Chapter 35: Threat
"Mom, are you feeling better?" Su Yaoguang looked at Zhang Zhaodi with concern.
Zhang Zhaodi had eaten and drunk some water, finally recovering a bit.
She realized she hadn’t been dreaming; her daughter had really come for her.
She sat up, tidying her hair, trying hard to appear less disheveled.
"Mom, how long have they kept you locked up?"
"Not long at all, don’t cry..." Zhang Zhaodi wiped the tears from Su Yaoguang’s cheeks. "Silly girl, it’s just a small misunderstanding, it’ll be fine once it’s cleared up. They’re just angry right now and won’t listen to my explanation, but once they’ve calmed down, they’ll definitely believe me."
"Mom, tell me what happened, I’ll listen to see what’s really going on."
"Mrs. Feng’s baby was very large, and when she was about to give birth, she called me over to care for her. I walked with her in the yard for a few days, and labor started three days ago. She was in pain for two hours but couldn’t deliver; I found out the baby was in the wrong position. After I corrected it, the baby was finally born, but then there was major bleeding. I had learned how to handle such situations from a doctor before, and I managed to save her life. But just as I had caught a bit of sleep, the newborn girl died in her swaddling clothes. They accused me of killing her, and no matter how I tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen and locked me up."
"This family is truly unreasonable. I think they’re intentionally framing you to extort you."
Madam Yu shouted from outside the woodshed, "You silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting? What’s the situation in my family compared to yours, and why would I need to extort you?"
"Mom, let’s go." Su Yaoguang hoisted Zhang Zhaodi onto her back.
Madam Yu blocked the doorway, not allowing Su Yaoguang to take Zhang Zhaodi away, glaring fiercely, "Without one hundred taels, don’t even think about taking her."
Zhou Wangshu pulled out a flint, blew on it, and sparked a flame.
Madam Yu watched him warily, "You wouldn’t dare."
Zhou Wangshu walked to the doorway with the flint, aiming it at the pile of corn stalks. "Let’s make a bet, and you’ll see whether I dare."
"You..."
"You brat, you really think nothing of me, don’t you believe I could send you to see King Yan with one punch?"
Eldest Feng clenched his fist, which cracked menacingly.
"You dared to imprison my mom; I’ll report you to the government. Don’t think you’ll get away with it."
Su Yaoguang carried Zhang Zhaodi outside the woodshed and found a stool for her to sit on.
A tough battle lay ahead for her.
"I want to see the deceased baby girl," Su Yaoguang said.
"What did you say? She’s dead, we buried her long ago, and you want to dig her up?" Madam Yu glared at Su Yaoguang. "You are truly vicious. My lovely little granddaughter didn’t even get to meet her parents before she was gone. How could she reincarnate into a good family if we didn’t let her rest peacefully?"
"You’re saying the child’s death was because of my mom. If you want us to take responsibility, you must prove it was related to her. My mom said that at birth, everything was normal, and the child cried loudly, showing no signs of trouble with the delivery. How could a healthy baby girl die within just a few hours? My mom said she was busy until late that night and was woken up after only sleeping for three hours by your slap."
"It’s definitely your mother’s fault. My wife was fine before, and your mom’s wrong delivery separated mother and child forever."
"Report to the official," said Su Yaoguang. "You have no right to abuse private justice. Since you think my mom is wrong, and we believe she’s not, imprisoning her is against the law. Let the official make a judgment."
"The child is dead; what’s the use of reporting it? Reporting won’t bring our poor girl back to life. My wife fainted from crying and hasn’t woken up. As I said, compensate us with one hundred taels of silver, and we’ll release your mom, and this matter will go unmentioned."
"No way." Su Yaoguang chuckled coldly, "We won’t confuse matters we didn’t do. A hundred taels? Such big talk. You have two options: one is to report it, and we’ll get to the bottom of the case. Whatever the government decides, we’ll adhere to it. Or, you can release her immediately and compensate my mom for the injury and grievance she’s suffered these days. We’re not like you with your big demands, only needing ten taels. Oh, and an apology to my mom. Your entire family should apologize to her. Additionally, the birth money owed to my mom must be paid in full."
"Didn’t Aunt Zhang save the mother as well? Shouldn’t she be paid for that?" Zhou Wangshu reminded her from the side.
"This family is so ungrateful, they likely won’t acknowledge others’ kindness. We don’t expect that payment," Su Yaoguang continued.
Eldest Feng and Madam Yu exchanged looks.
This girl’s words were firm, and if they continued this way, they would gain nothing.
Yet they were unwilling to simply release Zhang Zhaodi.
They couldn’t report it nor release her directly, or else the past few days would be for nothing. Since she was so unyielding, they would have to take some drastic measures.
Eldest Feng closed the courtyard gate.
He blocked the garden gate and said to Madam Yu, "Mom, since they’re unwilling to pay the silver, let’s capture them and sell them off, making whatever money we can."
"So, they plan to use force against us. Mom, do you understand? They’re afraid of involving the government, which indicates the little baby’s death is something they can’t show in the light. I bet they killed the baby themselves. It’s a girl, after all, unwanted, right? They simply got rid of her and blamed you, extorting us in the process."
Zhang Zhaodi, who was usually headstrong, had been meekly subjected to their torment because of the mysterious death of the newborn girl. She assumed the family couldn’t handle the loss of the newborn and thus wouldn’t listen to her explanation.
They locked her up, and she didn’t resist, only trying to explain how the baby’s death was unrelated to her, using her midwife experience to analyze the cause to persuade them to release her.
Hearing Su Yaoguang’s words made her realize her naivety.
If she had the strength, she would have charged over to take revenge, making them suffer as she had, forcing them to kneel and apologize.
Madam Yu felt guilty and avoided looking into Su Yaoguang’s eyes. She rolled up her sleeves, intending to grab Su Yaoguang.
Su Yaoguang seized Madam Yu’s wrist and effortlessly dislocated her arm.
"Ah..." Madam Yu screamed in pain.
Eldest Feng charged angrily toward Su Yaoguang.
Zhou Wangshu jumped forward, tackling him to the ground, pinning him down completely.
"Yaoguang, look, I’ve got him," he announced as Su Yaoguang looked over.
While she watched, Zhou Wangshu picked up a nearby rock and raised it high.
"No..." Su Yaoguang tried to stop him, but it was too late; Zhou Wangshu had already brought the rock down.
However, he didn’t strike his head but landed the rock on his arm.
"Ah..." Eldest Feng screamed in agony.