Chapter 129: Heartbreak

"Dad!"

Li Zilan cried out, and the neighbors helped lift Su Mingqiang up.

"Zilan, hurry and take everyone to find people. Your dad is likely furious. Go rest at my place; I'll have my parents help look after things."

After Liu Chunxing finished speaking, she and her husband helped Su Mingqiang back into the house to lie down.

Li Zilan held Su Qingxi in her arms, pulling Zhuangzhuang along while weeping continuously.

Liu San's father shouted, demanding an explanation.

"Li Zilan, you aren't going anywhere! Hand over your sister! She broke my son's head; hurry up and pay for our medical expenses!"

"Are you still shameless? Who told him to spout manure and gossip first! He deserved to be beaten!"

Widow Liu stood in front of Li Zilan without hesitation, cursing at Liu San and his father.

"You still have the nerve to ask others for medical expenses?! Uncle Su was so angry he fainted; you should be paying his medical expenses too!"

She stood with her hands on her hips, her voice loud and her tone sharp!

Her three children all clutched their mother's clothes tightly, looking filled with righteous indignation.

Liu San broke free from his father's embrace, jumped up, pointed at Li Zilan's nose, and roared: "I don't care! If there's no money for the injury on my head today, don't even think about passing through here!"

Then he lay straight down on the ground, "If you want to leave, you'll have to step over me!"

The Brigade Captain had taken his eldest son to the Qingshan Team to find Zhang Jun, and Su Qingwu had gone to the county to report the crime.

Now that there were no men in the Su family to help, Liu San was emboldened and deliberately making a scene.

The few people from the Educated Youth Courtyard stepped out to help. Li Yun glanced at Liu San and stepped directly over his thigh.

Then Dai Xiaohong stepped over him too!

Liu San stood up abruptly, eyes wide with rage, "What are you doing?!"

Zhou Xiang's gaze was fierce as he stepped on Liu San's leg.

"Didn't you tell us to step over you?! Everyone look, the blood on his head has already clotted. His body is perfectly fine; one moment he's lying down, the next he's jumping up—he's far too energetic!"

Dai Xiaohong was also furious, "I see you jumping around just fine, not a thing wrong with you. Opening your mouth to demand medical expenses—you're truly shameless!"

"This behavior of yours is bullying the weak. I'll tell Brother Pei, and when he gets back, he'll have a good talk with you!"

A few days ago, Yuan Guang sent a letter saying that he and Pei Huaiye might be back in these next few days.

Upon hearing Pei Huaiye's name, Liu San immediately went silent like a deflated balloon.

Li Yun spoke coldly, "Brother Su has gone to the county to report the crime, and Captain Xiang has also gone to help catch the culprit! Those willing to help, follow along to search; those unwilling, stay home—no one is forcing you."

She looked around at the crowd, her tone even colder.

"But if anyone wants to take this opportunity to bully the Su family because they have no men to back them up, you've made a mistake! We see every bad thing everyone does! Those who fawn over the powerful and trample the weak, just wait for your retribution!"

After their outburst, the crowd fell silent.

Su Qianqian had already slipped into the crowd when no one was paying attention. She tugged at Wang Juqin's sleeve and stood behind the Educated Youth Team.

"Qingyue has contributed so much to the village on ordinary days; it's really going too far not to lend a hand at a time like this!"

She spoke with high moral standing, and the people around her looked over.

Yet they didn't see that in the darkness, the pair of red leather shoes on her feet were covered in filthy mud and wild grass.

"That's right, anyway, I will always be grateful to Su Qingyue. I'm going to help look for her!"

A portion of the people unconsciously stood behind the Educated Youth Team and followed along to search for her.

There were still some who were unwilling to help search; they stood rooted to the spot, their eyes filled with a blank indifference.

Su Qingxi's eyes were red, and she spoke with a trembling voice.

"It was my sister who helped everyone find a way to make a living, it was she who secured the cooperation with the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and it was she who persuaded the neighboring village to sell us soybeans."

"This factory can only operate with my sister here. If something truly happens to her, then don't open the factory! Don't send the vegetables and bean sprouts to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative either! Everyone can just continue living a bitter life!"

More people stood over.

Li Zilan felt particularly heartbroken, never expecting that at such a critical moment, so many people would be unwilling to help, and some of them were even employees of the processing factory!

