It was not yet five o'clock when Xuemei and her two siblings went down the mountain, and it was already past seven o'clock when Liu's father brought Qingya and the other three back.
"Dad, is Wanting okay?" Xuemei quickly ran to Liu's father and asked.
"The educated youth Da He is fine now. Fortunately, Mingwen and the others arrived in time. Doctor Xiao Wu said that if it was any later, there would be nothing she could do." said Liu's father.
This afternoon, Mingwen, Hanchen, and Zhou Bing were on their way home from chopping firewood when they ran into He Jing, who was frantically trying to get help. After asking He Jing what had happened, the three of them immediately split up. Zhou Bing went to the clinic to call a doctor, and on his way, he ran into Wu Yuezhu and his grandson returning home. Hanchen and Mingwen immediately ran to the riverbank, intending to help Xuemei.
"Dad, how should we deal with this matter? I saw with my own eyes that it was Liu Laizi who pushed the Wanting sisters! We can't let him go like this." Xuemei said angrily.
"This is a difficult matter. You're the only one who saw it. If Liu Laizi tries to deny it by saying he didn't push He Zhiqing and the other two sisters and that they fell on their own, or if he says they were frightened and fell, the police station won't be able to arrest him. Besides, they're both fine now, right?
"However, when we just came back, Zhou Bing and Han Chen accompanied He Jing to the commune to report the incident to the police. Are they waiting for the commune police station to handle the matter?" Father Liu said with a frown.
"Dad, the village can't let him go like this. If I hadn't been there today, and if my second brother and the others hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. If we don't teach Liu Laizi a lesson this time, he will become more and more lawless in the village!" Xuemei said seriously to Liu's father.
"Okay, don't worry. Even if we can't send him to reform this time, we have to make their family pay. After all, it's a matter of life and death, we can't just let it go. Wouldn't it be a bad influence on the villagers? And if Liu Laizi is not punished, it will be too unfair to He Zhiqing and his sister!" Father Liu said, looking at Xuemei's red face.
"Okay, let's talk about these things later. It's enough that everyone is fine now. You should come and eat first!" Liu's mother persuaded.
"Okay, Dad and Mom, I have one more thing to remind you before dinner. Han Zhiqing helped me today, and I haven't thanked him yet!" Xuemei reminded.
Father Liu looked at Xuemei, thought for a moment, and said, "Don't worry about this. Your mother and I will go and thank him. You should also have less contact with Han Zhiqing recently. Although Han Zhiqing held your arm and swam to the shore today, after all, someone in the village saw it. You should stay away from him for the time being! Got it?"
Xuemei nodded quickly. She reminded Liu's father and mother that they had not apologized to Han Chen. Her original intention was to ask Liu's father and mother to apologize on her behalf. She was also afraid that the villagers would gossip about her. Han Zhiqing had helped her out of kindness. If she was involved in some unnecessary disputes because of her, Xuemei would feel bad.
The next morning, Xuemei woke up with a blocked nose. She asked Liu's mother for a cold medicine. Her nose was unblocked while she was at work, but she had a runny nose for the whole afternoon.
When I got home from get off work, my nose was red and peeling from being rubbed by a handkerchief.
"Mom, I'm back!" Xuemei said with a sniff.
"Your cold hasn't healed yet. I'll make you some ginger and garlic water to drink. Will it stop coughing?" Mother Liu touched Xuemei's forehead and said after finding that she didn't have a fever.
"I don't have a cough, I just have a runny nose this afternoon!" Xuemei took out a new handkerchief and blew her nose.
"That's good. The elder He educated youth has a fever today, and the younger He educated youth has been coughing and having a runny nose. They are both receiving saline drips in the health center?" Liu's mother said while cooking.
"Mom, how did you deal with the Liu Laizi incident today?" Xuemei asked.
"This Liu Laizi is really a cancer in our village. When the police comrades arrived at his house today, he even called a few lazy guys from the neighboring village to play cards at home, and he was not worried at all. This Liu Laizi is a waste, and he has a vicious mind!" Liu's mother shook her head and said.
After Liu's mother had the dishes served and accepted the ginger and garlic Xuemei had prepared, she continued, "As soon as the police arrived, Old Lady Li came running back. Tears welled up in her eyes as she explained that her son, Liu Laizi, had been careless yesterday. She had originally wanted him to call He Zhiqing and her sister to dinner to apologize for what happened at the threshing ground last time."
They also said that Liu Laizi had no intention of pushing them, but wanted to pat them on the back and say something, and you misread it! They also said that Liu Laizi saw He Zhiqing and her sister fall into the river, and went to the village to call for help. When they arrived, He Zhiqing and her sister had already been rescued, so Liu Laizi did not go over to them.
Liu Laizi's cronies in the village, who had somehow benefited from their family, also testified that what Grandma Li said was true. Later, when the police went to the clinic to find He Zhiqing and his sister to understand the situation, Grandma Li knelt on the ground, crying and begging them to let Liu Laizi go! She said that Liu Laizi hadn't meant to scare them, that he had really gone to call them to dinner to apologize, and that he was her only grandson!
"Isn't Grandma Li taking advantage of her age? She's pretending to be pitiful and putting the He Zhiqing sisters above morality. How can the public security comrades not see that?" Xuemei said angrily.
"How could the police not see it? But many people in the village are not as clear-headed as you. Seeing that He Zhiqing and his sister were fine, and Granny Li was so good at playing the victim, some people in the village softened their hearts and felt that there was no need to force Liu Laizi to eat peanuts.
Besides, He Zhiqing and the others would have to stay in Liujia Village in the future, so they certainly couldn't do anything too drastic. Later, the matter was privately mediated under the coordination of the police and village cadres!
The original agreement was to compensate He Zhiqing and his sister 30 yuan each, but under pressure from the police, they only managed to find 50 yuan at Liu Laizi's house. The village then planned to deduct 100 work points from Liu Laizi's family and give He Zhiqing and his sister 50 points each at the end of the year. Liu's mother put the sliced ginger and garlic into the pot, added a spoonful of water, and began to boil water for Xuemei.
"What about Liu Laizi's personal punishment? They won't let him off so easily, right?" Xuemei asked Liu's mother.
"Today the police took him to the police station for a week of education. When he returns to the village, he will be asked to carry manure for six months, with one day of work counted as one day off.
If we don't teach him a lesson, some people with bad intentions in the village might follow his example. We can't let Liu Laizi, this bad apple, spoil the whole bunch.
Also, because of the He Zhiqing sisters, our family has been resented by Grandma Li and Liu Laizi. From now on, you should pay more attention to them on your way to and from work. I will also remind Qingya when she comes back from vacation. ” Liu’s mother sighed and said.
"Mom, I understand. I will be more careful on my way to and from get off work next time. I'm worried that Dad will be criticized by the commune because of this incident?" Xuemei said with some concern.
"It shouldn't happen. You went into the water to save He Zhiqing and his sister. You are their savior. Besides, Liu Laizi's family took great pains to compensate your father for He Zhiqing and his sister. Both sisters are people with conscience. As long as they don't go to the commune leaders and say nonsense, the commune leaders will not specifically mention this matter to your father!" Liu's mother comforted.
"Mom, you're right. Wanting and the others are reasonable people who can distinguish right from wrong. They wouldn't do that!" Xuemei felt relieved.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
