Chapter 15

Yan Qingqing’s cold gaze swept over everyone inside and outside the village chief’s courtyard.

Everyone stared right back at her.

Yang Zhaodi looked at Yan Qingqing’s new clothes with secret hatred. This shameless girl actually has money for new clothes? She must have quite a bit of cash. I have to get that money back!

No way I’ll let Yan Qingqing or the Gu family benefit from it!

Yan Fugui exchanged a glance with the village chief. They were usually on good terms, and Yan Fugui had sent plenty of gifts to him in the past.

So the village chief immediately barked sternly, “Yan Qingqing! Our Old Sow Village absolutely cannot tolerate unfilial people! Haven’t your adoptive parents treated you well enough? A person should know gratitude! If you keep smirking like that, don’t blame me for reporting you as an example and letting the authorities publicly criticize you!”

Yan Qingqing let out a cold laugh and yanked up her sleeve.

“We’re all from the same village. Does anyone here really not know how the Yan family has treated me? Or are you all just pretending to be blind? Yes, they adopted me—but because of that I tiptoed around them, did whatever they told me to do!

I raised Yan Dahai and Yan Xiaohai myself—who doesn’t know that? Three meals a day, feeding chickens and pigs, sweeping, washing clothes, even farm work, chopping wood, digging wild greens—which one of these chores did I not do?

But Yang Zhaodi still wasn’t satisfied! Beatings every few days, worse every five! I just happen to have a body that doesn’t scar easily—shallow wounds heal without a trace—but look at my arm! These scars—Yang Zhaodi burned me with tongs!”

Her right forearm was covered with a dozen ugly scars, irregular in size and shape, standing out harshly against her pale jade-like skin.

Everyone couldn’t help staring, shocked.

No wonder Yan Qingqing always kept an old rag tied around her right arm in summer!

Yang Zhaodi, feverish from falling in the river, flared up with anger. “Who doesn’t hit their kids? If you don’t listen, am I not allowed to hit you…?”

Yan Qingqing pressed her coldly, “Oh really? Then tell me—what unforgivable crime did I commit that made you burn so many scars into my arm? Come on, all four of you in the Yan family—each of you explain it! Let the whole village judge! Do mothers in other families burn their children with hot irons?”

The crowd fell silent.

Yang Zhaodi snapped back in shame and fury, “A crooked tree needs pruning! I beat you for your own good! I raised you, so you should be filial to me! Stop talking nonsense!”

Someone in the crowd finally muttered, “That’s too cruel… A young girl, and so many burn scars… She’s not their real child, that’s why.”

Sensing the tide turning, Yan Dahai quickly shouted, “Then why did you hit me and Xiaohai too? Pay up! I need to see a doctor!”

Yan Qingqing glared icily. “I hit you because you’re shameless—always begging me for food like some starving ghost! Now let me tell everyone why Yang Zhaodi beat me!

This biggest scar? That’s because she secretly gave the Yan family’s house-building money to her own brothers. Then she blamed me, claiming I didn’t watch the house and the money was stolen! So she burned me with tongs to scare me into silence!”

Yang Zhaodi, already feverish, was stunned by the accusation. “No… no! You’re talking nonsense!”

Yan Qingqing sneered. “Really? It was over a thousand yuan! Do you dare swear it’s not true?”

Yang Zhaodi’s face went pale. Yan Fugui finally realized how their money had disappeared!

He never imagined his own wife would steal from him to help her family.

That thousand-plus yuan represented half a lifetime of savings! When the money disappeared, he had beaten Yan Qingqing half to death with a broom, then drunk himself into a stomach hemorrhage in his fury.

Now he knew who was really to blame!

He jammed his tobacco pipe into his waistband, strode over, and kicked Yang Zhaodi hard.

“Damn you! You gave my money to your family? If it’s not true, why won’t you swear? You useless bitch! I’ll kill you today!”

He grabbed her collar and punched her viciously.

Yang Zhaodi screamed in pain.

A farmer’s fists are heavy—just a few blows left her bruised and bleeding.

The village chief hurriedly ordered people to separate them.

Yan Qingqing quickly went on, “This second big scar? When Yan Dahai was eight, he threw pesticide-covered pigweed into the village chief’s pigpen and poisoned your pigs! I saw it and tried to bring an antidote, but Yang Zhaodi blocked me—then burned my arm with tongs!

That time I fainted from the pain! When I woke up, I ran here to tell you the truth and begged you to help me—I didn’t want to stay in the Yan house anymore. But you just waved me off in disgust, said I should be grateful anyone raised me at all!”

