Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 456 Trying to Reduce Presence_1

Chapter 456: Chapter 456 Trying to Reduce Presence_1

Qiuju gave a forced smile, her face still bearing the traces of freshly shed tears, which by now had crystallized into frost, making her look rigid.

"Many thanks to the young master and the elderly lady for standing up for us."

Qiuju made to kowtow, but Elder Lin waved her off.

"Enough, if you’re pleading for them, it’s your own family matter. I have no desire to meddle in it anymore."

Having said those words, Elder Lin gave a sigh as she glanced at the little Wenwen beside her then walked away, followed reluctantly by her two sons.

Upon their departure, the couple of the Tian family’s main branch breathed out in relief. Ms. Tian shot Tian Heng a glance, then humphed and walked out of the room.

If only he had cleaned all the seal oil from his body, he might not have been discovered!

Seeing her exit, contempt spread on the faces of the onlookers. Many exaggerated their voices as they spoke to those beside them, poking fun at her.

"I say, some folks are truly ruthless, even skinning a widow before they leave."

"They’ll certainly have ghosts knocking on their doors at night!"

As the sound of laughter from those around her rang in her ears, Ms. Tian tightened her fists, feeling stifling anger.

Watching his own wife’s departure, Tian Fu, who was always concerned about saving face, somewhat fell apart. Even though he often played fast and loose in normal days, he had never been so publicly exposed, particularly by a child.

And now, with his wrist hurting and sweaty, Tian Heng could only glance at his wife who hurried out.

"Wenwen, are you okay?"

It seemed as though Xu Qiuju finally snapped back to reality, nervously she got up and stumbled to her daughter, taking her into her arms.

The little girl had been scared out of her wits. Even now, cradled by her mother, it took her a moment to find her voice again.

"Mother, why did you speak up for them?"

The little girl’s face was drained of color from the cold. A recent bout of crying left her face frosted over, her normally bright eyes now dull.

Seeing the state her daughter was in, Xu Qiuju felt a wrenching pain in her heart but she had to explain, "Wenwen, they are your father’s older brother and sister-in-law, we are family..."

"Mother... I’m scared."

Just as she was about to say something, Qiuju’s heart was punctured at her daughter’s quiet confession.

"Don’t be scared, Wenwen. It’s okay now. Mother is here to protect you."

Xu Qiuju took her daughter back to their room, and the onlookers by the door dispersed.

"I must say, Xu Qiuju is truly foolish to consider those people her elder in-laws. She should have let them rot in jail for a couple of days."

"Who knows."

Standing atop the city gate, Shen Wenchen watched as the citizens hurriedly left the town. His eyes reflect an unsettling turmoil.

The Rat Plague outside of the city walls are usually active at night, but now can be seen in broad daylight. It’s as if they came out specifically to gather information.

Since his warnings fell on deaf ears, he couldn’t be blamed.

"General, please consider returning first."

Liu Jie looked at the fatigue on Shen Wenchen’s face and felt a sense of unease for him.

The general had gone to the countryside to investigate the situation, two days he stayed there. Having just returned, he stumbled upon this event. Liu Jie felt it unfair on the general’s part.

They of course knew about the situation outside the city walls and were making every effort to shelter everyone in the city.

But how could they explain the situation plainly to the public?

If the people knew about the state of things outside the city, it would cause chaos inside the city. At that point, it would not take a natural disaster, human disaster alone would be enough to plunge the city into chaos.

The surrounding cities were already preoccupied with their own problems and would not be willing to take in others. Quite a number of cities even went as far as expelling some people to ensure the adequate supply of resources for their own survival. The general intended to protect everyone; ironically they bit the hand that feeds. If so, why bother making life difficult for them?

"It’s nothing."

Shen Wenchen shook his head, watching those people step by step toward the city’s outskirts, disappearing bit by bit into the distant snow.

When Shen Zhiyu and Xiaomi returned home, they both had a sullen air about them. Nanzhi, who had been waiting for their return, could tell from one glance the displeasure they felt and was taken aback.

"Zhiyu, Xiaomi, what’s the matter? Did you guys suffer a defeat?"

"Mother, adults are so strange."

The little one slumped into a chair like a fish out of water, sighing heavily.

Xiaomi didn’t have Shen Zhiyu’s level of prowess, but also sat broodingly.

"What happened to you two?"

Nanzhi found it slightly amusing, as her son had never returned in such a state. Could today’s matter have been difficult to handle?

"Never mind them, even I am irritated."

Elder Lin entered the room and explained off-handedly.

"Mother, please take a seat and rest."

Nanzhi tried to help her, but Ma Po was quicker by a step in getting Elder Lin situated.

"No, no, I can seat myself."

Ma Po was around the same age as her. Being helped by her made Elder Lin feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Elder Lin, please have some tea."

Ma Po, knowing she meant no harm, smiled and poured her a cup of tea.

The lady’s family were all excellent.

"Please sit, sit." Seeing her sit down, Elder Lin took a sip of the clear tea and slowly began to discuss the day’s events.

"The little girl is called Wenwen, such a young child, dressed in minimal clothing in this weather."

Elder Lin felt distressed at the memory of the pitiful sight the girl presented.

"Her mother truly stood up for the couple from the main family?"

Ma Po had lived most of her life, and although she had seen it all, she was flabbergasted by this turn of events.

"Exactly, she lost her husband because of them and has been living a tough life ever since. Now as the year ends, they are bullying her in her own home, and yet she still defended them! It’s not only me, both Zhiyu and Xiaomi were also infuriated by this!"

Elder Lin just felt her mouth dry up as she spoke, and poured herself another cup of tea.

"What are you angry about, she was willing to do it. You will upset your health over this."

Elder Lin’s husband spoke while bringing her a pot of tea.

"Can’t I be? I can’t stand them! They say city folks are superior, but it looks like they are not as good as us country folk!"

Elder Lin was furious. Even if there were widows and orphans bullied in the village, they would still have neighbors protecting them. Today, those who stood by and watched for entertainment, those gossipers, were also annoying. They all blocked the door, making two children shoulder everything.

Nanzhi flinched and kept silent.

Shen Zhiyu was still young, more irritated with Xu Qiuju’s behavior than anything else. After grumbling with his grandmother for a while, his anger dissipated.

Suddenly he seemed to remember something, "Granny, Mother is the same."

As the child finished his sentence, all the eyes in the room turned to Nanzhi, who was trying her best not to draw attention to herself.

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