Xu Manjiang and Li Xuemiao had held the return-to-maternal-home banquet, yet the Li family still insisted on sending him to prison—it was nothing short of a farce.
Fang Yao immediately raised her doubts to Old Mrs. Xu, who let out a heavy sigh. “The banquet was held, but they still haven’t gotten their marriage certificate. If the Li family insists on doing things this way, there’s nothing we can do about it! Wang Hua, Yaoyao, I know you’ve been wronged, but we’ve been pushed to this point, and I’m at my wit’s end! Just go through the motions for now, placate the Li family first, and afterward, I’ll definitely find a way to compensate you for what you’re owed!”
Seeing the worry etched on Old Mrs. Xu’s face, Fang Yao couldn’t bear to make things difficult for her and decisively agreed, “Alright.”
She then turned to Wang Hua. “Mom, you go ahead with Grandma first. I don’t have enough cash on hand, so I need to withdraw some savings from the bank.”
Forced into compromise, Wang Hua’s expression was grim, but since Fang Yao had already agreed, she had no choice but to follow the old lady.
“Yaoyao, be careful on your way to the county town.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, I will.”
It took Fang Yao no more than half an hour to ride her bicycle into town. Worried that Wang Hua might face harassment from the Li family alone, she pedaled as fast as she could.
When she returned to Old Mrs. Xu’s courtyard, there was no sign of any argument inside the house. It seemed that Wang Cuilian and the Li family, having learned of her compromise, had voluntarily ceased hostilities.
A faint smile curled at the corners of Fang Yao’s lips. She propped her bicycle in the yard and strode calmly into the house.
Led by Li Xuemiao’s parents, the Li family sat in the seats of honor, with Li Xuemiao beside them. Wang Cuilian’s family of three sat opposite them. Old Mrs. Xu, subdued by the imposing presence of Li Xuemiao’s parents, appeared somewhat meek as she sat with Wang Hua at the foot of the bed.
When Fang Yao entered, Old Mrs. Xu seemed to see a savior. She stepped forward and grasped Fang Yao’s hand. “Yaoyao, you’re back. Everyone’s been waiting for you, and we haven’t eaten yet.”
Fang Yao’s smiling eyes swept over the three members of the Li family. Truly, unity could move mountains—they carried the air of the Party branch secretary’s family with full force.
As for Wang Cuilian and her family, who believed they were the aggrieved party, they sat waiting to regain some face from Fang Yao. Xu Manjiang, in particular, slammed his hand on the table and stood up menacingly.
“I told you all along that I shouldn’t bear this blame alone! Hurry up and return the money to Xuemiao, and from now on, the four of us will be square! No more digging up old grievances!”
“Weren’t the four of us already square long ago?” Fang Yao freed her hand from Old Mrs. Xu’s grasp and took two steps forward. “I went to withdraw money, but I never agreed to give it to you.”
As soon as Fang Yao uttered these words, the expressions of everyone in the room changed instantly.
Old Mrs. Xu’s cane clattered to the floor. Li Xuemiao’s parents rose to their feet with meaningful looks in their eyes. Xu Manjiang, enraged, veins bulging on his forehead, charged forward, ready to strike.
“What do you mean? You clearly promised Grandma, and now you’re trying to go back on your word? Believe me, I’ll—”
But before his hand could reach Fang Yao, she nimbly stepped back. Just then, two uniformed officers arrived outside the house. She turned and shouted, “Officers, the rapist is right here! Hurry up and arrest him!”
Hearing this, the two officers rushed in, seized Xu Manjiang by the arms, and pinned him against the table.
Everyone in the room was stunned!
Wang Cuilian and Xu Jianshu tried to step forward to intervene but were sternly warned by the officers. “We’re handling official business! Step back, all of you! Anyone who obstructs us will be charged with harboring a criminal!”
Terrified, they froze in place, not daring to move a muscle.
Xu Manjiang, being hauled away by the police, was utterly terrified and let out a wailing scream.
