Chapter 162: Chapter 164: Knocking on the Door

How utterly cruel does a woman have to be to inflict such heavy harm on her own daughter?

That woman shattered her child into a wreck, leaving no part of her unscathed.

Huang Aimei left with a face as gray as dust, her heart seething with hatred towards Sang Zhilan. Sang Zhilan had ruined her, and even she, an outsider, was caught up in the crossfire.

Indeed, when evening came, the whole Zhang Hongjun family was there – Zhang’s parents, Zhang Hongjun and his wife, as well as Zhang Hongjun’s older brother and Huang Aimei.

“Sister-in-law, how could you do such a thing?”

Lin Yang directly confronted Huang Aimei, “I know, you have a good relationship with Sang Zhilan, but no matter how close you are, you can’t push someone’s child into danger. Not to mention that Zhang Hongjun and Zhinian grew up together, even if we are all from the same village. You can’t justify this. You tell me, don’t you feel uncomfortable wearing the high-quality fabric you received, knowing what you’ve done?”

Huang Aimei would have normally retorted to such statements, but she was left speechless as everyone spewed their contempt at her.

Everyone in the village knew that she had received high-quality fabric from Sang Zhilan. She even flaunted them on purpose by wearing new clothes made from them, now the whole village knew about it.

She had sent someone else’s child to be abused by their own mother, all for a few yards of fabric.

The harsh looks from her in-laws made her contemplate hitting her head against a wall and ending it all. Even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she wouldn’t be able to cleanse herself. Her good reputation, maintained over many years, was completely shattered in an instant.

When Wei Tian returned home carrying Wei Jiani, he found that a layer of dust had settled in the house.

His gaze turned cold when he noticed Sang Zhilan. His coldness quickly shifted to worry, his attempt to smile turned awkward, so fake that anyone but Sang Zhilan could see it.

“Zhilan, don’t be too angry.”

“Nini is fine, isn’t she? Yuxin is just a child, it’s normal for her to behave immaturely. She’s still just a child. A few words of reprimand would suffice, don’t scare the child.”

“Still immature?” Every time Sang Zhilan talked about her useless daughter, she wished she could strangle her. “She’s already nine years old. Can a child of this age really fail to take care of her little sister? I think she did it on purpose.”

As she looked at a small, closed door, her previously soften heart hardened again at the sight of the dust on the table.

If she’s already scheming at such a young age, what would she be like when she grows up?

She had decided not to deal with Tang Yuxin. Yuxin had been spoiled by Tang Zhinian. She was not nearly as obedient as her own daughter Nini. If she didn’t discipline her properly this time, how could she manage her in the future?

A night passed and in the morning, Sang Zhilan didn’t call Tang Yuxin for breakfast, she left her alone in the doghouse.

“Are you not going to call her for breakfast?” Wei Tian asked Sang Zhilan.

“Never mind,” he tried to placate her, “Nini is fine. There’s no need to hold a grudge. Let her come out.”

“Come out?” Sang Zhilan laughed coldly. “Thieves start with pins and end with gold. If we don’t treat her faults now, how will we manage later? She’s already sneakily getting up to so much mischief at such a young age.”

And all along, she believed that Tang Yuxin did it on purpose, that she intentionally made Wei Jiani sick, which was something she could never forgive.

Just as they sat down to eat, there was a loud knocking on the outer door.

“Who is that?”

Sang Zhilan was already in a bad mood, and the knocking on the door was like a reminder of some bad luck.

She slammed her chopsticks down, got up to open the door, and before she could even get a word out, she heard a slap and then Huang Aimei’s shrill scream.

“You dare to trick me, Sang Zhilan?” Huang Aimei shouted. “I’ve never been taken advantage of like this in my life.” As she spoke, one hand reached out to claw Sang Zhilan’s face, leaving a scratch.

Behind her, Tang Zhinian walked in. He ignored the two women fighting to the death; after all, it had nothing to do with him. His gaze coldly landed on Wei Jiani, who was obviously frightened and sitting in a chair.

Wei Jiani was still dressed in the clothes he had specifically bought for his own daughter, fearing that she would be laughed at in the city. So he had sent all the new clothes with her. But in the end, who ended up wearing these new clothes?

Wei Jiani was frightened by Tang Zhinian’s cold face and immediately burst into tears

Wei Tian quickly scooped up Wei Jiani, his face turning crimson.

Some people, if they act hypocritically, feel as if they can’t lift their heads with dignity. Just like Wei Tian now. He wanted to question Tang Zhinian’s reason for coming to his house, but his face felt hot… so hot that he was speechless and dared not move.

“Where’s Yuxin’s school bag?”

Tang Zhinian’s hands were tightly clenched. He could almost hear the sound of his fingers creaking. Otherwise, he was not sure whether he would end up wrecking Wei Tian’s house.

All he wanted to know now was who on earth could be so ruthless as to beat his precious daughter to this extent.

His throat tightened while his eyes well up with tears…

Wei Tian glanced at the small door nervously.

Tang Zhinian’s heart ached again. It was almost unbearable, the rage inside him, the kind that made him want to kill. They dared, they actually dared, to make his daughter live in a place like a dog kennel.

When Tang Yuxin told him about it, he did not believe it. He had faith in Sang Zhilan and didn’t think she would let his daughter live in a dog kennel. But now, he was devoid of even the feeling of despair.

He walked over and put his hand on the doorknob. His hand was trembling, and his palm was sweaty.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. His Yuxin had been living in this doghouse for the past few months, serving the Wei family as their servant. In the end, they beat her until she was all bruised and battered.

How old is Yuxin? A nine-year-old child, who was supposed to be a treasure with a mother, ended up being treated like a piece of unwanted grass, subject to cruel trampling, if that mother is Sang Zhilan.

He opened the door.

Seeing the bedding on the ground inside, tears welled up in his eyes.

The room was tiny, just enough space for a child to sleep. Even then, there wasn’t enough room to roll over. The floor was cold, with only a thin layer of torn up padding. A small school bag, which belonged to Tang Yuxin, was inside. Not many of the clothes he had brought for his daughter were there, suggesting that they had been worn by Wei Tian’s daughter under the instruction of Sang Zhilan.