Su Qingci and Song Jingzhou exchanged a glance.
Is Zhong Linfang home? Did Grandma Zhong lie?
"Auntie, we've found the right place, but it seems no one is home."
"Why aren't you home? If no one answers from the front, go knock on the door in the back kitchen."
"They're always in the back!"
"But that old woman is not easy to get along with; she's very wicked. You guys have to be careful!"
Su Qingci seemed to suddenly become interested, "I saw him once at the market last time. He looked very gentle and kind, like a cultured and refined person, not someone who is difficult to get along with!"
"Oh dear, you don't know this? There's a saying, 'You can know a person's face but not their heart,' right?"
"Let me tell you, that Lu Jingzhi is really wicked. Neither of her two sons pays any attention to her. They don't even come over for holidays. They both hate her."
"Her old man was sick and sent to the health center. He could have been saved, but she told the doctor to give up on saving him."
"What's even more outrageous is that she didn't shed a single tear during the entire funeral; in fact, she was quite happy!"
"The coffin was sealed before all the relatives had arrived!"
"Those two children and their two married aunts didn't even get to see each other one last time."
"Don't you think it's immoral?"
"I heard she had a daughter when she was little. She went out with her, and when she came back, she died!"
"That's called, well, ruthless, yes, so black-hearted, so cruel."
"But these words weren't said by us; they were said by her two married sisters-in-law and two sons."
"Over the years, only Zhong Linfang has stayed with her. Otherwise, tsk tsk tsk~ she would be hated by everyone."
"I can understand why old people are disliked, but someone like her who doesn't recognize any of her relatives is rare, not just in this area, but in the whole world. Don't you think so?"
"You're saying it's not like there's only one child. It's understandable if one child is unfilial, but if all of them are unfilial, then the problem must lie with the elderly person!"
Su Qingci was completely confused.
Lu Jingzhi, just hearing the name is stunning, and you can still vaguely see the beauty of her youth in her grandmother's features.
Is he really that difficult to deal with?
"Hmph, Linfang was disliked by her stepmother and couldn't stand living in that house. If she had other choices, she might not be willing to stay with that old woman!"
Su Qingci and several women chatted at the village entrance for a while, and soon they had a pretty good grasp of the Zhong family's situation.
Zhong Linfang's father and second uncle both had formal jobs in a textile factory in the county town. Her mother had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to her second child, resulting in the death of both mother and child.
My father married my stepmother, and then I had a stepfather.
Zhong Linfang is 8 years old and has not yet started school. She is as thin as a monkey and works like a slave at home, taking care of the younger children and serving the older ones.
It was because Lü Jingzhi couldn't stand it that he took it with him.
The two sons harbored resentment towards Lü Jingzhi for causing their father's death, and rarely returned home except for the Qingming Festival.
Su Qingci looked at her with agreement, "According to what you aunties are saying, Grandma Zhong really isn't an easy person to get along with!"
"Never mind, I'll just knock on the back door and see."
"Given your personality, if I don't deliver what they asked me to, Grandma might blame me."
“Yes, yes, go back again, go around to the back, there’s a shed there, the one with the thatched roof, go and take a look.”
"Speak louder! That old woman seems deaf; she often ignores people!"
Su Qingci smiled and thanked the women, then she and Song Jingzhou pushed their bicycles back.
"Bringing honor to one's ancestors, according to what those aunties said, it really could be Zhong Linfang."
"They were clearly at home, but Grandma Zhong insisted they weren't."
The two pushed their bicycles back to the elegant little courtyard.
Su Qingci approached the window and could vaguely hear voices coming from inside.
"Grandma, what if they really need something from me!"
"Nothing else is more important than you. You're leaving in two months. If people find out about this mess, your reputation will be ruined."
"Although it's not your fault, this world is harsh on women. You can be drowned by spittle and have your spine broken."
"Grandma, waaaaah, I'm scared~"
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, everything will be alright, everything will be alright!"
"As long as we don't admit it, no one will know!"
...
Su Qingci's face grew increasingly grim, and she slammed the wooden door open!
The grandmother and grandson, who were embracing each other, shuddered in fright and looked up at the door in alarm.
"Sister Linfang, you're alright, but do you know that Liu Siqing has been arrested by the county police?"
"Because of you, he almost beat someone to death. Now the person has reported the case to the police, saying that he is causing trouble, abusing his power for personal gain, and oppressing the people without cause."
Afterwards, Lu Jing looked extremely uncomfortable and shielded Zhong Linfang behind her like a mother hen.
"Who let you in? You're trespassing!"
"Get out! Get out of here!"
Seeing that her grandmother had lost her mind, she picked up the broom behind the threshold and waved it at Su Qingci and Song Jingzhou.
Zhong Linfang quickly stopped her grandmother.
"Grandma, wait a minute."
"Su, the educated youth, what did you say?"
"The Four Cleanups Comrades have been arrested?"
Song Jingzhou, with a sullen face, slammed the door shut behind him.
"Yes, she was arrested. The other party probably knew that no woman would come forward to confess to this kind of thing."
“He was wrongly accused of assaulting someone without cause and of attempted murder! If it weren’t for the people around the town stopping him, Siqingzhen would have beaten that person to death.”
"That person is in the county hospital now, and he's quite badly injured. His parents are both leaders in the city, and they have a lot of influence."
"During the police interrogation, Siqing gritted his teeth and refused to say anything. He was directly arrested by the police on charges of assaulting someone without cause and attempted murder."
"This matter not only involves important people in the city, but also coincides with the county's crackdown on the security team."
"As you know, Siqing is a security guard. The security team was only established in the second half of last year. The security personnel in various places have not received much professional training and are all recruited locally."
"As a result, some security guards are very undisciplined, which has led to many complaints from the public."
"The county is just about to rectify this chaotic situation, and the Four Cleanups campaign is right on the wrong side of it."
"If he cannot be cleared of this crime, he may be severely punished!"
Su Qingci looked at Zhong Linfang's pale face and added.
"Whether he abused his power for personal gain or oppressed the people without cause, I think you should be very clear about that."
"If he really confesses to this crime, even if he survives, his life will be ruined!"
"Sister Linfang, we should be grateful in this life. Even if we need to protect our own interests, we can't repay kindness with enmity, can we?"
“Just because he saved you doesn’t mean he should risk his own life! That’s not fair to him.”
Lu Jingzhi could tell from Zhong Linfang's expression that this matter could no longer be kept secret.
She looked at Su Qingci with a displeased expression and said, "Don't make it sound so nice. If he hadn't said anything, would you have come all the way here?"
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