Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Chapter 173: Turned Against Me?

Zhang Zhanhong patted Xiao Ma, signaling her to calm down. She took a step forward and reasoned with her, saying, "Jin Cuihua is your wife, your partner for life. If there are problems, you can sit down and communicate calmly. Hitting people won't solve anything; it will only escalate the conflict and be detrimental to your relationship."

Ignoring the others, Zhang Dahu went straight to the center of the main room, poured himself a glass of water, glanced at Jin Cuihua who was cowering behind the wall, and snorted coldly, "Jin Cuihua married into our Zhang family, so I am her everything. I provide her with food and drink, so why can't I slap her a few times?"

Before the others could react, Zhang Dahu grabbed Jin Cuihong and slapped her hard across the face with his large, fan-like hand, shoving her to the ground and punching and kicking her. "Ah, was it you, you stinking woman, who brought these people here? I'll show you! I'll beat you to death!"

Jin Cuihua was in so much pain that she kept begging for mercy on the ground. Zhang Zhanhong immediately reacted and, together with Shu Yun and Xiao Ma, pulled the person away. The expressions of the group were all rather unpleasant. No one had expected that there were still outsiders present. Zhang Dahu dared to hit people directly, showing no regard for the law.

Xiao Ma's face turned red with anger. He pointed at Zhang Dahu and said, "This is intentional assault, which is illegal. If you continue like this, we'll call the police."

Zhang Dahu was unmoved by reason. He spat near Xiao Ma's feet and said, "You old hag, I'm not easily intimidated. Just because you're a minor official doesn't mean you can order me around like that!"

Zhang Dahu's eyes turned red with rage, and he slapped Xiao Ma's face with a powerful force.

"Be careful." Shu Yun pulled the person to the side, narrowly avoiding the danger.

Shu Yun frowned. "You're going to assault the staff?"

Shu Yun emerged from the shadows of the room, the light illuminating her face. After giving birth, her face was even whiter and more radiant than before, like a peeled egg. The moment Zhang Dahu saw Shu Yun, his eyes widened, and he looked her up and down with ill intent. Zhang Zhanhong quickly pulled Shu Yun behind her to shield her.

Ignoring her injuries, Jin Cuihua ran to Zhang Dahu and said, "I didn't! I didn't call these people, Dahu, you've wronged me! It really wasn't me!"

The woman blocked Zhang Dahu's view completely. He impatiently pushed her aside, and Xiao Ma rushed over to help Jin Cuihua. She angrily said to Jin Cuihua, "Auntie, you can't reason with someone like this. I suggest you report it to the police and get a medical examination. Divorce is the only way out for someone like this."

Before Xiao Ma could react, Jin Cuihua pushed him to the ground. Gone was her pitiful appearance; instead, her face was contorted with hatred as she glared at Xiao Ma. "What nonsense are you spouting? Who said I wanted a divorce? It's better to destroy ten temples than to break up one marriage, don't you understand? Mediation is supposed to make me divorce? It's useless."

Xiao Ma's eyes widened, as if he were seeing Jin Cuihua for the first time.

Zhang Dahu laughed and said, "Fine, if you want a divorce, then get one. I'll support you wholeheartedly."

Jin Cuihua became agitated, gesturing wildly, "No, I don't agree! Don't even think about it! I won't let you be with that vixen, that woman who ruins shoes! Don't even think about it!"

Shu Yun and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Was there more to this story?

Zhang Zhan's face turned red and then darkened. "We've been made a fool of."

Zhang Dahu slapped Jin Cuihua a few more times, causing her already swollen face to swell up even more.

"What are you doing? What are you doing? Da Hu, stop!" A loud shout came from outside, and the captain came over. Only then did Zhang Da Hu stop what he was doing.

The captain frowned as he looked at Jin Cuihua's injuries and questioned, "Did you inflict all of these?"

The brigade leader had long held considerable power and influence in the village, so Zhang Dahu dared not provoke him. He tugged at Jin Cuihua's sleeve, and Jin Cuihua immediately became arrogant. "Uncle, no, it wasn't Dahu who hit me, it was, it was."

Jin Cuihua's eyes darted around, and she pointed at Shu Yun and the others, saying, "They're the ones who hit me. I told them I didn't want a divorce, and that's when they hit me. Da Hu didn't hit me; he was just joking with me."

Shu Yun glanced at her flushed face. Very well, just playing around?

Fortunately, the brigade leader wasn't blind and didn't believe Jin Cuihua's nonsense. However, since the person who was beaten didn't seem to care about being beaten, he naturally wouldn't step in. He just said a few words and left.

Walking down the street, Xiao Ma was still indignant. "What kind of people are these? We came to help out of kindness, but we were turned around and blamed?"

Zhang Zhanhong: "Alright, you should change your personality in the future. You're too impulsive and impatient. You haven't even figured out the details of the matter yet, and you're already advising people to get a divorce. Aren't you just asking for a beating?"

Shu Yun patted Xiao Ma on the shoulder, "It seems that Jin Cuihong came to the Women's Federation for help not because she wanted a divorce, or even because of the domestic violence. At most, she just wanted to use the Women's Federation to restrain her husband."

After chatting for a while, Zhang Zhanhong flipped through her notebook and said, "I still have to go to the next village and visit one more household. You guys can go back first."

Shu Yun and Xiao Ma were walking down the road when Xiao Ma laughed and said, "You didn't expect this, did you? This kind of thing actually happened?"

Shu Yun nodded, "Yes." It was no different from watching a grand show.

"Sigh, I didn't know that before. I only realized there are so many different kinds of people after I started this job. It seems I still have a lot to learn."

"Comrade Ma, what brings you here?" a surprised female voice called out. A little girl with pigtails peeked out from the basket on the woman's back. "Ma Ma."

Xiao Ma was pleasantly surprised to see them and went up to touch the little girl's soft hair. "We're here today to mediate. How are you doing these days? Have your ex-husband's family come looking for you again?"

The woman smiled and shook her head. "They haven't come looking for me. Now that Xiaoya and I are living alone, it's much easier than when I was taking care of the whole family. I'm in a better mood too."

"Are you free now? Would you like to come to my house for a visit?" The woman was extremely warm and friendly, with a smile on her face. Although she was dressed simply, she gave off a clean and positive vibe.

Xiao Ma waved his hand, "Sister-in-law, I'll come next time. It's working hours now, and I still have work to do when I get back. Next time, I'll definitely come to your house for a chat."

"Okay, I'll wait then." The woman waved, and the little girl in the basket waved back, "Goodbye, Mama."

Shu Yun glanced back and asked, "Is this the person you mediated before?"

Xiao Ma nodded. "Yes, she had a bad life. When we found her, she was about to commit suicide with her child. Fortunately, she was discovered and rescued in time."