Chapter 785

Zhou Andong scanned the room, taking in the expression of every person present; all their eyes were fixed on Yuan Hongbiao.

He understood now: this perpetrator had a close relationship with Yuan Hongbiao, and the way these people were looking at him, there was a distinct sense of schadenfreude.

The kind of person Yuan Hongbiao was as a town mayor was already reflected in the eyes of the people before him.

This guy had always acted like an elder in front of him, appearing very kind and leaving no room for criticism; his acting skills were truly impressive.

However, this also showed that someone like Yuan Hongbiao, who hid himself so deeply, must have significant ulterior motives.

The perpetrator was dragged over; he was the same shifty-eyed fellow who had been hiding in the crowd the day Zhou Andong arrived, and who had later run to the mine to report the news.

"Smack!"

Yuan Hongbiao landed a fierce slap across the shifty-eyed man's face, sending his head snapping to the side, with blood and two large teeth flying out.

"Bang!"

Yuan Hongbiao followed up with a kick, sending the man flying, then turned around, grabbed a pickaxe handle, and raised it to strike, only to be grabbed by the old branch secretary.

"Are you trying to beat him to death?"

Yuan Hongbiao roared, "You bastard, I'm going to beat him to death!"

The old branch secretary frowned deeply, then suddenly released his grip on Yuan Hongbiao: "Then go ahead and beat him to death."

Yuan Hongbiao froze; this was awkward. Should he hit him or not?

Don't hit? The atmosphere had been built up to this point. Hit? Putting aside his own reluctance, if he really caused serious harm, he would certainly face disciplinary action.

"Second Aunt's husband, Second Aunt's husband, I was wrong, I was really wrong, you have to save me, save me..."

The shifty-eyed man was named Meng Shulin, the son of Yuan Hongbiao's sister-in-law, though rumors had it he was Yuan Hongbiao's illegitimate son with her. But they didn't look alike, so the rumors had gradually faded away.

"Mayor!" Several police officers stepped out, glanced at Meng Shulin, who was kneeling on the ground and clutching Yuan Hongbiao while weeping, "Hand him over to us."

Of course they knew Meng Shulin, and they had heard the rumors too, but since the two didn't look alike at all, they simply didn't believe it.

Yuan Hongbiao took the opportunity to back down, threw the pickaxe handle aside, and let out a long sigh.

"Shulin, I watched you grow up, and later I kept you by my side. I bought you a house, I got you a wife; how could you do something like this?"

Yuan Hongbiao slapped his own face repeatedly, his eyes wide with anger: "What face do I have left to face the fellow villagers?"

As he spoke, he pointed at the room, "You know about Su Yuling's past, how could you bring yourself to lay a hand on her, huh?"

Yuan Hongbiao's tears flowed down; at this moment, he looked sincere and earnest, but in the eyes of many, these were just crocodile tears.

"Bang!"

Yuan Hongbiao kicked Meng Shulin away again: "Take him away, deal with him strictly!"

"Second Aunt's husband, I was wrong, I was really wrong, you have to save me, save me..."

Meng Shulin was handcuffed and dragged away. The guy struggled, looking at Yuan Hongbiao standing there motionless, and truly fell into despair.

"Dad, I am your own son! My mom handed me over to you, you have to be responsible for me..."

"Damn it!"

Everyone cursed inwardly, and then one by one, they were so excited they could almost fly; this piece of gossip was so sweet.

It was finally confirmed that the rumors were actually true; after all, it came from the mouth of the person involved, so it couldn't be fake.

Yuan Hongbiao's body swayed imperceptibly, but there was no expression on his face; he was very composed.

"Even if you are my son, for committing such an act that angers both heaven and man, you deserve to die!"

"Huh?"

The crowd was a bit confused again. Was this an admission? But thinking it over carefully, it felt wrong.

How could he admit such a thing in front of so many people? Yuan Hongbiao wasn't a fool; it was likely just angry talk.

Zhou Andong took a cigarette from his pocket, lowered his head to light it, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth; this was interesting.

The old branch secretary went into the room and took a look; Su Yuling had already been carried onto the kang by the police and covered with a sheet.

Since the perpetrator had been caught, the case became simple. The police station would issue a certificate, the brigade would issue the paperwork, and she could be cremated.

After all, in this era, some legal matters were not that rigorous.

The old branch secretary sighed again and said to a middle-aged man beside him: "Yuling, this child, has had a bitter life. Help arrange her funeral and make it look decent. As for the money, the brigade will cover it."

The middle-aged man was the village militia leader, a person of some standing in the village.

"Alright, I'll go organize people right now to let Yuling leave with dignity."

The villagers in the courtyard also chimed in: "Old Uncle Guan, we'll all help handle Yuling's funeral."

The old branch secretary nodded, looked up at the child in Seeing Jian Qiu's arms, and felt troubled: "What about this child?"

Everyone fell silent. Nowadays, everyone was just barely getting enough to eat; an extra child wasn't as simple as just an extra mouth to feed.

Especially one so young; not to mention the care for eating, drinking, and hygiene, just the cost of medicine and formula was a lot of money.

At this moment, everyone looked at Zhou Andong, and then at Seeing Jian Qiu.

The old branch secretary opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't let it out.

That woman said bluntly: "Young lady, this child cries no matter who holds her, but she doesn't cry in your arms. She must be fated with you; why don't you raise her?"

"Right, right, right!" Another woman said: "If it were a boy, we wouldn't say this. But she's just a girl, just an extra mouth to feed; when she grows up, you won't have to spend money to get her a wife."

Just now, Seeing Jian Qiu had learned about the child's mother's past from that older sister, and her eyes were red. Looking at the child in her arms, she felt heartbroken.

The mother had suffered since she was young, and now that she was so small, she had lost her mother too; it was too pitiful. Especially this child, who cried for everyone else but could calm down in her arms.

It was indeed as that older sister said; this child was fated with her. She was a bit tempted, but this wasn't something she could decide alone; Zhou Andong had to nod for it to happen.

The old branch secretary looked at Seeing Jian Qiu, then at Zhou Andong, who hadn't spoken. He knew this was putting them in a difficult position.

"Send the child to the orphanage in the city."

Zhou Andong didn't speak, but walked up to Seeing Jian Qiu, looked at the little one sleeping soundly, and carefully took her over.

The little one felt something, slowly opened her eyes, and blinked. A smile appeared on Zhou Andong's face.

It would have been fine if he didn't smile, but as soon as he did, the little thing's mouth puckered, and she burst into tears.

Seeing Jian Qiu hurriedly took her back, and the little one puckered her mouth and gradually stopped crying.

Zhou Andong gave a wry smile: "It seems she really is fated with you. If you want her, then keep her; our family isn't short of a bite for her to eat anyway."