Chapter 156 Marrying into Your Guo Family
The moment Li Dani revealed the horrifying truth about "ghost marriages," the old widower trembled violently. He abruptly turned his head, his resentful gaze fixed on Lin Baozhu's face, his lips trembling, his voice hoarse and desperate:
"You...you promised...you wouldn't tell..."
Lin Baozhu blinked innocently, her slender fingers gently tapping Li Dani, who was still sobbing:
“Captain Tian, you should speak from your conscience. I, Lin Baozhu, haven’t uttered a single word.”
Her tone was relaxed, with a hint of teasing, "But... even if I don't say anything, do you think this can be kept secret?"
She stepped forward, her voice extremely low, yet every word pierced the heart:
"Guess how many of your fellow villagers, in order to get a share of that thousand yuan... wrote letters of denunciation overnight, vying to send the old widower to jail?"
Seeing the old widower's face turn deathly pale, Lin Baozhu changed the subject, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the ashen-faced Captain Tian beside her:
"As for you, Captain Tian... you were 'unaware' of this matter. At most, it's considered negligence. You'll get a severe reprimand from the commune leaders, but that's it. You won't lose your job, and you won't face any lawsuits."
She paused deliberately, her gaze returning to the old widower and the Li family, her voice suddenly turning cold:
"But those guys... they might get shot! Even if the King of Hell spares their lives, they'll spend the rest of their lives as slaves in a labor camp, rotting away there!"
Standing to the side, Captain Tian listened to Lin Baozhu's "heart-to-heart" analysis and felt a chill run down his spine. His gaze toward Lin Baozhu was so dark it could drip water, and his back teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
He, a man in his forties, was outsmarted by a girl of seventeen or eighteen. It was both hateful and terrifying.
From beginning to end, the entire village was completely manipulated by this woman!
She had long seen through the greed and selfishness of human nature and had calculated every step precisely! Just as she said, even if Li Dani hadn't said anything, the villagers of Tianzhuang would have rushed to send the old widower to jail for that thousand yuan! At that time, he, the brigade leader who helped cover it up and knew but didn't report it, would definitely be implicated. Losing his post would be the least of his worries; he might really end up in jail!
Now that Li Dani has publicly exposed this secret, Tian can actually exonerate himself as "unaware," at most he'll get a scolding, but he can still keep his official position.
This woman... has such deep cunning! Such ruthless methods! From the very beginning, she never intended to let go of anyone who harmed her aunt's family, yet she cleverly used rules and human nature to make them "willingly" walk into the trap she set!
He harbored resentment towards Lin Baozhu, yet he couldn't help but admire her cunning and resourcefulness. A person like that, no matter where she was, could stir up trouble and carve out her own path.
In the end, Wang Shunzheng left two police officers to continue recording the villagers' testimonies, while the rest of the officers, escorting the ashen-faced Granny Li, the Li family's eldest son and his wife, the old widower, and Ge Gensheng, walked out of the village amidst the villagers' angry curses...
Lin Baozhu didn't linger. She hopped on her bicycle and sped off towards Da Geba Village...
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Li Erni tightly hugging Hu Zi and Tian Tian, one in each arm, her little face tense. Upon seeing Lin Baozhu, she immediately rushed forward anxiously.
"Sister Baozhu! My mother... my sister and the others..."
"Don't worry! Everything's fine!"
Lin Baozhu deftly propped up the bicycle, and while untying the two old hens tied to the seat, she quickly explained, "Your eldest sister is giving a statement at the police station. Your aunt and third cousin are with her, so she's safe! Your mother has been taken to the clinic. The doctor said she'll stay in the hospital for a few days and get some rest, and she'll be fine!"
She carried the chicken straight to the kitchen, quickly boiling water, killing the chicken, and plucking its feathers... her movements were fluid and efficient.
Tiger then came closer, gently tugging at Lin Baozhu's clothes with his little hand, raising his fair face, his big eyes full of expectation and caution:
"Little aunt, my eldest aunt and the others are so pitiful... Aunt Erni said they always have endless chores to do at home and get scolded all the time... In the future, can we let them live with us?" He was afraid that Lin Baozhu would disagree, so he quickly added, "Aunt Erni said she'll definitely do it! She won't eat for free!"
Lin Baozhu's heart softened, and she squatted down to rub Hu Zi's fluffy head: "This matter...we'll have to wait for your grandma to come back and make a decision. But—"
She looked at Hu Zi and Li Erni, who was nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, and smiled gently. "As long as your aunt and the others are willing to settle in our village, our family will certainly welcome them with open arms."
Upon hearing this, Hu Zi cheered and jumped for joy, grabbing Li Erni's hand and leaping up and down: "Great! Aunt Erni, did you hear that? You can stay here now! I'll take you up the mountain to gather pig feed! If we work hard, we'll make sure we don't go hungry!"
Watching the three children's joyful figures, Lin Baozhu's smile gradually faded, and she fell into deep thought. Hu Zi's innocent and carefree words had just awakened a crucial question in her mind.
Given my aunt's weak and timid nature, even if she signed a severance document with the Li family, as long as they still lived in the same village, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be bullied by those scoundrels in various ways. She couldn't possibly rely on her family to come knocking on her door every time, could she?
We must find a way to solve this once and for all!
For example... completely deprive the Li family of their ability to do evil? Or... find them a "good place" to go, or perhaps give them a "peanut" to eat?
The thought flashed through her mind, but she suppressed it. She'd have to wait until her aunt woke up and discuss it properly with her mother and uncles.
Bringing herself back to reality, Lin Baozhu carried the cleaned chicken back to the kitchen...
"Erni, you and Huzi keep an eye on the fire and make sure the soup doesn't overflow! I'm going to pack some things your mother will need for her hospital stay!"
After saying that, she turned and went into the house, slamming the door shut and locking it neatly. Then she slipped into her spatial dimension...
A brand-new enamel basin, towels, soap... and several well-fitting, thick old clothes were rummaged through a corner of the room. Finally, a net bag of fresh apples and several cans of nutritional supplements like malted milk powder were packed in before the item was finally brought out.
In the kitchen, the chicken soup had simmered until it was thick, white, and fragrant, filling the air with its aroma. The three little ones were perched at the doorway, their eyes fixed on the chicken bubbling and rolling in the pot.
Lin Baozhu smiled and filled a large enamel rice bucket with chicken soup and chicken meat. She then served each of the three greedy little ones a small bowl of soup and meat, and carried the rest of the pot to the stove to keep it warm with the embers. After doing all this, she picked up her packed bags and rice bucket and hurriedly went out the door.
*
Before she even reached the door of the clinic, she heard a man's exaggerated wailing coming from inside:
"Rongrong! My good wife! You've suffered so much! Waaah... It's all my fault! If I had known they were such scoundrels, I would never have gone out! Waaah... My poor wife! Don't worry, once you're better, I'll go back to your parents' house with you! If that doesn't work... I... I'll marry into your Guo family!"
Lin Baozhu's fingers, which were holding the things, clenched tightly, and her knuckles turned white!
Listen to this! Is this even human language?!
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