This morning, when the police came to arrest Fat Aunt, they made it clear.
They were taking her in because she really had done something wrong; otherwise, even Qin Huai, as a battalion commander in the military district, wouldn’t have bent the rules for her.
Liu Jinhua had been listening and immediately noticed a loophole.
So she went home and discussed it with Erni: as long as she spoke nicely to Li Qiuyue, even if Qin Huai wanted to back her up, he wouldn’t be able to interfere.
But to make sure Li Qiuyue didn’t have an easy time, she deliberately brought along her notoriously ill-reputed younger sister-in-law.
All the nasty words and provocations aimed at angering Li Qiuyue were Li Xiulian’s doing.
They had nothing to do with her.
“Qiuyue, I carried you for ten months and raised you with all my hardships, and now you say this aren’t you stabbing my heart?”
She wailed loudly, gaining courage in front of Qin Huai. “Commander Qin, you came at just the right time there are things I, as her mother, must say.”
Qin Huai felt Zhaozhao trembling in his arms and bent down to lift him up.
“What happened?” He looked at Li Qiuyue, seemingly listening only to her.
Li Qiuyue snorted coldly, secretly cursing Qin Huai for being such a troublemaker.
Zhaozhao, however, recounted in detail how Liu Jinhua and Li Xiulian came over, demanded money, and insulted him and his mother.
Finally, he complained: “Uncle! They always bully Mommy you must drive them away!”
“Rubbish!” Liu Jinhua widened her eyes in anger.
But when she met Qin Huai’s gaze, she remembered she couldn’t provoke him and had to speak properly.
She pouted: “Back when our Qiuyue saved you, lost her innocence, and suffered for five years because of you, it hurt me as her mother!”
Her words made it sound as if Li Qiuyue and Qin Huai had done something wrong at the time.
Li Qiuyue reached for her shovel again.
If she didn’t make Liu Jinhua call her “Mother” today, she’d go by her son’s surname!
Seeing Li Qiuyue’s expression, Qin Huai immediately understood she was about to act.
He quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulders.
No matter what, he had to control this uncertain factor first.
Li Qiuyue struggled but didn’t break free; she noticed Qin Huai groaning softly.
She realized he had an injured shoulder and stopped resisting.
Qin Huai relaxed his grip slightly but still didn’t let go.
He was afraid that letting go might be unsafe.
He looked at Liu Jinhua with eyes devoid of warmth, like a cold autumn pond.
But his words were calm and measured: “It is I who wronged Comrade Li Qiuyue.”
His voice was low and clear, like a mountain spring, without the slightest embarrassment of admitting his fault in front of so many people.
Li Qiuyue was momentarily stunned. Every time she heard Qin Huai speak so plainly, she didn’t know how to react.
Liu Jinhua, on the other hand, immediately lit up she got the answer she wanted to hear.
“So now I’ll let you…” she started, imagining a thousand-yuan bride price, bringing a TV, refrigerator, and washing machine to our Li family to propose, and giving Qiuyue a proper wedding. “That’s not too much, right?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t stop swallowing, her eyes gleaming with excitement and greed.
“You really have no shame you can say anything!” Li Qiuyue laughed angrily.
The onlookers fell silent for a moment.
“Not just daughters selling daughters by weight wouldn’t be worth this much.”
“Didn’t they already pay fifty yuan for the bride price? Why still want more?”
Liu Jinhua glared at the person speaking. “Fifty yuan was the going rate back then. What about now?”
“Don’t call me stingy. They gave me fifty yuan before, so this time I want nine hundred fifty. The fifty counts as an advance, okay?” She looked at Qin Huai and Li Qiuyue, acting as if she had already compromised greatly.
Li Qiuyue felt a surge of energy.
But Qin Huai, far from feeling extorted, nodded seriously.
“This condition is not harsh. Comrade Li Qiuyue deserves the best. Using this small token is actually generous on my part.”
“I will hand the items over to Comrade Li Qiuyue. Anyone from Li Family Village may supervise.” He said this to the onlookers.
In fact, he had prepared the money and items, intending to give them to Li Qiuyue when taking Zhaozhao away.
Giving them now posed no problem.
Li Qiuyue had looked down on Qin Huai’s lukewarm approach, but hearing this suddenly made her heart tighten.
She had never been favored before, never heard such words addressed to her.
Her mind sharpened, and her senses, dulled by irritation, became clear again.
She smelled pinewood in the air.
The arm on her shoulder was muscular and firm.
And Qin Huai’s gaze was burning hot…
He felt the body in his arms tense and looked at Li Qiuyue suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Liu Jinhua exploded in anger inside.
“Others give the bride price to the parents. How can you give it directly to her?” she thought venomously, yet, fearing Qin Huai, she had to suppress her emotions.
“Others are others. She is she,” Qin Huai’s eyes were sharp as knives. “Or do you have an objection?”
Liu Jinhua’s face creased, but she shook her head in panic.
Somehow, Li Xiulian standing beside her shouted, “Why?”
If they didn’t get the bride price, it would be one thing but they went through all this trouble only for Li Qiuyue to receive such a huge sum how was that fair?
But this dissatisfaction was quickly crushed by Li Qiuyue’s clenched fists.
Qin Huai glanced at Li Xiulian indifferently and said to the crowd: “Since Comrade Li Qiuyue’s own mother has no objection, it is decided.”
“If anyone has a problem in the future, do not come to my house to bother them. I’m at the town’s police station you can go anytime,” he added casually.
The crowd immediately recalled Fat Aunt being taken by the police, shrank back, and looked for excuses to go home.
Liu Jinhua even forced a flattering smile. “Commander Qin, you must be tired after a long day. We won’t disturb your rest!”
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Li Xiulian and left.
Li Xiulian was still indignant. “Did I get beaten for nothing?”
Liu Jinhua didn’t answer, only quickening her pace.
Li Qiuyue was very satisfied with this outcome and even clapped her hands, proud.
She looked forward to whether they’d remember this lesson in the future.
Meeting Qin Huai’s disapproving gaze, she quickly slipped out from under his arm.
The place where she had been pressed was warm; now the cold wind hit her, making her shiver.
Behind her came Zhaozhao’s excited voice: “Uncle is amazing! We can protect Mommy together!”
Qin Huai pursed his lips, looking at Zhaozhao’s excitement and Li Qiuyue’s happiness, and let out a helpless sigh.
He thought, once the mission was over, he’d take Zhaozhao away. No matter how reckless Li Qiuyue was, it wouldn’t affect Zhaozhao.
So he carried Zhaozhao back inside, leaving the matter there.
But that night, Zhaozhao developed a high fever because of all this.