bayedsolid Chapter 302 Unveiled
Chapter 302 Unveiled
In truth, the villagers didn't really believe what Song Dalang and his companions said. However, they didn't want to see the Li family so smug.
That's why they kept chiming in. They just wanted to see the Li family suffer a setback.
It seemed that only in this way could they lessen some of the resentment in their hearts.
Li Xiaonuan didn't try to guess what those people were thinking. After all, she felt things weren't that simple.
First of all, Erbao's mother had been bullied by Song Dalang for a long time, so she would never take poison in order to force the two brothers to return to the tiger's den.
Furthermore, as Da Bao just mentioned, Er Bao's maternal grandparents are also forcing Er Bao's mother to do things against her conscience. Er Bao's maternal uncle and aunt also dislike Er Bao's mother.
It's clear that Erbao's mother was unhappy in both her own family and her husband's family.
However, even with such unpleasant experiences, Erbao's mother has endured them and lived to this day.
Why did Erbao's mother try to commit suicide after Li Xiaonuan became a princess?
Could it be that Erbao's mother is deliberately trying to upset Li Xiaonuan?
Definitely not. Li Xiaonuan believes that Erbao's mother did not intentionally take the poison.
As for whether Erbao's mother was poisoned or given poison by someone, we will only know after she wakes up.
"If Erbao's mother cared so much about Dabao and Erbao, why did she take her own life before they were even released from their legal status?" Li Xiaonuan asked seemingly casually.
"Isn't it because I'm afraid you'll make things even harder for those two children because of this?" Erbao's maternal grandmother cried as she replied, "Erbao is still so young, and your Li family is already ordering him around doing chores. Even if it weren't his own mother, no one present would feel sorry for him."
Li Xiaonuan looked around and saw that there were quite a few people sympathizing with Erbao's plight, so she said, "Hearing what you say, Auntie, I remember something. Back then, I wonder who forced Erbao, who didn't even have enough to eat, to steal chili peppers? It seems that Erbao almost died from the chili peppers. Where were you then, Auntie?"
The fact that Song Dalang and his wife forced their young son to go out and steal chili peppers late at night was no secret in Zhoucun.
Now that Li Xiaonuan has brought it up again, everyone is reminded of the pitiful state of those two children back then.
Then a kind-hearted woman said, "Oh dear, when these two children were dumped in front of Old Song's stall, they were so hungry their eyes were practically glowing. Their little bodies looked like they were about to be blown away by the wind."
"That's right. Although they went hungry sometimes while following Old Song, at least they had something to eat. The two kids are still alive today thanks to Old Song's hard work in raising them." Someone immediately chimed in.
“That’s right. Back then, Old Song worked so hard to raise his two kids and they were doing just fine. Why would he suddenly be willing to sell himself?” Matchmaker Jin asked, feigning surprise.
Li Xiaonuan looked up and couldn't help but laugh.
The matchmaker's attire today was a truly unbearable sight—a striking combination of red and green. That wouldn't have been so bad, though. It seemed she had guests at home; her face was coated with a thick layer of white rice paste, making it frighteningly white.
But even so, people still complimented her on her fair complexion. The matchmaker, Jin, seemed particularly fond of the bright red lip rouge, applying it until her lips looked like they were coated with lacquer.
She must have laughed too much, because the lip rouge got on her teeth. So, her slightly open mouth and feigned surprise made her look like a pale-faced vampire, sending chills down one's spine.
Actually, most people can't see their teeth if they slightly open their mouths. But Jin the Matchmaker's teeth have a special feature: her canines on both sides are particularly prominent, and her upper molars also protrude forward.
Therefore, even though the matchmaker Jin usually kept her mouth shut, it was never truly shut.
And so, as the matchmaker Jin opened her mouth slightly with a half-smile, half of her protruding upper molars were revealed, blood red and eerie to behold.
But the matchmaker, Jin, was completely oblivious. Seeing everyone staring at her as if they'd seen a ghost, she grinned smugly and said, "What are you looking at? I was just telling the truth."
The matchmaker's seemingly reproachful yet angry expression made her even more unpleasant to look at.
Therefore, Zhou Rong's wife, who was standing not far from her, retorted, "Oh, why is Sister Jin being so righteous today? To be honest, Sister Jin has often cursed Song Dalang behind his back. What, did Song Dalang promise Sister Jin some benefits so that you would help him extort money from the Li family?"
"Lian Caihua, don't talk nonsense. When did I ever extort the Li family? I'm just stating the facts. Don't you all think the same way?" The matchmaker, Jin, bristled and immediately retorted with a stern face.
Instead of answering the matchmaker Jin directly, Zhou Rong's wife asked, "Wasn't Old Song and his two grandsons forced into a corner by Song Dalang and his family, which is why they willingly sold themselves to the Li family?"
"Yes, I heard before that Mr. and Mrs. Song were contacting matchmakers with Mr. Song's in-laws, saying they wanted to sell Da Bao and Er Bao," said a neighbor who lived next to Old Song.
Once this topic is raised, it will spread. Before long, everyone had revealed all the misdeeds that Song Dalang and his gang had committed.
One of them, in particular, made Li Xiaonuan suddenly feel enlightened.
“I overheard Song Dalang telling his father-in-law the other day that he was going to sell Erbao’s mother into a brothel for a few years so he could make some money and get rich. They also said that if Erbao’s aunt didn’t have a baby this year, they would sell her too,” a little boy suddenly popped out of the crowd and said loudly.
"Oh my, how can there be such people? This is utterly immoral, they deserve to be struck by lightning." After everyone had expressed their opinions in a chaotic uproar, they all stared at Song Dalang and his companions with wide eyes.
It was obvious that none of the women in Erbao's maternal grandparents' family knew about this.
At this moment, the eldest aunt stopped hugging Erbao's mother. She stood up and confronted Erbao's eldest uncle, asking, "Are you going to sell me? It's one thing for you to sell your own children and sisters, but now you're selling your wife?"
It is clear that the eldest aunt knew about Song Dalang and his group's plan to sell Da Bao's mother.
Da Bao's eldest uncle felt humiliated when his wife questioned him like that in front of everyone. He had a short temper, so he raised his hand and slapped his aunt while cursing.
Then the eldest aunt also objected. She usually didn't care how they schemed against others, as long as she could get a share.
But now that they've already shifted their focus to her, how can she just let it go?
So, in front of everyone, the eldest aunt started fighting with Song Dalang and his son.
As the two sides revealed each other's shortcomings, everyone was shocked to discover that the reason Erbao's mother took poison was because Song Dalang wanted to sell her.
Furthermore, Song Dalang also wanted to take the opportunity to extort money from the Li family, forcing them to pay money to settle the matter.
Of course, if the Li family both paid the money and released Old Song and his two grandsons, then they would have made a profit.
They had planned to move elsewhere once they had the money.
This Zhou Village not only has Princess Li Xiaonuan, but it might also produce a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) soon.
They had done many bad things in their past, so they were filled with guilt and fear. Having no other choice, they resorted to this desperate measure: to extort money and then disappear.
As for the story about selling wives and children, Song Dalang heard it from someone outside. It was said that his father-in-law had sold a wife years ago.
In order to raise more funds, the two like-minded men, father-in-law and son-in-law, decided to sell everyone in their family who could be sold. They planned to make further plans after settling down in another place.