The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 251 Apply medicine
After Tong Huaqiong finished applying the medicine to Liu Yanhong and helped him put on his clothes, she asked Man'er and Yaozu to accompany him to eat some snacks. Then she went to the inner room to visit Chunni.

Hong took off Chunni's clothes and was applying medicine.

Tong Huaqiong saw that Chunni was so thin that she was just skin and bones, and her wrists, forearms, calves, thighs and buttocks were covered with purplish-red scars.

Not only are there fresh wounds, but also old marks.

Tong Huaqiong didn't have much contact with Granny Luo's family, and she knew that most families in the countryside didn't care much about girls. She never expected that Chunni would be so neglected at home.

The scars all over his body could be described as signs of abuse.

As Mrs. Hong applied the medicine to Chunni, tears streamed down her face with heartache.

"Does it hurt?" Madam Hong asked gently as she applied the medicine to Chunni with the cotton ball given to her by Tong Huaqiong.

Chunni shook her head.

But an uncontrollable hissing sound escaped from between her lips and teeth; Tong Huaqiong knew Chunni was holding back.

How can it not hurt?

Liu Yanhong was screaming and howling while applying the medicine, and Chunni's injuries were more numerous and severe than Liu Yanhong's.

"Chunni, were all these wounds on your body inflicted by your grandmother?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Chunni said softly, "It was my grandma and my dad who hit me."

Chunni's father, Tian Fugui, usually seemed like a very honest man, but Tong Huaqiong never expected him to be so ruthless towards his own daughter.

Tong Huaqiong then asked, "When your grandma and your dad beat you, your mom just stood by and watched?"

Chunni endured the pain and lowered her head to say, "Sometimes Mother protects me, and Father beats Mother too."

Tong Huaqiong's breath hitched. She never expected that Tian Fugui, who was usually so quiet, would turn out to be a domestic abuser.

Tong Huaqiong didn't have much contact with Chunni's mother, Cao Shi, but she knew that she was a very efficient woman.

Hong felt both heartache and anger upon hearing Chunni's words.

I feel sorry for little Chunni, who lives such a pitiful life, and I'm angry that no one in her family protects her.

If I had a daughter like that, I'd be willing to be a vegetarian for the rest of my life.

Chunni's tears streamed down her face. In all her life, no one had ever cared for her health as much as Madam Hong and Tong Huaqiong had, gently applying medicine to her body.

Her mother would care for her behind her father's and grandmother's backs, but that care contained helplessness and an admonition to her to be patient.

After applying the medicine to Chunni, Madam Hong led her to the main room.

Inside the main room, Man'er, Liu Yanhong, and Yaozu were eating snacks and steamed egg custard around the table.

Tong Huaqiong handed Chunni a pair of chopsticks, and Man'er placed the steamed egg custard in front of Chunni.

Chunni dared not eat it.

She almost never sat at the table at home. Every time she cooked a meal with her mother and set it on the table, she would sit by the pot and eat with her bowl in hand.

Whenever meat dishes are cooked at home, Chunwang eats first, and Dad eats what Chunwang leaves behind.

The leftovers from Dad's meal will be saved for Chunwang and Dad to eat together at the next meal.

She, Granny Luo, and Madam Cao were not entitled to eat.

She noticed that Man'er's bowl contained more steamed egg custard than Yaozu's, and was both surprised and envious.

She couldn't even imagine living the same life as Man'er; she would be content just to be able to sit at the table and eat a few bites of food.

"It's alright, this is my home, no one would dare to hit you," Tong Huaqiong said.

Chunni swallowed hard and took a bite of steamed egg custard.

Really delicious!
When Granny Luo saw Chunni being taken to Tong Huaqiong's room by Madam Hong, she was already feeling uncomfortable, but she didn't dare to stop her. After all, she had hit Magistrate Liu's son, and she was afraid that if she angered Tong Huaqiong, she would be kidnapped like Xu Yong.

She waited outside for a long time, but Chunni didn't come out. She couldn't help herself and went to Tong Huaqiong's courtyard to call into the house: "Dashu's mother, Chunni should go back now."

