Chapter 30: Evil Will Be Rewarded (1)
When the villagers saw Song Zhi leading two police officers, they were shocked.
Everyone knows why the police came.
Ruyi Village is remote and isolated. Although it is already a new socialist countryside, the clan concepts that have been followed for thousands of years have been deeply engraved in the bones of the villagers.
In a large village of about 500 people, more than 300 of them have the surname Bai, and the remaining small half do not have the surname Bai, but are related to those with the surname Bai. Of course, the village committee and production team were usually responsible for leading everyone, but the leaders of each team and group of the village committee and production team were originally selected based on their influence in the clan.
Ruyi Village is rated as a civilized village every year because most disputes are settled through the mediation of the village (clan) committee (tribe).
Bai Zhenzhu disobeyed her superiors and pushed down her elder Bai Zhenggan; she also bullied the young and threw a child who was only a few years old to the ground. It was really infuriating...
But no one thought that Bai Zhenggan and his family would actually call the police.
All the villagers looked at Tang Liren.
——When Bai Zhenggan is not around, Tang Liren is the backbone of this family.
When Tang Liren saw Song Zhi leading two police officers, she was also stunned. Think again about how Song Zhi is clingy towards Taotao? Tang Liren asked Taotao, "Did you ask Song Zhi to go to the town to call the police?"
There are police stations only in towns.
Tao Tao replied, "I asked him to go to the town hospital to find my father and my brother Dongsheng early in the morning. Only with their consent can Song Zhi go to the police station to report the case. Now that he has brought the police, it proves that my father and my brother also agree to call the police."
Tang Liren hesitated for a moment, and turned to look at Bai Zhenzhu lying on the ground, "After all, we are still a family..."
Tao Tao said seriously: "Mom, how are you going to deal with this matter? If you forgive Bai Zhenzhu, have you considered the feelings of Dasao and Hongdou? When Bai Zhenzhu threw Hongdou, she didn't know she was doing that. Is it possible that Hongdou would die? If you can forgive even a would-be murderer, what if others follow suit and want to bully us in the future? Or what if other people in the village follow suit?"
"...Mom, think about it again. If you are unwilling to forgive Bai Zhenzhu, what will happen to the brotherly relationship between Dad and Third Uncle? Aren't they in a dilemma?" Taotao threw out several hypotheses in succession.
Tang Liren: ...
Yes, it is indeed a dilemma.
Tao Tao said, "As the old saying goes, it's hard for an honest judge to settle family disputes. Since you're in a dilemma, why don't you resolve this matter according to the law? Bai Zhenzhu did something wrong, so she should be punished accordingly. As long as Hongdou is fine, Bai Zhenzhu's life will not be in danger. When she pays the price according to the law, it won't be too late for you to forgive her based on her character."
"Mom, the most important thing is that we are doing this for the whole village to see. We can listen to the mediation of the village committee for trivial issues, but once someone sets his mind on murdering someone...whoever protects her is harming her and the whole village!" Taotao said word by word.
Most of the villagers present were kind people.
After listening to Taotao's words, they also had their own thoughts.
——It is indeed as Taotao said. If someone in the village quarrels or makes a small mistake, it is acceptable to listen to the mediation of the village committee and the clan and everyone can take a step back and the world will be fine.
Pearl is usually an honest person and no one believes that she would commit such a evil act.
But she did it anyway.
If she is not severely punished this time and taught a lesson, who knows if she will commit the same mistake again in the future? Who will be in trouble next time? Will other people follow suit?
Besides, if the village committee mediates, what level of punishment would be considered “severe punishment”? Is it really fair and just? As fair as the laws enacted by the state?
Everyone fell silent.
At this time, Song Zhi had already brought the two police officers to the crowd.
Tao Tao was very happy. She held Huang Dou's hand and ran over to ask him, "Song Zhi, have you met my brother Dongsheng? How are my father and Hongdou doing?"
Everyone at the scene immediately pricked up their ears, and everyone wanted to know what happened to Bai Zhenggan and Hongdou.
