Chapter 59: Why Don’t You All Just Die First
Liu Lan, although she treated her daughter like a servant, couldn’t help but feel her heartache and her eyes turn red as she watched her cry so miserably. She was also trembling with anger!
“Mother! You’re crazy, completely insane! We’re women too—why don’t we all just ruin ourselves while we’re at it?!”
Usually submissive in front of her mother-in-law, Liu Lan, who had a fiery side to her, finally couldn’t hold back as she watched Yu Xiangxiang’s heart-wrenching sobs. She roared at Mu Chunfang in fury!
“This was my decision! Why are you yelling at your mother? Do you really want your daughter to be defiled by those guards?!”
Mu Chunfang was completely stunned by Liu Lan’s outburst. The hand holding the kitchen knife trembled slightly. Even though she was full of confidence facing everyone’s accusing stares earlier, she now seemed a bit at a loss.
Unexpectedly, after Liu Lan’s words, Yu Liang pulled Mu Chunfang behind him, straightened his back, and glared angrily at Liu Lan with an air of authority, as if daring her to challenge him.
Seeing her father-in-law’s imposing stance, Liu Lan’s fiery anger was doused by half.
Just the thought of her daughter being bullied by the guards made Liu Lan’s chest ache unbearably. She didn’t want it—of course, she didn’t want it.
“And you, and you, and you three—ruin your faces immediately, or I’ll have your mother do it!”
Seeing that Liu Lan was no longer making a fuss, Yu Liang turned to his second daughter-in-law, Zhang Fen, and his granddaughter-in-law, Huang Xiaoju, as well as Liu Lan, and coldly ordered them.
Yu Luo couldn’t help but laugh at Yu Liang’s ruthless words.
“Second Grandfather, by your logic, we might not survive in the wilderness anyway. Since we’re all going to die, why don’t we all just die here and get it over with?”
“Exactly! What kind of twisted mentality is that? Even if such a thing might happen, it hasn’t happened yet! Besides, if those guards are really that beastly, do you think scarring your face will stop them?
For those whose hearts are twisted, they don’t care how you look. Even if you were a corpse, if they wanted to violate you, they still would. Honestly, since you’re already so old, and going to the wilderness is just a burden on your sons and daughters-in-law, why don’t you just drop dead right now and save them the trouble?”
“You!”
Ye Jiamei had a fiery personality and couldn’t hold back her poisonous tongue in the face of such heartlessness. Her words were like a barrage of cannonballs aimed at Yu Liang.
Did they even hear themselves? They weren’t worried about Yu Xiangxiang; they were only worried about their family’s reputation being tarnished. What selfishness!
If Mu Chunfang had said something less harsh, Ye Jiamei wouldn’t have been so furious. But just listen to those two old things—what were they even saying?!
“You—you wretched woman! Such blasphemy! No matter what, he is your husband’s uncle. How dare you curse your elders like that?!”
Yu Liang and Mu Chunfang had encountered many sharp-tongued women, but never one who cursed her elders so openly and maliciously.
Ye Jiamei’s words ignited all of Yu Liang’s pent-up anger, and he stepped forward, ready to hit her!
Seeing this, Yu Shanhai quickly moved forward to hold his father back.
“No wonder you’re just a concubine’s wife. It’s clear that your husband can’t teach you well because you’re low-born. Cursing your uncle—what a vile woman!”
“Is your mouth full of crap?”
A low and authoritative voice suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of a whip cracking sharply against Mu Chunfang’s legs, making her scream in pain. The pleas for mercy soon followed!
But Guard Xiao Li, who had swung the whip, seemed deaf to the pleas. One lash after another rained down mercilessly, especially targeting Mu Chunfang’s exposed legs!
Caught off guard, Mu Chunfang took seven or eight solid lashes. Across from them, Yu Yingying couldn’t help but gulp repeatedly, recalling the pain of being whipped herself.
As Mu Chunfang screamed in pain, she saw that Guard Xiao Li showed no sign of stopping. Terrified, she quickly hid behind Yu Liang, who hadn’t had time to escape. Using him as a shield, she let Yu Liang bear the lashes meant for her!
Guard Xiao Li didn’t hold back. The whip cracked viciously, not as if he were helping Ye Jiamei get revenge, but as if he were personally disgusted by the fact that Yu Xiangxiang had such grandparents!
Seeing this, the people from Yu’s second branch turned pale with fright. Even Yu Shanhai, who initially wanted to plead for mercy, was too shocked to utter a word.
Yu Shanhai looked at his eldest daughter’s disfigured face and gave up any thought of begging for mercy.
He hesitated for a moment before pleading with Xiao Li for his parents. However, it seemed that the more he begged, the harder Xiao Li’s lashes fell. Even Yu Liang, the old man, couldn’t help but cry out loud, the pants of both elders quickly torn and bloodied.
Finally, when Xiao Li got tired, he put away his whip. But the old couple’s whimpering as they huddled together didn’t stop—their cries of pain and grievance sounded just like children being scolded by their parents.
“You see, since you’re going to be flogged on this journey anyway, why not take Yu’s second madam’s advice and just kill yourselves now? That way, you won’t have to endure any more of this suffering.”
With that, Xiao Li stowed away his whip and returned to where the guards were resting.
“Sigh, such a pretty girl, and now her face is ruined. But don’t be too sad. The wound may be deep, but luckily the knife was sharp, and there’s only one cut. I have some medicine—I can help treat it.”
Seeing Yu Xiangxiang’s face, which was about the same age as her own daughter, and the gaping wound exposing the white flesh beneath, Ye Jiamei couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Having heard Ye Jiamei discuss stitching wounds with the guards before, everyone was already aware of her skills, so they weren’t surprised.
After applying some anesthetic, Ye Jiamei stitched the wound in two layers.
This way, once the wound healed, they would only need to remove the outer stitches.
“Really, don’t feel too bad. Consider this a trial of your life. On the road, try to eat bland food and avoid dark-colored foods. This way, the scar will be lighter in the future. Unless you’re prone to scarring, it shouldn’t be too noticeable in half a year.”
