After beating her granddaughter, the old woman vented her anger. Her hair was messy, and her clothes were dusty from rolling on the ground. She cried to the guard who was carrying out the punishment, "Sir, how can I take 23 strokes … Old man, why did you leave so early …"
The guard spread his hands helplessly, with an expression that said, "I can't make the decision."
"The Lord also said that your son, daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law can take the punishment on your behalf."
The expressions of the old woman's children changed. The two daughters-in-law shrunk their necks, and the son-in-law looked up at the sky.
The few of them had shared out the 90 floggings. If they were to share out the old woman's 23 floggings, would they be able to survive?
The old woman was reminded by the guard. She pointed at one of her daughters-in-law and said in a sharp voice, "It's all because of you. You gave birth to two losers and brought so much trouble to the whole family. You take the punishment, or I'll ask my son to divorce you!"
The woman who was pointed at turned pale, and her body was on the verge of collapse.
At this time, the female soldier who was beaten finally regained her senses. She sneered and said, "My mother has a child in her belly. She can't take the punishment. Grandma, didn't you say two days ago that my mother was going to give me a younger brother? You know she has a child in her belly. "
The guard was surprised and looked at the weak woman with shrunken shoulders.
"If she is pregnant, she can't be beaten."
In other words, there was one less person to share the 90 strokes. The old woman had to find someone else to take the 23 strokes.
The old woman's face turned red. The discussions of the onlookers came into her ears.
"What a vicious old woman. She knows that her daughter-in-law is pregnant, but she still wants her daughter-in-law to take the punishment for her."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk … I'm her neighbor. We live in the same courtyard. I didn't expect this family to be so unreasonable. I heard that their two daughters are in the women's camp. One is more promising than the other, and their monthly salary is subsidized to the family. Their family lives are the best in the courtyard. I was so envious of them. Looking at it now, this family didn't have any good fortune. The daughter is trying to climb up, but the whole family is holding her back. "
"Old shrew! She's so vicious. Isn't she afraid of getting even with the King of Hell? "
"If my daughter is so good, I'll wake up laughing in my dreams. It's a pity that he's a sickly invalid. How can he go on the battlefield to kill the enemy and make contributions? "
"Some people just don't know how lucky they are. They don't know how to cherish the blessings that others can't ask for … It's really unfair."
"Tsk tsk, you guys don't understand. This was called being short-sighted and blind! You can only see that your daughter can be sold at a high price in exchange for a hefty betrothal gift, but you can't see how much benefits your daughter can bring to the family in the future. You're so short-sighted, tsk tsk! "
During the previous siege, regardless of whether they were deployed to fight in the war or stayed behind to defend Xiangyang District, the female soldiers who performed outstandingly and made contributions were all rewarded. Some were promoted in status, while others were rewarded with money. The two female soldiers in this family had both. When the news came out, many people were envious of them, but the family just had to seek death.
Some smart and quick-witted people would call their daughters dearly and try their best to repair their blood relationship, hoping to get the protection of their daughters.
Only such a stupid and greedy person would do something as stupid as killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
The old woman heard the people around her discussing. All of them accused her family of being greedy and stupid, but no one stood up to speak for them. She was stunned and her mind went blank. When she heard others say that they were short-sighted, she cried even harder.
"We're also blinded by lard. We're all deceived by the black-hearted Iceman …"
The old woman opened her mouth and was ready to push the blame to the matchmaker. It was the matchmaker who instigated them to harm their daughter.
However, everyone knew in their hearts that if this family was not greedy and black-hearted, how could the matchmaker persuade them?
The guards were already impatient, and the surrounding people jeered, wanting to see them beaten.
The family was scared and panicked. The father of the female soldier raised his hand and wanted to beat his wife. Who asked this woman to give birth to two scoundrels?
One side of the female soldier's cheek was already swollen, and her arm was covered with black and blue pinch marks. She looked very pathetic.
Seeing that her mother was about to be beaten, she raised her hand to stop her father's raised arm and pinched the vital part of his wrist. This would make one's bones hurt.
"I'll bear the punishment for mother's punishment. The others will be punished according to the rules. "
Her mind cleared up a little, and she made a decision that was not considered stupid.
She could not bear the reputation of being unfilial, so she took the initiative to bear the punishment for her mother. It was only seven or eight strokes.
If she didn't do anything, the old woman might react and force her to bear the twenty-three strokes of the board.
Seven or eight or 23 strokes, even a fool would know which to choose.
The old woman reacted and pointed at the female soldier, asking her to bear the punishment.
After all, she was her granddaughter. What was wrong with taking a few strokes for her grandmother?
The guard smiled and said, "Granny, your granddaughter is very filial. She has already taken the initiative to bear eight strokes for her mother. If she bears 23 strokes for you, she will lose her life here. You're a grandmother. You don't want to force your granddaughter to death, do you? "
The old woman's face turned red, then green, and finally black.
Her granddaughter took the initiative to bear the blame for her mother. She was a filial daughter, and as a grandmother, it would be unkind if she continued to push the blame.
The guard added, "She is a girl after all. She is still young. If she is beaten too much, it will be bad if she can't have children in the future if she gets hurt. Granny has a few sons and sons-in-law. They are men, so it's not a big deal for them to take a few more strokes. "
The crowd jeered. Men were afraid of being spanked?
The guard wanted to say something, but his companion winked at him, indicating that if the matter was dragged on for too long, the person in charge would be unhappy.
Seeing this, the guard waved his hand and asked people to beat them one by one according to the rules.
According to the rules, people who were punished in public had to take off their pants and be beaten on a high stool.
The men were fine, but when it came to the daughters-in-law and daughters, they cried and screamed.
The guard gloated, "You're all men. Why don't you take the punishment for your wife? We'll try to be gentle."
The common people were convulsing with laughter and egging him on.
"Yes, you're a man, but you let your wife take off her pants to be beaten?"
Try to be gentle, but it still hurts!
The man who was beaten eight times on the ground was furious, and he scolded his wife.
"Stinky woman, you want to see me die so you can remarry, right? Can a few strokes kill me? "
No matter how unwilling the old woman was, she was beaten ten times in the end, and the remaining thirteen strokes were shared among the younger generation.
Originally, the younger generation was unwilling. Even the youngest son whom the old woman doted on the most couldn't help but hide far away when he heard this.
In the end, they pushed each other and barely shared the thirteen strokes, but the old woman still had to take ten.
When it was the female soldier's turn, the guard said, "She came from the women's camp after all, and we've guarded the city together. You don't have to take off your pants."
The female soldier's face was pale, and she murmured, "Thank you."
There was a trick to beating someone. Where and how much strength was used, there was something fishy about it.
The female soldier was beaten badly, but the guard showed mercy. She would recover in a few days.
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