Wang Xiuying shuddered—no, they couldn’t call the police.
Qiao Nian dragged her forward as she struggled violently, ignoring the burning, stinging pain on her face. “Qiao Nian, I’m not going! Let’s talk this out properly!”
“Talk what out? What is there to talk about? I say I didn’t take it, and you insist I did—how can we talk this out? It’s better to hand it over to the police! The police will give us a fair and just result!”
Seeing the scene escalate to this point, the onlookers quickly chimed in to persuade them.
Wang Shuzhen looked at Wang Xiuying with a puzzled expression. “Aunt Wang, even Dachuan’s wife isn’t afraid and wants to report it to the police. How come you, the one who lost the money, are unwilling to go instead? Could it be that you really framed her on purpose?”
“Bullshit!”
Wang Xiuying’s heart ached so much she wanted to vomit blood. All that money of hers—the money she and Dachuan had saved over a lifetime!
Was it that she didn’t want to call the police?
It was because that money simply couldn’t bear the light of day.
They had no way to explain its origin.
She didn’t dare mention the six thousand yuan on the passbook, but there was still over four hundred yuan in the handkerchief. Remembering this, she blurted out, “I had over four hundred yuan wrapped in that handkerchief, plus a good deal of oil coupons, meat coupons, and all sorts of other coupons—they’re all gone! If she didn’t take it, who else could it be?”
As soon as Wang Xiuying said this, the murmurs from the crowd grew even louder.
“No wonder… no wonder the old woman went crazy. Over four hundred yuan! Just thinking about losing that much makes me sick.”
“Oh, come off it. Your family is doing good just to feed yourselves, but who doesn’t know Dachuan earns a high salary? It’s only normal for them to save that much.”
“Still, only Dachuan’s wife and Yumei’s sisters were in the house. Could Yumei and the others really have taken it? I truly couldn’t tell.”
Li Yumei and her sisters could no longer keep their composure. Judging by their mother’s reaction, money really had been lost.
Earlier, they were only anxious because they thought Qiao Nian was deliberately smearing their reputations. They never imagined she had actually pinned the crime on them.
In her panic, Li Yumei spoke up immediately, “Mom, you know what we came back to do today. You know what kind of people we are! It’s definitely Qiao Nian—the moment we came back, she started throwing things around!”
A nosy bystander jeered, “Tell us first, what did you come back to do today?”
Li Yumei ignored him, pointing straight at Qiao Nian. “I knew you were a venomous shrew! You’ve ruined everyone in our family, and now only us sisters are left, right? Are you planning to target us one by one to wipe us all out?”
Bingo!
Spot on!
Though there’s no reward for guessing correctly.
Qiao Nian couldn’t help but admire her a little—she looked quite stupid, yet she actually managed to be sharp for once.
However, confessing was out of the question. Qiao Nian denied it outright, “Save the useless talk! Let’s report it to the police directly! Since you’re set on blaming me, nothing I say will convince you anyway, so why waste time?”
Watching Qiao Nian display not a single shred of fear, Wang Xiuying felt a wave of doubt—could it really be that she hadn’t taken it?
Since only Qiao Nian and Yumei’s group were in the house, could it be that Yumei and the others truly seized this chance to take it together?
Thinking this way, her gaze toward Li Yumei and the others naturally turned a bit suspicious.
Being looked at by her mother like that made Li Yumei want to spit blood. After everything she had done for her mother, her mother actually ended up suspecting her in the end.
A surge of anger welled up inside her, and she snapped crossly, “If we’re calling the police, then let’s call the police! I haven’t done anything wrong, so what do I have to be afraid of? You, on the other hand, Qiao Nian—let’s see if you actually dare!”
“What do I have to be scared of? Let’s go right now! Whoever refuses to go today is a coward!”
Seeing Qiao Nian and Li Yumei refusing to yield an inch, Wang Xiuying反而 grew panicked. If this kept escalating, the loss wouldn’t just be six thousand yuan.
She would also wind up losing a son and a grandson to prison.
Even if she claimed only four hundred-plus yuan was stolen, she didn’t dare gamble on the odds.
She desperately comforted herself inside: As long as my son is still around, the money will come back sooner or later.
Thinking up to this point, she hurriedly intervened, “Enough! This is a family matter—why must you drag it outside to make fools of ourselves?”
“That won’t do! You frame me whenever you feel like it? This matter must be investigated thoroughly!”
Qiao Nian refused to drop it. Today, not only did they have to swallow this loss in silence, but they also had to spit the money out for her.
The in-laws of the Mei-Lan-Zhu-Ju sisters weren’t easy to deal with either; since they dared to scheme against her, they had to pay the corresponding price.
Qiao Nian swept her gaze between Wang Xiuying and the four sisters, before suddenly speaking up, “Mom, could it be that deep down you know they were the ones who took the money, which is why you aren’t pursuing it?”
The moment Qiao Nian said this, everyone in the crowd wore a look of realization.
“No wonder! Yesterday, Wang Xiuying looked like she wanted to tear her daughter-in-law apart. If she knew she stole that much money, how could she possibly not pursue it?”
“Anyone with eyes can tell, okay? She’s just afraid that calling the police will ruin things for her daughters and sons-in-law.”
Hearing this, Qiao Nian chimed in, “Mom, if the older sisters really took it, just have them compensate it back, and the matter can be settled. We’ll pretend it never happened. Otherwise, let’s still report it to the police, just to prevent you from blaming this on my head again whenever you remember it in the future.”
“Qiao Nian, shut your mouth with that bullshit! We didn’t even step into the inner rooms—we were talking in the living room the whole time! You were the one who burst straight into the rooms the moment you came in! Eldest Sister and Second Sister can both testify to that!”
“Shut your mouth! You’re all in cahoots! When I came in, you were clearly rummaging through things inside the rooms!”
Wang Xiuying furrowed her brows, cutting in to stop them, “Enough! I’m the one who lost the money, and even I’m not in a rush, so what are you all getting so worked up for?”
“What am I getting worked up for? Am I worked up over the money? I’m worked up over my reputation!”
Qiao Nian’s face turned cold as she snapped right back.
The discussions around them gradually grew louder, with people advising, “Xiuying, why not just call the police? That money is no small amount.”
“That’s right! Now that both sides are at a standstill, Dachuan’s mother, why don’t we just call the police so no one gets wrongly accused?”
Wang Xiuying’s chest burned with frustration. The money was truly gone, yet she couldn’t openly pursue it, and this bunch of onlookers was leaving her no way to back down gracefully!
Qiao Nian crossed her arms over her chest. “As for today’s matter, I have a clear conscience! Either they compensate the money, or we call the police!”
Wang Xiuying gritted her teeth in hatred. This wretched woman Qiao Nian had “call the police” on the tip of her tongue with every breath.
Now, she actually began to suspect that perhaps Qiao Nian really did take it. Maybe she had found out about that passbook and knew for a fact that Wang Xiuying wouldn’t dare report it to the police—which was why she was so completely fearless.
Not daring to confront Qiao Nian directly, she could only look at her four daughters pleadingly, “Yumei, Yulan… how about this money… you girls pay for it?”
When Li Yumei and her three sisters heard those words, they nearly went mad with rage inside.
Did she not know what making them pay the compensation implied?
That would set it in stone that they were the ones who took the money!
The stigma of going back to their maiden home to steal money would leave them with their backs poked out by insults for the rest of their lives!
However, by this point, they also realized the truth: their mother having lost the money was real, and her not daring to call the police was also real!
There was definitely something else going on behind all this.