Song Zhi said, "The doctor said that your father is in good condition. He is conscious and his lumbar spine is fine. It's just that the ribs that were broken and connected are dislocated again. He is recommended to be hospitalized for half a month and then discharged after his condition improves."
"I've also talked to your dad, and he's pretty stable, but he's worried about Hongdou and you guys." Song Zhi glanced in the direction of the police and said, "I've asked your brother and your dad, and they both agree to call the police."
——I heard that Bai Zhenggan is not in serious trouble?
The villagers all breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Bai Zhenggan was still very influential in the village.
——I also heard that Bai Zhenggan also agreed to call the police for this matter?
The villagers thought again that Bai Zhenggan was the village party branch secretary and was the top leader of the village. Something happened in his family, and it is indeed not easy for him to handle it by himself. Even a judge cannot judge family affairs! So the alarm processing is also normal. The crowd was no longer as resistant as before.
Bai Zhenzhu, who was lying on the stretcher, heard that her uncle was not seriously injured and she started crying again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Tang Liren also breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly became anxious again, "Song Zhi, where is my Hongdou?"
Song Zhi's expression was a little solemn, and he said softly: "When I went there, Brother Dongsheng said that the doctor had examined Hongdou and the preliminary diagnosis was severe concussion, ruptured spleen, and lacerated eardrum. Treatment has now begun. However, when I came, Hongdou... was not awake yet. The doctor said that if the child can wake up within three days, there will be no big problem."
Everyone gasped.
Bai Zhenzhu bit her lower lip tightly, feeling as if her heart was being tightly gripped. She was filled with regret and pain that was beyond words.
Hearing that Hongdou was still not awake, Tang Liren felt dizzy and could not help but stagger...
The women standing beside her quickly supported her and said:
"Sister-in-law Zhenggan, you can't fall down at this critical moment!"
"Hongdou is a lucky person, nothing will happen to her!"
"Yes, children have strong vitality, she will wake up soon!"
"Aunt, my uncle is in the hospital again, you have to take good care of yourself..."
Bai Zhenzhu began to sob.
"Aunt, I'm sorry to Hongdou! I'm also sorry to my uncle... I know that if I die, I'll be the one who benefits! I'll be done with it, but my uncle, Hongdou and my sister-in-law have all suffered because of me! Aunt, please speak up, tell me, what do you want me to do? Life or death, murder or cutting, I agree... as long as it can atone for my sins!"
On the other side, the two police officers first asked the village head, village cadres, production team leaders and group leaders about the peripheral circumstances of this family case.
Second Aunt Bai went to get two small stools, placed them in front of Bai Zhenzhu's stretcher, and asked the two police officers to sit down.
At that moment, one policeman took out a pen and a notebook to take notes, while another policeman began to question.
The police officer asked, "Girl, please tell me your name, age, and what you did."
Bai Zhenzhu replied: "My name is Bai Zhenzhu, I am eighteen years old. I went to my uncle's house to steal something... My uncle tried to stop me, so I... pushed my uncle to the ground and also threw my cousin's daughter to the ground..."
She had a great attitude and was very cooperative.
The police asked: "What did you steal?"
Bai Zhenzhu replied: "An old dress."
The scene was silent, including the police.
How stupid this girl is to hurt her two relatives just for an old piece of clothing! How unworthy this is!
The police officer asked again: "Then why did you steal someone's old clothes?"
Bai Zhenzhu said without hesitation, "I want to dress myself up beautifully, go on a blind date, and get married..."
The crowd of onlookers were filled with emotion when they heard Bai Zhenzhu tell the whole story with their own ears.
Because Bai Zhenzhu cooperated extremely well, the process of obtaining her confession was particularly smooth.
Bai Feicui and Aunt Bai San had already left in anger, but they ran back when they saw the police coming to the village from afar.
Seeing that the police had already recorded Bai Zhenzhu's confession, Aunt Bai couldn't help but move closer and asked nervously, "Comrade police, will she be sentenced? Or can she just pay compensation?"
