“Duoduo, you must be hungry, right? Your patient’s meal doesn’t require ration coupons, so I bought two extra portions.” Early that morning, after arriving at the hospital and hearing the children’s stomachs growling, Zhou Rong had gone to buy food.
“Mhm, let’s eat together.” The strong painkillers Xu Duoduo had taken earlier were finally working, and she was hungry now too.
The whole family gathered around Duoduo and shared the patient’s meal together.
“Big sister, little sister, once the police take Eryou and Sanyou away, Grandma will definitely send Siyou to the steel factory to call Uncle, Auntie, and Big Brother Dahai home. Go watch the excitement. While you’re at it, make things difficult for them. It’d be best if the whole steel factory hears about it,” Xu Duoduo said after they finished eating.
Xu Bu and Xu Ting exchanged glances and grinned.
This kind of thing was exactly their specialty.
Meanwhile, back at the Xu family home, everyone who should’ve gone to work had already left. The moment Old Madam Xu saw the police officers enter, she shrank like a frightened quail.
“Which one of you is Xu Eryou? Xu Sanyou? Come with us,” said Dead Fish Eyes as he looked around coldly. These weren’t people in his eyes — they were stepping stones for earning merit.
“I—I’m Xu Eryou. But I didn’t break the law! I’ve just been staying at home!” Xu Eryou stammered in fear.
“Whether you broke the law isn’t for you to decide. Where’s Xu Sanyou? Hurry up, stop dragging your feet. If you refuse to cooperate, that counts as resisting arrest. I can shoot you, you know.”
That was how his cousin always talked while arresting people, right? No problem there. Besides, he was even more impressive than his cousin — he actually had a gun.
What an idiot. How could he threaten ordinary civilians like that?
The thick-browed police officer who arrived afterward had practically pedaled sparks out of his bicycle rushing over. The moment he entered the Xu family courtyard, he heard Dead Fish Eyes making threats.
“Ahhh! Grandma, save me! The police are going to shoot me! Don’t kill me! Sanyou’s inside the room! Arrest him instead, not me! Grandma, save me!” Terrified out of his mind, Eryou ran toward Old Madam Xu.
Following Eryou’s directions, Dead Fish Eyes stormed into the room and dragged Xu Sanyou out.
“Hurry up and come back to the station with me.”
With one hand gripping Sanyou and the other yanking Eryou out from behind Old Madam Xu, he carried the two boys like chickens and marched toward the gate.
Perfect. This would definitely count as a meritorious achievement now.
“We received a report, and the reporting party has sufficient evidence proving that Xu Sanyou intentionally injured Xu Duoduo, causing serious harm. Xu Eryou is also considered an accomplice. We are now bringing Xu Eryou and Xu Sanyou back to the station for investigation,” the thick-browed officer explained before turning to chase after Dead Fish Eyes.
“I knew something seemed wrong with Duoduo this morning…”
“Exactly! That bandage on her head was soaked with blood.”
“Two healthy boys hurting their own cousin? The eldest branch of the Xu family really isn’t human.”
“At this rate the whole family might be murderers. We’d better stay far away from them.”
Hearing the neighbors gossiping all around her, Old Madam Xu finally snapped back to her senses.
“Siyou! Siyou! Hurry! You run fast — go to the steel factory and get your grandfather, your parents, and your big brother! Tell them to come home immediately!”
“What are you all staring at? The police must’ve misunderstood! Our Eryou and Sanyou are good boys! It was just children fooling around. How could they intentionally hurt Duoduo? Go on, leave! Stop standing around watching the show at my house!” Old Madam Xu drove the neighbors away and slammed the gate shut.
Once the gate closed, her face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot.
That worthless girl from the second branch was nothing but trouble. Just like that, two of her precious grandsons had been dragged into disaster.
Eryou was fifteen and Sanyou twelve. They absolutely couldn’t let those worthless girls ruin the boys’ reputations. It wouldn’t just affect Dahai finding a wife — even Eryou and Sanyou themselves would struggle to marry later.
