Chapter 228

"Look at all the mess you've made! Of all people to mess with, you had to pick on that troublemaker."

The consequences were too serious, and she couldn't help but think more deeply. Zhao Lijuan prayed silently in her heart, "Please, please don't let Shitou die."

She couldn't afford to make them take responsibility, and it might even affect her man's future.

The family compound was buzzing with excitement, with many people crowding into the Shi family's courtyard, pointing and whispering about Lü Jie.

"How could you two do something so foolish? Why did you hit a perfectly good child? If you hadn't bullied the child so badly this time, all these things you've done would still be a secret from everyone."

If it weren't for the fact that they were both women, Zhang Hongxia would have rolled up her sleeves and started hitting her.

"No wonder you always guard against us like we're thieves; it turns out you were worried we'd see the injuries on Stone's body."

To be honest, Zhang Hongxia used to think that Shitou was too introverted. She had tried to invite him to her house to treat him to some good food many times, but Shitou always seemed hesitant and timid, which made her lose interest.

She had thought Shi Tou thought she was some kind of monster, but now she realized that Lü Jie was worried that others would notice something was amiss, so she didn't allow him to visit other people's homes or accept their kindness.

A child's playful nature is suppressed, so he becomes more and more silent and less talkative, and his world is very lonely.

Lu Jie was covered in cold sweat, large beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. She tried to explain, but the tightness in her chest and shortness of breath made her unable to bear the situation.

Her gaze turned icy as she met Yang Suxian's. "I didn't want to do this in the first place. You said that once I had a son, I could replace him. You also said that children who aren't your own will never be ungrateful. Now that something's happened, you want to blame it all on me? Don't even think about it!"

She accepted everything she had done, and she resigned herself to her fate, no matter if these people wanted to beat or kill her.

But Yang Suxian wasn't much better off.

Back when Shi Tou was in the countryside, he also suffered from hunger and cold, and Yang Suxian wouldn't even call a doctor for him when he was sick.

Yang Suxian's eyes darted around, and tears streamed down her face.

"God, please open your eyes and look! Good people are being wrongly accused to death. That's my own grandson. I was just saying a few angry words when I was angry. Who knew you, you heartless bastard, would take it seriously and now you're trying to smear me? Why is my life so miserable?"

Liu Jing snorted coldly, "You still think we're fools? You're not regretting it at all. You clearly know that this can't be hidden anymore, and you're just trying to get leniency. If Shitou hadn't suddenly disappeared, who knows what kind of torture you would have inflicted on the child!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Yang Suxian looked heartbroken, but anyone with eyes could see that she was clearly regretting that she hadn't kept her actions discreet enough.

They put her on the hot seat, refusing to let her go so easily.

Yang Suxian stumbled. In the countryside, whose child didn't get beaten? Why are there so many rules in the city?

As a grandmother, can't she discipline her own grandson? If only she had known, she should have been nicer to this brat, even if she was just pretending. It must be that short-lived wretched woman, Stone's mother, who's been dead for who knows how many years, and now she's causing all this trouble to bring misfortune upon her.

The more Yang Suxian thought about it, the more frustrated she felt. But she couldn't argue with a dead person. She decided that when she got back, she would find the blind man in the next village to set up a spell on Stone Mother's grave so that she would never be able to be reborn as a human.

The people in the courtyard were talking amongst themselves, their spittle alone could drown a person. Lü Jie's face was numb. Xiao Xueyi, who had heard that there was news about Shi Tou, arrived late.

"Where's Shitou? How is the child doing?"

He rushed out of the crowd and immediately saw the pale-faced Lü Jie and her mother clutching her chest, seemingly dying.

Yang Suxian cried and shouted that she was wronged. Seeing the situation, Xiao Xueyi could understand what was going on.

He suppressed his anger and placed both hands on Yang Suxian's arms. "Mom, where exactly is the stone?"

Usually, whenever Stone knows he's coming back, he runs out to greet him in advance. When he sees him return safely, Stone cheers and jumps for joy like an excited little bird.

This was what he looked forward to seeing every time he came back. It was the only child left by his deceased wife. No matter how hard or tiring it was, as long as he saw Shitou healthy and strong, and he never expected that he would grow into a strong young man soon, Xiao Xueyi felt that everything was worth it.

He understood, of course, how reluctant the child was to leave each time, but besides that, there were many other emotions in his eyes that he couldn't quite decipher.

He always thought that because Shitou lost his mother at a young age, he was more sensitive to emotions than other children.

He even took some pride in the fact that his child had more ideas than other children.

"He was taken away by your leader as soon as he was found, and he hasn't been brought back yet. Xueyi, calm down. This child is so old, nothing will happen to him for no reason."

Yang Suxian turned her face away guiltily, not daring to look Xiao Xueyi in the eye.

After all, he came from her womb. Although Xiao Xueyi seems kind, once something crosses his bottom line, he has a temper that can't be swayed by even nine oxen.

Xiao Xueyi took a deep breath, feeling as if all the blood in his body rushed to his brain. When he was away from home, his biggest worry was Shitou. But every time he came back, Lü Jie and Shitou got along very naturally. Over time, he stopped doubting anything. But he never expected that his unreserved trust would drive his only child to this point.

Finally, the people around couldn't bear to see it anymore. "Your son is so sick he's already delirious. Of course he's in the hospital now. You should hurry over and go see him."

Instead of wasting time here meaninglessly, it would be better to spend more time with the child at the hospital. He finally came back, and now he's caught up in all this mess.

Liu Jing rolled her eyes at Lü Jie, "You had to hide something as serious as your child being sick. You could have just gone to the hospital to fix it, but you dragged it out until it got this bad. Your child has been missing for so many days. If you weren't feeling guilty, how would we have suspected you?"