“And his youngest daughter had it even worse. On her way back from buying goods in town, she was harassed by an old lecher and barely escaped. When she returned home and told her family about it, saying she wanted to report it to the authorities, that old man not only refused to support her but also claimed she had brought shame to the family. Not only did he forbid her from going to the police, but he also insisted she marry the old scoundrel.”
Song Wei was so angry her chest ached.
“That old man is insane!”
What kind of sane person could do so many idiotic things? Most people’s foolishness caused trouble for others, but this Third Granduncle was different-he brought disaster upon his own family too.
Being born into his family was truly an unlucky fate.
Yang Huniu nodded, her expression full of disgust for Third Granduncle Lin. “Exactly.”
“And he thinks everything he’s done is noble and honorable. He’s not even embarrassed-sometimes he even uses his family’s messes as examples to lecture others.”
That was why everyone knew all the gossip about Third Granduncle Lin’s family.
While they enjoyed the gossip, the villagers still had to get back to work.
Yang Huniu returned to the fields and discovered her husband had disappeared again.
Her expression immediately darkened. Rolling up her sleeves, she stormed off to find him.
Eventually, she dragged her husband back by the ear. After a loud round of scolding and a good beating, he obediently picked up his hoe and went back to work.
The surrounding villagers were thoroughly entertained by the scene.
Someone remarked, “If you’re going to find a wife for a lazy son, you need someone like her. She can keep him in line!”
“I should look into finding someone like that for my son. I can’t control him anymore.”
“Mom! How can you say that? I’m working right now, aren’t I? Do you want me dead?”
The previously sluggish son suddenly swung his hoe with such vigor that sparks nearly flew.
“I’m working! I’m working!”
Heavens, no way am I letting a wife come in and beat me up!
Song Wei chuckled at the scene. She found herself quite liking Aunt Yang’s fiery temperament.
After that day, Third Granduncle didn’t come back to meddle in their affairs, and Old lady Lin stayed away as well.
Lin Youfu hadn’t officially gotten involved in the shady business, and this was his first time tagging along. However, after being arrested, he couldn’t wait to confess everything he knew, even implicating others who hadn’t been caught yet.
Because of his cooperation, the authorities decided to detain him for only a month for re-education before releasing him.
When Old lady Lin heard this news, she decided not to trouble Lin Zhen about it.
After all, it was only a month.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, most of the crops in the brigade had been planted, and it was time to transplant the watermelon seedlings.
“Watermelons? We’re planting watermelons now?”
Some villagers hadn’t heard about this and were surprised when the brigade leader called them over to transplant the seedlings. Their reactions quickly turned to a mix of excitement and worry.
“Watermelons can make money, but we’ve never grown them before.”
“This was all thanks to Song Zhiqing. She helped us secure the opportunity to plant watermelons, so we should be grateful to her.”
The brigade leader gathered everyone.
“That sandy plot of land has never been good for growing crops. Experts who visited to inspect our vegetable greenhouses said it would be suitable for watermelons. But since none of us have experience with this, we’ll need everyone to put in extra effort, especially the record keepers.”
The brigade leader called over the record keepers. “You’ve been reading up on how to grow watermelons recently, right? Bai Zhiqing has been exchanging letters with that expert, so if we encounter any problems, we can ask for advice. Let’s give it our all. If we succeed, we’ll have watermelons to eat this summer, and we can sell the surplus. That will be an additional source of income for Ping’an Brigade. And even if we fail, that sandy land isn’t productive anyway, so there won’t be much loss.”
Under the brigade leader’s motivational speech, everyone in Ping’an Brigade became enthusiastic. They followed the guidance of Bai Yunjiao, Jiang Xiaowan, and the others, planting watermelon seedlings with sweat-drenched but smiling faces.
The planting season was nearly complete, but just as things were winding down, a major incident occurred.
Someone in the brigade had died.
The victims were Lin Dasheng’s parents and his son-the same family that had conspired with outsiders to steal from Lin Zhen.
The elderly couple and the young boy were poisoned to death. Lin Dasheng’s wife, Zhao Yu, had disappeared.
“It’s almost certain that they were poisoned with an overdose of rat poison. It was found in the food they ate,” the police confirmed after their investigation.
This shocking event was the first of its kind in Ping’an Brigade, leaving everyone shaken and uneasy.
“Was it Zhao Yu who poisoned them? But why? Her parents-in-law, maybe, but that was her own son…”
“And she’s run away now?”
“You’d never guess she was capable of something so ruthless. She always seemed so timid.”
After killing her in-laws and son, Zhao Yu fled, and no one knew where she had gone.
The police were searching for her, while the villagers handled the family’s burial. The incident became the topic of constant discussion.
“So cruel, killing three people at once!”
“Who would’ve thought she could do something like that?”
“See? When in-laws treat a daughter-in-law poorly, this is the kind of backlash they get.”
“But her son… she even killed her own child. How could she be so heartless?”
Song Wei listened to the villagers’ chatter, feeling that Zhao Yu’s story might not be over yet.
Why would she go so far as to poison her entire family? After her miscarriage, Zhao Yu had harbored resentment, but it hadn’t been enough to drive her to such extremes. Song Wei had observed her carefully-she hadn’t shown any murderous intent after recovering. So, what had happened since then?
Song Wei’s hunch was correct. Just two days later, another shocking update arrived.
Zhao Yu had gone on a rampage. Not only had she poisoned her in-laws and son, but she had also returned to her own family and poisoned several members there. When she was captured, she was raving mad.
The news stunned everyone.
Work in the brigade slowed to a crawl as groups of people gathered to discuss the matter.
“What on earth happened? Did the police say anything about why she did it?”
Since the deaths had occurred in Ping’an Brigade, the brigade leader had been following the case closely. After a few moments of silence, he finally explained, “Well, Lin Dasheng’s parents and Zhao Yu’s family were both horrible people.”
“After Lin Dasheng was arrested, his parents took out all their anger on Zhao Yu.
Meanwhile, her own family decided to take her back and marry her off to someone else. A butcher offered a large sum to marry a wife, and Zhao Yu’s family agreed. Lin Dasheng’s parents weren’t willing at first, but her family offered to split the money, and they eventually consented.”
“Zhao Yu, of course, didn’t agree. So, they lured her to her family’s house for a meal. There, they locked her up, and the butcher was present. They watched as he assaulted her…”
Leave a Reply