The public security comrade replied, "We still have to wait for news from the hospital. We need to know the injury report of Bai Zhenggan and Bai Hongdou first. If the grandfather and grandson are seriously injured, this is a serious matter... The procuratorate will file a lawsuit, and then the court will convict her. The two crimes of intentional injury and robbery should be inevitable."
Aunt Bai San had never been to the town many times, and she didn’t know what the procuratorate did. She just thought that the “robbery” and “intentional injury” mentioned by the public security comrades seemed very scary…
She just wanted to howl.
But seeing the two policemen with righteous faces and stern looks, she didn't dare to howl. He had no choice but to pout, sob a few times, and then hold it back.
Bai Feicui also stepped forward and asked a crucial question, "Uncle Public Security, are you going to arrest Bai Zhenzhu now?"
The police looked at Bai Zhenzhu lying on the stretcher with blood all over her face and replied, "We haven't convicted her yet, so we can't arrest her. Besides, she's not fit to be imprisoned given her physical condition. We'll go to the town hospital to find Bai Zhenggan to record his statement, and we'll talk about it after the statement is complete and the injury report of Bai Zhenggan and his grandson is out. Now, let the village committee monitor Bai Zhenzhu's residence first!"
Next, the two police officers found several other villagers and asked them about Bai Zhenzhu's beating, robbery, and cliff jumping. They took a confession and had people press their red fingerprints.
After finishing the confession, the two were about to leave. Tang Liren quickly asked Lizi to bring out two bowls of food and handed them to the police. "Comrade Public Security, our village is far from the town. Even if you ride a bicycle back, it will take at least two hours... This is the simple food we have in our village. Don't despise it. It's good to be able to hold back the hunger. Besides, I have something to ask of you..."
One of the police officers asked, "Auntie, what's going on?"
Tang Liren, "It's like this, you two should have understood the situation in our family. My daughter-in-law gave birth to a little grandson last night. My son is accompanying my old man and little granddaughter in the town hospital! I want to bring the newborn baby over for you two to see. When you return to town, please go to the town hospital to tell my son that his wife and children are fine, and not to worry about home, and ask him to take good care of the old and the young over there..."
The police thought that they were going to find Bai Zhenggan, the person involved, to understand the situation anyway, so they nodded and said, "Okay! Auntie, please bring the child out for us to see. Also... we'll accept these two bowls of food, thank you, but we'll pay for them."
"No money, no money! The food isn't good either!" Tang Liren quickly declined.
But in the end, the two policemen still gave Tang Liren a dime as meal money.
When the two police comrades finished their lunch and looked at Tan Fenghui's newborn baby again, they were about to leave...
Bai Taotao pulled Bai Aimin over and ran over, "Please wait a moment, Public Security Comrade!"
Bai Aimin told the police what he had learned today in Huangcun about Huang Er's trafficking in women.
The two police officers suddenly became furious - this was a big case!
At that moment, the two police officers questioned Bai Aimin again, and finally decided to take Bai Aimin back to the town police station immediately.
Bai Aimin immediately followed the two police officers.
Next, Tang Liren discussed with the village chief about whether Bai Zhenzhu should stay or go - Aunt Bai San and Bai Feicui wanted to separate Bai Zhenzhu at this critical juncture, and they were definitely unwilling to take Bai Zhenzhu in, but Bai Zhenzhu was also very stubborn and didn't want to go to the hospital.
Finally, the village chief thought of a way to move Bai Zhenzhu to the collective female dormitory in the Youth League Station. He also arranged shifts for the women in the tribe, asking each of them to take one day off to go to the Youth League Station to take care of Bai Zhenzhu.
The housing problem has been solved, and the only problem left is food.
There are seven or eight lonely old people being supported in Ruyi Village, and the women take turns cooking for them. Bai Zhenzhu will eat with them first!
While everyone was discussing Bai Zhenzhu's accommodation and food, Aunt Bai San and Bai Feicui quietly slipped away.
