Chapter 229: Chapter 229: The Evil Stepmother
But that old hag was already in a foul mood, and upon seeing Li Yanling like this, she stepped forward and slapped her across the face.
The incident happened so suddenly that Li Yanling couldn’t react at all, and even Liu Zheng was slightly stunned on the spot...
He never imagined that the old woman would be so bold as to hit someone in front of so many people.
The bystanders, gawking at the scene, were also shocked.
They had never thought something like this could happen.
But they quickly came to their senses.
Then they began to condemn the old woman one after another.
"How can you do this, you old hag? How can you just slap someone like that?"
"Yes, it’s way too much, and besides, it was clearly your fault to begin with, so why are you hitting her now?"
"Right, you’re the one who spread false rumors, and now you’re hitting your daughter-in-law, that’s just ridiculous."
...
Everyone truly felt indignant for Li Yanling.
They could never have imagined she would end up with a mother-in-law like this.
At that moment, the old woman seemed utterly unabashed, standing brazenly in front of the crowd.
"What? I’m disciplining my own daughter-in-law, and you all have to meddle? You’re meddling a bit too much, aren’t you? This is my own family affair, and it’s none of your business!"
Soon, Liu Zheng couldn’t stand by and watch any longer.
He quickly pulled Li Yanling behind him, sheltering both her and the child, Kai, behind his back.
"What do you really want? Your son is already dead, and they had already divorced back then. She has been taking care of you at home, which is more than kind enough, but you verbally and physically abuse her daily. What more do you want?"
When the onlooking crowd heard this, they grew even more contemptuous of the situation.
They had never thought the old woman could be so vile.
It was just too much.
Then Liu Zheng took Li Yanling’s hand and rolled up her sleeve.
"You all should have a good look at these wounds on her body, they’re all from her mother-in-law’s beatings!"
At that moment, everyone could see the streaks of scars on Li Yanling’s fair arms.
Upon seeing this, everyone truly felt heartbroken.
At first, they thought that the problem was due to Liu Zheng, but now it seemed that it was entirely the old woman’s fault.
They were incredibly angry, unable to imagine how furious they would be if they or their loved ones found themselves in such a situation.
So at that moment, they began to curse openly.
"Oh my God, I can’t believe you could be so outrageous. She has already divorced your son, and your son is dead. She’s looking after you purely out of past affection, and yet you treat her like this!"
"Good heavens, If I had a daughter-in-law like her, I don’t know how happy I would be, I would definitely pamper her with food and drink. I can’t believe how you’re treating her."
"I’ve never seen such a shameless mother-in-law. This is really too tragic, living under her shadow must be horrifying."
...
Everyone was speaking out.
They were reasonable people and naturally knew who was right and who was wrong.
Now that they knew the truth of the matter, how could they not know what they should do?
So at this moment,
everyone truly felt sympathy for Li Yanling.
They had never thought such a good person could encounter such a terrible mother-in-law.
In fact, Li Yanling usually did not like to make a fuss about these issues. She thought bearing some suffering was alright, as long as her family could live in harmony.
But now it seemed, things were not as she imagined.
No matter how much she compromised, no matter how much she endured, in the end, she could only be so oppressed.
Previously, she had never really cared about these things.
She just felt that since she had already married into their family, she should fulfill her responsibilities properly.
But Liu Zheng’s words had indeed awakened her.
Yes, since her husband was dead and they were already divorced, why should she continue to endure all this hardship?
At this moment, her eyes were filled with tears. Thinking about all she had experienced over the years, she could barely stand it anymore.
Unable to help herself, she went up to the elderly woman and then said,
"Normally, whether you beat me or scold me, I let it go. But now, treating the doctor who saved Xiao Kai like this, I really don’t know what your intentions are. Do you even care about Xiao Kai at all in your heart?"
And when Li Yanling uttered these words, the old lady naturally found it incredible, as she had always seen Li Yanling as someone who wouldn’t dare to resist.
She had never imagined that in such a short time, Li Yanling could have undergone such a big change.
"How dare you speak to me like this?"
It was unexpected that she could still say such things at this point.
Li Yanling merely responded with a cold laugh.
"This house was originally mine. If you don’t like it, then move out and live somewhere else. Don’t stay with me anymore. I will take care of my son myself, and we will no longer need you."
It was all considered based on past affection.
But she had never thought that the woman could be so aggressive and unreasonable.
If that was the case, there truly was no need for her to keep enduring it, and Liu Zheng’s words today indeed served as a wake-up call for her.
No matter what, she could not continue like this, otherwise things might get even worse.
Moreover, what these people were saying was indeed very true.
They knew what was right and what was wrong.
In such times, they would discern right from wrong.
And when the old woman heard these words, she became even more irrational.
"Fine, fine, you want to throw me out now, right? You’re utterly shameless!"
But just then, before Li Yanling could speak, Xiao Kai immediately stood up for her.
He protected his mother behind him and stared coldly at the old lady in front of him, saying,
"From now on, you shouldn’t live in my mother’s house anymore. Please leave. We won’t need you anymore, no matter what."
