Chapter 90

"Oh dear, don't beat someone to death."

"Wang is furious, both her sons harmed by that evil woman. Now that Hao Shi has been taken away, she's taking out her anger on Pan Di."

"If I were her, I'd beat that wretched girl half to death too, it's infuriating."

"The county magistrate hasn’t even reviewed the case yet. How do we know for sure that Sanfu and Sifu's fates were caused by Hao Shi?"

"It must be Hao Shi. She hates Wang, so she harmed Wang's two sons. Resentful of Ding, the shopkeeper, for injuring her, she threw Li into the well."

"Hao Shi looks meek but is wicked to the core. Pan Di takes after her mother; a good-for-nothing. Do you think she could turn out just like her mother?"

"It's possible."

"What do you mean possible? It's certain. Like father, like son; like mother, like daughter. A rat's offspring will naturally burrow."

  ……

Ding Xiang realized it was Wang venting her anger by beating Pan Di.

But Pan Di was innocent; not only was she not bad, but she also disapproved of her mother's actions...

Ding Xiang's heart ached, the young girl's cries of distress deeply unsettling her.

She held Zhang's hand, pleading, "Mother, Hao Shi did wrong, but Pan Di sister didn’t. Please help her, don't let her get beaten to death by Aunt Wang."

Zhang bitterly said, "If she dies, it's her fate. Who told her to have such a wicked mother? If you hadn’t reminded your father to check the dry well yesterday, Li would be dead. That wretched woman even tried to stab you with a needle once..."

This was followed by a series of teeth-grinding curses. She loathed Hao Shi intensely, feeling that children don't understand how evil people can be, and thus educated her daughter not to trust others easily.

Ding Xiang was extremely upset. Pan Di’s life was so bitter. A twelve-year-old girl, mistreated by elders since childhood, and now her mother's crime was causing others to vent their anger on her.

If anyone should be punished, it should be Ding Youshou or Ding Li, the two family heads who always neglected their duties. Hao Shi's crime was tied to their indifference and inaction.

She must help the child. If it hadn’t been for her firm resistance, that needle would have been in her own skin.

After much pleading, almost in tears, Zhang finally said, "Alright, I’ll try to persuade them. But Wang is furious, I can’t guarantee it'll work."

Ding Li had woken up, and Ding Xiang stayed with him to cheer him up, thinking about how to help Pan Di.

Zhang’s influence was limited; to fundamentally solve the problem, Grandfather Ding Zhuang had to intervene.

Ding Youshou and Wang loved money, so she planned to use some of her savings to buy Pan Di's freedom, allowing her to leave that home and find work elsewhere.

If Grandfather refused to help, she would resort to crying as a threat…

The injured little boy was very fragile, constantly seeking comfort from Ding Xiang.

"Sister, my head hurts."

"Oh, I’ll blow on it, it won’t hurt." Ding Xiang acted like a little adult.

"Sister, will I end up disfigured like Ding Sanfu? He's so ugly; it'll be hard for me to find a wife in the future."

"No, you won't. Once your hair grows back, the scar won't be visible. The wound on your face is shallow; avoid soy sauce and it won’t scar. You're so handsome, Third Brother, you’ll definitely find a beautiful wife."

"Sister, I want to eat the red apples from our tree."

"The red apples aren't ripe yet; they're not sweet. When they are fully ripe, I’ll ask Grandpa to let you have a whole one. Oh, we bought grapes; I'll ask Mom to bring you some when she gets back."

  ……

Soon, the cries of Pan Di ceased.

When Zhang returned, she sighed, "Although Hao Shi is hateful, Pan Di is really pitiable. She's been beaten black and blue, not a spot on her body left unbruised, and a lot of her hair has been pulled out. Mrs. Xie and some other kind-hearted old ladies went too; we spent a long time persuading Wang. Si Fu is a good child; he also tried to stop his mother from beating her..."

Before she could finish, Pan Di's cries were heard again.

The villagers started discussing again.

"I don’t understand what Zhang was thinking going there to intervene. Li isn’t her son, she doesn’t care, but Hao Shi has also harmed Ding Xiang, her own daughter. If I were her, not only would I not stop it, but I’d also join Wang in beating her."

"Exactly."

  ……

Ding Xiang felt extremely distressed, knowing she couldn't reason with those people.

She looked at Zhang's helpless expression, eagerly waiting for Grandpa to return.

Early in the afternoon, Ding Zhuang returned.

He learned about the incident from Ding Li Ren, who was studying in town, and cursed all the way home. He ran into many people on the way and kept retelling the story, which delayed him a bit.

Seeing his third grandson with a shaved head, a scarred face, and bandages, Ding Zhuang cursed again.

"You silly fool, I told you to stay away from Hao Shi; she's no good, but you wouldn't listen. Daring to follow her into the woods to catch some silly pheasant, you deserved to be knocked out and thrown into a well. Your parents are as dumb as donkeys, and you’re as stupid as pig dung, a whole family of fools..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to hit, but then let it fall, "I'm telling you, you won't escape this beating, but it'll wait until you've healed."

Tears welled up in Ding Li's eyes, his little pouting mouth jutting out even more.

Ding Xiang, tugging at Grandpa's sleeve, coaxed, "Grandpa, don't say that. Third Brother knows his mistake now and won't trust others so easily again..."

Ding Zhuang grunted, moving his hand from behind to the front, holding a packet of osmanthus cakes.

"Although a bit foolish, he still knows to care for his sister."

Seeing the treats, the little boy's eyes curved with joy.

After Ding Li had eaten some pastries and fallen asleep, Ding Xiang took Ding Zhuang to her room, shared her thoughts, and took out five taels of silver from a large chest.

"Pan Di sister can't survive in that home. I want to help her..."

Before she could finish, Ding Zhuang waved his hand, "No. Xiang Xiang, you're still young and don’t understand how malicious people can be. Hao Shi is so wicked, who knows if Pan Di will turn out like her..."

Ding Xiang burst into tears, "Pan Di sister is really not bad. I just want to help her. Hearing her screams, my heart aches, and I feel like throwing up... Also, helping someone is like accumulating blessings for Uncle Wu. If he ever faces difficulties, someone will help him too."

Her little face turned bright red, even her little nose was red, and tears fell in big drops, with a faint fragrance lingering in the room.

Ding Zhuang felt a pang of heartache.

He had another realization – who said Xiang Xiang didn't resemble him? Her little red nose was just like his.

Hearing her last reason, Ding Zhuang found it impossible to refuse.

Not taking the silver, he wiped her tears, "Alright, once Hao Shi's sentence is decided, I’ll take a few taels of silver to the main house to plead for Pan Di to leave and find work. But after that, you must have no contact with Pan Di, don’t get close to her, and don’t let her work for our family."

Ding Zhuang still feared Pan Di might be like her mother, seemingly honest but actually very cunning.

Ding Xiang agreed.

In the early afternoon, Xia Lizheng and others who escorted Hao Shi to the government office returned.

Ding Zhao hadn't come back yet; he went to the restaurant to buy spiced roasted chicken and four-happiness meatballs for Ding Li.

"Thank you to 854***930 for the 1666 book coins, and thanks to Water's Duckweed and Mo Mo for their rewards, as well as everyone for their monthly tickets."