Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Upon hearing the news, Chen Rong fainted instantly.

Lin Qiu, holding Xiaomai in one arm and supporting his mother with the other, stamped his feet in distress. He quickly called for neighbors to fetch Cao Kun from the Porter Guild.

When Cao Kun returned home and learned what had happened, he was equally enraged. "You and Mother wait here. I'll go bring my younger brother back first!"

With red-rimmed eyes, Lin Qiu clutched Cao Kun’s arm. "Find out exactly how Second Brother miscarried. If the Huang family is involved, I swear I'll make them pay!"

It was the first time Cao Kun had seen his husband in such a state. Even someone as gentle as Lin Qiu was this furious, which spoke volumes about the Huangs' egregious behavior.

Cao Kun patted his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll handle everything."

Not long after he left, Chen Rong slowly regained consciousness, lying on the bed, gasping for air.

Lin Qiu was terrified, his hands trembling as he patted her chest to help her breathe. "Mother, don't scare me like this! You can't fall ill now. Second Brother and I still rely on you. If anything happens to you, who will protect us?"

Finally catching her breath, Chen Rong burst into a furious tirade. "Those ill-bred beasts! I sent my healthy son to their family, and in such a short time, they've ruined him like this!" She struggled to get up, intending to confront the Huang family.

"Please, don't be rash. Cao Kun has already gone to bring him back. Second Brother will be home soon."

Chen Rong broke down sobbing, and Lin Qiu wept alongside her. The mother and her two sons had relied on each other for so many years; Lin Sui's suffering felt like a dagger to their hearts.

After about an hour, Cao Kun returned with the carriage.

Hearing the sound, the two rushed out to meet them. As the carriage stopped, Cao Kun carried the person down. Lin Sui's face was deathly pale, his lips bluish-purple, and he seemed utterly devoid of spirit.

"Sui Er…" Chen Rong stared at him in disbelief.

Lin Sui's mouth opened, and after a long moment, he managed a hoarse whisper: "Mother."

Tears streamed down Chen Rong's face as she wept, nearly fainting again. Cao Kun quickly carried Lin Sui inside and laid him on the bed.

Even with a heating stove lit, Lin Sui’s hands were frighteningly cold. Lin Qiu pulled Cao Kun aside, while Chen Rong helped clean Lin Sui.

Lin Qiu urgently asked his husband, "What exactly happened?"

"When I arrived, Lin Sui was lying alone in his room. There wasn't even a heating stove, and no one was there to look after him. I lost my temper, and a woman claiming to be Huang Yong’s cousin came. She said Lin Sui had slipped and fallen in the courtyard, causing the miscarriage, and that it had nothing to do with anyone else."

"Bullshit! If it was a natural miscarriage, why are they hiding and refusing to show their faces?!"

Cao Kun replied, "I asked the same thing. The woman said the Huang family had business to attend to and had all gone out. She told me to take him back home to recuperate."

Lin Qiu covered his chest, choking back tears, unable to speak. Cao Kun held him close, his heart aching. "Don't worry, I'll make sure the Huangs give us a full account!"

Inside the room, Chen Rong changed her son into clean clothes. When she saw the bruises on his chest and waist, she couldn't hold back her tears. "Tell me, what really happened?"

"It's nothing… nothing, Mother…"

"Silly child, why are you still hiding it from me at a time like this!"

Lin Sui's tears streamed down his face as he buried his head in Chen Rong's embrace. "Mother, it hurts so much… my stomach hurts terribly…"

Chen Rong's heart ached so much she could hardly breathe. Wiping her tears, she asked, "Did Huang Yong beat you and cause the miscarriage?"

Lin Sui nodded slowly.

After Cao Kun had brought him home that day, Huang Yong had flown into a rage. But fearing Lin Sui’s family, he hadn't dared to lay a hand on him.

The next day, however, Huang Yong went out drinking with friends and didn’t return until after dark. When Lin Sui complained a few words, Huang Yong slapped him to the ground and pointed at his nose, yelling, "You shameless slut, running back to tattle at the slightest problem. That Cao fellow protects you so fiercely—are the two of you having an affair?"

