Chapter 197 The wicked will be punished by the wicked.

197

"ah……"

Zhao Xiaoyu screamed in despair, "Guo Cuicui, I think you did this on purpose!"

Lin Baozhu almost burst out laughing while watching, and quickly lowered her head to cover it up. Her mother's "acting skills" and "accuracy" were absolutely amazing!

Finally, with the brigade leader's forced "mediation" that suppressed both disgust and amusement, the Revolutionary Committee Director managed to wash off the filth with several buckets of well water. As for Zhao Xiaoyu, whom everyone hated, she had already taken advantage of the chaos, covered in excrement and urine, and slunk away amidst the laughter of the crowd, covering her face in shame.

Lin Baozhu pinched her nose and resignedly picked up a shovel to shovel the contaminated soil in the yard. As she shoveled, she muttered to herself: "If I had known the medicine was so potent, I would have applied it later! Now the house stinks so badly that even the stewed meat smells like shit. What a huge loss!"

At this moment, Qin Haifeng approached silently, lowering his voice:

"This director has a weapon (gun) tucked into his waistband. This is a serious matter, and I need to go to the Armed Forces Department to report it immediately. Besides, no one knows about weapons except for a few key people, but the Revolutionary Committee just happened to come looking for him at this critical juncture. I absolutely do not believe that no one is instigating this behind the scenes."

Lin Baozhu was slightly surprised: "Shouldn't we contact the police?"

"Regarding the poison gas bombs left behind by the Blood Nation, the ultimate control lies with the armed forces and the military. Even if the public security intervenes, they still have to hand them over. Moreover..."

He looked sharply at the director of the Revolutionary Committee, lowering his voice even further: "The armed forces department is even more tightly controlled. It would be extremely difficult for the other side to infiltrate and rescue people."

Lin Baozhu understood. Unless this director possessed core secrets like Old Man Bi, no one behind him would dare to act under the nose of the Armed Forces Department.

"Then be careful."

"Um."

Qin Haifeng nodded, his figure quickly disappearing outside the courtyard. He knew that once the Armed Forces Department took over, this director would be severely punished, if not killed. How many members of the Revolutionary Committee had clean hands?

After Qin Haifeng left, Lin Baozhu was too lazy to deal with the remnants of the Revolutionary Committee anymore.

As for the whistleblower...

Her gaze involuntarily swept towards the Bi family's direction. That fool jumped right into the vortex of poison gas; let's see what her "backer" can use to protect her!

At that moment, a bald man, carrying a bulging briefcase and panting heavily, rushed into the courtyard after the young man who had left earlier.

"Director, the money! The money's here!"

He was out of breath and, without even wiping his sweat, hurriedly handed over the bag.

The director glanced at it symbolically, then pointed at Lin Baozhu with disgust: "Give it to her!"

Lin Baozhu and her mother brought the accountant into the house, and in front of them, they carefully counted the thick stacks of banknotes—exactly three thousand five hundred!

Once they had the money, the Revolutionary Committee members didn't want to stay a minute longer and left immediately. Before leaving, the director gave Lin's mother a vicious glare, his eyes like poisoned hooks, making her shudder involuntarily!

Lin Baozhu keenly sensed the murderous intent, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Today, she would have her third brother find out where this old bastard was hiding!

She went over there that night...

She will personally nip any scum who dares to threaten her family in the bud!

The dust settled. Several close female relatives from the village helped clean up the wrecked yard. Furniture that could be repaired was hammered and patched up; for the unusable pieces, Lin Baozhu quickly made a list—perfect timing to "purchase" new ones in town!

This farce has finally come to a temporary end.

Holding the thick wad of banknotes still smelling of ink, Lin's mother smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared, and several more wrinkles appeared on her face.

After seeing off the last villager who had helped, Lin's mother eagerly pulled Lin Baozhu into the main room...

"Mother, where are you going?"

Lin Sanlang followed, only to be glared at by his mother, who said, "Can't you smell the stench in the house? Hurry up and get some soapy water to wash the yard. I need to say a few words to Baozhu."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut on Lin Sanlang.

She leaned close to Lin Baozhu, her voice low and filled with the excitement and lingering fear of surviving a disaster: "Girl...those...those deadly things...you secretly smuggled them all up the mountain?"

