stingy landlady

Chapter 99 Another Storm (3)

Upon hearing this, Hongli realized that a fight had broken out at Dazhu's house, and that Li Shi had been wronged at home. She quickly said to Guiling:

"Siya, don't cry! You have short legs and can't run fast! Come to my house for a while! I'll go find your sister and the others!"

As he spoke, he led Siya into the house.

"Grandma! Look at Siya for a moment! Aunt Wang is home alone and Aunt Wang Er beat her up! Siya is crying on the road! I'll go to the east end to look for her, so she doesn't get hurt!"

Old Mrs. Yang quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and said:

"Hurry up! This is bullying people while no one's home! Go find someone to help! I'll watch over Siya here."

As soon as Hongli got up, she ran eastward!

When he arrived at Old Zhou's place, he was out of breath from running, but he still shouted:

"Grandpa Zhou! Hurry! Something's happened! Aunt Wang has been beaten!"

When Old Man Zhou heard this, he was in for a surprise, but he was too old and his legs were too slow, and his wife was also heavily pregnant, so they couldn't run away! Luckily, Jinxiu was on the stove.

"Jinxiu! Jinxiu! Quickly go to the vegetable garden and call the young lady! Madam has been beaten! Hurry, hurry!"

Jinxiu dropped what she was holding and ran out, while Hongli was still panting. Without asking any questions, she ran straight to the vegetable garden and called out:

"Third Miss! Something's happened at home! Second Miss! Eldest Miss!"

Her voice was loud, and the people picking cucumbers in the field stopped in their tracks. Gui Xiang, who was nearby, was the first to run out!

"What's wrong? Jinxiu! What happened?"

Hongli caught up with them. Exhausted, she grabbed Jinxiu and clung to her. Jinxiu supported her and patted her back to help her catch her breath.

The osmanthus blossoms are red, and osmanthus branches have sprouted.

Hongli then spoke:

“I just heard Siya crying on the road, so I went out to ask her. She said your second uncle stole her things and your second aunt beat your mother! You should go home and check on things!”

Gui Xiang and Gui Hong ran home before they could even finish listening! Gui Zhi said to Jin Xiu:

"Jinxiu! Let Grandpa Zhou go herd the horses and cattle! Bring Xile back! You two go back to the old house together!"

"Hongli, thank you! Please take my fourth sister back later!"

After Guizhi finished speaking, she shouted:

"Peace! Good fortune! Good luck! Stop looking for cucumbers! Come home with me!"

Then Li slowly woke up, lying on the ground, not knowing where she was for a moment.

Erzhu was playing with Erbao on the kang (heated brick bed) when he saw that Li Shi had woken up and was covered in bruises and disheveled hair. His earlier amazement vanished, and he said:

“Sister-in-law, you’re awake now, hurry back to your room! If your brother comes back and sees a man and a woman alone in a room, he’ll start to have all sorts of thoughts!”

Go back quickly, sister-in-law! You may have the will, but I don't have the guts!

Li ran out, both ashamed and angry. She found her own door wide open and went inside. Zhao was rummaging through chests and cupboards, fabric strewn all over the kang (heated brick bed). She was stuffing silver coins into her bosom, strings of copper coins bulging her chest.

Upon seeing Li return, Zhao smiled disdainfully:

"Li Lanxin! She's nothing special! She doesn't seem that rich, just a few taels of silver and a few strings of copper coins! Humph!"

After saying that, he picked up the cloth on the kang (a heated brick bed) and walked out.

Li hurriedly reached out to pull him up, but her foot twisted! A sinking sensation ran through her lower abdomen, and a warm flow gushed out from below. Li froze, thinking to herself, "This is bad!"

So she dared not move again. Zhao thought Li was scared after being beaten, so she deliberately pushed Li while holding the cloth.

"Get out of the way! A good dog doesn't block the road!"

Zhao took the fabric to the old lady's room to claim credit!

When Guixiang and Guihong returned, they found Li sitting on the floor crying. All the cabinet doors were open, the room in complete disarray, needles, thread, quilts, and other items were scattered on the kang (heated brick bed) and floor—a complete mess!

The two sisters quickly helped Li up. A pool of bright red blood was conspicuously visible beneath Li on the ground, and Li was covered in blood. The two little girls screamed in fright.

"Mother! You're bleeding!"

"Mother! Lie down on the kang! I'll take a knife and kill them!" Gui Hong helped Li Shi sit on the edge of the kang and was about to leave!

"Mother! I'm going to find a doctor! No, I have to go to town to find a good doctor! I'm going to find my father to come back and hitch up the cart!"

Li grabbed Guihong, "Erya! You run fast! Call your father and grandfather back to check! Hurry!"

Helpless, Gui Hong had no choice but to go and find someone.

Gui Xiang wanted to pack her things, but Li Shi wouldn't allow it.

"Guixiang! Mother might have miscarried! You don't need to pack! Let your father come back and see! This is his family, his good brother! His good sister-in-law! They're all robbers! Waaah!"

Li was heartbroken and cried as she said:

"Mom finally got pregnant again! But it's going to be a mess! That damned Zhao Xiaofang! That wretched Wang Erzhu! Waaah!"

Gui Xiang cried out anxiously, "Mother! Mother!"

Tears streamed down her face.

Guizhi, leading a few of her soldiers, picked up Guiling, who had stopped crying. After recounting the whole story, Guizhi said to Hongli:

"Hongli, please take my fourth sister with you and walk slowly! We're going home to check on things first!"

Hongli nodded. "Okay! You guys go back quickly! I'll lead Siya and we'll walk slowly!"

With a wave of her hand, Guizhi led auspiciousness, good fortune, peace, joy, and beauty home! Perhaps because they exercised every day, none of them were out of breath when they arrived home.

Guizhi entered the room and saw the mess, with Li Shi and Guixiang crying. She saw blood on the floor and heard Li Shi muttering sad words about possibly miscarriage.

"Mother! Eldest sister! What's the use of crying! You wait! Mother! I'll avenge you!"

After Guizhi finished speaking, she said to her five subordinates:

"follow me!"

The group followed Guizhi into Erzhu's room! Erzhu and Erbao were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing.

Erzhu slightly raised his eyelids and said:

"Oh! It's Sanya! What's up with you all today? You've all made time to come see your second uncle! Your second uncle doesn't have much to offer you!"

Gui Zhi sneered:

"Second Uncle! You don't need to entertain me! We'll take care of ourselves!"

With a wave of his hand, several children came in.

"You guys have been training for so long, it's time to show me what you've got! Beat him up!"

The younger ones, without even taking off their shoes, jumped onto the kang (heated brick bed) and started hitting Erzhu. Erzhu cried out in pain.

"Sanya! How dare you hit me! Ouch! Sanya, I'm your second uncle, ouch, my leg! I'm your elder! Ouch, don't hit my face! Ouch! Sanya, tell them to stop! Ouch! You're so unfilial! Ouch! Ouch, it hurts so much! Mother!"

Guizhi stood still and said loudly:

"Second Uncle! I didn't lay a finger on you! They have absolutely nothing to do with you!"

"Good fortune, good luck! Turn the cupboard upside down! Find everything! Peace, go find an axe and break the lock!"

Despite their small size, Xile and Jinxiu's punches were powerful and effective, leaving Erzhu speechless! Ping An broke the lock, and Jixiang and Ruyi pulled out several strings of copper coins, weighing about three or four ounces.

Guizhi heard Guihong outside, and Dazhu's voice came from the front door.