Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

When Lu Xiuyu noticed the strange looks from those around her, her expression immediately changed.

Her body went limp, and she collapsed against Wu Baojun's legs, clutching his trousers tightly with both hands, tears streaming down her face as if they were free.

"Brother-in-law, please save me! They're going to beat me to death!"

Lu Xiuyu cried so hard her voice cracked, and she looked utterly miserable.

And he didn't forget to touch up the details:

"I meant well but ended up doing something wrong. I was thinking that I was wrong about what happened this morning, so I went to deliver a lunchbox to Lin Fang to apologize."

Who knew...who knew she would start by spreading rumors about us, and even try to dig my poor sister out of her grave to curse her.

Her scream was deafening, and her face was covered in snot and tears.

He pointed to the sky and began to howl:

"My dear sister... you died so young. If you have a spirit in heaven, please open your eyes and see. You haven't even been reincarnated yet, and you're already standing up for me. Your daughter and I are being bullied by this stepmother who hasn't even entered the house yet."

My dear sister, please take the bad guy away, otherwise we can't live like this.

When Wu Baojun saw Lu Xiuyu's miserable state, his heart softened completely.

He quickly squatted down, wanting to help Lu Xiuyu up.

He was still coaxing her, "Xiuyu, don't be afraid, your brother-in-law is here, who would dare to touch you?"

Wu Xiaocui, who had been hiding inside the house, also ran out.

When the little girl saw her aunt crying like a baby, she didn't understand what was going on, but she also burst into tears and threw herself into Lu Xiuyu's arms, crying, "I want my mommy."

Song Xianglan sneered, "They've started their ritual. They're trying to trick the ghost into killing Lin Fang."

The neighbors who were just pointing fingers have become biased again.

People are soft-hearted these days.

They can't stand seeing orphans suffer.

"Oh dear, this child is crying so pitifully."

"That's right. We're old neighbors here. Although the Wu family is a bit... well, Lu Xiuyu is Xiao Cui's aunt after all. It's only natural for her to protect the child."

"I don't think the Lin family is any good. They've already caused such a ruckus before even entering the house. What will they do to the children once they're married?"

"Let bygones be bygones; look how badly they've beaten him."

The wind shifted.

The people who had just spoken up for Song Xianglan also fell silent.

Upon seeing this, Wu's mother straightened up instantly.

She wiped her dry, tear-filled eyes and stepped forward to take Lin Fang's hand.

They were acting incredibly affectionately.

"Fang, look at the mess you've made. Don't you know how your aunt treats you?"

With a heartfelt expression, Wu's mother said, "Put yourself in my shoes, I treat you like my own daughter."

My son Baojun has a good temperament and is an honest person.

Once a woman gets married, she has to obey the man; the man is heaven, and the woman is earth.

"You're not even married yet, and you're already trying to ride roughshod over men. How awful will that sound if word gets out? You don't want people gossiping about you behind your back."

"Listen to your aunt's advice, apologize to Xiuyu and clear up today's misunderstanding."

Lin Fang felt a sharp pain from being gripped by that hand that looked like withered tree bark.

He tried to break free but was held tightly.

"Pooh!"

A crisp sound came from the side.

Tang Juhua strode over and slapped Wu's mother's hand away, the force so great that Wu's mother's hand instantly turned red.

"My aunt knows how to please her husband. In my family, my husband has to please me."

"I told him to stay in the back, so he stayed in the back; I told him to sit in a chair, so he sat in a chair." Tang Juhua put her hands on her hips, her loud voice making everyone around her's ears ring.

"I'd never hesitate to let him carry my leg. Don't you old women have any say in things at home?"

She glanced at Wu's mother with disdain.

"Aunt Wu, you look so miserable. Your husband has been too harsh on you. Besides, why didn't you tell me your son was being slapped in the face?"

Several aunties around couldn't resist.

He burst out laughing.