With a cold face, she memorized the faces of those people and, holding the two children, walked straight toward the Back Mountain.

Widow Liu instructed her three children, "Liu Shu, you take Niannian and follow Sister Qingxi and Brother Zhuangzhuang. If any bad people bully you, shout loudly."

"Got it, Mom!"

Liu Shu walked over and took Su Qingxi's hand, "Sister, let's go find Sister Qingyue together!"

Su Qingxi nodded, wiped away her tears, and shouted Su Qingyue's name everywhere.

The fields, the village, and the Back Mountain—everyone searched back and forth many times, yet they couldn't see a shadow of Su Qingyue.

Li Zilan's heart beat faster and faster, Zhuangzhuang's crying never stopped, and Su Qingxi's eyes were swollen from crying.

Zhou Xiang walked up to Li Zilan, panting, "Sister-in-law, it's the middle of the night now, and we have to work tomorrow. Let's go back first to see if Captain Xiang and Brother Su are back, and discuss a strategy together."

That was the only way.

Li Zilan nodded. On the way down the mountain, they met Su Qingwu, whose eyes were bloodshot; he was leading a group of Public Security Officers to search for people.

"Let's go, go back first. The Public Security Officers need to take statements."

Li Zilan's voice was hoarse, "Is Dad awake? Did you call my brother-in-law?"

"Dad is awake, but his head is still dizzy. We ran into Jiang Chao and asked him to help contact Huaiye. Qingyue will definitely be fine!"

Su Qingwu's tone was firm, but his trembling voice betrayed how heartbroken and worried he was.

They returned to the Su family courtyard.

"Where are the children? We have a couple of questions."

Su Zhuangzhuang stepped forward with red eyes. Liu Qiang asked patiently, "Do you remember the process of being kidnapped? Tell the uncles in detail."

"He covered my head and face, put me in a sack, and tied it up. I couldn't see anything, and I couldn't shout out."

"After walking for a while, he let me out, and then my nose was covered and I fainted. When I woke up, I found my pant leg had been torn." Zhuangzhuang lifted his pant leg; a large chunk was missing.

"Do you remember how you got to the gate?"

Su Zhuangzhuang shook his head, "When I woke up, I was at the front gate, and there was nothing around."

Liu Qiang took the rag and compared it with the pant leg; they didn't match at all. It seemed a piece was missing.

Then Liu Qiang pulled Zhang Jun over.

"Do you recognize this person? Did he go to your house yesterday?"

Su Zhuangzhuang shook his head; he had never seen Zhang Jun.

Su Qingxi nodded; the sequence of events she added matched Zhang Jun's story perfectly.

"I carried the grain back to the village. The people I met on the way back to the village have all been questioned by you one by one, and the grain at home has also been inspected by you. You can't slander me just because I had a grudge against the Su family before, right?"

Zhang Jun had arranged everything in advance and left no trace.

Last night, Xiang Jianming led a team of people and almost got into a fight with the people from the Qingshan Team.

In the end, Zhang Jun allowed them to search the house. Xiang Jianming and the others found nothing, and when the Public Security Officers came to search at dawn, they also found nothing.

Liu Qiang glanced at Zhang Jun, "You can go!"

Zhang Jun put on an act, snorted a few times, apologized to Xiang Jianming, and then turned to return to the village.

Passing by Su Qianqian's door, his gaze darkened instantly.

This woman was deep and calculating; it was a good thing he had kept an ace up his sleeve!

Su Qianqian was currently arguing with Qiao Wang in the house.

She had been busy for most of the night and had fallen asleep the moment she got home.

Waking up early in the morning, she actually discovered another woman's undergarment on the bed!

Su Qianqian's hands trembled; she had returned home in the middle of the night last night.

At that time, there were a few scratch marks on her sleeping husband's back, and she had even asked what happened.

Qiao Wang squinted and replied that it was mosquito bites that he had scratched himself.

But the undergarment in her hand was brightly colored, and the style was one she had never seen before.

It didn't look like it belonged to a woman from a poor family!

She looked closer and saw a few long hairs on the pillow!

Su Qianqian shuddered, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through her heart.

She was working hard to eliminate rivals for the sake of this family, yet her husband was fooling around with other women in the middle of the night?! ===== CHAPTER 130 =====