Chapter 42: Put the Knife Down

Chapter 42: Put the Knife Down

Shen Meng held Lu Mingyang’s trembling small body. He was only nine years old; how much strength could such a child possibly have?

Wu Xianglan, rolling on the ground in pain, glared ferociously at the mother and son clinging to each other. She grabbed Yongqiang and Yongli, pulling them behind her.

"Shen Meng, look at what your son did to my arm! This isn't over! He's nothing but an outsider, a bastard. He eats the Lu family's food and lives in the Lu family's house, yet he dares to bully the legitimate members of the Lu family! I'm going to tell my parents-in-law and have these bastards kicked out. And you need to learn a lesson too! We haven't even split the family assets yet, and you're already thinking of giving good things to outsiders. Just you wait!" she roared at Shen Meng like a madwoman.

Lu Mingliang and Lu Mingfang, the two children, looked at Shen Meng in terror, fearing that if she turned to her grandparents for justice, she might abandon them.

Shen Meng turned her head, her eyes wide and blazing, and roared back, "Get the hell out of here right now! If you don't leave, I'll make you regret it!"

She released Lu Mingyang and led him over to Xie Jinghao's side. At this moment, Xie Jinghao was the priority; she was seven months pregnant and needed the utmost care.

"Jinghao, Jinghao, are you alright? Lean on me. Let's get you onto the heated kang to rest properly. I have medicine in my room. I was worried about your pregnancy being unstable before, so I went to the county town to get some fetal stabilizers. Let's go quickly. Mingyang, pour your third aunt a glass of warm water."

The little guy's tears were still streaming down his face, but he knew this wasn't the time for crying. Hearing his mother's instructions, he hurried to pour the water. Seeing his mother in distress, Xiao Gang began to wail in fear.

The screaming and commotion in Shen Meng's courtyard drew the neighbors out to see. Some even climbed onto their own walls, stretching their necks to peek, but the moon tonight was uncooperative, making it difficult to see anything clearly.

After entering the house, Shen Meng rummaged through the cabinet for the fetal stabilizer medicine and found a slice of ginseng for her to hold in her mouth for a while.

"Sister-in-law, I'm a bit scared. Will something happen to the baby?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Once you take the medicine, you'll definitely be fine. Just lie down and relax. I'm here for everything. Don't be nervous; if you're tense, the baby in your belly will feel it too, and Xiao Gang will be scared. I'm going out to check. If you're still worried, we'll go to the county hospital first thing tomorrow morning to have a doctor look at you."

Xie Jinghao rubbed her belly, trying her best to maintain a calm mindset. She took several deep breaths before her tightening abdomen finally began to ease.

She reached out to pull Xiao Gang and Xiao Kai close. The two children huddled together in fear, quietly staring at her protruding belly.

"Mingfang, Mingfang, Mingyang, watch your third aunt closely. Mother is going out to check. If anything happens, call for me!"

"Mother, I'll go with you," Lu Mingyang said, attempting to follow, but Shen Meng caught his hand.

"Mother will go alone. Don't worry, your second aunt is no match for me."

With that, Shen Meng stepped outside and slammed the door to the eastern room shut tight.

The commotion was quite large, and the village chief, Lu Debang, was called over. When he shone his flashlight, everyone saw the blood on Wu Xianglan's arm.

"Chief, you have to get justice for me! I came to my sister-in-law's house to visit, and Mingyang actually tried to drive me away! I only said a few words to him, and he lunged at me and bit me! He's an ungrateful wolf cub. If you ask me, he should be sent away. He eats our food and drinks our water, and in the end, he bites me! Tell me, everyone, what are we getting out of this? Ow, it hurts so much! And Mingliang and Mingfang, those two brats, they just came at Yongqiang and Yongli! Look at how badly those two were hit, and their mother doesn't even care!"

Lu Debang hissed as he looked; the child's bite was indeed quite vicious. What kind of grudge could cause a child to bite his second aunt like this?

"What did you say to him that made him bite you like this?"

"Exactly. You must have said something to him. Mingyang is a very sensible child; he greets everyone he sees. If you hadn't said something so nasty, he wouldn't have acted this way."

"You can't say that. I heard those children didn't have a good life back home, and they've lived here for many years. They shouldn't be acting out because of an adult's temper. Most likely, it's just in their nature. It didn't show before, but now that they're older, their temperament is coming out."

"True. I heard those three children are from three different families. Their fathers died early, and their mothers either ran away or died. Tell me, isn't that quite unlucky? They probably have hard fates, born to bring misfortune to their parents. Look, Zhenping hasn't been back for years; I wonder how he is?"

Hearing the crowd's discussion, Wu Xianglan stiffened her neck.

"Isn't that the truth? It's quite strange. My sister-in-law used to look down on these children the least; she was filial to her parents-in-law and had a good relationship with them. Ever since she was gored by that ox, she's become a different person. I suspect it's these little..."

"Shut your filthy mouth, Wu Xianglan! If you say one more word about my children, I'll fight you right here and now!" Shen Meng stood at the entrance of her courtyard, gripping a kitchen knife.

The crowd, who had just been gossiping, was instantly silenced by fear. Wu Xianglan shrank back in terror, while Yongqiang and Yongli wailed and hid behind her.

The rest of the Lu family arrived at that moment. Liu Sanjin stomped over on her small feet, her clothes buttoned incorrectly by two.

"What a sin! Eldest daughter-in-law, what are you doing? You dare hold a knife in front of the Village Chief? You're causing chaos! Where are the militia? The militia will arrest you in a moment!"

"Sister-in-law, please put the knife down. We are all family; why are you resorting to violence?" Zhou Jiaojiao's eyes were wide, and the muscles in her face twitched slightly. She held out her hands, though it was unclear whether she wanted Shen Meng to strike or was trying to stop her.

Lu Debang's expression was also very grim. As the village chief, he felt his authority was being undermined by Shen Meng's actions. Even though he was dissatisfied, he didn't move, as he was still thinking about what Zhang Hongfa had told him earlier.

"Arrest me? The militia shouldn't be arresting me; they should be arresting her, Wu Xianglan! While I wasn't home, she brought two children to my house to eat my food and beat my children! She even scared Jinghao so much that she threatened the pregnancy! She's lying on my kang right now! And look at Wu Xianglan—instead of helping call a doctor for Jinghao or going home to fetch Mother to take a look, she's out here at the gate spreading rumors! Is this how a sister-in-law behaves?"

"What? Jinghao's pregnancy is at risk? Oh my goodness, my precious grandson! This is Jiasheng's second child, and he's still working away from home! Nothing can go wrong! You! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

As Liu Sanjin spoke, she rushed toward Shen Meng's house, pointing at Shen Meng as if she were the culprit behind everything.

Shen Meng looked at her as if she were looking at a lunatic. This old woman's head must be full of water.