Chapter 3: Divorce, I Want a Divorce

Liu Jinyi quickly stepped forward to check the heartbeat, flipped the eyelids, and finally took the pulse for a moment.

“Don’t panic. The child is not in any life-threatening danger. He likely fainted from inhaling too much of the narcotic smoke. Once he wakes up, give him plenty of mung bean soup. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Upon hearing this, Little Niu’s mother dashed recklessly at Old Madam Lu. “You wretch! You drugged my Little Niu! You locked him up!”

Others from the Lu family tried to step in to help, but Stone’s mother and their relatives refused to back down and immediately clashed with the Lu family.

The scene quickly spiraled out of control.

“Stop it all! Pretend I, the village head, don’t exist, huh?” With a shout from Zhao Lizheng, most of those grappling ceased their struggle. However, Little Niu’s mother and Old Madam Lu continued fighting fiercely, showing no sign of stopping.

Old Madam Lu was unwilling to lose face, while Little Niu’s mother was consumed by rage, unwilling to let her go without biting off a piece of her.

“I said stop! Didn’t you hear me?” Zhao Lizheng roared again.

Eventually, Little Niu’s mother yielded to the authority of the village head and loosened her grip, but tears immediately streamed down her face, her voice filled with anguish and fear.

“There’s narcotics involved, and a locked cellar. If we hadn’t discovered him in time, would the Lu family have used the excuse of selling game to smuggle my Little Niu away? Scattered across the country, where would we go to find him?”

Liu Ding, Little Niu’s father, his eyes bloodshot, said, “Zhao Lizheng, this can’t be taken lightly! Today it’s our Little Niu; tomorrow it could be the other children in our village. Today, we were lucky to find him in time. What about next time? Can anyone guarantee they’ll always be found in time?”

“Exactly! And the farm work is scheduled and can’t be delayed. If a child goes missing, who can afford to drop everything to search? One missed season, and a family will starve for a year. Which family can afford that?” Stone’s mother glared resentfully at Old Madam Lu and the others.

“Yes! We can’t gamble with this! Our village can’t harbor kidnappers!”

Voices of righteous indignation immediately rose.

The word “kidnapper” struck a nerve with every parent present.

“Yes, our village cannot tolerate kidnappers!” Everyone shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

Liu Jinyi, worried, approached Lu Shijiu and took her pulse, frowning as he looked at Zhao Lizheng. “Zhao Lizheng, this matter is too serious. We should report it to the authorities.”

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“Yes! Report it! And kick the Lu family out of Wangjiadai!” someone responded immediately.

“Not just Wangjiadai, but they shouldn’t be allowed to stay anywhere within ten miles or more. Who doesn’t have children? If they take advantage of us again, we won’t even have a place to cry!”

“That’s right! They can’t stay in this area.”

“Fellow villagers, the Lu family hasn’t just recently settled in Wangjiadai. For the past ten years, our temper might have been harsh, but we never did anything truly evil. It’s unfair to accuse us of kidnapping without evidence, isn’t it?” Old Master Lu cried out loudly, trying to calm the situation as it threatened to spiral.

“What’s unfair about it? They found a child unconscious in your cellar!”

“Exactly! What kind of decent person would drug a child and hide him in their cellar? If it’s not kidnapping, then what is it?”

They weren’t fools; some immediately contradicted him.

“Could it be someone framing them? A few days ago, my second son sent good news—he’s running a business supporting over ten thousand people. With that kind of money, it’s all kept in chests. Maybe someone got jealous upon hearing the news?”

Old Master Lu flicked his sleeve disdainfully.

Lu Shijiu’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

It was true her second uncle ran a business supporting thousands, but it was through robbery and murder, supporting bandits and outlaws. Hardly something worth envying.

“Framing can’t be done any other way? Must they steal unrelated children and hide them in someone else’s cellar? If the child hadn’t been found today, how could the framing have succeeded? Your excuses are utterly ridiculous!”

Old Master Lu’s defense was too much even for Zhao Lizheng to tolerate.

“Our cellar is locked, and no one else knows. How did you find the child?” Old Madam Lu glared fiercely at Little Niu’s parents.

“Exactly! Old Lu family, you said your cellar was locked. How could someone else break the lock and put the child inside if it were a frame-up?” someone else retorted.

Lu Shijiu’s heart skipped a beat.

If they kept tearing each other apart like this, she would inevitably be dragged into the mess.

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Her eyes darkened as she tugged on Liu Jinyi’s sleeve. “Test for narcotics!”

Liu Jinyi was momentarily stunned, then his eyes gleamed sharply.

“Narcotics aren’t like ordinary substances; once touched, traces always remain. Since the Lu family claims they were framed, do you dare let me examine you?”

“Yes! Not only did they lock the child in the cellar, they drugged him!” Liu Ding suddenly understood. “If it’s a frame-up, let Uncle Liu test it and prove it!”

Old Madam Lu’s face turned pale in an instant, but only briefly. She suddenly jumped up, pointing at Liu Jinyi. “Doctor Liu, you can’t be thinking of framing us, can you?”

“There is a component in narcotics that cannot be easily washed away. When exposed to a certain blue-purple solution, it turns deep purple. If you don’t believe me, you can bring several doctors from the town or even the county to confront me. I, Liu Jinyi, would never tell a lie!”

Hearing this, Little Niu’s mother rushed forward without hesitation, grabbing Old Madam Lu’s arm. “You were so adamant about claiming someone framed you. What are you afraid of? Let Uncle Liu test it! No one frames another and then pours the narcotics into their own hands, right?”

“I refuse to test! What if Doctor Liu is setting me up? Everyone knows Doctor Liu is your Liu family’s own!” Old Madam Lu struggled and shouted anxiously.

“See! Old Madam Lu is guilty! Zhao Lizheng, report this to the authorities! Our village cannot tolerate such vicious people!”

Just as Liu Jinyi urged Zhao Lizheng to act, Old Master Lu kicked Old Madam Lu to the ground. “Was this really your doing?”

Old Madam Lu struggled but couldn’t rise, finally giving up and confessing, “It was me!”

“How could you commit such heartless acts? How can you face the ancestors of our Lu family? I divorce you—I want a divorce!” Old Master Lu lamented in front of everyone.

Then he pleaded with Zhao Lizheng, “Village head, all this was done by Huang Siniang! Today, I do not shirk responsibility. I married the wrong wife. You may punish our family as you see fit! Just please don’t report this to the authorities, or the children in the future will have no future. We can’t let the entire family suffer because of Huang Siniang’s faults.”