The two faced each other in silence when suddenly, a series of coughs echoed from the woodshed.
Su Xiaoqi's heart leaped. That was Zhao's voice.
She was alive, which was wonderful!
Relieved, she pulled her hand away from Shen Yun's and rushed over. The newly awakened Shen Erdan helped Zhao's up.
Seeing her approach, he trembled, afraid this detestable woman would harm them again.
It wasn't until he saw Shen Yun that he ran towards him, crying.
Su Xiaoqi's hands were clenched nervously.
Her fingernails dug in, making a scratching sound. She knew she had to face it eventually.
Zhao's awoke, appearing frail. The moment she saw Su Xiaoqi, she pointed at her:
"You, you unchaste woman..."
Zhao's was naturally kind, and even in her state, she couldn't utter truly harsh words.
However, under her accusation, Shen Yun confirmed his earlier suspicion.
This wife he had married was indeed not an easy one.
Only three days after their wedding, she was already involved with another man.
Not only that, but she had caused his mother to fall, nearly killing her.
She found his family poor and wanted a divorce.
But she should never have been having an affair with a lover at home, nearly causing his mother's death.
"Take her to the authorities," Shen Yun said, standing up and looking at Su Xiaoqi with cold indifference.
His gaze was so cold it didn't seem like he was looking at his wife, but at an enemy.
"No, don't," Su Xiaoqi exclaimed, rising abruptly and explaining that she hadn't done these things.
But who would believe her?
She didn't want to be sent to the authorities.
Here, women sent to the authorities had only two fates: being sold or exiled.
Taking advantage of Shen Yun's attention being on Zhao's, she sidestepped and ran outside.
She couldn't wait for death; she had to leave.
Find an opportunity to prove her innocence and clear Shen Yun's misunderstanding of her.
Seeing her run, Shen Yun did not give chase.
He merely glanced at her, his eyes sharp and cold.
Being sent to the authorities offered a glimmer of survival, but running out now meant certain death—she had brought this upon herself!
As Su Xiaoqi ran out of the dilapidated courtyard of the Shen family, she was blocked by a young girl leading a group of people.
"Catch her! I just heard it all. This woman is having an affair and tried to murder her mother-in-law."
"Catch her, catch her! Throw her in the river."
A large crowd, appearing from nowhere, holding hoes, carrying poles, and wielding sickles, shouted at Su Xiaoqi with shared indignation.
Before Su Xiaoqi could utter a word, she was bound tightly with hemp rope and thrown into a pig cage.
She looked up at the young girl who had led the charge to capture her.
The girl was stout, with a round face, dark skin, and small eyes. Someone called her Hai'e.
Su Xiaoqi's mind raced as she recalled.
This was Zhao Hai'e, the second daughter of the village head in Zhao Village.
She wondered what grudge the girl held against her.
While binding her, Hai'e pinched her several times, causing her to cry out in pain.
Besides Hai'e, a plump woman with a round face also struck her fiercely.
Amidst the pain, Su Xiaoqi turned back to look at the dilapidated courtyard of the Shen family.
Shen Yun stood tall and graceful. She called out to him desperately:
"Shen Yun, I truly didn't have an affair.
I didn't harm your mother, I'm not the real Su Xiaoqi..."
She was wronged!
Shen Yun's cold expression pierced her like an arrow.
Su Xiaoqi lowered her head, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
As a result, she didn't see the flicker of hesitation in Shen Yun's eyes when he heard her last sentence.
Su Xiaoqi was carried away, enduring the villagers' "greetings" of stones and slop water.
Amidst the jostling, she was thrown into the Yuanbao River and immediately swept away by the swift current.
Terrified, she cried for help. The moment she opened her mouth, river water surged in and drowned her.
Su Xiaoqi panicked. Before this, watching various people pass by, she had thought it was a dream.
Now, at the brink of death, she regained clarity.
This was real; she was truly going to die!
She swallowed a mouthful of water, bubbles rising from her nostrils. For the first time, she deeply felt the shadow of death.