After Mao Huimei returned home, Uncle Xia and his family also had to go back. Although Chenchen and Mao Huizhu had quarreled with Qiangqiang many times, they were still reluctant to let him go when he really had to leave. Chenchen even gave his Luban box to Qiangqiang.
Several people said goodbye reluctantly and agreed to keep in touch in the future.
However, when Uncle Xia and his family returned to Mingxi County, the first person to call was not Qiangqiang, but Uncle Xia.
"Xia Bao was caught stealing." Uncle Xia heard the news as soon as he returned, and he was obviously very upset. "Wen Yue, do you know about this?"
"I don't know." Xia Wenyue said calmly, "What's going on?"
"They said he was caught by the police for stealing things from someone's construction site." Uncle Xia sighed. Xia Wenyue heard the cries of Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia not far away.
"What do they want from Big Brother?" Xia Wenyue, not knowing what happened next, asked, "What did the police say?"
"They said the police called to tell them that Xia Bao had stolen tens of thousands of yuan worth of things in the past six months. He's facing a minimum sentence of ten years, but if he returns the money promptly, there's some leeway."
"They came here to ask me to help call Xia Li."
"Wang Tao meant that if I returned the money promptly and paid a little more to build connections, I might be released without jail time if they didn't prosecute me."
Xia Wenyue said, "Then let them pay. It's their son, so they should take care of him themselves."
"Don't worry about it, big brother," Xia Wenyue said. "They've been saving their entire lives, so they definitely have tens of thousands of dollars."
Just as she finished speaking, she heard Second Uncle Xia crying, "Brother, Wen Yue is in Yan City. Can you ask her to help check on Xia Bao?"
"I know I've let her down, but Xia Bao is her nephew. If we tell anyone about this, it will bring trouble to the whole family. Big brother, you can't just ignore it..."
Xia Wenyue was so angry that she laughed, "See? You're still not in a hurry. You're still thinking about plotting against me. Don't worry about it, big brother."
"At worst, there's still Xia Li here. It's definitely not our turn."
Uncle Xia sighed and said, "He called Lili a long time ago. Lili said she didn't care. Otherwise, the couple wouldn't have come to me to make a fuss."
Uncle Xia said helplessly, "I just called Lili. I think that child is probably completely disheartened by them."
"She said that she would let Wang Tao take Xia Bao out only if the couple paid 50,000 yuan. If they didn't pay, Xia Bao would go to jail."
Xia Wenyue was a little surprised to hear this, but then she thought it was normal. She heard that when Xia Li got married, the couple took a betrothal gift of more than 10,000 yuan and didn't give a penny as compensation. Xia Li's life was already difficult because of this.
As a result, after Wang Tao had a mistress, not only did they not support him, they also allowed Xia Bao to harm her. Any normal person would not tolerate this.
"Then let them choose for themselves. Is money more important or their son?"
No matter which one it is, it is a heart-wrenching pain for Uncle Xia and his wife.
Xia Wenyue felt incredibly happy. "Brother, tell them that the Yan City Police Station usually approves the arrest within two weeks. It's already been almost a week. If they can't pay within a week, Xia Bao will be prosecuted and then have to pay. That's a minimum of ten years."
After hanging up the phone, the whole family felt relieved.
Mao Huilan said, "Let's see if they dare to be so shameless again in the future!"
Xia Mian laughed and said, "My second uncle is probably going to be seriously ill."
Xia Wenyue laughed, "Serves you right!" Then she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Now only the Mao and Hao families are left."
She turned around and asked Mao Zhishan, "When will your interview magazine be published?"
Mao Zhishan smiled and said, "It will be out next week. The program 'A Date with Chen Shi' has also been scheduled for recording. The production team should have gone to Mingxi County to collect materials."
"Have you told Rong Xin to let the social news reporters tag along?"
Xia Mian immediately figured out what she was going to do and couldn't help but applaud, "Second Aunt, this is a brilliant idea! Looks like it's going to be a big one!"
Xia Wenyue sneered, "The Hao family has been the local tyrant for a long time, it's time to pay back their debts!"
