The Lucky Star Control Corporation in the 70s (34)
Chu Xiang and Yin Qiuwen walked out of the crowd, holding Yang Yuelanâs arms on both sides, and across the crowd they saw the mother and daughter of the Chu family crying while accusing each other. The faces of the other members of the family were uglier than the other, which worsened as their spectators pointed fingers at them. Ridicules and accusations popped out everywhere, alerting the Captain to rush and see what was going on.
Chu Weiguo borrowed money with an IOU, so Chu Shuang has a defense. Moreover, Chu Shuang kept crying till her eyes reddened, insisting that her family urgently needed money, which successfully earned her more sympathy. Chu Shuang also publicly revealed that the money was insufficient to cover their need, so once she returned home, she would report to her mother-in-law. This was already a great concession. The Chu familyâs refusal made them particularly shameless, as if they wanted to renege on their debt.
In fact, it was precisely because the Chu family didnât have the money that they were reluctant to give what was left. Once the money was paid, they wouldnât have the means to buy things. How would they live by then? But in any case, things have to be resolved, and in the end, the Captain decided to let Chu Shuang take some stuff away. It would create a negative impact on the reputation of their military unit to have such ruckus. The Chu family has been creating trouble recently, and the Captain was already totally dissatisfied with them.
Chu Shuang immediately began to rummage through the familyâs valuables. She knew exactly where her motherâs valuables were hidden, so she promptly took her motherâs precious silver bracelet. This time, Grandma Chu sincerely wept, and played tug-of-war with Chu Shuang, refusing to let her take anything. Chu Shuang said, âLet my sister-in-law and my second sister-in-law give me something in exchange, if you donât want me to take yours. Your family has nothing of value.â
Grandma Chu asked Chu Lanâs mother and Li Yuezhen to bring out their jewelry. Chu Lanâs mother had no jewelry at all, and Li Yuezhen only had a pair of silver earrings. How could she willingly give it away? She instantly cooked up various excuses for not giving it. Grandma Chu turned hostile when she heard them. She charged forward and smacked her. If Chu Shuang couldnât get the silver earrings, of course, she had to take her silver bracelet. The three women entwined to snatch things from each other was utterly ugly, and this made the Captainâs face gloomy.
In the end, Grandma Chu was not physically strong enough, so she still failed to grab her bracelet from Chu Shuang. As soon as Chu Shuang got free, she took the 100 yuan, went to catch the only two chickens in the Chu family, and left in huge strides.
Grandma Chu chased after her anxiously and shouted, âNo, give me back my things, give them back!â
How could Chu Shuang listen to her? She tied the two chickens together, hitched them on her bike, and pedaled off. Grandma Chu couldnât catch up with her at all, so she plopped outside on the ground and lamented. This time she was deeply sorrowful. The family only has 110 yuan, and now that 100 yuan was taken away, what could the whole family do with only 10 yuan left?
Without chickens, they couldnât even eat eggs. They didnât have a single poultry at home. What kind of life were they going to live? Moreover, her silver bracelet, the most precious thing in her life, was gone now. She has nothing. In less than a month, her 500 yuan savings, her precious bracelet, and poultry were all gone. This was driving her to death!
Generally, when people were crying miserably, the public would be saddened by their tears. However, the villagers all thought that it was all Grandma Chuâs doing that she had reached such a fate step by step. Everything was clear as day to everyone. No one sympathized with her at all, and they only said that she deserved it.
When Grandma Chu looked up and saw Chu Xiang, she felt that she had found the culprit. She got up on her hands and feet and rushed towards her. âChu Xiang! You broom star, you brought us all the misfortune. Pay me back, pay me back!â
Yang Yuelan hugged Chu Xiang behind her, and while she stepped back, she retorted loudly, âWhat are you doing? Chu Xiang has nothing to do with you, so stop right there. If you keep fooling around, I will report you for believing in feudal superstitions!â
Grandma Chu was petrified when she heard the word âreportâ, and she sobered up quite a bit. Although she stopped crying or making a scene, she still pointed to Chu Xiang and said to the Captain, âCaptain, you have to decide for this old lady. You accompanied those who sent Chu Xiang to the hospital, so you know that we borrowed 300 yuan all for her medical treatment. This debt should be paid by her. Since sheâs married to the Yin family, let them pay for it. Why should I pay?â
Chu Xiang glanced at the half-burned black room in the Chu familyâs yard, and said, âI was almost burned to death in the Chu family. Have you found the culprit who set the fire? Actually, we are all laymen, and we are not proficient at finding criminals. If you go to the county police station to file a case, they will definitely find out as soon as an investigation is launched, right?â
These villagers knew nothing about how the police investigated cases, and didnât know that after so long, the evidence must have been trampled on already, so when they heard that the police would be involved, they were frightened. The Chu family was even more terrified, because they would all become suspects. Many people who have been wrongly sentenced to death in the past two years have died unjustly!
Only Chu Lan knew that an investigation would be a challenge, so she raised her voice, âChu Xiang, donât talk nonsense. Who set the fire? Iâm saying you set the fire yourself. If you want to call the police, call them yourself, ah, and let them arrest you for wrongfully accusing someone!â
Chu Xiang nodded. âCaptain, can you lend me a bicycle? Iâll go right now. I had a medical record when I was in the hospital, and I couldnât get on my feet at that time, so how could I set it on fire? Someone must be slandering me on purpose. Since this matter has to be investigated, let it be investigated clearly. If someone hadnât set the fire, the Chu family wouldnât have had to borrow money to pay for my medical bills, I donât think the money was for me. It was for the arsonist. Had I died, and she would have been a murderer.â
When the word âmurdererâ fell, Grandma Chu was obviously panicked. Even the villagers all around subconsciously fell into silence and stopped talking nonsense. This sort of word really made people nervous for some reason. If there was a murderer in the family, the entire family would be despised, and even the whole village would be affected!
Grandma Chu unconsciously waved her hands. âDonât report it. It was just an accidental fire. What kind of case are you going to file? No way.â
âThen you should stop, stop implicating my daughter-in-law. She is part of the Yin family now, and sheâs not yours to bully!â Yang Yuelan gave a cold snort, grabbed Chu Xiang and Yin Qiuwen by the wrist, and left Grandma Chu standing there, whose vision turned dark, and she fainted!