Chapter 3 Chapter 3 (Catching Bugs) The brother-in-law murdered his sister-in-law...
Lu Qinghe has not been lying in vain these days. She has thought a lot about the future of herself and her two children.
Dagu Village is surrounded by mountains on two sides and faces water on one side. It takes one hour to walk by mountain road and one hour by bus to get to the county seat, and then another six hours by train to reach the provincial capital.
This place is very remote, so the conditions are naturally not very good. Not to mention the shortage of supplies, the two children haven't even had much schooling until now. At most, they have attended literacy classes for a few days with the team.
No matter how capable Lu Qinghe is, it will be a problem for him to leave the village.
After she has cut ties with the Wu family in the future, she will definitely not abandon her two children, but it will definitely be difficult for her to raise them on her own.
It was only a few days away. Although Xue Lanhua didn't say anything, from what she said, it seemed that her father was already urging her to remarry. Even if she could go back to her parents' home, her days there would be limited and it would not be a long-term solution.
Besides, as a divorced woman with children, she is bound to encounter many problems living alone in this remote mountain village. Under the current circumstances, it is best for her to find a suitable man to partner up with.
"Oh my girl, your wooden brain has finally become smart after a blow. I'll go to the Earth Goddess Temple when I get home and burn incense to the Goddess. If you keep clinging to Wu Xingliang, I, your mother, will be so pissed off that you'll kill me."
As Xue Lanhua spoke, she actually stood up, clasped her hands together, and bowed twice towards the window.
"How can it be so exaggerated?"
Lu Qinghe was amused by Xue Lanhua's actions, but when he thought about it carefully, he realized that the original person's experience was indeed exaggerated.
It's not just the original body. In the entire book, except for the male protagonist Wu Xingliang, everyone is almost the same as his tool.
"I thought Wu Xingliang had drugged you. You're raising a child for nothing, and you have to take care of your nephew and aunt. No matter what, the Wu family owes you."
Xue Lanhua glanced at the closed door and lowered her voice. "Don't say I'm worried about you. The two women in Dagu Village have also asked me privately. As long as you open up, we can find someone to see her tomorrow."
"I have another request."
"Tell me about it, I'll think about it for you. But Nizi, it's not that Mom underestimates you. Even if we don't have children in the future, it will be our second marriage, so we can't ask for too much."
Yangyang was playing in the yard outside, and Yaoyao was following her mother obediently in the house reading picture magazines. When she heard what her grandma said, her little figure suddenly straightened up.
Lu Qinghe saw this scene and quickly winked at Xue Lanhua.
Xue Lanhua felt helpless and distressed. "I pity these two children, but they still have their grandparents. You're not that old either. If you're single..."
"No buts, Mom." Lu Qinghe reached out and rubbed Yaoyao's little head with a distressed look. "Wu Xingliang said in the letter that he gave up on them. If I don't take them with me, am I going to watch them suffer in the Wu family? No matter what, I will never abandon any child in the future."
Yangyang is a warm-hearted kid like a little sun. If he can't take care of himself, he will have to be taken away by his biological father to have kidney surgery in the future!
Yaoyao is a smart girl. If she could receive education earlier, she would definitely not be the backboneless puppet in the book who can be manipulated by others in the future.
"Mom." Yaoyao carefully squeezed Lu Qinghe's hand, "I understand what grandma means. If mom can live a good life, it's okay if she doesn't take us with her."
Lu Qinghe: "If I don't take you with me, I won't be able to live a peaceful life. How can an uneasy life be considered a good life?"
As he spoke, Lu Qinghe gently held the little girl's thin face.
She bought eggs from the brigade, and also had the lard scraps that Xue Lanhua brought over, and cooked some noodle soup that she usually didn't want to eat. She tried her best to give the two children the best food and raised them for three days, but they didn't gain any weight on their faces.
Still have to eat meat.
But Dagu Village is so poor that it is difficult to buy meat even with money.
"Yaoyao, what grandma says doesn't represent what mom thinks. Mom will definitely not abandon you and Yangyang. I will take you wherever I go. Mom promises you... So, mom makes a pinky promise with you!"
Yaoyao's eyes suddenly lit up, she threw herself on Lu Qinghe and kissed him twice, made a pinky promise with Lu Qinghe, and then sat back peacefully.
