On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Liao Hongmei was released from the police station. She had instigated Qian Siwu to put cockroaches in Shu's roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). When the matter was exposed, she was taken to the police station for investigation. It wasn't a big deal; there was no such thing as unfair competition these days, and no one got sick from the food. She could just be released after paying a fine.
But Liu Chunhua was so stupid as to use lymph node meat, and Liao Hongmei, as the boss, had to assist in the investigation and was detained in the police station during the Spring Festival.
After being released, she returned to the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop, wanting to reopen it. So what if she had done bad things? At worst, she could just change the signboard. If roujiamo and steamed buns didn't work, she could sell something else. If breakfast didn't sell well, she could sell stir-fries. Deyang was full of opportunities; what Shu Aiguo could do, she and Shu Jiandang could do too.
To her surprise, Liao Hongmei had just opened the door when she received a notice from the Industry and Commerce Bureau that her business license had been revoked.
This was absolutely devastating!
If she could just open her shop, she could make a comeback, but now, even that last glimmer of hope has been shattered.
Liao Hongmei was desperate and almost fainted. Opening the shop had cost them all their savings. They had hoped to make a fortune with the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop, but instead of making money, they lost all their capital.
During the Lunar New Year, they couldn't afford a single piece of meat at home, but the mouthwatering aroma of meat wafted from Shu Aiguo's house next door. Liao Hongmei felt it was all Shu Aiguo's fault; if Shu Aiguo hadn't been so ruthless, they wouldn't have ended up like this.
We must teach Shu Aiguo a lesson!
"His family is rich, we can't beat him!" Shu Jiandang said, smoking silently.
He had no money at home, so he bought cheap tobacco leaves that were damp and moldy, and he didn't dare to show them to anyone. But Shu Aiguo gave the villagers Marlboro cigarettes, which were said to be smuggled cigarettes imported from Hong Kong, and could only be bought in China with US dollars.
The villagers found it strange, and once they got one, they were reluctant to smoke it, instead showing it off by tucking it behind their ears.
The brothers' falling out is more difficult to resolve than a blood feud. Shu Aiguo is rich and powerful, so Shu Jiandang can't gain any advantage. Taking revenge on Shu Aiguo is just a thought; he never dares to hold any hope.
Liao Hongmei, however, thought differently. In the countryside, what's the big deal about doing a few bad things?
There are many cases in the village where people poison their wives, beat their stepsons to death, or starve their parents to death, and since no one is watching, nothing can be found out if something happens.
"I have an idea."
Shu Jiandang frowned, and Liao Hongmei whispered a few words in his ear, causing Shu Jiandang's expression to change drastically.
"Arson? What if someone dies? That's a crime punishable by imprisonment."
"Jail? Who has evidence that we set the fire? Both of our houses have haystacks behind them. If we set it on fire, the police wouldn't even notice. Everything would be burned to the ground, so how could they investigate? It's the Lunar New Year, there are lots of fireworks and firecrackers, and things are prone to spontaneous combustion in winter. As long as we don't give anything away, no one will suspect us."
Liao Hongmei was short but bold, while Shu Jiandang lacked her courage.
Despite being brothers, Shu Jiandang disliked Shu Aiguo, but he only wanted to make Shu Aiguo suffer a loss and never thought of taking the lives of his family.
"This has really blown up; several lives have been lost..."
"What's there to be afraid of? They sleep late during the New Year, so the fire won't be discovered for long. The person definitely won't die from the fire; at most, the house will be gone. The house will be demolished and rebuilt, but all the furniture, clothes, and blankets will be burned, and we'll have to buy them all again, not to mention the kitchen utensils... It's no small expense to really buy new ones. They might even have the money from selling roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) at home. It would be best to burn it all down in one fire, leaving Shu Aiguo with nothing!"
Liao Hongmei hated this family to the core. If Shu Aiguo hadn't been so heartless, she would never have been detained in the police station.
The Shu family made so much money, but they didn't leave them a way to survive. Then they shouldn't live either. They have nothing, and Shu Aiguo has nothing too. That's what parents-in-law are like!
Shu Jiandang was initially hesitant, but after thinking about how much money Shu Aiguo made, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
After nightfall, Shu Jiandang sneaked over, intending to do something bad, but was caught red-handed by Lao Ma.
Chu Yu heard the footsteps and guessed it was Shu Jiandang. Coming to Shu's second uncle's house so late at night, he must be up to no good.
"Should I stop him?" Old Ma asked in a low voice.
"No need." Evidence is crucial in all matters. Even if Chu Yu stopped Shu Jiandang from committing a crime, and the attempt failed, handing him over to the police wouldn't result in a criminal sentence. Chu Yu didn't want to let this man get away with it so easily.
"Let him go. I want to see what he's up to."
Chu Yu's voice was cold.
When the firelight came from the haystack in the backyard and Shu Jiandang's hurried footsteps faded into the distance, Chu Yu realized what this man was up to. Setting a fire in the middle of the night was truly vicious. With nine people in the family, there were bound to be some who didn't have time to escape!
It's not a big deal if the house, money, and furniture are burned to death, but if people are burned to death, then everything is over.
If Shu Jiandang could come up with such a vicious idea, Chu Yu wouldn't be so saintly as to burn them alive. Let's see who burns whom!
Shu Jiandang was right. The fire burned everything away, and no one had any evidence. It was precisely because there was no evidence that Shu Jiandang dared to set the fire, and it was also because there was no evidence that Chu Yu was able to turn the tables on him.
"Old Ma, help me set the fire at Shu Jiandang's house," Chu Yu instructed.
Whatever she says, Old Ma does; he doesn't ask a single question or say a single word.
Old Ma swung a pitchfork from the ground and carried the burning haystack to Shu Jiandang's house.
Old Ma was skilled at farm work. With one thrust of his pitchfork, half of the haystack was gone. Because the fire hadn't grown too big yet, he only needed to use his pitchfork a few times to move all the flames over.
The haystack in Shu Jiandang's backyard was already half a person tall, and with Lao Ma's char siu-like ignition, it quickly turned into a towering, billowing fire. The flames were dazzling, but Chu Yu remained calm and nodded to Lao Ma.
"Thank you for your hard work, taking care of me during the Lunar New Year."
Old Ma remained menacing, ignoring her enthusiasm, and coldly said:
"Dai Donglin saved my child's life. I owe him my life. I'm protecting you to repay that debt. It has nothing to do with you!"
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