"That kind of menace should be dragged out and shot. Team Leader, you absolutely cannot cover for them." Aunt Peng’s words were heavy.
The team leader broke into a cold sweat.
"What are you saying, Mrs. Peng? How could I possibly do such a thing? Didn’t the public security comrades say it themselves? Everything will be handled according to the law."
He wished he could, but he hardly had the power to do so.
"As long as you understand." Aunt Peng rolled her eyes at him. "Don’t loiter around here anymore. Hurry back to the village and do what you need to do. While you’re at it, pass a message to my Aiguo and tell him to keep a close watch on the house." She had left in such a hurry, she was afraid someone might go to their home and cause trouble.
The team leader knew he wasn’t welcome, but he hadn’t expected to be embarrassed so thoroughly. It was all the Gao family’s fault.
Aunt Li also understood what Aunt Peng was angry about.
"My good sister, this isn’t something us ordinary folks can decide. It has to be handled according to state law; it’s not something that can be resolved with just one word from anyone. You know exactly what kind of character my husband has. He just cares too much about the villagers. Don’t be mad at him." Ultimately, her heart ached for her husband. "Rest assured, he will definitely cooperate with the public security comrades. He absolutely won’t allow any remnants of such menaces to stay in the village."
Aunt Peng glanced at the team leader and then looked away. Her expression clearly spelled out her disbelief.
"It’s cold out. You should head back too. Xingguo and I are here, so don’t worry. A person as good as Jiu’er will definitely pull through." Aunt Peng maintained a much warmer attitude toward Aunt Li.
"Alright. There are indeed things in the village that need tending to. I’ll come visit Bai Jiu when I have some free time." Aunt Li hadn’t planned on staying long anyway. She had initially thought the injuries weren’t severe, but who knew it would turn out like this...
After the team leader and his wife left, Aunt Peng brought the matter up with Bai Xingguo.
As Bai Xingguo listened, the veins bulged all over his body. "Are they even human?" He had thought his younger sister married a good man, especially since Gao Zhiguo was nurtured by the state. But who could have foreseen this...
Seeing his reaction, Aunt Peng was rendered temporarily speechless. She hadn’t expected that Bai Jiu had kept all of this a secret from the Bai Family. How had the child managed to endure it, struggling alone all these years? A wave of overwhelming sorrow and bitterness surged in Aunt Peng’s heart.
"No wonder she kept saying she wouldn’t forgive them," Bai Xingguo said. "They don’t deserve it."
While Bai Jiu remained unconscious, the detained Song Caihua and Gao Zhiguo were panicking.
They had never expected Bai Jiu to be so ruthless. Not only had she broken Gao Zhiguo’s leg, but she had also sent them straight to the Public Security Bureau.
Because Gao Zhiguo was detained for attempted murder, the public security comrades simply had the local medic bandage his leg. They didn’t send him to the hospital; he didn’t deserve such treatment.
Song Caihua was locked in a separate cell, where she cursed nonstop.
"That bitch isn’t human! Why won’t you believe me?
"How could a person survive being thrown into the river? She’s not human! She’s a monster!
"Oh, my Zhi Guo! My son!"
Song Caihua looked as though she had been frightened out of her mind. The guard stationed outside stepped forward to check on her, but after confirming she wasn’t doing anything to harm herself, he ignored her.
News spread fast. The fact that Gaocun Village had produced murderers quickly circulated among the neighboring villages. Some people who had marital ties to Gaocun Village immediately came over to ask for details. Once they learned the truth, their perception of the Gao family drastically changed.
Old Man Gao had become utterly defeated after returning home.
He regretted it. He shouldn’t have agreed to let them seek out Huang Daxian, and he certainly shouldn’t have let them... But why hadn’t his third daughter-in-law just died?
Weighed down by his thoughts, Old Man Gao was also terrified—terrified of being sold out by his son and wife.
The Gao family home was plunged into a dead silence. Even Lin Guihua and Gao Yulan remained entirely silent. Er Gen was so scared he didn’t even dare to speak.
