From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

”I was in the attic the whole time. I watched quite a show.”

Su Li stood before Qin Shanshan and spoke with a faint smile. ”Alright, Qin Shanshan. Why don’t we recount the course of events for everyone?”

”Recount what? Let go of me! I don’t know anything.”

Qin Shanshan, assuming Su Li was about to expose her previous actions, refused without a second thought.

”Oh, don’t be so modest. You’re the star of the show. How could you possibly not know anything?”

Su Li grabbed Qin Shanshan by the shoulders, forcing her to face the villagers.

”Since everyone is so concerned, Qin Shanshan and I will tell you the whole story.”

Su Li’s cold gaze swept over the crowd. The villagers who had been about to speak felt a chill run down their spines and immediately fell silent.

Satisfied, Su Li slowly began to speak.

”This all started during dinner. Qin Shanshan was getting another helping of food and ’accidentally’ spilled broth all over me.”

Su Li pointed to her clothes, where chili oil stains were clearly visible from her shoulder down her front. ”Many of you saw it happen.”

The villagers nodded, and Su Li continued.

”My clothes were a mess, so I couldn’t wear them. I came home to change, and when I arrived, I heard a cat meowing in the attic. I went up to take a look. I don’t know whose cat it was, but it was chasing a mouse and had even eaten a piece of our cured meat...”

”I won’t bore you with the details of the cleanup. The point is, I was tidying up for a while, and just as I was about to come down, I saw Qin Shanshan rushing toward my house.”

Su Li patted Qin Shanshan’s shoulder.

”She was pulling on her clothes, looking around frantically, and trailing behind her was the naked fool. I was so startled that I didn’t make a sound.”

Just as Qin Shanshan started to protest, Su Li squeezed her shoulder hard. A sharp pain shot through Qin Shanshan, rendering her speechless as Su Li continued talking.

”Qin Shanshan came into my house, shoved the fool into the side room, and then scurried away. I was a bit scared. I hesitated for a moment, and was just about to go find Tang Yuanxiao to tell him what happened when... Qin Shanshan came back.”

Su Li patted Qin Shanshan’s shoulder again. Qin Shanshan’s face was ashen. ”No, that’s not what happened.”

Her protest was pitifully weak, completely drowned out as Su Li raised her voice.

”She came back, threw open the door to my side room, and screamed, ’Su Li is with another man!’ Then all of you came running... I don’t need to repeat what happened after that. You were all there.”

The moment Su Li finished speaking, the Tang Family courtyard erupted.

It was a stunning reversal. The villagers were completely dumbfounded.

Su Li looked at them, a mocking smile on her face. She finally let go of Qin Shanshan and spread her hands. ”Tsk, tsk... what a performance. I was captivated.”

At this, she ignored Qin Shanshan, who had stumbled to the ground. Her smile vanished, and she turned sharply to the village chief.

”Village Chief, they say you have to catch both parties to prove adultery. None of you even saw me, yet you were all so eager and self-righteous, convicting me of infidelity and sentencing me to Chen Tang. What kind of justice is that?”

After Su Li’s accusation, the buzzing crowd suddenly fell silent. The Tang Family courtyard, filled with nearly a hundred people, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The village chief’s face flushed crimson. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, utterly defeated.

What could he say? There was nothing he could say!

It wasn’t just him; no one in Xinghua Village knew what to say.

They glanced at the fool on the ground, and then, one by one, all eyes turned to Qin Shanshan.

Qin Shanshan was on the ground, her face ashen and twisted in a snarl. She trembled with rage, glaring at Su Li with a look that could kill.

”Su Li, you slandered me! I’ll kill you!” Qin Shanshan finally snapped, screaming as she lunged at Su Li.

”You’re the one with a guilty conscience! Why did you drag me into this?”

In the crowd, Aunt Li gasped, unable to catch her breath, and fainted on the spot.

Everyone was stunned, watching helplessly as Qin Shanshan charged at Su Li.

