The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 208: Painful Memories

"Yaozu, Man Er, you mustn’t set the traps carelessly; don’t get your hands caught."

Tong Huaqiong saw Man Er and Yaozu taking the Beast Trap to the wasteland, discussing how to set it, and quickly stopped them.

Liu Tieshan, skilled in setting Beast Traps, went over and took the trap from Man Er’s hands.

Man Er and Yaozu, on the side, were discussing whether the caught wild rabbit should be braised or stewed.

He Chao and Boss Qian stood among the vines and weeds discussing how to build the house, set up the yard, and open the gate...

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, with no one paying attention to Mrs. Hong, except for Tong Huaqiong.

Mrs. Hong stood beside Tong Huaqiong, who keenly noticed that since arriving at this wasteland, she hadn’t spoken a word and had been staring at a crooked-necked tree in the middle of the wasteland.

Tong Huaqiong thought she was scared.

After all, Liu Tieshan had just pointed at that crooked-neck tree, saying that beneath it, a family from Shengjing had been hanged by rebels, suggesting Boss Qian and He Chao should focus on praying for the wrongful deaths of that family.

Not to mention Mrs. Hong, even Tong Huaqiong felt a bit unsettled by the words.

At this point, she even suspected He Chao and Boss Qian were crazy for wanting to buy this land.

It made her consider moving away.

Tong Huaqiong asked Mrs. Hong concernedly, "Sister Hong, what do you think of this place? If you don’t feel it’s right, we can look at other sites for the house."

After all, it’s not like the village doesn’t have other plots, it would just cost some money.

Mrs. Hong smiled reluctantly and said, "It’s nothing. I think it’s quite nice here."

Tong Huaqiong felt her smile was very forced.

Just then, a plump wild rabbit darted out of the grass and ran past Mrs. Hong, diving into the Beast Trap, causing Mrs. Hong to scream and nearly fall.

Tong Huaqiong, standing beside her, firmly supported her.

"What happened?" He Chao asked nervously.

"A rabbit suddenly dashed out and startled Sister Hong," Tong Huaqiong explained.

Mrs. Hong coughed several times, her face turning pale.

Tong Huaqiong suggested, "Perhaps we should go back. The wind here is a bit strong."

Mrs. Hong shook her head while holding onto her handkerchief, saying, "I’m fine."

Tong Huaqiong noticed her eyes were still fixed on that crooked-necked tree.

There must be some story behind this.

Tong Huaqiong’s intuition told her that Mrs. Hong’s reaction was likely related to that crooked-necked tree.

Could it be that the family hanged there had some connection to Mrs. Hong?

Having interacted with Mrs. Hong for a while, Tong Huaqiong realized she’d never heard her speak of her parents or relatives, and her accent was quite different from those in Pingchuan County.

He Chao couldn’t ignore Mrs. Hong’s condition, touched her hand, found it cold, feared she might develop a fever, and decided to take her back to Tong Huaqiong’s house.

Mrs. Hong remained standing, unmoving.

Tong Huaqiong, unable to hold back, asked, "Sister Hong, does that crooked-necked tree remind you of something?"

She disliked guessing games; when puzzled, she preferred to ask directly.

If things were indeed as she suspected, she didn’t believe Mrs. Hong would be unable to bear it.

Why Mrs. Hong came to Qinghe Bay, why this wasteland just happened to await her — if it truly held a connection, then it was fate, unavoidable for everyone.

Just like how she became Tong Dajiao, inescapable!

If that family was indeed related to Mrs. Hong, or if they were her relatives, finding their remains and allowing them to rest in peace would offer some solace.

He Chao, hearing Tong Huaqiong’s question, then noticed Mrs. Hong staring at the crooked-neck tree.

"Wife, what’s wrong?" He Chao said softly, "There are no outsiders here; if you have anything to say, you can tell us."

Mrs. Hong’s eyes suddenly turned red, pointing at the tree, she said, "...just now the village chief mentioned that the hanged family was my parents and siblings...boo hoo hoo..."

Mrs. Hong began to cry, clutching her handkerchief.

Indeed, Tong Huaqiong guessed correctly.

"This... this..." Boss Qian stamped his foot.

This touched upon Mrs. Hong’s sorrow.

He Chao stood there completely stunned.

Tong Huaqiong observed coldly, suspecting it was He Chao’s first time learning this.

Tong Huaqiong decisively said, "Let’s discuss this at home."

The wasteland wind was strong, and Mrs. Hong’s emotions finally found an outlet; she was already crying breathlessly, and Tong Huaqiong worried about her catching cold and fainting.

She proposed to take her home immediately.

If she fell ill at home, Tong Huaqiong could send Man Er to get medicine from a special place.

He Chao and Tong Huaqiong supported Mrs. Hong from both sides to bring her home.

Boss Qian followed them to Tong Huaqiong’s house.

Liu Tieshan felt unsure whether to stay or go, not expecting the family he mentioned to be Mrs. Hong’s relatives.

Tong Huaqiong said to Liu Tieshan, "Brother Liu, could you please tell everyone to come to work at my house a bit later? Also, gather everyone to distribute the disinfectant and insecticide."

Liu Tieshan agreed and left the Gu Family.

He was still lamenting that the two plots might be lost.

After Mrs. Hong was brought inside, Tong Huaqiong served her a cup of hot tea and lit an incense stick for calming nerves.

Mrs. Hong’s emotions gradually stabilized and she began to narrate.

Over twenty years ago, before the rebels invaded Shengjing, eight-year-old Mrs. Hong and her family escaped the city with the crowd.

They traveled day and night until reaching a village.

Heavy rains made travel impossible, so they planned to settle in the village.

Unexpectedly, they encountered a band of rebels who, hearing the Shengjing accent and seeing the wagon filled with belongings, attacked them.

Mrs. Hong’s father tried to protest, and was hanged.

In the chaos, Mrs. Hong’s mother hid her beneath a corpse.

Mrs. Hong hid under the corpse, watching her mother and brother being hanged, wide-eyed.

Terrified, she fainted.

Perhaps due to severe trauma, she awoke without memory of the event, wandering alone.

Later, while working as a maid, she met He Chao.

Having forgotten her parents’ tragic end, even He Chao was hearing about her painful memory for the first time.

Today, the crooked-necked tree suddenly triggered Mrs. Hong’s memory.

Her parents and brother were hanged on that tree, which frequently appeared in her dreams.

She did not understand previous dreams filled with slaughter and the crooked-necked tree.

Only today did she comprehend.

Yes, their encounter with the rebels was in Qinghe Bay; back then, she didn’t know the village’s name. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After she awoke, she fled to the mountains, met a group of children who offered her food and water, and learned the village was called Qinghe Bay.

Later, she deliberately forgot the name Qinghe Bay.

"I never imagined the fate of Father and Mother would be so tragic."

He Chao’s gaze at Mrs. Hong was filled with compassion.

Mrs. Hong grasped He Chao’s hand.

"...Boss, do you remember when I wandered the mountains and encountered you?" Once composed, Mrs. Hong wiped her tears and asked Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong thought about it; how could she recall?

Because she wasn’t Tong Dajiao.

Searching her mind, she vaguely recalled saving a girl who crawled out from a pile of corpses, though only fragments remained due to the time passed.

Tong Huaqiong said, "It’s been too long, I’ve forgotten."

Mrs. Hong tearfully said, "I shouldn’t have forgotten."