, Qiao Jiangxin began, “This morning, my fourth uncle was fighting with my dad, lost his footing, and sat on a hoe. You know about that, right?”

Liu Shenshi nodded. “Yes, didn’t he get stitches? But your grandma said you guys did it.  Did he really just fall?”

Qiao Jiangxin nodded. “Yes, he played cards all day yesterday and didn’t come home. This morning, he found out about the chicken we ate yesterday and didn’t leave any for him, so he caused a ruckus at home.  During the struggle, he sat down on my dad’s freshly sharpened hoe.”

Qiao Jiangxin paused. “Actually… actually… it wasn’t just his leg… there’s also… there….”

“Huh????” The onlookers widened their eyes.

“There?  Down there?”

Qiao Jiangxin feigned shame. “My fourth uncle is unmarried.  After finding out, he was distraught and wanted to kill himself. He felt his life was ruined and wanted a fresh start, so while we were packing things, he secretly crawled under our cart.”

Qiao Jiangxin was simply making things up, regardless of logic.  This was the kind of gossip everyone loved to hear.

Although not very believable, Qiao Jianguo already had a bad reputation. People didn’t care if it was true or not; they just joined in the fun and enjoyed the spectacle.

The more people said it, the more people would believe it, even Lei Honghua and Qiao Jiuwang might doubt the truth.

When everyone said it, Qiao Jianguo himself would start to doubt himself. Even if the Qiao family strongly denied it, people would think they were just covering it up.

Society is like that. When ignorance becomes the norm, clarity is a crime.

Let Qiao Jianguo weather this storm.