The Village Chief said, "Lin Han's wife, just speak the truth without overthinking it. If anyone dares to trouble you afterward, come straight to me!" Worried that Nan Sheng might hesitate, the Village Chief first reassured her. Nan Sheng sensed his goodwill and smiled at him in return.
"Uncle Feng, at noon today, I took my daughter out to pick some wild vegetables. On our way back, we passed by Aunt Li's house and happened to see Aunt Liu coming out. She stopped me to chat, saying things like Sister-in-law Shen Cui had a bad temper and hit her child. We hadn’t spoken for more than a few words when Sister-in-law Shen Cui came out. I was in a hurry to get home, so I left with my daughter. As for what happened afterward, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what exactly went down between them."
Lin Guozheng secretly sighed in relief. Fortunately, his daughter-in-law had only been passing by. Otherwise, if something had happened to the Li family’s daughter-in-law, their Lin family would also be held responsible.
"Village Chief, since my second son’s wife didn’t witness anything, and there are still two children at home, why not let her return early?"
The Village Chief agreed. "Lin Han's wife, are you certain what you’ve said is the truth?"
Nan Sheng hadn’t lied, and her gaze was utterly forthright. "If you don’t believe me, send someone to ask my daughter. She’s just a child—she wouldn’t lie, would she? When we left, the two of them were still standing at the door. Not only were they not fighting, but I didn’t even hear them arguing."
The Village Chief quickly waved his hand. He had only said it casually and hadn’t actually intended to question a child.
Liu Dahua had assumed that since she and Nan Sheng were closer, Nan Sheng would surely take her side. But the outcome left her bitterly disappointed. She glared fiercely at Nan Sheng. "After all the kindness I’ve shown you, you turn out to be just as heartless!"
Nan Sheng thought to herself: Auntie, you’re being too hasty. ‘Closeness’ isn’t determined like this. At most, we’ve only exchanged a few words today…
Lin Guozheng shot Liu Dahua a sharp look before coldly reprimanding Ma Qiang. "Can’t you control your wife? If she keeps spouting nonsense, don’t blame me for stripping you of your dignity. Dragging my second son’s wife into this baseless mess—what were you thinking?"
From the looks of it, Liu Dahua was now under suspicion of lying. There was a good chance she was the one who had pushed the other woman.
Under Lin Guozheng’s icy stare, Liu Dahua shrank back and didn’t dare speak again. She feared offending the production team leader, knowing her family might be assigned the hardest, least rewarding tasks during collective labor as retaliation.
Ma Qiang, Liu Dahua’s husband, had a notoriously short temper in his youth and had often disciplined his wife. But Liu Dahua was the type who never learned her lesson—she’d cry in pain when beaten, only to revert to her old ways days later.
Earlier, the Li family had already mocked him relentlessly. Now, being publicly scolded by the production team leader, Ma Qiang flushed crimson with shame.
"Village Chief, Team Leader, I won’t lie to you—I’ve beaten and scolded this woman countless times, but her foul mouth never changes. Once this matter is settled, if it turns out she really did push the Li family’s daughter-in-law, you can deal with her as you see fit."
He wasn’t stupid. Now wasn’t the time for pride. As long as no one could prove it, his family would at most have to buy some gifts and apologize. But if his wife was confirmed to have assaulted someone, the medical expenses would be exorbitant—he’d have to sell everything he owned and still not cover the costs.
The Li family was furious at his words. They were grateful to Nan Sheng for speaking honestly, but this also meant there was no one to confirm Liu Dahua had pushed their daughter-in-law.
Liu Dahua, rotten to the core, stubbornly denied laying a hand on anyone. If not for Aunt Li spotting her fleeing the scene when her daughter-in-law was found injured, she wouldn’t have admitted to anything…
"Ma Qiang, what exactly are you implying? Are you trying to shirk responsibility now? Fine! If you refuse to reason, and if anything happens to the child, we’ll settle this with a life for a life!"
The Li family, now enraged, traded heated words with Liu Dahua, nearly coming to blows right there in the production team office.
Seeing this, the Village Chief scratched his head in frustration. "Alright, everyone go home for now. Once Shen Cui returns, we’ll discuss how to handle this. If we can’t resolve it, we’ll have no choice but to involve the police."
At the mention of the police, Liu Dahua’s eyes flickered briefly before she resumed her brazen act. "Call them if you want! I didn’t lay a finger on her!"
Nan Sheng, always one for drama, ignored the meaningful glances from her father-in-law urging her to leave. Only when the Village Chief dismissed everyone did she reluctantly turn to go.
By now, night had fallen. With no streetlights in the village, she had to rely on memory to find her way home.
The production team office wasn’t close to Nan Sheng’s house, so Lin Guozheng accompanied her part of the way. To avoid gossip, they walked separately, keeping some distance between them.
"Second son’s wife, Ma Qiang holds grudges. From now on, keep your distance if you see him outside, and don’t trust anything his family says."
"Understood, Dad!" Nan Sheng wanted to ask for details, but Lin Guozheng fell silent, as if there were things he couldn’t bring himself to say.
Halfway there, Sizhe appeared with a flashlight. Unable to sleep, he had rummaged through the east room for a flashlight and come to fetch his stepmother.
The boy recognized them but stayed by the roadside without calling out. It was Lin Guozheng who spotted him first. "Is that you, eldest grandson?"
"Yes, Grandpa!"
Lin Guozheng felt relieved. It seemed Teacher Fan was right—his daughter-in-law had truly changed for the better. Otherwise, Sizhe wouldn’t have come out to meet her on his own.
"Good. I’ll head home now. You two hurry back too—Qiqi shouldn’t be left alone for long."
After bidding farewell, the three went their separate ways. Sizhe couldn’t help but ask, "What happened? Why are you back so late?"
Nan Sheng leaned on her son’s shoulder for support—her feet ached. "Let’s talk at home. Thank goodness you brought the flashlight. I’ve twisted my ankle so many times on this dark path I can’t even count."
Though Sizhe didn’t respond, he noticeably slowed his pace. Despite feeling awkward, he didn’t shrug off her arm.
Once inside, they locked both the courtyard gate and the house door before heading to the east room together.
Good—the little sister was safe, and so was the bicycle!
Nan Sheng briefly recounted the events. To her surprise, Sizhe reacted just like his grandfather. "From now on, stay away from the Ma family when you’re out. Their family… just listen to Grandpa."
Now thoroughly puzzled, Nan Sheng wondered—Ma Qiang seemed quiet, his two sons even more so, always keeping their heads down. On the surface, Liu Dahua was the only troublemaker in that family. Had she misjudged them?
"Alright, I’ll keep my distance. It’s late—you have school tomorrow, so get some rest."
Sizhe nodded and returned to his room, while Siqi slept soundly under the covers.
Shaking off his worries, he hugged his little sister and drifted into dreams.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Favorability points have exceeded five. New storyline conditions unlocked!]