“Hey, kid, I’m talking to you. What are you doing here? This is a steel factory, not a place for you to wander around,” the old gatekeeper barked.
Siyou had arrived at the steel factory entrance and was pacing anxiously, peering inside, unsure how to find his grandfather, parents, and older brother.
Old Chen had just finished arguing with Old Xu and sat down for tea when he noticed a child loitering around the gate.
“Siyou? Why are you here? This is where your grandpa, parents, and brother work — not a playground. Hurry home.”
Just then, Xu Bu and Xu Ting arrived at the factory entrance and saw the gatekeeper shooing Siyou away. They immediately raised their voices to join in.
“You two worthless girls! Grandma sent me to find Grandpa, Dad, Mom, and my big brother!”
“If it weren’t for Duoduo, my second and third brothers wouldn’t have been arrested by the police! Duoduo should’ve just died!” Siyou shouted angrily, eyes red, fists clenched as he charged toward Xu Bu and Xu Ting.
Xu Bu quickly pulled Xu Ting aside to dodge him.
Though Siyou was sturdily built, he was only ten and nowhere near as nimble as seventeen-year-old Xu Bu.
Old Chen nearby was completely confused.
“Who… who got arrested by the police?”
“It’s Xu Dagen’s sons, Xu Eryou and Xu Sanyou! They killed someone!” Xu Ting shouted while still being dragged away by her sister.
Xu Dagen? That was Old Xu’s eldest son.
Heh. That old bastard had finally handed him a weakness.
“Xiao Liu! Hurry and watch the factory gate for me! I’m going to find Old Xu!”
Turning around, Xu Bu saw the unbelievable speed with which Old Chen sprinted off despite his age, and she laughed.
Mission accomplished. No need to keep fighting.
She grabbed Xu Ting’s hand and ran back toward the hospital.
Meanwhile, Siyou stood there stupidly clutching his fists, wanting to chase after them but afraid of delaying the task his grandmother had given him.
Old Chen had never gotten along with Old Xu in the first place. Now he ran while shouting loudly at the top of his lungs:
“Old Xu! Old Xu! Bad news! Your grandsons got arrested for murder!”
By the time Old Xu hurried over trying to cover Old Chen’s mouth, half the factory had already heard the shouting.
When a dark-faced Old Xu finally emerged from the factory gate with Xu Dagen, Chen Hehua, and Xu Dahai, they saw Siyou still standing there blankly.
“You idiot! All you had to do was call me out! Why’d you go blabbing about your second and third brothers?” Xu Dagen slapped Siyou hard across the face.
He was still in the public review period for becoming workshop supervisor. Wasn’t this sabotaging him?
“Boss, let’s go home first. We’ll talk there,” Old Xu quickly stopped Xu Dagen from continuing to hit Siyou when he noticed workers gathering at the factory gate.
“Let’s go home first.” Chen Hehua was also furious, grinding her teeth as she dragged Siyou away.
She had raised four children. Aside from the eldest, the other three were all idiots.
“Wife, what exactly happened? Siyou said Eryou and Sanyou were arrested by the police?” As soon as Old Xu returned home, he saw Old Madam Xu sitting dazed in the courtyard.
“Husband, it’s that girl Duoduo. She reported them to the police, saying Eryou and Sanyou injured her, and the police took them away!” Seeing Old Xu return, Old Madam Xu finally seemed to regain her backbone, and her expression eased slightly.
“What? They actually dared?” Old Xu was stunned.
“Mother! You have to save Eryou and Sanyou! They’re your own grandsons!” Chen Hehua clung to Old Madam Xu’s arm and cried.
“Where’s the second son? Second son, get out here! You bastard, are you trying to ruin your nephews?” Xu Dagen pounded on Xu Ergen’s door.
“Boss, the second branch went to the hospital this morning and still hasn’t come back,” Old Madam Xu explained.
“Mother, please hurry to the hospital! Second Brother listens to you most. Bring him back and make him go to the police station to release Eryou and Sanyou!” Chen Hehua deeply regretted not following Xu Ergen’s family to the hospital that morning.
“That’s right. I’ll go too,” Old Xu said after clearing his throat.