Chapter 25: One For One, Fair And Square
Shang Wan didn’t even lift an eyelid, raising her hand for a slap that sent Zhou Shi tumbling to the ground.
With his wife beaten, Lin Jianshan couldn’t just stand by; he rushed forward in two steps and lunged at Shang Wan.
Before he could get close, Shang Wan kicked him against the wall, bumping a big lump on his forehead, with nosebleed streaming down his face.
“Big Brother!” Lin Jianshui hurriedly ran over to help Lin Jianshan up.
Village Chief Lin was so angry his face turned ashen; he looked at the villagers, “What are you all standing around for? Hurry and grab her!”
The villagers weren’t fools; with Shang Wan’s skills, going up would just be offering themselves on a platter.
Besides, she came to the door to demand her child back—why not just give the child back?
They were all from the same village; how could they not know what kind of person Liu Shi was? That expression earlier clearly showed guilt; the Lin Family was the one in the wrong here, no wonder Lady Shang lost her temper and struck.
If it were their child being held, they would strike too.
Seeing the villagers not moving, Village Chief Lin was so furious he nearly passed out!
“If my child is gone, you all compensate one too.” Shang Wan stared coldly at the crying and shouting Tie Dan, “One for one, fair.”
“Mother, didn’t you already send the child back?” Lin Jianshui sensed something off in her words.
Earlier, he and Big Brother had come back for water and encountered a baby without adults nearby on the road—short arms and legs crawling fast; unable to recognize whose it was, they simply carried the child home.
Didn’t Mother say she knew the baby and had already sent her back? Why was she causing a scene at their home now?
Liu Shi was annoyed that Lin Jianshui was so brainless—why did he have to say it out loud?
Chen Guifang twisted her own stupid husband’s arm; Lin Jianshui winced in pain and rubbed his arm, “Why are you pinching me?”
Everyone looked over; Chen Guifang’s face reddened, and she hung her head without a word.
“Liu Shi!” Village Chief Lin glared fiercely at Liu Shi, “You offered to help watch the child out of kindness, but now they don’t appreciate it—hurry and bring the child out!”
Though the words scolded Liu Shi, they openly and implicitly accused Shang Wan of not recognizing kindness.
Shang Wan sneered coldly, “Kindness to the point where my little sister searched the entire village without finding her, kindness to the point where even I, her own mother, come to the door and you refuse to return my child—anyone who didn’t know would think the Lin Family wanted to keep her to raise themselves.”
Village Chief Lin’s face flushed green and white, unable to save face; he scolded Liu Shi: “Hurry and bring the child out!”
“Yeah, Mother.” Lin Jianshui added, “No matter how lovely that doll looks, she’s not ours; hurry and hand her over. If you want to hold a granddaughter, have Guifang give birth to one.”
Chen Guifang twisted her sleeves, so angry she wanted to bite him.
Her mother-in-law already disliked her for giving birth to a money-losing good; she had always hoped to get pregnant with a boy again—who would want to have another daughter?
Liu Shi was also infuriated by Lin Jianshui’s words, her heart and liver aching; how had she given birth to such a single-minded club?
She hurriedly signaled her own man with her eyes, “Hubby, I returned the child long ago; who knows if they lost her themselves and are now pinning it on us. If you don’t believe me, let her search; if she can find the child, I’ll kneel and kowtow three times to her.”
That little girl had long been taken to the back mountain by Qiu Xiaofeng—how could she possibly be found?
Seeing Liu Shi so adamant, the villagers couldn’t help but murmur; maybe they really had wronged a good person.
Someone shouted to Shang Wan: “Lady Shang, since Aunt Liu says to search, go ahead and search; we’ll all help watch the doors—as long as the child is in the Lin house, she absolutely can’t leave through this door.”
“Thank you all for your trouble.”
The Lin house was large, with eight rooms inside and out; she searched room by room, and Lin Jianshui, worried she would damage their things, followed her closely every step.
The other Lin Family members stood with the villagers, distancing themselves.
After searching seven rooms without finding anyone, Liu Shi sneered inwardly—good, couldn’t find her! This matter today couldn’t end like this; daring to hit her son and dear granddaughter, she had to peel a layer of skin off Shang Wan!
Village Chief Lin frowned; he always felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint it, his heart inexplicably panicking.
Only the last kitchen remained unsearched; Shang Wan stepped inside.
The kitchen wasn’t large, but the light was ample—one glance could take in the general layout.
Shang Wan perfunctorily rummaged through the firewood pile, the baskets for vegetables, the rice jar, the water jar, the large wooden bucket; she knew Yuan Yuan wasn’t inside, but she had to buy time for the little one.
With those short arms and legs, traveling was indeed slow.
Lin Jianshui kept helping Shang Wan search, even peering into the stove.
Sudden clamor erupted outside.
The two ran out to look, only to see a little girl covered in dirt, with blood smeared on her face and arms, crawling in huffing and puffing through the dog hole in the corner of the wall.
Aunt Zhou exclaimed, “Yuan Yuan!”
Shang Wan rushed over and scooped her up.
“Wah wah wah… Cold! Owie!” Yuan Yuan pouted, shedding golden beans, stretching out her injured little chubby arm for Shang Wan to see, “Owie! Bad! Bad people!”
The little baby girl’s lotus-root-like arm had two large wounds, clearly sliced by a knife, bleeding quite a bit—especially horrific on her white tender skin.
There were also many other small cuts on her skin, like those from thorns.
Shang Wan’s face was cold as ice; if she had known Yuan Yuan was injured, she certainly wouldn’t have let the little one act on her own.
Aunt Zhou wiped tears nonstop, “These wounds are clearly from a knife; heartless, actually not sparing even a baby!”
“Exactly, look at all this blood; this doll is lucky to have survived.”
“I’ll go fetch Doctor Yuan.” Zhang Er pushed through the crowd and ran off.
“Who exactly did this?” The villagers’ suspicious gazes fell on the Lin Family, especially many on Liu Shi, thinking maybe Liu Shi had cut the child and thrown her out, only for the doll to find her way back.
Liu Shi, already guilty, couldn’t help but curse under the stares: “What are you looking at? It wasn’t me!”
“Bad people!” Yuan Yuan suddenly pointed at Liu Shi, eyes wide round, cheeks puffed like a pufferfish, “Pinch, pinch… me! Bad people!”
The little baby girl’s expressive ability was limited, but everyone understood.
Shang Wan lifted Yuan Yuan’s trouser leg and sleeve, indeed seeing several purple bruises from pinching on her white tender skin.
Murderous intent surged in her eyes, but her voice was very gentle, “Yuan Yuan, tell Mother what else she did to you?”
“Hit!” Yuan Yuan raised her small hand and patted her own little head, patting several times, “Owie!”
The villagers’ gazes toward Liu Shi gradually turned subtle, and they all distanced themselves from her, thinking they must not let their own children visit the Lin house anymore—who knows when they might suffer a poisonous hand.
“No, I didn’t hit her.” Panic flashed across Liu Shi’s face, “She fell on her own.”
“Liu Xiaolan, do you take us all for fools?” Aunt Zhou spat on the ground, “Who can’t tell pinching from falling? At your age, a grandmother yourself, actually laying a vicious hand on a baby—what a wicked poison you are! Today you must give Lady Shang an explanation!”
“Right, give an explanation!”
“Can’t just let it go like this!”
“Who would dare let their child run around the village after this?”
Seeing the situation turning bad, Village Chief Lin hurriedly scowled and scolded, “Liu Shi, was it really you who did it?”
