After leaving, Liu Cuihua and Zhou Fang still refused to give up.
“Why should we apologize to you?”
“Huh?”
“Those words came from your mother, not us. Besides, things really did go missing from our house!”
Seeing the unwilling expressions on their faces, Song Wanning narrowed her eyes.
“Fine. If you won’t apologize, then forget it.”
“I just hope your wish comes true—that everything in your house gets stolen.”
“Song Wanning! How can you be so vicious? You’re actually cursing us to be robbed! How can you have such a rotten heart?”
Song Wanning spread her hands innocently.
“But you’re the ones who said your things were stolen, not me.”
Standing beside them, Li Lan saw that another argument was about to break out and glared at Chen Ailian and Li Guihua.
“Enough! Don’t you all have work to do? Are you not working today? Standing around here with nothing better to do?”
After being scolded by Li Lan, neither woman dared talk back. Li Guihua and Chen Ailian could only leave one after another.
After everyone had dispersed, Li Lan turned to Song Wanning.
“Don’t worry about this matter. Your Uncle Wang and I will handle it.”
“Alright. Thank you, Auntie Li.”
Song Wanning sincerely thanked her.
The two chatted for a little while longer before Li Lan left.
Only after everyone was gone did Song Wanning return home.
She stacked the firewood she had gathered beside the woodpile, sorted the medicinal herbs she had collected, found an old straw mat, and spread the herbs out in the courtyard to dry.
Meanwhile, chaos had erupted in both the Song and Wang households.
Since Liu Cuihua and Zhou Fang had failed to gain any advantage from Song Wanning, they went to the village chief and demanded justice.
After hearing the whole story, even the village chief found it strange.
No other household had been robbed—only the two of them.
Even stranger, the thief had not only stolen every valuable item but had also taken all the pots, bowls, utensils, and other household goods.
There were so many things that carrying them away should have been impossible.
How had the thief managed to remove everything in a single night without making a sound or alerting anyone?
The village chief had no solution and could only report the case to the Public Security Bureau.
That afternoon, he rode an ox cart to the county Public Security Bureau and explained everything to the officers there.
After hearing the report, the officers also found the case extremely unusual.
They immediately drove to Wangjiawan Village to investigate.
When they arrived, they carefully questioned Liu Cuihua and Zhou Fang about what had happened.
The two women stubbornly insisted that Song Wanning had to be involved.
So they led the officers back to Song Wanning’s house.
Thinking about how they had been forced to apologize to her earlier only made them feel even more resentful.
They deliberately tried to steer the investigation toward Song Wanning.
The officers questioned Song Wanning briefly and took a simple look around her house.
In the end, they concluded that the incident had nothing to do with her.
After finishing their investigation, they left her home.
Seeing that the officers had only asked Song Wanning a few questions before leaving, Liu Cuihua and Zhou Fang were furious.
The officers completed their report, failed to uncover any clues, and could only leave Wangjiawan Village.
Watching them go, Liu Cuihua and Zhou Fang’s faces immediately fell.
How were they supposed to live from now on?
Their grain, money, and valuables were all gone.
Even their pots and bowls had disappeared.
Everything would have to be bought again.
And buying everything again meant spending money.
Thinking about money, Liu Cuihua suddenly set her sights on Zhou Fang.
Her eyes rolled before she looked at her.
“Zhou Fang, your son slept with my daughter.”
“He has to take responsibility.”
“I’m not asking for much.”
“Give me eighty yuan in bride price, and I’ll marry my daughter into your family.”
She figured that getting eighty yuan first would at least help her family survive their current difficulties.
The moment Zhou Fang heard the amount, she exploded.
“Eighty yuan?”
“Keep dreaming!”
“Do I look like someone who can casually produce eighty yuan?”
“Besides, your daughter was the shameless one who seduced my Zhuzi.”
“How dare you still ask for money?”
“I’d already be generous if I didn’t report your family to the village chief!”
Liu Cuihua’s face darkened.
“What do you mean by that, Zhou Fang?”
“Fine.”
“If your family won’t pay to marry my daughter, then forget it.”
“Anyway, the child she’s carrying belongs to your Wang family.”
“I’ll go home right now and have her keep the baby.”
“But don’t even think about getting a grandson.”
The moment those words came out, Zhou Fang froze.
“What?”
“You’re saying your daughter is pregnant?”
“Impossible!”
“It’s only been a few days. How could you already know?”
“Don’t think you can fool me!”
Liu Cuihua shrugged indifferently.
“Fine.”
“If you think I’m lying, then I’m lying.”
“I’ll go home and think of another solution.”
“But don’t expect to keep the child in my daughter’s belly.”
“Besides, these days, which family doesn’t ask for a hundred yuan in bride price when marrying off a daughter?”
“I didn’t even ask for a bicycle.”
“And you’re still not satisfied?”
“If you don’t want to pay, then forget it.”
She turned around and started walking away.
Only then did Zhou Fang truly panic.
If Song Miaomiao was really carrying the Wang family’s child, they absolutely couldn’t let her get rid of it.
Her son was already thirty-five years old.
In another few years, he’d be pushing forty.
Song Miaomiao was only twenty.
If she was truly pregnant, they couldn’t let anything happen to the baby.
Thinking this through, Zhou Fang hurried after Liu Cuihua and softened her tone.
“Cuihua, wait.”
“We can talk this over.”
Liu Cuihua smiled secretly when she saw Zhou Fang chasing after her.
She turned around and pretended not to understand.
“Oh?”
“What else is there to discuss?”
Zhou Fang inwardly cursed Liu Cuihua countless times for playing dumb, but she forced a smile onto her face.
“Cuihua…”
“What you said about your daughter being pregnant…”
“Is it true?”
“If it is, we really can’t delay this.”
“If her belly starts showing, the whole village will gossip.”
“As for the eighty yuan bride price…”
“Could you lower it a little?”
“You know our entire house was robbed.”
“We honestly can’t come up with that much money right now.”
Zhou Fang truly was in a difficult position.
If they hadn’t been robbed, she could have managed to scrape together eighty yuan.
But now her family was poorer than ever.
Where was she supposed to find eighty yuan?
Liu Cuihua folded her arms.
“That’s not my problem.”
“I’m giving you two days.”
“If you can’t come up with the money by then, I’ll have my daughter get rid of the child.”
“You’d better think it over.”
This time, Liu Cuihua left without looking back.
Only Zhou Fang remained standing where she was, staring at her retreating figure while silently cursing her.
After venting for a while, she realized it was useless.
With a dejected expression, she turned around and headed home.
The moment she stepped inside, Wang Zhuzi and his father, Wang Tiegang, hurried over.
“Mom, how did it go?”
“Was it that bitch Song Wanning who stole everything from our house?”