Chapter 259 Cao Defu Picks Up His Daughter
As soon as Cheng Wanwan arrived, the courtyard fell silent.
She looked at Zhao Fugui coldly and sneered, "It seems that the lesson you learned last time didn't teach you a lesson."
“Grandma Zhao, Fugui has changed for the better all along!” Granny Zhao spoke up to defend her son. “These past few months, Fugui has been living an honest and law-abiding life. The neighbors all know that, don’t they?”
No one in the village said a word.
Zhao Fugui was somewhat honest, but he was still a lazybones, lying at home all day and leaving his several acres of land to be cultivated by his two elderly parents.
No one in Dahe Village looked down on Zhao Fugui, and even his wife and children stopped associating with him.
The villagers remained silent, but Granny Zhao grew anxious: "Anyway, it's a fact that my son is injured like this. Even if it goes all the way to the authorities, I'm not afraid!"
Zhao Ergou quickly followed and stood in front of Cao Yingying, lowering his voice to say, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
He looked up and said coldly, "Do you have any evidence that Miss Cao injured Zhao Fugui?"
Zhao Fugui retorted, "She's already admitted it herself, what other evidence do we need! I'm half dead, she either marries me obediently or ruins her reputation and goes to jail!"
Cheng Wanwan walked all the way back from Hekou County, and her legs were so tired that they felt like they were about to break.
She sat down in the chair, took a sip of water, and then said, "Tell me what exactly happened, Yingying."
Cao Yingying nodded and calmed down before speaking: "My second aunt asked me to go to Hunter Zhao's house to buy wild game. When I got to the woods over there, Zhao Fugui pushed me down. He tried to do something indecent to me, so I had no choice but to hurt him. After he was unable to resist, I ran back."
"Bullshit!" Zhao Fugui spat. "You were the one who invited me to the woods, saying you wanted to force me into marriage. After it happened, you thought I was useless and turned your back on me. We started arguing, and when you couldn't win the argument, you started hitting me..."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Zhao Fugui, do you mean that you two have already slept together?"
Zhao Fugui nodded: "Of course!"
Now that things have escalated to this point, he must hold on to this point, he must destroy Cao Yingying's innocence, and he must become Cao's son-in-law!
“Alright!” Cheng Wanwan nodded. “Aunt Wang, could you please go and invite Midwife Zhao over? Midwife Zhao is in charge of delivering babies and can tell at a glance whether a virgin has had sexual intercourse. If Zhao Fugui, you lied, do you know what the consequences will be?”
Zhao Fugui suddenly panicked.
Why didn't he think of that...?
He immediately changed his tune: "Even if it hasn't reached the final step, we've already looked and touched. For Miss Cao's reputation, we should still..."
"Shut up!"
Zhao Ergou couldn't hold back any longer. He walked over, grabbed Zhao Fugui by the collar, and punched him hard.
Zhao Fugui was so dizzy from the beating that he felt lightheaded.
Granny Zhao rushed over to protect her son.
Cheng Wanwan gave a cold laugh: "You're full of lies and make things up. It really makes people doubt your intentions! Er Gou, search you!"
Zhao Ergou immediately stepped forward and patted Zhao Fugui.
He pulled out a money bag, emptied its contents, and there was a full ten taels of silver!
"Did everyone see that clearly?" Cheng Wanwan said coldly, "Zhao Fugui stole money from Miss Cao's eldest daughter, and to cover up his crime, he turned around and accused her! Ten taels of silver, that's a serious theft!"
"Zhao Fugui is too audacious, he actually stole money!"
"He even dared to steal money from the Cao family, he must be tired of living!"
"It's so pitiful that an unmarried girl was splashed with such dirty water!"
"..."
Cheng Wanwan's words turned the debate about whether an unmarried young woman was innocent into a condemnation and trial of the thief.
Zhao Fugui's eyes widened. When did he get ten taels of silver? How come he didn't know?
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Cheng Wanwan say coldly, "Ergou, gag him. I don't want to hear him smear a young girl again! Tie him up and lock him up in the backyard! I'll deal with him later!"
