“What happened? Why call the police?” Xu Changxia’s ears perked up instantly.
In her previous life, Xu Changxia had returned home the next day for the traditional visit, and with all her own troubles weighing her down, she had no idea about Xiaolin’s Mother calling the police.
“Last month, your aunt took Xiaolin’s Mother to buy a television. Xiaolin’s Mother said it broke down after just a few days of use, so she exchanged it for a new one. But that one broke too after a few days. When she went back to the manufacturer where she bought it, the place was already empty! Most importantly, Xiaolin’s Mother…”
As Xu Changxia listened, she felt something was off.
Before Xu Fangfei could finish, Xu Changxia interrupted, “Mom, is the television in our dowry the same brand?”
Xu Fangfei paused for a moment. “Yes… it’s the same brand! I forgot all about it until you mentioned it! Could she have deceived us too?”
Xu Changxia only knew that in her previous life, Zhou Yun had bought her a defective television. She never expected her neighbor to be scammed too!
If that were the case, what Zhou Yun had done was far more serious!
This wasn’t just consumers being deceived—it was Zhou Yun colluding with the manufacturer in a group fraud!
“Let’s go! Let’s join the commotion!” Xu Changxia immediately grabbed Xu Fangfei’s hand with a smile.
Heaven had eyes—Zhou Yun’s retribution had come so quickly!
“…Today, I’m dragging you to the police station to file a report!” In the courtyard, Xiaolin’s Mother tightly gripped one of Zhou Yun’s sleeves, which was already half torn.
“Xiaolin’s Mother, let’s talk this through properly!” Xu Cheng stood anxiously by, rubbing his hands. With the taboo of physical contact between men and women, he couldn’t intervene directly and could only block the doorway.
“Then let the neighbors judge! She told me the television was on sale and said she bought the same brand for Xiaxia’s dowry. I thought, how could something she bought for her niece be bad? That’s why I believed her lies!” Xiaolin’s Mother shouted.
“She said buying two together would be cheaper, so I bought another one for my nephew as a wedding gift! The two together cost five hundred yuan! Today, either your family compensates me for the money, or she goes to jail!”
Five hundred yuan!!
Xu Changxia remembered clearly from the news reports later that the manufacturer, in order to quickly clear out the defective batch, allowed anyone who exceeded the cost price to take the difference as a kickback.
When Zhou Yun bought it herself, she paid less than one hundred yuan—basically the cost price.
That meant she had taken a four-hundred-yuan kickback from Xiaolin’s Mother!
To treat a neighbor of over twenty years like this—her heart was truly black!
“But I didn’t know the brand was no good either!” Zhou Yun cried pitifully. “I’m a victim too!”
“If you didn’t know, why did you drag me to buy it? You must have taken a kickback from the television manufacturer!” Xiaolin’s Mother grew more agitated as she spoke.
Just then, Xiaolin’s Mother spotted Xu Changxia joining the commotion and pulled her over. “Xiaxia! Tell me, is the television in your dowry also Chunhua brand?”
All eyes in the courtyard fixed on Xu Changxia.
Although Xu Changxia understood the situation perfectly, she couldn’t speak too plainly, as only the unscrupulous manufacturer and intermediaries like Zhou Yun knew the full details at this point.
“Look at that expression, she must have been tricked by Zhou Yun too!” Before Xu Changxia could speak, Xiaolin’s Mother immediately declared with righteous indignation.
“Zhou Yun! If you tricked just me into buying it, you might have lied and said you didn’t know, but you tricked so many people and still claim you’re innocent? Who would believe that?! Today, you’re definitely going to jail!”
Xu Cheng, who was anxiously standing nearby, heard Xiaolin’s Mother speak so severely and immediately urged, “Xiaxia, say something! Did she get it wrong?”
Moreover, Xiaolin’s Mother’s words made Xu Cheng’s heart skip a beat. He suddenly remembered what Xu Changxia had said about the betrothal money that morning.
If the television really had issues, then the watch and bicycle were probably problematic too!
Xu Changxia thought for a moment and replied seriously, “I already said this morning that the dowry television was bought by Auntie. You should ask Auntie.”
As she spoke, she fixed her gaze on Zhou Yun.
She had already explained everything clearly to Xu Cheng that morning. It was up to him whether he wanted to believe it or not.
Upon hearing this, Xu Cheng understood everything.
He turned around and glared at Zhou Yun in disbelief.
Only now that things had escalated did he realize how serious the consequences were.
Zhou Yun was sitting on the ground, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Xiaxia, don’t be afraid! Just tell the truth! If it really is the same brand, we’ll join forces and report her for fraud! If Zhou Yun even cheats her own niece out of her betrothal money, can she still be considered human?” Xiaolin’s Mother chimed in from the side.
“Besides, your fiancé is a high-ranking official. You won’t have to put up with her attitude anymore!”
Nearby, someone quietly echoed, “That’s right…”
“What do you mean by that, Xiaolin’s Mother?” Zhou Yun shrieked upon hearing those words. “When have I ever mistreated Xiaxia? Which eye of yours saw me treat her badly?!”
“Hmph!” Xiaolin’s Mother sneered. “Do you think we neighbors are blind and deaf? You, Zhou Yun, are a downright villain! The son you raised is even worse!”
Xiaolin’s Mother lived diagonally across from the Xu family and had seen many things clearly.
Feeling sorry for Xu Changxia, she had always treated her quite well.
“Why are you bringing up my son for no reason!” Zhou Yun jumped up from the ground.
“What? Are you afraid people will find out what your son did? Then why didn’t you stop him when he did it?” Xiaolin’s Mother pointed at Zhou Yun and scolded, “You and your son are utterly heartless, you deserve to be struck by lightning! If our ancestors knew, they’d jump out of their graves to settle accounts with you!”
“What are you talking about, Xiaolin’s Mother?” Xu Cheng was completely confused.
“You, as her uncle, are blind!” Xiaolin’s Mother pointed at Xu Cheng and scolded him too. “Xiaxia…”
“Xiaolin’s Mother!!!” Xu Fangfei immediately shouted to stop her.
Xiaolin’s Mother was startled by the shout and snapped back to reality. She had been too worked up and almost tarnished Xu Changxia’s reputation in front of everyone!