The young wife lowered her head, figured out what was going on, and suppressed a laugh.

Song Xianglan followed up with another blow:

"The Qing Dynasty has been gone for eight hundred years, why are you still putting on this melodramatic show? Do you think the Women's Federation and the neighborhood committee are just sitting around doing nothing?"

The voice just fell.

Several people from the neighborhood committee squeezed in from the periphery of the crowd.

"Make way, what are you all doing gathered here?"

Director Wang from the neighborhood committee walked in with a dark face. He had been intimidated by Old Zhao's reputation as a "family member of a combat hero," and was afraid something might go wrong here.

Upon seeing that Director Wang's fierce expression had lessened by half, and replaced with an expression of someone who had suffered injustice but still wanted to reason with him, Song Xianglan noticed that he had already softened his tone.

She grabbed Director Wang's hand with great enthusiasm.

"Brother, you've finally arrived. The neighborhood committee's eyes are sharp; they can see right through any trouble in this area."

Director Wang was taken aback by the grip and hadn't quite reacted yet.

Song Xianglan pulled her in front of Wu Xiaocui, who was faking tears.

"Brother, you be the judge," Song Xianglan said, pointing to Wu Xiaocui's pink tutu. "Isn't this dress pretty? Aren't these little leather shoes shiny? Isn't this hair accessory the only one of its kind around here?"

Director Wang nodded subconsciously.

"It's quite beautiful."

Song Xianglan turned to the gossiping neighbors and asked loudly:

"Look everyone, who among you would be willing to buy such nice clothes for your granddaughter or daughter? Did you buy any this year?"

The neighbors looked at each other and shook their heads.

Cloth ration coupons were scarce back then.

Every child wears hand-me-downs from their older siblings; as long as they can wear clothes without patches, that's fine.

Even ordinary factory workers' families dare not choose it.

"Wow, this is the kind of stuff you only find in big department stores." Someone with a sharp eye said, "I saw this style displayed at the supply and marketing cooperative; a set would cost over ten yuan."

"My god, just over ten yuan? That's ten days' wages gone!"

"That's incredibly generous."

Song Xianglan sneered: "Did you hear that? The clothes that cost a dozen yuan were bought for this child by my niece through her own hard work and frugality."

Not just this one, there are several more at home.

Lin Fang herself is frugal and doesn't care about food or clothing, yet she raises this child, who is not related to her by blood, like a princess. And you call this abuse.

She pointed at Wu's mother and Lu Xiuyu:

"You have the nerve to call this abuse?"

A girl in the crowd shouted, "Lin Fang, do you need a daughter? I'm only 200 months old this year. I also want to wear princess dresses, and I also want to eat White Rabbit candy. Come and torture me a bit!"

A woman standing nearby chimed in, "I'm a tiny bit older than her, 330 months older, and I want to be abused too."

Another girl chimed in from the side:

"Haha, I'm a little younger, 170 months old."

These words instantly shattered the previously tense atmosphere.

The neighbors burst into laughter.

My sympathy for the Wu family vanished instantly.

"My God, this isn't the behavior of a stepmother; even a biological mother wouldn't do this."

"My husband hesitates for ages before buying my daughter a hair tie. Is Lin Fang really that naive or just incredibly generous?"

"I think the Wu family is insatiable and greedy."

Lu Xiuyu, who had been crying so hard just moments before, was now caught in a dilemma: whether to cry or not. Her face was streaked with tears, making her look particularly comical.

The young man who went to fetch the matchmaker came running back, panting, followed by the out-of-breath Liu, the matchmaker herself.

"They're here! They're here! Matchmaker Liu is here!"

As soon as Liu Chounu saw the main character arrive, she rushed up and grabbed Liu the matchmaker by the collar, almost lifting the thin old woman up.

"You old hag, you've deceived us so badly!"

The ugly woman spat all over Liu the matchmaker's face. "No wonder people say matchmakers dare not walk at night, for fear of being haunted by ghosts."

