Chapter 276: Escort? No, custody!

Li Long guessed correctly, and Liang Wenyu reacted quickly. When Du Qiuping tidied her hair and clothes slightly and then "burst forth" toward Li Long, she noticed.

She had watched from beginning to end and always felt this girl wasn't simple, so when Li Long dodged behind her, Liang Wenyu grabbed her like an eagle catching a chick. No matter how Du Qiuping struggled, she couldn't break free.

Du Qiuping got angry and reached out to scratch Liang Wenyu's face with her nails. Liang Wenyu got angry too—this was really giving you face, wasn't it? She let go, stepped back, and then slapped the other party hard across the face.

At this, all sound went quiet.

Liang Wenyu's furious voice rang out:

"Do you really think I don't dare to hit you? If you bring that tantrum-throwing habit here again, I'll break your legs today!"

Du Qiuping, clutching her face, was originally prepared to wail again, but she didn't expect Liang Wenyu's words to be so ruthless.

She looked into the other party's eyes and then believed it—the other party was truly capable of doing it!

"The cause of the matter lies with me, so let me speak." Li Long saw that Du Qiuping had quieted down and said:

"This girl, let me state my solution. If you agree, then we'll do it this way. If you don't agree, then whether we go to the team or the township, it's all fine."

When he said this, the scene went quiet.

Indeed, although Li Long wasn't there earlier, he was the core. As long as he spoke, the matter was basically settled.

"But we must be clear: don't cause trouble again. This isn't back home. Most of the people in our team came here by struggling from back home, unlike you who just took a train here. They've suffered, so we don't recognize your acting and your fuss."

Once these words were said, Du Qiuping was still a bit confused, but everyone else understood. Li Long didn't want to drag this matter out. If it could be settled now, then that's how it would be resolved. If it couldn't be settled, and the girl continued to cause trouble, whether it was reporting to the authorities or breaking her legs, the Li family would be in the right.

You've run to someone else's house to cause trouble, and you still expect them to go easy on you?

Du Qiuping's face turned ugly instantly.

"Let's not talk about the cause of the matter; it's meaningless. It's reform and opening up now. Not to mention that it was a joke by my mother, even if it weren't, that can't determine my life. Xinjiang values free love. I have an intended and am engaged. I assume you found that out when you entered the village. So, it's impossible for me and you."

Gu Bo Yuan nodded approvingly as he watched Li Long speak so logically. Clarifying the matter first—that it was an old person's joke and couldn't be taken as truth—wasn't the old society, and there was no talk of parental orders.

"Now let's talk about how to resolve it—I heard a few sentences earlier. You and my mother are considered relatives, so we won't be too heartless on our side. We'll buy you a train ticket back and pay for your travel expenses. You go back home, okay? If you don't think that's okay, tell us what your requirements are. Of course, if you want to extort money or cause trouble, I advise you to think it over."

"You aren't someone to be trifled with, and my family isn't a soft persimmon. Think clearly before you speak."

Du Qiuping didn't speak. To leave, she was unwilling; to stay, she couldn't.

"Alright, everyone disperse." Li Long said to those watching the show, "There's nothing to see. Heckling isn't good. If you keep doing this, the day you and your husbands argue or fight, I'll lead a group of young men to watch the show and listen at your walls."

Once he said this, the group of older women immediately dispersed with laughter—in this day and age, people only listened at walls when someone was getting married. Li Long's words had an element of joking, but they also carried a bit of a threat. After Xu Haijun left, the young people in the team had no leader, but to be honest, in the last six months, many young people had been imitating Li Long.

If he were truly angered and led a group of young men to listen at their walls in the middle of the night, wouldn't they be laughed to death?

After the people dispersed, Du Qiuping lost even more momentum. Her eyes rolled again, but she had no more tricks. After all, she only had a little bit of cleverness; when she encountered a straightforward, powerful move, she was helpless.

Lu Dasao was at her door, and at this moment, she quietly exchanged glances with Liang Wenyu, clearly praising Liang Wenyu's fighting power.

"Lu Dasao, I still need your help." Li Long happened to see her and called out.

"Little Long, tell me what you need." Lu Dasao had always been on the Li family's side. Just now, watching Liang Wenyu's actions felt satisfying, and Li Long's words were well-spoken, so she was naturally willing to help.

"It's not appropriate for this girl to stay at our house. Let her stay in your courtyard for a while. Once our family sorts things out, we'll have her come back. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sure, sure, why wouldn't it be?" Lu Dasao didn't feel this was a trouble at all; on the contrary, she felt it was quite good to be able to help out here.

"Girl, let me make it clear to you: this is our neighbor. She is purely helping out of kindness by letting you stay for a while. If you don't behave at her house, don't blame our fellow villagers for being hard-handed." Li Long said, half-threatening and half-reminding.

Actually, causing trouble to this point was purely the girl's own doing. If she had spoken nicely, they could have discussed how to resolve it. But she grabbed people the moment she arrived and brought such a group of people—she wasn't a kind guest, and Li Long naturally wouldn't treat her like a delicate flower.

From beginning to end, Li Long arranged everything. Du Qiuping still didn't want to go with Lu Dasao, so Liang Wenyu said:

"If you don't go over, I'll drag you over..."

She stood up obediently and went over.

Lu Dasao didn't make things difficult for her, poured her a glass of water, handed her two tomatoes, and persuaded her:

"Girl, you say, why are you so unable to think clearly and cause such a big scene? Originally, you had a little bit of reason, but now you have none. The Li family are reasonable people; this matter was easy to resolve originally. Now it's good—the whole team is watching the show. Where does that leave the Li family and the Gu family's face? If there's no fate, just go back. Xinjiang looks good now, but the work isn't easy to do. Don't think money is easy to earn; some things aren't for everyone to do..."

