NOVPUBAfter the trial, Ning Shu took a bus home.
She wasn’t at all worried that Li Bing would be suddenly released. He had no money, no power, and no connections.
He’d just have to stay in prison obediently.
Ning Shu had gone to such lengths to send Li Bing to prison because she wanted someone else to deal with him.
She didn’t want to be connected to it, nor did she want it tied to the Wang family.
Even though the Wang family parents had treated Wang Ying poorly, they had still raised her. When Li Bing got out of prison in eight years, he’d surely be filled with resentment and looking for revenge.
Since she’d be gone, Li Bing would undoubtedly go after the entrustor’s family.
Once she left, she would cut off all contact with the Wang family parents. Whatever the entrustor thought about that was her own business.
After a bumpy ride, she finally arrived home. Wang Ying’s mother was sitting on the doorstep, knitting a sweater. Upon seeing Ning Shu, she immediately stood up and asked, “Did they release Li Bing?”
“No, he’s in for eight years,” Ning Shu replied.
Wang Ying’s mother was stunned. “What did you say to get him locked up for eight years?”
“You’re supposed to marry Li Bing, yet you’ve put him away for eight years?” Wang Ying’s mother looked at Ning Shu in disbelief.
“I never knew you could be so heartless,” she said.
Ning Shu shrugged. “Mom, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Then what do you expect to do for these eight years? Why are you causing so much trouble?” Wang Ying’s mother muttered, clearly worried about Li Bing trying to get revenge.
He had ended up in jail for eight years!
“No matter what, you’re still going to marry Li Bing,” she added.
Wang Ying’s mother didn’t argue further and simply picked up her knitting and the half-finished sweater. It was light blue, so it was likely meant for Wang Chao.
Ning Shu suddenly felt a sense of release. People’s hearts were biased; Wang Ying’s mother could love and care for whoever she chose.
Dwelling on it felt meaningless.
Ning Shu turned around, preparing to head up the mountain to search for medicinal herbs. These herbs would be useful.
She roamed the mountain, gathering fresh herbs and placing them into her cloth pouch. She was lucky enough to stumble upon a ginseng plant.
This place still retained its natural beauty, but in the modern era, a lack of industrial pollution often equated to poverty. And indeed, this area was quite impoverished.
Ning Shu crouched down with her butt in the air, carefully digging out the ginseng without damaging any of its roots.
She returned home with a bountiful harvest, only to find a crowd gathered at her doorstep once again.
Her house had practically turned into a stage, with a new drama unfolding every so often.
Amid the commotion was the sharp voice of Li Bing’s mother, cursing the sky, heavens, and the air.
The door was shut tight, indicating that her family was hiding inside again.
Ning Shu finally understood why the original host had such a weak personality—her family was just as timid.
Even though the other party was clearly in the wrong, no one dared to come out and say a word.
And the one causing all this trouble was just a sixty-something-year-old woman. How formidable could she possibly be?
They were likely worried that they’d gain a bad reputation for bullying the weak with numbers.
Why did life have to be so exhausting?
When you’re constantly told to avoid trouble, to keep the peace, it was no wonder you end up spineless.
Even being forced to marry a rapist could be justified by a single word from her parents—especially when she was carrying his child.
Ning Shu walked over unhurriedly. The moment Li Bing’s mother saw her, she began wailing, “Everyone, come and judge for yourselves! What kind of heartless woman sends her own man to jail?”
The onlookers began whispering among themselves, pointing fingers at Ning Shu.
Thanks to her sharp hearing, Ning Shu caught snippets of their comments. Some said she was ungrateful, turning a situation that could have been resolved amicably into such a mess. Others accused her of being heartless, lacking any qualities befitting a woman.
Ning Shu scanned the faces of these people, committing their appearances to memory.