"Grandma! This is a misunderstanding!" Granny Zhao knelt on the ground in a panic. "Fugui was just blinded by greed for a moment, he meant no harm! All ten taels of silver are here, not a single coin is missing, please let this matter go... Madam Sui, I beg you..."
She knew her son was a reckless scoundrel, capable of anything. When Cheng Wanwan said her son stole money, she had no doubt whatsoever.
Cheng Wanwan said, enunciating each word clearly: "He who steals a needle when young will steal gold when grown up. If this matter is not dealt with, who knows what other evil things Zhao Fugui might do in the future! Granny Zhao, you are too old to manage such a grown son. Just hand him over to the government!"
Cao Yingying's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She only had a few dozen coins on her, which she had just taken from the house, to buy wild game. The ten taels of silver on Zhao Fugui were not hers at all.
She didn't know when Aunt Zhao had hidden the ten taels of silver on Zhao Fugui.
All she knew was that her innocence had almost been ruined by Zhao Fugui, but it was saved by Aunt Zhao's words...
She covered her face, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.
Zhao Fugui was tied up by Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sanniu and thrown into the backyard.
The people who had gathered in the courtyard dispersed to continue their work, and the courtyard became quiet.
Just as Cheng Wanwan was about to go and have a good rest, suddenly, a carriage drove towards Cheng Wanwan's house.
Although Cao Yingying's eyes were blurred with tears, she recognized it at a glance: it was the Cao family's carriage.
She thought the Cao family had come to cause trouble again, so she wiped away her tears and prepared to fight. Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a chubby figure stepped out first.
The tears she had managed to hold back instantly welled up again, and she murmured, "Father..."
"Yingying!"
Cao Defu jumped off the carriage and quickly walked towards Cao Yingying, embracing his daughter in his arms.
Once he arrived in Hekou County, he went home and found out the whole truth of the matter. Then he rushed to Dahe Village to pick up his daughter.
This was his only child with his first wife, whom he always doted on. However, he was too busy with business and inevitably made mistakes, which almost led to a major disaster.
"Father!" Cao Yingying's tears streamed down her face. "Father, why did you take so long to come? I missed you so much..."
"There are so many people watching, don't cry!" Madam Cao walked over and said gently, "Come here, Yingying, wipe your tears."
Cao Yingying suddenly looked up, staring at Madam Cao with a questioning look in her eyes: "Father, why is she here?"
Cheng Wanwan was also very curious as to why Madam Cao had come. Logically speaking, after knowing what Madam Cao had done in secret, Cao Defu should have punished Qi Shi to some extent. Why was he acting as if nothing had happened?
She kept a low profile and decided to observe first.
"Yingying, it's all a misunderstanding..." Madam Cao gently held Cao Yingying's hand and said, "That old man Dou does want to take a second wife. I was planning to marry my sister from my maternal family to him, but you misunderstood and thought I was going to marry you off. You are the eldest daughter of our Cao family, how could we possibly give you such a husband? You like living in the village, and I haven't forced you. I let you do whatever you want. I treat you like my own daughter, can't you feel that? I don't care what outsiders say, I only care about your feelings. Yingying, quickly tell your father that it's all just a misunderstanding..."
Cao Defu said, "I also sent someone to the Dou residence to inquire, and there is no such thing. Yingying, you have indeed misunderstood."
Cao Yingying bit her lower lip.
She realized that her father had not received her letter at all, otherwise he would not have come to pick her up so late.
She also understood that without evidence, her father would believe her stepmother's words again this time.
Fortunately, she had kept the original marriage certificate, which she had carefully kept under her pillow. She smiled and said, "Father, I'm going in to get something."
At this moment, Zhao Ergou came out from the backyard and whispered something in Cheng Wanwan's ear.
Cheng Wanwan smiled, stood up, and said loudly, "Brother Cao, Madam Cao, you are truly rare guests. Please sit down, Chunhua, bring some tea."
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