Chapter 175

Chapter 175

"Back Street?" Bai Xiuxiu thought that if she were to work on this street, she would inevitably interact with this family in the future. Thus, she asked Ning Meimei with interest, "I'm not very familiar with it, Sister Ning, could you tell me more?"

Ning Meimei saw that Bai Xiuxiu was interested and felt she had finally found someone who enjoyed gossip.

Usually, everyone at home had deadpan faces, and no one liked to chat.

Every day at the dinner table, they only talked about who ate an extra mouthful of vegetables or who used an extra thread.

She was almost driven crazy by it.

Encountering Bai Xiuxiu, she suddenly had a lot to say: "Behind us is Old Yuan's house. They have three sons and one daughter. The third son and the youngest daughter aren't married yet, but the eldest and second sons are. The recent trouble is with their eldest daughter-in-law.

In Old Yuan's house, the mother-in-law favors her youngest son, and the second daughter-in-law gave her a grandson, so she has no complaints there.

But she bullies the eldest daughter-in-law, making her do all sorts of chores every now and then.

The eldest daughter-in-law's family are all honest people, and her mother-in-law often sends her back to her parents' house to fetch things. If she doesn't bring anything, she gets beaten, and even her granddaughter gets hit too.

Her husband acts like he's dead, never stepping in.

A few days ago, Old Yuan's little grandson scratched the face of the eldest daughter-in-law's daughter with a stone.

The family got into a fight, but instead of punishing the grandson, they forbade the eldest daughter-in-law and her daughter from eating. This led to her attempting suicide.

Luckily, she was saved. After this incident, she decided to take her child and leave, saying she didn't want to live like this anymore.

How could Old Yuan's family let her go?

They treat her like a donkey, how could they let her leave? They refused to let her go, and her husband even beat her up, threatening to kill her if she caused any more trouble.

Can you believe these people?"

As Ning Meimei spoke, her disdain for the family on Back Street was evident on her face.

Bai Xiuxiu also felt uncomfortable listening to this.

"What did the Women's Federation do about it?" Bai Xiuxiu asked.

"What can they do? They just mediate. If that doesn't work, they wait and hope emotions cool down. But if they keep waiting, I fear the eldest daughter-in-law might lose her life. Even the street office is having a hard time with this. My maternal aunt works at the street office, and she said the director is still struggling with this issue."

Ning Meimei wanted to gossip about another matter, but before she could, Director Wang arrived to meet Bai Xiuxiu.

"Xiaobai, sorry for keeping you waiting. Apologies, I was held up by some family matters this morning." Director Wang wore a white shirt and green pants, looking energetic and capable.

When she smiled, she exuded warmth.

She glanced at Ning Meimei, hesitating. "Am I interrupting something? Do you two need to finish your conversation first? If so, I can take a walk around. It's been a while since I've been here, and I miss the place."

"No, we were just chatting, Director Wang. Let's go. If you want to see around, we can do it together. I just moved here and want to get familiar with the area." With that, Bai Xiuxiu called over her two children and locked the door.

"Sister Ning, we'll continue our chat when I get back. I have something to attend to."

After saying this, Bai Xiuxiu took her two children and got on Director Wang's bicycle.

Ning Meimei found Director Wang somewhat familiar but couldn't quite place her.

She also envied Bai Xiuxiu, who could go out whenever she wanted.

Unlike her.

"Second daughter-in-law, what are you doing standing outside? Come in quickly. Don't always hang around with the neighbors; do they feed you? Go with your sister-in-law to catch fish in the wild river in the west of the city. If you catch a couple, it will help nourish the family.

Don't just sit around doing nothing."

Inside the house, Lin's grandmother's sharp tone made Ning Meimei's head ache, and she hurried back.

On the other side, Director Wang took Bai Xiuxiu to the street office of their area, known as Wutong Street because of the many wutong trees planted there.

Upon arriving at the street office, they found it in chaos.

A woman was holding a four- or five-year-old child, both crying.

The woman was bruised and swollen, clearly beaten. The child had scars on her face and cried pitifully as she watched her mother cry.

This mother and daughter matched the description of Old Yuan's eldest daughter-in-law and her daughter.

It must be them.

The woman was so thin she was skin and bones.

With one hand holding the child and the other grabbing someone's pant leg, she pleaded, "Please, you have to save me."

The woman looked utterly helpless.

The woman whose pant leg she was grabbing was nearly fifty, with short hair and wearing a blue coat. Her expression was stern, indicating she was not one to smile easily.

"Xiao Xu, it's not that Auntie won't help you. The street office has already tried to mediate, but the other party insists on not divorcing and is being unreasonable. How about I arrange for you to stay with me for now, and we'll think of another way?

Or perhaps we should report this to the police?"

She appeared cold, but when she spoke to the woman, she was considerate and wanted to help her temporarily escape her predicament.

The woman was moved, but for some reason, she shook her head frantically. "No, I can't go to your house, Director Wang. I can't go with you. If I do, they'll come to your house and cause trouble. No, I... I can't report it either. Reporting it won't help with the divorce."

The woman looked at the child in her arms and sadly wanted to hand the child over to the person in front of her.

"Maybe you should try reporting it? They fear nothing and act so aggressively; reporting it might be the best option."

They may not handle divorces, but they do deal with assault and injury.

"The injuries on your face are evidence of their assault. They intentionally harmed you; they should be detained for a while, or even lose their jobs."

Bai Xiuxiu also joined in to persuade her.

When she spoke, Director Wang finally looked over.

Seeing her niece with Bai Xiuxiu, she remembered her niece mentioning a beautiful young wife who did well with the Women's Federation and wanted to bring her to see if she could work in the county's community services.

Initially, she was hesitant since this young girl wasn't even from the commune.

But now, hearing what she just said, Director Wang felt that she was quite decisive and bold.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Yuan family, upon hearing Bai Xiuxiu's words, was also moved. However, years of abuse had left her too afraid to act.

The moment she saw that family, she lost all courage.

Director Wang looked at the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yuan family; her condition was dire, and without help, she truly wouldn't survive.

Perhaps today, they could try to resolve her problem.

"She's right. Your in-laws don't understand the law; they need to know the seriousness of their actions. Xiao Xu, do you agree to report it? If you do, we'll accompany you now."