Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Beating Crippled

Ding Li Chun, not daring to carry his sister, carefully led her home, instructing, "Walk carefully, little sister, don’t fall."

Ding Li Ren also wanted to hold her hand, but Ding Li Chun stopped him, "You can’t even walk steadily, don’t make little sister fall."

Ding Li Ren, not daring to reach out again, cursed, "That bad woman, grandpa and dad should beat her to death." Then he paused and added, "Or at least half to death."

Beating to death would mean execution.

He then kicked Heizi, "Useless dog, not even helping your little master when she's bullied."

Heizi whined, not understanding why his little master was hitting him.

Ding Li Chun also said through clenched teeth, "If I get a chance, I’ll beat that wretched woman to death."

Just as they reached their doorstep, they heard crying and commotion from the main house, and Mrs. Zhang ran out of the kitchen.

"What’s happening? I heard your grandpa shouting."

Ding Li Chun relayed what Ding Zhao had said.

Mrs. Zhang was startled, "That wretched woman."

She led Ding Xiang back into the room, changed her clothes, and after a thorough check for any more needles, she felt relieved.

Ding Zhuang and Ding Zhao were causing an uproar in the main house.

Ding Zhuang slapped Mrs. Hao across the face and kicked her relentlessly until she collapsed and couldn't get up. Still not appeased, he continued to kick her.

Ding Zhao beat Ding You Shou until he was bleeding from the head for trying to intervene.

Ding Li and Ding You Cai couldn't stop them and ended up injured themselves.

Although the Xia family was influential in Bei Quan Village, Mrs. Ding Xia's social relations were not good. Ding Zhao was good at handling relationships, and many Xia family members had better relations with Ding's second house. With the ambiguous embroidery needle, no one genuinely supported the main house.

Mrs. Ding Xia, afraid of getting beaten, didn't dare to step forward and just jumped around cursing.

Mrs. Wang, with her sons, hid inside their room, too afraid to show their faces.

It took Ding Shan, Xia Li Zheng and his son, and a few other men, including Xia Er Bo, to finally pull Ding Zhuang and his son apart.

Ding Zhao held the embroidery needle, claiming it was Mrs. Hao who placed it in Ding Xiang's clothes.

Mrs. Hao tearfully denied it, "I'm wronged, I didn't put the needle there, I just liked Xiang Xiang and tugged at her a bit. If there was a needle on her, it must have been from Mrs. Zhang sewing, and the child playing with the needle and sticking it on herself. Besides, so many others have touched her, why accuse me? You're all being unreasonable, wuu wuu wuu..."

Indeed, some people had seen Mrs. Hao and several others talking to Ding Xiang, but no one saw who placed the needle or if it was even placed at all. It could also be that Mrs. Zhang hadn’t watched the child carefully...

But with Ding Zhuang's domineering and overbearing nature, and the immense strength of both father and son, they insisted that Mrs. Hao was the one who placed the needle. Those trying to break up the fight and onlookers were unwilling to speak up for Mrs. Hao.

Especially those who had previously interacted with Ding Xiang, they dared not say a word, fearing the Ding father and son would suspect them.

After much arguing, it remained unclear whether Mrs. Hao had indeed placed the needle.

Those who beat were unjustified, and those who were beaten suffered in vain.

Mrs. Ding Xia and Mrs. Wang knew in their hearts that the needle must have been placed by Mrs. Hao.

There was also Ding Pandi, hidden behind the water tank, coldly observing everything. She had told her mother not to do it, but her mother wouldn’t listen.

Ding Xiang hadn't provoked them, and with her second granduncle’s family being so formidable, why did her mother insist on crossing them? If there was anyone to resent, it should be the grandmother for her partiality and the aunt for stirring up trouble...

Ding Li, wanting to ask for money for his son and daughter-in-law's medical treatment, was met with Ding Zhuang spitting and cursing, "Useless trash, always letting that shameless old woman cause trouble, and marrying such a vile woman for your son. You still want money? Believe it or not, I'll kill them right now. One life for two, it’s worth it."

