Chapter 123 The Abused Woman (ETL) Part 2
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Chapter 123 This isn’t domestic violence, it’s murder!
[Banana: Warning for description of DA (Domestic Abuse). You probably shouldn’t skip if you want to know what happened, so just prepare your heart :v]
“Ai, how pitiful,” the old woman said sympathetically. “This woman has never had children. It’s not that she’s never been pregnant; I heard she had before, but her husband keeps beating her, causing two abortions, and she’s had difficulty conceiving since. This whole family treats her badly, always making her work and earn money to support the family. Her husband has a hand disability and doesn’t earn much, so the entire burden of life falls on her. However, recently, her sister-in-law, the one who married her brother—you could say her sister-in-law—died. This woman was called back home (from working outside) and has been staying there ever since. Lately, I often hear her husband beating her.”
Swap marriages are not unheard of; very few end well. Xie Cheng asked sympathetically, “What kind of person is that man?”
“Not very good. Because he’s a bit disabled, he always felt like he was looked down upon. He doesn’t talk to people and rarely goes out. His parents raised him when he was young, but now that they’re old, they all rely on his wife for support. This woman does all the farm work by herself.”
Gu Ye frowned. “Even after all this, she still won’t get a divorce?”
“How to get a divorce?” The old woman looked at Gu Ye with an air of ‘you young people are so naive.’ She added, “Young man, think about it. Even if she divorces, what will happen to her parents after she goes back? Won’t they have to send their daughter-in-law back in return? These two women have similar fates; they’re both notoriously unlucky. She got beaten up here, and then her brother heard about it. Who knows if it’s just to save face or if he genuinely feels sorry for his sister, but he might beat his wife up too. And if they hear about it here, they might beat her back. No matter what, things won’t be good for them.”
Xie Cheng had never heard of such a thing before and said angrily, “Why don’t they just treat each other’s sisters a little better?”
“Who knows,” the old woman sighed. “Both families are like they’re mentally ill. The men are useless outside, but only know to come home and beat their wives. They only dare to beat them like that because they know they can’t get a divorce. I heard that this girl ran back home several times when she was young, but her parents and brother sent her back the same day. That woman who married over there, I watched her grow up. She’s a really good girl. That girl was also beaten and ran back home, but her parents here sent her back. It’s nothing new.”
Gu Ye remained calm with a cold face, but Xie Cheng, being straightforward, couldn’t take it anymore. “Damn it, I’m so angry! What kind of parents are these? Are they even blood relatives?”
Gu Ye slipped another 100 yuan to the old lady, saying, “Thank you, Grandma, we’re leaving now.”
The old lady pointed to another street and whispered, “That house, the third door, the one facing east.”
…
At that moment, in Fang Mei’s house, the whole family wore a long face. They sat together eating, all looking like they were enemies; not a single one was happy.
Wu Licheng took a bite of the dish and said disdainfully, “What kind of rubbish is this? Can’t you even cook properly?”
The old lady tasted it, then coldly put down her chopsticks. “Too bland, tasteless, I can’t eat it.”
Fang Mei said indifferently, “High blood pressure, eating too much salt is bad.”
“Who has high blood pressure?” Unexpectedly, just that simple question caused the old lady to immediately turn hostile, slamming her hand on the table. “Who has high blood pressure? Are you cursing me to die?! Huh?! My blood pressure hasn’t been high for a long time! You can’t even spare a little salt, how did our family marry such a money-losing thing like you!?”
Fang Mei took a deep breath, enduring the pain from being beaten last night, and picked up the plate. “Then I’ll go add some more salt.” She walked with a limp, which annoyed the old lady. “Still pretending! A good-for-nothing who can’t even lay an egg!”
The old man was smoking and sighed. “Alright, enough of that.”
“Was I being unreasonable? My daughter died in her family’s house! Can’t I even say something if she doesn’t do something right?” Mentioning her daughter, the old woman slapped her thigh and cried, “My poor daughter!”
