Chapter 154 Schemes
Granny Li collapsed to the ground with a thud, wailing and crying with tears streaming down her face, "No! Officers! We won't go to the station! We'll pay! We're willing to pay! Double the amount, please!!"
Uncle Li and Aunt Li were also trembling with fear, and they kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, yes! We'll pay! We'll accept the loss! Please, please don't arrest us!"
Wang Shunzheng frowned, about to speak, but Lin Baozhu spoke first, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable coldness:
"Pay back? Ha! Now you're scared? Too late!" She crossed her arms and looked down at the Li family members who were slumped on the ground. "You think returning the bride price is the end of it? Keep dreaming!"
"My aunt was beaten to the point of being on the verge of death by you, and she's now lying in the hospital with her life hanging in the balance! The subsequent medical expenses, nutrition expenses, lost wages... which one of these doesn't cost money?!"
"And my cousin Li Dani!" She pulled the timid Li Dani to her side. "She's only thirteen years old. You forcibly dragged her to the wedding ceremony, causing her severe physical and mental trauma. You think you can just shirk your responsibilities for compensation for emotional distress and psychological treatment?!"
Lin Baozhu held up five fingers and resolutely uttered her harsh words:
"Five hundred dollars! If you're short even a penny, you can go wash your asses clean and go eat jail food!"
Lin Baozhu changed her tone, her voice calm yet undeniably firm, and continued, "There's one more thing: From this day forward, the Li family must completely sever all ties with my aunt Guo Rongrong's family! Sign a document, make it clear in black and white! From now on, we'll go our separate ways, and no one from the Li family is allowed to harass them again! Otherwise—" Her eyes sharpened, "we have evidence, and we will absolutely pursue this to the end!"
She sneered inwardly: If the police hadn't been there today, she would have had to use a more "direct" method to resolve her aunt's troubles. Now, with the police's help, she could solve the problem once and for all! As for whether the Li family and the old widower would end up in jail? Ha, what did that have to do with Lin Baozhu?
As expected...
As soon as Lin Baozhu finished speaking, Granny Li nodded hurriedly without even thinking:
"Break up! Break up! I'll do whatever you say! Cut ties completely!"
In her calculating mind, Guo Rongrong was still that spineless coward she could manipulate at will. This five hundred yuan was merely a temporary transaction in the little bitch's hands; sooner or later, she would squeeze it back from Guo Rongrong with interest! As for the money to be returned to the old widower… it hurt as much as it hurt, but with the police watching closely, she couldn't renege on her promise.
As for severing ties, ha~ with that son of hers who eats everything and is good for nothing, she's wanted to separate him from her family for a long time!
Lin Baozhu's lips curled into a half-smile as she coldly watched Granny Li carry a biscuit tin out of the house, from which she pulled out a roll of ten-yuan notes bound with a rubber band. Granny Li counted them one by one, her fingers trembling slightly with heartache, until she had counted out fifty notes, which she then reluctantly handed to Lin Baozhu.
"Here you go! Five hundred!"
Then she started counting another stack of bills—the three hundred dollars to be returned to the old widower.
Just as the old widower reached out to take the three hundred yuan, Lin Baozhu coughed lightly, her voice soft but clear:
"Captain Tian, have you forgotten?"
She looked at the village head of the old widower village, her eyes innocent yet cold. "Back in your village, we made a deal—after the bride price was returned, I would have full authority to handle it as compensation for my cousin, Li Dani. You agreed to that back then."
She paused, her gaze shifting to the elderly widower whose expression had suddenly changed, her tone carrying a perfectly timed "reminder":
“Old widower, if you go back on your word now… well, I’m not a very good person when it comes to keeping my mouth shut. If I accidentally say something… well, something not very honorable, and it gets to the ears of the police, you’ll be lucky to escape with a gun.”
A few simple words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the old widower's head! His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his face turning pale and then red. He abruptly turned his head, glared fiercely at Granny Li, snatched the thirty bills from her, and then, gritting his teeth, slammed the money heavily onto Lin Baozhu's outstretched palm!
"The money! Here you go!" His voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed anger. "But you promised... you must keep your word!"
Lin Baozhu deftly stuffed the stack of money into her bulging handbag, her face instantly plastered with an incredibly "sincere" smile:
"Don't worry! I, Lin Baozhu, keep my word! As long as you don't mess with me..."
She deliberately emphasized the word "I," her smile sweet and harmless, "I won't utter a single word of those things I shouldn't say!"
The old widower frowned upon hearing this. He felt that these words... sounded right, but there was something off about them, an inexplicable awkwardness. He pondered the deliberately emphasized "I," his mind a jumble of thoughts that he couldn't unravel.
Lin Baozhu smiled slightly, reached into her handbag, and as if she had been prepared, deftly pulled out two pre-written "severance documents"—the paper was brand new, the ink was clear, and the terms were so detailed that they seemed tailor-made.
“Come on…” She slapped the document on the bench, which was still relatively comfortable, handed over the pen, and pointed her chin toward the signature area. “It’s time to sign and put your fingerprint on it.”
Granny Li's face turned ashen. She glared at Lin Baozhu resentfully, then reluctantly picked up a pen, drew a crooked circle in the designated spot, dipped it in ink, and pressed a blurry fingerprint onto the document. Uncle Li and Aunt Li had no choice but to follow suit, leaving their marks on the document with frustrated expressions.
After carefully checking the signatures and fingerprints of the three people and confirming that they were correct, Lin Baozhu carefully folded the two documents neatly and put them away close to her body.
With this "protective charm," my aunt's family has finally gotten rid of this nest of bloodsucking leeches! In the future, all we need to do is publish this severance document in the newspaper and spread the word. If they try to renege on their promises again, they'll be indulging in wishful thinking! As for dividing the family property? Hmph, my aunt's family was driven to the old house to fend for themselves three years ago. The value of this document far exceeds that empty title!
Seeing that the documents were signed, Aunt Li thought everything was settled and immediately put on a fawning smile as she looked at Wang Shunzheng:
"Officer! Look... the misunderstanding has been cleared up! We've signed the papers and paid the compensation, so... we don't need to go to the station anymore, right?"
Lin Baozhu gave Qin Haifeng and Wang Shunzheng a knowing look at the opportune moment.
Upon receiving the signal, Qin Haifeng's already cold expression instantly turned frosty. He stepped forward, his gaze piercing the Li family like an icicle, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority:
"Misunderstanding? Is filing a police report a joke?! The police station isn't a marketplace where you can come and go as you please!"
His sharp gaze swept over Wang Shunzheng. "Captain Wang, trafficking in women is a serious crime. Since someone has reported it and the evidence is conclusive, how can we not investigate it thoroughly?!"
Wang Shunzheng grunted in agreement, then waved his hand decisively: "Bring Granny Li, Uncle Li, Aunt Li, Ge Gensheng, and the widower surnamed Tian, along with the brigade leaders from the other two villages, all back to the bureau for rigorous interrogation!"
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