WBSGVS Chapter 51 V1

 

Qingli went directly back to the Luo family.

Although she was out of breath from running, it was mainly because her body was too weak. In ancient times, there were very few activities for women; if they didn’t build strength from doing housework, they were mostly frail.

Fortunately, they lived in the same town, and she managed to run home with determination.

The Luo family resided in a slightly better area. As Qingli approached, she noticed many pedestrians passing by, making it feel quite safe.

When she knocked on the door, and Mama Luo opened it, Qingli’s eyes filled with tears. She rushed into her mother’s arms and cried, “Mom!”

Mama Luo was taken aback. She hadn’t expected to see her daughter like this, but seeing her cry so heartbreakingly, she instinctively held her close, patting her back gently. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

Qingli didn’t answer, continuing to cry. If there was anyone the original owner truly cared about, it was her mother. Mama Luo’s death was the last straw that broke her spirit.

Throughout history, the bond between parents and children has often been strongest with the mother, especially in ancient times. Women managed household affairs while men took a backseat; children spent most of their time with their mothers. The original owner couldn’t bear the thought of her mother dying due to her grief.

Now that she saw her mother again, even though her soul had left her body, the lingering emotions were still strong, and she needed to vent them.

Mama Luo had no choice but to call out, “Head of the family! Our daughter is back!”

Luo Yuzhi heard the commotion and hurried over. Upon seeing his daughter crying in his wife’s embrace, countless scenarios of how his daughter might have been mistreated in her husband’s family flashed through his mind, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. He remembered to close the door first and then asked, “Ah Li, what’s wrong? Were you bullied?”

After crying for a while, Qingli finally managed to look up and sniffled, “It’s nothing; let’s go inside.”

“Okay, okay.” Mama Luo nodded quickly and helped her daughter into the house. Once inside, an eight-year-old, delicate-looking boy rubbed his eyes and emerged. Seeing Qingli, he immediately beamed and rushed over to hug her waist. “Sister, you’re back!”

Once again, Qingli felt a pang in her heart. Her younger brother, Luo Yisheng, was still innocent and carefree. In just a year or two, he would be forced to grow up. She ruffled his hair and smiled through her tears. “Yes, I’m back.”

The siblings exchanged smiles, while Luo Yuzhi and his wife exchanged heavy glances.

Given how their daughter was acting, it seemed her grievances were significant.

Once inside the house, Qingli let Luo Yisheng go play by himself. Amid her parents’ anxious expressions, she struggled to explain the situation. “Mom, Dad, it’s nothing, just…”

The two felt a tightening in their chests and worriedly asked, “Could it be that Cheng Zhaoyang has taken a mistress?”

Qingli shook her head, crying as she explained, “No, I overheard Cheng Zhaoyang talking to his mother about how that bandit was in cahoots with him from the start!”

“What?!”

Both parents were startled and stood up from their seats, their expressions grave. “Child, don’t say such things lightly.”

“I’m not! Cheng Zhaoyang colluded with that bandit to orchestrate a ‘hero saving the beauty’ scenario, intending to rob those young ladies and gentlemen of their money. But unexpectedly, the officers happened to pass by and thwarted their plans. Cheng Zhaoyang was retaliated against by the bandit, which is why he ended up with a severed tendon and now has a limp! It’s not a matter of saving my life; it was all part of their scheme!”

“Gasp—” Luo Yuzhi inhaled sharply, trying to calm himself to digest this news. But as he recalled everything that had happened over the past two years, he became enraged and picked up the teapot, hurling it to the ground.

With a crash, the teapot shattered into pieces. Luo Yuzhi’s face turned ashen. This cultured scholar had never lost his temper like this, but now his eyes were bloodshot from excessive anger as he gritted his teeth and said, “Cheng—Zhao—yang!”

“What on earth is happening…” Mama Luo understood the situation, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged her daughter, weeping profusely.

Initially, the couple thought this was far-fetched, but after hearing their daughter’s well-reasoned account, they came to accept it. Despite the Cheng family’s decent behavior in recent years, the anger from being forced to marry their daughter led them to believe their daughter’s words immediately.

The three of them felt like crying together, but Luo Yuzhi, being the head of the family, fought back his tears, taking deep breaths to steady his trembling body. The living room fell silent for a while until, after a long pause, Luo Yuzhi said grimly, “We’ll get a divorce! We need to get a divorce now! We should relocate the entire family and leave this place!”

