Chapter 502: Chapter 502: Who Else Is There to Count On?

"Oh, this is a terrible injustice! It was all just a misunderstanding." Liu Xiaojie didn’t dare admit they were trying to kidnap Su Qing to be her son’s wife, so she immediately started crying foul.

"Injustice or not, don’t you think the police can tell the difference?" a villager chuckled. "If you were truly wronged, why would they have sent him to the farm? He deserved it."

The villagers of Lihua Village had a very poor impression of the Niu family. You could search all the surrounding villages and never find another family that would sell their own niece in exchange for a dowry to get their son a wife.

Everyone disliked both the Old Su Family and the Niu family. That’s why when the two groups started brawling earlier, everyone just gathered around to watch instead of trying to break it up. If Zhao Youcai hadn’t stepped in, they would have kept watching the show.

"Pah! It was that damn girl Su Qing who framed them," Zhang Shuoni said hurriedly.

"You’re the ones framing people!" Aunt Tao spat. "The men of your Niu family were up to no good. They got caught and you still cry injustice. You’ve got some nerve! Have you no shame at all?"

"That’s right. That girl Su Qing would never frame anyone," the other villagers chimed in.

Hearing the villagers’ words, the members of the Old Su Family were furious. A moment ago, when the Niu family was cursing them out, these people just stood by and watched the drama. But now that someone was badmouthing Su Qing, they all jumped to her defense.

It was outrageous!

Zhao Youcai’s face darkened. "The police have already made a ruling on this matter. If you keep causing trouble, that’s obstruction of justice. If I report this, the few of you will be spending some time in a cell, too."

Zhao Youcai’s words made the women from the Niu family turn pale with fright.

Liu Xiaojie stammered, "W-we were just... crying injustice... How could that land us in... in jail?"

"Why don’t you try it? We can take a trip to the police station and see if they’ll arrest you or not," Zhao Youcai threatened.

This single sentence terrified the Niu family women. They had come to the Old Su Family’s home to cause trouble for two reasons. One, they were furious and needed an outlet. Two, they wanted to see if they could extort some money from the Old Su Family. If this escalated to the police station, the Niu family would become an even bigger joke.

Instantly, the Niu family women didn’t dare say another word. They spat hatefully in the direction of the Old Su Family’s house and hurried away, glancing back as they ran, terrified that Zhao Youcai would actually have someone drag them to the police station.

Seeing Liu Xiaojie and the others leave, Old Su began to complain bitterly to Zhao Youcai. "Village Captain, my family has been so wronged today! We didn’t do a thing, and disaster just fell from the sky! That damn girl Su Qing gets someone thrown in jail by the police, then dusts off her hands and goes back to Beijing, leaving us here to suffer in her place! Look at my son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter! They’re all injured like this and need medical attention. What are we supposed to do?"

"What do you want to do about it?" Zhao Youcai asked.

Old Su’s eyes darted around. "Village Captain, do you think you could give Su Qing a call and have her send us money for medical expenses? Not much, fifty or eighty yuan will do."

"My god, fifty or eighty, and you say that’s ’not much’?" Aunt Tao’s eyes went wide when she heard that. "With so many people in your Old Su Family, can you even earn fifty or eighty yuan in a whole year? You’re really treating that girl Su Qing like a sucker, as if money grows on trees! Besides, what does your fight with the Niu family have to do with that girl Su Qing? It’s not like she told you to fight. We all saw it just now; it was that girl Su Mei who threw the first punch."

Zheng Erlian retorted indignantly, "No matter how you look at it, didn’t today’s incident happen because of that girl Su Qing? Why should she get to just walk away scot-free while we’re the ones getting confronted at our door?"

Zhao Youcai said, "Alright, that’s enough. You can’t pin today’s incident on that girl Su Qing. I’ll discuss this with the village captain of Niuhe Village. This is a matter between your two families now, so you can figure out how to settle it amongst yourselves. As for Su Qing, don’t even think about it. She doesn’t owe you anything."

"That’s right," the onlookers chimed in. "I’d say you’re just trying to use this as an excuse to extort Su Qing, aren’t you?"

"Bullshit!" Old Su fumed. "We’re in the right here! We..."

Old Su spoke with utter conviction; she truly felt her family had suffered a great injustice that day.

"Alright," Zhao Youcai said with a wave of his hand. "If you want me to mediate, I’ll talk to the village captain of Niuhe Village. If not, I’m not getting involved. You can figure it out yourselves and see if that girl Su Qing will give you the money for your medical bills."

Hearing Zhao Youcai say this, the members of the Old Su Family deflated. It was a joke to think they’d do it themselves. They were counting on this incident to get Zhao Youcai to ask Su Qing for money on their behalf. They didn’t have the guts to do it themselves. What if Su Qing beat them up again?

The rest of the Old Su Family gave up, except for Su Mei. Clutching her face, which was now covered in even more scratches, her eyes burned with resentment. In her heart, her jealousy and hatred for Su Qing had reached an extreme.

’Why?’

’Why did Su Qing get to look so good, find relatives in Beijing, get into a university in Beijing, and even become a city person? And look at me! My face is ruined, my boyfriend is gone, my family has no money, I’ve gone from a county town girl to a village girl, and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get married in the future.’

Remembering the sight of Su Qing’s bright and beautiful clothes from yesterday, Su Mei nearly ground her teeth to dust.

Su Mei looked at the rest of the Old Su Family. Seeing every one of them looking dejected and listless only fueled her indignation. ’It seems I can’t count on anyone in this family.’

’Who else could she count on?’

Su Mei pressed her lips together and returned to her room. She stared blankly in the direction of Xiyuan County. She thought of Wu Tao, and remembering the happy times they once shared, she couldn’t help but cry. The tears ran over her scratches, stinging so badly that she let out a cry of pain.

’If only I knew Su Qing’s address in Beijing. If I knew her address, maybe I could find Second Aunt. Second Aunt used to be quite good to me. Or, I could ask Second Aunt to put in a good word for me. Maybe Su Qing would listen to her. If she did, couldn’t I get that scar-removing powder?’

Thinking of how kind Li Wan had been to her before Su Shengjun died, Su Mei’s eyes lit up. She knew that this "Second Aunt" had found her parents in Beijing, which was how Su Qing had suddenly become a city person.

The more she thought about this possibility, the more excited Su Mei became. ’This seems like a viable path.’

’But where could I get Su Qing’s address?’ Su Mei didn’t count on Zhao Youcai; she knew he probably wouldn’t give it to her. ’So then...’

Su Mei’s mouth fell slightly open. ’Su Qing reported it to the police... could she have left her Beijing address with them?’

The next day, a girl with a scarf covering her face walked into the Xiyuan County Public Security Bureau. She spoke cautiously to the officer on duty, "Hello, I’d like to ask about the case involving Su Qing from Lihua Village and Niu Dashun from Niuhe Village."

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