Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 351 The golden cicada escapes from its shell
Liu Yanran could have given birth smoothly; the previous difficult labor was just a deliberate illusion she created.

With a look of disgust, Liu Yanran pushed the crumpled child aside and, taking advantage of her remaining strength, urged him softly:

"Father, hurry up."

In Liu Yanran's eyes, this child who had once saved her life was nothing but a burden.

Furthermore, it had completely lost its ability to control Zhou Xia. Despite being her own flesh and blood, it couldn't even evoke a shred of maternal love in her.

Wrap Liu Yanran in the prepared blanket and take her directly to the storage room. Liu Dongran then brought back another person, who was none other than Zhou Zhaodi, who had already fallen into a coma.

He carried Zhou Zhaodi to the bed, then took a knife from the kitchen. With a heavy heart, Liu Dongran stabbed Zhou Zhaodi in the stomach.

The enormous wound caused Zhou Zhaodi's blood to gush out instantly, splattering all over Liu Dongran's body.

Zhou Zhaodi, who had been unconscious, woke up due to the pain from her wound and babbled for help from Liu Dongran.

Her eyes were full of confusion; she couldn't understand why this uncle, who had given her a piece of candy not long ago, would hurt her.

However, when faced with the plea for help from such an innocent person, Liu Dongran showed no pity whatsoever. Instead, he violently grabbed Zhou Zhaodi's hand and began to frantically scratch his face and body with his long fingernails.

Under the relentless onslaught of fingernails, Zhou Zhaodi's once pretty face was instantly covered in scars, turning her into a terrifying tabby cat, and even her body was covered in countless wounds.

However, the most fatal blow was the knife Liu Dongran stabbed into Zhou Zhaodi's stomach.

After losing a lot of blood, Zhou Zhaodi finally lost the strength to struggle and collapsed on the bed.

"Don't blame me, I'm just helping you get rid of this pain of being treated like a fool."

While muttering to herself, Liu Dongran picked up the wailing child and placed him in the hot water to wash him.

The hot water mixed with blood emitted a nauseating odor, which made the child cry even louder.

However, Liu Dongran ignored everything and started washing.

"Brother-in-law, how is my niece?"

Zhou Dawei rushed over, but he never expected to see a scene that resembled hell on earth. The stretcher he was carrying was lost and fell to the ground.

Extending his right hand, Zhou Dawei pointed incredulously at "Liu Yanran" lying on the bed, and said in a trembling voice:

"Brother-in-law, what exactly happened? How did my niece get into this state?"

Forcing a smile, Liu Dongran explained helplessly:
"Yanran...she had a difficult childbirth..."

"Not only that, perhaps the pain of childbirth affected her, and her mental illness also flared up at this time, causing her to frantically harm herself."

"Later on, she seemed to get a little better and regained her senses. She grabbed my hand and said she wanted to save the baby."

"I...I...had no choice."

"I heard that the baby could be rescued by cutting open the abdomen, so I went to the kitchen and got a knife."

"When I woke up, this is what it was like."

"Thank goodness... thank goodness my grandson survived. At least Yanran knows this in the afterlife."

As if she had rehearsed it countless times, Liu Dongran recounted the story while sobbing.

It is illogical and also reveals a strangeness.

Zhou Dawei rushed over and saw that "Liu Yanran" was lying on the bed covered in wounds, clearly dead.

Having children has always been a taboo subject in rural areas. In fact, many people don't know the specifics of childbirth, otherwise they would easily have noticed something was wrong with "Liu Yanran".

However, the only midwife with relevant knowledge had already fainted from fright, and for a moment no one could see through Liu Dongran's obvious deception.

Seeing Liu Dongran break down in tears, Zhou Dawei was at a loss for what to do. He cautiously asked Liu Dongran:
"My niece has passed away. Please accept my condolences."

"Fortunately, the baby survived, and it's a boy. My niece can rest in peace now."

“It’s the dead of winter, it’s not right to leave my niece lying dead on the bed. And there’s no one from the Shen family here right now. Brother-in-law, you need to pull yourself together and help me come up with a plan.”