Mingxi County did welcome a group of reporters, and the county gave them a very warm reception. When they heard that they were here to investigate the phenomenon of favoring boys over girls in backward areas, the smile on the reception director's face suddenly became much more sincere.
"There's a celebrity who wants to donate money every year to support girls in the county to go to school, so we need to do some research so they know how much they should contribute each year."
The reception director was even happier. "This is great news. It turns out that big stars are all rich."
But even so, he still sent a smart young man as a tour guide, who enthusiastically "led the way" and entertained them all the way. It was not until he found out that the interview team was indeed just visiting the people and asking about the average family income and the schooling of boys and girls that he gradually relaxed his vigilance.
The reporting team had been specifically instructed not to reveal the purpose of the interview, lest the content be false. So the county residents only knew that a press corps had arrived to interview people.
When I heard that the person I was interviewing could appear on TV for the whole country to see, I was immediately very excited and told him everything I knew.
At the Mao family, Mao Laoda's wife, Chen Lanxiang, answered the phone and heard Mao Huihe's excited voice, "Mom! Here's our chance! My father-in-law told me that this reporting team is from the national TV station! The news program can be broadcast nationwide. Let's ask them for help, and we will definitely find Mao Huimei!"
Chen Lanxiang knew her daughter's illness had recurred from the sound of her voice, and she soothed her gently, "She's not news. Besides, why are you looking for Mao Huimei for us?"
Ever since Mao Huihe gave birth to a child and her life became better, the Hao family's attitude towards their family has softened. Occasionally, they would ask Mao Huihe to send some things back. As a result, the old hag no longer dared to mistreat her, and Chen Lanxiang was no longer so obsessed with finding out about the second wife's affairs.
"Of course!" Mao Huihe's voice suddenly became sharp. "As long as it's reported nationwide, the police can bring them back!"
Chen Lanxiang hurriedly said, "I know, I know. Let the police arrest them."
Mao Huihe seemed to know what she was thinking and said angrily, "I'm not sick!"
"Mom, do you know that the stingy son of the Xia family was caught stealing in Yan City?"
The county town was very small, and Xia Chengzu and his wife were making a fuss everywhere to gain sympathy in order to make some money, so the fact that Xia Bao was arrested became known to everyone in the county.
Chen Lanxiang nodded, "Yes, Mom knows."
"Yes, I heard that if I don't pay back tens of thousands of dollars, the police will arrest me and put me in jail for ten years!"
Mao Huihe said excitedly, "Mao Laoer's family ran away from the marriage with the betrothal gifts, which is also considered theft. They are now on the run for fear of being punished. The police can catch them all!"
Chen Lanxiang hadn't reacted yet. "What do you mean by taking the betrothal gift? They didn't..."
"He got it!" Mao Huihe interrupted her decisively, shrieking, "He got 66,600 yuan in betrothal gifts!"
Chen Lanxiang felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the mad anger in her daughter's voice. "Huihe... Mao Laoer's family will all go to jail if this happens..."
Mao Huihe said, "As long as they return the money and Mao Huimei marries into the Hao family, I will ask my father-in-law to release them."
Hearing Chen Lanxiang still hesitate, she added another bargaining chip, "This way, Dawei will have money to treat the director to a meal and become a star!"
Chen Lanxiang trembled and said, "Okay, Mom knows. Mom will think about it carefully. Think about it carefully."
"Mom, Mao Huimei has caused our family so much hardship. Just a few tens of thousands of dollars in compensation is a bargain for them!"
Hearing Chen Lanxiang's breathing steady, Mao Huihe smiled with satisfaction and said, "When the reporters come, please notify me. I'll be on the phone for the next two days. I'm going to go find them myself..."
Chen Lanxiang was a little scared, "Didn't the Hao family not let you out?" Especially after the press corps arrived.
Mao Huihe said confidently, "It's okay, I'll go out secretly, I will definitely go out." Her last tone was a little crazy, and she hung up the phone directly.
Chen Lanxiang showed hesitation, but when she thought of her eldest son who was still suffering in the basement in Yan City, she pursed her lips and went to find Old Lady Mao.