Hearing the crying and commotion, Fang Mei’s eyes were full of sarcasm. After adding a spoonful of salt, she reheated the dish and brought it back to the table. Only then did the old woman stop crying. After tasting it, she put down her chopsticks. “Too salty! Are you trying to kill me with salt?!” After cursing, the old woman slapped her thigh and cried again, “My daughter could do anything, how did we end up replacing her with such a useless person like you?! If we hadn’t arranged this marriage, my daughter would still be alive and well.”
Fang Mei finally couldn’t hold back and sneered, “Didn’t you force her to agree to the marriage? Who could you blame for her death?”
Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately became enraged, stood up, and slapped Fang Mei across the face. “You vicious woman, what do you mean by that? Your whole family is murderers!”
Fang Mei looked at them coldly, “Aren’t you all murderers? If I die, you’ll be murderers too.”
The mother-in-law, used to being arrogant, was startled by her daughter-in-law’s sudden cold gaze. “What kind of look is that?”
Seeing his mother crying and making a scene, and his wife being disobedient, Wu Licheng angrily said, “Stop arguing! Can’t you eat in peace? Apologize to my mother right now! How can you talk like that?”
Fang Mei sneered, picked up her plate, and threw it aside. The plate shattered on the floor with a crash. “Eat it or don’t, it’s up to you.”
“You!” Wu Licheng, humiliated, stood up angrily and kicked Fang Mei in the stomach, shoving her to the ground. “You bitch! Are you crazy! Are you insane?! How dare you talk to me like that!”
Fang Mei’s face was deathly pale. She clutched her stomach, gasping for breath in pain. Then another kick landed on her ribs. Already injured from the beating the night before, this kick only worsened the pain. Fang Mei didn’t know how she could go on living; every part of her body ached. Especially her lower abdomen, which ached terribly, and a warm flow trickled down her legs. Realizing what it was, Fang Mei smiled. Then, gritting her teeth, she said, “Serves you right, your family will be childless.”
Upon hearing this, the old woman angrily threw her bowl onto Fang Mei’s body, yelling, “Who are you cursing! Whose family will be childless and without descendants!”
Fang Mei watched as her husband approached her with a ferocious expression. She pulled a fruit knife from her pocket and quietly unsheathed it. Only one thought occupied her mind: If she’s going to die, she will take them all with her! Let’s all go to hell together!
Just then, a cold, unfamiliar voice said, “Don’t move! Police!”
The Wu family was startled. Fang Mei gripped the fruit knife tightly, then paused. Seeing Gu Ye’s face, her expression froze, her eyes showing surprise and confusion.
Gu Ye saw Fang Mei’s hand hidden behind her back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, they were in time. He said to the bodyguards who had followed him, “Brother Wang, take her to the hospital, quick!”
Several men rushed forward and pulled Fang Mei to her feet. The bodyguards were specially trained for all sorts of incidents. They shoved Wu Licheng, causing him to stumble. The Wu family was so intimidated by the men’s imposing manner that they didn’t dare to move.
The bodyguard wanted to carry Fang Mei on his back, but seeing her injuries, he could only pick her up in his arms. “Her ribs are broken; it could easily injure her internal organs.”
Gu Ye took a deep breath and glared coldly at the Wu family. “You will all be held legally responsible!”
“Who…who are you?” The old woman was the first to react. “This is my daughter-in-law. This is our family matter. Who are you? Where did these police come from? You filthy scoundrels! Oh dear! I’m so ashamed! Fang Mei, you shameless woman! You even let someone hug you!”
Gu Ye quietly kicked the knife at his feet under the cabinet and said coldly, “Shut up! You should pray that Fang Mei isn’t in mortal danger; otherwise, you’ll all pay with your lives.”
Gu Ye didn’t have time to waste words with them. The group quickly took Fang Mei to the hospital and called the police at the same time.
…
The doctor, having just finished treating the wounds, came out holding the medical record, his face grim. “There’s not a single unscathed spot on her body. New and old wounds combined, over 40 in total. The child is gone too from the beating. This isn’t domestic violence, it’s murder!”
The police, who initially thought it was a simple family dispute, were shocked by the severity of the incident. Their expressions changed. “How is she? Is she out of danger?”
“She’s out of danger, but the injuries are so severe that she’ll need to recover for a while. And she’s not in a good mental state; she hasn’t said a word.”
