Li Erdan was young and his face was pale with fear.
The mother-in-law of the Li family was also a little panicked, but how could she admit it? She just sat down on the ground, slapped her hands on the ground and wailed, "It's unfair. Old man Zhao bullies orphans and widows, and doesn't allow us widows whose husbands have died to reason with him."
"Shameless thing, bringing so many people to bully us, I won't live anymore!"
She cried and kowtowed. After all, it was just muddy ground, and she wouldn't die from kowtow.
But her fuss made Xu Youde's face look ugly.
"Shrew!"
This woman of the Li family was not a pushover when she was young, and she became even more fierce when she got old. Most people really couldn't handle her.
"Mrs. Li, please don't act recklessly. It was your child who made the mistake first. You don't take care of your own child, and you go to Zhao Zheng's house to act wild and steal other people's things. This is a violation of the Dakang law."
Xu Youde's face was gloomy. Zhao Zheng spent two kilograms of corn to invite him to preside over the meeting. There were so many people watching.
If he took advantage of the situation, people would not invite him again in the future. If he couldn't deal with this woman, what prestige would he have in the future?
"I don't understand any law. I only know that old man Zhao bullied orphans and widows. He wants our family to die. Then I'll die in front of them!"
As he said that, she hugged his grandson, "Erdan, go get the rope at home, and you and grandma will die together."
Erdan was so scared that he cried, "Grandma, I don't want to die!"
Everyone's eyelids twitched when they saw that scene.
Zheng Chunmei, nursing her baby in the room, heard the noise and hurriedly covered herself with clothes. She had given birth only two weeks earlier and was still weak. Hearing the crying, she hurriedly asked her second daughter, "Huniu, what's going on out there?"
Huniu ran outside, her already malnourished face pale. "Mom, someone's bullying Grandma and my brother!"
Zheng Chunmei panicked, thinking it must be Zhao Laosan. She'd told her yesterday not to go too far.
"Go out the back door and get your uncle, Ma Dabai, and hurry."
Huniu nodded and hurried out.
Zheng Chunmei got up and went out, carrying her third daughter, who was crying with hunger.
Seeing her mother-in-law pulling her son to commit suicide, she knowingly asked, "Mom, what's going on?"
"Chunmei, they won't let us live..."
The Li family's mother-in-law's wails were deafening.
Zheng Chunmei felt ashamed, but her family was desperate. If she didn't get some food, she wouldn't even be able to feed her children.
However, seeing that the three village elders had all come, she felt a little nervous, but she still said with a stiff upper lip: "Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Wang, Grandpa Wu, why are you three here?"
The other two were just supporting roles, and it was mainly Xu Youde who spoke.
"Chunmei, you know what happened yesterday. Your family is having a hard time, but does that mean the Zhao family is having an easier time?"
Xu Youde didn't buy into the Li family woman's words. "Their two daughters-in-law just lost their husbands, and they are still in mourning. Zhao Laosan's family just died out. You are orphans and widows, but don't they mean they are widows?"
"We are from the same village, and we are relatives. We see each other every day. If you make such an ugly scene, if it gets to the next village, they will think that our village is not united and we will be laughed at."
He paused with the crutch in his hand, and said with great sorrow: "She is a soldier's widow, and she is listed as a widow. If the township finds out, it will be useless to make a scene. A fine will be considered good. Maybe she will be beaten and have to do more labor service. You don't want to force yourselves into a dead end, do you?"
Zheng Chunmei was terrified. She'd just given birth, and she was already malnourished and anxious, and now the dizziness was exacerbated. Erdan was the only male in the family, and if he was sentenced to labor service, he'd definitely have to go.
If he did, would he even come back alive?
The Li family's wife was terrified, too, clinging to Erdan. "Don't do the labor service! You can't go..."
Everyone around them laughed.
This shrew, was she afraid?
Zhao Zheng remained silent. He knew he had to do the work for him. If he couldn't even handle such a trivial matter, he'd be a pain in the ass in the ass.
Zheng Chunmei also knelt on the ground, holding the child. "Three ancestors, yes, it was Zhao Laosan who started it first..."
"According to seniority, he is Erdan's uncle, so it is only natural to teach him a lesson. This is just for the same village. If it was someone from another village, your Erdan would probably have his legs broken. How could he even go home?"
Xu Youde was also annoyed. "I don't want to be laughed at by other villages, but if you are so shameless, I can only handle the matter impartially. Dashan, you go to the township now..."
Xu Dashan also agreed. "Okay, Dad, I'll go now."
He pretended to leave.
Zheng Chunmei was terrified. "Uncle Dashan, don't, don't go. We know we were wrong, we know we were wrong..."
She was also furious. This damn Zhao Laosan actually invited three village elders to force the village elders to make them admit their mistakes.
If they really offended these three village elders, their family would have no place in the village.
Xu Youde breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Zhao Zheng, "Look, they admitted it. How about letting them admit their mistakes and return the things they stole from your house? We are from the same village, so don't really have a falling out."
Zhao Zheng then pretended to be grateful, "Thank you Uncle Youde, Uncle Wang, and Uncle Wu for asking me to be fair. You three can make the decision for me!"
Xu Youde nodded with satisfaction. This Zhao Laosan is not very smart on weekdays, but he is very smart today.
He also asked the other two people hypocritically, and after getting an affirmative answer, he used both kindness and force and said: "Mrs. Li, admit your mistake to the Zhao brothers and return all the things you stole. If something like this happens again next time, I will never forgive you."
Mrs. Li was reluctant. Zheng Chunmei whispered: "Mom, do you really want Erdan to do labor service? He is the only child in our family!"
Mrs. Li loved this grandson the most. He was the only incense of their Li family and her lifeblood. "Son, kneel down and kowtow to admit your mistake."
Li Erdan was also scared. This damn old man Zhao was too hateful. If he met him again in Jinji Mountain in the future, he would shoot him with an arrow.
He knelt on the ground and said, "Uncle Zhao, I was wrong. I won't say nonsense again!"
Zheng Chunmei also said, "Uncle Zhao, the child is still young, don't argue with him!"
Zhao Zheng then said, "Chunmei, children are young and naive, so you can teach them. But adults who are naive should not do that. Look at my left foot, it's pinched and it hurts when I walk."
"It's already tough these days, and now that I've injured my foot, how am I supposed to support my family? I'm not going to extort money from you. I know your family is having a hard time. When your father-in-law was alive, he could treat injuries. Just massage it for me, and we'll let this go!"