Chapter 1777: The Courtyard Was Quiet
When Bai Yiqiao woke up the next morning, the courtyard was quiet. There was no movement. She turned over with difficulty and saw the divorce slip on the table.
There was a bad feeling in Bai Yiqiao’s heart. She struggled to get up from the bed and felt tearing pain from her abdomen when she moved. Bai Yiqiao held her belly and got out of the bed. She walked to the table and picked up the paper.
It was the divorce slip Fang Yong gave her last night, but he had put it away afterward. She thought Fang Yong had changed his mind, but now it appeared again.
Bai Yiqiao opened the closet. Fang Yong’s clothes were all gone. She hurriedly opened the door and shouted, “Fang Yong, Fang Yong…”
Bai Yiqiao searched every room, but Fang Yong could not be found. Even his mother was gone.
Bai Yiqiao sat on the ground in a daze, covering her mouth and crying.
“This is the house. This is the home of that traitor Fang Yong.” The sound of people talking came from outside the courtyard. It was followed by a banging of the door.
The gate of the courtyard was violently smashed open. There were more than a dozen bailiffs dressed in official uniforms. When they saw Bai Yiqiao squatting on the ground, they asked her, “Where did Fang Yong go?”
Bai Yiqiao held the divorce slip in her hands. When she heard the question, her expression was dumb. “Where did he go?”
At the moment, Bai Yiqiao felt angry, panicked, and worthless. She had spent so much effort for Fang Yong, yet he just dropped a divorce slip and disappeared.
“Search,” said an official.
More than a dozen bailiffs rummaged around the house and finally found the hundreds of taels in Bai Yiqiao’s box.
The bailiffs were suddenly filled with enthusiasm. They did not expect that this trip would have such a harvest.
Bai Yiqiao only felt discouraged. She thought about nothing and cared about nothing. Even when the banknotes were taken away, her expression didn’t change.
She thought that she had done so much for Fang Yong, but he was merciless, so cruel that he only left a divorce slip and disappeared.
This was even more painful than Fang Yong scolding her or beating her.
After the government officers collected the banknotes, the leader said, “She is a member of the traitor’s family. Let’s capture her.”
Two government officials arrested Bai Yiqiao without any pity.
Then the bailiffs called all the villagers over, arrogantly relaying the order of the county government.
The main idea was that government officials had died here, and the village constable and other villagers allowed the rebel Fang Yong to kill them. This disrespect towards one’s superiors was a heavy crime, and the village must be used as an example.
Everyone over the age of 14 and under the age of 50 would be drafted. Regardless of men or women, they were all sent to repair the embankment.
There were floods in many places, and river dikes had been washed away.
When Ning Shu heard the news, she was dumbfounded. Fang Yong ran away with his old mother. When he went on a murder spree, he spoke so heroically and boldly, proclaiming that he would take all the responsibility. In the end, he just ran away.
Each family had to send two people. The Chen family only had four members in total. If they followed the order, they would only be left with two people. If Father Chen and Chen Li were drafted, there would only be two women left in the family: Lady Li and Chen Ermei.
Unexpectedly, the wrath of the government was so fierce that the entire village suffered. Usually, only one male was drafted from each household. Now both males and females were conscripted, and they even wanted two people.
Moreover, the flooded places were very far from here. No one knew what might happen on the way. Although the people who were conscripted were not in as much danger as those fighting in a war, they still had to suffer unbelievable hardships. Their blood and tears would be used to build structures and roads.
The ground was full of buried bones.
The bailiffs said that they would come back to get the draftees two days later. They then escorted Bai Yiqiao away.
When she arrived at the county office, Bai Yiqiao was thrown in jail. The cell was dirty and messy, and the environment was very poor. In addition, Bai Yiqiao had just miscarried and was weak. Under such circumstances, she immediately fell ill.
It was actually Wen Yu who used the money to get Bai Yiqiao out. When he saw that Bai Yiqiao had become so skinny, he asked, “What happened to you?”
Bai Yiqiao hugged Wen Yu and cried, “Fang Yong abandoned me.”
Wen Yu couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. He patted Bai Yiqiao’s back and comforted her softly, “It’s him who can’t see how good you are, truly.”
MTL Editor: Meraki
TLC: Kaho