Chapter 411

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Faced with the Niu family's shameless denial, even Police Station Chief Zhang laughed.

"Slander?" Police Station Chief Zhang stared at Old Man Niu. "Old Niu, you think so too? Or is it that what your son said at the police station was the truth? Come on, do you think I have nothing better to do than come here and play house with you?"

Seeing this, Old Lady Niu immediately started cursing and making a scene again: "Even if Dianfeng pushed her, so what? That broken shoe was the one who had no shame first! If she hadn't carried a bastard to trick him into marriage, would my son have been so angry he fainted? She got what she deserved!" She pointed at Sun Shengyue on the ground, then at the Chai family: "And the Chai family! Just now they rushed in and beat us! Look! Look at the injuries on my face! Police Station Chief Zhang, you have to uphold justice for us! This is trespassing! This is assault!"

Chai Youqing immediately retorted: "Beat you? Beating you is letting you off easy! You beat my niece like this, and we haven't even settled accounts with you yet! Police Station Chief Zhang, look at Uncle Lao Liu's beard! This old witch tore out a whole tuft! And us — who among us didn't take a few hits from them? Is this self-defense? This is a brawl! They hit my niece first, we only struck back! You have to uphold justice for us!"

Police Station Chief Zhang didn't respond to either side, but instead scolded the whole courtyard: "All of you, shut the hell up! Look at the good deeds you've done! A young girl, beaten until she miscarried, her head split open, still lying on the ground not knowing if she'll live or die! And you lot — you still have the mind to bite each other like dogs, a mouthful of fur! Pushing blame back and forth, accusing each other! Do you have any humanity left? Any respect for the law?!"

Police Station Chief Zhang's single shout instantly silenced the courtyard that had been clamoring nonstop.

Before long, Sun Shengyue was carried onto the vehicle and sent away. But Sun Yuguang still kept yammering endlessly for money.

Chai Mi didn't speak, but she knew Sun Yuguang all too well.

With Sun Yuguang's character, it would be strange if he didn't want money.

When his wife died, he wanted to extort money.

Now his daughter is about to die too, and he still wants to extort money.

Thinking of such a father.....

Chai Mi sometimes even felt Chai Youqing was at least not bad.

Although he's useless and blindly loyal, he's improved quite a bit recently.

At least this time he acted like a human.

Like a man.

Police Station Chief Zhang hugged his arms, expressionless.

He'd handled too many messes like this; he knew the score perfectly.

Handling it by the book was certainly possible, but the procedures were tedious, involved two villages, and the follow-up troubles would be a pile.

If it could be settled privately, he'd be happy to save the trouble, as long as both parties were willing.

He glanced indifferently at Wang Xiandong, didn't speak, which amounted to tacit permission for him to mediate.

Having received tacit permission, Wang Xiandong grew bolder, hurriedly turned to the Niu family, and said earnestly: "Old Niu, Old Sister-in-law! Listen to a word of advice! What's the situation now? Dianfeng personally admitted at the police station that his shoving caused the miscarriage! Police Station Chief Zhang is right here, how could it be fake? Just this one charge — intentional injury causing miscarriage — a sentence of one or two years wouldn't be heavy, right? Add the wound on Shengyue's head, also caused by you, two crimes combined, you think how long Dianfeng will have to stay inside? Three years? Five years? A fine youth completely ruined! When he gets out, can he still find work? Still marry a wife? Will your Old Niu family still have the face to stand in town?"

Old Lady Niu thought of her son, and finally stopped shrewishly cursing the streets; tears gushed out: "My son ah......"

Old Man Niu's face turned ashen; Niu Dianfeng was his only son who could hold up the family's honor — if he really went in for a few years, this family would be finished.

Wang Xiandong struck while the iron was hot, lowered his voice: "Old Brother! Money is a bastard thing, spent it can be earned again! If your son is ruined inside, that's truly finished! Think — is it better to cough up some money to buy peace, buy your son's safety, or to hold out stubbornly, let him go squat in prison, and have you two old folks poked in the spine for the rest of your lives?"

He then turned to Sun Yuguang sitting on the ground, tone softening: "Old Brother Sun, don't you go opening your mouth like a lion either! One thousand, two thousand — that's about enough! You want three thousand, five thousand? Three to five thousand could buy how many lives? I say, Old Niu family grit your teeth, scrape together two thousand yuan, call it medical expenses and nutrition fees, settle it once and for all! You take the money, hurry up and sign and press fingerprints, guarantee no further pursuit, and go to the police station to withdraw the case! From now on, both sides clean! How about it?"