"Were you blind or heartless before you married him? You dare say you didn't know about Wu Baojun's shady affair with his sister-in-law?"

The matchmaker, Liu, was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she waved her hands repeatedly.

"Sister-in-law, I'm innocent! I really didn't know."

"You're talking nonsense."

"Oh my god, have pity on me!"

With a bitter face, Matchmaker Liu cupped her hands to those around her and said, "Everyone, please be the judge. How would I know what they do behind closed doors?"

I'm not a mouse that crawls under someone's bed.

The matchmaker is just a messenger; at most, they're only there for a short while to have a cup of tea or relieve themselves. How could I possibly know the intricacies of things going on behind closed doors?

Matchmaker Liu's words, though crude, are not without merit.

The neighbors were delighted to hear this.

"Who would tell anyone about such a shameful thing?"

"It seems the Wu family has been keeping a low profile."

The blame has once again been shifted back to Wu Baojun.

Wu Baojun's face turned ashen. As the head of the security department, he was usually a big shot in the factory, and he had never been treated like this before.

He glared at Lu Xiuyu, who could only cry.

He cursed the idiot inwardly, thinking he was more of a hindrance than a help, and was also angry that Lin Fang didn't give him any face.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his expression.

He pushed Lu Xiuyu aside and walked up to Lin Fang.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with deep affection, as if he wasn't the one who had just raised his fist to hit someone.

"Lin Fang," Wu Baojun said in a low voice, with a hint of heartache, "I know you've been wronged. But there are some things you need to tell me. How will I know if you don't tell me?"

I truly had no idea my sister-in-law would go behind my back and cause you trouble. My feelings for you are as clear as day.

Lin Fang looked at the man in front of her.

This face that once made her feel at ease now seems... to her to be doubtful.

"You really don't know?" Lin Fang bit her lip, her voice trembling.

"I swear," Wu Baojun said righteously, "If I knew about the filthy things Lu Xiuyu had done, may I be struck by lightning. I, Wu Baojun, have done nothing wrong; it's all a misunderstanding."

"I'm reporting it."

Song Xianglan shouted.

"Some people are engaging in feudal superstition. What era are we living in that they're still making oaths?"

If swearing oaths were effective, what would be the point of having police? What would be the point of having laws?

"God is too busy to care about your private matters."

Wu Baojun was so choked up that he almost couldn't catch his breath.

The neighbors around laughed so hard they almost fell over, and some even whistled.

Seeing this, Wu's father knew that going out would only lead to his death, so he quickly turned back and kicked Wu Baomei, who had been hiding behind the door.

"From the moment we called your grandma over, we told her that someone was going to demolish our house and arrest your second brother to put him in jail."

Wu Baomei turned pale with fright and ran towards the back door as soon as she heard this.

"Lu Xiuyu is a jinx, always meddling and causing trouble. I think she just doesn't want my second brother to get married and wants to keep the job for herself."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wu's face twitched.

Seeing Wu Baojun rendered speechless by her rebuttal, Liu Chounu finally felt a little better.

She loudly announced to the Wu family:

"Today, in front of everyone, there are some things that must be made clear. This marriage is no longer possible for the Lin family."

"The engagement is called off, and the Wu family and Lu Xiuyu must apologize to my daughter."

They also had to write an apology letter by hand and post it at the store entrance.

You must compensate me for the damage to my daughter's shop and for the money you cheated me out of during this time.

"If you're short even a penny, I'll go to your factory and cause a scene. I'll see if you, the head of security, have any shame left."

Those watching the spectacle couldn't help but shout "Bravo!"

"Compensation is mandatory!"

"We can't let this family of ungrateful wretches get away with it."

Wu Baojun stood there, his face burning as if he had been slapped hundreds of times.

Looking into Lin Fang's resolute eyes, he felt panicked for the first time.