Gu Ye’s face was grim. “Attorney Zhang, come with me to see her.”
Fang Mei lay on the bed, her eyes blankly fixed on the ceiling. Gu Ye called her several times before she responded. “You are… Master Gu?”
Gu Ye nodded. “I sent you messages, but you didn’t reply. I was worried, so I brought people over to check on you.”
Even a stranger could do this, and yet where were her own family? She was almost dead, and not a single person (from her side of the family) had said a word. Fang Mei’s eyes welled up with tears. She said gratefully, “Thank you for making this trip, Master Gu. Please go back. Don’t worry about me. Thank you for coming all this way, but I’m not worth it.”
Gu Ye smiled and said, “Every life is worth it. Don’t think too much. Domestic violence can be resolved through divorce. I can help you.”
Fang Mei shook her head, too despair to even struggle. “No, I won’t get a divorce. I just want to drag them down with me. Master Gu, please go back.”
Gu Ye said slowly, “After the divorce, you can leave. You have functional hands and feet; you can support yourself. There’s no need to suffer in this house, no need to risk your life.”
Fang Mei gave a bitter smile. “I can’t leave. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to escape to.”
Gu Ye, recalling the story about her running away and being sent back, said slowly, “On my way here, I saw a little girl who said you were her aunt. I want to know how her mother died.”
Fang Mei’s eyes were red. “I don’t know, but I suspect it wasn’t a good death.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about that now. You’ll definitely get a divorce, trust me.”
Fang Mei stubbornly said, “No need, Master Gu, I’ve lived enough. Please go back.”
Gu Ye frowned, unsure how to persuade Fang Mei. Lawyer Zhang said, “Third Young Master, please go and rest for a bit. I’ll talk to her.”
“Okay.” Gu Ye stood up and went to find Xie Cheng. A short while later, Lawyer Zhang came out.
Gu Ye asked, “How did it go?”
Lawyer Zhang smiled and said, “She agreed to the divorce and stopped trying to kill herself.”
Gu Ye gave a thumbs-up in admiration. What an elite!
Attorney Zhang smiled at the compliment, “The divorce is easy to handle. Once the medical examination results are out, not only will we get a divorce, but the man will also be held legally responsible.”
Things have stabilized here for now; it’s already past 1.00 pm. They found a restaurant near the hospital and ate while discussing their next steps. Right now, it’s not just Fang Mei who’s affected; the little girl’s mother also didn’t die a natural death. So, Gu Ye and Xie Cheng decided to perform a ritual at night to summon her spirit.
Just after finishing their meal, the doctor called, “Fang Mei’s family is here and causing a scene. Would you like to come and take a look?”
The group hurried back inside, and as soon as they entered, they heard Wu Licheng say, “You’re coming back with me! What are you doing lying here pretending to be dead? Where are those wild men who came to cause trouble? You actually dared to have someone beat me up!”
The old woman was also crying and yelling, saying to Fang Mei, “Shameless! You’ve cheated in your own home! I can’t live like this anymore!”
Fang Mei didn’t say a word, calmly watching their commotion; she was used to it. Wu Licheng angrily tried to pull her away, but the medical staff quickly stopped him, saying, “She’s so badly injured, are you just going to let her go home and wait to die?”
Gu Ye’s expression was cold and disgusted as he said, “What are you doing causing trouble in the hospital? Come out and say what you have to say.”
“Where did this pretty boy1 come from? It’s none of your business what happens in our family affairs!” Wu Licheng’s face was sinister. Seeing Gu Ye, who was good-looking, well-dressed, and physically healthy, he was filled with hatred. He raised his hand to grab Gu Ye.
The bodyguard standing next to Gu Ye grabbed Wu Licheng by his wrist and flung him forward. Ignoring his screams, he grabbed Wu Licheng by the neck and lifted him up. Next, he slammed him to the ground, kneeling firmly on him on both knees.
With a calm tone, Gu Ye said, “Your family affairs, this Master is going to intervene.”
Raw word count: 7748 (whole chapter)
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[Banana: This chapter pissed me off so much so I decided to translate and publish the next chapter too XD So that y’all don’t have to get stuck at this frustrating part of the story]