The people in the room heard the shouting, and the remnants of sleepiness and fatigue vanished instantly.
"What's wrong?" Second Aunt Zhou was the first to stagger out of the inner room.
"Second Aunt, something's happened to Xianghua..."
Second Aunt Zhou recognized the voice; it was Ma Dali, her nephew from her natal family.
Her second daughter, Liu Xianghua, had been part of a sister-exchange marriage, given to the older brother of her second son's wife, Zhao Baoku.
Zhao Baoku had a violent temper; a few words he didn't like would lead to blows.
Liu Xianghua was often beaten black and blue, but she endured it for the sake of her children.
Second Aunt Zhou was not one to be trifled with. Last time, she had forcibly taken her daughter back to her parents' home, refusing to let her return.
Zhao Baoku had brought his sister Zhao Qiaoyun to their door, crying bitterly, if they will be merciful enough to forgive her younger brother and let him live in peace." Kneeling and kowtowing, while the children also knelt, begging their mother to come back.
Liu Xianghua's heart softened; she couldn't bear to leave her children and was about to follow Zhao Baoku back.
"You can't go back! We're done with him!" Second Aunt Zhou stretched out her arm to block her daughter.
Zhao Qiaoyun was immediately displeased, shouting loudly, "Mother, Xianghua and I are the wives acquired through an exchange marriage. You can't just say it's over!"
"I say it's over, so what are you going to do about it?" Second Aunt Zhou planted her hands on her hips, showing no weakness.
Zhao Qiaoyun had no choice but to try to manipulate her: "If she doesn't go back, then I'll return to my parents' home too! There's no point living like this!"
But Second Aunt Zhou wasn't buying it at all, "You can go back if you want, it's got nothing to do with me!"
Zhao Qiaoyun, married into the Liu family, while not wealthy, controlled all the major and minor household affairs.
Liu Ergen was a henpecked husband who had never so much as laid a finger on her, so she wasn't truly about to leave.
That time, Second Aunt Zhou hardened her heart and refused to let her daughter return.
But Liu Xianghua, worried about her young children at home, sneaked back to the Zhao family while Second Aunt Zhou was working in the fields.
When Second Aunt Zhou found out, she cursed with a mix of frustration and disappointment, "This stubborn girl just never learns! Once burned, twice shy—hasn't she had enough beatings? Fine, I'm washing my hands of her affairs from now on!"
Despite saying this, she was still her own flesh and blood. A few days after Liu Xianghua returned, Second Aunt Zhou couldn't help but go check on her.
She pointed at Zhao Baoku's nose and scolded, "You bastard! If you dare lay a finger on her again, I'll risk my old life and make sure she leaves you!"
At that time, Zhao Baoku had promised over and over never to hit her again. But it hadn't even been two months—what could have happened now?
Second Aunt Zhou's heart skipped a beat. With a loud crash, she pulled open the door.
Outside, snowflakes had begun to fall without anyone noticing, forming a thin white layer on the ground.
Ma Dali stood at the door, his head and body covered with snow powder.
Holding a flashlight, his face red from cold and his expression panicked, he looked at Second Aunt Zhou.
He was from the same village as Liu Xianghua. Back then, this exchange-marriage arrangement was arranged by his father, Ma Zhanshan, who was Second Aunt Zhou's own brother.
Whenever she was angry, Liu Xianghua endured it silently; only when the beatings were truly severe would she run back to her parents' home to weep and complain.
Now Ma Dali, rushing to deliver news in the middle of the night, said something had happened to Liu Xianghua. Second Aunt Zhou's mind had already jumped to the worst conclusion.
"Dali, what exactly happened?" She gripped the doorframe tightly, her knuckles turning white, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Second Aunt, he's beaten Xianghua badly. Please come and see her quickly!"
Ma Dali's voice choked up. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Second Aunt Zhou.
He hadn't dared to tell the truth, fearing Second Aunt Zhou wouldn't be able to bear it on the spot. By the time he came to deliver the message, Liu Xianghua was already gone.
Aunt Zhou and Zhou Xiaowei also got up upon hearing the noise. Chuntao, heavily pregnant, wanted to get up too, but Aunt Zhou told her to stay put.
"With your heavy belly, just lie down quietly!" Chuntao had no choice but to clutch the blanket and strain her ears to hear what was happening outside.
"What exactly is going on?" Aunt Zhou asked, her heart also sinking at Ma Dali's appearance.
"That bastard Zhao Baoku beat Xianghua again..." Ma Dali said, his eyes reddening.
Aunt Zhou also knew how miserably Liu Xianghua had been living. She immediately fumed, cursing, "That Zhao Baoku is an absolute animal! Completely heartless!"
She wanted to go along to vent her anger for her niece, but with Chuntao needing care, she could only say to Zhou Xiaowei, "Xiaowei, go with your Great-Aunt and lend a hand!"
"Xiaowei hasn't slept in days. Let him rest."
Second Aunt Zhou waved her hand and then urgently called out, "I'll go get Dashan and Ergen!"
Before she could even button her cotton jacket, she rushed out the door, unbuttoned, staggering. The cold wind, carrying snow powder, blew into her neck, but she felt nothing.
