Adorable Kids in Space: Lucky Wife is So Carefree

"If anything happens to Xige, you'll pay with your life! I'll never let you go, even if I die." Xiu Niang's eyes were bloodshot as she glared at the vicious woman with hatred. Jiang Shi shuddered involuntarily. When did this resentful woman become so cruel? Those bloodthirsty eyes... she must be mistaken.

Ru Xiu bent down and gently stroked the heads of Sister Shi and Brother Le, who were crying and at a loss beside Brother Xi. She whispered something in their ears, and the two children immediately cleared their minds, raised their heads, and ran out the door while crying. Brother Le didn't even pick up his lost shoe.

"They killed someone! They killed someone! My grandma and auntie killed someone!"

"My older brother was beaten to death by my grandma and aunt, there was blood everywhere." Sister Shi and Brother Le were covered in blood, their hair was messy, their clothes were tattered, and they had wounds all over their bodies. They were crying with snot and tears streaming down their faces, and they stumbled and ran towards the places in the village where there were many people.

"Uncle, Aunt, my brother is dying. He's bleeding almost dry. Could you please call a doctor for us? Please, I beg you. I'm begging you." Covered in Xi Ge's blood, with a swollen face and wounds on his hands and feet, he startled everyone in the village.

As Le Ge cried out, he ran toward the village chief's house, not daring to slow down. The five- or six-year-old children fell down but got up and kept running. Even the chickens and ducks forgot to cluck and hurriedly made way for him. It was so pitiful. If he had been any slower, his brother would have been killed.

When Sister Shi returned, breathless, she knelt shakily beside Brother Xi, her face even paler than before, looking as if she was about to faint. A large group of people followed, all those who had come to arrange a blind date after hearing the news. Suddenly, the courtyard and entrance were packed with people, leaving the village deserted. Tangjia Village, as the name suggests, was almost entirely populated by people except for a few migrant households; tracing back several generations, they were all one family.

Seeing the blood all over Xige's body and Ruxiu and Ge'er, who were also covered in blood, everyone shook their heads. It seemed that this situation was difficult. In ancient rural areas, medical conditions could be managed for minor illnesses and injuries, but such serious cases basically meant that death was the only option.

"It seems that Brother Xi is no longer able to make it. What a good kid he was! Although he wasn't very bright, he was an honest and hardworking man. He did a lot of work in Tang Laoqi's fields!"

"What a tragedy! Ershi wouldn't have died if he hadn't been carrying such a heavy stone while serving in the army. How could Jiang and Zhang do such a thing? Aren't they afraid of divine retribution for mistreating these orphans and widows!"

"The eldest son's family is repaying kindness with enmity. Not only do they not help take care of the orphans and widows, but they also push all the housework onto Xiu Niang and the children. Shi Jie has to chop firewood with Xiu Niang every day, and she does a lot of chores around the house. Five or six-year-old Le Ge has to fetch water to water the vegetables and feed the pigs and chickens. His Xin Jie is a year older than Shi Jie, with delicate skin, and she doesn't do any work. She just does embroidery all day long."

"I heard that Ershi's family is about to die, and they won't give them any money for treatment. Look at their faces, they probably won't survive either."

"That's right, the eldest son's two children are in school, and I heard it costs seven or eight taels of silver a year. How come they're short of money for the second son's medicine?" Everyone in the village knew each other well and spoke their minds. They all scoffed at Tang Laoqi's family's actions without exaggerating or embellishing.

"These children are going to be in big trouble from now on. No one will be able to protect them." The women all wept. If it were a natural disaster, that would be one thing, but this was a man-made disaster. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it blatant murder.

Ru Xiu knelt with Xi Ge in her arms, saying nothing and silently shedding tears. Now was not the time to say anything; she should save her strength. The original owner had been bullied and manipulated by her in-laws and the first wife all these years because of her submissive and docile nature. The original owner died with resentment. Ru Xiu was not so easy to manipulate. She had to help Xiu Niang regain her composure, otherwise she would really be letting down the original owner's body.

“The children of the Da Shi family are all well-fed and healthy, and they are even studying in town. Such a wealthy family doesn’t lack food or clothing. But look at the children of the Er Shi family, they are all pale and thin. Oh! What a tragedy! How will they survive in the future?”

"There are scholars in the family! They've all wasted their education." The villagers were still pointing and gossiping. The eldest son's wife, relying on the men having respectable jobs outside and the children studying at the academy, always looked down on everyone and ignored the villagers and their relatives. Nobody could stand her.

"Get out, get out! What business is it of yours? Don't come to our house and gossip, or you'll give birth to a son without an anus!" Jiang waved her broom, stirring up dust, trying to drive people away. No matter how powerful she was, she didn't want anyone coming to her house to cause trouble. What was the purpose of having a whole yard full of people?

"Since you've already done it, why are you afraid of what people will say? The things you do every day are inhuman."

"No, a life has been lost, why would we be afraid of what others say? Old Mrs. Yang, don't think that the second wife's clothes are all pig's blood, do you?"

"Oh dear, Granny Jiang, you usually torment Ershi's family, then torment their grandchildren and don't even feed them. Now you're beating them to death and selling their grandchildren and daughters-in-law! Why don't you sell the eldest son's children too?"

"You widowed, childless old hag, if you keep spouting nonsense I'll poke your mouth to pieces!" Jiang cursed desperately.

"Did I hit a nerve? The other day, Uncle Zhu, who drives the oxcart in the village, heard what you and Da Shi said to the matchmaker in town. If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place. Er Shi's family, if you don't stand up for yourself, your child will belong to someone else." The person who spoke was Aunt Yao, who usually didn't get along with Jiang, but she was kind-hearted, couldn't tolerate any injustice, and was fearless. She spoke bluntly. Her husband and son had both passed away, and her only daughter had married into a neighboring village. She often gave Xi Ge and his family eggs and sweet potatoes, helping them out quite a bit. Now that she knew, she didn't hesitate to reveal all.

"Wow, such a thing really happens. In times like these, even poor families rarely sell their children. For a wealthy family like Tang Laoqi to do something like this is truly despicable." Although Tang Laoqi's family wasn't extremely wealthy, they were considered one of the top five richest families in the village.

"Exactly, exactly! They're so wicked. How could Da Shi do something like this? The whole family is rotten to the core."

Hearing these words, Ruxiu and the children were shocked. They had endured all kinds of hardships without complaint because they felt they were still family. They never expected that their uncle and in-laws would have such scheming intentions.

Shi Jie straightened her back and glared angrily at Jiang Shi: "If you dare to sell us, I'll burn the Tang family down." Shi Jie looked slender and delicate, with the features of a girl from a modest family, but because her mother was not a pillar of support and her younger siblings were being bullied, she would occasionally stand up to Jiang Shi. She had a tough personality, was a bit stubborn and fierce, and it was clear that she had been pushed to the limit.

Ge'er was so frightened that she clung tightly to Ru Xiu's back, holding onto her arm tightly and refusing to let go; she was usually terrified.

"Don't be afraid, your mother is here." Ruxiu hugged the trembling Ge'er, but Ge'er was still afraid. Her mother's shoulders were too thin and had never given them a strong support.