Chapter 13: The Incident and Departure

The room was eerily quiet, broken only by the low sobs of Li's mother.

Li's father slumped onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his hand clutching his extinguished pipe, as if all strength had been drained from him.

The news of Li Yuehua's unmarried pregnancy exploded in their hearts like a bombshell.

"Father, what...what are we going to do?" Li's mother snapped out of her daze.

She grabbed Li's father's arm, weeping.

"That girl, Yuehua, how could she be so useless? If word gets out, our family will be utterly disgraced!"

Li's father trembled with rage.

He kicked over a nearby stool, roaring, "That unfilial daughter! I'll beat her to death!"

Just then, Li's mother suddenly realized someone was missing from the room.

"Huh? Where's Yaqin? Where did Yaqin go?"

Li's father then remembered that he hadn't seen Li Yaqin since morning.

"Where has that girl run off to? I'm going to find her!"

Father Li stormed out of the house, like an enraged bull, his eyes bloodshot, as if spitting fire.

His weathered face was contorted with rage, the veins on his forehead throbbing like earthworms.

His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, the muscles in his arms tense like hard stones.

Dawn had long since passed, the sun was high in the sky, its rays scorching like needles.

Dust swirled in the village streets, the air thick with a sweltering heat.

But Father Li seemed oblivious to the heat, searching house to house for Li Yaqin.

His anxious demeanor was like that of someone searching for a lost treasure.

He grumbled as he questioned each household, his voice filled with restlessness and unease.

"Have you seen my Yaqin? That girl disappeared this morning!"

But all he received were shakes of the head and blank stares.

Li's father searched the entire village, but Li Yaqin seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

His already cloudy eyes now shone even more dimly, as if all hope had been lost.

His steps grew heavy, each step feeling like walking on cotton, weak and powerless.

His disappointment wasn't just about Li Yaqin's disappearance, but about Li Yuehua's unplanned pregnancy; there was no scapegoat.

He had poured so much effort into raising Li Yuehua; he couldn't let it all go to waste.

Without Li Yaqin to take the blame, Li Yuehua would likely be ruined.

Li Yuehua and Li Dayong had an unplanned pregnancy; Li Yaqin had run away from home.

These two events spread like wildfire throughout the village.

Of course, Li Yaqin had bribed the village children to spread the word at a specific time.

The purpose was to nail Li Yuehua and Li Dayong to the pillar of shame, branding them a scumbag and a bitch.

The villagers were in an uproar, gossiping and saying all sorts of things.

Various speculations and rumors spread like a plague through the village.

"Hey, have you heard? Old Li's second daughter ran away!"

A peasant woman wearing a straw hat and holding a hoe said mysteriously to the person next to her.

Her voice was low, but it still carried clearly to the ears of those around her.

"She ran away? Why did she run away?" a woman feeding the chickens asked curiously.

Her eyes widened, like saucers, filled with gossipy gleam.

"What else could it be? Her sister was pregnant out of wedlock. She must have found out something, and the Li family... disposed of her!"

The woman's voice lowered even further, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

It was as if she were revealing a shocking secret, her eyes flashing with excitement and fear.

"No way? Even though the Li family favors sons over daughters, they wouldn't be this cruel, would they?"

The woman feeding the chickens clearly didn't believe it; she shook her head in skepticism.

"What's impossible about that? What wouldn't they do to protect their reputation?"

"Besides, what does human life mean these days? Like grass, gone in an instant!"

The peasant woman pursed her lips, feigning worldly wisdom, her words filled with a sigh of lament for the coldness of the world.

"Alas, what a tragedy! Poor Er Ya, so young, gone just like that..."

An old man passing by sighed, shook his head, his face showing regret and helplessness.

At the village entrance, a group of people huddled together, buzzing like flies, discussing amongst themselves.

Their voices, some loud, some soft, some fast, some slow, mingled together.

Creating a cacophony of sound, echoing in the air.

At the village entrance, the crowd thronged, bustling like a market.

People gathered in small groups, whispering and murmuring.

Everyone's face was filled with curiosity and excitement, as if they were discussing something earth-shattering.

Li Yuehua and Li Dayong were awakened by the commotion in the village.

They realized, as if waking from a dream, that Li Yaqin was missing.

Li Yuehua, like a frightened fawn, clutched Li Dayong's arm helplessly, her voice trembling and on the verge of tears.

"Brother Dayong, what are we going to do? Yaqin ran away, Dad will definitely beat me to death!"

"I...my stomach..." She looked down at her slightly protruding belly, her eyes filled with fear and despair.

Li Dayong's face was also terribly grim, his brows furrowed like two sharp knives.

He pressed his lips tightly together, remaining silent, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse.

“Yuehua, don’t be afraid. We can’t hide it anymore. This child… can’t stay.”

He paused, a fierce glint in his eyes.

“We have to hurry, otherwise the Revolutionary Committee will come, and we’ll both be dragged off for public criticism!”

Li Dayong’s decisiveness reassured Li Yuehua slightly, but the thought of losing her unborn child still brought tears to her eyes.

She bit her lip, nodded, her voice choked with sobs: “I’ll do whatever you say…”

Li Dayong didn’t dare delay and immediately took Li Yuehua, stumbling and staggering, towards the town.

They found a secluded little clinic and had the procedure done in secret.

Three days after Li Yuehua’s abortion, several Revolutionary Committee cadres in uniforms, their expressions serious, indeed arrived in the village.

They were there to investigate Li Yuehua and Li Dayong’s premarital pregnancy.

It turned out that before leaving, Li Yaqin had secretly handed a letter of denunciation to an old man.

She also slipped him two roasted sweet potatoes, asking him to deliver the letter to the Revolutionary Committee in town.

The old man initially didn't take it seriously, until the news spread like wildfire throughout the village.

Even children were singing rhymes mocking the Li family. Only then did he suddenly remember the letter, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

This letter was probably related to this matter!

Three days later, he finally delivered the letter to the Revolutionary Committee, his hands trembling.

The Revolutionary Committee's jeep kicked up a cloud of dust, like a long, gray snake, and came to a screeching halt at the village entrance.

Several cadres jumped out, their faces ashen, their red armbands practically burning.

The Revolutionary Committee members had come with overwhelming force, like a pack of wolves drawn by the scent of blood, determined to tear them to pieces.

Looking at everything before him, Li Dayong's heart sank to the bottom, feeling as heavy as lead.

Once arrested by the Revolutionary Committee, his life would be over.

He resented Li Yuehua's stupidity and selfishness; if it weren't for her, he wouldn't be in this situation.

Looking at Li Yuehua's terrified eyes, he felt no pity, only endless disgust.

To save himself, to save Li Yuehua, he had to make a choice.

He still had a bright future; he couldn't afford to fail in this matter.

In desperation, his mind went blank, leaving only one thought:

He absolutely couldn't be arrested!

Li Yuehua had once been someone he loved, but now, she had become a burden.

Looking at Li Yuehua's terrified eyes, a flicker of guilt crossed his heart, but it was immediately overwhelmed by the will to survive.

He could only grit his teeth, harden his heart, and push Li Yuehua off a steep slope beside him.

He didn't even dare look Li Yuehua in the eye, only hearing her heart-wrenching screams echoing through the valley.

Each scream grew weaker than the last, lingering for a long time.

Li Yuehua tumbled down the hillside, sharp stones and thorns tearing at her clothes, leaving bloody welts on her body.

She was covered in injuries.

But these injuries also concealed her weakness and paleness after her recent miscarriage.