"What should we do?" Lin Guihua looked at her husband. If possible, she wanted to return to her maiden home. However, her maiden home was also Song Caihua’s maiden home. After an incident like this, there was no way she could go back.
Gao Zhishan crouched on the ground, clutching his head as tears streamed down his face.
"I’m asking you a question! We can’t stay in this village anymore." For once, Lin Guihua actually used her brain.
"What do you want to do?" Gao Zhishan looked up, his face covered in tears.
"What can I do? You don’t want your son to be called the descendant of a murderer for the rest of his life, do you?" Lin Guihua rolled her eyes at him. She hadn’t expected things to turn out like this, let alone that her mother-in-law and brother-in-law would actually dare to throw someone into the river. Aside from having a sharp tongue, she didn’t harbor any malicious schemes. She absolutely wouldn’t dare harm someone with her own hands; she simply didn’t have the guts.
"But my mother..."
"Your mother still has your second brother. His wife’s family is so powerful; they’ll definitely bail him out. But what about you? Have you even considered me and our child?" Lin Guihua didn’t dare to yell; otherwise, she would have already started a screaming match. Her father-in-law’s expression had been extremely ugly since he returned, and she was afraid that if she misspoke, he might throw her out.
Gao Zhishan lowered his head. He was at a loss.
"Think about it. Setting everything else aside, just think about Er Gen trying to find a job in the future. With a background like this, do you think he’ll ever be able to make something of himself?
"The most urgent thing for us right now is to leave this family." She couldn’t be blamed for being ruthless; she had to look out for her own small family.
"What do you mean?" Hearing this, Gao Zhishan immediately glared fiercely at Lin Guihua. "Are you trying to copy those city folks and make me cut ties with my family?" he asked through gritted teeth, a dark hostility rolling in his eyes. "Don’t you dare."
Lin Guihua was startled by his fierce demeanor, but holding her son in her arms gave her renewed confidence.
"What wouldn’t I dare to do? For my son, I’d even dare to kill! Let me tell you, Gao Zhishan, if you refuse to leave, then we’re getting a divorce. I’ll take my son and leave on my own.
"Either way, nobody is going to drag my son down." With that, she hugged her son tightly against her chest.
Er Gen silently shed tears, his face filled with fear.
Seeing his son, Gao Zhishan’s rationality returned. "But what about Father and Yulan?" he asked, evidently swayed.
"Hmph. Yulan is lazy and gluttonous, and your father is completely biased. Since he loves your second brother so much, let him go find your second brother’s son, Gao An. Regardless, I’m not going to care for them," Lin Guihua said ruthlessly. At a time like this, she could only manage to look after her own small household.
Gao Zhishan fell silent.
Lin Guihua didn’t press him further. "Think it over yourself," she said, pushing their son into his arms. "I’m going out to cook."
It was already noon. Even if they weren’t hungry, her son certainly was.
The moment his mother pushed him away, Er Gen immediately started crying. "Mother, don’t leave me!"
Seeing how terrified her son was, Lin Guihua’s hatred for her mother-in-law and brother-in-law deepened. "Mother isn’t leaving. Mother is just going to cook for you. It’s cold outside, so stay in the room with your father."
After comforting her son, Lin Guihua walked out of the room.
"You blind thing! Can’t you see what situation we’re in? Why haven’t you come out to help yet? Do you really think you’re some rich young miss?" With Song Caihua not at home, Lin Guihua was quick to establish her own dominance.
Inside his room, Old Man Gao heard his eldest daughter-in-law’s scolding. He knew exactly who she was cursing at.
From another room, Gao Yulan walked out very reluctantly.
"You could have just called for me. Did you really have to be so mean about it, Guihua?" Gao Yulan was afraid, but more than that, she had lost her backing and was forced to submit. She knew that if she didn’t come out, her sister-in-law would definitely cause a fuss. With their mother not at home, no one would protect her.
"Oh, are you really that self-aware?" Lin Guihua rolled her eyes. "Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you. Hurry up and help me tend the fire while I cook."
Within the Gao family, everyone harbored their own hidden agendas.