Chapter 479: Chapter 472: Sneaky Wu’s Sister-in-Law
The fundraising activities organized by the wives of the County Committee members had won the county government a lot of good reputation. Hu Dingkun, upon learning that his wife, Zhang Rumeng, was the leading organizer, rarely complimented her after returning home. This made Zhang Rumeng feel as gleeful as if she had eaten honey, and she secretly resolved to undertake more of these reputation-gaining activities in the future.
By the end of June, Sisi was nearly six months pregnant. Her belly only started to show from the fifth month, and even now it was not very obvious; when she went out, people at most thought she was only three months along.
Moreover, Sisi didn’t have the chloasma common on other pregnant women’s faces, nor was she swollen all over. Her complexion was exceptionally good, with her skin smoother and fairer with a healthy glow than before her pregnancy. She looked comfortable to the eyes. Although she had become a bit rounder than before her pregnancy, because she was originally slender, her current weight gain was just right – she looked even more beautiful and not at all like a heavily pregnant woman.
The people in the compound were all discussing the Deputy Secretary’s Wife’s pregnancy, and everyone thought Sisi was carrying a girl.
"It must be a baby girl. Look at Mr. He’s skin and complexion, it’s definitely a girl without a doubt. I was the same when I had my second daughter; my skin was so smooth. My husband said the prettiest I ever was, was when I was pregnant with our second daughter!"
"It’s not necessarily certain, Mr. He’s belly looks pointy, I think it looks like a boy."
"It’s for sure a girl. How about we make a bet? Whoever loses treats everyone to a meal at the restaurant."
"Alright, let’s bet."
....
Sisi was unaware that the people in the compound were betting on her belly. At the moment, she was visiting the hospital with Zhang Rumeng and Sister Du to see Danni, the little girl who was traumatized, and also to have a prenatal checkup.
The injuries of the little girl were very severe: she had been slashed on the head, and twice on the back; the cut on her head was the most serious as you could see the bone. That the child survived was truly a stroke of luck.
Physical injuries were one thing, but Danni’s real trauma was to her soul. She had witnessed her parents and siblings’ bloody demise, which had immensely traumatized her. Especially afraid of strangers, she would tremble with fear like a startled little rabbit whenever she saw one, looking extremely pitiful.
At the moment, Sisi felt no sympathy for Zeng Tiesheng—pity is often mingled with contempt. Although Zeng Tiesheng’s fate was tragic, it was Zeng Daniu and Wu Yun who had a grudge against you. If you sought revenge, you should have gone after these two, why involve other innocent people?
Not to mention children like Danni and her siblings, how could Zeng Tiesheng have brought himself to harm them?
Moreover, before committing these acts, Zeng Tiesheng had not considered how his parents and three daughters would live in the future. In truth, Zeng Tiesheng was actually escaping reality. He might have relieved himself, but he left endless pain for others.
Currently caring for Danni was Zeng Daniu’s sister-in-law, an honest and simple woman, who was attentive to Danni. However, her face was full of worry: she fretted about their crops at home, fearing her husband could not manage alone and also anxious about their future. With an extra mouth to feed, their household was not wealthy, and their days were feared to be even harder.
Sisi quietly pulled the honest woman aside, took out 1000 yuan from her bag, and handed it to her, "Sister, take this money for now. Danni is seriously hurt; buy her some nutritious products."
The honest woman refused to accept the money no matter what, but she couldn’t persist against Sisi. In the end, she gratefully accepted the money, incessantly mumbling ’What a good person!’
Sisi’s mood was not light. Her personal relief efforts were only temporary; the most important thing was to boost the local economy, so everyone could become wealthy.
Furthermore, Danni’s psychological shadow was too heavy. She must have treatment from a professional psychologist, or the child might be ruined.
However, Huang County didn’t have any professional psychologists, and at that time, psychologists really were few and far between. Many people hadn’t even heard of the profession. The provincial capital should have some though, and Zhong Anping, who worked in this field, would probably have some good recommendations. I should give him a call later.
The miserable state of Danni was not only unbearable for Sisi to witness, but even Zhang Rumeng and Sister Du couldn’t help but sigh heavily at the sight.
After staying for a while, the three of them said goodbye and left. Zhang Rumeng walked slowly, arm in arm with Sisi; all three were in a somber mood and thus remained silent without speaking.
They had just walked out of the hospital gate when Zhang Rumeng suddenly made a "Huh" sound and pointed ahead, asking, "Sister Du, Sisi, do you see that? Isn’t that Wu’s sister-in-law?"
Sisi and Sister Du looked in the direction Zhang Rumeng was pointing and indeed saw the robust figure of Wu’s sister-in-law. However, she seemed to be in a hurry at the moment, carrying a basket covered with a cloth, looking sneaky.
"Why is she coming to the hospital with a basket?" Sisi wondered. A basket had nothing to do with the hospital.
"Yeah, you can’t buy vegetables at the hospital, so what’s the deal with the basket? Really, some people do the strangest things," Zhang Rumeng murmured.
Sister Du seemed thoughtful but didn’t say much, quickly changing the subject with a laugh and talking about other things.
Sister Du went back to cook lunch, Hu Dingkun and Tian Xinhua went to supervise construction at the reservoir, and neither of them would come back for lunch. Zhang Rumeng’s two children were also living with their grandparents in the provincial capital, so she too was one of the carefree ladies.
Seeing Zhang Rumeng alone, Sisi invited her to have lunch at her home, and Zhang Rumeng gladly accepted. Granny Zhao was stewing chicken soup in the kitchen, and the fragrant aroma was tantalizing, making Zhang Rumeng repeatedly say how lucky she was today.
The two of them sat in the yard, chatting and enjoying some snacks, when suddenly a figure flashed past the gate—it was Wu’s sister-in-law, still carrying the basket. She probably walked back, arriving a bit later than them.
Something in Sisi’s mind stirred, feeling that there was something off about Wu’s sister-in-law, and she stood up to walk to the edge of the yard wall, looking through the cracks.
"Sisi, what are you looking at?" Zhang Rumeng asked curiously.
"Shhh"
Sisi turned her head and made a quieting gesture, beckoning Zhang Rumeng over with a wave. Zhang Rumeng, also intrigued, approached to peer through the crack.
In the yard, Wu’s sister-in-law took out an enamel basin from inside the house, placed it under the tap to fill it with water, and then brought over the basket next to the basin.
Wu’s sister-in-law lifted the cloth and pulled out something bloodied from inside the basket, about the size of an adult’s foot. The item was obscured by blood, so it was hard to make out what it was, only that it was an irregular object.
"What is that she is holding? It looks really disgusting," Zhang Rumeng mumbled to herself.
Sisi didn’t know either and gestured for her to keep watching. They both had their curiosity piqued by Wu’s sister-in-law; if they didn’t figure out what it was, they might lose their appetite for lunch.
However, after finding out what it was, they lost their appetite for lunch all the same.