Li Lan looked at Yun Que'er with tears in her eyes, but she had to admit that she had been convinced by the latter.
So, after all this commotion, it turned out that she had been manipulated?
How could Li Lan accept this?
"I... I actually..."
Li Lan was on the verge of a breakdown.
It was only after Yun Que'er laid out all the facts that Li Lan realized how big a mistake she had made.
"Then what should I do now..."
Before Li Lan could finish, there was a sudden commotion outside.
Li Lan felt a pang of uneasiness and was about to rush forward to take a look.
Yun Que'er grabbed her. "Don't bother looking. Some people have come to testify for my father."
Yun Que'er stared firmly at Li Lan. "As the saying goes, 'Time reveals a person's heart just as distance tests a horse's strength.' That's exactly the case. If my father were really a heinous person, would so many people come to clear his name? If you still don't believe it, just use your own eyes to see and your heart to feel. One day, you'll understand."
Li Lan nodded weakly. "But if I come forward to testify for you, will it really have no impact on me?"
"You were terribly frightened at that time, so it's normal that you couldn't remember things clearly for a while. Moreover, you were misled by others, so no one will do anything to you. But you've also seen that this matter won't end like this. I won't just let my father stay in prison. Once there is other evidence proving my father's innocence one day, even if you didn't give false testimony, you still reported a false alarm. At that time, the consequences you have to bear will be more than just moral torture."
Li Lan's eyes were filled with tears, and she suddenly remembered what Teacher Xue had said before.
If one day they found that things were not as they had imagined, the consequences would be beyond what people of their age could bear.
Finally, Li Lan mustered up the courage and nodded to Yun Que'er.
"Okay, then I'll testify for you."
This day was destined to be an eventful one.
At first, Shen Qingqing didn't know what was going on. She just heard the commotion outside and curiously leaned out of the window to look.
Unexpectedly, it was a group of people who wanted to clear Yun Motan's name.
Shen Qingqing was stunned on the spot.
How could this be? Who were those people? Why were they testifying for Yun Motan? Did Yun Que'er have new evidence?
Shen Qingqing wanted to go and find out, but she felt a bit guilty, afraid that others would notice something. So she had to be patient and wait for the news.
Finally, someone found out.
It was said that those people were all Yun Motan's former colleagues. Somehow they got the news and skipped their classes. They had come from all over specifically for this.
Only then did Shen Qingqing heave a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they were just here to testify. There was no real evidence. Otherwise, she would be doomed.
But Shen Qingqing was even angrier. These people were really meddling in other people's business.
When others encountered such things, they would try their best to stay away, for fear of being implicated.
But these people were good. They actually rushed over to testify.
Was Yun Motan really that good!
Filled with indignation, Shen Qingqing went home.
Teacher Lu didn't have any classes today, so she was resting at home.
As she entered the yard and before she could open the door, she heard someone talking inside.
Shen Qingqing's eyes lit up. Was he here?
She quickly took two steps forward, then stopped.
He never liked her. If she went in, she would only get a cold shoulder.
Forget it. Let Teacher Lu talk to him inside.
Maybe if he was in a good mood, life for her and her mother would be better.
Shen Qingqing moved a small stool and sat down in the yard. Just as she was about to do her homework, she suddenly heard a whimpering sound coming from the sheepfold.
Instantly, Shen Qingqing flew into a rage. She picked up a firewood stick and rushed in.
"Can't you be quiet for a single day?" Shen Qingqing scolded the thin young man inside. "All you do all day is eat, poop, or cry. Why don't you just die!"
If it weren't for him, they wouldn't be living like this!
The more Shen Qingqing thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted to tear the young man into pieces. She raised the stick and whipped it down hard.
"I'll make you stop crying! I'll make you stop crying!"
At this moment, the door of the inner room suddenly opened, followed by a man's cold rebuke.
"What are you doing?"
The stick in Shen Qingqing's hand dropped to the ground with a thud. She stiffly turned her head to look at the man.
Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but she stopped abruptly.
She knew that the man never liked to talk to her.
However, the man didn't seem to want to communicate with Shen Qingqing either. He simply ignored her and walked into the sheepfold.
The man always hated such dirty places, so he stopped just as he stepped through the dilapidated door panel.
Teacher Lu followed closely behind and glared at Shen Qingqing.
"What are you still standing there for? Get out of the way!"
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and shuffled out.
Suddenly, the man spoke. "I think the place you're living in is too shabby. Find some time to look for a house. I'll rent a new one for you later."
Shen Qingqing stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the man in surprise.
But Teacher Lu didn't seem very happy. She just lowered her head cautiously.
The man looked at Teacher Lu's belly. "You're about to give birth soon."
Teacher Lu's smile was a bit stiff. "Yes, I'll give birth in winter..."
The man lovingly stroked Teacher Lu's belly, but this affection was obviously not for Teacher Lu.
"I've asked someone to take a look. They said this baby of yours must be a boy. You have to take good care of yourself. As soon as the baby is born, we'll move to a bigger house. We can't let my son suffer here."
The light of hope in Shen Qingqing's eyes faded.
She knew it wouldn't be that simple.
Sighing, she turned around and went back into the house.
The man said something more to Teacher Lu and then left.
But when Teacher Lu came back, she was in a hurry and her face looked obviously wrong.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Shen Qingqing asked.
Teacher Lu stared blankly at her and suddenly pounced on her, gripping her neck tightly.
"Why didn't you die? Why!"
Shen Qingqing was stunned by Teacher Lu's sudden madness. She wanted to struggle, but her neck was tightly held. The more she moved, the harder it was to breathe.
Shen Qingqing was really afraid that she would be strangled to death by Teacher Lu. She didn't dare to struggle anymore and raised her head with difficulty to look at Teacher Lu.
"Mom, it's me. I'm Qingqing..."
But instead of evoking Teacher Lu's motherly love, it made the hatred in her eyes even deeper.
"And your elder brother! You all deserve to die! Die!"
Shen Qingqing's eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't speak because of the choking and could only look at Teacher Lu helplessly. Her face was getting redder and redder.
Just when Shen Qingqing felt that she was about to suffocate, Teacher Lu finally let go.