After Ding Zhuang and his son were persuaded to leave, Ding Li went crying to the Xia family head.

"We are already poor, with no extra money, and now they are beaten like this..."

Xia Li Zheng looked at this useless man and his cousin jumping around cursing, and he had no desire to get involved in their affairs.

The rich have their ways, and the poor have theirs.

He said, "This is your Ding family’s internal matter. Seek help from the elders in the Ding family for mediation."

Shaking his head, he walked away.

Ding Li, infuriated, squatted to the side, sulking. The Ding family was small and scattered, without a clan leader. They usually sought the advice of the older family elders for disputes. They all favored the wealthy Ding Zhuang and disliked his wife...

With no outsiders at home, Mrs. Ding Xia ran to Mrs. Hao and scolded, "You stupid woman, if you had to place the needle, couldn't you have been more discreet? You got my son beaten up too."

Ding You Cai and Ding You Shou looked at them in terror.

Mrs. Hao, unable to stand, cried on the ground, "Mother-in-law, I didn’t place the needle."

Ding You Shou, more inclined to believe his mother, stood up despite the pain and kicked Mrs. Hao, "You wretched woman, why would you do that? How dare you provoke that unreasonable drunkard..."

Mrs. Hao stubbornly denied, "Husband, I didn’t, they are framing me. Ouch, it hurts..."

Ding Pandi came over to help her up but fell again as she couldn’t use her right foot.

Ding Zhuang and his son returned home.

Ding Zhao hurriedly picked up his daughter, looking at her with concern, "Xiang Xiang is so clever, how dangerous it was just now. Remember, never let Mrs. Hao near you again."

He believed his daughter, despite being smart, couldn’t have noticed Mrs. Hao placing the needle without someone alerting her, surely because they had warned her about Mrs. Hao being untrustworthy.

He marveled at how smart his child was, a hundred times smarter than Li Ren, no wonder his father praised her every day about becoming a female top scholar.

Ding Zhuang snatched Ding Xiang back, saying fearfully, "Grandpa can’t be with you all the time, stay far away from that damned Mrs. Hao. And cry loudly like before whenever she comes near you. See, she really tried to prick you with a needle."

He then glared at Mrs. Zhang, carrying Ding Xiang into the house.

He was upset, feeling Mrs. Zhang hadn’t watched the child properly.

Ding Xiang kissed Ding Zhuang’s face a few times, "Grandpa, it’s not Mommy’s fault, she was cooking..."

After dinner, Ding Zhuang sat on the edge of the kang bed, with Ding Xiang lying behind him, kicking his back with her strong little legs.

No matter how tired Ding Zhuang was, he felt all his fatigue disappear whenever his granddaughter "massaged" his back.

In early March, the peach tree at the village entrance was adorned with pink blossoms, while the verdant Bei Fu Mountain at the back seemed to overflow with greenery.

The apple tree in the courtyard was lush but had yet to bloom, waiting for late March or early April.

The apples at home were green, yielding smaller fruits.

Last autumn, Ding Zhao bought two red apples from the county town for Xiang Xiang. They tasted slightly better than the green ones, though not as large or juicy as the Red Fuji apples from her previous life.

Swallows had also started returning. Three pairs of old swallows nested in the four birdhouses under the eaves of Ding Xiang's house.

They circled around Ding Xiang joyfully, chirping loudly upon seeing her.

They say swallows recognize their old nests, flying over thousands of mountains and rivers. It's truly wondrous that, after being away for so long, they still find their way back home. The pair that didn't return probably perished during migration.

Dingxiang was reminded of her home in the capital, wondering when she might be able to return there, if at all...

"Thank you to Song Amei and Xiao Maor for their rewards, and thanks to everyone for their monthly tickets and support."