Chapter 158 What if the village chief gets injured...

"What's wrong? What's wrong so early in the morning?"

Mr. Zhou came out rubbing his eyes.

Zhou Tao didn't even come out!

"Look..."

Zhou's mother handed the letter to Zhou's father, who took a close look and his expression immediately changed.

"Xiao Hong is gone? This is... Where could she go? She has no money, and she's divorced from her husband. Where could she go?"

You need a letter of introduction to go anywhere, this...

This is utter nonsense!

To be honest, Zhou's father was still a little worried.

Suddenly, Zhou's mother remembered something and quickly ran into the house. A moment later, a heart-wrenching cry came from inside.

"My God, that heartless girl has lost all conscience! Waaah..."

Mr. Zhou was startled and rushed inside, only to find Mrs. Zhou sitting on the ground, holding the box and crying loudly.

There were only a few loose banknotes and a few grain coupons left in the box; nothing else!

Zhou's mother's expression was fierce as she glared at Zhou's father: "It's all your fault! What nonsense did you spout in front of the Fang family?"

ah?

Well, that's it, Xiaohong has been divorced!

Now that he's run away, what will happen to the Li family?

Are you going to get married?

Mr. Zhou touched his nose: "I... I can't get a job here!"

Zhou's mother gritted her teeth, stood up, and cursed angrily, "That damned girl! I must find her and make her return my money!"

This is the money our family uses for food.

Where can she go?

"Find it quickly!"

"Let's go ask the neighborhood committee first, see if she's seen the letter of introduction."

As she spoke, Zhou's mother pushed open the door and went out. Her anxious appearance frightened Zhou's father!

Little Red...

Fine, since I've run away, I might as well run far away! Don't come back! If I come back and marry that old Li, I'll be miserable for the rest of my life!

She's still my daughter, even though I love my son and my heart is full of him.

I never imagined my daughter would suffer so much.

Why……

However, Zhou's father dared not let Zhou's mother know his little scheme, so he called out to Zhou Tao and quickly went out to follow him.

The letter of introduction was indeed issued, but...

They didn't even specify where we were going, but since we paid, they gave us extra tickets!

Having no other choice, Zhou's mother angrily went to the Fang family's house.

We need an explanation from the experts.

"Oh my god! The Fang family is despicable and abuses their power to bully others. They insist on divorcing my daughter, and now my daughter has run away from home and her fate is unknown!"

It's all the Fang family's fault!

You must give me back my daughter's life!

My poor daughter!

Of course, Zhou's mother knew that Zhou Hong's running away from home had nothing to do with the Fang family, but wasn't this just trying to extort money from them?

Where would they get the money if they didn't extort people?

When Fang's mother came out, she almost fainted from shock!

"What...what are you doing? The reason for the divorce is that your family comes to our door every day demanding money. You married off a daughter, not a god of wealth."

I can understand a daughter helping her parents' family, but it's not appropriate for her to ask for money every day.

Besides, you've already severed ties!

Moreover, my son has already divorced your daughter because of you, which means we have no further connection.

Isn't that just being unreasonable?

Zhou's mother sat on the ground, crying and shouting, "What do you mean by being unreasonable? We just want to find my daughter."

What's wrong? Is it going too far?

My poor daughter, she met a heartless and cruel person!

Your in-laws must have ill intentions. Did they force you to leave?

ah?

My God, open your eyes and look!

"Waaah..."

Fang's mother was a dignified and generous woman, and she couldn't even exchange a single word with a shrew like Zhou's mother.

I'm so angry I feel dizzy.

When Fang Cheng returned and saw this scene, he had someone help his mother inside.

"Aunt Zhou, do you really want me to say in front of everyone why Zhou Hong and I are getting a divorce?"

I'll give you face.

That doesn't mean they'll always give you face.

Go back now and stop there; I can let it go!

Zhou's mother didn't care at all!

She shouted loudly, "Hmph, are you threatening me now? Let me tell you, I used to be your mother-in-law, I'm not easily scared!"