"How dare you spout such nonsense!" Lin Sui couldn't bear such slander against himself and his brother-in-law. He immediately picked up a shoe from the floor and threw it at Huang Yong.

But this act of retaliation only made things worse. Huang Yong went mad and began beating him, brutally kicking his stomach.

There was a natural difference in strength between a male omega and an alpha male. Lin Sui, being small and frail, was no match for him. Soon, he was curled up on the ground, begging for mercy.

At the time, Lin Sui only felt an intense pain in his stomach, unaware that he was miscarrying. Then, a warm flow gushed between his legs. The light was too dim for him to see that it was blood.

After venting his anger, Huang Yong went out to sleep, leaving Lin Sui on the floor, unable to get up. Later, he realized his hands were sticky and discovered he had lost a lot of blood. He cried out for help in panic.

The sister-in-law living next door heard the commotion and came over. Shocked by his condition, she quickly sent for a physician.

When the physician arrived and took his pulse, they discovered that Lin Sui had been over a month pregnant. Huang Yong’s brutal kicking had caused him to miscarry…

The Huang family only gave Huang Yong a mild scolding before hiding away. They didn’t even leave anyone to look after Lin Sui.

The more Chen Rong heard, the angrier she became. She felt like taking a knife and slaughtering those Huang family beasts!

"My poor Sui Er…" Mother and son held each other, weeping bitterly.

That very night, Cao Kun sent someone to keep watch outside the Huang residence. They waited for four or five days but never saw hide nor hair of Huang Yong.

He was likely hiding somewhere, afraid that Cao Kun would come seeking revenge.

*

On the twenty-sixth day of the first lunar month, Wang Ying and his group finally arrived at the county town.

This time, the journey hadn't been delayed much. The flooded areas had been rebuilt, and the post stations were restored. The towns they passed showed no signs of their previous devastation.

As they approached Longquan County, everyone grew excited. "It's been so long. I wonder how Third Aunt and the others are doing."

"Didn't Cao Kun say they were doing well when he came last time? Those two kids are filial, so it should be fine."

Fang Ling said, "It's been so many years since I last saw Third Sister—almost fifteen years now. I remember when Chen Jing and I went to take up his post, Qing Huai was only about the size of Yuanbao."

"Exactly!"

As people age, they grow nostalgic. Fang Ling reminisced about the past, and everyone listening found it interesting.

When the carriage entered the city, they underwent a brief inspection. Because Chen Guang carried an official token from the magistrate’s office, the guards didn’t dare cause trouble.

They headed straight to the Cao family’s new house. Having been there a few times before, they found their way easily.

In a year, the county hadn't changed much. The aftermath of the flood had mostly subsided, and vendors could still be seen carrying shoulder poles or pushing wheelbarrows, hawking their goods throughout the town.

Wang Ying remarked, "The county looks quite lively. I thought there wouldn't be many people left."

Li Shi said, "Those who survive have to keep living. It'll slowly get better." This had always been the way, throughout history. As long as people didn't die out, they quickly adapted and continued to thrive.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage stopped at the Cao family’s gate. Uncle Chen stepped forward and knocked.

Soon, footsteps sounded from within the courtyard. Lin Qiu opened the gate and stared in surprise. "Uncle Chen? Has Auntie come?"

"Greetings, young master. Everyone has returned."

Lin Qiu was so moved he nearly cried. He quickly opened the gate wide to let everyone in.

"Mom's been talking nonstop about you guys for days, thinking it would be a while before you arrived, but I never expected you to come so soon!"

Wang Ying got off the carriage first, then helped Yuanbao down and assisted Li Shi and Fourth Aunt.

Chen Qingyan and the others were in the following carriage, with the two brothers and Qing Yun sharing a carriage, while the last carriage carried Old Liang and Qing Huai.

Old Liang came not only to accompany Qing Huai for the county exam but also planned to stay with his son for a while after the exam and return to the prefectural city before the Autumn Examinations.

