“Song, Song Ming ……”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law uttered with difficulty, this was the first time she had dared to call out Song Ming’s name in all the years she had been married in.
“You can hit me, don’t hit Erma, she can, is your own flesh and blood.”
It was said that a tiger does not eat its children, but Song Ming was worse than a beast.
“They’re just money losers, what use do I have for them? If you don’t tell me, I’ll torture you every day. If you don’t, I’ll torture you every day. When you’re dead, I’ll see who can still protect those two money-losers.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law closed her eyes as tears slowly rolled down her face.
……
At dawn, the women came to work in the workshop, and Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was the last to arrive, walking with a limp.
“What’s wrong with you?”
The woman in her group asked with concern.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law looked as normal, “I accidentally kicked a stone just now, it’s nothing.”
Seeing that she didn’t look like she was in trouble, the woman didn’t ask any more questions, and the group went back to work as usual.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law’s legs were not convenient today, so they made her sit and burn the fire.
Song Wangyue didn’t go to the Gu family today, so she came over to see the workshop. When she passed by Song Ming’s daughter-in-law, she looked at her twice.
When Song Wan Yue returned home yesterday, she heard from her family that Song Ming had come to take Er Ya back and had not succeeded in doing so, so he was bound to lose his temper.
Seeing that Song Ming’s daughter-in-law’s face was unharmed and she looked no different from her usual self, she thought that perhaps Song Lin’s warning had indeed worked and Song Ming really didn’t dare to do anything easily.
The women in the workshop greeted her, and Song Wangyue responded to them one by one. After looking around and preparing to go out, her eyes inadvertently fell on Song Ming’s daughter-in-law again, and she saw that she had only taken a small piece of firewood and tried to break it up and stuff it into the stove, but she failed to do so twice.
Song Wangyue narrowed her eyes and looked as if she was about to make another turn.
Song Wan Yue kept her eyes on Song Ming’s daughter-in-law, and only then did she see that her two hands were a little unnatural, as if she was afraid to exert herself, and that there were more beads of sweat on her forehead than the other two women who were burning the fire.
She left the workshop without moving, returned home and waited until it was almost time to finish work at noon, and led Erma out to wait at the entrance of the workshop.
The women came out one by one, and Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was still the last to go.
Erma jumped on her as she always did.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law gave a stifled grunt, although the sound was so small that it was lost in Erma’s “mother”, Song Wan Yue still heard it.
Song Wan Yue spoke up with a smile on her face, “My mother wants to make a dress for Er Ya, she doesn’t know which colour to choose, so Auntie go and help her choose.”
If it was anything else, Song Ming’s daughter-in-law would have found a way to excuse herself, her body hurt so badly that it would be easy to be seen. But the matter of choosing the flower colours was something she had to do, not because she knew what colours Erma liked, but because she didn’t want Erma to get too greedy and annoy people. So she took Erma’s hand and tried to keep her voice steady.
“Good.”
Erma was so happy that she bounced along.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law had a vague look of pain on her face, and beads of sweat followed.
Before she reached the gate, she let go of Erma’s hand, “Erma will walk in front, and Mother will follow you, okay?”
“Good.”
The three of them entered the courtyard.
Xu was coming out of the house.
Song Wan Yue said, “Mother, don’t you want to make a dress for Er Ya and ask Auntie to help pick a flower colour?”
Xu froze and then nodded with a smile, “Yes, the material is in my room, come in and choose. ”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law followed her in.
Er Ya also wanted to go in, but was pulled back by Song Wan Yue, “You go to the kitchen house and help Grandma.”
Er Ya nodded understandingly and bounced off to the kitchen, “Grandma, I’ll help you.”
Song Wangyue also entered the house and closed the door behind her, and when she entered the inner room, she asked Song Ming’s daughter-in-law directly, “Did he hit you again?”
“No, no.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law subconsciously denied it.
Song Wangyue stepped forward and grabbed her hand and pushed her sleeve up, there was indeed no injury on her arm, and she lifted up Song Ming’s daughter-in-law’s clothes again, and there was nothing on her body either.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law blushed and dropped her clothes back, “There’s really, really nothing, ever since Big Brother warned him last time, he just scared me and didn’t dare to move his hands.”
“Really?”
“No really, don’t worry, if he hits me, I’ll tell you guys.”
Song Wangyue still felt that something wasn’t right.
“Yue’er, you will treat Erma as your own sister, right?”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law suddenly asked.
Song Wan Yue looked at her suspiciously.
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law sheepishly skimmed her eyes, “I, I ……”
“Erma is of course my own sister, why would auntie suddenly ask that?”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law was a bit flustered, “I, I just, I saw you treat Er Ya so, so well, that’s why I suddenly asked, if what I said is, if it’s not right, you, you don’t mind.”
“What’s wrong with talking as a family, you, don’t be so rusty in the future, take a look, which flower colour should I make for Er Ya?”
Xu dragged her to choose the flower colour.
……
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law came out and returned home without looking back. After making a meal for Song Ming’s mother and father to eat, she brushed herself off and went to the field before it was time to go to work, dug up all the remaining copper coins and went to the kiosk in the next village.
“I’ll buy rat poison.”
“Yo, we don’t have it here, you’ll have to go to the county to buy it.”
“I have a lot of things to do, I’m too busy, can you, can you bring a packet over for me, I’ll pay you more.”
She didn’t look like a rich person, but she had to go to the county to get the goods herself.
“Yes, give a deposit of ten coppers first, and the running fee is three coppers, less is more.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law counted out ten copper coins and gave them to her.
The woman took the money, “Come and get it in three days.”
Song Ming’s daughter-in-law buried the rest of the coins back again.
……
“Yue’er, what’s going on?”
Xu asked.
Song Wan Yue told her her suspicions.
Xu had just noticed that something was wrong with Song Ming’s daughter-in-law. When the two of them were moving the fabric down, Song Ming’s daughter-in-law’s body visibly stumbled.
But what was wrong with the fact that she was not injured?
One possibility flashed through Song Wan Yue’s mind, but then she shook her head again, Song Ming couldn’t have hit someone that way, he would have hit them in the open.
No, Huang Si came by yesterday, he is a person who hangs out in the gambling house, if he came up with the idea, Song Ming really can’t be prepared to ……
Song Wan Yue’s eyes narrowed up.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu asked.
Song Wangyue didn’t want her to worry, “It’s nothing, I’ll go find my second brother and ask him to keep an extra eye on Auntie for the next two days, if he finds anything wrong with her, hurry up and tell me.”
……
The next two days, even the women doing the work noticed that something was wrong with Song Ming’s daughter-in-law, who used to be very strong, but now couldn’t even carry a basket of materials.
Naturally, Song Shen also noticed that something was wrong with her and told Song Wan Yue.
Noon of the third day.
Like the previous two days, Song Ming’s daughter-in-law went home and made a meal, waited for Song Ming’s mother and father to eat and then brushed up and went to the kiosk while she was still at work.
The woman handed her a packet of rat poison.