Bai Feicui, "Mom, is my uncle really a kidnapper?"
Aunt Bai herself couldn't figure it out. She just found it incredible. "That's impossible. I didn't hear your uncle and aunt say that!"
Bai Feicui rolled her eyes at her mother and wondered how she could have such a stupid mother! I said sadly: "If they really are, will they still say to you 'Yes, I am the kidnapper'?"
Aunt Bai: ...
It seems to make sense!
Seeing her mother's face full of sudden realization, Bai Feicui was so angry that she rolled her eyes at the sky. But after thinking about it again and again, Bai Feicui said, "Mom, we have to go to Huang Village quickly to tell my uncle the news!"
Aunt Bai was surprised and whispered, "We can't go! Aimin has already reported it to the police. If we go, won't it ruin the police's business?"
Bai Feicui held her forehead with her hand, "Mom, they are your brother and sister-in-law!"
Aunt Bai San still didn't understand, "Why... should we go to find your uncle?"
Her eldest daughter Pan Jin was introduced to a marriage by her second sister-in-law, and she only received a dowry of 20 yuan! But when other families marry off their daughters, they give at least 200 yuan as a dowry! Because of this, she was angry and didn't want to spend a penny to prepare a dowry for Pan Jin. Later, the first and second wives put together two quilts, a few basins, buckets, and bamboo boxes to send Pan Jin out.
From then on, Aunt Bai San broke off all ties with her second brother and his wife from her natal family.
Did Feicui mean for her to quickly inform her second brother to run away? ?
don't want!
Bai Feicui took a deep breath and said, "Let's go ask my uncle for money, blackmail him, and tell him that someone wants to deal with him! If he doesn't give us money, then he can die!" She said it in the simplest way that her mother could understand.
Aunt Bai finally understood, but she was a little worried. "What if your uncle really ran away, and the police found out that we were the ones who reported it, would they... arrest us too?"
Bai Feicui was almost mad at her mother's stupidity. "So we have to go secretly. We can't let anyone find out!"
Aunt Bai suddenly understood.
So the mother and daughter quietly went up the back mountain, crossed the mountain and left the village.
==
However, after everyone who had crowded into Second Aunt's house left, Tang Liren went into the west room and told Tan Fenghui about Hongdou and Bai Zhenggan's situation.
When Tan Fenghui heard that her father-in-law was fine, she felt relieved. However, she was still worried about Hongdou. She cried with Tang Liren for a while, and finally closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, Bai Dongsheng rushed back from the town on a borrowed bicycle.
However, he didn't know that his wife was staying at his second aunt's house, so he went straight back to his own house and knocked on the door.
The sisters heard the noise, put on their clothes and came out to see, was it their eldest brother who came back?
The sisters suddenly became excited and kept asking questions.
It turns out that little red bean has woken up!
Bai Dongsheng came back to report the news because of this, and the sisters were so happy! Bai Dongsheng then found out that his wife was living at his second uncle's home at the foot of the mountain, and Tang Liren also moved there to take care of her daughter-in-law and newborn grandson.
Bai Dongsheng originally wanted to go downstairs to see his wife immediately, but was stopped by his sisters.
Taotao: There are only about an hour left until dawn, so we might as well go in the morning to avoid waking up my sister-in-law, who needs rest the most now.
Lili: My sister-in-law has worked hard, and my mother is tired too. Let them both have a good rest.
Xingxing: Why don’t we cook breakfast now so we can serve it at daybreak.
So the brothers and sisters gathered in the kitchen.
Lili was busy cooking breakfast; Xingxing went in and out to fetch water and pour tea for her eldest brother to wash; the sleepy little Huangdou nestled in Taotao's arms, and Taotao leaned on Song Zhi.
The brothers and sisters started chatting.
Bai Dongsheng, "Song Zhi came to me yesterday morning and told me about Bai Zhenzhu's matter. He said that you still hope to report it to the police... Actually, at the beginning, my father didn't agree. He always felt that this was a family matter and we could solve it ourselves. But Song Zhi said..."
