Chapter 152:
“Yo, this matter can’t be taken lightly. You’re confused, but her reputation is completely ruined!”
He Hua sneered sarcastically. Luo Zhi’er had beaten him so satisfyingly and venting!
She had felt all along that she hadn’t performed well enough when beating Li Erniu just now!
Although she had never really looked up to that fatty Luo Zhi’er.
Actually, Li Sanmao was the manliest man in the village, the most masculine, slaying a wild boar without even panting, and able to earn silver, with sharp and upright features..
The key was that he was good to his wife. Luo Zhi’er was fat like a bear—why should she get him?
“Exactly, this isn’t her being honest. She’s harming people under the guise of being honest!”
“Sigh, especially us women—we all have to be on guard!”
Ma Shenzi soothed He Hua, as He Hua looked on with contempt.
Looking at Ma Shenzi’s wrinkled face and her protruding front teeth—who was like her? Like a hippopotamus. Li Erniu and Li Daniu wouldn’t scare her.
“Look at that monkey face of his, ugly and creepy. Bah! He was twitching like he had epilepsy earlier—who would be interested in hooking up with him?”
Luo Zhi’er gave Li Shi a look, and Li Shi panicked in fear.
To avoid being exposed, she could only grit her teeth and say, “It was the day before your fish were poisoned to death. Have you forgotten?”
Growing bolder as she spoke, full of confidence: “That’s why I came looking for Da Niu’s underpants the next day! That’s when my leg got caught in the animal trap!”
She slapped her thigh, preparing to wail.
“The day before?”
Luo Zhi’er smiled ambiguously. “What exact time the day before?”
“Uh, you rolling in the quilt with him—you don’t even remember?”
Li Shi’s eyes darted around as she evaded the question.
Luo Zhi’er raised her hand and waved her fist!
Li Shi was so scared she hiccuped!
“Spit it out already!”
Li Shi shuddered. She still wanted to be stubborn—why should she say it just because you told her to?
“Of course it was at night. In the afternoon, you came and tricked him into chopping firewood and carrying water for you. At night, you hooked up and went under the quilt. The next day before dawn, you chased Da Niu out, and his underpants were left at your home!”
This way, it was seamless. It would confirm she was stealing men—who could see anything at night to testify?
Luo Zhi’er signaled with her eyes to the corner. “That pile of firewood?”
Light gleamed in Li Shi’s eyes. “Of course, that pile of firewood. Da Niu, you chopped for about an hour, right?”
Li Daniu nodded woodenly.
Luo Zhi’er said confidently, “I have three questions about this. First, this pile of firewood is wrong. This firewood was what I gathered from the mountain the day before my fish were poisoned. As for chopping it, I did it with Miaomiao in the yard the day before yesterday. When I was chopping, Ma Shenzi and Brother Zhao Hu passed by on the road and greeted me.”
Those two remembered. Ma Shenzi spoke first. “Yeah, I can testify to that. I even said the sun came out from the west—I hadn’t seen her go up the mountain to cut wood in a long time!”
After Luo Zhi’er fell in the water, woodcutting was done by Li Daqiang and Li Sanmao.
“That day I was indeed curious. We all chop firewood in winter for heating, but she was chopping in summer, so I asked a couple questions. San Mao’s Wife said she was fixing a stove to make food for Miaomiao and needed this chopped firewood.”
Zhao Hu added.
“If you don’t believe it, my Second Aunt saw it too. She watched me chopping wood from the gate over here no less than ten times!”
“Just see if she’s willing to testify for me, her nephew’s wife.”
Zhao Xiaomei was furious inside. Of course she had seen it. She knew Li Shi probably wanted to humiliate her, and she was happy to watch the show.
But with so many people around, if she admitted it, wouldn’t that clear Luo Zhi’er’s suspicion!
If she didn’t say, everyone would say she had a bad mind.
“I, I didn’t notice. Which day did you say?”
Zhao Xiaomei pretended to forget, being ambiguous. Luo Zhi’er gave a cold smile, with an “I knew it” expression.