The Cao family's courtyard was big enough for several carriages. The servants unloaded the luggage while the others went inside together.

As soon as he entered, Wang Ying could tell right away something was wrong with the atmosphere in the household. The room was filled with the smell of Chinese medicine. Under normal circumstances, Third Aunt, with her normally outgoing personality, would have rushed out to greet them, but today she hadn't even shown her face.

Wang Ying quickly took Lin Qiu aside and asked, "Is Third Aunt ill?"

Lin Qiu sighed. "Both Mother and Sui Er are ill."

Aunt Yang asked worriedly, "What happened? Have they seen a doctor?"

"They have. Mother is worrying too much and needs to work through her worries herself."

"What about Sui Er?"

Mentioning his brother, Lin Qiu couldn't hold back his tears again and choked up. "Sui Er... Sui Er has been terribly wronged by the Huang family!"

Lin Qiu quickly explained what had happened, leaving everyone gasping in shock. Li Shi's eyes reddened with anger. "How could they treat someone so cruelly! Didn't you go to confront them?"

"We did, of course we did. That damned scoundrel hid right after beating him up. Cao Kun sent people to watch outside the Huang residence for several days, but no one showed up."

Qing Yun said urgently, "Why not go to the authorities directly? Such scum deserves to be beaten within an inch of his life!"

Wang Ying replied, "Even an honest official finds it hard to settle family matters. Besides, Brother Sui and Huang Yong haven't divorced yet. Reporting it might not do any good."

Lin Qiu wiped his tears and nodded. "That's true. But he can't hide forever. The county exam is coming up soon—he'll have to show up for it. We'll definitely corner him then and demand an explanation!"

Inside the room, Chen Rong was lying in bed asleep, looking much thinner and completely worn out, almost unrecognizable compared to when they last parted.

Her heart broke seeing her like this. Li Shi walked to the bedside, sat down, patted Chen Rong's hand, and said, "Third Sister, we're all back. Aren't you going to wake up?"

Chen Rong woke from her sleep with a start. Seeing Li Shi, she was stunned and thought she was dreaming until she noticed Fang Ling behind Li Shi and widened her eyes in surprise. "Is... is this Fourth Sister-in-Law?"

Fang Ling held her hand and said, "Third Sister, you still recognize me."

"When did you all return?" Chen Rong struggled to sit up but was too weak.

Li Shi quickly pressed her shoulders down. "Just lie down and talk. We just arrived a moment ago."

"I haven't been well these past few days and can't be a proper hostess."

"What's with the formalities between sisters-in-law?"

Chen Rong smiled weakly. "Have Qing Yan and the others returned too?"

"Yes, Yuanbao came back with us too. He's outside playing with Xiaomai right now."

"That's good, that's good." Chen Rong coughed a few times, and Fang Ling quickly poured water from the cup on the table and helped her drink.

"We already know about Sui Er's situation. Focus on recovering well and don't worry about anything else. We won't let our child suffer injustice."

Chen Rong's nose stung with tears. "If it weren't for A Ying and Qing Yan's help back then, I wouldn't have escaped. Now Sui Er is going down the same road I did…"

Li Shi said angrily, "I never expected the Huang family to be such terrible people. Which matchmaker introduced this marriage? We should call them out and have a serious talk! This is pushing our child into a living hell!"

"This is my fault too. Back then, I only heard they were a decent family and agreed without investigating privately. I'm the one who harmed him…"

Fang Ling sniffled. "Don't think about that now, Third Sister. Focus on recovering. These two children have already lost their father. If anything happens to you, who can they rely on?"

"I know."

Outside, Chen Qingyan and Wang Ying pulled Lin Qiu aside to discuss Lin Sui's situation. "Have you figured out what to do?"

Lin Qiu said, "Whether it's divorce or something else, we need to meet him to talk it through. But since we can't find him now, we're at a dead end."

"What does Lin Sui think?"

"I don't dare bring it up to him. He's young and has been through something like this. I'm afraid he might do something drastic and…"

Wang Ying said, "Listen to me on this—get a divorce as soon as possible!"