Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 339 - 339 340 Dealing with the Scum Part 1

Chapter 339: Chapter 340: Dealing with the Scum Part 1 Chapter 339: Chapter 340: Dealing with the Scum Part 1 “Tianniu is the smartest, no wonder she’s so exceptional at her studies,” Muniang said with a smile.

Wearing a proud grin, Tianniu replied, “Even Mu is praising me. I’ll have to show off to the boys at home! Hmph!”

As the two of them were chatting, they saw Qingmei timidly emerge from the inner room, apparently drawn by the sound of laughter outside.

“Qingmei, why did you get out of bed? Are you feeling better?” Muniang hurriedly asked. The child had been staying at her home for four or five days, and not a single person from the Wang family had come to inquire; it truly chilled her heart.

Qingmei said, “Yes, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Muniang smiled and pulled Qingmei to sit beside her, “Is it stuffy inside? If you want to go out for some air, we can go out and play later.”

Tianniu was quite forward, flashing a broad smile, “I can take you out to play too, you know. I know lots of fun places.”

Qingmei tugged at her lips shyly, her eyes falling on the piece of writing on the table. She knew Tianniu had written it and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy, “The writing is so beautiful.”

“If Qingmei wants to write, she can learn too, but it takes some effort,” Muniang said with a chuckle.

“Me? Better not, I’m too dumb. I can’t do this,” Qingmei looked down dejectedly. When her mother had sent her to accompany Lord Lu’s daughter as a study mate, Lord Lu had chosen Tianniu over her. She knew she couldn’t compare with others.

“What’s the matter with that? If you have time, come straight to Mu, and I’ll teach you how to write,” Muniang offered generously.

“Uh-huh,” Qingmei felt a small surge of excitement in her heart. If she learned to read, could she become a proud girl like Tianniu?

Muniang had thought Mrs. Liang had planned to leave the child with her outright, but it seemed she had underestimated the situation. She had merely gone to the Embroidery House in town that morning and returned to a flustered servant exclaiming, “Lady, Mrs. Liang came earlier, making a scene and actually took Miss Qingmei away!”

Muniang glared, “What’s this? Didn’t I say to wait for anything until I got back? How could you let Mrs. Liang take the child away as soon as she arrived?”

The servant hastily explained, “I was in a tough spot too. Mrs. Liang kept causing trouble, and eventually she simply brought the Village Head to decide, claiming it was their family’s child and we had no right to keep her. After the Village Head spoke, I naturally didn’t dare to stop them.”

Muniang scoffed coldly, how shameless. They had no right to keep her? When she had paid for Qingmei’s medical expenses, why hadn’t Mrs. Liang said she had no right to pay?

“Why would Mr. Village Head side with her?” Qingya asked angrily. “Mrs. Liang nearly beat Qingmei to death, and the Village Head knows it. How could he still support Mrs. Liang?”

Muniang snorted, “Even if Mr. Village Head didn’t want to help her, he still had to follow the rules, after all, Qingmei is her child, right?”

The servant nodded in agreement, “The Village Head mostly thought Mrs. Liang seemed to sincerely repent, and she truly apologized to Qingmei, even crying her eyes out. She said that she had acted impulsively when she hit Qingmei and promised to treat Qingmei well in the future. The Village Head isn’t heartless, so naturally, he couldn’t separate a mother and daughter.”

Muniang’s eyes went round with shock, “Mrs. Liang is still playing this trick?”

“Yes.”

A jolt went through Muniang’s heart. Mrs. Liang had gone to such lengths to bring Qingmei back, even making a point of giving assurances. Muniang certainly didn’t believe that someone like Mrs. Liang would suddenly change her nature; there must be something fishy going on.

“Qingya, keep an eye on the Wang family, see if there’s any commotion, and report directly to me.”

“Yes.”

Several days passed with everything at the Wang family seeming calm. Qingmei was treated the same as before, still spoiled and pampered. Muniang even went to see Qingmei herself and asked her; she too said that Mrs. Liang was very kind to her.

Mrs. Liang was working in the fields, and when Qingmei actively came to help, Mrs. Liang sent her back: “Your wounds haven’t healed yet. Hurry back inside to rest; don’t be out in the sun.”

The villagers couldn’t help but say, “After all, it’s flesh and blood from her own body, how could she not love her? Perhaps she was indeed a bit rash the last time she hit her, and now she regrets it, knowing how to cherish her daughter.”

Only Muniang knew all too well that everything was probably just a show for outsiders by Mrs. Liang. She knew her too well. A sudden attack of conscience? Impossible?!

About half a month later, something finally “happened.” It was said that Mrs. Liang had planned to take Qingmei to the town market but had inadvertently encountered crooks and lost Qingmei.

Mrs. Liang cried so hard she could hardly catch her breath, wailing, “Whoever the heartless bastard that abducted my daughter! My poor Qingmei, why is her life so hard? My darling girl has to suffer like this; I can’t go on living!”

“Have you reported it to the authorities? This is too brazen, to do something like that in broad daylight!”

“How could I not have reported it? But Lord Lu said it’s difficult to investigate and told me to wait for results at home. My heart is almost bursting with anxiety. My poor child, if something happens to you, how can your mother’s heart bear it? I was wrong before, nearly costing your life, and now I finally want to make it up to you, to give you a good life, but that damned abductor has snatched you away! Isn’t this just condemning me, a mother, to death?!”

Whether it was because Mrs. Liang’s crying was especially heart-wrenching or because everything she said seemed incredibly real, everyone believed her. They even consoled her, assuring her not to worry.

Mrs. Liang, taking advantage of wiping her tears, let a gleam of cunning flash in her eyes. Indeed, it was a perfect scheme. She felt increasingly pleased with herself, silently praising her own shrewdness.

Meanwhile, Qingya, who had just rushed back, reported the details to Muniang, “Mrs. Liang pretended to take Qingmei out shopping and sold her to the human trafficker. I saw it with my own eyes. Now Mrs. Liang is in the village playing innocent, claiming Qingmei was abducted by crooks. I didn’t have the authority to stop Mrs. Liang from selling the child, so I had to hold back and not alert her.”

“Qingmei has been sold?!” Muniang exclaimed, grinding her teeth in secret. Mrs. Liang really was ruthless.

“Lady, rest assured. Although I couldn’t stop Mrs. Liang at that moment, I did make sure to keep an eye on that human trafficker. Qingmei definitely won’t be sold off right away, and I’ve particularly asked Zhu Zi to watch over there. The child won’t disappear; just give the order, and it shall be done.”

Muniang’s face darkened, and she snorted coldly, “If she’s heartless, I’ll be ruthless. With such scum, we can only deal with them in the way scum deserves!”