Fang Cheng, you're the one who drove my daughter away.

If you hadn't divorced my daughter, why would she have run away from home?

ah?

It's all your house!

"You might have driven my daughter to her death. If you don't pay me compensation today, I'm not leaving!"

Fang Cheng chuckled: "Didn't your daughter run away from home? Did we drive her to her death? Do you have any proof?"

The onlookers around whispered among themselves.

"The Fang family wouldn't do such a thing, would they?"

"Who knows? You can know a person's face but not their heart!"

"Yes, the Fang family used to treat their daughter-in-law well, but who knows if they've met someone even better now!"

"A family that cuts ties with its own family is no good! That's too heartless!"

Fang Cheng looked at Zhou's mother, who had a smug smile on her lips!

Zhou's mother felt that the Fang family were respectable people, and that she herself had nothing to lose and was not afraid of those in shoes.

But……

Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, but he had no intention of letting her off easily.

"Then Aunt Zhou, can you tell everyone how you forced your daughter to go back to her parents' home to scam money?"

No one has it easy, and whose savings are meant for someone else?

"What? They scammed me out of money? These family members are utterly despicable! They're just hoping their daughter will do well!"

"That's right, I've never seen a mother like this before!"

"Maybe it's because of her that our daughter ran away from home this time. She's really trying to extort money from us!"

"Yes, yes, that makes sense!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou's mother's face turned ugly!

Before he could say anything, Fang Cheng spoke first.

"Aunt Zhou, not only that, you also owe us a thousand yuan, have you forgotten?"

Is it wrong for me to ask your daughter to sever ties with you so that you won't affect her?

You're her mother, but it's wrong to cling to her and suck her blood, isn't it?

"But what did you do? You secretly forced her to take out her wedding gold jewelry so you could exchange it for money for your son to squander!"

Is this for the daughter's good?

Is this because he feels sorry for his daughter?

Which point is it?

Please explain, Zhou Yi.

As Fang Cheng spoke, everyone looked at Zhou's mother with accusation in their eyes!

How can you treat your daughter like this? While it's true that daughters should help their parents' family, this is unacceptable.

Isn't this just bloodsucking? And you still won't admit it!

snort!

Zhou's mother's face grew increasingly red and embarrassed!

She tilted her head back and said, "So it's always your fault that she ran away from home? If you hadn't gotten a divorce, would she have left?"

Waaah...

I just can't live like this anymore!

That brat even took my money when she left! It was over a hundred yuan! Waaah...

How are we going to live from now on?!

Fang Cheng laughed and said, "Aunt Zhou, you're joking. That money was from the sale of her jewelry, wasn't it? Didn't you say before that raising children is for old age security?"

What? What else do you expect from your daughter?

Zhou's mother was speechless...

Wow... how come I didn't know Fang Cheng was so good with words before?

He gritted his teeth and said, "Then you have to pay compensation. My daughter ran away from home after divorcing you, so you have to take responsibility!"

"Really? I heard that she left because you were going to marry your daughter off to a man in his fifties?"

Those around him gaped in astonishment.

"Oh...over fifty?"

Look at Fang Cheng, he's only in his early twenties, so Xiao Hong must also be in her early twenties.

Should I marry a man who is thirty years older than me?

This mother is really going too far!

"Sister, you've gone too far! Even if your daughter is divorced, she's still a young woman! A young wife."

She's only in her early twenties, what kind of man could she possibly be looking for?

How could you find such a big one? Is it even bigger than you?

That's going too far!

"Exactly! Have you no shame? Are you obsessed with money? It's disgraceful and embarrassing!"

"Yes, if it were me, I couldn't bear to!"

"The bride price must be high, otherwise how could a mother be willing to pay it?"

"What kind of mother is this! Shameless!"

The people around her were all saying their opinions, and not a single person had anything good to say about her!

Zhou's father stood in the crowd, not daring to look up, for fear that Fang Cheng would recognize him!

Zhou Tao rushed over, intending to go in and pull his mother away, but seeing the situation... if he scolded my mother, he couldn't scold me!

