Chapter 155 Using a living person to accompany a ghost marriage?
The village head's expression, which had just eased slightly because of Lin Baozhu's "plea," instantly turned long and gloomy again, so dark it could drip water! That last bit of hope vanished, leaving only a deep fear of the Public Security Bureau.
He leaned closer to Wang Shunzheng, his voice extremely low and trembling almost imperceptibly: "Comrade Wang... this... this has nothing to do with me, right? We... we don't need to go with them, do we?" Knowing the chances were slim, he still couldn't help but try, just in case...
Wang Shunzheng glanced at him, his tone calm but unquestionable: "It's just a routine investigation, to find out the situation. If there's nothing wrong, we'll let you come back naturally."
"But..." Captain Tian wanted to linger.
Wang Shunzheng didn't give him a chance, decisively waving his hand: "Take him away!"
The police officers immediately stepped forward, swiftly took out handcuffs, and with a "click," handcuffed the wrists of Granny Li, Uncle Li, Aunt Li, the old widower, and Ge Gensheng, whose face was ashen!
"Cuffed... handcuffed?!" Granny Li shuddered at the gleaming handcuffs on her wrists, as if struck by lightning! A wave of panic washed over her! She whirled around, her cloudy eyes fixed on Li Dani, who was hiding behind Lin Baozhu, as if grasping at a last straw. Her voice was shrill as she commanded:
“Da Ni! My dear granddaughter! I’m your grandma! Are you just going to stand by and watch your grandma get taken away? Quick! Tell the police! Tell them you married willingly! It has nothing to do with grandma or your aunt!” She spoke rapidly, with an urgent urgency that threatened to break her.
"Grandma swears! I'll treat you all well from now on! I'll make sure you eat and drink the best food!" She tried to force a bit of kindness, but it only made her look more twisted.
Seeing Li Dani hiding behind Lin's mother, unmoved, she hurriedly added, "Besides! That three hundred yuan dowry has already been returned! That old man didn't even touch a hair on your head! You're still a pure and innocent young woman! What have you lost?! Quickly notify the police!!!" The last sentence was almost a desperate shout...
Lin's mother was so enraged by Li Pozi's shamelessness that she trembled all over! She suddenly rushed forward, her withered fingers almost poking Li Pozi's face, and cursed loudly, spitting as she spoke:
"You old hag! How dare you mention 'Grandma'?! It's a miracle that Da Ni wasn't violated! It was Baozhu and Sanlang who risked their lives to save her! If it had been any later... my poor Ni'er would have..." Her voice choked with lingering fear and overwhelming hatred.
"What you did was inhuman! Even an animal wouldn't do that! Now you know how to play the victim and beg for the child's forgiveness? Where were you before?! When you sold her, when you beat her mother, where was the ferocity you showed?! Now you're scared? Too late!!!"
After scolding her, she pulled the trembling Li Dani into a tight embrace, her rough hands gently patting her back, her voice instantly softening and carrying a soothing power:
“Girl, don’t be afraid! Auntie is here! If you have any grievances or bitterness, just tell the police officers! Don’t hide a single word! They are upright officials who stand up for us ordinary people, and they will definitely get justice for you and your children!”
Nestled in Lin's mother's warm embrace, Li Dani listened to these comforting words, and the tears she had been holding back finally burst forth. She abruptly broke free from Lin's mother's arms, her knees slamming heavily onto the cold, muddy ground with a loud thud. Facing Lin's mother, Lin Baozhu, Qin Haifeng, Wang Shunzheng, and the villagers present, she mustered all her strength and kowtowed three times with a resounding "thump, thump, thump!"
She lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice hoarse yet clear, filled with boundless gratitude for surviving such a calamity:
"Thank you! Thank you everyone! Today... if it weren't for you all... my family... we'd probably... we'd probably be beaten to death!!"
Li Dani's sobbing didn't stop. She suddenly raised her head, her tearful eyes flashing with deep-seated hatred, and dropped another bombshell that would make everyone's scalp tingle:
"That old widower married me... not because he wanted a living person! He... he wanted me to arrange a ghost marriage for his dead son!!"
Her voice was shrill, filled with endless fear and lingering dread.
"This...my aunt!my grandma! They all know about it!! Waaaaah...aunts, uncles, grandmas, I...I was almost buried alive by them! Waaaaah..."
Boom—!
This accusation was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly causing an uproar among the crowd!
If when Granny Li sold her granddaughter to an old widower as his second wife, people only sympathized with Li Dani's misfortune of having a heartless, worthless grandmother, and at most cursed Li Xiaoxian (Li Dani's father) as a good-for-nothing who couldn't stand up for himself, and couldn't blame anyone else.
But when the words "ghost marriage" and "live burial" came crashing down on everyone, a chill ran from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads! Every hair on their body stood on end!
Marrying a living person to a ghost?!
This isn't just simple immorality! This is utterly devoid of conscience! It deserves divine retribution! Being shot would be the least of your worries! You'd be condemned to the deepest hell!
The villagers, who had initially been somewhat amused, now felt a heavy weight pressing down on their hearts as they looked at Li Dani, whose forehead was scraped, blood mixed with mud, and who was disheveled yet had a stubborn look in her eyes. It was as if a huge rock was pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe. A belated and heavy sense of guilt spread through them.
An old farmer with gray hair dropped his pipe to the ground with a thud, his lips trembling as he couldn't speak.
Finally, a woman who was usually quiet and reserved wiped her red eyes hard with her sleeve and stepped forward, choking back tears:
"Officers! Da Ni'er and her mother... have been wronged! Ask away! I'll tell you everything I know! I won't hide a single word from those heartless beasts in the Li family!"
That shout was like lighting a fuse!
"Yes! Officer! I'll say it too!"
"Old Lady Li has been tormenting the third son's wife all these years, she's such a scumbag!"
"And there's that scumbag affair between the eldest son's wife and Ge Gensheng..."
"They sold Da Ni'er because they were afraid she would report them!"
The accusations from all sides instantly overwhelmed the Li family! At first, Granny Li jumped up and down cursing, but these women in the village, who were experienced in labor and fighting all year round, were not the submissive type like Guo Rongrong.
Their spittle, veiled insults, and barbed slang were like a sudden storm, leaving Granny Li defenseless. She was quickly overwhelmed by the angry shouts, her face ashen, her lips trembling, unable to utter another sound.
Lin Baozhu stood at the edge of the crowd, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her small mouth slightly agape, her mind racing as she jotted down notes:
Wow! So this is how you can insult someone in such a roundabout, rhythmic way, with different insults every day for three days straight? I've learned something new! Next time I encounter an obnoxious freak, that's how I'll greet them!
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