"You still say I'm misunderstanding you? You're the only one in this family who's mean to Momo! Don't think I don't know what you're like. No stepmother wants her stepson around. I tried so hard to watch out for this, but I couldn't stop you! Tell me where Momo is, now!" Mrs. Tang was small, but her grip was surprisingly strong. She shook Su Li so hard her vision blurred.
"Tch! That venomous bitch! I saw it from the start. Now, start talking!" a villager chimed in, spitting on the ground. The way they looked at Su Li, you'd think they wanted to tear her limb from limb.
"Everyone, please, don't be rash. Finding Momo is the most important thing right now." Qin Shanshan spoke up again, her sensible and virtuous demeanor calming the crowd. She turned to Su Li and spoke with sincerity.
"Su Li, regardless of whether everyone is misunderstanding you, the priority right now is to find Momo. He's just a little boy. For his sake, please, just lead us to him. Even if you really did sell him, as long as you tell us where he is so we can get him back, no one will press charges."
Qin Shanshan took a deep breath. "If you tell us now, we might still have a chance to get him back. If Momo returns, we can forget about how you dislike him and hit him. No one will bring it up again. Finding Momo is what's important..."
Su Li cut her off, her voice filled with feigned grief and indignation. "Shanshan, I can handle them misunderstanding me, but how could you? The entire village can get me wrong, but you can't! You know I would never, ever sell Tang Mo! Shanshan, I'm so disappointed in you!"
Su Li spoke in a rapid-fire burst. "What do you mean I dislike Little Tang Mo? I was only stern with him a few times because I wanted him to call me 'Mama,' and you were the one who taught me to do that! You said that if I acted like Zhao Guihua, Little Tang Mo would start calling me 'Mama.' You're the one who told me to hit and yell at him, but I couldn't even bring myself to do it! And now you have the nerve to accuse me of treating Little Tang Mo badly? Shanshan, you..."
Su Li covered her mouth, putting on a show of being utterly heartbroken.
She had spoken so quickly that Qin Shanshan was caught completely off guard. She couldn't react in time, and by the time she'd processed what was happening, Su Li had already finished speaking.
The villagers were just as stunned. They all turned to look at Qin Shanshan, their expressions turning strange. Even Mrs. Tang was distracted by the new accusation.
Qin Shanshan grew frantic. "Su Li, what nonsense are you spouting?! I'm asking you where you sold Momo!"
"I'm not talking nonsense, I'm telling the truth! I was upset that Little Tang Mo wouldn't call me 'Mama,' and you were the one who took pity on me and gave me advice! You said that if I acted like Zhao Guihua, Little Tang Mo would start calling me 'Mama' just like the Zhao siblings call her. You said everyone would understand and sympathize with me! I listened to you and did what you said, and now you're turning around and accusing me!" Su Li shouted, cutting Qin Shanshan off again.
A harsh glint flashed in Qin Shanshan's eyes. She finally dropped her gentle and virtuous facade, her face hardening as she snapped, "Su Li, stop trying to change the subject! We're talking about where you sold Momo!"
Su Li cut her off again, her voice firm and decisive. "Don't you dare bring up me selling Little Tang Mo. And on that topic, Shanshan—others can misunderstand me, but you can't. No matter how many times you suggested it, I never agreed. I told you I would *never* sell Little Tang Mo!"
Qin Shanshan wanted to cough up blood.
Mrs. Tang's head was spinning. "What are you two arguing about? Caihua... Shanshan, why did *you* want to sell Momo?"
It wasn't just Mrs. Tang who was confused; the other villagers were baffled as well. This was the first they were hearing of such a secret, and their expressions changed as they looked at Qin Shanshan. 'Shanshan actually told Su Li to sell Tang Mo?'
Qin Shanshan found herself in a position where she couldn't defend herself. "I didn't! I've been framed! Su Li, you... you sold Momo, and now you're trying to pin it on me! How could you be so cruel! You're spouting vicious lies... WAHHH..."
But Qin Shanshan was, after all, Qin Shanshan. She reacted in a flash, bursting into tears. She cried with such a sense of grievance, looking so pitiable and lovely, that it was enough to make anyone who saw or heard her feel their heart ache in sympathy.
As soon as she started crying, the villagers' hearts immediately went out to her. They remembered what a warm and good-hearted girl she normally was and instantly felt that they must have misjudged her.