Tao Tao said: "Actually, it was me who said it, and he was conveying my opinion."
Everyone looked at her.
Tao Tao continued, "No one in our family is lazy! There are people in the village who are not as hardworking as us, but their lives... Although they can't eat meat every meal, they are not like our family in the past, where we had to eat bean rice and wild vegetables every meal!"
"After thinking it over, I still feel that my parents are too soft-hearted! When someone takes advantage of them, as long as they call them brother or sister-in-law, or uncle or aunt, they will be soft-hearted and not pursue the matter."
"But this time, it's not as simple as someone taking advantage of her for a little money! It was Hongdou who almost died at the hands of Bai Zhenzhu! If we let them off lightly this time, will we be indulging those people and making it easy for them to hurt us in the future? Just because we let them off lightly because we are relatives?"
Lili and Xingxing nodded repeatedly.
Bai Dongsheng, "I thought so too, so I also said that we should call the police. I can see that what Dad meant was... since you young people want to do this, then let's do it!"
Bai Dongsheng sighed again, "You don't know, when I sent Dad and Hongdou to the hospital that day, he told me not to ask Zhenzhu and Third Uncle for medical expenses, saying that he and Third Uncle were brothers after all! I felt bad at the time..."
"I want to say, since Third Uncle and you are brothers, I am not your son? Hongdou is not your granddaughter? But think about it, he is old, why should I argue about this! Fortunately, Song Zhi was there at the time, and Song Zhi persuaded him for a long time before he nodded and agreed to call the police."
"How can that be possible?" Xing Xing was a little angry, but more helpless, "My parents are really...they both have sharp tongues but soft hearts!"
Lili also said, "That's right! Zhenzhu is pitiful, but she had murderous intentions towards our Hongdou at that time. If we let her off lightly...are we encouraging others to bully us?"
Taotao thought for a moment and said, "From now on, we will vote on any issues at home! If we can't reach a consensus, then, then..."
Song Zhi added, "... allow different opinions to be expressed, and then debate until a consensus is reached."
The brothers and sisters all laughed and expressed their opinions: "That's it!"
No one thought there was anything wrong with Song Zhi’s remarks, as if they had already treated him as a family member?
Song Zhi sat quietly next to Tao Tao, feeling the friendship between the Bai brothers and sisters.
He had no such family and had never felt such a brotherly and sisterly atmosphere, and he was immersed in it for a while and couldn't extricate himself.
Next, Xingxing chattered about the division of her uncle's family today.
Bai Dongsheng took a long time to say, "There are only two unmarried girls left in my uncle's family. Are you still going to split up the family?"
Lili said: "You're just trying to shirk your debt! Fortunately, Uncle San is reasonable!"
After a short while, Lili prepared lunch and put it in several pots. The brothers and sisters then went downstairs with the pots and basins.
Huangdou hadn't seen his father for a few days, and he kept clinging to his father and insisted on holding him; Dongsheng had no choice but to give the pot of porridge to Song Zhi and picked up his son.
Tang Liren was startled when she suddenly saw Dongsheng, "Why are you back? When did you come back?"
Dongsheng smiled and said, "I just arrived not long ago... I borrowed the bicycle of Comrade Zhang from the police station and rode back. Mom, Hongdou is awake, I came back to report the news!"
Tang Liren was surprised. "What? Hongdou woke up? Is she okay? Does she have a headache?"
Dongsheng hasn't spoken yet——
Tan Fenghui in the room vaguely heard her husband's voice and called out anxiously, "Dongsheng? Dongsheng... are you back?"
Tang Liren pushed her son quickly and said, "Go in and see your wife and child! Hey, the night Hui'er gave birth, there was a lot of noise and she suffered a lot, and you were not at home. Go, go and apologize to her!"
Dongsheng entered the house.
Tan Fenghui was lying on the bed with a towel wrapped around her forehead. When she saw her husband, she asked with tears in her eyes, "Dongsheng, how is Hongdou?"
