Zhang Shuncai also knew the behavior of the young widow from the Luo family. He rolled his eyes and shouted, "Fine, first get that young widow out here and apologize to my sister in front of everyone!"
This old shrew is hard to deal with, but that young widow is much easier to handle. Once she apologizes and we scare her a bit, would she dare not agree to give us something?
As long as she agrees, the village chief can't say anything. Even if the old shrew stops us at the moment, we'll use this as an excuse to make a fuss every day until we get what we want!
Zhang Shuncai thought this plan was feasible. The Luo family's eldest and his son were not in the village, so dealing with such a family of widows would be easy!
Having made up his mind, Zhang Shuncai immediately changed his tone and shouted for Beisitian to come out.
"Oh heaven, open your eyes, please! My little Tian'er has been bedridden for over half a month. How can she come out?" Mrs. Qin cried out when she saw a hesitant look on Xu Youcai's face.
Seeing this, Xu Youcai felt a headache. He was just elected as the village official not long ago and now faced such a situation; it was really unfortunate!
"Didn't you see, village chief? Our Zhang family is being benevolent, willing to take a step back. But this old shrew doesn't appreciate it. She's crying and stepping forward! Is she thinking our Zhang family has no one to stand up to her?" Zhang Shuncai immediately turned aggressive.
Xu Youcai was also afraid that Zhang Shuncai might mess things up, so he stuck to the original decision to have Beisitian come out and apologize to Zhang Lianqiao in front of everyone.
"Let your sister come over," Xu Youcai said.
Zhang Shuncai had already sent someone to call Zhang Lianqiao. Lian Qiao's name wasn't given for nothing; he knew how clever his sister's mouth was. Once she spoke, everything would be in place!
Mrs. Qin saw the two big men from the Zhang family about to walk in. Her face darkened immediately, and she stood at the door with a knife. "Take one more step, and I'll spill blood right here. Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!"
The two men stopped when they saw the fierce expression on Mrs. Qin's face. They knew her temper well, and if they forced her to death, it would only bring bad luck upon themselves!
"Sister from the Luo family, you can't be so unreasonable!" Xu Youcai was also angry. It was hard enough to calm down the Zhang family, and now she was complicating matters!
"Village chief, they're forcing Little Tian'er to her death!" Mrs. Qin pointed at the two men and cried.
Xu Youcai finally realized that widows always attract trouble. If Beisitian, a widowed woman, had two men carry her in, how could she keep her dignity alive? The whispers alone would kill her!
He realized he hadn't thought things through properly!
Xu Youcai quickly called in two husky women to carry her out.
This time, Mrs. Qin couldn't stop them but was left with pent-up anger that made her blood boil!
She had been strong her whole life, yet now she was being bullied like this!
Mrs. Qin stood at the door with the knife in hand, watching helplessly as Beisitian was carried out. She didn't need to look to know how frightened her daughter-in-law was at that moment!
If she had to listen to her stammer an apology, she might faint from anger. But what else could she do if they didn't apologize? Old, weak, sick, and disabled, they could scare the Zhang family once or twice, but what about multiple times?
They couldn't keep using threats of suicide each time!
Mrs. Qin's body shook with anger, feeling increasingly suffocated. Her fury made her blood rush, and she felt a sweet taste in her throat; she knew she was going to cough up blood!
Carried out, Beisitian had heard everything clearly inside. She retained the memories of the moments before the real Beisitian's death.
"Mother, help me up," Beisitian's weak voice sounded resolute.
Mrs. Qin was taken aback, never having heard Beisitian speak so firmly before. She took a few steps forward and said, "Your injuries..."
"It's okay, help me up."
After the rib fracture is set, some proper movement is needed to prevent other complications from developing.
Beisitian got up with great difficulty, not just because of the rib fracture, but because of the bruises and swelling all over her body, and the severely swollen ankle.
Beisitian was carried out on two large wooden planks. With Mrs. Qin's help, she managed to sit up and looked around before finally fixing her gaze on Zhang Shuncai.
"Are you Zhang Lianqiao's eldest brother, Zhang Shuncai?" Beisitian asked.
The surrounding people quieted down, turning their eyes to Zhang Shuncai upon hearing Beisitian's question.
Zhang Shuncai let out an "ah" before realizing she was talking to him. Since most villagers used his nickname "Goushun," it was rare to hear his full name. Moreover, there was something different about this young widow now, which made his response a beat late.
"Is it, or isn't it?" Beisitian asked again.
Zhang Shuncai instinctively replied, "Yes."
"I'm not questioning why you only came now. Since you're here, give me an explanation for Zhang Lianqiao pushing me down the hill!"
Beisitian's frail body sat upright. Her sallow, thin face wasn't attractive, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.
Zhang Shuncai realized what was different about this young widow. She no longer cowered behind Mrs. Qin, too afraid to even look at him. Her words, though weak, were powerful and carried a mysterious conviction. Her firm tone nearly made him believe he owed her an explanation!
"What explanation?" Zhang Shuncai hadn't expected the timid widow to change her character so suddenly, leaving him unsure of how to respond.
"Zhang Lianqiao pushed me off the mountain, nearly costing my life. Shouldn't I be given an explanation? I'm the only laborer in my family. Zhang Lianqiao pushed me off the mountain, leaving me bedridden for over half a month. No one could do the chores, making our livelihood a struggle. The family spent all our money treating my injuries. Shouldn't there be an explanation for this?"
Beisitian's frail body swayed, a look of sorrow on her face. Mrs. Qin instinctively supported her, her face showing shock and surprise, evidently not yet recovered from Beisitian's sudden assertiveness.
"Fathers and elders, you all know my family's situation. My mother has poor eyesight, my father is bedridden, and my young brother-in-law is a child. This family relies on me to work and earn some pocket money to sustain us. Now I'm like this; it's like you want the Luo family to be ruined!"
Though Beisitian was plain-looking, her voice was gentle and lovely. Together with her current condition, she easily won people's hearts.
She sobbed softly and continued, "When cornered, even dogs jump over walls, and rabbits bite when anxious. I have nothing to hide about my nature. Now forced with no way out, I have to stand and speak. Otherwise, there's truly no path left for me!"
Rural areas traditionally hold strong beliefs in ghosts and spirits, and this region was no exception. Beisitian knew her sudden change would cause doubt among the villagers. But unwilling to swallow her pride, she quickly provided an explanation for her sudden transformation for everyone!