Qingli wiped her tears and said, “Dad, that’s not possible.”

Luo Yuzhi became anxious. “Silly child, what are you afraid of? Even if we get a divorce, you’re still my child. We can find a place where no one knows us, and you can say you’re a widow. No one will say anything even if you remarry.”

Qingli couldn’t help but smile through her tears. After drying her face, she looked up at her father and said, “Dad, are you sure the officials will grant us a divorce? I’ve heard that the official’s assistant has connections with Cheng Zhaohua. If we go to sue, the results will favor them. We are powerless, and I’m just the wife of the Cheng family. If the divorce fails, it could be even worse!”

The original owner’s memories were still useful. The Cheng family’s rise was mainly due to Cheng Zhaohua, who initially gained favor with the Luo family and later had good fortune by marrying the governor’s daughter, becoming a favored son-in-law.

In truth, bringing down the Cheng family was simple: just let something happen to Cheng Zhaohua.

However, Qingli didn’t want to resort to killing. After all, once a person dies, everything is over. No matter how many bad deeds they committed, there’s no way to take revenge because they won’t feel it. Not everyone has the same opportunities as the original owner.

She wanted the Cheng family to live, but to live miserably!

Getting a divorce was too easy on them; being a widow was also too lenient on Cheng Zhaoyang!

Luo Yuzhi didn’t think that far ahead. He was just an ordinary scholar, and when faced with danger, his first reaction was to distance himself. Hearing that the official assistant had connections with Cheng Zhaohua made his face turn pale. He said angrily, “Then what should we do? Are we just going to let it be?”

Qingli shook her head again, speaking earnestly, “Of course not, Dad. It’s not that we can’t get a divorce right now. I don’t want to get divorced like this. My life has been ruined because of Cheng Zhaoyang’s schemes, and now, because of his ‘saving grace,’ we are bound for a lifetime. The bandits can’t be caught, and the truth will never be revealed. I won’t be satisfied with that!”

Luo Yuzhi’s beard trembled, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears as he broke into a sweat. However, he understood that getting a divorce from the Cheng family would be extremely difficult.

Cheng Zhaoyang had lost a leg to his daughter which ruined his future. Now, seeking a divorce would be a hard battle.

Since ancient times, laws have favored men, and getting a divorce casually was impossible.

For a moment, they were almost in tears.

Luo Yuzhi covered his face, his voice hoarse. “It’s my fault for being useless; I don’t have many connections…”

Qingli said gently, “Dad, don’t think that way. I’ve known about this for a while, which is why I’ve been thinking about what to do.”

Luo Yuzhi steadied himself and looked eagerly at his daughter.

Qingli’s voice was slightly cold as she said, “Didn’t Cheng Zhaoyang say he would risk his life for me? What if I contracted an incurable disease? Mom, Dad, do you think that in the face of such a calamity, he would still maintain this demeanor? He would probably take the initiative to ask for a divorce, wouldn’t he?”

Luo Yuzhi and Luo Mu’s eyes brightened; they felt a glimmer of hope. “Right, right! But how do we get you an incurable disease?”

Qingli replied, “You know I love reading, and I’ve come across some medical texts. There’s a remedy that can make a person feel like they have a cold, causing fever, weakness, and a cough. After a while, I’ll pretend to cough up blood. During this time, I can ask him for money, at least to get back some of the silver our family originally gave him.”

Luo Yuzhi was overjoyed. Although he was curious whether this remedy would work, he nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s do it!”

Luo Mu was a bit more concerned and directly asked, “What herbs do you need? I’ll go gather them for you. But will this harm your health?”

Qingli shook her head. “It won’t harm me; otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to use it.”

Luo Mu was completely at ease now and couldn’t sit still. She wanted Qingli to write down the prescription so she could get the medicine. The Cheng family had been too despicable; she harbored deep resentment against them.

They had to make them pay!

Qingli held her eager parents and reassured them, “Don’t rush; we need to think this through. If we expose our plans, we could be found out, and that would be bad.”

The plan had already formed in Qingli’s mind, so discussing it was not difficult.

Except for the part about selling off Panspring.

For the Luo family, Panspring had been with them since childhood. Although she was a maid with a contract, they treated her like half a family member.