CHAPTER 369: CHAPTER 344: AFTERMATH

Old Mrs. Sun saw she couldn’t stop Sun Fengshou, so she quickly found the ancestral dog-skin hat from their house and put it on Sun Fengshou.

As Sun Fengshou was leaving, he glanced at Qi Dalian, "Don’t worry, I will definitely help handle your sister-in-law’s funeral. You shouldn’t be anxious at home and fret, turning to worry instead."

Qi Dalian nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "Fengshou, thank you for your hard work."

By the time Sun Fengshou reached the riverside again, it was surrounded by layers upon layers of people, almost everyone in the village, men and women, old and young, were there to watch the commotion.

Before Sun Fengshou could get close, he heard Mrs. Xun’s vicious scolding, "What does this Xing family woman’s death have to do with my son? Don’t slander my son; it wasn’t my family Shanhe who made her die.

Look at her, she’s covered with some unknown wild man’s clothes. Hmph, this little slut might’ve been cavorting with someone in the wild."

Sun Fengshou heard what Mrs. Xun said and was so infuriated he stormed into the crowd in a few steps, "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? The cotton jacket on my sister-in-law belongs to me; I’m the one who covered her with it!"

Mrs. Xun snorted twice, "Didn’t you say there was no breath when you rescued her? What’s the point of covering a dead person with clothes?"

Sun Fengshou was speechless with anger at Mrs. Xun. The Xing family woman was wearing only an undershirt before she died. When he dragged her ashore, he accidentally tore the cloth on her shoulder, so he used his jacket to cover her. Who would have thought his own mother-in-law had her mind set in such a dirty place?

Mrs. Xun glanced coldly at the Xing family woman’s already lifeless body on the ground, putting her hands inside her sleeves to keep warm, "Besides, if she’s dead, she’s dead. Why make someone run to my house to report it? Didn’t my son give her a divorce letter last summer? Even if she’s dead now, it’s not up to my family to handle the funeral. If you need to report, go inform the Xing family in Xinghua Village.

Really, what bad luck, dragging me to the riverbank in such cold weather."

With a heap of complaints, Mrs. Xun started to make her way back home.

Village Chief Qi saw how cold-hearted and indifferent Mrs. Xun was, his beard bristling with anger, and began scolding her, "If your son hadn’t done those indecent acts, how could the Xing family woman have just decided to seek death?

You can’t just go back, whatever is said, the incident of the Xing family woman jumping into the river is connected to our Qi family. I’ve already called Shanbao to inform Old Xing in Xinghua Village. You better wait honestly because if Old Xing doesn’t approve of giving funeral money, you’ll have to handle the funeral."

Hearing Village Chief Qi say this, Mrs. Xun erupted on the spot, raising her voice, "I handle it? Why should I handle it? I don’t care where she’s buried; she can be buried wherever. It has nothing to do with me, and don’t even ask me to buy a coffin for her, I won’t even buy her a straw mat.

Brother-in-law, if you have money to spend and want to be kind, then you pay it!"

Village Chief Qi was so enraged by Mrs. Xun’s words that he almost collapsed backward, luckily caught quickly by Yu Changhe.

Finally stabilizing himself, Village Chief Qi yelled, "You heartless woman, how can you be so hard-hearted?"

Previously, when his brother was still alive, there was his brother to suppress things, and Mrs. Xun would at least be somewhat restrained. Now it seemed no one mattered to her anymore.

"Today, I am making it clear, if the Xing family refuses to take the Xing woman back, you have to handle the funeral. If you don’t comply, I will remove you and your son from the Qi family genealogy."

The Xing family woman was driven to death, yet Mrs. Xun felt no remorse at all. Did this person’s heart truly have no humanity left?

Village Chief Qi couldn’t help but think, if his brother were still alive, what kind of a family would his brother’s family be like?

Perhaps if his brother hadn’t died, Qi Shanhe wouldn’t have taken to gambling?

All of this is to say, Mrs. Xun’s poor influence led to the good child taking the wrong path.

When Mrs. Xun heard Village Chief Qi threaten her again with expulsion from the genealogy, she seemed somewhat provoked, shouting, "Baoshu, did you see this? Your own brother is treating our mother and son like this, and you entrusted him to take care of us in your dying breath; he promised so well, but now he bullies us like we’re just helpless widows and orphans!

If you’re watching from the heavens, appear in his dreams, give us a way to live!

That Xing woman didn’t want to live anymore, but should our mother and son have to accompany her to her grave? Is this trying to force us to die too..."

Mrs. Xun cried and slapped her thighs, finally sitting on the ground, threatening that if Village Chief Qi dared to mention the expulsion again, she would throw herself into the river.

Fearing she might really seek death, Village Chief Qi dared not say anything further, and had Qi Shanming beside him help bring Mrs. Xun from the ground.

As soon as Mrs. Xun got up from the ground, the Xing family’s relatives also finally arrived.

Yu Changhe noticed the Xing relatives taking their time as if they had known the Xing woman was going to seek death, feeling a bit angry inside.

This Xing family woman’s death likely also had something to do with her maternal family.

Though Qi Shanhe had given Xing family woman a divorce letter citing childlessness, she did not accept it. After fulfilling her duty in mourning for her father-in-law Qi Baoshu, it placed her among the ’Three No Divorces,’ which meant as long as the Xing woman disagreed, Qi Shanhe’s divorce letter was ineffective. But Qi Shanhe paid no regard to this, giving her the letter and disregarding whether she tore it or not, essentially abandoning her.

Staying with the old Qi family was useless; Mrs. Xun could beat her to death. So, despite not being formally divorced, the de facto divorce took place.

After being deserted by Qi Shanhe, Qi Dalian felt sorry for her naive sister-in-law and niece Xiao Sui’er. Just after confinement, she visited them in Xinghua Village and before leaving gave the Xing woman five silver coins so she would not be scorned in her family.

But who could be content as a middle-aged abandoned woman returning to her family home?

The Xing woman’s days at her birth family were hard.

Old Xing stepped forward and looked at his daughter’s blue lips, no life in them, and once he was certain she had passed, felt relieved instead.

Finally, this disgraceful burden bringing him shame had died, and death was good!

"Since she’s dead in Taohua Village, I won’t take her back. She served your old Qi family as a slave all her life, bore a son and a daughter, even though the son died young, wasn’t he born?

You handle her funeral as you see fit, I have no opinion on where she’s buried, whether it’s a coffin or a straw mat, I have no opinion.

Just one thing, she’s got to be buried, not left exposed to the wild." What Old Xing said seemed righteous and independent, but actually was cold and ruthless!

Village Chief Qi gripped his cane tightly, shaking with rage.

This is Xing woman’s own father? Is this how anyone’s father could be?

He wondered if the reason Xing woman jumped into the river was due to being driven by her own father.

With this in mind, Village Chief Qi asked straight out, "Dear in-law, the Xing woman was staying well in her family home, why suddenly come running to Taohua Village to jump in the river?"