She abandoned her husband first, then her children, and was ecstatic after the divorce.

Chapter 178 I'll Take Care of My Own Children

But the boy's cries grew fainter and fainter, and Lin Qingran finally couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed forward and stopped the old widower from waving his stick.

"Stop hitting him! You'll kill him!"

Lin Qingran shouted angrily, her eyes burning with rage, her chest heaving violently with fury.

The old widower was startled by Lin Qingran's sudden appearance. The stick in his hand froze in mid-air. He glared at Lin Qingran and said fiercely.

"Mind your own business! This little brat is being disobedient and needs to be taught a lesson!"

Lin Qingran held the boy tightly behind her, looking directly into the old widower's eyes without flinching.

"You're not his father, what right do you have to hit him!"

The boy hid behind Lin Qingran, trembling, his sobs coming in fits and starts.

Lin Qingran could feel his small body trembling incessantly. Despite his fear, he still spoke.

"Don't hit him again!"

"I paid money to buy this child, so it's my child! It's none of your business how I discipline my own child!"

The old widower raised his stick again, as if to strike.

Lin Qingran grabbed the stick, snatched it away, and threw it on the ground.

"With me here today, you won't be able to touch him again!"

Enraged, the old widower grabbed Lin Qingran with his rough, powerful hands and dragged her out the door as easily as if she were a chick.

Lin Qingran struggled desperately, using both her hands and feet to try to break free from the old widower's restraints, but her resistance seemed so insignificant in the face of the old widower's strength.

"Let me go! You bastard!" Lin Qingran shouted hoarsely.

But the old widower ignored her cries and just held her tightly as they hurried along.

Lin Qingran's clothes were torn and disheveled during the dragging, and her hair became messy.

Soon, the old widower dragged Lin Qingran back to her home.

Lin Qingran's adoptive mother had just returned from playing mahjong and was so surprised by this scene that she dropped what she was doing.

This old widower was notorious in the village for being difficult to deal with and for taking advantage of women. Even his adoptive mother, who was so arrogant and domineering, dared not provoke him.

"What are you doing..." the foster mother stammered.

The old widower, panting heavily, said fiercely.

"You've raised such a good daughter! Meddling in my business!"

Lin Qingran glared angrily at the old widower, "You abuse children and you still think you're right?"

The old widower pointed at Lin Qingran and said to his adoptive mother.

"Look at the child you raised, so arrogant and ignorant! What business is it of hers if I discipline my own child!"

The foster mother looked troubled and said to Lin Qingran.

"What's wrong with you, you brat? Why are you so insensible?"

Lin Qingran, emboldened by some unknown source, shouted.

"I did nothing wrong, I just felt sorry for him!"

The old widower sneered, "Pity? Did I make a mistake raising him? This little brat needs to be beaten if he doesn't listen!"

Lin Qingran bit her lip and said stubbornly.

"That's illegal!"

The old widower was unfazed. "Breaking the law? In this village, I am the law!"

Lin Qingran's adoptive mother apologized repeatedly, her face full of ingratiating smiles, her waist unconsciously bending down, her voice filled with humility and fear.

"Brother, I'm so sorry, the child is ignorant. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against her."

The old widower squinted, a malicious smile on his face. Instead of accepting the apology, he took the opportunity to reach for his foster mother's shoulder, making filthy remarks.

"This matter is not so easy to settle."

His adoptive mother was startled by his sudden action and instinctively dodged to the side.

Upon seeing this, the old widower's face instantly darkened, and he said viciously.

"Why are you hiding? You messed with me, can't I even take advantage of you?"

The foster mother's face flushed red, and her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Brother, please don't be like this, we really know we were wrong."

The old widower persisted, his eyes darting around, revealing a greedy look.

"Fine, I'll let it go, but give me some money to compensate for my emotional distress!"

The foster mother was startled and looked troubled. "Brother, our family is poor. Where would we get so much money?"

"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't have money, don't expect me to let this go!" The old widower raised his voice, his face full of arrogance.

Helpless, the foster mother gritted her teeth, turned around and went into the house to rummage through drawers and cabinets. With great difficulty, she managed to scrape together a sum of money and handed it to the old widower with trembling hands.

The old widower took the money, counted it in his hand, and then hummed with satisfaction.

"You guys know what's good for you. Keep that girl in check from now on and don't meddle in my business anymore!"

After speaking, he walked away.

Lin Qingran stood in the courtyard, her eyes filled with stubbornness and defiance.

The foster mother, her eyes blazing with anger, held a thick wooden stick in her hand and approached Lin Qingran step by step.

"You ungrateful wretch! You're always causing me trouble!"

The foster mother shouted, her voice sharp and shrill with anger.

Lin Qingran bit her lip, remaining silent and staring straight at her adoptive mother.

Seeing her like this, her adoptive mother became even angrier and raised a wooden stick to beat Lin Qingran hard.

With a "smack," the wooden stick landed heavily on Lin Qingran's back. Lin Qingran's body trembled violently, and a painful expression appeared on her face, but she still clenched her teeth and refused to beg for mercy.

The foster mother swung the wooden stick again and again, hitting and cursing as she did so.

"Serves you right for meddling! Serves you right for disobeying me!"

Lin Qingran's arms, back, and legs were covered with red marks.

Her clothes were torn, and her skin was bruised and bleeding. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back.

"What did I do wrong? I just wanted to help that child!" Lin Qingran finally couldn't help but shout.

"You are human traffickers! You should all be arrested!"

"You dare talk back!" The foster mother hit him even harder. "You want to arrest me? What a joke!"

As he spoke, he struck again with the stick.

Lin Qingran's body swayed precariously, as if she would collapse at any moment.

The wooden stick in her hand slowly fell only when her adoptive mother got tired of hitting her.

Lin Qingran collapsed to the ground, covered in wounds.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Qingran was ruthlessly locked in a dark and damp woodshed by her adoptive mother.

The door slammed shut, cutting her off from the outside world.

The cramped woodshed was filled with a rotten smell, and not a single ray of light could penetrate it.

Lin Qingran huddled in the corner, her injuries making it difficult for her to move.

A day passed, then two days, and her foster mother brought her no food or water.

Lin Qingran's stomach was growling loudly with hunger, and her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire.

The torment of hunger gradually drove Lin Qingran to madness. She began to frantically grope along the wall with her hands, trying to find something to fill her stomach.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she picked off some dirt from the wall and stuffed it into her mouth.

The bitter, dusty soil was extremely difficult to swallow, but extreme hunger made her disregard everything else and force herself to swallow it.