"Mmm!"

Lin Baozhu nodded, her voice steady, "I knew that staying at home would be a disaster, so every night while you were all asleep, I would carry a few boxes up the mountain to bury them. I didn't expect that as soon as I finished, those bastards from the Revolutionary Committee would come."

Lin's mother breathed a long sigh of relief, patting her chest as if a huge burden had been lifted, and even her voice became much more cheerful: "Baozhu...you are truly our family's lucky star! With that thing gone, the huge stone that has been hanging over my heart for so many years has finally been lifted!"

Seeing her mother's relieved expression, Lin Baozhu couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her: "Mother, back then... when you discovered that the cellar was full of weapons, why didn't you report it? Why did you have to keep it a secret? What was the point of living in fear every day?"

Lin's mother's eyes glazed over for a moment, as if lost in a distant memory, her voice heavy with the weight of time:

"What else could it be for? Those were chaotic times! The Japanese were driven away, but the world was still far from peaceful! There was constant gunfire, you were fighting me, I was fighting you... Mother was scared! She was afraid that one day the flames of war would reach our doorstep again! Thinking... thinking that if we had those things in our hands, in case... in case some wolves and tigers really broke in, the men of our village, young and old, would have weapons in their hands, at least they could protect their wives and children and fight back!"

She paused, sighed, and continued, "But who would have thought... that these peaceful days would last for so many years? Those things have become a hot potato! In this new society, they can't be brought into the light. I'm even more afraid... afraid that if I hand them over, I won't encounter a just and upright official, but... a group of treacherous demons and monsters!"

Listening to her mother recount the helplessness and foresight of those years, Lin Baozhu felt a surge of sorrow and emotion.

The civil war raged for years, emptying the national treasury, breaking up countless families, and leaving the land devastated... Meanwhile, the great powers across the ocean took the opportunity to focus on developing science and technology industries, and their national strength grew day by day.

By the time China finally eliminated its internal and external troubles and rebuilt its nation, it had already been left far behind.

Although they later rose up and caught up to become one of the world's leading nations, the road they traveled was incredibly difficult!

"It's all in the past, Mother."

Lin Baozhu held her mother's rough hand and said gently, "Now that everything has settled down, you and Dad can finally get a good night's sleep!"

"Yes! I can sleep soundly now."

Lin's mother wiped her eyes, and a smile returned to her face. She took out the three thousand five hundred yuan from her bosom and, without a word, stuffed it into Lin Baozhu's arms.

"Here you go! Keep this money safe! Buy whatever you want! Don't skimp on your mother's money! This is what you deserve for protecting our whole family!"

"mother!"

Lin Baozhu was both amused and exasperated, and pushed the money back: "Keep this money! I've been watching Third Brother and Yu Zhiqing's relationship... I'm afraid good things are just around the corner! It's perfect for his wedding!"

Mentioning Yu Jiangli, Lin's mother's smile instantly blossomed like a chrysanthemum, her eyes crinkling into slits with laughter:

"Oh my! That girl is really great! Reliable! Hardworking! You didn't even see how well she took care of your watermelons and strawberries in the greenhouse! If it weren't for your mother's advice to your third brother to stay in the greenhouse all the time, such a capable and pretty 'hot commodity' would have been snatched away by someone else long ago!"

"Since Mother is so satisfied..."

Lin Baozhu laughed and joked, "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and find a matchmaker to go to the educated youth compound to propose marriage, and let Third Brother marry her! Such a good sister-in-law, you won't find another like her once in a lifetime."

She genuinely thought Yu Jiangli was a good person.

Third Brother is honest and straightforward, while Yu Jiangli is shrewd yet kind, loves money but earns it ethically, and has her own set of rules for dealing with people. If these two get together, Third Brother's carefree days of being a simpleton are just around the corner!

"Your third brother said he wants to spend more time with Yu Zhiqing, and once he's completely sure about her, he'll ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage."

Lin's mother explained with a smile, tinged with helplessness: "I guess they were traumatized by that family before, so they're being cautious!"

"What about... Yang Chunyan?"

Lin Baozhu raised an eyebrow and asked, "You haven't been shamelessly pestering my third brother anymore, have you?"