Xue Lanhua's eyes turned red again as she watched from the side. "Ah, Qinghe, don't blame me for being cruel just now. I understand what you mean now."
She was indeed doing it for the good of her daughter. Naturally, a woman who remarries and raises children will not be in better condition than if she did not remarry.
Lu Qinghe didn't blame her.
"Mom, I must take care of the child, so my conditions can be relaxed. I accept that the man is a second marriage and can take care of the child, as long as he is under 35 years old."
"However, I require the man to have a stable source of income. If it's a second marriage, I need to find out the reason for the divorce and he must not have a history of physical contact with his wife. All income after marriage must be turned over, and the children must be treated equally."
Xue Lanhua pondered and nodded. "Everything you said makes sense. I understand. After the divorce certificate is processed, if you want to remarry, your in-laws won't stop you if they have any conscience. Humph, but even if they do, don't be afraid. Then call your brothers and the village brigade to come over! By the way, today is the third day. Have they asked for your pension?"
Lu Qinghe shook his head: "You didn't see it, they haven't been around me these past few days."
"Don't be afraid. Villagers are in charge of things. In the end, whoever has more family members is right. If they bully our Lu family's daughter, it will really make her angry. Your fifth uncle's nephew is still a policeman in the county town. Who is afraid of them?"
Xue Lanhua pinched her waist and started cursing the Wu family again.
The Wu family naturally couldn't hear what was said because of the several doors between them, but they were not in a good mood either.
"Is things really stable on Big Brother's side? What should we do if that young lady changes her mind?" Ma Wenli said indifferently while cracking pumpkin seeds.
In the small room, Wu Yicang, Qian Lamei and the second wife's sister-in-law were all together.
Wu Youmei also nodded. "I agree with what Second Sister-in-law said. Don't go back and end up losing more than you gain. Our family will lose money and we won't even be able to find a job in the provincial capital. That would be a huge loss."
"That's right, big brother, you've only been dating someone for two years before they became your girlfriend, how come you're suddenly sure they can get married?"
Qian Lamei looked around, put her hand over her mouth, and whispered like a thief: "I went over there this time and Xingliang told me that they've done it, so they have to get married anyway."
Ma Wenli stopped eating pumpkin seeds and came over. "Did you really go to bed?!"
"Silly woman, keep your voice down!" Wu Youde glared at Ma Wenli.
Ma Wenli: "I'm just excited. Big Brother is really capable. He can even sleep with the deputy director's daughter... ahem, if he can get her, then what should we do? Should we really give her a hundred yuan?"
Wu Yicang spat out a mouthful of cigarette foam. "Come on, bullshit! Once Xingliang gets married, it's only a matter of time before she gets pregnant. We should contact the kidnappers to send the two children away as soon as possible so they don't find out."
"What are we going to do now if we don't give it to her? She said she was going to the provincial capital to cause trouble, and she has a large team of people helping her. Won't she be exposed by then?"
After Ma Wenli finished speaking, no one responded to her. She looked around curiously.
Apart from Wu Youmei, her husband and her parents-in-law all looked like they had something on their minds, and their eyes were a little cold, which looked quite scary.
"Say something!" Wu Youmei couldn't help but urge them.
Only then did Wu Yicang calm down and tell everyone what they had discussed long ago.
"You want to kill someone?!"
After hearing this, Ma Wenli gasped and sat down on the ground in fear.
"Keep your voice down, can you please stop talking?!" Wu Youde cursed, but still pulled his wife up.
Wu Youmei was also frightened and stood there in a daze, not daring to speak.
Wu Yicang snorted coldly, "I originally wanted to find some pills. That stuff won't kill you, at most it will make you stupid, so that she won't cause trouble. But I couldn't get any pills, so I thought of pushing it down the river."
"But...but what if there's an accident and he doesn't die?"
"It's so cold, even if Lu Qinghe doesn't die, she'll be half dead. If she's in poor health, she won't have the energy to make trouble anymore." Qian Lamei curled her lips and sighed, "It's also Lu Qinghe's fault for being unlucky. My son is so lucky. He was noticed by a wealthy family as soon as he went to the provincial capital. If he wins a golden branch in the future, our whole family can follow Xingliang and live a life of luxury."
She is the deputy factory director's only daughter. Not only will she inherit the family business when she dies, but the position of deputy factory director may even go to Wu Xingliang.
By then, it will be very convenient for the Wu family to get a city hukou or find a job.