Upon hearing Granny Luo's voice, Chunni silently put down her bowl.

She had to go back.

The Gu family may be nice, but this is not her home.

She knew that going back now would save her from a beating, while delaying her return would result in an even worse beating.

"Grandma Tong, I'm going back now. Thank you for the medicine and the steamed egg custard," Chunni said obediently, then stood up. Tong Huaqiong and Madam Hong saw Chunni out.

When Granny Luo saw Chunni come out, she wanted to hit her again, but she held back when she saw Tong Huaqiong.

No rush, there will be plenty of opportunities to play when we get home.

Tong Huaqiong said to Granny Luo, "You hit the child too hard. If you cripple him, who will do the work for you? You can't expect Chunwang to do the work for you, can you? If you beat him to death, you can have your daughter-in-law give birth to a granddaughter. But she'll be so much younger than Chunwang, how are you going to get a bride price for him?"

Tong Huaqiong's words are disgusting.

There was no other way; this was the only way that might make Granny Luo treat Chunni a little better.

Grandma Luo was still counting on Chunni to work, and hoping that Chunni would grow up to earn a dowry for Chunwang.

She hoped to go along with Granny Luo's idea and exaggerate Chunni's role in Chunwang's life, so that Granny Luo might be more considerate of Chunni's value.

Grandma Luo smiled, her face crinkling with wrinkles, and said, "Who says otherwise? I was just really angry today, that's why I hit her like that. I still feed and clothe her as usual. As her grandmother, I would never beat her to death."

Granny Luo saw Man'er standing at the door of the main room, looking out.

Man'er was dressed in brand-new clothes, with two small buns in her hair and a pair of golden lilacs on her ears. She looked no different from the young ladies in the city.

Granny Luo was filled with contempt for Tong Huaqiong.

Widow Tong was confused. She didn't dote on her own grandson Yaozu much, but instead doted on a granddaughter who wasn't even born to her own daughter-in-law.

People say that Widow Tong is capable, that she can run a pastry shop and make pesticides, but in her opinion, Widow Tong is very stupid.

In the past, she doted on Gu Taohua to death, and now she's doing the same to Man'er.

Does a girl deserve to be pampered like this?

They weren't afraid of shortening their lifespans.

Girls are beaten at their parents' home. If they are not properly disciplined at their parents' home, they will be beaten into submission at their husband's home as well.

No wonder Gu Taohua is almost fifteen and no one has come to propose marriage yet.

This is all retribution for Widow Tong spoiling her daughter.

Chunni went back with Granny Luo, and Madam Hong was saddened that she had not kept Chunni with her.

Tong Huaqiong said, "We can protect her for a while, but not forever. She has to go back eventually."

Hong said, "Isn't there any way to prevent Chunni from being beaten?"

Tong Huaqiong remained silent.

They could only protect Chunni for a short while. Once she got home, she didn't know how much worse Luo Pozi and Tian Fugui would beat her.

If Tong Huaqiong hadn't seen it, fine, but now that she had, she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen it when she was told to let go.

As for how to help?
Tong Huaqiong hasn't figured it out yet.

Because this matter is quite tricky.

As darkness fell, Chunni's mother, Cao, arrived at the door.

"Aunt Tong, Chunni has caused you trouble today."

Cao placed a basket of pig feed in Tong Huaqiong's yard.

Tong Huaqiong knew that she had come to thank her.

Tong Huaqiong said directly to Cao Shi, "Chunni is covered in injuries. As her mother, you have to think of a way to help her. She can't keep living like this, being beaten all the time."

Cao lowered her head and twisted her hands.

How could a mother not feel heartbroken when her daughter was constantly being beaten, but what could she do?

Many girls have gone through this.

She could neither stop the man nor her mother-in-law.

Tong Huaqiong knew that she couldn't persuade Cao Shi with just one sentence.

"Here's some medicine for you. Use it to wipe Chunni's wounds."

Tong Huaqiong took the medicine out of the house and handed it to Cao.

Cao thanked her, took the medicine, and left.