"Two thousand?!" The moment Sun Yuguang heard money, his eyes instantly lit up; he scrambled up from the ground: "Two thousand is too little! No! At least two thousand eight! My daughter's body is severely depleted, who knows what illness she'll be left with in the future!"

"Two thousand eight? Sun Yuguang, you're poor and crazy! Two thousand five! Take it or leave it!"

"Two thousand six! Not a single cent less!" Sun Yuguang wouldn't budge an inch.

Wang Xiandong hurriedly smoothed things over: "Alright alright! Stop arguing! Two thousand six! Just two thousand six! Old Niu, hurry up and get the money! Old Brother Sun, you know when to stop! Police Station Chief Zhang and Village Chief Liu are here, serving as witnesses! This matter is settled like this — whoever goes back on their word is a son of a bitch!"

Old Man Niu glared fiercely at Sun Yuguang, then looked at the expressionless Police Station Chief Zhang and the frowning Liu Zhanggui, and knew today this money had to be paid or there was no getting past it.

Chai Youqing, Chai Youfu, Old Liutou, and the other Chai family men all stared at Sun Yuguang with mouths agape.

Chai Youqing trembled with rage: "Sun Yuguang! You son of a bitch, are you even human? That's your own daughter! You just sold her off like that?"

Sun Yuguang's eyes now held only the money about to reach his hands: "Sell what sell! This is for her own good! Take the money, cure her injuries, later find a good family to live a good life! Much better than deadlocking with the Niu family, ending up with nothing in the end!"

Chai Mi let out a cold laugh: "Uncle-in-law, your abacus beads are really precise. Two thousand six — indeed enough for a thick burial, even the coffin boards can be picked thick."

Old Man Niu came out quickly, clutching a thick stack of new and old bills — tens, fives, even ones and twos — clearly he'd turned out the whole family savings. He handed the money to Wang Xiandong with trembling hands.

Wang Xiandong didn't even count it, just stuffed it into Sun Yuguang's hands: "Here, two thousand six! Count it face to face! Once you walk out this door, we owe each other nothing!"

This matter was thus past.

However Sun Shengyue turns out later, Chai Mi couldn't be bothered to care; anyway this trip had infuriated several Chai family members, all saying Sun Yuguang wasn't a thing, wanting to draw a clear line with Sun Yuguang.

On this side, Chai Mi's greenhouse was already basically finished — walls up, frames done, plastic all covered, and even a simple caretaker's hut built.

This hut was actually extremely simple — just a four-by-four-meter lean-to, with a kang inside, no stove, couldn't cook, only sleep. Still a bit cold.

Later Chai Mi found someone to pile earth against the north and west gable walls, and that made it somewhat warmer.

Next were just a few relatively simple tasks — one was buying seedlings, one was buying cotton quilts. As for planting the seedlings after buying them back, that's a matter for later.

But the most critical matter is, we need someone to keep night watch.

Plainly put, someone has to watch that plot at night.

After all, six greenhouses are huge; Chai Mi can't stay there every day. Daytime there are many people, no problem; but deep in the night when all is quiet, what if a bad person shows up?

Although Chai Mi had already built a wooden fence along the west wall, she still wasn't at ease.

Once your own days get better, there are too many people with red-eye disease.

This era is most damn afraid of this.

And there's no surveillance, so this is the most annoying.

So after returning, the next morning, Chai Mi went to Old Liutou's house.

When she saw Old Liutou, the old man was still cursing Sun Yuguang for not being a thing.

Actually after this battle, Chai Mi sometimes also thought Chai Youqing wasn't bad sometimes; these two days her attitude toward him had improved a tiny bit.

"Liu Yeye, you're really something. Day after day, what are you cursing him for? Isn't it tiring enough?"

Old Liutou blew his beard and glared: "Pah! That calf of a plaything, truly makes me lose face."

This time the Chai Family truly lost face.

Of course, the one who lost the most face was probably Sun Yuguang.

And the one suffering the most should be Sun Shengyue.

After all this turmoil, Sun Shengyue could be said to be a celebrity in the surrounding area.

Her reputation stank to high heaven.

How to describe it...

... she just wanted to marry far away.

Mm, this is the literal meaning — Sun Shengyue could no longer marry locally. Anyway, around Ke County it was hopeless. Even the whole Liaoxi region was scorching.

As for marrying elsewhere.

That would only work if she met a blind man.

