At the hospital, the doctor pushed Li Youfeng out of the room, only to find not a single family member present.
"Li Youfeng's family! Li Youfeng's family!"
The doctor, wondering if they had run off and contemplating calling the police, happened to spot her second brother appearing just then. The doctor couldn't help but lash out in anger: "You are the family of Li Youfeng? Honestly, what kind of people are you? She just suffered a miscarriage, and your family is so heartless you couldn't even leave one person behind to look after her? If something had gone wrong, you’d be the ones crying your eyes out later."
"Yes! Yes!" the second brother, Li Youcai, replied.
Deep down, Li Youcai was cursing Lin Dequan to hell; what a useless piece of trash.
Seeing the family member's submissive attitude, the doctor’s tone softened. "Alright, the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. When she wakes up, call us if she feels any discomfort. Stick to a light diet today, and once there are no issues, you can start supplementing her nutrition."
The doctor left after giving these instructions.
Li Youfeng didn't wake up until near sunset. After hearing from her second brother that her son was gone, she lay there blankly, staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes, looking like a living corpse. No matter what Li Youcai said or how he tried to comfort her, it was useless; his throat was parched from talking.
Just then, Ke Xiaohong walked in carrying a thermos.
"Second Uncle, Aunt," Ke Xiaohong said. "I've come to bring you something to eat."
"Oh, Second Brother's wife, you're here. How thoughtful," Li Youcai replied. "Just set it down; we'll eat in a bit." Watching his own sister like this had killed his appetite.
Ke Xiaohong leaned in and whispered to Li Youcai, "Second Uncle, how is Aunt?"
Li Youcai glanced at his sister, then pulled his niece-in-law aside. "Your aunt had a miscarriage. The baby didn't survive, and she’s taking it hard. I can't get through to her at all. You try talking to her."
"Second Uncle, when I left, my father-in-law asked me to come take your place," Ke Xiaohong said. "Second Aunt also asked me to pass on a message: she wants you to come home for a bit."
"Alright, that works," Li Youcai said. "There's nothing much to do here now. You watch over your aunt, and I'll go have a word with the Lin family."
"Okay! Don't worry, Second Uncle, I'll take good care of Aunt."
"Good." Li Youcai took one last look at Li Youfeng and left.
Once Ke Xiaohong confirmed her uncle had gone, she closed the door and sat down beside her aunt. "Aunt, are you hungry? I brought you some red date porridge."
She was met with deathly silence.
Unfazed, Ke Xiaohong continued slowly, "Aunt, you don't know this, but today my husband was ready to stab me with a bamboo skewer. Someone stopped him. My father-in-law tied him up, and because I was afraid they might do something to him, I went and called Grandpa Lin. By the time I got there, they seemed to have finished talking. But after leaving our house, Grandpa Lin looked like he was heading straight for the machinery factory director."
Li Youfeng’s pupils shifted. She snapped back to reality and slowly turned to look at the sallow-faced, timid, and seemingly dull woman before her—the niece-in-law she had always ignored. It was as if she were seeing her clearly for the first time. She didn't believe for a second that the woman was saying these things for no reason.
"Speak," Li Youfeng said. "What do you want? I don't believe for a moment you're being kind. Tell me your goal."
Ke Xiaohong’s eyes brightened. She hadn't expected her aunt to be so sharp, which saved her the trouble of explaining. "As expected of my aunt—so clever. I have two pieces of information. Not only can they get you a job after this tragedy, but also a hefty settlement. I only want half of that settlement. How about it? Are you willing to cooperate?"
Hearing this, Li Youfeng finally took her seriously. She realized this niece-in-law really intended to drive the Li family to ruin. That was fine; she could never go back to her maiden home anyway, so she might as well bite off a piece of them to avenge her son.
Having made up her mind, she kept her expression neutral and said calmly, "How do I know what you're saying is true? What if you turn around and frame me later? I'd be walking right into your trap."
"Aunt, you don't have to worry about that," Ke Xiaohong replied. "If it weren't for the fact that my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law were planning to kick me out these past two days, I wouldn't have come to this. I had planned to observe the three-year mourning period for Jianshe, or at least the first hundred days. Instead, they’re sweeping me out before his funeral is even over. I won't accept this."
Li Youfeng curled her lip. That sounded exactly like something her eldest sister-in-law would do, and she began to believe her niece-in-law.
"Fine," Li Youfeng said. "Tell me your two pieces of information first, and let's see if they're worth the price."
"First," Ke Xiaohong said, "the other party paid a formal position at the textile factory and 5,000 yuan for my husband's death."
As soon as the words left her lips, Li Youfeng moved to grab her niece-in-law's hand in excitement, but accidentally pulled at her stitches, grimacing in pain. Seeing this, Ke Xiaohong moved to call the doctor, but Li Youfeng stopped her.
"Xiaohong! I'm fine! No need for the doctor, I just moved too fast. It's nothing! Keep talking!" she said, enduring the pain to soothe Ke Xiaohong. This news was explosive.
"Aunt, are you sure you're okay?" Ke Xiaohong asked.
Seeing her aunt nod, she continued, "The second piece of news: my father-in-law has a mistress, Widow Huang from the front street, and her youngest son is actually my father-in-law's own flesh and blood."
This was something she had guessed in her past life. Even without evidence, there's no smoke without fire; Ke Xiaohong knew it to be true. Otherwise, why would the old man be so insistent on marrying Widow Huang less than a hundred days after his first wife died, and why would he buy her son a house and a car? He even declared he would leave his inheritance to his "stepson." He told the world it was fate, but she didn't believe a word of it; that was definitely not a stepson—that was his own son, no doubt about it.
With the advantage of foresight, Ke Xiaohong spoke with absolute confidence.
Li Youfeng could hardly believe her ears. She was stunned, her mind reeling from the two revelations. She pinched her arm hard, and the sharp pain pulled her back to her senses. She couldn't help but look at this niece-in-law again—someone she had always overlooked. When she finally struck, she went full force.
*She's terrifying. Truly terrifying! Thank goodness I’m not her enemy!*
She could understand how the first piece of news was easy to get, but the second one—not even her eldest sister-in-law, who shared her brother's bed, knew about it. That showed how well her brother had hidden it. The fact that the niece-in-law knew this meant she had been hiding her true self all along.
*Incredible! Simply incredible! I never imagined my brother had this side to him. Every time he acted so righteous and upright in front of us siblings, it was just pure hypocrisy.*
"Aunt, what's wrong? Do you feel like vomiting?" Ke Xiaohong grabbed a basin from under the bed to help her.
After retching for a long time, only some fluid came up. Li Youfeng waved her hand to signal that the basin could be set aside.
Taking a slow breath, she said, "I won't ask how you got this information. Are you sure you want to trade with me? You could take either of these to the police or the Women’s Federation yourself, and you might get even more than what I’m offering. Why cooperate with me?" She truly didn't understand the girl's reasoning.
Ke Xiaohong wasn't surprised by the question. "Aunt, I'm giving you this information for two reasons. One, I trust you won't pocket my share of the money. Two, I need your help. I remember your husband has an older brother working in the provincial capital. Could you please have Brother Lin help me find a place to live? I want to move my residency to the provincial capital."
As soon as these words were out, Li Youfeng’s heart settled. It seemed this second request was the real reason the girl had sought her out.
"You don't want to go back to your own family?" Li Youfeng asked.