"Hongdou is awake! I came back to tell her the news," Dongsheng hurried over, sat on the edge of the bed, held his wife's hand, and said softly, "Huier, don't worry. The child is very active. As soon as he woke up, he asked where his mother was, where Huangdou was... and where she was."
Tan Fenghui asked again, "What about her injuries? The other day I heard Song Zhi say something like a ruptured spleen and damaged eardrums. Where is the spleen? How bad is it? What effect does it have on the body? What does a ruptured eardrum mean? Will she be deaf from now on?"
Dongsheng explained it in detail to his wife, and said that the doctor said Hongdou was still young and had a strong healing ability, and all of this would heal slowly. The main problem is still concussion. The doctor recommended hospitalization for half a month for careful observation.
Only then did Tan Fenghui breathe a sigh of relief.
Dongsheng's gaze shifted to the newborn baby lying beside his wife.
Tan Fenghui knew her daughter's life was not in danger, and the heavy stone in her heart was lightened. She finally showed a tired smile on her haggard face, "This child looks more like you than red beans or yellow beans... She is also well-behaved, as if she knows that there are many things going on at home. She never cries on her own initiative, and only hums a few words when she is hungry or wet."
Dongsheng looked at his wife steadily, his eyes slowly turning red, "Hui'er, I heard everything. You suffered a lot when you gave birth. I'm sorry... I'm sorry I wasn't with you that day..."
Inside the house, the young couple confided in each other; outside, Tang Liren discussed the matter with her daughters.
"When your sister-in-law gave birth, your eldest brother was not there. Now that he is back today, why not let him rest at home for a few days. Lizi and Xingzi, how about you two ride the bicycle your brother borrowed back to town today and look after your father and Xiao Hongdou for a few days? Then let your eldest brother go and replace you two in a few days!" asked Tang Liren.
Cycling into town?
How exciting! What a beautiful scenery!
Li Zi and Xing Zi were still a little worried. This one said, when I’m gone there’s no one to cook at home. That person said, when I leave, there is no one to do the laundry at home...
Tang Liren smiled, "I'm still here! Your eldest brother is back, so let him take care of Madam Yue and Xiao Maomao. How much housework can he do when you're not at home?"
Then he told his daughters, "You two should bring a small clay stove, some charcoal, a bag of rice, dried vegetables and mushrooms, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar! When you get there, cook rice in the small stove and put a layer of soaked vegetables mixed with oil and salt on the rice. When the rice is cooked, the vegetables will be cooked too... It's better than having several of you eat in the dining hall together!"
Lili and Xingxing nodded repeatedly.
Taotao supported her chin, feeling upset and unhappy.
Little Huangdou was squatting beside her, his butt rubbing against her legs, and was picking ants on the ground with a small branch.
Taotao felt very hot, so she moved her legs to the side.
Huangdou discovered it quickly, but without saying a word, he moved his little body so that his back was against Taotao's legs, and then he continued to lower his head to pick out the ants.
Taotao stared at the back of Huangdou's head for a long time, and suddenly remembered that this child seemed... to be becoming less and less talkative?
"Soybeans?" Taotao called him.
The little guy turned his head and looked at him quietly.
"Your father is back and is in the west room. Go in and ask your sister Hongdou what she wants to eat. A few days ago she said she wanted to eat the white sugar cake made by your grandma... Go and ask her and see if you want to make it and send it to her."
Huangdou shook his head shyly, lowered his head and continued to pick out ants.
Taotao felt something was wrong, "Soybean?"
Huang Dou looked back at her again and still said nothing.
On the other side, Tang Liren took Lili and Xingxing back to her home, probably to pack up their things.
Taotao observed Huangdou for a while, then stood up and walked towards the west room.
Huang Dou seemed to be startled, and quickly stood up and caught up with Tao Tao...
Taotao stopped, held Huangdou's hand, walked to the door of the west room and shouted, "Brother! Sister-in-law, I'm taking Huangdou to the blacksmith shop!"
