Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 283: 281: Land Officer Continuing the Trial

As he had previously stated, Elderly Mr. Di, despite all his faults, was someone he had known since childhood. Seeing Elderly Mr. Di’s downfall today, even if it was his own doing, still gave him a pang of regret.

He thought of Old Man Li, childless and alone, his family line severed.

As the Land Officer, he felt an obligation to provide some measure of protection. But he hadn’t expected this despicable man to commit such a disturbing act.

Where was he, the Land Officer, supposed to show his face now?

Especially when it was so publicly pointed out like this, insinuating he was harboring a bias! Heaven knows he had only been impartial twice in total…

As these thoughts winded through his mind, the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitched. His crutch landed a solid blow on Elderly Mr. Di.

“I’ll beat you to death, you old beast. Confess to everything you’ve done!”

Out of breath after landing the blow, he stood panting heavily to the side.

“Ahhh…!”

Old Man Li let out a piteous scream!

There was nothing fake about this scream. He instinctively clutched at his back, the pain preventing him from uttering another word.

Mr. Land Officer, shaky and tremulous, turned around and leaned on his crutch, returning to his seat. Then he turned and looked at Liu Sisi again.

“Sisi, this Old Man Li certainly is a good-for-nothing. Why don’t you go ahead and say the rest, okay?”

A appeasing smile appeared on Mr. Land Officer’s face.

Liu Sisi glanced at him indifferently, her gaze brushed past him without a hint of response.

Her gaze was as tranquil as a frozen bay, her voice deep and reserved.

“Old Man Li, look behind you. Do you recognize her?”

This question caught Old Man Li by surprise, making him instinctively turn his head only to meet the figure in Liu Sisi’s arms. He inhaled sharply, his gaze darting around.

“Wh-what? Why would I know her! Liu Sisi, don’t you dare slander me!”

Old Man Li blustered!

The corners of Liu Sisi’s eyes narrowed into a devious smile, a storm brewing within. “Oh? So you’re saying you don’t recognize her, huh?”

“I… I naturally don’t recognize her!”

Old Man Li obstinately straightened his back, his beady eyes spinning rapidly!

“Oh? But I heard that you found a woman to bear your child not long ago. Is there any truth to that?”

Her eyes narrowed, her face was a beaming smile yet every word she spoke was squeezed through gritted teeth.

“What? That’s nonsense! There’s absolutely no truth to that!”

Old Man Li fervently shook his hands, making gestures akin to a wind-blown drum.

At this point, all he could do was adamantly deny it.

Liu Sisi sneered, turning to the pair of villagers who had earlier helped catch Old Man Li. “Gentlemen, did you notice anything unusual inside Old Man Li’s house when you caught him?”

The two men exchanged looks before answering, “Old Man Li’s house was very untidy. There were signs of someone being tied down on the bed, and the room… the room had an odd, pungent smell…”

Before they could finish, Liu Sisi suddenly swung around, angrily confronting Old Man Li.

“Do you still deny it? Shall we search your house for evidence to see if you’ve been capturing and binding people up?”

Seeing his ruse exposed, Old Man Li decided to double down. He jumped up from the ground, defiant.

“So what if I have? The woman’s husband signed freely into a binding contract with me! Come on! Let’s see who’s afraid of whom! You there!”

He pointed at the woman in Liu Sisi’s arms, “You’ve got some nerve! You even dared to knock me out and escape! All of this happening is your doing, you slut! Run! Flee! I want to see how far you can run! Even if you do manage to escape, you’d still be retrieved and punished with beatings!”

“Bastard! Old Man Li, did you let a dog eat your sense of decency, integrity and honor?!”

Liu Sisi, filled with hatred, picked up the tea water from her side and flung it at him.

“Ah! You bitch! Worthless trash! Liu Zhi’er, Liu Sisi, all of you sisters are nothing but whores!”

Old Man Li roared in anger, “Decency, integrity, and honor be damned! From the moment I, Old Man Li, lost my family line, I gave up on those. Liu Sisi, in this lifetime, it’s either you or me!”

“You lunatic! When Big Mouth Li broke into my house to steal and tried to take revenge, he was killed by Sun Ergou. What the hell does that have to do with me, Liu Sisi? Only a deranged man like you would latch onto someone and bite indiscriminately! The reason you treat me this way is simply because you see me, Liu Sisi, as weak, and easy to bully! Big Mouth Li, I’m telling you, today, you will pay for your misdeeds!”

The fury within Liu Sisi was rampant, she emphasized every word.

“Hahaha!… Liu Sisi, don’t you think everyone fears you just because your Di family is now influential! I, Old Man Li, am not scared! You are all opportunistic, climbing the social ladder on the back of my Big Mouth’s death!”

The more Old Man Li spoke, the more defiant he became, his excitement escalating.

“Liu Sisi! Even if you have the abilities to move heaven and earth, so what? This woman is mine, her husband rented her to me, Old Man Li! There’s written proof, it’s all there, what right do you have to take her away? Haha…”

The arrogant and crazy laughter of Old Man Li echoed endlessly.

Liu Sisi’s face turned white with fury!

“You heartless devil! You disrespectful old bastard! Is this your way of finding a woman to bear your child? Look at how he’s been torturing my second sister! This is blatant abuse! Old Man Li, you deserve to die, you bastard!”

While she spoke, she lifted the arm of the figure in her arms, rolling up her sleeve to reveal an arm covered in horrific injuries.

The arm was peppered with new wounds layered over old ones, a dense collection of grotesque gashes. It was a stark contrast to the delicate white hand that held it.

Most important of all, a putrid stench emanated from the arm, a sure sign of an infected wound that had not received necessary care, festering and continuously oozing pus.

“Old Man Li, this is the sin you’ve committed! Take a good look. This pitiful woman in front of you has been tortured like this by you, a heartless and insane creature!”

“No! I can’t… I can’t take it anymore!… Please, have mercy on me… It hurts, it hurts so much! Ahhh!”

The woman, who had previously been quietly nestled in Liu Sisi’s arms, suddenly began to scream and shout. Her shrill cries startled everyone around.

The crowd was buzzing, everyone was pointing their fingers at Old Man Li and denouncing him.