Chun Tao's mouth was tightly covered, and she struggled desperately, only managing to squeeze out faint, muffled whimpers from her throat.
"Mind your own business, or else..."
An icy sharp knife was suddenly pressed against her waist, causing Chun Tao to tremble violently in fear.
Was this the person who stabbed Zhou Xiaowei?
The man dragged her forcefully into the bamboo forest.
"What did you see last night? Speak!" the man demanded in a low, threatening voice.
Chun Tao became even more certain that this was the murderer who had stabbed Zhou Xiaowei the previous night.
She shook her head vigorously, unable to utter a single word.
The man suddenly let go of the hand covering her mouth and instead placed the knife against her neck, terrifying Chun Tao so much that her hair stood on end.
"Dare to scream, and I'll stab you to death right now! Tell me, what exactly did you see?"
Chun Tao bit her lip, forcing her tears back, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "I... I didn't see anything... really, I didn't see anything!"
Although there was a moon last night, the darkness was heavy, and she genuinely hadn't seen the person's face clearly.
"Be smart and keep your mouth shut. If you dare spout nonsense, it'll be a white blade in and a red blade out!"
The man shoved her to the ground, turned around, and disappeared deep into the bamboo forest.
Chun Tao's waist hit a bamboo stalk, and her palms were scraped, oozing traces of blood. She collapsed on the ground, taking a good while before gritting her teeth and climbing back up.
Afraid the man was watching her from the shadows, she didn't dare go to the commune police station. Enduring the pain, she limped her way back home.
The incident where Zhou Xiaowei was stabbed in front of Chun Tao's house after bringing her sunflower seeds had spread like wildfire through the village.
Some people said Zhou Xiaowei and Chun Tao definitely had an illicit relationship, and the person who stabbed him was Chun Tao's wild lover.
Others added fuel to the fire, claiming they had seen the two hugging and cuddling in the ditch with their own eyes, describing it so vividly it was as if they had actually witnessed it.
Liu Cuilan had previously said she wouldn't meddle in Wang Jieshi's affairs anymore, but those were just angry words.
Hearing the villagers' gossip, she was so furious her lungs felt like they would burst, and she went cursing to settle the score with Chun Tao.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she slapped her thigh and shouted, "Li Chun Tao, you shameless slut! Seducing men all day long. My Jieshi might be easy to bully, but I, Liu Cuilan, am no pushover!"
Chun Tao was in the house making a nest for the old hen. Hearing Liu Cuilan coming to cause trouble again, she trembled with anger.
She had already been suppressing a stomach full of grievances, and Liu Cuilan's outburst completely washed away whatever forbearance and weakness she had left.
She grabbed a firewood stick from the corner and strode out of the woodshed, her eyes frighteningly red.
"Liu Cuilan, keep your mouth clean! Which eye of yours saw me seducing men?"
Clutching the stick, she inched toward Liu Cuilan, her voice trembling but full of stubbornness.
"I work like a horse for this family from dawn till dusk. What right do you have to slander me like this?
Today, you must explain it to me clearly. Who exactly did I seduce?"
Liu Cuilan sneered, looking at her askance with cross-eyes. "You've seduced plenty of men! Old or young, which one hasn't been hooked by you?
Doing shameless things and then playing the victim. My Jieshi is the one who's truly wronged!"
Wang Xiaohong came back from the fields carrying a grass basket. From a distance, she heard the clamor in the courtyard.
She put the basket down at the kitchen door and quickly went up to pull Liu Cuilan.
"What are you doing? Coming here to cause trouble every few days, aren't you ashamed? Leave quickly, and don't ever step into our house again!"
Liu Cuilan was strong; she flung Wang Xiaohong's hand away and reached out to snatch the firewood stick from Chun Tao's hand.
Pushed to the brink, Chun Tao raised the stick and swung it at her. "Liu Cuilan, you're bullying me too much!"
Chun Tao usually had a soft temperament; she didn't even dare speak loudly and always walked with her head down.
Liu Cuilan never expected her to dare strike back. Taking a solid hit from the stick, she instantly exploded with rage.
"Good for you, Li Chun Tao! You've grown bold from cheating, and now you dare hit me!"
She grabbed the stick tightly, roaring with red eyes, her spit flying all over Chun Tao's face.
Afraid things would escalate, Wang Xiaohong lunged forward to pull Liu Cuilan away. The three of them scuffled together, turning the courtyard into a chaotic mess.
Soon, the yard was filled with watching villagers. A few older children clapped their hands and jeered, "Chicken, chicken, chickens fighting, kill and eat the one that loses!"
The courtyard was in an uproar when suddenly, a worn-out cloth shoe flew out of the main room with a "smack" and landed on the ground.