The village chief froze, forgetting to breathe.

Damn it—this fire just spread to me!

A pig, to a farming family, was an entire year’s hope.

That New Year, their poisoned pig hadn’t been detoxified in time. The meat blackened, the buyers refused it. The family couldn’t bear to throw it away and ate some themselves, spending the holiday vomiting and near death.

The chief had sworn if he ever found out who did it, he’d drown them in the cesspit!

He never imagined it was Yan Fugui’s family.

His wife, Zhou Ling, flew into a rage, grabbed a feather duster, and started whipping Yan Dahai.

“You little beast! Filthy brat! Did our pig insult your mother or ride your father? How could you be so cruel—killing our pig alive! Do you know what our family went through that year? I cried till I nearly went blind!

Your whole family’s heartless! If you ask me, Yan Qingqing was cursed to land in a household like yours. Aside from her, not a single decent person in the whole Yan clan!”

Yan Dahai ran around yelping as she chased and hit him.

Villagers murmured angrily:

“How can the entire Yan family be so rotten? They’re capable of anything! Qingqing’s really a good girl. All these years I’ve only ever seen her washing clothes at the river. Before she got married, she did all the housework—Yang Zhaodi never lifted a finger!”

“Exactly! Everyone knows Qingqing raised those two boys herself. Forget adopted daughters—even a real mother couldn’t work that hard! Whatever kindness the Yans showed her is nothing compared to what she gave them!”

“Yang Zhaodi’s bad news. I’ll keep my distance from her from now on.”

Meanwhile Yang Zhaodi was beaten bloody by Yan Fugui and the village chief’s wife. The scene spiraled out of control.

She screamed, kneeling to beg, “I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Please, stop hitting me! I’ll die if you don’t stop!”

Yan Qingqing watched, expression numb.

In her previous life, she had begged like this countless times.

Yang Zhaodi loved locking her in the dark woodshed, beating her while gagging her so she couldn’t cry out.

She’d clung to Yang Zhaodi’s legs sobbing, “Mom, please don’t hit me! It hurts, it hurts so much! Mom, I’ll be good, I’ll work harder, I’ll do everything you say!”

But Yang Zhaodi never once softened.

Remembering those days, Yan Qingqing’s eyes reddened. She shouted, “Today I’m exposing all these filthy secrets in front of everyone! I will never go back to the Yan family again!

I’m cutting all ties with them! Everything I’ve done for them has long repaid whatever so-called kindness they gave me, many times over!

And another thing—when I got married, they gave me no dowry. The bride price was four hundred yuan. I demand they return it to me! If not, I’ll reveal even more of their dirty deeds!”

Yang Zhaodi shuddered in terror through her blood.

Yan Fugui, realizing things were spiraling, quickly pulled the village chief aside and whispered, “Chief, we’re in the wrong here. How about this: I’ll pay you a hundred yuan to cover the pig, and another fifty to trouble you to take charge of this matter.

This is our family’s business. We’ll handle it behind closed doors!”

As far as he was concerned, once they got her home they could beat Yan Qingqing into obedience again—after all, it’s not illegal to beat your own child.

Hearing the bribe, the chief’s expression softened. He looked impatiently at Yan Qingqing.

“Young people are foolish! Where will you move your household registration if you sever ties—Gu family? Hmph! If you can stir up this much trouble in the Yan house, I’m not letting you move into the Gu family!

Every family argues sometimes. You’ve given me a headache today. Enough! Everyone go home! Yan Qingqing, take your adoptive parents home and talk it over. The most important duty of a child is filial piety—even if your parents demand your life, it’s yours to give!”

With that, everyone understood—the chief had no intention of helping Yan Qingqing.

After all, who would care about a girl even her birth parents didn’t want?

No one noticed that just outside the wall, hidden from view, Gu Chi stood with an elderly man listening to everything.

Doctor Luo frowned. Though he was the town mayor’s father, he cared nothing for privilege—he was a righteous man who despised injustice.

He stepped forward into the courtyard. “Well, Old Sow Village really opened my eyes today! Chief, I just happened to pass by. I’ve heard about this girl—

Seven or eight years ago, she carried her dying little brother over ten kilometers barefoot to find one of my teacher’s apprentices for treatment. When she arrived, her feet were covered in blood!

Everyone in the nearby villages heard about it! And this is how you let her be treated? You call yourself a village chief?”

The chief froze when he saw him—it was Doctor Luo, the town mayor’s own father. He panicked and hurried to offer him a chair. “Doctor Luo, you’ve misunderstood!”

Cold sweat prickled his scalp. This must never reach the mayor’s ears!