After hearing what Chen Lanxiang said, the old lady clapped her hands and said, "Your brain can finally light up for once!"
The old lady wanted Mao Laoer's family to come back more than anyone else, not only because their departure made the Mao family so badly controlled by the Hao family that they could only take a breath, but also because her daily life became extremely uncomfortable after they left.
Mao Zhishan and Xia Wenyue were both capable, and the three girls helped her to get the work done with more or less a hand.
For example, when the second wife of the Mao family was around, she had never washed clothes. But now the eldest daughter-in-law of Mao hated her because of Mao Huihe's incident, and the third daughter-in-law of Mao was a cunning man, so she had to wash her clothes herself in the middle of winter.
"That's a good idea!" the old lady said fiercely. She harbored a huge hatred for Mao Laoer's disobedience. "Not only can we arrest them and their family, but we can also give them a good beating!"
As for whether Mao Laoer would be sentenced, she was not worried. Anyway, with the Hao family around, he would be fine. It was just the right time to let the five of them work hard for her!
It was also a coincidence that the hotel where the press delegation stayed was not far from the Mao family. When they returned to the county town from the village below, Old Mrs. Mao kept looking for opportunities to hang around in front of the reporters.
Hard work pays off. Reporters soon noticed her and Old Lady Mao got the opportunity to be interviewed.
When the old lady saw the other party set up the camera, she immediately straightened her hair and tugged at her clothes, "Comrade reporter."
The reporter laughed and said, "The old lady looks like a blessed person."
"How many children and grandchildren are there in the family?"
Old Mrs. Mao puffed out her chest proudly and said, "I gave birth to three boys in my lifetime, and they were all male! I also have three grandsons, and they are all very capable."
When she mentioned her grandson, she suddenly had a new idea and asked the reporter, "Are you going to broadcast this on TV?"
The reporter laughed and said, "Well, whoever says it well will be broadcast."
The old lady suddenly became excited, thinking that he was trying to say that she had a good life, so she praised her eldest and third sons.
Then he praised his grandsons: "All three of them have acted in TV shows. The eldest grandson is the best. He is also in Yan City now. If the director sees him, please give him a chance. His name is Mao Dawei."
The reporter listened with a smile, and when she finished, he asked, "Don't you have a granddaughter?"
"Yes, I have."
"How many?"
"Five." The old lady curled her lips unconsciously and had no intention of saying anything more.
The reporter had no choice but to ask, "You have eight grandsons, you are so lucky, how are your granddaughters doing now?"
"The eldest daughter of the family is getting married. She married the richest man in our county."
The old lady became proud again when she said this. "The third child's daughter is eighteen years old and is very good at housework. She started working with her mother when she was five or six years old. She is very capable. Now the door to marriage is so high that people are flocking to her."
"Your children start working at the age of five or six. Why do your grandchildren do the same?"
The old lady said as a matter of course, "Why should grandchildren do work? They should study. My three grandchildren are very smart." She also said shamelessly, "When they were in school, they always ranked first in the exams."
"Don't your girls go to school?" the reporter asked casually.
The old lady said, "What's the point of studying, little girl? Even if you go to college, you will still have to come back to get married and have children. What's the point of wasting money?"
The reporter glanced at the departing tour guide and asked, "You just mentioned your two granddaughters, but where are the other three? Are they your second son's? You've been talking about your eldest son and third son, but where is your second son?"
"Yes!" The old lady suddenly clapped her hands and said, "Reporter, can you help us find someone?"
The reporter asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Look for my beastly second brother!" The old lady said this with gritted teeth.
The reporter paused, "Why, your second son and his family are missing?"
"What do you mean missing? They ran away!" the old lady said angrily, "That family is worthless, they are all troublemakers!"
"What's going on?" The reporter exchanged glances with the young man who looked like an assistant next to him, and then he patiently said, "Please tell us in detail so we can help you find it."
The old lady was immediately delighted and couldn't stop talking:
"This second child was born to bring bad luck to our family. Giving birth to him almost cost me my life. If I had known he was such a beast, I should have strangled him to death when he was born..."
