Chapter 32: Schemes

Seeing Seeing Seeing Ge Xiulan's head buzzed: "Mom, you've got it all wrong. You don't know this — my in-laws didn't put up money to treat Lao Er's leg, and the womenfolk of the second branch went absolutely crazy over it, wanting the whole village to know. My father-in-law, in a fit of rage, split the second branch off from the family."

"What? Split the family off? If the family's been split, how are you going to speak up for your nephew?"

True mother and daughter — they thought alike: "Mom, don't worry, I absolutely won't let Baocheng end up a bachelor."

Ge Pozi's face was full of skepticism: "You've thought of a plan?"

Seeing Seeing Seeing Ge Xiulan glanced out the window and gave her nephew a look.

Ge Baocheng was sharp enough to catch on at once. He realized what his aunt meant, went out, and stood at the door to keep anyone from overhearing the conversation inside.

Seeing Seeing Seeing Ge Xiulan watched the door close, then took her mother's hand and said in a low voice: "Apart from that dead girl Chunxiao, the whole second branch has gone to the hospital. Anyway, as long as we ruin that dead girl Chuxue's reputation, they'll make good on their promise. So why not use the time while they're not here to make those things stick?

That way, when that girl Chuxue comes back to the village, even a hundred mouths couldn't clear her name. After all, it's a fact she didn't come home that night."

Ge Pozi said, somewhat displeased: "But that still has nothing to do with our Baocheng, unless you can give up that work quota?"

Seeing Seeing Seeing Ge Xiulan hadn't expected her own mother to dare say anything: "Mom, what are you thinking? My husband Shangang knows about this too. If I really gave the work quota to Baocheng, would he let me off the hook?"

Ge Pozi didn't hear what she wanted to hear, and her head started aching again. She clutched her forehead and began groaning once more.

Seeing Seeing Seeing Ge Xiulan quickly said: "Once that girl's reputation is gone, it won't be easy for her to find another match. Besides, we live in the same courtyard — with me keeping an eye on her at all times, there'll always be a chance for our Baocheng. It's just a matter of waiting a bit longer."

The mother and daughter had just reached an understanding when a commotion came from outside the courtyard: "Village chief, you saw it too — the situation at my house. Such a huge loss, and you want us to just let it drop? Don't even think about it."

"That's not what I meant at all. I was thinking if we could settle it within the village, we wouldn't trouble the public security comrades. Besides, that thief even hauled off most of your firewood chopping block and the big stone slabs you'd prepared for building the house. What kind of petty thief could pull off something like that?"

"But we just walked through most of the village and didn't find a single clue. We can't just keep waiting like this, can we? If we wait any longer, it'll be even harder to track down that thief."

Ge family's eldest son also agreed with the village chief's reasoning — the thief had to be someone from the village. Otherwise, there was no way that much stuff could have been moved out in such a short time. Besides, under the old locust tree at the village entrance, there were always old folks sitting around chatting — they couldn't possibly have missed it.

While they were talking, Ge family's second son came back with his second sister and her husband: "Big brother, village chief — any leads?"

Ge family's eldest son shook his head, his face dark.

The village chief was a bit embarrassed too. After all, he was the one who had stopped the Ge family from going to report to the public security bureau, and now not a single lead had been found — it really was awkward.

Before he could speak, he heard Ge family's youngest daughter Ge Xiuqiao say in a hostile tone: "Village chief, you stopped my eldest brother and second brother from reporting to the public security. If the stuff can't be recovered, are you going to compensate us for it?"

The village chief's face darkened at this, and anger crept into his voice: "I was thinking of the village's reputation! Listen to what you're saying!"

(End of chapter)