Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Dead

When they learned the coat was brought over from Hong Kong by a favor and cost 350 yuan, both An Hui and Lu Deyao were stunned speechless.

An Hui took Jiang Moli’s hand and said, "You wanted to thank Tingting, but you didn’t need to buy such an expensive coat."

For people of this era, spending 350 yuan on a coat was an excessive luxury. After all, an ordinary worker’s annual salary was only about that much.

But for Jiang Moli, who was on the verge of becoming a multi-millionaire, it was pocket change.

She patted the back of An Hui’s hand knowingly. "Mom, I get it. I’ll get you one just like it some day soon."

An Hui chided, "That’s not what I meant!"

Jiang Moli smiled. "Alright, I’m just teasing you. Once the script adaptation for *Chasing Dreams* is done, I’ll get a nice royalty payment, and Tingting deserves some credit for that money, too. Besides, she’s a young woman now. She should have a nice piece of clothing to make a good impression."

Hearing Jiang Moli say this, An Hui and Lu Deyao were both very gratified.

Although their daughter-in-law and granddaughter seemed to be at each other’s throats, bickering the moment they met, deep down, they both cared for one another.

’A family has to stick together. That’s the only way to have a happy home where everything goes well.’

...

「The Wei Residence.」

Liu Sufen brought the stewed pig’s trotters to the table. The two brothers, Wei Guojun and Wei Guoliang, eagerly reached for them with their chopsticks, but Liu Sufen slapped their hands away.

"Settle down! I’ll portion it out."

As she spoke, Liu Sufen first picked up Wei Shan’s bowl. She added several large, glistening, and tender pieces of pig’s trotter, then ladled in several spoonfuls of the milky-white broth until the bowl couldn’t hold any more, before setting it down in front of Wei Shan.

"Thanks, Mom!" Wei Shan beamed.

"You little rascal, eat up. Get your strength back soon!"

Liu Sufen chided her affectionately while continuing to portion out the pig’s trotters for the rest of the family.

Compared to Wei Shan, the others’ portions were meager.

Each person only got one piece of trotter and one spoonful of broth.

However, no one complained. Although Wei Shan had been lucky to escape with her life, she was still very weak, and the doctor said she needed plenty of nourishing food.

Besides, the pig’s trotters had been specially delivered by the Zhao Family for Wei Shan’s recovery. They were lucky enough to get a taste.

The whole family was happily gnawing on the pig’s trotters when Wei Guoliang suddenly said, "Second Aunt is still outside. Shouldn’t we send some food out to her?"

Liu Sufen’s expression hardened. "Why bother with her? Serves her right if she starves to death!"

Seeing Liu Sufen’s fury, the family fell silent and quietly ate.

After just a couple of bites, Liu Sufen suddenly threw down her chopsticks and got up to go outside.

The rest of the family watched her back as she left.

Wei Shuan asked what she was doing, but Liu Sufen ignored him, rushing into the courtyard to open the main gate.

"Sister-in-law..."

Seeing Liu Sufen, Li Hongying, who was squatting on the ground, hastily tried to stand up, but her vision went black and she almost collapsed.

She had returned the previous evening, intending to plead for her daughter, but Liu Sufen had chased her out with a broom.

She refused to leave and had been waiting at the Wei family’s gate ever since.

Worried, Wei Shuan and his sons came out of the house as well.

Upon seeing Wei Shuan, Li Hongying immediately dropped to her knees before the family with a THUD. "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Xiao Qing was just confused for a moment. She’s her father’s only child! I’m begging you, for her father’s sake, spare her! Please, I’m begging you! I’ll work for you like an animal for the rest of my life..."

Li Hongying’s kneeling and crying pleas did not soften Liu Sufen in the slightest. With a face full of hatred, she roared:

"If Second Brother knew his daughter was this kind of heartless beast, he would wish she had never been born! You’re her mother! You raised such a conscienceless menace! What right do you have to kneel here and beg us to let her go!"

Saying this, she roughly pulled Li Hongying up. "You come with me. You can see for yourself what your black-hearted daughter has done..."

Cursing nonstop, Liu Sufen dragged Li Hongying up the mountain.

Feeling uneasy, Wei Shuan and his sons followed behind them.

Wei Shan stood in her doorway, watching Li Hongying’s frail, stumbling figure with an expression full of hatred.

Although she had escaped with her life, she had nightmares every night. The moment she closed her eyes, it was as if she were back in the cave where she was buried alive, trapped in darkness and death, feeling hopeless and suffocated.

’I could never forgive Wei Qing in this lifetime!’

They soon reached the cave where Wei Shan had been buried alive. Liu Sufen dragged Li Hongying inside.

After just a few steps, they reached the scene of the live burial.

Although the light inside the cave was dim, enough daylight filtered in that one could make out the general scene.

"See for yourself! This is what Wei Qing did! She dug this hole with her own two hands! It’s so deep! And this stone slab, and all this dirt... it was all to cover the hole. She never intended for our Xiao Shan to live!"

The more Liu Sufen spoke, the more her hatred grew, and she began hitting and kicking Li Hongying to vent her fury.

Li Hongying didn’t resist. She knelt on the ground, her gaze sweeping over the damp earth, the stone slab, and the sinister opening of the pit. She was frozen in shock.

When she heard from the police that her daughter had tried to murder her niece, she had been shocked and terrified, but deep down, she had subconsciously tried to make excuses for her daughter.

’Her daughter had just been foolish for a moment; she wasn’t an irredeemably evil person.’

But at this moment, seeing with her own eyes what her daughter had done, her conviction utterly shattered.

Large teardrops rolled from the corners of her eyes and splattered onto the ground.

Li Hongying prostrated herself in shame before Liu Sufen’s feet, sobbing uncontrollably. "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I didn’t raise Xiao Qing right. That’s why she did something worse than an animal. But I’m her mother, I can’t just abandon her! If your anger still isn’t appeased, just take my life instead, won’t you?"

Liu Sufen shoved her away violently, her eyes bloodshot. "Cut the crap! If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to live! I’d just find a rope and hang myself! A life for a life—that’s the law of heaven and earth! Today, it doesn’t matter if it’s you pleading. Even if the Jade Emperor himself came, it would be useless!"

Having vented her anger, Liu Sufen stormed off.

Wei Shuan and his son followed her out.

The villagers who had gathered outside to watch the commotion gossiped for a while before they too dispersed.

Li Hongying was left kneeling alone inside the cave, looking at the sin her daughter had committed, overwhelmed with grief and despair.

...

As darkness fell, Li Hongying still hadn’t come down from the mountain. Wei Shuan grew worried and told his eldest, Wei Guojun, to go up the mountain and check on her.

Wei Qing’s crime was unforgivable, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate Li Hongying.

His second brother had died young, and it hadn’t been easy for Li Hongying to raise her daughter all by herself.

Although Li Hongying had remarried, she hadn’t cut off contact with their family over the years. There was still some bond between them.

The only one to blame was his niece, who was rotten to the core. His second brother’s line was now ruined.

*Sigh.*

Just as he was sighing in dismay, Wei Guojun came running back, frantic. "Dad, something’s happened!"

...

Jiang Moli had just finished a goodwill performance tour and had a five-day mini-vacation.

She spent her days either at home revising her script or out discussing it with Lin Jianfeng, occasionally meeting up for a meal with Yang Lijiong, who was also on break. Her days were busy and fulfilling.

That evening, she had just finished revising her script and was getting ready to wash up for bed when the phone rang.

She picked it up. It was Jiang Dahai on the line.

Jiang Dahai’s voice was hoarse and tinged with sobs. "Moli, your Aunt Hongying... is gone."

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