Chapter 95: Scandal

When Mrs. Wang saw that Tang Mingxiu had apologized, she seized the opportunity to go on the offensive, raising her voice, “We’ve apologized and offered compensation. Now it’s time for you to explain how you caused my daughter to suffer internal injuries.”

“Tang Mingxiu is hurt?” The villagers nearby eyed Tang Mingxiu carefully.

“She does look a bit pale, now that you mention it.”

“I think she’s faking it. This is just an attempt to extort Li Taohua!”

The villagers whispered among themselves, but the courtyard was only so large, and their words carried clearly to Li Taohua and Tang Dafu’s ears.

Li Taohua and Tang Dafu, of course, understood the situation just as well as the bystanders did. In fact, hadn’t they chosen to entertain Mrs. Wang’s antics for so long just for this very moment?

“Don’t talk nonsense! My daughter can barely get up, and you say she’s pretending. Last night, Li Taohua set her dog on us, and my daughter was frightened by the beast,” Mrs. Wang snapped.

Li Taohua crossed her arms. “Doctor Shi, would you kindly examine her pulse?”

Doctor Shi, having enjoyed the Tang family’s meat buns and mushroom soup, had been pondering how best to repay their hospitality. Now, at last, it was his turn to act.

He took Tang Mingxiu’s pulse, frowning. “Give me your other hand.”

Tang Mingxiu extended her other hand. For reasons she couldn’t explain, unease gnawed at her. When Doctor Shi regarded her with a strange look, that unease deepened.

“Well, doctor? Is my daughter suffering from internal injuries, or is it that such injuries can’t be detected by pulse?” Mrs. Wang demanded. She didn’t care what the doctor said; she’d already decided her daughter was hurt, and if they weren’t compensated, she’d insist her daughter stay here and be supported by the family.

She was determined to win this round, even if it meant losing face. Otherwise, Li Taohua would think she was afraid of her.

“Your daughter has no internal injuries,” Doctor Shi declared.

Mrs. Wang was not in the least surprised by this answer, nor did she want to hear it. She sneered, her voice sharp and bitter. “You’re a quack. You can’t tell.”

“Your daughter is three months pregnant. If she had suffered internal injuries, she would have miscarried on the spot last night. How could she possibly still be fine now?”

“My daughter’s internal injury—wait, what did you just say?” Mrs. Wang’s eyes widened in outrage. “You quack! Even if you can’t detect an injury, there’s no need to make such an accusation. My daughter’s a virgin, she’s not even married yet. How could she possibly be pregnant?”

The villagers wore expressions of shock.

Li Taohua, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised.

Last night, Qin Huiyin had witnessed Tang Mingxiu retching and whispered a few words to Li Taohua, suggesting Tang Mingxiu had been seen with a man from another village up on the mountain. She’d noticed that Tang Mingxiu had grown rounder and her figure had changed, so it was likely she was with child.

Tang Mingxiu’s face was ashen, her eyes full of despair.

No, it couldn’t be.

He had said she wouldn’t get pregnant.

Every time, he’d given her medicine, assuring her it would prevent pregnancy. How could she possibly be carrying a child?

“If you don’t believe me, feel free to consult another doctor. But at three months, the signs are unmistakable. There’s no chance of error,” Doctor Shi said.

“Heavens, three months…”

“Tang Mingxiu hasn’t even been formally betrothed, has she?”

“Mrs. Mingkui, the baby is safe and sound. Clearly, Mingxiu has suffered no internal injury,” Tang Dafu said. “Perhaps you should take your daughter home to care for her.”

Li Taohua twisted her handkerchief, her smile dazzling and full of schadenfreude. “Isn’t that the truth? You only climbed my wall last night—surely it wasn’t my wall that got her pregnant. She fell from such a height and nothing happened; that little one in her belly is tough indeed. He’ll be a lively boy when he’s born. You’d best take good care of him.”

“No, impossible… I don’t believe it… You’ve all conspired to deceive me,” Mrs. Wang cried, furious. “My husband isn’t home, and this is how you bully us—mother and daughter!”

“There are plenty of men away from home in this village, yet we don’t bully anyone else. Why would we target you two?” Li Taohua retorted. “Just look at your daughter’s face—she doesn’t even deny it. Why are you the one making all the noise? Seems to me your daughter believes it herself.”

Mrs. Wang stared at Tang Mingxiu. “Tell me, this can’t be true, can it?”

“I… I don’t know, Mother…” Tang Mingxiu was completely at a loss.

If anyone was most afraid right now, it wasn’t Mrs. Wang—it was her. An unmarried girl, suddenly found three months pregnant—how could she ever show her face again?

It was all her mother’s fault.

Had her mother not provoked Li Taohua, this matter wouldn’t have been exposed in front of so many people, and she wouldn’t be the target of their ridicule.

“If you don’t trust the doctor, surely you believe those aunts and sisters you’re friendly with? Let them examine your daughter—they’ll tell you the truth,” someone suggested.

Mrs. Zhang and several other women looked intrigued.

“That’s a good idea. It’s the quickest way to prove innocence,” Mrs. Zhang said. “I’ve delivered plenty of babies—I can check.”

“It doesn’t take much to know if she’s been with a man,” Mrs. Yang added. “But truly, I don’t think we need to check at all.”

Tang Mingxiu was about to faint from fear; her reaction alone had already revealed the truth. Only Mrs. Wang persisted, refusing to see how pointless her denial was.

Mrs. Wang seized Tang Mingxiu by the hair. “Wretched girl, tell me the truth. Who is the man?”

“Hey, don’t start hitting people in my yard!” Li Taohua snapped impatiently. “Your house is right next door. Go home if you want to lose your mind.”

Mrs. Wang grabbed Tang Mingxiu’s arm and dragged her, screaming, back to their own courtyard.

Li Taohua, hands on her hips, called out in their direction, “I stayed up all night with you just to see you make a fool of yourselves! Always scheming and plotting—if you put that energy into your children, maybe your daughter wouldn’t have been ruined by some scoundrel.”

“Li Taohua, do you believe I won’t tear that mouth of yours—” Mrs. Wang had reached the end of her rope. Li Taohua’s taunts only drove her further over the edge.

“Come on then! Didn’t you climb over here last night to steal from us? That’s what happens when you try to steal a chicken and end up losing the rice—serves you right. You’d do better to look after her belly; after all, you don’t even know who the man is. If he’s willing to marry her, you might still get a bride price. But if she loses the baby, not only will it be a life lost, but the man certainly won’t take responsibility for her anymore!”

The sounds of Mrs. Wang beating Tang Mingxiu abruptly ceased.

Tang Dafu, looking at Li Taohua with admiration, said, “Wife, you’re amazing. With just a few words, you prevented a tragedy. You said all that just to stop Mrs. Wang from beating Tang Mingxiu and the child to death, didn’t you? My wife is truly beautiful and kind.”

Li Taohua was speechless.

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