Chapter 166:
Why did they specifically release him?
At that time, the prison guard called his name and announced on the spot that he was released without guilt. Father, Mother, Zhenzhu, Li Gui, and Oldest Brother were all stunned!
They thought they themselves could also be released without guilt, but they didn’t expect only Li Sanmao was called!
Along the way, he thought it over and over. This couldn’t possibly be luck; it must be someone mediating in the middle or using some method.
Who could this person be?
He had never known any officials or prominent figures; only his wife who had gained her freedom.
Thinking of his wife’s changes and recalling the bits and pieces of the past, though he quickened his pace, he fell into contemplation all the way.
Luo Zhi’er saw the way Li Sanmao looked at her, as if he was trying to prove something through her, and she felt a bit panicked inside.
“Wife, I just walked around inside and outside the yard and found that the home has been filled with quite a few things. You bought a mule, a goat, planted a garden plot, and there’s that enormous fierce dog. Over there you dug a fish pond, built a particularly beautiful stove, and that pine wood long table is really comfortable to sit at.”
“Hehe, yes, that’s what I came up with in my spare time at home during this period. As for buying the mule, it’s because I need to make deliveries, and it’s too inconvenient to walk while bringing Miaomiao, so I used the dowry Father left me to buy the mule. The fierce dog is because Miaomiao was bullied on the road; the goat that someone gave is for me developing new food, needing sheep milk.”
Luo Zhi’er was explaining.
At this time Miaomiao came in and immediately said, “Father, during the time you weren’t home, many people in the village bullied Mother. They threw stones at Mother, wouldn’t let her fetch water from the village well, falsely accused Mother of stealing things, came to our home to cause destruction, poisoned the mule, poisoned the fish, threw Li Daniu’s rotten underpants at Mother, falsely accused my mother of adultery, and forced Mother to marry Li Daniu to bear children for him!”
“What?”
Li Sanmao angrily stood up, paced a few steps in the kitchen with his fists clenched, and smashed a fist toward the door, smashing the door to pieces. He gritted his teeth, “Damn it, they are simply bullying people too much!”
It infuriated Luo Zhi’er to death; now they had to remake a door and replace it.
“Even more outrageous, Second Uncle and Second Aunt came to the door to drive Mother away and tell her to get out of the Old Li Family, saying Mother wasn’t worthy to be the young wife of the Old Li Family. Second Aunt was cursing when Bill bit off and ate her ear. Fourth Uncle then brought a gang of local ruffians from the town to the village to beat and kill Bill and Mother!”
“Too much! I, Li Sanmao, used to run over to help them with anything!” He said their Wei Zi was in the town, making him carry manure and he carried manure, making him run errands and he ran errands.
As he spoke, he raised his foot intending to kick the wooden bucket flying, but Luo Zhi’er quickly ran over and moved the wooden bucket away!
Impulsive is the devil; if this bucket got damaged, they’d have to spend silver to buy another.
“Miaomiao was so scared! Father, you finally came back; Mother finally doesn’t have to face these bad guys alone!” As Miaomiao spoke, she started crying aggrievedly.
“They are all from the same village and relatives; how could they do this? Only Grandma Zhao is good to Miaomiao and Mother!”
“Miaomiao, don’t be afraid. Father is back, so there’s no need to be afraid anymore!” He tenderly wiped her tears; Li Sanmao’s heart was bleeding.
Truly, good people are bullied and good horses are ridden. Zhi’er had always endured it submissively and never done anything bad to them. The more Li Sanmao listened, the more heartbroken and angrier he got!
Speaking of which, while they were in the prison cell, they didn’t have to do anything, but after Li Lei caused trouble, all of this was shouldered by his wife alone, while also earning silver to make a living, raising Miaomiao, visiting them in prison, and saving him out. “Wife, I came back too late. I’m sorry; I let you and Miaomiao suffer!”
He shouldn’t have doubted her. She was forced into a desperate situation before fighting back like this, wanting to earn money to change the current situation.
He should be grateful; luckily his wife changed her temperament to survive in such an environment.
He reached out wanting to pull his wife into his arms, but his wife seemed to have some estrangement toward him, which was also to be expected since he hadn’t taken good care of her from beginning to end.