Never mind, my mom has a thick skin anyway, she can handle it!

Feeling utterly ashamed, Zhou's mother covered her head and rushed into the crowd.

Zhou's father and his son Zhou Tao also ran away quickly!

Fang Cheng looked at the people who had run away, his face full of mockery.

Zhou Hong, I hope this time you can truly understand who is the one who treats you well!

Zhou Hong stepped out of the station and looked at the bustling crowd, unsure of where to go next.

I stayed in the guesthouse for three days and also spent three days looking for work outside!

Fortunately, her household registration is still with the Fang family, and now that she has found a suitable job, she can gradually transfer her household registration out.

However, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

"DouDou?"

"DouDou? Is that you?"

When Dou Dou heard someone calling him, he turned around abruptly and was surprised to see his aunt's face.

His expression changed instantly, and he quickly ran away!

Zhou Hong was now certain: it was Dou Dou, it had to be Dou Dou.

But didn't my sister-in-law go to Beijing? How come the child is in the provincial capital? Could it be...?

Could it be that my sister-in-law couldn't afford to raise the child and sold him?

He widened his eyes and quickly followed.

To avoid being discovered by the child, I followed from a distance, but unexpectedly, the final address turned out to be a police station.

this?

How did I end up here?

DouDou ran home, panting heavily...

"Dou Dou, what's wrong? Why are you running so fast right after school? Is someone chasing you?" Xie Yanli said, amused.

DouDou, panting, said, "Mom, Auntie's here!"

"What?"

Xie Yanli was startled.

"Why is she here? Did she come looking for me?"

DouDou shook her head: "I don't know. I heard someone call me, and when I turned around, it was my aunt, so I quickly ran back!"

Xie Yanli subconsciously looked out the window and immediately came face to face with Zhou Hong, who was looking up at her.

She was so frightened that she shrank back.

Zhou Hong also spotted Xie Yanli instantly.

In that instant, she had a thought: she wanted to call her parents. "I ran away, but..."

My wife's family has been looking for my sister-in-law, hasn't they? If they find her, won't everything go back to normal?

Then your parents shouldn't blame you, right?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Zhou Hong pinched herself hard. After feeling the pain, she tried to convince herself: "Zhou Hong, how could you think like that? You've bullied Xie Yanli quite a bit these past few years."

Don't you think their divorce has anything to do with you?

Aren't you the culprit?

Now that you're divorced too, you know that life after a divorce isn't easy. Xie Yanli is in the same boat as you, or even worse.

You brought this upon yourself, but Xie Yanli was bullied to death!

She even raised two children.

If I tell my parents about Xie Yanli, they will definitely come looking for me and ruin my sister-in-law's job.

meeting……

No, Zhou Hong, you've done so many terrible things in the past. You can't go any worse!

He paused for a moment, then got up and left!

DouDou looked out the window but didn't see anyone.

She whispered, "Mom, no one's here! Auntie's gone!"

Xie Yanli breathed a sigh of relief, but not long after, she heard voices outside the door.

"Hello, I'd like to ask where DouDou lives?"

"Oh, I'm the child's aunt!"

Soon, there was a knock on the door!

Xie Yanli looked at Dou Dou, her face ashen: "If your aunt tells your father, grandfather, and grandmother about what happened between us, the days ahead will probably be difficult!"

DouDou pouted and said, "Mom, you can give me back then. I'll be fine! You take good care of my little sister!"

Xie Yanli cried while holding her child!

Dian Dian doesn't need to go home for lunch at kindergarten!

Otherwise, Xie Yanli would be even more worried.

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Xiao Hong! I've come to see you!"

Zhou Hong, afraid of startling the people inside, spoke softly.

Xie Yanli didn't want to open the door, but...

He took a deep breath, opened the door, and looked at Zhou Hong with a grim expression: "Come in!"

Zhou Hong was carrying a bag of apples and two pounds of meat!

This surprised Xie Yanli somewhat!

"Sister-in-law, did my sudden visit startle you?"