In an era of limited medical resources, it was not uncommon for children to die during childbirth, and it was also common for the mother to be sacrificed for the baby.

Moreover, since this was Liu Yanran's own idea, Zhou Dawei naturally had no objections. Instead, he became concerned about Liu Yanran's affairs after her death.

Seeing that everything was proceeding according to her plan, a glint of light flashed in Liu Dongran's eyes, and she feigned grief, saying:

"Brother-in-law, I'll have to trouble you with this matter. Please ask your wife to find someone to help Yanran clean her body so that she can be laid to rest as soon as possible."

“My daughter has always loved being pretty. She certainly doesn’t want to go down on the ground covered in blood like this, and besides, she doesn’t want others to see her in such an ugly state.”

"I have some money here. Could you please help me buy another coffin, brother-in-law, so that Yanran can rest in peace as soon as possible?"

Although he felt a chill run down his spine, Zhou Dawei still forced himself to speak:
"Brother-in-law, I'll listen to you and call someone to help right away."

Just then, Zhou Dawei noticed the baby crying nearby and advised:

"Brother-in-law, the living must come first. You should help take care of the child. This is Yanran's bloodline, and we absolutely cannot allow anything to go wrong."

It was as if Liu Dongran had just woken up from a dream. She took the child to the kitchen, got the hot water she had prepared, and washed him. Soon after, she wrapped him in the swaddling clothes she had prepared.

Feeling the warmth, the child cried for a while before finally falling into a deep sleep, unaware that his fate had already been changed. Not only would he not have a smooth life like in his previous life, but he was destined to have a life full of hardships.

When Shen Wei's family returned, what they saw was "Liu Yanran" already placed in a coffin, and the child crying loudly because there was no milk to drink.

Shen Wei frowned and asked loudly:

"What exactly is going on?"

Zhou Dawei sighed and recounted Liu Dongran's story to Shen Wei, then added:

"This incident was a huge blow to my brother-in-law, especially since he had been busy with things for most of the day. He should be resting in his room right now."

Upon hearing Zhou Dawei's words, Shen Wei's first reaction was disbelief, and he immediately questioned him loudly:
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Liu Yanran could not possibly have died like that!"

Liu Yanran is a scourge, a huge scourge, a scourge that I want to take revenge on. So wouldn't it be a waste for her to die?

However, Zhou Dawei misunderstood Shen Wei, thinking that he and Liu Yanran were deeply in love, which was why he was so excited.

Shen Wei's behavior at this moment was consistent with his previous actions, which immediately earned him Zhou Dawei's sympathy, who comforted him:

"Comrade Shen, I understand your feelings, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences." "My niece has done her best to keep the child, which can be considered as continuing the Shen family line and fulfilling her mission."

"We made sure to leave a gap in the coffin so you could catch a glimpse of her one last time."

"After you've seen your niece one last time, please seal the coffin and bury her as soon as possible so that she can rest in peace."

Upon hearing Zhou Dawei's words, Shen Wei's brows furrowed deeply.

He took a deep breath and looked inside the coffin, only to see a face that had been scratched.

Even though she was covered in wounds and even had some dried blood on her face, Shen Wei could still see a familiar shadow on "Liu Yanran's" face.

Liu Yanran and Zhou Zhaodi share the same blood, and although they are not exactly the same, they do have similar faces.

Furthermore, because his face was scratched by fingernails, Shen Wei was unable to tell whether the person lying in the coffin was Liu Yanran or not.

abdomen!

Shen Wei quickly discovered a key point and immediately decided to open the coffin to check "Liu Yanran's" stomach.

However, his impulsive action was immediately stopped by Zhou Dawei, who was standing by, who shouted at him:

"Comrade Shen, calm down."

"Your wife is already dead, so how can you prevent her from having peace?"

"Even on her deathbed, she was still concerned about the continuation of your Shen family line. She had her father cut open her abdomen to give birth to the child. How can you bear to continue to desecrate her body?"

Although his eyes were full of doubt, Shen Wei ultimately couldn't do something that would incur public wrath.