After all, this trip basically offended everyone. Not to mention her character was ruined, even Chai Youqing avoided Sun Shengyue.

If I'd known earlier, Chai Youqing this person is so damn despicable...

And originally because of Chai Chunfang's issue, Sun Yuguang fell out with the old house; Chai Youde's side was a dead end. Later because of the matchmaking issue, he also fell out with Chai Chunwei, and now this happened again.

Basically, Sun Shengyue and her maternal grandmother's side had relations deteriorated to the extreme.

And originally Sun Yuguang didn't get along with his brothers either.

It's not an exaggeration to say, now Sun Shengyue and Sun Yuguang, the two of them, even rabbits look down on them.

In this situation, locally it's impossible for anyone to introduce a match for her.

People nearby inquire once, and they definitely won't agree.

After all, Sun Shengyue's reputation is perhaps heaven-defying: a mother who hanged herself at her maternal grandmother's door, a father who didn't care about his wife and daughter's lives for money, an uncle whose head was cracked open when her younger sister was only eight, and herself, pregnant before marriage and then miscarried...

Maternal grandmother doesn't dote, maternal uncle doesn't love, uncles despise, paternal grandmother looks down. Aunt doesn't get along, several aunts are like strangers.

With this relationship network...

Tell it to anyone, who wouldn't be scared!

Bad people still have a few accomplices, but her Sun Shengyue's family — that's truly house open door, stove fire pit dig well.

A mess, no longer a mess.

More miserable than family ruin and death.

Chai Mi was very satisfied.

"Liu Yeye, let us two grandpa and granddaughter discuss some proper business."

Lao Liutou cursed and swore a few more sentences, asking: "How much fake wine did you drink, discussing proper business with me? What proper business could I have... I'm not stealing trees today, day off."

Chai Mi just smiled: "Really. You go help me watch the greenhouse."

"I damn well won't go." Lao Liutou froze: "What... watch the greenhouse?"

Chai Mi nodded: "Just night watch, sleep there at night. The house I've already built for you..."

"I saw it, that little house, better than where I live. At least it's damn brick." Lao Liutou himself had two rooms, blue brick, but about to collapse. "Wait, if I go, what about your Liu Grandmother?"

Chai Mi froze, touched Lao Liutou's forehead: "Stop messing around. My Liu Grandmother has been gone over ten years... you be serious, go or not, ten catties of meat a month plus a bag of rice, a bag of flour, a bag of vermicelli, a bucket of oil. Later there's land you can grow vegetables yourself."

Lao Liutou was dissatisfied: "Not Chai Mi, you damn even white-whore me at nearly seventy? Not give a single cent?"

"Add a hundred catties of baijiu a year. That greenhouse I'm leaving one empty, that's two mu of land, I'll split you two mu. Land is mine, you plant and harvest yourself. If you can contract those ten-plus mu, you plant and harvest yourself, I'll split half too."

Lao Liutou gasped: "Hiss..."

"White-whore night watch not enough, you still white-whore me farming. Those two mu I can't farm either, I'm really seventy... Big Granddaughter, how about this, you at least add twenty yuan a month. Okay?"

"What do you need money for? You can't spend it anyway?" Chai Mi frowned: "You can't even walk to the market... how about this, whatever you lack, just go to the small shop, put it on Song Qiushui's account. This work?"

"Then I'd have to buy two sets of clothes. I damn well can't make clothes myself..."

"I'll issue them to you..."

"I'll go... but you can't stop me from stealing trees."

"That's a given. That's closer to the forest... steal more, clean them out, later my land reclamation is all mine." Chai Mi said smiling.

Lao Liutou agreed: "Which day start work?"

"Today. Anyway you sleep alone wherever, there's still a lamp there. I'll even get you a radio, three stations, quite satisfying."

"Fine then..."

"No pot, if you want to cook bring your own pot. Or this afternoon I'll send the pots and pans and rice flour etc. over."

With someone night-watching, Chai Mi felt much more at ease.

After explaining some things to Lao Liutou, Chai Mi returned home.

Chai Mi pushed open the courtyard gate, carrying the evening coolness and smell of earth. Su Wan was at the kitchen stove stirring a pot of steaming corn paste.

Lots of things recently, irritable beyond measure, Chai Mi said to eat light today, so Su Wan cooked this corn paste.

Still our own corn, eating it tastes very sweet.

Chai Mi told Su Wan about hiring Lao Liutou to night-watch, and not giving money, only providing food.

