At this point, Wang Daqiang’s eyes suddenly lit up as he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea. He excitedly turned to Su Heping, who was standing nearby with a stern expression, and shouted, “Captain! What do you think of this? Let Zhaodi take my place and receive the beating and be locked in the ancestral hall! Let Zhaodi take my punishment for me!”
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as though a bomb had exploded among the crowd. Zhaodi, who was standing not far away and already looked somewhat nervous, instantly lost all color from her face, turning as pale as a sheet of paper.
She silently lowered her head, not daring to look up at anyone, an overwhelming sense of sorrow and misery welling up inside her.
As for this suggestion, Zhaodi had actually expected it long ago. Ever since she was a child, whenever her family encountered trouble or someone needed to take responsibility, she was always the one pushed forward to take the blame. And this time, obviously, would be no different.
She bit her lip tightly, trying her best to keep her tears from falling, but her eyes had already grown moist. She knew that even if she spoke up to object, it would only be futile.
In this family, she had always been nothing more than an old ox that worked tirelessly. Apart from keeping her head down and working nonstop, she had no right to speak. Especially whenever something involved her younger brother, Wang Daqiang, she could not even entertain the thought of resisting. Otherwise, what awaited her would inevitably be a merciless beating.
On the other side, when Wang Aiguo heard Wang Daqiang suggest that Zhaodi take his punishment, his eyes lit up as well. He looked expectantly at Captain Su Heping, seemingly waiting for him to agree.
Seeing Wang Aiguo’s expression, Su Heping found it rather ridiculous. He said coldly, “This was Wang Daqiang’s mistake, so Wang Daqiang must bear the consequences himself. No one else can take his place. Wang Aiguo, take Wang Daqiang with you right now. Bring the money and the chicken to Mingyue’s house and apologize to her. After that, go to the ancestral hall and receive the beating.”
The moment Wang Daqiang heard Su Heping reject his proposal, he panicked. Taking advantage of the moment when those around him were not paying attention, he tried to run away. But as soon as he reached the entrance, the villagers who had been watching the commotion caught him.
Looking at Wang Daqiang after his failed escape, Su Heping said, “All right, stop running. Unless you plan on never coming back, you can’t escape this punishment. Take some time to reflect properly on what you did wrong and make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake next time.”
He then turned to Wang Aiguo and said, “Let’s go! Stop wasting time!”
Wang Aiguo had no choice but to ask his mother to get the money and his wife to catch a chicken.
When Grandma Wang heard her son tell her to hand over the money, she refused no matter what. Asking her to take out her money and give it to someone else was practically worse than killing her.
Seeing that the old woman stubbornly refused to hand over the money, Wang Aiguo looked helplessly at Su Heping. Su Heping calmly said to him, “Go to the Public Security Bureau or compensate her. You choose. I won’t force you either way!”
Seeing Su Heping’s cold and uncompromising expression, Wang Aiguo knew that his mother’s usual tricks would not work this time. He could only say helplessly to her again, “Mom, give me the money!”
Grandma Wang stubbornly shook her head, indicating that she absolutely would not hand over the money. She then deliberately pretended not to hear him.
Seeing this, Wang Aiguo had no choice but to personally go to his mother’s room to get the money.
The moment Grandma Wang saw her son heading toward her room, she instantly sprang up as though she had been stabbed by a needle, hurriedly trying to stop him from entering. But time had taken its toll on her. Despite putting all her strength into resisting him, she still could not stop the strong, sturdy Wang Aiguo.
Amid Grandma Wang’s heart-wrenching cries, Wang Aiguo tightly clutched the money in his hand and returned to Captain Su Heping.
Su Heping did not reach out to take the money. Instead, he said to Wang Aiguo, “Give the money directly to Mingyue.”
Just then, Wang Aiguo’s wife, Wang Guihua, came running over, panting heavily, with a lively hen in her hands.
Su Heping nodded when he saw her. He then led Wang Aiguo and his wife, along with the man who had just helped catch Wang Daqiang, as they escorted the dejected and terrified Wang Daqiang toward Su Mingyue’s home together with the members of the Su family.
The other villagers followed as well, chattering among themselves about what had happened. A large crowd trailed behind them and soon entered the courtyard of Su Mingyue’s home.
Su Heping led Wang Aiguo and the others straight toward the room where Su Mingyue lived. When they reached the door, he stopped and raised his voice slightly.
“Mingyue, are you awake?”
When Su Mingyue heard the noisy crowd approaching her house, she released her mental power. Unfortunately, her mental power could only reach as far as the courtyard; it could not extend beyond the courtyard walls, so she was unable to see what was happening outside.
It was not until she used her mental power to “see” Uncle Su Heping leading a group of people into the courtyard in her mind that she knew her uncle had come to stand up for her.
Su Mingyue said, “Uncle, I’m awake. You can come right in!”
Su Heping gently pushed open the wooden door, and the hinges emitted a faint creaking sound. He stepped inside, and his gaze immediately fell upon Su Mingyue, who was sitting at the head of the kang bed.
Su Mingyue was quietly leaning against the wall. Her face was still somewhat pale, but she looked to be in fairly good spirits. Su Heping felt relieved when he saw her condition.
With a smile on his face, Su Heping walked over to the kang and said softly, “Mingyue, Uncle Aiguo has brought Daqiang over to apologize to you. He’ll compensate you ten yuan for emotional distress, plus the two yuan you spent yesterday getting your injuries treated at the clinic. On top of that, there’s also a hen so you can nourish your body and recover.”
As soon as Su Heping finished speaking, Wang Aiguo, who was standing nearby, gave Su Mingyue an embarrassed smile.
He scratched his head and said apologetically, “Mingyue, I’m really sorry! You suffered so much because of this. It’s all because my Daqiang doesn’t know any better. The boy didn’t mean to do it. If the captain hadn’t personally come to our house today, we wouldn’t even have known that the two of you had gotten into a conflict! You ended up getting hurt because of him, and I’m truly sorry about that!
“Hehe… Mingyue… You really have to accept this money. Take it and buy yourself some of the things you like to eat, and take good care of your health. Please don’t hold it against Daqiang. You two grew up together, after all, and you know that this boy isn’t bad at heart. He’s just a little mischievous sometimes. This time was purely an accident—just an accident!”