Xie Yanli didn't answer, but only asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Hong's eyes reddened: "I...I'm divorced!"

"What?"

Xie Yanli couldn't believe it.

How could the Zhou family possibly let Zhou Hong get a divorce? Don't they see the Fang family as their backup force?

That's a powerful backer...

Looking into Xie Yanli's eyes, Zhou Hong's eyes reddened: "My parents tricked me into going to my mother-in-law's house to scam money, otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford the two thousand yuan."

Then... the Fang family found out and made me sever ties with the Zhou family.

Otherwise, you'll have to pay it back.

"So? They agreed?" Xie Yanli said sarcastically.

Zhou Hong sniffed: "Yeah! Then I went back to the Fang family! But my parents always came over and asked me for money."

I didn't have it, so they forced me to take something else.

I had no choice but to give them my jewelry! But they were still not satisfied and kept asking for more!

Then the Fang family discovered it.

Fang Cheng and I are divorced!

Xie Yanli didn't know how to comfort Zhou Hong, nor did she want to.

If we're talking about people who harmed me, Zhou Hong is one of them!

In that marriage, Zhou Hong was not a good person!

"Then what are you doing here?"

Xie Yanli asked, but what she really wanted to know was whether the other members of the Zhou family knew her location.

Zhou Hong gave a bitter smile: "Sister-in-law, do you think Mom and Dad have no one else to enslave? Who would they enslave?"

It's me now!

When you were here, I was considered their daughter.

But now that you're gone, I've become their cash cow!

They found a family whose husband was over thirty years older than me. But the bride price was five hundred!

They've got their eye on the five hundred yuan!

"What?"

Xie Yanli never imagined that the Zhou family would harm her daughter!

Is it really worth sacrificing your daughter's happiness for a dowry of just over 500 yuan?

This is... outrageous!

At that moment, she felt both unfortunate and very lucky!

At the very least, her family was her biggest support; they didn't abandon her during her most difficult time.

At the very least, no matter what happens, she still has her family, her younger brother, and her parents!

There are even younger siblings!

She raised her child alone, and her sister-in-law not only didn't mind, but also didn't object to her brother arranging a job for her!

I am happy!

"Is this outrageous? I originally thought they just disliked you and bullied you! But now I realize that they're willing to do anything to benefit my brother!"

Oh……

I'm so stupid!

Seeing Zhou Hong's sad expression, Xie Yanli didn't say anything to comfort her!

"you……"

Zhou Hong held Xie Yanli's hand and said, "I also want to say, sister-in-law, I'm sorry!"

Xie Yanli pursed her lips. Forgiveness? She couldn't forgive.

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to forgive me! I... I know how much of a scoundrel I am!"

Where do you live now?

Xie Yanli asked.

Zhou Hong said apologetically, "I'm currently staying at a guesthouse and haven't found a job yet! Don't worry, I'll make sure to stay away from you!"

Even if my parents find me, they won't find you!

Zhou Hong knew what she had to do!

Xie Yanli then smiled and said, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, it's what I should do!"

"Well, sister-in-law, you go ahead with your work! I'll be going now if there's nothing else!"

Zhou Hong knew Xie Yanli didn't like her, so after saying a few words, she knew it was time to leave!

"Well... goodbye!"

Xie Yanli said.

After thinking for a moment, DouDou also said, "Goodbye, Auntie!"

"goodbye!"

After Zhou Hong left, I walked down the street and watched the people coming and going. So this is what it feels like to be a good person?

It was so relaxing!

Looking back, I realize I wasn't even human!

She smiled slightly, wondering what she was good at.

She knows a little about tailoring and making clothes; she specifically learned these skills beforehand, and it was Fang's mother-in-law who made her learn them.

It is said that women should learn a skill.

I never imagined that my mother-in-law would be the one to teach me how to survive!

Cheer yourself up, go find a state-run tailor shop, get some food, and you can make a living! The most important thing now is to survive!

With a goal in mind, Zhou Hong's energy and spirits improved a lot!

As night fell, Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe quietly told their grandfather and went out!