"Her?! She still has the nerve?!"

Lin's mother scoffed, her tone full of disdain and schadenfreude: "I heard that a few days after her mother left our house, she sold her to an old widower for a dowry! And guess what? The very night before the wedding—"

She lowered her voice, her tone carrying the excitement of someone sharing gossip: "This Yang Chunyan, she's incredibly audacious! She drugged a male educated youth! The two of them... cough, got into all sorts of passionate lovemaking, and the villagers caught them red-handed! The whole village, young and old, went to catch them in the act with torches, completely blocking the way! The scene was...!"

Her tone inevitably carried a hint of regret for missing out on the spectacle as she continued, "The Yang family is in deep trouble now! Not only do they have to return the dowry they swallowed, but they also have to pay the old widower a hundred yuan as a shame-covering fee! And the worst part is—"

Lin's mother slapped her thigh: "That educated youth, he looks respectable, but he's actually dirt poor and a lazy bum who doesn't do any physical labor! After this scandal, he just stayed at the Yang family's house and won't leave! He won't do any work, and he's picky about food, demanding fine grains every meal! Now the Yang family is in chaos every day, with constant shouting and cursing! It's as lively as a theatrical performance! People from their village like to take their bowls and squat outside the Yang family's house to watch the show at mealtimes..."

After hearing this, Lin Baozhu couldn't help but burst out laughing, shaking her head and sighing:

"Good heavens! This is truly a case of the wicked getting their just desserts! He schemed and plotted to harm others, only to find himself stepping into the pit he dug himself! Serves him right! Absolutely right! This is what they call—divine retribution is swift and certain!"

"That's why I say my precious daughter is so blessed!" Lin's mother said, her face full of love and pride, gently patting her daughter's hand. "Those people who wronged you, how many of them got a good ending? Look at the Bi family, the whole family was robbed, their house burned down, and that old woman You Yongsheng was even killed by bandits..."

If you ask me, even God couldn't stand what they did, so He sent down divine punishment to make them suffer all sorts of misfortunes. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're still living well in our village now; everyone in the village knows perfectly well that they won't get any good treatment here.

"Alright, I won't say any more. I'm going to check if your third brother has tidied up the yard yet."

After saying that, she got up briskly, went back into the house, grabbed a faded old coat, put it on, and went out the door with light steps, her figure quickly disappearing into the twilight.

The main room fell silent. Lin Baozhu looked down at the thick wad of heavy banknotes in her arms—a full three thousand five hundred yuan. This was the "compensation" her mother had painstakingly extracted from the Revolutionary Committee, after much effort and shamelessness. Her heart felt warm, yet heavy.

"How could I possibly swallow so much by myself..." she muttered to herself. Her third, fourth, and fifth brothers were all still unmarried, and there would be countless expenses in the future! Her parents were also getting old. If she took all the money, how difficult would it be for her mother when her brothers got married or the family urgently needed money?

A thought became clear in her mind:

"Why don't we... use this money as capital? Let it generate more money and bring more money back to the family."

*

Smoke swirled in the Bi family's kitchen.

You Yongsheng circled the stove, his fire tongs poking at the firebox, sparks flying everywhere, while he kept talking:

"Pah! Zhao Xiaoyu, that jinx! She came back covered in poop and pee, and the smell could be smelled from miles away! She's so embarrassing! She made me feel ashamed too!"

She cursed him, spittle flying everywhere, and a surge of anger rose in her chest.

Despite her outbursts of anger, she felt incredibly resentful. Her entire family's livelihood depended on Zhao Xiaoyu's meager salary!

If you really anger this "golden goose" and they refuse to pay... then their whole family will really be left to starve!

But this burning anger needed an outlet! Her eyes darted around, and she began cursing the Lin family through gritted teeth again:

"Those damned beasts from the Lin family! I don't know what kind of dog shit they stepped in, or what incredible luck they had! More than three thousand yuan! Several thick stacks of ten-yuan notes! It makes my eyes red with envy! At least a thousand yuan of that should have been ours! Why doesn't God open his eyes and send down a bolt of lightning to strike this bunch of black-hearted, rotten-necked bastards dead?!"