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Although death is a significant matter, Xiao Lihua and Song Sanniang were not familiar with each other, and since it was an unexpected death, they did not rush to check on the situation. Just as they finished washing the clothes in their hands, they hurriedly completed the task and prepared to head home.
Xie Youshun was coming out of the door when he saw Xiao Lihua. He took the basket from her hands, waved his sleeves to fan her, and said, "It's such a hot day, and you still have to go out. What if you get heatstroke?"
Xiao Lihua smiled and replied, "I couldn't sleep, and I happened to see Second Sister going to wash clothes too, so I joined her. I walked in the shade and splashed some water by the river; it felt cool, so I won't get heatstroke. Don't make a fuss."
"You should still take a nap. Your body isn't very strong. You need to take good care of yourself so that we can have another lovely daughter later."
"If I get any stronger, I'll turn into an ox!" Xiao Lihua thought it was good that she was diligent; otherwise, with all this good food and drink, she would really gain weight. "Back then, my body was just like this, and I still gave birth to two sons."
Xie Youshun couldn't argue with Xiao Lihua, but he still advised her not to go out under the hot sun. His voice was deep and soothing, making his gentle words quite pleasant to hear. Xiao Lihua listened with a smile, and the couple shared a warm moment as they hung up the clothes. When they entered the house, they found both sons awake. Little Stone was helping Little Wood put on his shoes, acting like a perfect older brother.
"Mom, where did you go? I dreamed that you gave me a big watermelon!"
Little Wood rubbed his eyes, just waking up. His eyes still showed signs of sleepiness, his face flushed, and there were traces of water at the corners of his mouth, indicating that he had indeed dreamed of eating something delicious.
Xiao Lihua went over to wipe his mouth and said, "You little glutton! Dreaming about peaches? Just wait for your dad to take you picking them. Otherwise, why don't you climb the tree yourself? Stone, keep an eye on your brother; he mustn't climb trees either. If you do, Mom won't tell you stories anymore."
Little Stone immediately nodded and said, "Mom, I'll take care of my brother; I won't go either."
Xiao Lihua nodded in satisfaction, patted both of their heads, and let them play outside in the shade. Once the children left, she turned to Xie Youshun to discuss Song Sanniang. In truth, she didn't want to burden him with such worries—especially those related to Zhang Shuitao. However, thinking about how hurriedly Zhang Shuitao had acted before made her feel it necessary to mention it. She never felt at ease regarding Zhang Shuitao, as her glances at her husband were truly unsettling.
Upon hearing this, Xie Youshun frowned and said, "There’s no evidence for this matter; let’s see how Li Long handles it. We should be cautious."
Xiao Lihua nodded; indeed, such matters should not be spoken of lightly without proof. Even if Zhang Shuitao was quite annoying, they couldn't spread rumors.
The death of Song Sanniang caused quite a stir in Xiaqiao Village. After all, death is no small matter. Moreover, the incident involving Song Sanniang and Li Long had been quite public; now she had died along with her unborn child under tragic circumstances. Few sympathized with her; many claimed she got what she deserved. Numerous women warned their husbands against having ill intentions; otherwise, even if they brought someone home, it would end badly—leading to additional expenses for a coffin—which made the men feel uneasy and somewhat gleeful about Li Long's misfortune.
Li Long was deeply saddened. He felt both hatred and disgust towards Zhang Shuitao, as he had liked Song Sanniang, who had been gentle and caring towards him during her pregnancy. He never expected her life would end so abruptly.
All of his anger was directed at Zhang Shuitao, accusing her of being home at the time and provoking Song Sanniang, which led to her fall. He even claimed that it was Zhang Shuitao who caused Song Sanniang's demise.
Zhang Shuitao would naturally not admit it, claiming she had gone out at that time.
Sister Zhu realized how much Zhang Shuitao hated her now, especially since she saw Zhang Shuitao walking hurriedly. She thought it must be that Zhang Shuitao was guilty about something, which led to a fight between them, both rolling on the ground and getting injured.
Zhang Shuitao said she had a dream that Dog Egg was in trouble, which made her rush out. She managed to cover up her story, but some people, like Zi Clan, were skeptical.
Zi Clan said to Xiao Lihua: “How fierce was Zhang Shuitao towards Dog Egg before? Could she really be so anxious just because she dreamed something happened to him? And it just so happened that Song Sanniang got into trouble; it’s too coincidental. But we should stay out of this; getting involved might drag us down too. After all, none of them are good people. It’s just unfortunate for Dog Egg and Song Sanniang’s unborn child.”
Xiao Lihua nodded, thinking she really needed to keep a closer eye on Zhang Shuitao. Once this person resorted to violence, it would be hard to stop her; she couldn’t let her harm her own family.
Seeing Song Sanniang lying in a pool of blood with her eyes open truly frightened Dog Egg. After he recovered from his illness, he became even more silent, which was pitiful. Even Stone and Wood commented on how he had become less talkative. Now, Xiao Yue took good care of Dog Egg, and the other children interacted with him more. Xiao Lihua sighed, thinking that adults commit sins while children suffer. She wanted Stone and Wood to play with Dog Egg, hoping he wouldn’t develop any issues like autism.
With Dog Egg in such a state, Zhang Shuitao hardly paid him any attention. Once, Xiao Lihua saw her walk right past Dog Egg, not even glancing at him. She couldn’t believe that Zhang Shuitao, who seemed so unconcerned about her son, would suddenly rush out because of a dream about him being in trouble. Remembering how Zhang Shuitao had bumped into her that day, it didn’t seem like she was worried about anyone else; it felt more like she was running for her life.
