RYEY – Chapter 177 Even in Death, She Wants to Bring Harm to the Family

Cheng Qiao stomped hard on Xu Laidi’s ankle with her cotton-padded shoes. There’s a joint there that can cause unbearable pain even with a light touch—let alone Cheng Qiao pressing down with all her strength.

“Ah…”

Xu Laidi woke up in pain, wanting to scream, but no sound came out. She knew who was stepping on her foot; the scent of Cheng Qiao was too familiar.

Cheng Qiao handed little Cheng Li to Li Huan, grabbed Xu Laidi by her hair, and started dragging her outside. Xu Laidi tried to resist but found her arms dislocated.

A sharp pain shot through Xu Laidi’s arms, and they went limp. She realized Cheng Qiao would not let her go today. She regretted not learning medicine—if she had, she might have been able to dislocate Cheng Qiao’s arms in return.

A sudden pain hit her scalp again, and Xu Laidi had no choice but to follow Cheng Qiao. Li Huan walked behind them, holding little Cheng Li in one arm and Goudan by the other hand.

Soon, Cheng Qiao reached the riverbank, a spot with a flat stone slab where the village women liked to wash clothes.

“Little Cheng Li, is this where this woman pushed you?”

Cheng Qiao asked softly into her son’s ear. Little Cheng Li’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his mother—he knew what she was about to do, to get revenge for him.

He nodded resolutely, making little “oh-oh-oh” sounds, cheering his mom on to push her down.

Cheng Qiao smiled, patted her son’s head, and forcefully pushed Xu Laidi into the river. The river had a thin layer of ice, but it shattered under Xu Laidi’s weight.

Xu Laidi could swim, but with her arms dislocated, she could only rely on her legs. She kicked to keep her head above water.

But she forgot she was wearing padded clothes and trousers. They soaked up water quickly, and before long, Xu Laidi felt her body grow heavier, her legs weak, and she finally sank.

Little Cheng Li’s heart pounded—his past life had been like this too, struggling in water in padded clothes, with a cruel woman coldly watching.

Cheng Qiao stepped forward, grabbed Xu Laidi by her hair, lifted her from the water, and when Xu Laidi caught her breath, pressed her head back down.

After several rounds, Xu Laidi completely lost strength and temper. She only wanted to die, yet Cheng Qiao deliberately kept lifting her up.

Little Cheng Li exhaled, thinking, Mom is kind; she can’t let this wicked woman die. I can’t bear it either. It’s too scary.

“Goudan, just now that villain tried to choke you. You choke her back.”

Cheng Qiao gave Goudan a pair of cotton gloves. They were slightly big, but he put them on and pressed on Xu Laidi’s neck.

The gloves dispersed most of his force, and he was just a child, so he couldn’t apply much power.

Cheng Qiao didn’t want Xu Laidi to die at her hands—or at Goudan’s. That would be too easy for her. She wanted Xu Laidi to die under the law, to die under the authority of justice.

Seeing Xu Laidi close her eyes, Goudan felt some of his anger subside. Xu Laidi, tortured through the night, was returned to the village committee. Cheng Qiao, fearing she might freeze to death, lit a fire wall in her room.

Now Xu Laidi was even more desperate. Freezing to death would only be brief pain; alternating cold and heat was far more torturous.

Later that night, Xu Laidi developed a high fever. She shivered, her padded clothes soaked, the cold reaching her bones. Then the room suddenly warmed, making her relax—but relaxation allowed the cold to invade further. Her back sweated, yet her heart shivered from cold.

“Cheng Qiao, you won’t die well,” Xu Laidi cursed hoarsely. Perhaps the icy river had nullified the effects of the drugs; she could speak again, though her voice was rough.

At dawn, police in white uniforms arrived at the village committee.

Li Huan and a crowd of villagers were already waiting. Upon learning that Xu Laidi had tried to murder the heroic village chief’s son—and nearly killed the only child of a martyr, even causing the mother to have a stroke—they were furious.

They didn’t care about Xu Laidi, who was on the verge of death. Cold handcuffs secured her already-recovered arms, and she was pushed out of the village committee.

The cold wind cleared her foggy mind. She looked around for Cheng Qiao, not knowing that Cheng Qiao, little Cheng Li, and Goudan were asleep warmly on the heated kang.

The trial was quick. Xu Laidi, for her selfishness in trying to harm the hero’s son, the martyr’s son, and the mother, was found guilty with clear evidence and executed by firing squad.

On the day of the execution, Cheng Qiao didn’t bring the children. She brought Xia Fen instead. Xia Fen nearly wet herself at the sight of Xu Laidi being shot.

“Xia Fen, Xu Laidi told me those drugs were sent by you for her to harm me.”

“No, no, it was Liu Peili. She’s a cleaner at the hospital, she could get the drugs.”

“Really?”

Seeing Cheng Qiao’s doubtful expression, Xia Fen felt like kneeling. If she still didn’t know that her daughter and Xu Laidi suffered at Cheng Qiao’s hands, she truly would be a fool.

Actually, Xia Fen herself was tricked by a letter she thought was from her daughter. Maybe the letter wasn’t from her daughter at all, but written by Cheng Qiao.

Xia Fen regretted it. She should have listened to Cheng Liguo and left with her daughter. She would have had a home and some money.

Instead, she thought herself clever, wanted to teach Cheng Liguo a lesson—yet when the time came, she couldn’t even defend herself.

“Go report it! Report Liu Peili and Xu Laidi for stealing state property and harming people. Fortunately, I learned medicine from my master; otherwise, I’d have fallen for your tricks.”

Cheng Qiao pulled out a bag of the drug she prepared. Even hospitals couldn’t easily obtain it. Liu Peili, trying to help her daughter, would now face the consequences.

Xia Fen looked at the drug in disbelief, then at Xu Laidi on the ground. How foolish—to not even administer the drug after all this time. People like this deserved to die.

The police, after receiving Xia Fen’s report, immediately contacted the Huizhou police station. Once the two departments coordinated, the Huizhou police went to Xu Laidi’s home and arrested Liu Peili.