kvmb Chapter 499 Even the law thinks I'm right!
Chapter 499 Even the law thinks I'm right!
Looking at her bright-eyed daughter, Zhang glanced back at the closed door and burst into tears, tightly embracing Xiu Niang.
She was just an ordinary peasant woman, with little knowledge and no profound understanding.
When fate drove her to the brink of despair, all she could think of was risking her life to drag those people down to hell with her.
She can no longer think about how to live.
These past few days, while taking care of those girls, she kept thinking about how she could make up for the hurt she had suffered if her Xiu Niang could come back alive. She couldn't imagine it.
She took care of those girls as if they were her own children. She kept thinking that if she had been more attentive, they might not have been so sad, but it seemed that she couldn't.
Despite her best efforts, she was still at a loss.
So when she saw Xiu Niang's eyes, which were even clearer than before, what came to her heart was not relief, but gratitude.
She had no idea what kind of fear and dread her daughter had endured after being abandoned and taken away by strangers to an unknown place. She couldn't afford to gamble on the fact that she was alright. How could she be alright? That's why she was so moved, moved that her soul was still there and hadn't been lost.
These women, from the time they were old enough to understand, were instilled with the idea that the purity of their bodies was more important than anything else, as if it were engraved in their flesh and blood. Gossip could easily rob them of their lives.
But at this moment, for the first time, a life-altering thought arose in her mind: that soul was more important than that body.
The instant this thought arose, a resolute will appeared in the eyes of the middle-aged woman, whose hair had turned white from the wear and tear of fate—a will that had triumphed over destiny.
Zhang wiped away her tears with one hand and pulled Xiu Niang to kneel down before Lu Yangyang again, but Lu Yangyang stopped her. "Xiu Niang, I've brought you back, and you've helped me too, so there's no need for thanks. You and your daughter have finally reunited, so stay here for now. In a few days, the government will publicly handle this case, and the bad guys will receive their due punishment."
Zhang nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay."
Xiu Niang was a little reluctant to part, and tugged at Lu Yangyang's sleeve, asking softly, "Then, sister, can I still come to see you?"
Lu Yangyang pinched her little face: "Of course you can, but you need to eat more. There's not much fat on your face, so it doesn't feel good to pinch."
Xiu Niang blushed and nodded: "Then I'll make something delicious for you too, sister!"
“Okay!” Lu Yangyang replied with a smile.
Then, without disturbing their time together, he went out to find Jiang Zhiyi.
She hadn't gone far when a girl rushed out of the house and knelt down in front of Lu Yangyang with a thud, looking up at her anxiously: "My sir, my sir, do you remember me? You promised me, you promised to help me, I've been waiting for you, please help me, I don't want this bastard child, I beg you, I beg you to help me..."
Her eyes were filled with tears from nervousness. She didn't know what to do and kowtowed to Lu Yangyang in a state of confusion.
Lu Yangyang bent down, pressed her down, and pulled her up: "I promise you."
The girl looked up at Lu Yangyang with surprise, tears streaming down her face. But she quickly lowered her head again, looking somewhat helpless, as if trying to make herself less noticeable and not wanting others to see her.
The courtyard used to house the girls was an old, abandoned merchant's residence near the government office. The three-courtyard compound wasn't very large, and all of its dozen or so rooms were full of people. The commotion in the courtyard had already drawn attention, and people were looking out at the girl who rushed out, their gazes filled with all sorts of expressions.
Lu Yangyang sensed the complicated looks in those eyes and turned to ask the girl, "What's your name?"
"Red Bean, my name is Red Bean," the girl replied hurriedly. After speaking, she bit her lip and tried to lower her head even further.
Lu Yangyang took her hand: "Hongdou, what a beautiful name."
Hongdou was stunned for a moment, then looked up at her in surprise.
Lu Yangyang looked earnestly into her eyes: "You can lift your head. The courage you've ever seen is unparalleled. Now it's your life, and you can choose whether or not to keep the child. That's your right. The Great Zhao Law stipulates that if a man rapes a married woman, he will be executed, but the woman will be exempt from punishment. If an unmarried woman or a child is raped, the punishment is two hundred strokes of the cane and exile for three thousand miles. If serious harm is caused, the punishment is hanging. You were forced, and you did nothing wrong. Of course you can choose for yourself, and you should even watch the criminal be punished. That's the meaning of the law."
Hongdou stared blankly at her. Her chin, which had instinctively drooped, slowly rose. Tears welled in her eyes, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn upwards. She slowly turned her head to look at the people standing in the room watching her, and finally asked loudly, "So the laws of Dazhao also think I'm not wrong. Even if I go to court, I'm not wrong, right?"
Lu Yangyang replied firmly, "Yes!"
Hongdou stubbornly turned her head to look at the room she had just run out of, and said in a clear voice, "Did you hear that? The law thinks I'm not wrong, the officials think I'm not wrong, why can't I choose? I can choose! I just don't want this bastard child, I don't want a rapist's child! I don't want to face something I will hate for the rest of my life, I just don't want it! I don't want it!"
After speaking, she turned to look at Lu Yangyang, her previous tension and unease gone, replaced by a calm and composed expression.
Lu Yangyang gripped her hand tightly, "Let's go!"
Hongdou nodded happily and followed her out of the courtyard.
After they went out, one girl came out, and then another girl came out.
After being rescued, they needed to keep the house dark so they wouldn't be so scared, but winters in Yuzhou are especially damp and cold, and even with charcoal burning in the house, it was still chilly.
It's much warmer in the yard now.
Lu Yangyang prescribed medicine for Hongdou, had it decocted, and handed it to her: "After you finish drinking it, rest more. I'll prescribe some tonics for you to drink for a while. Take good care of yourself and you'll be fine."
Hongdou held the medicine bowl and gulped it down without blinking. Then she grabbed Lu Yangyang's sleeve and asked her nervously, "You said that law, is it true?"
Lu Yangyang nodded: "Of course it's true!"
Hongdou suddenly became excited: "Then, can I learn it? If I learn it, can I go to court and sue those beasts to death!"
Jiang Zhiyi walked in from outside and continued her words, "Of course you can. If you want to learn, I can teach you!"
Hongdou was so excited she almost jumped off the bed. "Thank you, benefactor! No, thank you, Master!"