“Second, you say the day before the poisoned fish. I happen to want to ask—my stove was sabotaged that day, with no less than twenty big and small holes knocked into it. It took me half a day patching it with mud, and my arms and legs ached everywhere.”
She raised her hand,
“These hook thorns from patching mud last time are still on my hand. You say Li Daniu came to my home—was it you who instructed him to do it?”
“What? My Da Niu didn’t knock your stove. Don’t wrongly accuse him.”
“I believe he wouldn’t do it on his own, but if his mother instructed him, that’s another story.”
“Zhi’er, I didn’t knock the stove. I just came to roll in the quilt!” Li Daniu gritted his teeth as per his mother’s instructions.
“Li Daniu, I feel filthy even saying your name. You were always honest—I never thought you were such a person.”
“My Sanmao has looks, strength, and earns silver just by hunting wild game on the mountain to sell. Does your home have a mirror? Have you ever looked at yourself? What do you have? Why would I look at you?”
Luo Zhi’er usually didn’t stoop to personal attacks. Li Daniu had saved her after all, but he had also loudly ruined her reputation.
Now he was partnering with his mother to frame her. Since they were unkind, she wouldn’t be righteous.
“Zhi’er.”
“Shut your stinking lying mouth! Or else—” Luo Zhi’er waved her fist.
“Third, evidence. Li Shi, you say Li Daniu’s underpants are at my home. Fine, I’ll let people search. Brother Zhao Hu is here—could I trouble you to help me look? I, Luo Zhi’er, would be deeply grateful.”
Zhao Hu thought for a moment. “Li Daniu, confess honestly. What kind of underpants? What color?”
Li Daniu stammered, looking troubled, face flushed red. “Four-corner underpants, with several… big holes on the butt, hemp cloth.”
Zhao Hu gave him a disdainful glance, thoroughly looking down on him, and took the few villagers who had searched corn with him last time.
He felt in his heart this was obviously bullying.
With such a scum man, which woman would glance at him?
With Li Sanmao absent, they kept humiliating Luo Zhi’er over and over—he even felt a bit sorry for her.
Zhao Hu and the others went in and found not a single hair. Coming out, he told everyone, “Nothing. Where’s that ragged underpants you mentioned?”
Li Shi panicked. “How could there be nothing? That day, that day I was—”
“You were what?”
Luo Zhi’er gestured for her to continue.
“Nothing.”
How could that be?
She shouldn’t have seen it. She had meant to stuff it through the window into her room, but unexpectedly got caught by the animal trap first, so it might have dropped nearby.
Even if she saw it, she should have hidden it or not thought of this, and just tossed it somewhere—surely they could find it and give her a slick story.
She hadn’t expected Luo Zhi’er to destroy the evidence and anticipate this—she wasn’t just some fool.
Now the evidence fully favored Luo Zhi’er. Villagers began judging Li Shi’s family with disgust, contempt, and disdain.
Should they drive her family out of the village? Or call Li Zhengxin, Zhao Zuzu, Li Zuzu, and them?
Li Shi went all in and started yelling,
“Luo Zhi’er is a monster, a demon! I know it—she’s possessed by a water ghost. Don’t listen to her tricks!”
Her shout was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. People in this era were still very superstitious.
“The real Luo Zhi’er is already dead. She’s a water ghost—otherwise, why is she completely different from her old personality, like a totally different person inside and out!”
Everyone’s puzzled eyes turned to her again. She really was different from a few years ago—completely a different person.
“Li Shi, do you think if I didn’t resist and obediently let you slander and frame me, that would be the real Luo Zhi’er?”
“Hmph! Luo Zhi’er, as real as it gets. You’ve bullied me time and again, and the old Li family mother-in-law and brothers-in-law schemed against me too. If I don’t change, I’ll be tormented to death!”
“Exactly, Luo Zhi’er is dead—but it’s the old cowardly, ignorant, naive Luo Zhi’er who’s dead. Now I’ve been reborn.”