Su Wan didn't even lift her head, asking: "How? Your Liu Yeye agreed?"

"Agreed." Chai Mi knocked the mud off her shoes on the door frame, "Conditions settled, tonight he moves to that little shed. Food and necessities I said I'd send over this afternoon."

Su Wan's hand stirring corn paste paused: "He's that old, can he manage? That place at night isn't like the village, desolate."

"Rest easy Mom," Chai Mi walked to the water vat ladling water to wash hands, "Lao Liutou is craftier than a wild rabbit, body sturdy. Besides, that shed at least has brick walls, better than his old house about to collapse. He's happy, still thinking stealing trees is convenient."

"Ai, true." Su Wan sighed, "Someone watching is better than no one. Just afraid he gets drunk and confused at night."

"Confused is even better, wakes up fast at any noise." Chai Mi shook water off her hands, face carrying a teasing smile, "I told him, steal trees just don't get caught red-handed."

Actually, putting a person at the greenhouse is no different in nature from tying a dog.

It's just to prevent thieves from having designs on it.

But if someone really wants to harm you, you can't escape even at home.

Chai Mi still knows this much.

And frankly, several families have already moved over to the greenhouse side to live there now, it's about the same as the village, quite safe.

Just as they were speaking, Chai Youqing squeezed out from the inner room; today his complexion was good, his face glowing with a touch of red. He heard the second half of the sentence and immediately shouted: "Watch the sheds? Does that job need Lao Liutou? I'll do it! I'll sleep in that shack, guaranteed to be more alert than Lao Liutou! Saves you giving him that rice, flour, and meat!" He patted his chest, striking a "who else but me" pose.

Chai Mi glanced at him, the corner of her mouth twitching, revealing a half-smile-half-not expression; she didn't take the bait, turning to fetch the towel hanging on the wall to wipe her hands.

Chai Youqing was stifled by her reaction, a bit embarrassed, yet unwilling to give in: "What? Don't trust your dad? I..."

"Dad," Chai Mi cut him off, tone flat, "it's cold at night over at the sheds, the ground gives off damp. Can your old cold-in-the-legs take it? Lao Liutou has thick skin and tough flesh, durable. Besides, he can at least steal some trees or whatever to burn for fire himself. The kang head won't go cold... you... forget it. Just stay home, in a couple days you'll have plenty to be busy with."

Chai Youqing still wanted to argue, but Su Wan had already ladled out the corn gruel, glaring at him: "Alright alright, listen to Chai Mi! Eat! You'll just groan and moan all day if you go, what trouble are you adding? Let you tend the fire and prepare firewood, would you know how? You've never prepared firewood in your life, you only know how to be stubborn!"

Yelled at by his wife, Chai Youqing muttered "I'm perfectly healthy" a couple times, but ultimately didn't persist, returning to the room with a huff.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chai Mi rode that inverted donkey out the door. Today she had to go to the Township Agricultural Technology Station to pick up seedlings. The township's promotion of greenhouse policy was good; tomato seedlings were free. This bargain, not taking it would be foolish.

And supposedly they're all good hybrid varieties, cold-resistant. And they're grafted seedlings; anyway they're all good stuff cultivated in the south, first time brought here for promotion.

Bumping along all the way to the agricultural technology station, several people also there to collect seedlings were lined up at the window. When it was Chai Mi's turn, she handed over the slip stamped with the village's red seal: "Comrade, collecting persimmon seedlings, quantity for six sheds."

The bespectacled technician inside the window looked at the slip, then looked up to size up Chai Mi and her beat-up tricycle, pushed his glasses: "Six sheds? You're Chai Mi? From Sanjiacun?"

"Right." Chai Mi nodded.

The technician rummaged in the drawer, pulled out a form to verify: "Mm, there's a paitiao. Your village reported six sheds' quota, approved... wow!" The technician saw the number clearly, looked up a bit surprised, "Approved thirty thousand plants! Grafted seedlings, strong disease resistance! You... can you haul that many?"

"Thirty thousand?!" Chai Mi's heart gave a violent jump; this was far more than the four thousand per shed she had anticipated! Thirty thousand free plants! Simply a pie falling from the sky! She forcibly suppressed her wild joy, keeping her face as calm as possible, "Approved that many? Then... then definitely take them! Thank you... thank you, Comrade!"

The higher-ups really put great effort into promotion this time; seedlings free, plastic film free for three years, bamboo poles half price, heard later they'll also give drip irrigation pipes, going to do some water-saving temperature-control model.