Chapter 118 Double the Dowry
Liu Xuejun sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "Oh no, this is going to cause a huge uproar."
Xu Zhihong, who had been silent until now, suddenly took Liu Zhixia's arm, her eyes resolute: "They used me as a cover to deceive people, and I can't swallow this! Count me in!"
The group quickly reached an agreement, threw down their belongings, grabbed whatever weapons they could find, and stormed towards the Shen family's residence.
Upon arriving at Shenjia Brigade, his confrontational demeanor immediately attracted a crowd.
The news that the Liu family had given them fifteen yuan worth of grain had already spread, so when everyone saw the Liu family members returning, they guessed they were there to collect the debt.
Because the Shen family was known for their meanness, the villagers not only didn't stop them, but instead invited their friends and family to come and watch the spectacle.
Liu Xiangyang took the lead and rushed to the Shen family's door, shouting, "Shen Hongmei! Get out here!"
As soon as the Shen family's gate opened, Shen's mother rushed out, cursing and swearing.
"Liu Xiangyang! Are you out of your mind? You're already divorced, why are you still bothering me? Want to remarry? Too late! I've already found someone better for Hongmei, someone younger and richer than you! If you want to remarry, you'll have to beg me for double the dowry!"
Liu Xiangyang laughed in anger, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at her: "Remarriage? Dream on! Hand over Shen Hongmei! How dare she stop my brother from taking the exam? What is she up to? Now that we're divorced, why is she still clinging to the Liu family like a ghost!"
Upon hearing the tone, Chen's mother's expression immediately changed. She chuckled awkwardly and said, "Son-in-law, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Hongmei is just a weak woman, how could she possibly stop your brother from taking the exam? Are you trying to pin the blame on my daughter for your brother failing the exam? We won't take the blame for that!"
Zhang Xiuying sneered and stepped forward: "Trying to frame someone? Then let Shen Hongmei come out and confront me! In front of the whole village, young and old, we'll know whether she's been framed or not! Our Liu family never wrongs good people, but we will never let bad people go unpunished!"
Seeing Zhang Xiuying's firm attitude, Chen's mother knew she was in the wrong, so she immediately changed her tune and said with a forced smile:
"Oh dear, mother-in-law, what are you saying? Hongmei still has feelings for Xiangyang. Even if she did something foolish, it was all for the sake of returning to the Liu family, wasn't it? Since you're here, let's go inside and sit down to talk slowly."
Zhang Xiuying wasn't buying it. She snorted coldly, "Don't try to claim kinship with me. The children are divorced, so stop trying to get close! I'm here today for one thing: to ask Shen Hongmei why she lied to my son and almost ruined his future!"
Liu Xuejun added angrily, "They wouldn't give up even after their lies were exposed, and they even tried to physically stop me from going to school! All the villagers in our brigade can testify to that!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers who were watching immediately erupted in uproar.
"This is absolutely despicable! Ruining someone's future is like killing their parents!"
"The Liu family has been more than kind and righteous to the Shen family, how could these ungrateful wretches bring themselves to do this?"
Hearing the whispers and pointing fingers around her, Chen's mother's face darkened, and she yelled at Liu Xuejun, "You say it was my daughter who did it? Do you have any proof? I think you're just trying to blame us because you're incompetent and failed the exam!"
Instead of getting angry, Liu Xuejun laughed, baring his teeth: "Because they tried to stop me and got beaten up by my sister. Later, they bumped into Lu Huaiyuan, who had fallen into a latrine, and got covered in shit! That stench is solid proof!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a busybody villager shouted, "That's right! I really did see the three Shen siblings running back, smelling terrible. The stench was so strong it could be smelled for miles! I thought they'd fallen into the latrine, but now I know what happened!"
Chen's mother rolled her eyes, then stubbornly retorted, "They accidentally fell, what does it have to do with you? Without evidence, it's slander!"
Seeing this old rogue acting like a scoundrel, Liu Zhixia remained calm: "Whether it's slander or not, wouldn't it be clear if we let Shen Hongmei come out to confront him?"
Mother Shen's eyes flickered as she blocked the doorway: "They're not home!"
Liu Zhixia looked around and saw the villagers' disgusted yet persistent expressions, which told her that the three people must be hiding inside the house.
"Okay, it's fine if you're not at home."
Liu Zhixia nodded calmly, then changed the subject: "When Shen Hongmei and her two younger brothers were trying to stop us, they broke the jade pendant that my grandmother passed down to me. Shouldn't this be settled with your Shen family?"
As she spoke, she took out a broken jade pendant from her bag and showed it to everyone.
An older woman in the crowd, who knew her stuff, exclaimed, "Wow! This jade is of excellent quality! It looks very valuable! Shen family, you can't deny responsibility for breaking someone's things. Don't embarrass our brigade!"
When Mother Shen saw the jade pendant, her eyes widened in astonishment.
She had long heard that the old lady of the Liu family had given Liu Zhixia a family heirloom. She had wanted her daughter to ask for it before but hadn't succeeded. She never expected that it would break!
Looking at the broken jade, Mother Shen's heart ached. How much money was that worth?
Mother Shen gritted her teeth, stubbornly insisting, "I'll say it again, do you have any evidence?"
Liu Zhixia wasn't in a hurry. She said slowly, "How about we go ask around in our village? Dozens of eyes are watching. If you think the whole village is helping me lie, then let's go directly to the police station and let the officers decide."
Upon hearing "police station," Chen's mother's expression changed, and she instantly became half-timid.
Just as she was hesitating, Shen Hongmei burst out of the house like a firecracker, pointing at Liu Zhixia and cursing loudly:
"You're talking nonsense! Lu Huaiyuan smashed this bracelet a long time ago, that's why you broke off the engagement with him! Now you're trying to pin it on me? Liu Zhixia, don't even think about lying to my mother!"
Seeing the main character emerge, Liu Zhixia smiled with satisfaction and leisurely put away the broken jade.
"Ex-sister-in-law, now that you're out, things are easier. Can we talk about the score you set for stopping my brother from taking his exam today?"
Seeing the mocking expressions on the Liu family's faces, Shen Hongmei realized that she had fallen into a trap!
Mother Shen also realized what was going on and pointed at Liu Zhixia, cursing, "You Liu family! You're so cunning! You actually tried to swindle my money with some junk!"
Liu Zhixia yawned and returned the words Chen's mother had just spoken verbatim: "Then how can you prove that your daughter didn't break this bracelet? Do you have any evidence?"
Chen's mother was so choked up that her eyes rolled back, and she couldn't say a word.
The onlookers understood: this was an example of giving someone a taste of their own medicine! They didn't find Liu Zhixia's methods dirty at all; on the contrary, they felt relieved, and some even couldn't help but applaud and cheer.
To deal with a scoundrel, you have to be even more scoundrel than him!
Liu Xiangyang glared at Shen Hongmei, his eyes bloodshot: "Shen Hongmei! Why did you stop my brother from taking the exam? We're divorced, so take your anger out on me! What kind of skill is it to lay a hand on my family!"
Faced with her ex-husband's questioning, Shen Hongmei shrank back guiltily and stammered, "It has nothing to do with me... Lu Xiaohui instigated me! I was just angry... Besides, didn't Lao Si not miss the exam? The three of us were covered in shit, isn't that punishment enough? We were husband and wife, and you come here to make a scene over such a small thing?"
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