"Get out, all of you!"
Wang Jieshi stood at the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. His face was sallow, and his eyes were so red they looked like they could drip blood.
The courtyard instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at him in unison.
Wang Jieshi's body went limp, and he slid down the doorframe to sit on the ground, covering his face and crying aloud.
Liu Cuilan glared fiercely at Chun Tao, then glared at Wang Jieshi and scolded, "Useless thing! All you know is how to cry!"
At this moment, Wang Haichao hurried over. Entering the courtyard with a dark face, he reprimanded, "What's going on here? Aren't you embarrassed?"
He grabbed Liu Cuilan's arm and dragged her outward, then turned to wave at the watching villagers. "It's nothing, just women bickering. Everyone, disperse!"
"Nothing?" Wang Xiaohong stood with her hands on her hips, her gaze like daggers, and shouted, "Our door doesn't welcome you. Don't ever come again!"
Liu Cuilan still wanted to throw a tantrum, but Chun Tao suddenly spoke up. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"From now on, whoever dares to spread rumors and frame me, I will go straight to the commune police station and let the public security comrades judge!"
After saying this, she didn't dare look at the crowd's expressions and walked back into the house with floating steps.
Having suffered a loss, how could Liu Cuilan swallow this anger? She turned and ran toward the Li family village.
As soon as she entered the boundary of the Li family village, she opened her throat and howled, "Li Chun Tao, this shameless slut! Seducing men endlessly, ruining the family's reputation!
I'm not doing this exchange marriage anymore. I'm taking Lanhua back!"
That piercing shout quickly drew a crowd of villagers to watch.
The fact that Chun Tao's husband had run away on the night of their wedding, and that Wang Jieshi later returned riddled with illness, had long spread throughout the Li family village.
Seeing Liu Cuilan throwing a fit and rolling on the ground, everyone sighed inwardly.
Such a good girl like Chun Tao, how did she end up with such a family?
Grandma Shen was in the courtyard sorting leeks. Looking up and seeing Liu Cuilan charging over aggressively, she was so startled that the vegetables in her hands fell to the ground.
"Lanhua's mother, what's wrong?"
She hurriedly brought a wooden stool for Liu Cuilan to sit on, but unexpectedly, Liu Cuilan kicked the stool over with her foot and sat heavily on the muddy ground, slapping her thigh and wailing to the heavens.
"I'm here today to take Lanhua away! I'm not doing this exchange marriage anymore! My Lanhua has borne children for the Li family and worked diligently. How has she ever wronged you?
But Li Chun Tao, she seduces wild men in the Wang family, sparing neither the old nor the young! Our Wang family's face has been completely lost by her!"
Li Dazhuang and his wife were pulling weeds in the fields when someone ran to inform them. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Liu Cuilan throwing a tantrum on the ground.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Wang Lanhua quickly stepped forward to ask.
Seeing her, Liu Cuilan cried even harder and grabbed her. "Lanhua, take pity on your brother! Our family is falling apart!"
She suddenly stood up from the ground, grabbing Wang Lanhua's arm and pulling her outward. "Let's go, come home with Mother! Li Chun Tao is messing around over there, we're not living with them anymore!"
"Mother! My sister isn't that kind of person! Don't listen to their nonsense!" Li Dazhuang's face flushed completely red as he reached out to block her way.
"Oh, you little brat, you dare to stop me?" Liu Cuilan reached out and gave Li Dazhuang a hard shove.
She hollered, "I am taking Lanhua away today no matter what! If she doesn't come with me, I'll die right here!"
Wang Lanhua knew her mother's temper all too well. When she started throwing a tantrum and acting unreasonably, no one could handle her.
She knew that if she didn't leave with her mother today, there would be no end to this ordeal.
She suddenly recalled that during the New Year visits to relatives, she had bumped into Zhou Zhaodi and Huang Meili at the village entrance. Their words had strongly implied that Chun Tao was being unfaithful.
Although she hadn't completely believed them, the seeds of doubt had been planted in her mind.
Chun Tao was exceptionally beautiful and young. Even if she kept to herself, there was no guarantee that men wouldn't come around to hit on her.
At the time, she had even specifically advised Chun Tao to hurry up and get the marriage certificate with Wang Jieshi so they would be officially recognized as husband and wife.
Now, with her mother causing such a huge scene, the lingering doubts in Wang Lanhua's heart suddenly felt like the truth.
Wang Jieshi was her own younger brother, so naturally, she had to take his side.
She thought to herself that she needed to have a serious talk with Chun Tao when she got back. She couldn't let Chun Tao drag both their families' reputations through the mud just for a moment of selfish pleasure.
