"I...I was just joking yesterday..." Li Jinlong observed Cheng Baidong's expression and noticed that his gaze was unusually cold, as if he were looking at a lifeless object. He knew he was scared and immediately dared not try to take any more tricks. He knelt down with a 'thud'.
He knelt firmly, his knees hitting the floor tiles, but he didn't dare cry out in pain. He raised his hand and slapped himself across the face: "Brother Cheng, I, I was wrong! It's all my fault for being so foul-mouthed! I was out of my mind yesterday. I drank some cat piss and then I had the audacity to gossip about your sister-in-law. I, I was foul-mouthed. I deserve to die. I'll slap my own stinking mouth to pieces!"
Li Jinlong didn't hold back at all, slapping himself hard and quickly, until his lips were red and swollen, and his speech became slurred.
"I...I was wrong. I don't want to go to jail. Please, please, you and your sister-in-law are so kind. Just let me go! I'm my mother's only son. She has a heart condition. I can't go to jail. It would kill her with anger."
He cried with tears and snot streaming down his face, begging for mercy with such sincerity that it moved the onlookers.
"Look at how swollen the child's own face is, he must have realized he did something wrong."
“Sigh, a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold. Bai Dong, Fang Qiao, why don’t you give him a chance?”
"Yes, yes. Besides, fortunes change, and you never know when you might need his help. He'll be your brother-in-law in the future, so you should be more magnanimous and forgiving."
You don't know the pain until you prick yourself. This group of people's tone was too harsh. Fang Qiao couldn't help but roll her eyes and moved the stool under her to the side.
Stinky Egg's Mom, who was always close to Huang Yan, said, "Hey, just talk, Fang Qiao, why are you avoiding me?"
"Advising someone to be magnanimous is like being struck by lightning; I'm afraid that when God strikes you down, He might accidentally hurt me instead," Fang Qiao replied honestly.
A burst of laughter erupted behind him.
Stinky Egg's mother, unable to save face, forced a smile: "It's better to resolve enmity than to make it. As the old saying goes, suffering a loss is a blessing. I'm only doing this for your own good. Fang Qiao, you really are ungrateful."
Fang Qiao retorted without hesitation: "Suffering a loss is a blessing. You can keep this blessing for yourself; I don't want it."
Stinky Egg's mother was so angry that her face turned pale and then red. She stopped watching the commotion and stormed home.
This person has always been on good terms with Huang Yan, so Fang Qiao couldn't be bothered with her.
Seeing that Li Jinlong had slapped himself until his lip bled, Cheng Baidong finally relented: "I can forgive you, but I have one condition."
Li Jinlong was overjoyed, his eyes lighting up immediately: "What are the conditions? Just tell me, as long as I can do it, I'll agree to anything."
"You've spread rumors and slandered my wife, ruining her reputation and causing indelible harm to her. Isn't it reasonable for me to ask you for some compensation?"
It costs money...
Li Jinlong felt as if his heart was bleeding, but he couldn't show it on his face and had to force a smile: "That's reasonable, that's reasonable."
"Then you can decide for yourself."
Cheng Baidong's simple words almost put Li Jinlong in a very difficult position.
If Li Jinlong had to choose, he would rather let Cheng Baidong name a number than give it to him personally.
How should I give it to you?
If they give too much, their family can't afford it; if they give too little, they're afraid Cheng Baidong won't be satisfied. They're caught in a dilemma.
Li Jinlong racked his brains and thought for a long time before finally coming up with a number.
“Five…” he began, then secretly glanced at Cheng Baidong’s expression.
Seeing that Cheng Baidong didn't even raise an eyebrow, she couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't said enough.
When it came to spending money to buy peace of mind, he didn't have time to hesitate. Driven by his survival instinct, he gritted his teeth and simply raised the price a little higher.
"Six, six hundred! That's really all I can get!"
Cheng Baidong glanced at Fang Qiao.
Fang Qiao nodded.
"Okay, let's sign the receipt."
Cheng Bodong had prepared the document long ago; only the amount and name were missing. He also brought an inkpad, so the whole set was complete.
After signing and pressing his fingerprint, Li Jinlong visibly relaxed and only then dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Cheng Baidong handed the written agreement to Fang Qiao for safekeeping. As for the Cheng family, the punishment results were announced by Director Li.
Even if Cheng Guihe is utterly wicked, he is still his biological father. No matter how much he hates him, he can't be too aggressive on the surface. Otherwise, in a rural area where feudal ideas are so prevalent, he'll be labeled as unfilial and bombarded with criticism.
The thought of his relatives, friends, and even the entire village lecturing him was incredibly annoying.
Cheng Baidong thought: It would be great if I could change jobs and be transferred to work in the capital. Then I could be free to do whatever I wanted, and no one could interfere in my family's affairs!
After a night of calm, the Cheng family realized that Cheng Bodong was not as easy to manipulate as Fang Qiao. Once he made a decision, no matter how much others cried, made a scene, or threatened suicide, they would not change his mind. So they didn't cause much of a fuss and simply put their fingerprints on the punishment notice.
Only Cheng Hongmei tearfully said to Li Jinlong, "Brother Jinlong, I don't want to work at the brick factory. Marry me, and I'll transfer my household registration to your village."
Li Jinlong dodged Cheng Hongmei's hand. "Little sister, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just... I haven't told my family about our marriage yet. Given my family's situation... I really can't marry you anytime soon."
"Well, alright then." Cheng Hongmei sobbed, her double chin protruding, making her face appear even squarer.
Seeing her like this, Li Jinlong felt bitter inside.
He really only regarded Cheng Hongmei as a younger sister. After all, Cheng Hongmei was plain-looking, short, and illiterate, and was not his type at all.
He likes pretty girls in the city, preferably junior high school students who wear floral dresses, have two braids, and can recite poetry!
The illiterate country girls in the village were never on his radar!
His four older sisters were originally going to start arranging blind dates for him in the city, but now all of that has fallen through.
Li Jinlong forced himself to comfort Cheng Hongmei for a few moments. Just as he was about to say goodbye to her after seeing Cheng Hongmei's hands being tied up, he saw the person use the end of the rope that had bound Cheng Hongmei to tie him up as well.
Li Jinlong's eyes widened in horror: "Hey, hey, hey? Why did you tie me up?"
"You don't actually think that losing money means you won't have to work at the brick factory anymore, do you?"
Li Jinlong: "..."
That's really what he thought.
"Your money is compensation for their emotional distress; you still have to do the work you were supposed to do."
"..."
Cheng Baidong, you're ruthless!
Li Jinlong admits defeat.
There's nothing he can do; he was in the wrong first. As long as he doesn't go to jail, it's just work, right? He's got plenty of strength!
T_T
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