"We can't delay this. Wenli will go talk to Qinghe tonight about swapping jobs. Let her go with Lao Er on the boat to collect water manure. Okay, everyone, please disperse. Act normally and don't let anyone see."
"But, but... I'm scared, Dad, will anything happen to our family?" Wu Youmei came to her senses and said with a panicked and trembling face.
"You're just saying unlucky things!" Wu Yicang thought for a moment and said, "You've been pretending to be sick and staying out these past few days. You're such a loser."
After everyone had left, Ma Wenli was still sitting on the stool, lost in thought.
Her sister-in-law had already been criticized, so how could she dare to speak out?
But when she thought of the calculating and cold eyes of her parents-in-law and her husband, her legs went weak.
She used to think that her parents-in-law just didn't like Lu Qinghe as a daughter-in-law, but she never expected that the Wu family would be so cruel and ruthless behind her back.
This... It's a good thing that my husband didn't go to the provincial capital six years ago.
If it had really been Wu Youde back then, would I be the one being pushed into the river tomorrow?
Thinking of this, Ma Wenli shuddered again.
-
In the evening, before Xue Lanhua went home, Ma Wenli came to find Lu Qinghe.
Ma Wenli, who used to be arrogant in front of Lu Qinghe, brought a plate of mixed tofu when she came today. This is a rare thing in the countryside. Lu Qinghe gave it to the two children to eat with porridge, and Ma Wenli did not mention sharing it with her son.
"Audience?"
"Well, you've just recovered. Farm work is so tiring. Go and help collect water fertilizer. Wu Youde is here, so you can just plant some water plants nearby. I'll help you with the farm work for a day."
Lu Qinghe looked at Ma Wenli for a long time without saying anything, which made Ma Wenli even more anxious.
"That's it, just think of it as me feeling sorry for you."
There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Besides, Lu Qinghe heard the conspiracy of her parents-in-law three days ago. She understood the trick after a little thought.
This is ready to take action.
"I promised. I'll go there early tomorrow morning."
Ma Wenli was stunned, nodded randomly and walked away quickly.
"Bah, a weasel is paying a New Year's visit to a chicken. How could she suddenly be so kind?" As soon as the person left, Xue Lanhua started to scold him again.
Lu Qinghe gestured to Xue Lanhua to close the door, then stood up and looked around the yard to see if there was anyone. Then he spoke, "Mom, I haven't taken care of the land I was allocated these days. The Wu family definitely won't help me with it. I'm afraid we won't have enough water and fertilizer for a while. There's only one boat in East Village. Can you go home and tell my eldest brother to ask the two of them to borrow the boat from West Village tomorrow to go over together? Just for one day."
"That's not a problem. Your father has acquaintances in the West Village Brigade. Just let him know tomorrow."
"besides--"
Lu Qinghe lowered his voice and told Xue Lanhua what had happened in general. Before Xue Lanhua could start scolding him, he quickly covered her mouth.
"We can't make this public for now. We'll just take advantage of the situation. Big Brother will be watching over me when the time comes, so I'm sure I'll be fine."
"But my daughter..." Xue Lanhua felt sorry for Lu Qinghe.
"Don't worry, I've made preparations in advance and won't joke with my body. Mom, remember to tell big brother not to follow too closely, just enough to see me."
Xue Lanhua had no choice but to agree. She gave a few more instructions before leaving and then went home.
…
The next day came in a flash.
Before getting up, Lu Qinghe tied a layer of sackcloth cut into long strips inside his long-sleeved apron and trouser legs, and entrusted his two children to the care of Zhou Juxiang next door. Then he hurried to the river as if he was anxious to go to work.
"Qinghe, are you in such a hurry to go to work now that you're feeling better?"
"Yes Qinghe, take a few more days of rest."
Lu Qinghe greeted everyone and explained, "The corn cobs are almost harvested. If we don't compost the land, the nutrients won't be sufficient next year, and the yield per mu won't meet the standard. We can't let the team down, right? I've already had three days off, so I have to hurry and get the water and fertilizer."
"If you need help, just let me know, Nizi."
"No need, auntie. My sister-in-law is kind enough to ask Youde to come and help me."
"Oh, the Wu family has suddenly developed a conscience..."
Lu Qinghe didn't bother to say anything else and hurried to the river bank.
