At this point, Gu Rou was pressing down on Gu Li and Gu Yaozu, hitting them relentlessly. Zhang Cuìhua and Gu Jianguo tried to intervene each time, but Gu Rou skillfully avoided them, striking Gu Yaozu or Gu Li instead. This cycle repeated twice, and finally, Zhang Cuìhua broke down:
“Stop it, Gu Rou! Second aunt is begging you, you can’t keep hitting them!”
Everyone looked at each other in dismay—what was once a harmonious family had now completely turned into enemies. Gu Rou was formidable, single-handedly breaking down all three of Gu Jianguo’s family members.
Initially, some suspected that Lin Dafa might have been acting with Gu Rou to teach Gu Jianguo’s family a lesson, but now there was no doubt. Gu Rou hit with such strength that Lin Dafa really wasn’t a match for her.
When the team leader arrived, he immediately saw the situation. Knowing the full story and realizing that Gu Jianguo’s family had tried to harm his niece, he regretted leaving too quickly. But as the village team leader, he couldn’t just stand by—he had to intervene and shouted:
“Stop it!”
Gu Rou, hearing him, seemed to finally notice the new arrivals. She decisively dropped what she was holding, her expression shifting from calm to aggrieved.
“Team Leader, you’ve finally arrived!”
“I… I was really so scared…”
Seeing the team leader, Gu Jianguo’s family felt a brief sense of relief, but Gu Rou began pouring out her grievances to him.
“This is completely unfair! Their whole family are devils, constantly scheming against me! Why doesn’t heaven strike them down with lightning?”
Li Xiufang joined in, crying about how pitiful her daughter was. Zhang Cuìhua also complained, “Team Leader, if you hadn’t come, my son would have been killed…”
“They hit an elder, it’s completely unreasonable.”
The three women kept up their verbal assault, making the team leader’s head spin.
“Quiet! One at a time, stop shouting!”
The three women immediately fell silent. Then, cries came from the other side:
“Dad, you’re finally here! Come save me!”
“Shut up, there’s no place for you to speak here!”
The village secretary shouted at Dafa, then turned to Gu Rou with a gentle smile.
“My little niece, my son has never been very sensible. He acted foolishly just because of a few words, and I’m sorry for the trouble he’s caused you. But let’s handle your matter first. You can continue…”
Gu Rou shot the secretary a sharp look, recognizing him as a sly old fox—but he wasn’t wrong. First, settle the issue here, then deal with them later.
“Team Leader, I’ve always behaved properly in the village. When they tried to harm me last time, I thought of them as family and gave them a chance to reform.”
“But they didn’t learn and even went further! Just a few days later, they conspired with Lin Dafa to harm me, to take my life.”
“Luckily, I brought tools up the mountain today, otherwise I wouldn’t have escaped their scheme.”
“Otherwise, what you’d be seeing now would be my corpse.”
“Lin Dafa already admitted everything in front of everyone. Team Leader, you can ask anyone and the truth will come out.”
The team leader nodded at Gu Rou’s angry glare. “Girl, I know you’ve been wronged.”
“But now that you’ve hit them, what’s your final demand?”
“I want to report this to the police! This family is rotten to the bone. If I let it slide, I won’t feel safe living in this village. Who knows what tricks they’ll try next?”
The secretary panicked. “Child, didn’t you say you wouldn’t report it?”
Gu Rou shook her head. “Don’t worry, Secretary. I’m the victim. I can issue a letter of forgiveness for your family. Lin Dafa’s side is fine.”
The secretary relaxed immediately. “In that case, that’s acceptable.”
The surrounding villagers were shocked. Incidents rarely reached the police here; they were usually settled within the village unless the consequences were severe. But hearing Gu Rou, they thought her stance was understandable. Gu Jianguo’s family repeatedly plotted against her, and reporting to the authorities seemed the safest way to live normally in the village.
Seeing Gu Rou insist on reporting, Gu Jianguo sneered angrily, “Nothing’s happened here. You hit them, got the money—what right do you have to report it? We’re the ones seriously harmed, and we didn’t even hold it against you. Why are you making a fuss?”