In everyone's eyes, Liu Yanran sacrificed her life to save the Shen family's only lineage, and she can definitely be considered a hero of the Shen family. Shen Wei should not do anything too outrageous, both morally and logically.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Wei nodded helplessly, though his eyes were full of doubt.

This was the Liu family's open scheme. Even if Shen Wei had doubts, he couldn't possibly do anything too extreme under these circumstances.

Seeing that Shen Wei had finally accepted the fact, Zhou Dawei breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Shen Wei would do something irrational. His brother-in-law had even told him to be careful to prevent Shen Wei from messing around and harming his niece's body.

Thinking this, Zhou Dawei continued arranging Liu Yanran's funeral, saying:
"Comrade Shen, not to mention that your family can't be considered part of Zhoujia Village, my niece died during childbirth. According to custom, she can only... find a suitable place outside."

"There's no need for a banquet or anything like that. If you're okay with it, we'll all arrange it for you today."

Although that special era has passed, some customs and habits have been preserved. This rule applies not only to Zhoujia Village but also to Wangjia Village.

Once "Liu Yanran" is buried with yellow earth, certain traces will be completely buried, making it even more impossible to prove the matter.

Faced with everyone's good intentions, Shen Wei was unwilling but had no choice. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and utter a single word—"Okay."

With Shen Wei's consent, things became much simpler. Before long, a tall mound of earth appeared not far from the two families.

As for why she chose this location, in Liu Dongran's words, it was because she hoped "Liu Yanran" could be closer to her family.

No one knew whether the family Liu Dongran was referring to was the Shen family or the Zhou family.

After saying goodbye to "Liu Yanran", the Shen family returned home.

Smelling the indelible stench of blood in the room, Shen Wei's face darkened, and he truly didn't know what to say.

At this moment, it was Liu Dongran who spoke first, saying:

"Son-in-law, I know that what happened before was something our Yanran did wrong to you."

"But please consider Yanran's sacrifice to leave an heir for your Shen family. Let bygones be bygones and don't bring it up again."

"This way, it's good for you, and it's also good for my deceased daughter."

With a cold snort, Shen Wei said sarcastically:
"Liu Dongran, you old bastard, don't try to twist the truth here, making it sound like Liu Yanran really made some great sacrifice."

"To risk your life to leave an heir for the Shen family? That's the funniest joke I've ever heard."

"If it weren't for that slut Liu Yanran ruining me, how could I not even have a child of my own?"

Upon hearing Shen Wei's accusations, even the most eloquent Liu Dongran was unable to refute them, and in the end only said one sentence:
"At least in name, in everyone's eyes, he is your child, and an extremely precious boy at that."

At this point, Liu Dongran changed the subject again, saying:

"Now that my daughter is dead, there is no need for me to stay any longer."

"Apart from my bicycle, everything in the house is yours as compensation."

"My poor Yanran, why are you so unlucky? You gave birth to a child and lost yourself..."

Seeing Liu Dongran looking at herself in self-pity and staggering out, Shen Wei's family ultimately couldn't bring themselves to say anything to stop her.

Just as Liu Dongran said, the only bond they had was Liu Yanran.

Now that this bond has been completely broken, there is naturally no need for him to stay.

Watching Liu Dongran push his bicycle and finally disappear completely into the darkness, Shen Wei finally closed the gate.

The three of them stood around the fast-sleeping child, exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of what to do with this bastard.

In the end, Shen Wei spoke first, saying:

"Since he is a bastard, there is no need for him to stay."

If it weren't for dealing with Liu Yanran, Shen Wei wouldn't have bothered with this child at all, since it wasn't his child.

"No way!" Shen Dong was the first to refuse. "Although that old bastard Liu Dongran is a scumbag, he's right. At least nominally, this is your child, so it is your child."

Kong Xiu also advised from the side, "Son, you can't have a child of your own right now. This child is still a life, so you should keep it."

Looking at his sleeping child, Shen Wei felt extremely agitated, and his manic disorder, which he had managed to suppress, seemed to be relapsing.

In the end, he sighed, succumbing to the last vestige of pity in his heart, and said:

"You can keep the child, but I'll have to choose the name."

"Gouwa, Shen Gouwa, what a wonderful name!"

(End of this chapter)