It was just daybreak and not many people were around. Wu Youde looked around, called out, waited for Lu Qinghe to come up, picked up the bamboo paddle and pushed the boat.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.
Fortunately, Lu Qinghe had learned to swim for physical exercise. Even if she fell into the water, and Wu Youde poked her with a bamboo pole, she could dive in and swim away.
When the boat reached the reeds in the middle of the river, Wu Youde could no longer hide.
"Sister-in-law, look at the riverbed and see if there's a palm-sized river shrimp. Take it home and cook it for the children."
Lu Qinghe looked back, stalling for time. "How can river shrimp be that big? You must be seeing things."
"Why would I lie to you? Come here and take a look for yourself!"
When he finally caught a glimpse of a bamboo pole exposed not far away, Lu Qinghe stood up, responded loudly, and deliberately walked in front of Wu Youde.
The next second, a huge push came from the back.
Lu Qinghe was prepared in advance. As soon as she went into the river and shouted, Lu Qingshan's shouting came over from the other side.
"What are you doing up ahead?!"
"Someone come! Wu Youde is going to kill someone!"
"Someone come quickly..."
Wu Youde, who originally had a ferocious look on his face, was stunned on the boat.
After some trouble, Lu Qinghe was wrapped in clothes by Lu Qingshan and brought ashore. Wu Youde was also tied up with ropes by the people who came with Lu Qingshan and thrown to the shore.
Something happened, and it was the brother-in-law who murdered his sister-in-law. Most of the people in Dagu Village rushed over after hearing the news.
Lu Qingshan: "You bastard! Luckily my sister told me yesterday that her fields weren't full of water and fertilizer, so she asked me to help her fish out the fish. That's how I accidentally saved her. Otherwise, she would have drowned by now!"
"Oh my daughter, why is your life so miserable? The man you married is heartless, your parents-in-law are mean, and now even your brother-in-law wants to harm you. Oh my God, what kind of world is this——"
Lu Qinghe was fine. She was wrapped tightly in three layers of clothes. Except for her wet hair, she was actually fine. She was even a little excited because she was about to punish the bad guys.
Lu Qinghe: "Village Chief Meng, Team Leader, you have to make the decision for me! I originally thought my in-laws had changed their ways out of pity for me, but who knew they were planning to harm me!"
"I, I didn't! Ouch—who hit me? Ouch, stop kicking me! Don't kick me in the □□!!"
Wu Youde wanted to explain in a panic, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was beaten up by the people who came with Lu Qingshan.
"well played!"
"This kind of scum deserves to be beaten to death!"
"Qinghe is such a good girl!"
"I remember now. It must be because their family didn't want to give Lu Qinghe a share of their son's pension that they wanted to kill. The Wu family was willing to kill their daughter-in-law for money. Who knows if they would dare to attack their neighbors in the future!"
"This is simply not something a human would do. Bah! Worse than an animal!"
Wu Youde angered everyone, and the Lu family didn't even need to take action. Everyone was spitting at him and almost beat him to the ground.
When the other members of the Wu family arrived, Wu Youde was already bruised and swollen, crying and begging for mercy.
"What's going on?" Wu Yicang pretended to be stupid and walked into the crowd.
"Dad, save me! I, I..." Wu Youde looked at his parents helplessly with purple eyes.
Wu Yicang panicked and quickly looked at Village Chief Meng and the team leader: "This must be a misunderstanding. My Youde must have been trying to paddle the bamboo boat and accidentally lost his grip. Otherwise, how could he push his sister-in-law into the river when there was no grudge between them?"
Captain Liu narrowed his eyes and asked, "Wu Yicang, who did you come with?"
"What's going on with my wife and second daughter-in-law?"
"Who told you on the way that Wu Youde pushed his sister-in-law into the river?"
Wu Yicang's heart suddenly sank. He opened his mouth to explain, but the village was full of people he knew...
"I, I happened to hear someone shouting at the door." Qian Lamei explained quickly.
"Impossible. Before we got to the river, we only knew someone fell into the water. How did you hear it when your house is so far away from the river?"
Wu Yicang: "We...I..."
"Wu Yicang!"
Captain Liu roared, his eyes wide with anger, "Behave yourself! Who told you that? If you can't give me an answer, it means you colluded with Wu Youde in advance and deliberately planned to kill people!"
“I, I…”
Wu Yicang was so frightened by the scolding that his legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud.
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