Hu Guihua grumbled, “I’m just giving you a hand, that’s all, no other meaning.” Why was this girl suddenly so difficult? Before, even a small word from her would make her submissive.
“Team Leader, Zhang Nian stole something, her character is so vile, she must be severely punished. She can’t be allowed to come to our village again!” Gu Rou shouted loudly.
“Even after sending her back to Zhang’s village, you can’t conceal the fact that she’s a thief. Zhang’s village must take a clear stance—first to punish her, and second to teach the people there, so that if things go missing in the future, they know who’s responsible.”
Hearing this, Zhang Nian’s face drained of color, her legs went weak, and she immediately knelt before the team leader, begging for mercy. “I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. I just admire those who study, and when I saw this thing, I couldn’t let go. My brain went fuzzy… Please don’t call me a thief, I beg you… give me a chance…”
Zhang Nian had never been so humiliated in her life. She knelt before everyone, banging her head repeatedly, her forehead bleeding, yet she seemed unaware of the pain, continuing to kowtow desperately. She now deeply regretted coveting Gu Rou’s things, seeing her aunt and uncle consistently taking advantage of Third Branch, and her cousin effortlessly bullying Gu Rou, giving her the illusion that taking Gu Rou’s belongings was no big deal.
“Team Leader, a thief, in order to steal, would even commit murder or arson. You can’t believe a single word she says. Don’t trust a thief’s lies! She’s just afraid this reputation will spread, and then she won’t be able to steal or take advantage in the future!” Gu Rou said in a precise, no-nonsense tone, each word clear and deliberate. Today, with Zhang Nian in her hands, there was no chance of escape.
These days, when a thief is caught, even though people don’t usually involve the police, the villagers would beat the thief almost to death before law enforcement could arrive. In villages with rougher customs, the thief could even be beaten to death. This shows just how hated thieves are.
“Gu Rou is right. Look at her pretentious act—she’s definitely no good. Even if she’s from Zhang’s village, we can’t conceal it,” one of the villagers shouted loudly, looking at Zhang Nian with disgust. Seeing so many people speaking this way, the team leader decided to have Zhang Nian tied up and sent back to her village. He would write a note to Zhang’s village, honestly reporting today’s events. If Zhang’s village tried to cover for her, the people of Xiangyang Brigade would publicize it. Zhang Nian’s reputation as a thief would be cemented—her life would be extremely difficult from now on. But that was her own doing. Who told her to touch the admission notice? It belonged to Xiangyang Village’s most promising child—Zhang Nian had almost caused the village to lose a vocational student.
“I really didn’t steal… Dali, help me… Dali, speak up!” she cried, but before she could continue, the aunties of Xiangyang Village tied her up with ropes. Zhang Nian kept screaming, still hoping Gu Dali would testify for her, but Gu Dali had already been taken home early by Hu Guihua.
Gu Li’s condition wasn’t any better. A few teeth had fallen out, her gums were still bloody, and seeing her cousin suffer like this, she shivered. Gu Rou was terrifying.
Zhang Cuizhu, watching her niece being tightly bound and sent back, was stunned. She didn’t know whether to worry more about her money or the scolding she would receive from her maternal family when she returned.
Gu Jiandang didn’t even bother with her. He had been trying to stop Hu Guihua from taking the money, but no matter what he said, she wouldn’t listen.
Gu Rou picked up a kitchen knife and followed Li Xiufang and others home. She was starving, but Li Xiufang and Gu Jianguo planned to visit the First Branch to teach Gu Dali a lesson. Such an important thing had been given away to someone else—it made them furious.
Actually, even without the two of them, the cunning First Branch feared that Gu Rou would make them pay, so as soon as she got home, she pointed her finger at Gu Dali and scolded:
“Why are you so shameless? What’s so good about that woman?”
“She can’t even work properly, skinny as a twig, looks like she won’t even have children. As soon as she comes out, she’s shameless and flirtatious. Why marry her? Marrying her would be signing our death warrant!”
“You’re an idiot. How can you tell she likes you? Haven’t you seen her being attentive to others? Yet she even tried to steal Xiao Rou’s study materials—that’s your cousin! I’d kill you for being so blind and reckless!”
Hu Guihua became angrier and angrier, striking Gu Dali repeatedly. His skin was thick, but her hands went numb from hitting him so hard.
“Madam, here, take this,” Gu Chuan said, handing over a thick stick he had picked up on his way. He didn’t fully understand how important his sister’s admission notice was—he only knew that his sister had been bullied because his cousin had given something to that girl. He also knew that his cousin had given that girl many things, and he had witnessed it twice.
Hu Guihua hesitated when she saw the stick but grabbed it, thinking it would teach her a lesson. Otherwise, who knew what trouble she might cause the family in the future.
“Mom… I know I was wrong… please stop hitting me…”
The moment Gu Dali was hit, he let out a loud scream. In fact, Hu Guihua hadn’t hit him very hard—Dali was her first child and a boy, and now that he could earn money, she felt too much pain in her heart to strike him with full force, no matter how angry she was.
“If you don’t want to hit hard, then don’t bother pretending here,” Gu Jianguo, who had been silent until now, suddenly said. He snatched the stick from Hu Guihua’s hand and struck Gu Dali forcefully.
At this point, Gu Dali was in too much pain to speak, his face gradually turning pale as he looked fearfully at his usually easygoing uncle.
“Using the family’s belongings to please a shameless woman—are you out of your mind? If you’re going to bring disaster to the family in the future, it’s better I finish you off now, so the Gu family won’t be ruined because of you.”
Gu Jianguo struck with all his strength. Thinking of how Gu Rou had suffered so much at the hands of their own family recently, he felt like a complete failure as a father. He had failed in the past, but from today onward, he could not remain passive. Gu Li and Gu Dali both needed to be taught a proper lesson; otherwise, people would continue to look down on the Third Branch of the family.
“Third Brother, I know you’re angry, but calm down… the hitting’s done, let’s just drop it,” Hu Guihua said, unable to bear seeing her precious child being beaten, trying to snatch the stick away.
“You know how silly he is, how brazen and bold he can be? That’s all because his sister-in-law spoiled him. Such an important thing, and he just gave it away!”
“Do you know how much effort and money I’ve spent supporting Xiao Rou’s schooling? If her admission notice isn’t retrieved, I’ll come after your family!”
Gu Jianguo struck a few more times, hitting Gu Dali so hard that his eyes turned red from crying, before finally stopping.