Chapter 27 A Halo of Light

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The village where Ma Jinbao's family lived was called Jinshan Village, which was closer to the town than Daye Village.

Compared to the muddy mountain paths of Daye Village, the roads in Jinshan Village were noticeably smoother, and one could even see donkey carts loaded with goods on ordinary days, were it not for the New Year.

Though both were villages, the people of Jinshan Village always felt superior to those from Daye Village.

This was evident from the Ma Family's arrogant attitude towards Yue Xiaofang.

Along the way, Lin Chunju and the others discussed their strategy.

"Although we are in the right, we are still not from their village, so it would be best to find someone respected in the village to uphold justice first."

Zhang Ying said with concern, "Mother, people tend to be protective of their own, even if Xiaofang says the Ma Family isn't well-liked in the village, what if they bully us as outsiders and take Ma Jinbao's side?"

Lin Chunju was also worried about this, but could only speculate, "Let's see how it goes. I've heard that the village chief of Jinshan Village is a decent person, not biased, and he's an old acquaintance of Chief Zhang."

Even though she said this, there were inherent prejudices between the villages, and despite their fierce arrival, they were not very confident.

The Yue Family men always doted on their wives; in their mind, a man who lays a hand on a woman is no man at all.

But this didn't prevent the prevalent attitude of bossing around wives in most of the surrounding families.

Only if a woman was beaten to death might someone intervene.

If she had even a breath left, no one would bother to ask.

In the village, there might even be gossips spreading rumors that such a woman doesn't know how to please a man.

Of course, there's an exception: if a wife's natal family has many brothers who are well-established.

If you dare lay a hand on the wife, the next day a group of strong men will be blocking your door.

But such convenience is rarely found between villages.

This is also why many young women are reluctant to marry out—it's really about lacking security in life.

Lin Chunju walked along, full of worries, but no matter the cost, she was determined to find a way to help her daughter annul the marriage.

The Ma Family was like a Devil's Den that devoured people without spitting out their bones—staying there would mean the end of her life.

The winter wind was piercingly cold, finding its way into every nook, particularly aiming for the neck and sleeves.

The exposed cheeks were blushed red from the wind, which scraped like a dull knife, causing a raw pain.

Yue Xiaofang was already frail and coughed lightly a few times.

"Your feet were nearly frostbitten just yesterday, lean on me," Zhang Ying immediately offered her support to Yue Xiaofang.

The Ma Family was too cruel; in the dead of winter, Yue Xiaofang was sent home wearing only a pair of thin shoes.

When she took off her shoes last night, her toes were swollen like radishes, tinged with purplish hues.

Today, though she changed into short boots lined with fur, her feet must still have been in pain.

Yue Xiaofang shook her head, looking worriedly at Yue Qingqing.

"I'm fine. It's just that Qingqing, so young, has to suffer because of me."

Lin Chunju carried the child higher and said irritably, "Qingqing is much warmer than you; her constitution is better. Look what they did to you."

Yue Qingqing also cooperated by showing a smile.

Having cultivated for more than half a year, even though Spiritual Energy was scarce in this world, with the help of Innate Qi, she had developed some Cultivation Base.

She could not only shroud her body in Spiritual Energy to fend off the cold but also concentrate it in her eyes to see farther and higher.

Wait, what's that halo of light up ahead?

Yue Qingqing immediately began pointing excitedly in the direction of the glow.

"Is there something over there?" Lin Chunju whispered in a voice so low that only the two of them could hear.

Yue Qingqing nodded lightly and pointed again with a cry.

Children of little more than half a year sometimes have strange behaviors, and although Yue Xiaofang saw this gesture, she didn't think much of it.

But Lin Chunju turned her head and decisively said, "Let's go check it out."

Yue Jiannan was confused and said, "This road is surrounded by wasteland, there's nothing interesting to see. Let's just hurry to Jinshan Village."

Lin Chunju, however, paid him no heed and headed straight in the direction Yue Qingqing had pointed; the Yue Family had no choice but to follow.

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