Seeing that her sisters-in-law did not agree with her words, Sister-in-law Niu went to several villagers named Huang to find helpers who shared her indignation.
As a result, not a single person was willing to pay her any mind.
Except for the village cadres' homes, she had visited almost the entire village. Everyone either called her crazy, a troublemaker, or threatened to beat her up.
The reason, of course, was that she had schemed for the Niu family's property, implicating all the villagers in their misfortune.
She couldn't understand why, this time, with all villagers' dividends drastically reduced, everyone remained collectively silent.
She wanted to go to Villages One and Two, but then, her body started having problems.
A heavy sensation in her lower abdomen, a swollen and red incision with a hard lump.
Upon examination at the county hospital, the county hospital stated that the incision had not healed well and had become infected, requiring local reopening, disinfection, and resuturing.
When Sister-in-law Niu heard that the incision needed to be reopened and resutured, she had her maternal family members who accompanied her send her to the Chinese medicine hospital. She was certain that the Chinese medicine hospital had made a medical error during her suturing, causing her incision to become infected.
Sent to the Chinese medicine hospital, they refused to accept responsibility. The postpartum mother had been fine twenty days ago, so how could it be their medical malpractice? It must be that the patient herself did not follow medical advice.
Sister-in-law Niu insisted it was the Chinese medicine hospital's fault, not only demanding they perform the surgery again for free but also demanding compensation.
After a two-day standoff, Sister-in-law Niu's incision began to suppurate, and she developed a fever. She was still causing trouble at the Chinese medicine hospital, insisting on free treatment.
The Chinese medicine hospital did not accept her unreasonable demands and advised her not to delay any further, as incision infections and fevers were very dangerous.
Sister-in-law Niu refused to listen, and her maternal family continued to agitate with her.
It wasn't until Sister-in-law Niu fainted that her maternal family became anxious and rushed to pay for her rescue. However, the Chinese medicine hospital was unwilling to admit her.
Her maternal family argued with the Chinese medicine hospital again, and finally, they called the police. Only then did the Chinese medicine hospital admit her, but it was already too late...
Upon hearing the news of Sister-in-law Niu's death, Tian Jing was shocked, "How could this be? Wasn't she full of energy, going around encouraging villagers to cause trouble in the county?"
"Alas!" Sister-in-law Niu sighed, "She didn't listen to medical advice or warnings and insisted on getting out of bed and going out to promote villagers causing trouble. As a result, her incision became infected."
"So it was infected. She just had to suffer again. Who knew she would also make trouble with the Chinese medicine hospital, insisting they treat her as medical malpractice and pay compensation."
"The Chinese medicine hospital advised her to stop being stubborn and to be hospitalized quickly. She didn't listen, and after delaying, it festered, she fainted, and never woke up again."
Tian Jing frowned, "Who accompanied her? How is it being handled now?"
"Her maternal family." Sister-in-law Niu's eyes welled up with tears, "We didn't get along my whole life, and suddenly she's gone. I feel very unsettled."
"Especially hearing that her maternal family was still arguing with the Chinese medicine hospital after she fainted, and only after calling the police was she treated, my heart aches."
"Time is life! How can one be unreasonable for a little money or to get an advantage?"
"The police investigated, and all responsibility lies with my sister-in-law and her accompanying maternal family."
"Her maternal family disagreed, saying they would sue the Chinese medicine hospital, sue my mother-in-law and brother, and also sue you."
"Let them." Tian Jing was truly impressed by the energy of Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family. A life was lost, and they could still cause trouble:
"You haven't rewritten the division of property agreement, have you?"
"No." Sister-in-law Niu shook her head, "My sister-in-law originally planned to hold a full moon banquet on the full moon day, and witness the rewritten division of property agreement then."
"She said that at that time the scenic area wouldn't have opened yet, which wouldn't affect the division of property or the opening of the scenic area shops. It's only a few days away, and now... ."
"Alas! Whenever I think about how she tormented herself to death, I think about fate. She didn't have that destiny."
Tian Jing pulled Sister-in-law Niu back from her sorrow, "Shouldn't you guard against Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family coming to stir up trouble about dividing the property again?"
"Brother Niu is indecisive, and Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family will not give up their scheme just because Sister-in-law Niu is gone."
"Mm." Sister-in-law Niu nodded, "Father of Big Niu also said so. Our original plan can only end."