Just then, Tang Yuanxiao—who had been frowning silently ever since Su Li appeared—finally moved. He stepped in front of Su Li in a flash, grabbing the hand Qin Shanshan had raised to strike her.

Tang Yuanxiao’s cold, emotionless gaze made Qin Shanshan feel as if she had been plunged into an ice cave. She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes turning red as tears began to fall. PLOP. PLOP.

”Brother Tang Yuan, Su Li is slandering me, she’s framing me! How could I... with the fool... I didn’t, I didn’t do it!”

”Enough,” Tang Yuanxiao said grimly, shoving Qin Shanshan aside with a single, powerful movement.

Qin Shanshan fell to the ground with a THUD. The moment she hit the dirt, the surrounding crowd scattered as if she were carrying a plague.

Qin Shanshan looked up at Tang Yuanxiao and Su Li and let out a blood-curdling shriek.

”Su Li, I hope you die a horrible death! You framed me! Who do you think I am? I’m Qin Shanshan! How could I possibly fool around with a simpleton?”

Her voice was shrill, her face contorted. ”It was you, Su Li! You’re the one who had an affair, you bitch!”

After her outburst, Qin Shanshan looked toward the crowd and the village chief, and began to cry pitifully.

”Village Chief, uncles, aunts... I’ve been framed! I’ve been framed! It was all Su Li’s plot! What I said was the truth! The man was dragged out of her bed!”

Su Li cut in calmly, ”There’s no point in arguing back and forth. As I’ve said, I prefer to let the evidence speak for itself.”

She took two steps forward. ”I say you framed me, and you say I framed you. So, why don’t we all go over to your house? We’ll see who’s really framing whom.”

”No! You’re the one who had an affair! Why should they go to my house? This has nothing to do with me!”

Qin Shanshan belatedly realized that the fool’s clothes, which had been scattered by the door to the side room, were gone.

A dreadful suspicion dawned on her. Her face twisted in fear, and she began to tremble, desperately trying to stop them.

”Is that a guilty conscience I hear?” Su Li asked coolly.

Before Qin Shanshan could respond, Tie Niu, finally snapping out of his confusion, jumped forward. He helped Qin Shanshan up and faced Su Li.

”Shanshan has nothing to feel guilty about! If you want to look, then let’s go look! Let’s go!”

Tie Niu remembered the lesson from last time and knew better than to speak recklessly, but he still wanted to protect the woman he adored. After their last embrace, he had fallen for Qin Shanshan completely and was determined to marry only her.

Supported by Tie Niu, Qin Shanshan nearly choked with rage. But she had no way out now; she could only grit her teeth and see it through.

’What could possibly be at my house? Su Li not being in her room was an infuriating surprise, but I don’t believe she could have set anything up in such a short amount of time.’

’Su Li is just slandering me and twisting the facts to save her own skin!’

With this thought, Qin Shanshan, supported by Tie Niu, started walking toward her home.

Su Li followed right after her. Tang Yuanxiao said nothing, simply walking behind her. The villagers, recovering from the massive shock, scrambled to keep up.

The Qin and Tang family homes were right next to each other, just a few steps away. The Qin family’s courtyard looked normal, and Qin Shanshan felt a bit of relief.

”What could possibly be in my hou—” she began, but the ever-blunt Tie Niu had already pushed open her bedroom door.

Every eye in the crowd, including Qin Shanshan’s, turned to her room. The words died in her throat. Everyone froze.

The sight in Qin Shanshan’s room was stunning.

A trail of dirty, messy men’s clothing led from the doorway to the bed. A pair of large shorts was draped over the edge of the bed, and next to them lay a small undergarment.

Though crumpled in a heap on the floor, the clothes were instantly recognizable as belonging to the fool. He only ever wore two outfits, and everyone in the village knew them well.

The villagers’ eyes followed the trail of clothes, past the shorts, and finally landed on the disheveled bed.

A messy bed was already suggestive enough, but to make matters worse, there were conspicuous dark stains on the sheets.