After thinking it over, Xiao Lihua shared her suspicions with Yang Cao, Zhang Lianxiang, and the others, asking them to keep an eye on Zhang Shuitao. If they could catch her in the act, that would be best; having someone like her around the village felt dangerous.
While they were still trying to gather evidence against Zhang Shuitao, something happened on her end that was even more shocking than when Song Sanniang fell and caused two deaths. It was reminiscent of when Li Long and Song Sanniang were caught together; she followed in her husband’s footsteps and ended up entangled with someone else—none other than the married man, Xie Qing Shou!
Both Xie Qing Shou and Zhang Shuitao had gone out into the wild. They found a grove but were still spotted by someone—specifically, by Xie Qing Shou’s wife. Realizing something was off with him, she started watching him closely. When she saw him sneaking out, she quietly followed him and ended up witnessing a scene that infuriated her. In a fit of rage, she tried to kill Zhang Shuitao, but was stopped by Xie Qing Shou. Her screams attracted nearby villagers who were gathering pig fodder; there was no way to hide such an embarrassing incident anymore.
After the disgrace brought upon the village by Li Long, now it was his wife’s turn to cause scandal. This double embarrassment made the village chief dizzy with anger; he felt he had lost all face. He hid at home and sent his eldest son and daughter-in-law to help deal with the situation involving Li Long. The Village Chief's Daughter-in-Law held onto Dog Egg, not letting him go outside.
At that moment, Xiao Lihua happened to be with Yang Cao, so she naturally heard about this incident as well. She felt a mix of emotions upon realizing how far the once charming and flamboyant woman had fallen; it was truly self-inflicted suffering. It seemed certain that this time she would be divorced. Previously, even though he disliked her, Li Long couldn’t bring himself to divorce her because of Dog Egg. Now though, no one could persuade him otherwise.
When Xiao Lihua saw Zhang Shuitao, she was disheveled and bound, kneeling in the yard with bruises and scratches on her face. She looked soulless as if turned into a wooden figure until she noticed Xiao Lihua, which sparked some life back into her eyes—filled only with hatred. Thinking how insane this woman was for glaring at her at such a time, Xiao Lihua wondered how she could blame anyone else for what happened.
Yang Cao scolded Zhang Shuitao, and those standing around noticed her glare directed at Xiao Lihua. They were quite displeased; after all, now that Xiao Lihua was their village's fortune-bringer, how could a shameless woman like her dare glare at her? Someone remarked that perhaps there was another man in her heart—specifically, Xie Youshun. While things were going well for Xiao Lihua, she was on the verge of being divorced; naturally, she'd glare at her. Immediately everyone began cursing at Zhang Shuitao, calling her delusional.
The Daughter-in-Law of Qing Shou went over to hit Zhang Shuitao, scolding her for thinking about another man while seducing hers. She hurled insults at her without restraint and gave her another beating; if not for someone holding her back, they might have killed Zhang Shuitao.
Li Long was clamoring for a divorce and said he would send Zhang Shuitao and Xie Qing Shou to the county office. Zhang Shuitao was a married woman, and Xie Qing Shou would face imprisonment for having an affair with a married woman.
Upon hearing about the possibility of going to jail, Xie Qing Shou became even more frightened. He did not want to be imprisoned, so he immediately shouted, "I don't want to go to jail! If I make amends for my crimes, can I be let off? Please spare me this time!"
Qing Shou's Daughter-in-Law was also anxious upon hearing that her husband might go to jail. She was angry but did not want her husband to be imprisoned; they still had to live their lives! She urged Xie Qing Shou to quickly talk about making amends.
Zhang Shuitao loudly cursed Xie Qing Shou to die a miserable death. After cursing, she collapsed, crying and laughing at the same time.
Xie Qing Shou said, "I know who burned everyone's wheat!"
Li Xing immediately asked who it was, and the people around him quickly inquired as well; this was a serious matter!
Xie Qing Shou replied, "It was Zhang Shuitao! Zhang Shuitao burned everyone's wheat. Song Sanniang discovered it and tried to threaten her to leave home. Zhang Shuitao pushed Song Sanniang! I heard it with my own ears. After pushing her, when she saw that Song Sanniang was dead, she ran away. I hid so she wouldn't see me, and then I went to confront her with these two matters."
Xie Qing Shou now regretted it deeply, wondering how he had been so infatuated at that time. He could have claimed the reward of forty taels of silver and been thanked by the entire village, but instead, he had been bewitched by Zhang Shuitao. Now he found himself in this predicament; it was truly regrettable!
Everyone was shocked to hear that the wheat had actually been burned by Zhang Shuitao. They never suspected that a woman could commit arson. Zhang Shuitao had hidden it too well; they thought they had no enmity with her—why would she set fire? Many people questioned Zhang Shuitao, and after hearing her response, they hated her even more.
Zhang Shuitao claimed that she could not stand seeing others live well while she lived poorly; she wanted to burn all the wheat of those she disliked.
Li Long had already suspected that Song Sanniang had been harmed by Zhang Shuitao, and now he was convinced. Furious, he kicked Zhang Shuitao several times and declared he would divorce her and send her to prison to pay for her life. His fierce expression showed no trace of their former marital affection.
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