"But we suspect that my mother-in-law will not stop causing trouble. She will definitely tell my younger brother to find another young woman and continue to have a son."
"Even if my younger brother finds a new wife and has a son, Father of Big Niu said he will no longer agree to the proposal of dividing the property again."
"If we divide, we will do it thoroughly through the court, without repeated divisions."
Sister-in-law Niu left. Ouyang Meihua and Mother Li sighed, having never seen anyone as self-destructive as Sister-in-law Niu, who ended up destroying herself.
Tian Jing secretly sighed, was it truly as Sister-in-law Niu said, that Sister-in-law Niu didn't have that destiny?
Perhaps.
...
Sister-in-law Niu's death rippled through the calm and undisturbed Kushan, creating a stir before quieting down again.
Every villager knew that the 80% of shares in the Hot Spring Valley Scenic Area being taken away was done by Tian Jing.
This was because the person who announced this news often came to find Tian Jing, and he was the eldest uncle of Haohao, and also a captain.
What the deputy head of the poverty alleviation leading group said was correct: everything they had was given by Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing.
Tian Jing provided them with seedlings, and Li Zhengguo spurred them on from behind.
When the county removed Li Zhengguo from his position and expelled him from the party, Tian Jing took away 80% of the scenic area.
If they were still ungrateful, they would probably get nothing.
This time, Tian Jing's strike was not against one person or one village, but the entire county.
Previously, the county had already taken 20% of the shares, which were later transferred to Villages One and Two after their merger.
At that time, they were informed at a village meeting that the income from the scenic area could not all belong to the collective, especially for such a high-income scenic area.
This time, Li Zhengguo was targeted, and they could see that the county's next step was to interfere with the income of the scenic area.
It was better to have it taken by Tian Jing than by the county.
...
No matter how much Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family caused trouble, Sister-in-law Niu's funeral had to be held.
But at the funeral, the maternal family started causing trouble again.
What they were causing trouble about was naturally the conditions that Aunt Niu had promised Sister-in-law Niu after she gave birth to a son.
Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family threatened Aunt Niu, saying that if she didn't divide the property now, they would accuse Aunt Niu of killing her daughter-in-law and send her to jail.
They even blocked the procession, refusing to let the funeral proceed without an explanation.
Brother Niu could not stand it any longer, "In-laws, father and mother, if you let these people continue to make trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family was displeased.
"You just became the party secretary of Kúshān, didn't you?"
"Exactly, don't think you're an official and we're afraid of you."
"Quickly divide the family property again, otherwise, we'll make you Niu family members pay with your lives."
Big Niu and Second Niu had not intended to bother with these people, but upon hearing the last sentence, their tempers flared. They pointed at Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family and asked who they expected to pay with their lives.
The two sides shoved each other, almost coming to blows.
Brother Niu roared, telling both sides to stop, then took out his phone to call the police.
"We clearly stated in front of the police who is responsible for your daughter's death."
Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family had already reported it to the police in the county.
The police not only refused to handle the case but also stated that if the Niu family sued them, they would be detained and have to compensate.
Because at the Chinese medicine hospital, they not only failed to dissuade Sister-in-law Niu but also joined in the commotion. During the two days of stalemate, despite the Niu family's urging and opposition, they strongly supported Sister-in-law Niu causing trouble at the Chinese medicine hospital.
After Sister-in-law Niu fainted, they did not immediately notify Brother Niu and continued to make a fuss, delaying Sister-in-law Niu's treatment.
All responsibility lay with them. If the Niu family didn't sue, the police wouldn't intervene. If the Niu family sued, the police would definitely arrest people.
At this moment, hearing Brother Niu say he was calling the police, Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family panicked and all lunged towards Brother Niu.
The villagers of Kúshān who had come to attend Sister-in-law Niu's funeral, how could they let Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family bully their village official?
They stepped forward to help.
The two sides started fighting.
The security team came and separated the two sides.
The villagers of Kúshān might have been feeling very suppressed recently, and they hit hard. Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family all suffered injuries, including Sister-in-law Niu's mother and father.
Now, there was no need for Brother Niu to call the police. Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family called the police.
Upon hearing that there was a brawl at a funeral, the police officers were reluctant to respond.
Brother Niu looked coldly at Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family, and at his eldest niece and her husband, who had remained silent throughout.
He took out his phone and reported, suspecting that Sister-in-law Niu's maternal family had colluded to murder Sister-in-law Niu, solely out of greed for the Niu family's property.