Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Her brows were slightly furrowed and her lips were lightly pursed. The laughter around her could not attract her attention at the moment. Her mind was completely occupied by the affairs of Ma Caifeng and Yang Qingfeng.

"Why do I feel so sad when I see them like this?" Huahua asked herself silently in her heart, but could not find the answer.

An inexplicable sense of loss spread in her heart, making her feel that the delicious tofu pudding on the table had lost its appeal and even the air had become sour.

At this moment, three clear and rapid gong sounds were suddenly heard in the village, one long and two short. This was a signal agreed upon by the villagers long ago. As long as the gong sounded, one long and two short, it meant that something major had happened or someone from outside the village had come in.

Everyone put down their tofu rice and their faces littered with nervous curiosity as they heard the unusual gong sound. The children stopped playing and stared at the adults with wide eyes. Then, everyone hurried out of the yard.

Xiuying's home is located on a hillside, which is quite high. Standing on the slope, everyone can have a panoramic view of the entire village.

From here, the scattered houses, winding roads, and the old locust tree in the village are all clearly visible. In the distant farmland, the unharvested crops sway gently in the breeze.

As soon as the sharp-eyed Mrs. Sun stood on the slope, she saw at a glance that something had happened in Zhou Dazhu's family.

Her eyes widened, and she pointed in the direction of Zhou Dazhu's house, shouting in a trembling voice, "Look, it's Dazhu's house!"

I saw a man dressed in yamen runner's clothes standing majestically in the yard of Zhou Dazhu's house.

The yamen runner was tall, with a serious expression, and a shining sword hanging from his waist, which made people feel intimidated.

Hongmei dragged Zhou Dazhu's legs tightly, crying and shouting at the top of her lungs, refusing to let the officers take him away.

Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in tears and despair, and her clothes were wrinkled from being torn apart. Their son, Zhou Xiaoxiong, was crying heartbreakingly in the yard, his small body trembling with fear and grief.

Zhou Xiaoxiong's crying was heartbreaking. He opened his arms helplessly, wanting to throw himself at his parents.

When everyone saw this scene, they rushed to Zhou Dazhu's house anxiously.

People walked in a hurry, with nervous expressions, and kept muttering, "What's going on?" The road was dusty, and everyone wanted to fly to Zhou Dazhu's house immediately to find out what had happened.

Xiuying hurried to Zhou Dazhu's house. Her expression was solemn as she walked straight up to him, bowed slightly, and asked anxiously, "Captain Zhang, what's going on? What has Zhou Dazhu done wrong?"

Captain Zhang looked around at everyone with a serious face, then told everyone loudly: "Zhou Dazhui committed murder!" Hearing this, the scene instantly became quiet, as if time had stopped.

Hongmei was completely stunned. She stood there blankly with empty eyes, as if she had lost her soul.

After a long while, she finally came to her senses and said in a trembling voice, "Impossible, impossible!"

Captain Zhang continued, "The body of Butcher Wang, Hongmei's father, was found at the foot of the cliff. Three months ago, Butcher Wang came to the government office and paid the money to have Zhou Dazhu released. Someone who was collecting herbs said he saw Zhou Dazhu and Butcher Wang get into a physical altercation."

Captain Zhang's voice echoed in the quiet courtyard, and every word was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of everyone present.

When everyone heard what Captain Zhang said, they immediately started talking. Everyone was talking at once, and the place was filled with noise.

"Three months ago, Zhou Dazhu was arrested by the government for arresting Xiao Laoliu. I was wondering how he was released. It turned out that his father-in-law went to the government to pay the bail money." A villager said, shaking his head.

"That's right, Zhou Dazhu's father-in-law is really something. He's always nice to Zhou Dazhu's family and often brings him meat." Another villager echoed, his face full of confusion. "Why would Zhou Dazhu kill his father-in-law? It must be a misunderstanding!"

"How could there be any misunderstanding? The people who were picking herbs saw them having a physical conflict." Someone questioned.

"Maybe there is some hidden secret? Zhou Dazhu doesn't look like the kind of person who would repay kindness with enmity." An old man stroked his beard and said thoughtfully.

"Hmph, you can only know a person's appearance but not his heart. Who knows what he is thinking?" A young and energetic young man snorted disdainfully.

Everyone had their own opinions and argued endlessly, and the whole yard was like a boiling pot.

Hongmei's expression was dull and her eyes were empty, and her thoughts seemed to drift back to every little detail of the past period of time.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her hands unconsciously tugged at the corners of her clothes. She recalled how, whenever she asked to go see her father, Zhou Dazhu would uncharacteristically and impatiently refuse to let her go. If she said anything more, he would erupt like a lit powder keg, yelling at her.

Daddy used to come visit her every month, bring her some delicious food, and chat with her, but he hasn't been here for three months now. Thinking of this, Hongmei's heart sank suddenly.

Her face turned pale instantly and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Zhou Dazhu was afraid that she would discover his unspeakable secret.

Hongmei's eyes were filled with pain and despair, tears welled up in her eyes, but she tried hard not to let them fall.

Her emotions erupted like a volcano, her eyes bloodshot, and she rushed towards Zhou Dazhu like a madman. Her hair was flying in disarray, and tears and sweat mixed on her face, making her look extremely miserable.

Hongmei grabbed Zhou Dazhui's collar desperately, shook him hard, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Did you kill Daddy? Was it you? Say it! Tell me!" Her voice was hoarse, filled with endless grief and despair.

"Why! Why!" Hongmei screamed non-stop, her voice threatening to tear the world apart. Her knuckles turned white from the excessive force, and her body trembled violently with excitement.

"Zhou Dazhui, you are such a heartless thing! Daddy is so good to you, he has paid so much for you, how could you have the heart to do that to him! Speak up! Speak up!" Hongmei's eyes were filled with anger, as if she wanted to eat Zhou Dazhui alive.

Everyone around was stunned by Hongmei's crazy behavior, and for a moment no one dared to step forward to dissuade her. The scene fell into a dead silence, with only Hongmei's grief-stricken questioning voice echoing in the air.