Chapter 1394: Chapter 1395: Back Home (2)
Nan Tian’s gaze flickered slightly, seeming a bit distracted.
An Yiqing glanced at Nan Tian and continued, "Because Grandma Zhang was too strict, the child’s rebelliousness grew increasingly abnormal. Whatever Grandma Zhang said or did, he would have to oppose it. Day after day, year after year, Grandma Zhang worried herself to exhaustion over this child. The neighborhood gossip and the pressures of life, coupled with her husband’s dying words, placed an enormous burden on her. Over those years, her mental state deteriorated increasingly, and her methods became more forceful. There were several instances where the neighbors saw Grandma Zhang nearly beat her son to death; if not for their timely intervention, the child would not have survived into adulthood."
Nan Tian clenched her hands tightly, her heart inexplicably gripped by something. She could imagine how, in such a bleak era, a woman who had lost her husband struggled to raise her misunderstood child under the judgmental eyes of her neighbors. That kind of sadness was intolerable for any woman, the greed in the eyes of strangers, the gossip from the neighbors, the hatred in the eyes of the child, her husband’s dying wishes—everything transformed into a mountain, pressing heavily on her frail shoulders.
"Many years passed like this; the child grew up, found a job, got married, and had a child, marking the beginning of Grandma Zhang’s tragic life." An Yiqing’s red lips were pressed together slightly, her watery eyes narrowed, carrying a hint of cold glint, "The wife her son married was troublesome. Grandma Zhang’s son already harbored long-standing resentment toward his mother, and with a difficult wife influencing him at night, he became more hostile. Particularly after the birth of Grandma Zhang’s grandson, the situation worsened. Several times, neighbors saw her son’s family join forces to beat Grandma Zhang. She frequently had bruises on her face, lived poorly, ate poorly, and her whole being seemed like a deflated balloon, dried up, looking much older than her actual age. Then one day, tragedy finally struck..."
Nan Tian’s heart trembled, "What exactly happened?"
An Yiqing glanced in the direction of the kitchen, her eyes filled with compassion, "That day, Grandma Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law were having lunch, while Grandma Zhang went hungry to take care of the child. The child was too rowdy, knocking over the dishes on the table. Grandma Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law then joined forces and, in front of the child, beat Grandma Zhang until her face was covered in blood. At that moment, Grandma Zhang was already somewhat mentally unstable and impulsively did something she regretted for the rest of her life... She grabbed the plates and bowls from the table, smashing them, and used the sharp fragments to stab her own son. The act was so sudden that the unfilial son was caught unprepared and was fatally stabbed. Afterwards, Grandma Zhang used the same method to kill her terrified daughter-in-law and grandson. When the neighbors heard the noise and rushed over, they found Grandma Zhang crying and laughing incoherently."
"What happened afterwards?" Nan Tian hurriedly asked.
"Due to Grandma Zhang’s mental instability, she wasn’t convicted for the killings but was sent to a mental hospital. However, Grandma Zhang’s family was already poor, unable to afford the medical expenses for long. Helplessly, the neighbors took her back home. For the next few years, she lived a life worse than a pig or dog—sleeping in a filthy home, eating the spoiled food discarded by the neighbors, looking like an old woman despite being middle-aged. This situation persisted for a long time until seven years ago when my master and I traveled to Jinyin City and encountered her, eventually curing her completely."
When Nan Tian heard this outcome, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, but her heart suddenly tightened again.