The roads in the countryside at night are not easy to walk on, but fortunately the moonlight is very bright, almost enough to illuminate a person's face and even make out their features.

Xie Jianshe cautiously observed his surroundings.

Going up the mountain, going down the mountain...

In just one hour, we arrived near the quarry on the back mountain!

Under the moonlight, the quarry was pitch black!

"Coo coo coo...coo coo..."

An unknown bird was crying out mournfully...

It added a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere!

"Xiao Ye, look over there, that's the gate to the quarry. The quarry is very large, but the walls are very high!"

It's almost impossible for the people inside to escape!

here…"

Xie Jianshe couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

"It's like a prison!"

Zhou Ye said it casually!

Xie Jianshe held Zhou Ye's hand tightly: "Xiao Ye, don't worry, Mom and Dad will be fine!"

They must be very clever to have survived!

Yes, being able to live... but how exactly does one live?

Zhou didn't dare to think about what kind of life his parents were living!

Are you still hungry even if you eat coarse grains and wild vegetables every day?

"You're right, they will definitely live! They definitely will!"

Zhou also cheered herself up!

Sneaking closer, the wall was a full four meters high, and there wasn't a single tree around. It seemed that apart from the gate, there was almost no way to see inside!

Do we really have to wait for an opportunity to get in?

Is that even possible? Even the village chief's son has never been inside!

When will the village chief go in to deliver supplies next?

Zhou asked in a low voice.

"I've inquired, and it will take another five days! The village chief should be trying to prepare supplies in the next few days!"

"Five days? Supplies are scarce right now, and we don't even know if the village chief needs our help. What kind of plan do we need to get him to take us in?"

Zhou also said with a worry.

Now at least we know the location of the quarry, so we can talk about it later!

Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe walked around the quarry one last time, but still couldn't find any way to break through. There was one place full of bushes, but Zhou Ye came over and rummaged through it.

No openings were found!

Ultimately, they returned empty-handed.

Unfortunately, on my way back, I arrived at the doorway...

"Hey... what have you guys been doing?"

Brother Zhang got up in the middle of the night and discovered Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe.

Xie Jianshe said gently, "My wife is scared when we get up in the middle of the night, so I'll go with her!"

Zhou also blushed a little...

Brother Zhang laughed heartily: "Hehe...that's normal. My wife was scared when she was young too!"

hehe……

It's getting chilly at night, so you should all go back inside!

Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe entered the house, and Zhou Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"How about it?"

"grandfather……"

They explained the situation, and Zhou Weiren sighed for a long time.

"It seems there's only one way!"

"What?"

Zhou also asked.

Zhou Weiren and Xie Jianshe exchanged a glance, but... this method was a bit underhanded!

Zhou Ye instantly understood what the other party meant.

Grandpa whispered, "If the village chief is injured, then someone else will have to deliver the supplies, and the most likely candidate is the village chief's son..."

But his son might not be able to get the supplies!

"When that time comes, we'll need help, and you are our hope!"

After saying that, he sighed and said, "But it's so immoral! The village chief saved me, but we're going to hurt him for our own purposes."

I……

Why……"

Zhou Ye remained silent.

Xie Jianshe would never do such a thing!

Are you going by yourself?

Zhou clenched his fist, his palms sweating profusely...

She felt dizzy and sleepy!

"I'm sleepy, let's go to sleep first! Grandpa, Jianshe, if you have any other plans, let's talk about them first."

I'm going to sleep now!

Zhou didn't know what was wrong with her all of a sudden; she felt dizzy!

"Are you alright?" Xie Jianshe asked worriedly.

"It's alright!"

The next day, early in the morning, Uncle Zhang said first, "I have something to do and I'll be going out for a bit, so I won't be working."

"You guys do a lot more work today!"

This is to be entrusted to my two sons!

Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe exchanged a glance, seemingly knowing where the village chief was going.

In a secluded spot, Xie Jianshe whispered, "I'll go check..."

"good!"

But no one knew that Zhou Ye silently looked into the distance and set off as well!