"What nonsense are you spouting? Watch your mouth, Song Caihua," Captain Gao said, visibly frightened.
"I’m not wrong! She really is a Water Ghost! Why won’t you believe me? We clearly locked her in a cage and threw her into the river, but she somehow crawled back up! If she isn’t a ghost, what is she?" Song Caihua shifted away in terror, desperately trying to put some distance between herself and Bai Jiu.
Now everyone understood. They all took a collective sharp breath. No one had expected Old Mrs. Song to be so ruthless as to drown her own daughter-in-law. Locking her in a cage... this was outright murder.
Captain Gao also broke into a cold sweat. He exchanged a glance with the Village Head, and they both saw the fear in each other’s eyes.
The Village Head was slightly older than Captain Gao. After composing himself, he turned to Bai Jiu. "Bai Jiu, we understand the situation now. How about this? We’ll report this to the police. There’s no need to soil your own hands."
The village couldn’t possibly keep such cold-blooded people around. What if they held a grudge from some past disagreement and decided to target other villagers? Calling the police was the best course of action.
That was exactly what Bai Jiu had intended. If she couldn’t send this mother and son to the firing squad, she might as well jump back into the river herself. Hmph. Since they dared to murder her, they had better be prepared for her to strike back. She wasn’t the original owner of this body who could be bullied so easily.
Bai Jiu remained silent, glaring at the people on the ground. Reporting them to the police was a given, but...
Without warning, she brought her stick down on the mother and son, striking them over a dozen times. She avoided their vital spots; they wouldn’t die. After she finished the beating, she tossed the stick aside. "Report them."
Just as Bai Jiu spoke, the Gao family arrived.
Seeing his pale, battered wife and son on the ground, and then noticing Bai Jiu standing unscathed to the side, Old Man Gao’s heart plummeted. He feared that their actions from yesterday had been exposed.
Gao Zhishan rushed forward immediately when he saw his mother and younger brother lying in pools of blood. Seeing his brother’s mangled leg and his mother’s swollen, bruised body, fury ignited within him.
"Bai Jiu, what are you doing?" Gao Zhishan glared at her with a face full of rage.
Bai Jiu couldn’t care less. She pulled her clothes tighter around herself and scoffed. "Heh, what am I doing? Are you blind?
"Are you shocked to see me still alive? Are you surprised? It just means I’m tough to kill. I’m putting this out there right now: if this mother and son don’t face the firing squad, I will escalate this case. I don’t care if I have to take it all the way to the top leaders. I’m not afraid."
Raising her head, she looked at the entire Gao family. "As for the rest of you, you’d better hope you weren’t involved. Otherwise... none of you will know a day of peace."
Seeing her like this, Gao Yulan, who was usually incredibly arrogant, shrank back and hid behind Old Man Gao. Lin Guihua tightly hugged her son who had followed them, terrified that Bai Jiu might drag him into it. She hastily shook her head. "I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything!"
Old Man Gao’s face was grim. He hadn’t expected their plan to fail.
"Bai Jiu, no matter what, they are still Gao Zhijun’s mother and brother. Aren’t you afraid of disappointing him by doing this?" Old Man Gao had originally wanted to say, *Aren’t you afraid of Gao Zhijun coming to haunt you tonight*, but for some reason, he suddenly changed his words.
"Heh, he’s already dead. What right does a dead man have to voice an opinion? If you’re so capable, why don’t you go down to the underworld and ask him yourself?" Bai Jiu looked at Old Man Gao with a face full of mockery.
She didn’t believe for a second that Old Man Gao wasn’t involved in this; she simply lacked the evidence. However, no one could save the two people on the ground. Even if Gao Zhijun were here right now, there would be no room for negotiation.
"You." Old Man Gao was livid.
Bai Jiu clutched the talisman paper tightly in her hand. This thing was evidence, and she needed to protect it well.
"What, you don’t dare? If you don’t dare, then shut the hell up!" Bai Jiu roared at him forcefully.