Dongsheng raised his voice and responded: "Go!"
Taotao took Huangdou to the blacksmith shop.
Song Zhi was very busy.
——He has already asked the village chief to report to his superiors about his discovery of a suspected World War II American fighter plane in the dense forest, so now he is working overtime desperately to finish the backlog of work.
Once the higher-ups decide to move the fighter jets, Song Zhi will be able to participate in the process of dismantling the fighter jets as a specially invited engineer of the Red Star Machinery Factory.
So he can't be tripped up by trivial matters.
Taotao didn't disturb Song Zhi, but sat quietly on the small stool she usually sat on, with her chin supported by her hand, observing the soybeans.
Huangdou squatted on the ground next to Taotao, drawing on the ground with a small branch.
His short legs were stubborn and had to touch some part of Taotao's body, as if this was the only way to give him a sense of security. At the same time, he used a small branch to scribble on the ground, without any logical trajectory, and kept scraping repeatedly...
Song Zhi noticed Tao Tao's silence and took the initiative to ask, "Are you still thinking about Bai Zhenzhu?"
Tao Tao hummed and replied, "Do you also think that I am... very unkind?"
Song Zhi smiled and said, "In the countryside, sometimes human feelings are more important than legal principles. I think you are right. When human feelings can no longer be used to weigh the gains and losses, it is correct to call the police."
Taotao, "I mean——"
Suddenly she remembered that Song Zhi was not there when she was talking to Bai Zhenzhu. He came back later.
She repeated what she had said to Bai Zhenzhu at that time.
Song Zhi was silent.
But he did not stop working, raising the hammer high and bringing it down heavily, hitting the broken and red-hot pickaxe head, making a crisp "ding-dang-dang" sound...
“Sizzle——”
Song Zhi threw the hammered iron pickaxe head into the water tank. The cold water created a layer of steam on the hot iron, which made a sizzling sound.
He put down the hammer, walked up to Taotao, touched her head, and said, "I can't say for sure, because I'm on your side..."
At this point, he blushed for some unknown reason, cleared his throat a few times, and continued, "Well, mainly because I have only been in the village for a few days, and my understanding of Bai Zhenzhu is limited to the fact that she has taken your sisters' things many times, and that she has done evil and hurt your father and Hongdou... That's all."
Taotao thought to herself: I only came here a month earlier than you.
Song Zhi continued, "The villagers might feel sorry for Bai Zhenzhu because she is not a bad person but committed such a crime just for an old dress. But I think...if the victim was their relative, maybe they would not think so."
"Taotao, I actually envy you," Song Zhi said, "but in my opinion, your starting point is to protect your family. But for me, I don't even know who I want to protect."
Taotao remained silent.
——It was also the first time for her to have a family, the first time to feel the meticulous love of her family, and the first time to be trapped in a warm and sensitive network of human relationships.
Oh, human emotions are so complicated! It’s completely different from the world of cultivation!
Besides, as Song Zhi said, she is also partial to her family.
Tao Tao was lost in thought for a moment, and left with Huang Dou, "Song Zhi, if my mom comes looking for me, just tell her that Huang Dou and I went to Grandma Seven's house!"
Song Zhi looked at her back, smiled, and thought: You are obviously going to the Youth League Station to find Bai Zhenzhu.
Taotao did go to the educated youth station.
There were not many people in the educated youth station, and Jia Xiaohong was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Taotao, Jia Xiaohong quickly pulled her aside and asked, "Taotao, where is Yan Naqian?"
Bai Taotao was a little surprised, "I don't know."
"Didn't she go into the city with you that day?" Jia Xiaohong asked.
Tao Tao's eyes widened, "She hasn't come back yet?"
"No! All her vacation time was deducted, Jiang Hongzhi is very angry! Taotao, do you think Yan Naqian could have... escaped?" Jia Xiaohong asked in a low voice.