“Wife, I was wrong. You actually don’t need to explain to me; you didn’t do anything wrong. It was the Old Li Family that implicated you. I’m sorry for Father-in-law’s entrustment and even more sorry to you. Now that I’m back, you won’t suffer their bullying anymore. Whoever dares to bully you mother and daughter, I, Li Sanmao, will fight them to the death!”
Luo Zhi’er was strongly pulled into Li Sanmao’s arms, feeling his broad chest.
One hand holding Miaomiao, one hand holding her, leaning on his warm and steadfast shoulder—turns out having someone to rely on feels pretty wonderful.
The little family of three sat together. Li Sanmao opened his heart and chatted in detail about the events of these days; he felt their hearts were one step closer.
Although this meal was very delicious and Li Sanmao ate several big bowls of rice, his heart felt very uncomfortable.
Seeing the two faces he had longed for day and night, his wife still had that indifferent look; he couldn’t imagine she had suffered so much.
Damn it, that coward Li Daniu actually dared to covet his wife; his heart felt like it had eaten dog shit, unbearable.
Before the meal was finished, many people from the village came one after another to the yard of the Old Li Family to see Li Sanmao.
Li Erdan came first. Seeing Li Sanmao although thinner but in good spirits, it was clear someone had taken care of him after he came back. He was wearing new clothes, and there was white rice, meat, and vegetables all on the table. The home was cleaned so neatly; this Sanmao’s wife was really good.
“Sanmao, are you okay now?”
Li Sanmao quickly stood up, remembering Miaomiao just said Uncle Erdan kindly let them break corn, but unexpectedly Li Ergou’s Wife framed them!
Luckily Li Ergou’s Wife was caught; this Li Erdan didn’t do anything to harm their mother and daughter.
“Hehe, Uncle Erdan, you came. Sit!”
“Hey!”
“How are your father and the others? And when will your oldest brother and them be released?” Li Erdan quickly inquired about Li Depei’s news.
Li Sanmao hesitated slightly: “This matter is hard to say; it depends on the evidence the county magistrate investigates and how Hong Futai pursues it. I was released in a daze.”
“Then what was your situation?”
“Currently released without guilt!”
The news of Li Sanmao’s release without guilt thus spread throughout the village.
Another piece of news that spread throughout the entire village with it was that Li Ergou’s Wife had run away from the cattle pen, leaving Gou Sheng and Li Ergou to depend on each other!
Li Ergou still had his old mother to serve him. Previously, Yang Juhua’s mother was driven out to live alone in a thatched hut, not eating or living together.
Now with no other choice, she had to take her back to serve her son.
This Gou Sheng cried to heaven and no response, cried to earth and no reply in the cattle pen. His father never relented on using silver to redeem his mother and him, so they had to stay locked in the stinking pen, waiting for the people arranged by Li Zhengxin from the village to deliver food—sometimes there was a meal, sometimes not.
Starved to skin and bones, Li Zhengxin sent Zhao Hu several times to ask if he wanted to compensate Li Erdan’s family, but he refused, saying he had no silver.
Whether he had silver or not, Yang Juhua knew best. That black bear meat sold for quite a bit of silver and couldn’t have been spent up so quickly; the compensation wasn’t much silver either. Thinking that even after getting out the days ahead would be hard to endure, she died inside day by day in the cattle pen!
Finally one night, while Gou Sheng was asleep, she dismantled the wooden board and ran away.
The village couldn’t just leave a few living people unattended; that would be too inhumane, especially since Gou Sheng was still a little child. They had said to drive them out of the village, but actually always left them a chance!
But this Li Ergou was too heartless, never willing to fork over silver. Letting them go for free like this—how to convince the crowd?
Gou Sheng was released back. Not many days later, Li Ergou’s old mother passed away; it might also have been that the elderly woman was too old and chronically malnourished, worn out.
Anyway, she was gone when they woke up one morning. Li Ergouzi collapsed in bed unable to move; it was the villagers who organized to carry him up the mountain and bury him.
This Li Ergou didn’t even pay for a coffin, just rolled him up in a straw mat. Everyone looked on; what had this man lived for in his life? Thinking about it felt heartbreaking.
Naturally, Li Sanmao came back and helped the villagers.
Now only Gou Sheng was left to take care of his father—pitiful, so pitiful!
