Chen Wenjun wept even more bitterly. "You people are truly heartless! I spent the entire day on the street selling fish. I didn't go anywhere else. That was fish I had spent over half a month saving up. I sold it all, and now my pockets are emptier than my face. You say I have no money—do you mean to say I gave my fish away for free?
I know you all look down on us Tanka people, but I live an honest life. I rely on my own two hands to earn money, I don't steal, and I don't rob. Yet, when disaster strikes out of nowhere, you turn around and bite me back. This is bullying, plain and simple!"
The neighbors could no longer bear to listen. One after another, they began to condemn the Liu Family.
Seeing that Liu Yongguo was not cooperating, the police officer said coldly, "I am opening a case for arrest!"
"No! Don't! We'll pay! We'll pay back the money!" Ma Cuihua gritted her teeth and shouted, slapping her thighs and wailing. Her heart was filled with grievances, but she couldn't say a word. She couldn't say anything, and even if she did, no one would believe her.
Everything had been going according to plan—why had it ended in their own ruin instead?
The police officer roared in exasperation, "Move, and be quick about it!"
Ma Cuihua stumbled as she gripped the cabinet to pull herself up, intending to go into the room to retrieve the money.
"Stop right there!" Lin Qin held Liu Yaya and blocked her path. "There is also the matter of you framing me and beating me until I bled. We need to settle that account as well!"
Ma Cuihua’s chest heaved with rage. "You—you bitch, you think you’re worthy of settling accounts with me?"
Lin Qin swept a cold glance over her and then turned to the police officer. "Officer, my case isn't closed yet, is it? All four of them have admitted their guilt. I demand they be punished to the full extent of the law!"
"Hiss!" The surrounding neighbors gasped, looking at the unfamiliar Lin Qin in astonishment.
They were a family, so how had things turned into such a bitter, life-and-death feud? Or had the rabbit finally been pushed too far and started biting back? The Lin Qin they knew had never been this fierce!
The neighborhood committee director hurried forward to appease Lin Qin. "I know you’ve suffered a grievance, but if this kind of thing gets out, it won’t look good. Your husband is still in college, and I hear he’s about to graduate. What if this affects his job assignment?"
The director hoped to use Liu Yongming to make Lin Qin compromise, not knowing that the person Lin Qin hated most in this world was that very scumbag! He was the mastermind behind everything tonight! His goal was to get rid of his uneducated, useless wife so he could rightfully marry a woman of equal standing.
"Fine!" the director said, his expression relaxing, only for Lin Qin to say unhurriedly, "If making a scene here isn't a good look, then I’ll just go to Yongming’s school and find him. I'll let his teachers and classmates judge the matter and stand up for me. If he can't even manage his own household affairs, there’s no point in him continuing his studies!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting!" the director said, displeased. There were only a few people in their neighborhood who had made it to college, and Liu Yongming was one of them—he was the pride of their community. If Lin Qin really made a scene at his school, it would ruin him.
"Are you out of your mind, you stubborn girl? That’s your husband! If you ruin him, what good will it do you? Have you lost your head?" Li Lian lashed out at Lin Qin with a barrage of scolding. Even Lin Yi did not approve of this approach.
However, Lin Qin remained unmoved. "If you don't want me to go, that’s fine. But they must compensate me and offer a formal apology until I am satisfied."
"In your dreams!" Ma Cuihua roared back without a second thought, her gaze toward Lin Qin filled with a desire to tear her to shreds.
Lin Qin let out a cold laugh. "Fifty yuan! If I don't get the money today, no one will have a peaceful night! I’ll go to the newspaper office and to Liu Yongming’s school. I will keep making scenes until you all go down with me!"
Her manic, reckless behavior caused everyone present to turn grim.
The police officer spoke up at the right moment. "Since Comrade Lin Qin has proposed a settlement, you should consider it carefully. Besides, the wound on her head needs treatment. If this case isn't closed, she can hold you accountable at any time should her condition worsen."
The officer’s words were subtle, but the director understood. Seeing Ma Cuihua about to argue again, he glared at her fiercely. "Go and get the money to pay her! Have you no shame? You’ve brought this on yourselves! Yongming truly has had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have a family like you!"
Ma Cuihua’s vision went black. Fifty-three yuan and twenty-five cents, plus fifty more—that was over a hundred yuan! Their family only had about four hundred yuan to their name. Having to fork over so much at once made Ma Cuihua’s legs buckle.
Afraid she would pull another stunt, Lin Qin immediately said, "Officer, I know where she hides her money. Come with me; I’ll get it myself so she can't turn around and accuse me of stealing it later!"
"Lin Qin... you... very well! You just wait!" Ma Cuihua glared at her with venom for a long moment, but finally, she gritted her teeth and went into the room to fetch the money.
Xu Manzhi secretly pinched Liu Yongguo’s waist, her heart aching—that was over a hundred yuan!
When Ma Cuihua came out trembling with the cash, the police officer took it quickly, counted it, gave fifty yuan to Lin Qin, and handed the rest to Chen Wenjun. Before leaving, he didn't forget to give the Liu Family a stern lecture.
The neighborhood director shook his head, feeling that while the four members of the Liu family were detestable, Lin Qin wasn't innocent either. With the scene she had made today, her life in the Liu household would only get harder.
Chen Wenjun took the money and immediately packed his things to leave. Before he left, he gave Lin Qin a deep look but said nothing. The four members of the Liu family didn't dare stop him.
Lin Qin watched him leave, then turned to Lin Yi and handed Liu Yaya to him. "Dad, I’m going to pack a few things and come stay with you for a few days. I’ll go to the clinic to have the wound on my head treated in a while."
"Alright! Dad will go with you!" Lin Yi was burning with rage; he didn't want his daughter to stay at the Liu house for even a moment longer.
Seeing Lin Qin about to leave, Ma Cuihua wouldn't allow it. She threw herself onto the ground, rolling about and cursing Lin Qin for being unfilial. Lin Yi was furious.
Lin Qin chased everyone out of the room, packed her things quickly, locked the door, and followed Lin Yi out without looking back, paying no mind to whether Ma Cuihua lived or died. Behind her, Ma Cuihua continued to hurl ugly curses.
Xu Manzhi returned to the room, boiling with rage. Liu Yongguo hurried inside to coax her. "Wife, this matter today won't end so easily. Don't worry, that fifty yuan will be back in our hands soon."
"Talk is cheap! Didn't you see how arrogant Lin Qin was today? She even dared to hit Mom; soon she’ll be climbing all over me! And what about that fifty-three yuan and twenty-five cents? Are we just supposed to eat this bitter loss for nothing?" Xu Manzhi pointed at Liu Yongguo’s nose and scolded him.
Liu Yongguo was incredibly frustrated. "What else can I do? Do you really want me to go to jail?"
"You didn't steal the money, so why would you go to jail? Why should we have to pay?" Xu Manzhi simply refused to accept it. Fifty yuan! It would take their family over half a year to save that much!
Liu Yongguo was filled with regret now. If he had known that a man falling in the alley meant trouble, he never would have been so blinded by greed, trying to pocket that measly three yuan by bringing the man back. Now, not only had the plan failed, but he had lost over fifty—no, over a hundred yuan!