Tao Tao didn't know what "absconded" meant, so she told the truth: "We went to the city together that day. Zhao Zhiqing from the neighboring Jixiang Village bought the train tickets for Yan Naqian. After arriving in the county town, the two of them left together. I don't know where they went."
"Zhao Zhiqing? Zhao Fangsheng?"
Taotao shook her head. "I don't know his name. He's tall and thin, with thick eyebrows and a pair of glasses."
Jia Xiaohong looked thoughtful.
Taotao walked into the girls' dormitory and saw Bai Zhenzhu lying on the bed, staring out the window with her eyes wide open.
Huang Dou followed Tao Tao in a daze, and suddenly saw Bai Zhenzhu——
The little guy's body stiffened, his eyes widened, he gasped... then turned and ran!
Taotao quickly chased after him, "Huangdou!"
Bai Zhenzhu was startled and quickly stood up and shouted, "Taotao! Huangdou——"
Huang Dou ran outside and was stopped by Jia Xiaohong who was cooking. "Little Huang Dou, you better be careful! Huang Dou? Huang Dou... Hey Taotao, what happened to Huang Dou? His little mouth never stopped chattering before, why is it so quiet today?"
Taotao: "Maybe I was frightened a few days ago."
She squatted down and hugged Huang Dou, "Little Huang Dou, are you scared? Can you say something to Fourth Aunt?"
Huang Dou touched the corner of her clothes, pursed her lips and said nothing, then shook her head in the direction of the dormitory, as if to say: I don’t want to go to that place.
Jia Xiaohong said to Taotao, "Taotao, let Huangdou stay here and cook with me. I'll watch over it for you. It'll be fine. Huangdou, you stay here with me and don't go anywhere, okay?"
Huang Dou nodded.
Taotao touched Huangdou's head and said, "Then Fourth Aunt will go in for a while and come out soon!"
Huangdou silently took out a stone warmed by his body temperature from his pocket, put it in Taotao's palm, and let her hold it.
Taotao was stunned, then understood.
——This stone is the weapon that the little guy carries with him.
What Huangdou gave her was not a stone, but a weapon for self-defense.
Taotao felt a little distressed. She held the stone tightly and whispered in Huangdou's ear: "Huangdou, why don't you come with me? You take this, stand outside the door and wait for me and protect me. If she dares to do anything to me, you can beat her, okay?"
Huangdou suddenly showed a look of horror and kept shaking his head.
Taotao remained silent for a long time.
After a while, she said, "Then you stay here with Sister Xiaohong. I'll be back in a while."
Huang Dou said nothing.
Taotao stood up and walked towards the girls' dormitory.
As a result, the corner of his clothes was caught again.
Taotao looked down——
Huang Dou just looked up at her with a concerned expression, his eyes brave yet pitiful.
Taotao smiled, took his little hand, led him to the girls' dormitory, let go, and motioned for him to stand at the door.
Huangdou pointed at the stone Taotao was holding in her other hand.
Taotao nodded and walked into the girls' dormitory.
Bai Zhenzhu immediately sat up on the bed, "Taotao!"
Taotao walked over and sat on an old chair in front of the bed.
Bai Zhenzhu looked at Taotao, feeling a little uneasy. "Taotao! Thank you... for coming to see me."
"Where are you hurt?" Taotao asked.
Bai Zhenzhu lifted the quilt, revealing a leg and two hands wrapped thickly in cloth. She said, "A piece of flesh on my leg was torn by a thorn, and my hands and feet were scratched by pebbles. The aunt who came to take care of me has applied herbal medicine on me. Taotao, thank you for your concern. I'm fine. People who are used to farm work are not that squeamish."
Taotao stared at Bai Zhenzhu's forehead again.
——There was an old cloth tied on Bai Zhenzhu’s forehead. There were faint traces of green juice on the cloth, and it was probably applied with herbs.
Bai Zhenzhu noticed her gaze and smiled bitterly, "This wound on your forehead... it really hurts!" As she spoke, tears began to flow from her eyes, "I thought that Hongdou must be in a thousand times more pain than I am!"
White Pearl
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