Chapter 87: They Came Knocking

As they were lost in thought, Liu Zhoucheng slowly stood up and walked over to Tan Xiaomei’s side. He handed her a clean handkerchief and softly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you seek justice.”

Perhaps it was because this woman was so naive and pitiful.

There was a clear expression of pity in his eyes, but out of respect, he only handed her the handkerchief without saying anything more.

Tan Xiaomei stared at it for a long time, almost in a daze, before she finally took it, clutching it tightly in her hand. She struggled to say, “Thank you…”

Liu Zhoucheng stared at her, his mind already forming a petition that would shake the hearts of those who read it.

“Little Aunt…”

A soft, babyish voice suddenly called out.

Everyone, still filled with anger and grief, turned their attention to the sound.

They saw that Little Qiyue, who had been asleep on the bed, had somehow managed to crawl off the bed and was now sitting in front of Tan Xiaomei, holding onto her clothes. Her big, watery eyes were fixed on her, looking at her intently.

Tan Xiaomei quickly picked her up, standing as she said, “This child, how did you get off the bed by yourself? What if you fall?”

Wan Chunmei hurried over and checked Little Qiyue’s arms and legs. Seeing that she was fine, she sighed in relief.

Looking around, Wan Chunmei noticed that Tan Yiliang and the others had already gone into the back room to give the adults space to talk.

“How did she get down from the bed?” Wan Chunmei asked.

Old Tan, his emotions starting to settle, said, “This child can crawl now. She probably crawled down by herself. We need to be more careful next time.”

Tan Xiaomei and Wan Chunmei both nodded in agreement.

Perhaps they were still too focused on Tan Xiaomei’s story, because no one noticed that Little Qiyue had spoken.

Little Qiyue reached out and tightly hugged Tan Xiaomei, as if trying to comfort her.

Tan Xiaomei gently patted Little Qiyue’s back and softly said, “Little Qiyue, be good. Aunt will hold you to sleep, hold you to sleep.”

Little Qiyue immediately snuggled closer to her, finding a comfortable spot in her arms.

Just at that moment, while the Tan family was stewing in their hatred for the Jiang family, Old Lady Jiang and the Jiang Family’s Eldest Son arrived at the door.

They called out loudly, “Tan Xiaomei, come out, come out!”

Hearing the voice, Old Tan’s anger flared up, and he immediately grabbed a hoe from the corner and rushed out.

“Well, well, they’ve come to my door!”

Wan Chunmei quickly rushed to catch up, grabbing his hand and saying, “Calm down, calm down. Liu Shiye is still here.”

Old Tan turned back to glance at Liu Zhoucheng, taking a deep breath to suppress his anger. He dropped the hoe in his hand and rushed out again.

This time, Wan Chunmei didn’t stop him but instead followed after him.

Seeing Wan Chunmei and the others come out, Old Lady Jiang still didn’t look pleased. She had a stern expression and harshly said, “Wan Chunmei, tell that woman to come out! Since she’s married into our Jiang family, she’s one of us. What does it mean to hide out at her maternal family’s house every day?!”

Wan Chunmei spat on the ground and retorted, “Pah! She’s a Tan, not a Jiang! This is her maternal family’s home. She can come and go as she pleases! Who are you to tell her what to do?!”

The spit flew through the air with an odd gust of wind, landing right on Old Lady Jiang’s face.

Old Lady Jiang quickly wiped her face, and despite her previously sickly appearance, she suddenly seemed more energetic. “Wan Chunmei, we don’t want to fight today. Get that little wench to come back with us! We’ll let this matter go!”

“Exactly! She needs to come back with us!” the Jiang Family’s Eldest Son also chimed in.

“Go back to your own head!” Old Tan shouted angrily, raising his fist and striking the Jiang Family’s Eldest Son’s pale face.

The blow sent the Jiang Family’s Eldest Son spinning, dazed for a long moment, stars in his eyes, before he fell to the ground.

Old Lady Jiang panicked and squatted down, calling out to her son, “My son, are you okay?”

The Jiang Family’s Eldest Son looked up groggily and said, “Mother, I’m fine. Go, go drag that woman back. I’ll deal with her properly once we’re home!”

Seeing that fighting and scolding weren’t working, Old Lady Jiang sat down on the ground, slapped her thigh, and began crying loudly. “They’re beating me! They’ve crippled my son! They’ve even detained my daughter-in-law! They want to take my life!”

Her cries were so loud that they attracted the attention of the neighboring villagers.

At that moment, a sudden thunderclap rang out in the sky.

The strange wind grew stronger, blowing harder and harder, causing the nearby trees to shake violently.

Dark clouds gathered, rolling in as if they were about to swallow the small village whole.

Everyone looked up, gazing at the sky.

But only Old Lady Jiang continued to cry.

Old Tan shouted, “If you want to cry for your soul, go home and cry!”

Old Lady Jiang scrambled to her feet, saying, “I’ll cry right here at your doorstep until you release her!”

“Cry, cry! I’d like to see how long you can keep this up!” came the voice of Tan Xiaomei from inside the house.