Among them was a young man named Tie Niu, who had always admired Qin Shanshan. He was overwhelmed with pity and guilt. Impulsively, he rushed forward to offer a few words of comfort, then clenched his fists and charged toward Su Li. "You venomous bitch! How dare you slander Shanshan! I'll kill you!"
Qin Shanshan, who had been whimpering a moment ago, immediately lifted her head. Her eyes glinted as she watched, a desperate hope visible within them that Tie Niu would teach Su Li a lesson.
Unfortunately, the outcome was destined to disappoint her. Su Li was already prepared and easily dodged him. Someone else then grabbed hold of Tie Niu to restrain him.
Su Li stepped back to the side, her expression dark.
'Turning the tables just by crying... This enemy, Qin Shanshan, is truly formidable.'
Su Li's heart went cold, but she wasn't surprised. Her face grim, she calmly watched the crowd.
"Su Li, stop lashing out and trying to blame everyone else. Just confess honestly. Where did you sell Tang Mo?!" The village chief, who had arrived at some unknown point, stepped forward and demanded in a grave voice.
Su Li's gaze swept over their faces one by one, a mocking expression on her own. She spoke slowly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It looks like you've all made up your minds that I sold Tang Mo. You've already convicted me, so anything I say now would be pointless. Since that's the case, I won't waste my breath defending myself. I'll just ask one thing: Do you have any proof?"
Her demeanor turned solemn. Su Li walked toward the village chief, step by step, enunciating each word clearly. "You say I sold Tang Mo. Do you have any proof? Or are you convicting me based on nothing more than your own assumptions, simply because I'm his stepmother?"
The village chief was taken aback. He frowned and repeated, "Proof?"
Su Li nodded. "That's right. Proof. The accusation is only valid if you have proof. Without it, it's slander. And slander is a major offense. I could take legal action against you all. So, tell me, who was the first person to claim I sold Little Mo?"
The terms "major offense" and "legal action" were frightening. A nervous flutter went through the crowd. They glanced at one another, and their gazes eventually settled on Qin Shanshan.
Qin Shanshan's heart lurched. Before she could open her mouth, Su Li cried out, her face a mask of grief and indignation, "It was you! Shanshan, you were the one who slandered me! I poured my heart out to you, treated you like my closest friend, and this is how you repay me!"
"I didn't slander you! Village Chief!" Qin Shanshan pleaded, turning to the chief for help.
The village chief cleared his throat. Su Li shook her head, her expression sorrowful. "What right do you have to slander me like this? Is it just because I'm a stepmother? If that's all it takes to convict someone—a few offhand comments and no need for proof—then who here hasn't said something they shouldn't have? I'm afraid every single one of you would be found guilty of something."
The village chief was left speechless. Qin Shanshan, seeing things were not going her way, thought fast and quickly changed tactics. "Su Li, you know full well we don't have any proof. We just want to find Momo, that's all! I... I'll get on my knees and beg you, all right? Please, tell us while there's still time!"
With a loud THUD, Qin Shanshan dropped to her knees in front of Su Li.
Su Li took a step back, gritting her teeth.
The moment Qin Shanshan knelt, the fickle villagers—like grass bending in the wind—turned their angry glares back to Su Li. Mrs. Tang snapped out of her confusion and, with a THUD, also dropped to her knees. "Su Li, I'm begging you too! I'll get on my knees and beg you, please just tell me where Momo is! I can't live without him!"
Tears streamed down Mrs. Tang's aged face, and the sight made the crowd's hearts ache with pity.
Tie Niu couldn't take it anymore and jumped forward again. "Why are you wasting your breath on her? Someone as black-hearted as her won't respond to begging! I say we just beat her until she talks!"
"That's right, beat her until she talks!" everyone chimed in, their gazes turning dangerous as they glared at Su Li.
Looking at their expressions, Su Li found herself trembling with rage all over again at facing such a scene. Her voice was ice-cold. "I did not sell Tang Mo. I am being framed. Tang Mo is inside the house, sleeping!"
No one believed her. In fact, her words only served to fully ignite their fury.
"She won't confess until she's at death's door. Still spouting nonsense at a time like this! We already checked the house. She's really got a death wish!"
"Kill her!"
"If she won't talk, let's just burn her!"
"Yeah, burn her! She deserves it!"
One after another, their faces twisted with cruelty, the villagers closed in on Su Li. The village chief was powerless to stop them. Just as the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, a small, childish voice suddenly rang out.
"Grandma?"
Everyone froze, looking up in disbelief. There, standing in the doorway of the main hall, was Little Tang Mo, rubbing his eyes and looking at them all with confusion.