Turning his head, he saw his uncle staring at him with a dark expression. Lin the Drunkard immediately cowered, scratching his head, too angry to speak, and forced a smile:
"Hey, it's Uncle! Uncle, what brings you here?"
"Hmph! If I hadn't come, you'd be jumping around like crazy!" Lin Lizheng said, then looked at the group of people from the Lin family: "As members of the Lin family, how can you let a few words from someone cloud your judgment!"
Lin Lizheng was a little angry at these good-for-nothings. The Lin family members who had just joined the argument shrank back, not daring to look the village head in the eye. At this moment, an elder of the Lin family stepped forward and said, "Alright, Shenggen, don't be angry. Young people are full of vigor and it's inevitable that they will get carried away."
Lin Lizheng then looked at the group of outsiders and said, "Since you came to Linjia Village, our Lin family has never treated you badly. I have always been fair in dealing with matters and will not favor anyone just because they have the surname Lin. If you have any opinions, just tell me. There's no need to make a fuss here!"
The Liu family and other outsiders also lowered their heads in embarrassment. Linjia Village had indeed treated them very well. Although the village head was surnamed Lin, he never bullied them just because the other family was a Lin family member. They would even fight amongst themselves. It was nothing for them to quarrel with a few Lin family members.
The Liu family patriarch also stepped forward: "Brother, I'm sorry I'm late and couldn't keep these kids in check. I'm sorry for the trouble."
Several clan leaders from other clans who were also involved came forward to apologize.
Lin Li waved his hand and said, "Hey, it's alright. I know young people are easily impulsive. Whether you're a native of Linjia Village or someone from another village, you're all a member of Linjia Village. Just like what Fengnian's mother said before, we should unite and help each other. Otherwise, what will other villages think of us? We'll be bullied when we go out into the world."
Everyone felt quite embarrassed when they heard this. Some of the men and women on both sides actually got along quite well, and quite a few had even intermarried. Now that they thought about it, they wondered why they had acted so impulsively.
Seeing that the Lin family had already taken the lead in apologizing, the group of people from other families, mainly the Liu family, felt it wouldn't be right for them to apologize first, so they all followed suit...
Liu Xiuhong was trembling with anger. What was wrong with these people?! It was clearly Song Tongsheng who was supposed to take responsibility for her, but this group of people suddenly started arguing and then apologized to each other and made up. They completely ignored the fact that Song Tongsheng had ruined her.
She gave her parents a look, and Liu Fangtou and his wife immediately understood.
Liu Fang immediately knelt down in front of the village head and shouted, "Village head, you must stand up for my Xiuhong! This Song Tongsheng has ruined Xiuhong and still claims he didn't do it, what kind of logic is that!"
Sitting on the ground, Aunt Fang cried out, "Oh dear, what a tragedy! My Xiuhong was married once, but she had a pitiful life. Her husband died early, and she was disliked by her in-laws. We took her home out of pity, but we never expected to encounter such a thing."
Fengnian's mother is a capable and clever woman. She saved Dazhuang and even received a reward from the county. Our family can't go against her family. Even if my daughter was violated, they will try to disown her if they can. Oh... my poor daughter..."
Liu Xiuhong threw herself into her mother's arms and cried bitterly, "Mother, if Song Tongsheng won't marry me, I'll have no choice but to drown myself..."
Song Anxin thought to herself, "This mother and daughter are really working together perfectly. They're implying that their family, relying on their good relationship with the village head and their past merits, are bullying others and forcing respectable women to commit suicide. They're practically forcing Song Anbang to acknowledge them! What a vicious family!"
Song Anbang's refined face turned ashen as he said, "Don't drag my sister's family into this. I didn't do it, and I can prove my innocence with my death."
Grandma Song was terrified when she heard this: "Bang'er, don't be impulsive. I believe the people of Linjia Village will clear your name."
By this time, the villagers of Xuduolin Village had gathered. They all rushed over to watch this scandalous affair, which was still related to Song Tongsheng. However, they were all confused by the conflicting accounts from both sides, each insisting on proving their point with their lives.
Lin Lizheng's face turned ashen from Fang Tou's words. He said, "Although Feng Nian's family has been kind to our family, I will not do anything unfair for Feng Nian's sake. Old Liu, this is someone from your Liu family. You should come with me to handle this. That way you can rest assured."
Old Liu was the Liu family patriarch who had just spoken.
Old Liu said, "Brother, I believe you will handle this matter fairly and justly, so I'll let it go."
Lin Li waved his hand and said, "Let's put it that way, it's always better to deal with it together."
Old Liu had no choice but to agree, thinking to himself, "What are these Fang family up to?! If she really marries Song Tongsheng, that would be great. It would be a great honor for the Liu family to have an official son-in-law. But if she disgraces the Liu family, don't blame him for making his family suffer."
Song Anxin's family wasn't afraid. They all trusted Song Anbang, and Song Anbang also believed that he was innocent and would not admit to anything he hadn't done.
So the two of them gave their own versions of events. Liu Xiuhong cried miserably as she spoke, and Song Anxin felt it was a real pity that she didn't go into acting.
Lin Lizheng was also an old hand at handling village affairs. Seeing this, he said, "Whoever first discovered the two of them, please speak up."
Several villagers came out and said, "As soon as we arrived, we saw Song Tongsheng lying there, not even dressed. Liu Xiuhong was crying in Aunt Fangtou's arms." The villagers seemed to recall something else: "Um... Liu Xiuhong's hair was very messy. Song Tongsheng woke up with his eyes closed."
Lin Lizheng said, "So you mean none of you saw Song Tongsheng really bullying Liu Xiuhong?"
They all shook their heads.
Liu Xiuhong cried and said, "Village head, I was really dragged into this bush by him and got myself into trouble. I saw that Song Tongsheng had a mole on his left chest, near his armpit."
Song Anbang hurriedly covered his left chest, his face contorted with embarrassment. He firmly denied that he had done it, but his weak words made Liu Xiuhong's words seem more credible.
At this moment, Song Anxin chuckled, a sound that seemed out of place. Everyone looked at her, and Song Anxin coldly looked at Liu Xiuhong and said:
"Liu family's eldest daughter, I think you're planning this because you want to marry Anbang."
Aunt Fang immediately panicked and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Would my daughter ruin her own reputation and innocence like that! Our Liu family also has a sense of honor..."
Song Anxin snorted lightly. This guy's skin is thicker than a city wall. She said, "Since you say Anbang violated you, let me ask you, if Anbang really dragged you into the bushes, why didn't you shout and resist?"
This place is so close to the river; if you had shouted, someone would have heard you. Instead, you shouted afterwards, attracting people over. I think you did this on purpose!
Just kidding, she's been exposed to plenty of melodramatic dramas in modern times, she can't possibly miss this trick, the young girl is still too naive!
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