C10 Flames of Fury!

There was a brief moment of shock, but then Zhaozi's face returned to its previous state of sorrow and anger.

"That was his most beloved son!"

"Xiaohua might have been mischievous, but he wouldn't have taken his own life. It must have been this mute. If she doesn't pay with her life today, then... then I'll just find a rope and hang myself!" Zhou Guihua exclaimed, looking around before finding a rope by the woodpile, making a show of preparing to hang it from the beam.

"Second Mom!" Xiaodong moved slightly, but Xiaoxia held her back.

She wanted to see if her stepmother would really hang herself from the beam.

"Guihua, what are you doing? Now that Xiaohua is gone, if something happens to you too, what will become of this family?" Zhaozi hurriedly snatched the rope from her hands.

Zhou Guihua let her hands fall and sat on the ground. "We must avenge Xiaohua, or I can't go on living!"

"Mom, Dad, what's going on? What are you doing?"

The speaker was Xiaoshu, another son of Zhou Guihua and Zhaozi.

Xiaoshu was of marrying age but still single, caught up in gambling and not entirely honest, having been away from home for days. His return could only mean one thing: he had lost all his money.

He stood there with a piece of grass hanging from his mouth, looking carefree.

Zhou Guihua felt even more upset at the sight of him. She got up and started hitting him. "Why are you only coming back now? Your brother... your brother was killed by this mute!"

"Is Xiaohua dead?"

Shi Xiaoshu froze, then rushed into the room to find a cold body lying on the bed. Xiaohua was gone.

Shock, anger, sadness, and hatred surged within him. He stormed out, grabbing a stick from nearby, ready to strike Shi Xiaoqiu.

"You mute! You stayed silent and got my brother killed. You're going to pay for his life!"

Shi Xiaoxia quickly intervened, taking the blow on her back. It hurt, as Xiaoshu's anger gave him strength.

Meeting Xiaoqiu's eyes, he saw the fear in them. He patted her shoulder and said, "If Xiaoqiu was responsible for Xiaohua's death, we're willing to pay with our lives. But Xiaoqiu would never do such a thing. You can't blame her just because she happened to be by the river doing laundry. Did anyone see her do it?"

"No one saw her do it, but no one can prove she didn't," Xiaoshu retorted. "Dad, Mom, my brother is dead. We can't let them get away with it. She should pay with her life!"

Xiaoshu had always disliked the three sisters. He saw them as bad luck, convinced they were the reason for his misfortunes, including his gambling losses.

"Dad, Mom, don't forget Xiaoxia supposedly caused the deaths of Uncle and Aunt. Xiaohua's death must be their doing too!"

Shi Xiaoxia found it amusing how Shi Xiaoshu could bring up something so unrelated. She let out a cold snort. "Shi Xiaoshu, you can accuse me all you want, but don't drag Xiaoqiu into this. If she really wanted to harm Xiaohua, she could have let the body drift down the river, unnoticed. Why would she bring Xiaohua's body back for you to scold and beat?"

"Yeah, our second sister isn't like that!" Xiaodong chimed in.

"Who knows what that mute is plotting? Maybe she's jealous because Xiaohua could speak and hear..."

"Then report it to the authorities. Let them investigate so no one gets wrongly accused," Shi Xiaoxia interrupted him. The accusations were getting out of hand.

Report to the authorities?

The mention of involving the authorities made Shi Xiaoshu's face change. He owed a lot of money around town, including to some of the county officials. If they got involved, his gambling debts would be exposed, and his father would surely beat him. Not to mention, he'd been harassing a girl from a neighboring village. If the authorities came, he'd be the first in trouble! Xiaohua was already gone; he couldn't let himself get caught up in this mess too.

Meanwhile, Zhou Guihua, amidst her grief, thought reporting to the authorities was the best course of action. She hoped they'd arrest all three sisters to quench her anger. "Zhaozi, go report this!"

Xiaoshu's face changed, and he hurriedly grabbed his father's arm. "Dad, we can't go to the authorities, we just can't!"

"Nonsense! Your brother's death needs an explanation. We can't just leave it unresolved. We have to get to the bottom of this!" Zhou Guihua insisted, her eyes swollen from crying.

"Mom, Xiaohua was mischievous, you know that. If we report this, it'll cost a lot of money and the whole village will find out. Right now, we need to focus on Xiaohua's funeral. Besides, that mute couldn't have had the guts to do it. Dad, Mom, maybe we're wrong about them!"

If he didn't have his own secrets, he wouldn't be defending them!

Zhou Guihua looked at her son in disbelief, her eyes red with anger. The next moment, she started hitting him in her grief. "Xiaohua is gone, what do I need money for? We have to report this, we must!"

"Xiaoshu, why aren't you going to the authorities already?" Shi Zhaozi was furious too.

What kind of son did I raise?