Ma Dali quickly supported her, "Second Aunt, slow down, the road is slippery!"
Outside, the snow was falling heavier and heavier, like goose feathers drifting down, landing cold on their faces. Second Aunt Zhou's heart sank lower and lower, sinking into an icy cellar.
By the time they reached the Zhao family gate, it was the middle of the night. The place was crowded with villagers from the village, both inside and out.
From inside the house came the heartbreaking cries of several children, each wail more miserable than the last, piercing the heart.
"Flower... my Flower..." The premonition in Second Aunt Zhou's heart grew stronger.
Seeing the scene before her, her legs went weak and she almost collapsed. Wildly, she pushed through the crowd to rush inside.
The first thing she saw was a ragged straw mat spread on the floor of the main room. On it lay a figure completely covered by a coarse cloth, showing only a pair of feet in thin shoes.
Several children were lying beside the mat, their voices hoarse from crying. But Zhao Baoku was nowhere to be seen, not even his parents or siblings.
"My poor daughter!" Second Aunt Zhou threw herself onto the ground. With trembling hands, she pulled back the coarse cloth. The face underneath was indeed her daughter Liu Xianghua's!
Her complexion was ashen grey tinged with dark purple, her eyes half-open with pupils widely dilated and vacant. Her lips were a purplish black, pressed into a rigid line.
Second Aunt Zhou reached out to touch her face. Her fingertips met only a cold stiffness that shot through her fingers into every limb, instantly freezing the blood in her veins.
Liu Dashan's eyes were bloodshot. He let out a roar, "Zhao Baoku, you bastard! Get the hell out here!"
Zhao Baoku had already fled. The Zhao family elders were hiding in the inner room, frantically discussing how to deliver the death notice to the Liu family. Before they could come to any conclusion, the Liu family had already arrived.
Hearing the commotion, the Zhao family members panicked. They dragged their feet out of the inner room, their faces grim, heads lowered, not daring to meet Second Aunt Zhou's or her son's eyes.
"How did my sister die? Did Zhao Baoku beat her to death?"
Liu Dashan grabbed a doorstop club from behind the door and charged into the inner room to search. He turned every room upside down, but couldn't find a single person.
Second Aunt Zhou stopped her heart-wrenching wails. Wiping the tears and melted snow from her face, she glared with reddened eyes at the Zhao family elders, "Where has Zhao Baoku gone? Hand him over!"
As she spoke, she snatched the doorstop club from Liu Dashan's hand and, raising it, smashed everything she could in the main room to pieces.
The Zhao family watched helplessly, not daring to make a sound, not even a whimper.
Liu Dashan rushed back into the inner room, tore down all the bedding from the beds, and threw it into the yard.
Outside, the snow fell heavier and heavier. In no time, the colorful quilts and sheets were covered in a thick layer of snow, like a shroud of white mourning cloth.
Liu Ergen was afraid of Zhao Qiaoyun. He stood by, at a loss, his fists clenched but unable to act, just watching helplessly.
Second Aunt Zhou and Liu Dashan had smashed up the Zhao place like a pot of soup, but the hatred in their hearts hadn't lessened one bit.
"Our girl can't just die for nothing!" Second Aunt Zhou yelled at Liu Dashan. "Go to the commune police station right now and report this! Make that beast Zhao Baoku pay with his life!"
Even if Zhao Baoku had run off, he couldn't have gotten far. He'd have to come back sooner or later. Once they reported it, he might escape today, but not forever.
The Zhao family panicked the moment they heard about reporting to the police. They hurried over and surrounded Liu Dashan, begging and pleading, desperately trying to stop him from going.
"Dear in-laws, for the sake of the three children, please let Baoku off this once..."
Zhao Baoku's mother tugged at Liu Dashan's arm, her voice empty of any real confidence.
Second Aunt Zhou couldn't be bothered with them. She threw herself back down beside the mat, hugging Liu Xianghua's cold body as she wept bitterly.
Her cries echoed through the snowy night, making even the watching villagers' eyes redden.
Liu Dashan broke free from the Zhao family's grasp and stepped toward the door, ready to head to the commune and file the report.
Seeing this, the Zhao family lunged at him like madmen, grabbing his arms and refusing to let go.
"Big brother-in-law, you can't go! If you do, our Zhao family is finished!"
"That's right, these three kids are still young. Without their father, how will they survive?"
"Have pity on the little ones, settle this privately, won't you? Our Zhaos will pay compensation, however much it takes!"
...
A clamor of pleas battered him like the wind and snow. Liu Dashan was so angry the veins bulged on his forehead as he cursed, "Bullshit! Is my sister's life something money can buy back?!"
But the Zhao family clung to him like glue, refusing to let go no matter what.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Cries, pleas, and curses all churned together in the main room.
Liu Dashan struggled with all his might to charge out, but he was held fast, unable to move even a step.
The wind and snow swallowed the night and the Zhao family's chaos, and also shrouded Second Aunt Zhou's humble earthen house.
Chuntao lay in bed, unable to sleep all night.
Zhou Zhijun had been taken away by the police, and Second Aunt Zhou's daughter had met with disaster. She didn't dare think about what tomorrow would bring.