"He grew up to be a freak. Not only was he ugly, but he also spoke in a shady way. I don't know how many people he brought shame to our family!"
"I went to great lengths to find him a wife, thinking I'd finally gotten my revenge, but she ended up giving birth to three useless girls. They're all just money-losing bastards!"
In short, in the old lady's mouth, Mao Zhishan was a good-for-nothing who only brought shame to the family and was a drag on the family. He was finally of some use, but he actually abandoned his entire family and ran away!
"What a great marriage! The Hao family is the richest in our county. It's a great blessing for Hao Xufeng to fall in love with his daughter. But he actually took the betrothal gift and ran away!"
"Comrade reporter, you must make sure we find them."
The reporter said, "Okay, please tell me the details of their family."
As a result, Mrs. Mao hesitated for a while before even remembering Mao Zhishan's name. When the reporter asked about his age and birthday, she couldn't remember at all. She counted on her fingers for a long time and muttered, "I'm three years younger than the eldest brother. The eldest brother was born in XX, and he is..."
After the man told her age, the reporter asked, "Do you have a photo? It might be easier to find her if you have one."
Old Mrs. Mao frowned, "I really don't have that..."
"I have it!" a slightly shrill voice came, and turning around, a skinny woman in pajamas ran over quickly. She didn't care that her shoes had fallen off, and just said anxiously, "I have it, I have photos of Mao Laoer's family!"
He quickly handed it to the reporter, who looked at the pale and skinny family on it.
Especially the man who was hunched over, so thin that he was almost unrecognizable, and timid enough to not dare look at the camera. It was impossible to believe that he was the elegant and confident Mao Zhishan whom he had just met some time ago.
"This, this is Mao Huimei!" Mao Huihe came forward and pointed at the oldest girl in the photo and said excitedly, "Reporter, you can definitely help us find her, right?"
"They took away over 60,000 yuan in betrothal gifts. They are criminals. Can the police issue a warrant for their arrest and bring them back?"
The reporter looked at her somewhat crazy look and asked the old lady, "Is this your daughter?"
The old lady seemed a little afraid of Mao Huihe, hiding far away and saying with a forced smile, "No, this is my eldest granddaughter."
The reporter seemed to have just realized, "Oh, you just mentioned that your eldest granddaughter married the richest man in your county..."
"Eh? Didn't they say that the richest man had his eyes on the second-in-command's daughter?"
"Yes!" Mao Huihe said, "They fell in love with her! Not me, they fell in love with Mao Huimei! Not me!"
As she was speaking, she suddenly became ill. "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!"
Mao Huihe huddled up in a ball, holding her head. "Don't kill me, don't kill me. I won't tell anyone, I won't tell anyone. I didn't kill anyone..."
Old Mrs. Mao's face changed. The young man next to the reporter keenly noticed something and observed Mao Huihe calmly.
The tour guide who had just left came back and saw Mao Huihe's face change. The reporter hurriedly asked the old lady, "Hey, what happened to your granddaughter?"
The tour guide asked, "What did she say?"
"Nothing, just saying they're looking for Mao Huimei, and that the Hao family is interested in Mao Huimei and not her, and suddenly they got so excited."
The reporter pointed to his head and asked the tour guide, "Is there something wrong with her?"
The tour guide breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Isn't this quite obvious?"
"When it comes to favoring sons over daughters, the Mao family is the worst. They don't even treat their daughters as human beings," the tour guide said, putting the blame entirely on the Mao family. "They've forced good daughters into this state."
Old Mrs. Mao looked unhappy, but she didn't dare to say a word.
The tour guide said, "Aren't you interviewing people? You can ask the people around you and you'll find out. The Mao family is a prime example of favoring sons over daughters."
After the farce was over, the reporter and the young man returned to the hotel and sat opposite each other, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
They all understood why the leader had said before they came here that there was big news here and it just depended on how deep they could dig.
If this richest man could truly be so utterly ruthless as to disregard human life, then this would definitely be a nationally sensationalized social news...
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