"Not only did this mother and son plot to murder someone, but they also engaged in feudal superstition. Scum like them should be dragged out and shot. Alive, they waste space; dead, they waste land. It’d be best to burn them to ashes after they take a bullet, at least that way they can fertilize the soil.
"You wanted to kill me, but you didn’t even check if you had what it takes. Ever since I married into your family, you’ve used my background against me every single day. I was fed like a bird and worked like a dog. Did you really think the Bai family would be such an easy pushover for you to torment me like this?
"And now you even tried to drown me. Heh, what a pity. God has eyes, and He let me live. As for you two, just wait to face the firing squad."
Bai Jiu’s words rang clearly in everyone’s ears. Some people who didn’t know about Bai Jiu’s maiden family background looked curious, whispering softly among themselves.
As if knowing exactly what they were thinking, Bai Jiu smiled. "What a pity for you. The Bai family has been officially rehabilitated. The town leaders didn’t just restore our reputation; they even awarded us the honor of being a ’Glorious Family.’"
"How about that? Bet you didn’t see that coming," she said. She swept her gaze over the Gao family before fixing her eyes on the two people on the ground. "Being able to marry me was a blessing the Gao family earned in a past life. Not only did you fail to cherish it, but you also dared to abuse me. Did you really think I was a pushover?"
Bai Jiu’s words dropped like a bombshell on the crowd.
A Glorious Family! What an incredible honor that was. The Bai family... Gao Laosan sure had been blessed with good fortune.
The villagers’ discussions grew louder, and the way they looked at Bai Jiu completely changed. In the past, they might have looked down on her. They figured that since she was a city girl who had married into a rural village, her family’s conditions must have been poor. Or they thought she was just trying to avoid being sent down to the countryside for labor.
Who could have imagined that the Bai family was actually a Glorious Family? That wasn’t an honor just anyone could easily obtain. Even Gao Laosan’s own family didn’t have such an honor, and he had been out defending the country.
"Bai Jiu, I understand that you’re angry, but no matter what, she’s still Gao Zhijun’s mother. Can’t we discuss this firing squad business a bit more?" Old Man Gao was genuinely scared now. After hearing her declaration, a fawning expression appeared on his face. "Don’t worry, I promise they will never dare to do it again." Old Man Gao desperately wanted to save his wife and son.
"Who do you think you are? What is your promise even worth?" Bai Jiu scoffed, shooting him down without leaving him a single shred of dignity.
One had to admit, Old Man Gao really thought too highly of himself.
Captain Gao and the Village Head could clearly see that Bai Jiu wasn’t going to let this go. They couldn’t say much either; if she accused them of harboring criminals, they would be done for.
"Alright, bring some ropes and take them to the town," the Village Head ordered.
As soon as he spoke, several people immediately stepped forward to carry out the order. It had to be said, the Village Head’s words carried much more weight than Captain Gao’s.
Aunt Peng was standing to the side, wiping away tears of heartache. Seeing the men take action, she stepped forward and patted Bai Jiu. "Jiu, let’s go home and change your clothes. You have to be careful not to catch a fever."
"Thank you for caring, Aunt Peng, but I’m fine." She absolutely refused to change her clothes. If catching a cold was the price to pay for sending that mother and son to the firing squad, it was well worth it. Besides, she was still wearing Aunt Peng’s jacket, so she didn’t feel cold in the slightest right now.
Gao Weimin soon drove the tractor over. The Village Head, Captain Gao, a few sturdy men, along with Aunt Li and Aunt Peng, all got onto the vehicle. The women were there to look after Bai Jiu. After the terrible injustice she had suffered, the village had to send a couple of people to take care of her. They couldn’t just let a lone woman travel with a bunch of men.
CLATTER CLATTER. The tractor rumbled along the road. By the time they reached the town, a heavy snow had suddenly begun to fall. Fortunately, there was plenty of hay in the back of the tractor; otherwise, they might not have been able to make it back later.
Seeing a truckload of people arrive, four or five police officers immediately stepped out of the station to ask what was going on. The Village Head then stepped forward to explain the situation.