"Let me go, I didn't commit any crime! Mom, save me, I don't want to die…"
"Fang Yao, was it you who reported this? Didn't you promise Grandma? Why did you go back on your word?" Old Mrs. Xu cried, shaking Fang Yao's hand as she questioned her, her eyes brimming with uncontrollable resentment.
Seeing this, Wang Hua stepped forward and pulled her back. "Mom, don't get too worked up. You need to take care of your health!"
Fang Yao took a deep breath, forcing herself not to meet the old woman's gaze, and said resolutely, "They were the ones who broke their promise first. Since the Li family wanted to report the case, I just helped them out. After all, I wasn't the one who was raped. Whether the police arrest anyone or not is up to them!"
Fang Yao turned her gaze to the three members of the Li family. At that moment, Li Xuemiao's eyes were filled with shock and anger at her plan falling apart. She stared fiercely at Fang Yao, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
In response to Fang Yao's words, one of the police officers spoke up, "Who is the victim, Li Xuemiao? Come with us to the station to give a statement."
Li Xuemiao, hearing her name called by the police, trembled all over. She could no longer spare a glare for Fang Yao and instead clutched her parents in panic.
"Dad… Mom, if this case goes on record, my reputation will be ruined. I can't go with them!"
Li Bonian, who had served as the village Party branch secretary for twenty years, remained relatively calm. He shielded his wife and daughter behind him, took two steps toward the police, and sighed helplessly as he looked at Xu Manjiang pinned to the table.
"Officers, this is all a misunderstanding. The person you've arrested is my son-in-law. He didn't force himself on my daughter."
Hearing his father-in-law defend him, Xu Manjiang immediately regained some courage and struggled in the grip of the police.
However, the police didn't let go, pressing his head down firmly as they looked at Li Bonian. "Your word isn't enough. Let the person involved come forward and say it herself!"
"Xuemiao, save me!" Xu Manjiang managed to growl with difficulty.
Wang Cuilian and Xu Jianshu were so anxious they knelt down before her, pleading tearfully, "Xuemiao, hurry up and tell them Man Jiang is innocent. We're begging you, please say it!"
Li Xuemiao bit her lip hard. With things having come to this, she had no choice but to admit it herself. "Officers, Xu Manjiang and I are a couple. Even though we haven't registered our marriage yet, both sides have held wedding banquets. There's no such thing as rape here."
"Then why did you still report it? Do you think our police force is a toy for you to play with?" the officer scolded, releasing Xu Manjiang at the same time.
Once freed, Xu Manjiang scrambled to hide behind Xu Jianshu and Wang Cuilian. Everyone in the room breathed a temporary sigh of relief.
But Li Xuemiao still had to face the officer's reprimand. She gritted her teeth in hatred toward Fang Yao, her face pale as she explained, "It was an internal family conflict. We thought we could ask the police to help mediate, but who knew she would go straight to reporting it?"
Her mother quickly stepped forward to defend her. "That's right. If our family really wanted to report it, we could have gone ourselves. We wouldn't have had someone else do it for us. You should ask the person who reported it instead!"
The police turned their attention to Fang Yao. "You turned an internal conflict into a rape case. Do you know that counts as filing a false report?"
Fang Yao had anticipated this outcome before reporting the case.
Fortunately, she had already achieved her goal. Lowering her head, she said with a cooperative attitude, "I acted impulsively. I'm willing to accept criticism and education."
"Good that you know you acted impulsively. Remember, let this be the last time!" The public security officer warned her, then turned to the others in the room: "If you have any unresolved conflicts, speak up now and we'll mediate!"
However, everyone in the room remained silent, eyes downcast, each beginning to ponder how to shift blame and reclaim their own interests.
Only Old Mrs. Xu, after experiencing such emotional highs and lows, could no longer hold on. Leaning weakly in Wang Hua's arms, she gasped out a final effort to preserve the Xu Family's last shred of dignity: "Go ahead and keep stirring up trouble. Drive me to my grave, and see what face you'll have left to meet your ancestors in the future…"