Chapter 333: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 333: Family Ruin and the Hawk Brings News (4)
Originally, Hu Shi intended to report Li Zhong to the authorities for revenge. However, after being pushed aside twice by her beloved son, her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, leaving her no heart to press charges. On their way back home, both mother and son were lost in their own reflections, pondering matters known only to themselves.
But as soon as they returned home, their hearts filled with terror. The house looked as though it had been ransacked by bandits.
Seeing the cabinet, which had been locked, now open, with clothes and fabric scattered all over, Hu Shi stumbled forward. She discovered that the jewelry box where their silver was stored was missing. Sitting down heavily, she muttered incoherently before letting out a piercing scream, “My silver, my silver, my silver!”
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, unconscious.
Zhang Ming, upon hearing his mother's scream, did not immediately carry her to the bed. Instead, he stepped over her, frantically searching the cabinet. Upon confirming that the jewelry box with the remaining silver from selling the shop was indeed gone, he stood there in shock, his face pale as a ghost.
Unable to believe that the thousand plus taels of silver were truly gone, he stumbled towards his own room, paying no mind to the fact that he stepped on Hu Shi's hand in his haste.
Upon finding his room in disarray, with even the dozens of taels of private savings hidden at the bottom of his wardrobe gone, he too let out a heartrending scream before collapsing.
The unusual screams alarmed the neighbors. Although they didn't like the Zhang family, they were long-time neighbors and decided to check on them. After knocking on the door with no response, a few strong men broke down the gate.
Entering the inner room, they found the mother and son unconscious on the floor. They carried them to the bed, using various methods to revive them, and after a while, the two woke up.
Upon waking, the mother and son frantically searched the house for the silver, even overturning the bed. Finding no money at all, they finally accepted that their home had been robbed completely.
The supposed wife, Yao Taohua, and the child were nowhere to be seen. Even their clothing was gone. It was clear who the culprit was.
Hu Shi, struggling to get up and confront Yao Taohua, was too dizzy to stand. Worried about her well-being, the neighbors forced her to stay in bed. All she could do was howl and curse Yao Taohua, lamenting her lost savings and grandson.
Zhang Ming, sitting dumbfounded in the main hall, did not speak or chase after Yao Taohua. He seemed to have lost his soul.
Meanwhile, Yao Taohua, with her bundle and the child in her arms, had boarded a ship leaving the capital.
Standing at the ship's edge, watching the capital recede into the distance, she severed her last bit of attachment. Her “good mother-in-law” and “good husband” not only schemed to bring back the previous wife but also planned to divorce her, making her biological child recognize someone else as mother. Since they acted without righteousness, she felt no guilt in her betrayal.
With over a thousand taels of silver, she could live a stable life with her child, even in her impoverished hometown. It was far better than being cast out by the heartless Zhang family.
Looking down at the sleeping Bao'er in her arms, Yao Taohua smiled tenderly. This child was her support for the rest of her life.
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