Free Web NovelChapter 30: Chapter 30: Turning the Tide
"Qin Shanshan, why are you running? What are you afraid of? In the future, we daughters should all support one another. According to what you all say, because I’m my mother’s daughter, it’s perfectly justified for them to beat me to death or cripple me. Because I’m my mother’s daughter, my mother and brother can take or snatch all the money the Tang Family earns through blood, sweat, and tears for food, clothes, and other expenses whenever they please. It’s not considered robbery, and it’s certainly not a crime... heh..."
Su Li chuckled softly through her tears. Looking at the village chief and the villagers through tear-filled eyes, she said, "For those of you in the village with daughters or younger sisters, your lucky day has arrived."
"Let me introduce you to a great business opportunity. From now on, none of you will have to work so hard. When you’re out of money or food, just go to your son-in-law’s or brother-in-law’s house to take or ’borrow’ what you need. If they refuse or don’t listen, just beat them to your heart’s content. It’s fine if you cripple them or beat them to death—after all, it involves your own daughter, so it’s not a crime. If she dies, no big deal. Just have another daughter, marry her off, and continue to plunder."
"Oh, right. You could also hold a knife to your grandson’s or granddaughter’s neck, or lift them up high and threaten to smash them to death. That’s bound to work. You’ll get whatever you want, and you’ll all save energy and increase your efficiency." Su Li’s tone was gentle, a smile on her face as she spoke the most horrifying words.
The color drained from everyone’s faces.
"That... that’s not what we meant..."
The villagers had a limited perspective and had been trying to view the matter through the lens of social norms and sentiment. They had initially thought they were in the right, but after hearing what Su Li said, they realized just how horrifying their own ideas were.
Imagining the scenes Su Li described, they all shivered violently. Despite the dead of winter, they had broken out in a cold sweat.
"Aren’t I just summarizing the experience for everyone? Come on, all you families with daughters, gather ’round! For parents like Aunt Li, I’ll invite my mother to teach you her methods. And for the daughters, go find Qin Shanshan. Qin Shanshan is the most virtuous and sensible one; we should all learn from her example."
Aunt Li and Qin Shanshan stared at Su Li and instantly went limp, slumping to the ground.
Su Li was still smiling—a smile so sweet, so virtuous, so obedient. She then turned to the village chief as if seeking credit, "Village Chief, is everyone satisfied with my performance?"
The village chief’s face was deathly pale. To him, looking at the sweetly smiling Su Li was like looking at a devil.
’No, Su Li isn’t the devil. We are. Everything Su Li said and did was just a reflection of our own intentions—the intentions of the people of Xinghua Village.’
When the village chief didn’t respond, Su Li turned to Police Fang. "Fang Luo," she called out. She started to step forward to speak, but her body suddenly swayed, and she nearly collapsed.
Fang Luo strode forward and caught Su Li just in time. She struggled to keep her eyes open, weakly reassuring the crowd as they all started talking at once, asking how she was. "I’m fine... I’m fine. It hurts, but I can bear it."
As she said this, her head tilted to one side, and she passed out completely.
"Su Li, Su Li!"
"Mama!" Mrs. Tang and Little Tang Mo lunged forward, bursting into tears. The courtyard erupted into chaos.
The expressions of the village chief and the villagers changed dramatically. The chief’s face was unprecedentedly grave, while Police Fang’s was as dark as a thundercloud.
At Mrs. Tang’s direction, Fang Luo carried Su Li into a side room and laid her on the bed. This gave the villagers a clear view of the room, which had been utterly ransacked by Su Dan.
’This... how is this any different from being hit by thieves and robbers!’
’This wasn’t borrowing from your daughter, this was outright robbery! How were their actions any different from thieves and robbers?!’
They looked again at the pale, unconscious Su Li on the bed, and then at the weeping Mrs. Tang and Little Tang Mo beside it. Their own eyes filled with terror and lingering fear.
’If the police hadn’t come, the three of them from the Tang Family would have likely been beaten to death and had their home stripped bare!’
"Don’t let them off the hook!" someone in the crowd yelled.
That single sentence was like a spark igniting a wildfire, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement from everyone.
"That’s right, we can’t let them off the hook! There’s no rule that says you can do whatever you want just because someone is your daughter! Aren’t the members of the Tang Family human beings?"
"We were wrong before. Our thinking was all wrong."
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, speaking out one after another in anger.
Lagging behind, Qin Shanshan shrank into a corner, terrified. Her mother, Aunt Li, stood beside her, gripping her arm tightly, too scared to even breathe.
Qin Shanshan didn’t know why things had spun so out of control, and in a direction completely opposite to what she had intended.
She had no time or energy to figure out why. All she knew was that Su Li’s words had shaken her to the core, filling her with an uncontrollable, lingering fear.
’Why do her words always strike such a chord! Why!’
Qin Shanshan felt like she was going to lose her mind.
The village chief was even more shaken and horrified than Qin Shanshan. His back was soaked through with sweat, the cold dampness sticking to his skin and making him feel unprecedentedly clear-headed.
"Is Su Li alright?" the village chief asked Li Shuanshu, who was checking on her.
"How could she be alright? It’s a combination of extreme anger affecting her health and the sheer pain. She literally passed out from the pain," Li Shuanshu sighed.
As soon as Li Shuanshu finished speaking, the crowd fell silent. A heavy atmosphere descended, becoming incredibly oppressive.
Police Fang, who had been standing to the side with a darker expression than ever, told Mrs. Tang and Little Tang Mo to look after Su Li. He then took the initiative to step outside, sweeping his gaze across the villagers of Xinghua Village before it finally settled on Miao Fenghua and Su Dan.
"If it becomes perfectly justified for parents to beat, kill, and rob their own children, then in the future, families will cease to be families, and the nation will cease to be a nation. Without rules, there is no order. Everyone is equal before the law. A crime is a crime, and that fact doesn’t change just because the people involved are mother and daughter."
Fang Luo looked at the village chief. "Village Chief, I understand what you and the villagers meant earlier. However, this situation is too severe. To prevent similar situations from happening in the future and leading to even worse incidents, this matter absolutely cannot be tolerated. I have my own duties. Since I have encountered this and witnessed it, I must handle it impartially and according to the law!"
He spoke with decisive finality, filled with an air of righteousness, and the villagers listened with looks of shame on their faces.
The turn of events had been a roller coaster for Miao Fenghua and Su Dan. Upon hearing this, they immediately began to wail and howl, cursing Su Li for being heartless and claiming she had faked fainting, their voices sharp and grating.
The village chief’s expression grew increasingly grim, the shame on his face deepening. "You are right. We were mistaken earlier." freeweɓnøvel.com
Fang Luo shook his head. "The fact that everyone has come to their senses in time is the most fortunate thing. To prevent others from thinking they can get away with copying this behavior and committing even greater crimes, I’ll be taking them with me today."
Hearing this, the village chief nodded hastily. "Yes, yes."
At this point, the matter was settled.
No one noticed that in the side room, the fists of the unconscious Su Li, which had been clenched tight, were slowly uncurling.
Of course, Su Li hadn’t actually fainted earlier. She had fainted because the situation required it. Now that events had progressed this far and the dust had settled, she could finally stop forcing herself and truly relax.
Hearing the village chief volunteer to help Fang Luo escort the "criminals," a strange, fleeting smile touched the corners of Su Li’s mouth.
’The potent medicine I administered earlier... has finally taken effect.’
