Half of the earthen wall collapsed, burying Zhan Dazhuang underneath.
At that moment, all fear and anxiety vanished.
Li Baomei opened her mouth wide, her eyes filled only with deep admiration for her mother.
Liu Meiling revealed her hidden strength, flicking her hair back: “Second son, call the police.”
At the same time, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind:
“Detected soul anomaly. Binding to host… Host, hello, 0928 Good Deeds Report System is at your service.”
“Wait… did anyone else hear that?”
Judging by the dumbfounded look on her second son’s face, Liu Meiling realized that only she could hear it.
She had already been reborn, so what was strange about being bound to some “small bucket,” even though she had no idea what kind of bucket that was.
At the police station, Zhan Hongmei rushed over after receiving the news.
Seeing her brother’s bruised and swollen face, she was heartbroken, almost fainting into Li Baoguo’s arms.
When she heard it was the police, she realized the matter had gone public.
She quickly pulled Li Baoguo along. Having heard all the gossip in the compound, Zhan Hongmei now hated Liu Meiling thoroughly.
She collapsed into Li Baoguo’s embrace, tears streaming: “Officer, there must be some misunderstanding! How could my brother ever misbehave? Our families are going to be related by marriage. My brother probably just heard I was getting engaged and wanted to make a good impression on my future sister-in-law, that’s why he got close to Baomei.”
She tugged on Li Baoguo’s sleeve: “Baoguo, isn’t that right?”
Li Baoguo, already smitten by her beauty and the scent of osmanthus in her hair, nodded quickly: “Yes, officer, I am Li Baomei’s eldest brother… The child didn’t understand; he caused trouble for you.”
Zhan Hongmei gave him a push and grabbed Baomei’s arm to pull her up: “Come home with me. You go causing a scene at the police station over something so small—aren’t you ashamed?”
Baomei’s face went pale. Stubbornly, she glared at her elder brother and refused to leave. Her mother had taught her that those who did wrong should be punished.
But a little girl couldn’t match Li Baoguo’s strength.
She fell to the ground and was dragged a few steps by him.
When Liu Meiling returned, she saw this scene and flew into a rage. The steamed bun in her hand fell to the ground: “You beast! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Li Baoguo, trying to assert authority, spoke with irritation: “Mom, Baomei didn’t understand. Why are you making trouble too? Dazhuang is just a kid—what does he know? He was only touched a couple of times. Why drag it to the police station? Besides, we’re all relatives. How am I supposed to explain this to my future in-laws?”
“Explain? I’ll explain to you, you little brat! I should demand an explanation myself! I shouldn’t have had you—your sister is being bullied, and you don’t defend her. Instead, you let outsiders bully her too. Are you even human?!”
Liu Meiling jumped up and slapped him several times, not forgetting to hit her second son as well.
A brother who lets his sister be bullied without intervening is intolerable!
As for Zhan Hongmei, Liu Meiling didn’t even spare her a glance. She wouldn’t get a cent from them. She had no intention of letting her marry her eldest son and enjoy the benefits of her family.
Moreover, Zhan Dazhuang had bullied Baomei, and Liu Meiling knew it! Forget about becoming related by marriage—she was about ready to hate the Zhan family.
She picked up the bun from the ground, still wrapped in paper, shoved it onto her daughter’s lap, and said: “Officer, Zhan Dazhuang is young and naïve. I reasonably suspect he was acting under someone else’s orders. Please help my daughter get justice.”
After the report, Zhan Dazhuang was temporarily detained. Being young, he quickly blurted out the truth, implicating Zhan Dajun as well.
Both boys ended up in the police station. Zhan Dazhuang’s parents couldn’t sit still and came to the compound to scold her as soon as they got off work.
That evening, when Liu Meiling returned to the compound, the commotion was at its peak. Wu Meihua saw her and hurried over: “Meiling, is it true what Old Lady Zhan said? That you got both of their sons taken to the police station? That you don’t want the families to be related anymore?”
Wu Meihua had seen many mothers quarrel with their children but ultimately sided with them.
“Meiling, no matter what, you’re the prospective in-law. Making such a big scene won’t help your eldest son. Do you really want your children to resent you forever?”
Liu Meiling patted her hand, understanding Wu Meihua meant well.
In her last life, she compromised, arranging that bride price and almost losing her daughter. This time, forget in-laws—enemy families were more like it!
“I know what I’m doing,” she said.
Li Mingliang frowned in frustration upon seeing her return: “What are you trying to do? Do you need to ruin our family to be happy? Baomei isn’t even hurt. Release those Zhan kids, or else my eldest can’t marry. You’ll regret it!”
Liu Meiling sneered, raising her knitted bag and striking Li Mingliang on the head: “You never step in when you should, but chatter endlessly when you shouldn’t! I’ll deal with you first!”
Old Lady Zhan was still cursing when Liu Meiling slammed her with the bag, leaving her gagged. Looking closer, they noticed Li Mingliang was missing a shoe, the smell filling his nose.
“Ugh, ugh~”
Liu Meiling, enraged at the sight of her, slapped her repeatedly.
In her previous life, Baomei had never come back because this old woman had betrayed her.
Had she not died early, Liu Meiling swore she wouldn’t have spared her as a ghost.
Her hatred flared hotter, hands swinging in a blur, slapping Old Lady Zhan until she looked like a pig’s head.
“You still dare talk about justice? Consider yourself lucky I didn’t go to your home to hit you! Nowadays, people actually come asking to be hit. Their face is thicker than my second uncle’s old carriage seat!”
Old Lady Zhan, dizzy and nauseous, finally pulled the smelly shoe from her mouth: “Wretch… ugh, ugh…”
Old Man Zhan glared and raised a stool behind her. Liu Meiling wasn’t afraid. She turned and pointed to her head: “Go ahead, hit me! If you think sending your family to jail isn’t enough, hit me too!”
Old Man Zhan’s veins bulged in anger, but he clenched his teeth and put the stool down.
“You Li family don’t want to become relatives anymore?”
Liu Meiling put her hands on her hips, no longer vicious like before, and sneered:
“Relatives? Who wants to marry into your family? Your daughter can’t even get married, and you expect us to accept her? No wonder—with a bride price of 800 yuan!
Your son is a beast, your old man is a beast, and your daughter is shameless, climbing into some boy’s arms without status. Such a rotten girl—forget 800 yuan, I wouldn’t even take 200 from her!”
She wasn’t exaggerating. In her previous life, Zhan Hongmei had treated her poorly precisely because she had discovered Zhan Hongmei’s schemes.
If it weren’t for her eldest son…