Gu Li, Gu Yaozu, and the others were uneasy. What was Dad thinking? The communication was meant to resolve the issue, and he was just pouring fuel on the fire. They could deny everything, but the police wouldn’t be so easy to fool. When Lin Dafa cleared himself, he would provide evidence. Gu Jianguo was essentially pushing them all into a pit.
Gu Li quietly called to Gu Jianguo, urging him not to anger Gu Rou further. She didn’t know what Gu Rou was capable of now.
Gu Jianguo, hearing Gu Li, turned and snapped: “All of you, shut up!”
The team leader inwardly smirked but kept a straight face: “What are you saying now? What’s your plan?”
Gu Jianguo replied coldly: “Considering we’re relatives, I won’t report to the police. But Gu Rou has to compensate our medical expenses.”
Everyone looked at Gu Jianguo with contempt. They knew he was shameless, but this was beyond expectations.
Gu Rou laughed. “You think I’m giving you money? Dream on.”
“I won’t give a single cent. Face or no face, I don’t need your respect. Everyone’s opinion is unanimous—now we report it. I have witnesses and evidence; the police will find out the truth.”
Seeing Gu Rou’s determination, the team leader said, “Alright, then call the police.”
Gu Jianguo panicked inside. He didn’t expect Gu Rou to be so unyielding. Being known for being molested and going to the police as a vocational student wouldn’t look good, but she didn’t care.
He realized he had underestimated her, thinking she was still the timid girl she used to be.
Gu Jianguo, however, tried to defend himself. “You all say this is our family’s doing. Lin Dafa, what happened at the time?”
“We never intended anything like that,” Lin Dafa said, seeing Gu Jianguo trying to pin all the blame on him. He panicked. “No way. My buddies and I were just drinking in the fields.”
“It was your Gu Li who came to me, saying Gu Rou went up the mountain alone, that she looked really good and suited me, and if I took her, she’d be my wife.”
“Tell me, if Gu Li hadn’t wanted to harm someone, why would she say that to me?”
Hearing this, Gu Jianguo laughed, looking approvingly at Lin Dafa. “See? Which part of what Gu Li said was meant to make Lin Dafa harm Gu Rou?”
“She only thought the two of them were well‑matched and wanted to play matchmaker. There was absolutely no intention to harm anyone!”
“At most, we were just being kind but ended up doing harm. We never incited Lin Dafa to harass or rape anyone!”
Gu Rou replied calmly,
“Then by your logic, if I wanted to kill you but failed, and someone pursued the matter, I could just say my hand slipped and I had no intention of harming you?”
“Second Uncle, do you really think the police are fools?”
“You plotted to take someone’s life and still refuse to admit it. Once the truth comes out, your sentence will be heavier.”
“You may not have stated your purpose outright, but you had sufficient motive. Do you really think you can evade responsibility this way? Do you think the laws of the country are a joke?!”
Everyone froze. Just moments ago, they had almost thought Gu Jiandang’s family would get away with it due to lack of evidence. They hadn’t expected the case to hinge on motive as well. Hearing this, Gu Jianguo’s heart skipped a beat.
Ignoring everyone’s reactions, Gu Rou continued,
“Besides, they only look badly beaten. In fact, there’s nothing serious. If you don’t believe me, take a look yourselves.”
Coincidentally, Granny Zhang from Xiangyang Village had been hiding in the crowd watching the spectacle. When she noticed the team leader’s gaze, she stepped forward to examine Gu Li and the others’ injuries.
She quickly finished checking them. Just as Gu Rou had said, aside from Gu Yaozu, who had a soft‑tissue contusion, the rest only had superficial wounds. Gu Li’s finger was so swollen that it was impossible to tell the exact condition—most likely just swelling from the beating.
Gu Rou’s blows had looked terrifying. They hurt immensely when they landed, but they didn’t damage bones or tendons. Even if a bone had been affected, it would have been hard to tell.