On the Li family side, after Du Qiuping left, there was a moment of silence.

Li Long spoke first:

"I'll ride my bike to the county in a little while, first buy a ticket to Wucheng. I remember there are several trains to back home, I'll buy the earliest one."

"Don't ride a bike, how will you take her? Hitch the horse cart!" Li Jianguo said. "Mother, you come along too, and Juan's mother, you come together. We'll go to the county, buy tickets to Wucheng together, and ensure we put her on the train!"

"Right, right, right. If we give her the ticket and she doesn't go, and comes back halfway, ruining your and Xiaoxia's reputation, wouldn't that be bad?" Li Qing Xia also said. "We must put her on the train."

"What if she gets off halfway on the train?" Du Chunfang suddenly asked.

"Then... then we'll take her back!" Li Qing Xia suddenly said. "Forget it, Jianguo's mother, let's go back together. We'll take her back and deliver her to her mother's hands. Don't let her see money on the road; if she needs anything, we'll buy it. She won't be able to run, and she won't be able to escape. If anything happens after that, it won't have anything to do with us anymore—look at what kind of trouble you've caused?"

Li Qing Xia naturally didn't want to go back home. Here, he caught fish and sold fish every day, earned a lot of money, had plenty of motivation, and didn't have to do farm work—Li Jianguo and Liang Wenyu wouldn't let him do it, as long as he didn't cause trouble. Old people, you know, coming here was just to enjoy life.

However, this matter was caused by his wife, even if it was unintentional, it was the root. Since that was the case, he had to resolve the matter thoroughly.

"In-law, I'm sorry about this, but it has nothing to do with Little Long." Although Li Qing Xia was reluctant, he understood that the matter had to be resolved. To resolve it thoroughly, he had to take the person back; only when they reached home would it be over.

Gu Bo Yuan was a bit embarrassed and said:

"No need to go to such trouble, the matter wasn't what you wanted, in-law. This girl can come by herself, she can go back by herself. Just now Little Long said it clearly, if she causes trouble again, we won't be polite. You two just stay here, don't go to such trouble." "That won't do!" Li Qing Xia was usually very easygoing and would do whatever. But since this matter had already happened, he had made up his mind and wouldn't change it. "We have to be worthy of you on this side, but we also can't let this girl get lost. After all, she's a relative from over there, and we have to give an account to that side. In-law, don't worry, Jianguo's mother and I are in good health. After we take her back and stay home for a while, who knows, maybe in a month or two we'll come back."

The matter was decided, so there was no more to say. Gu Bo Yuan went home, and Li Long talked about buying tickets.

"You don't need to show your face." Li Qing Xia had the look of a head of the family this time. "Hitch the horse cart, let your brother take us to the passenger station. After buying the tickets, we'll go directly to Wucheng, and then buy tickets back..."

"Then I have to give you the money..." Li Long wanted to take out money.

"Give what money? The matter was caused by your mother, so we'll resolve it. Besides, selling fish these days, I've saved quite a bit of money, you don't need to pay."

"It can't just be like this." Li Jianguo said. "I have to take you to the station and put you on the train. Little Long will ride his bike to the county first. When the time comes, I'll drive the horse cart to the passenger station. I'll go to Wucheng with you. Little Long will take the horse cart to that large courtyard and park it. We aren't at ease with you going to Wucheng alone. Even if your health is good now, that girl isn't a kind person, we have to be careful."

"Fine." Li Qing Xia was also straightforward, and the matter was settled.

Li Jianguo said to Li Long again:

"Little Long, you take the horse cart back to the large courtyard, and when the time comes, go and explain it well to Xiaoxia. She will definitely know about this later. If you tell her first, at least she'll be mentally prepared, and if she encounters this later, she won't be laughed at."

!

"I know." Li Long nodded. Even if Li Jianguo hadn't said it, he would have explained it to Gu Xiaoxia.

"Let's do it this way." Li Jianguo made the final decision. "Everyone prepare. Father, Mother, stay home for a few days and then come back. Burning the stove here in winter is warmer than back home."

"Fine, fine." Li Qing Xia nodded.

Du Chunfang was a bit reluctant, but the matter started from her, so she definitely had to go back and talk to the younger generation.

But it concerned the girl's reputation, so it couldn't be publicized.

"Sister-in-law, you were amazing today." Li Long said to Liang Wenyu with a smile. "If it weren't for you, it would have been hard for us men to handle."

"Hey, aren't we all one family?" Liang Wenyu was a bit embarrassed now. "I was just anxious when I saw it, that's why I took action."

"It was necessary." Li Jianguo said. "If we didn't suppress her, there would be more chaos later."

Everyone knew there was no time to lose. They didn't even eat lunch. Li Jianguo hitched the horse cart, loaded Li Qing Xia, Du Chunfang, and Du Qiuping, and left the team.

Li Long rode his bike to the large courtyard first. By the time he arrived, Gu Xiaoxia had already gone to work and wasn't there.

Li Long parked his bike and went to the meat canteen to buy twenty steamed buns, then waited at the bus station. When Li Jianguo and the others arrived, Li Long bought the bus tickets, stuffed the buns to Li Jianguo, and urged him to be careful.

"You take the horse cart back," Li Jianguo said. "If I'm fast, I'll be back tonight; if I'm slow, I'll be back tomorrow."

Li Long didn't know if Du Qiuping had caused trouble on the horse cart, and he didn't care. Since he had made this decision, he had the awareness to bear the consequences.

Watching them enter the station, Li Long took the horse cart back to the large courtyard. This matter wasn't resolved yet; he had to wait for Li Qing Xia and the others to return home, resolve the matter, and send a telegram back before it was over.

Fortunately, Li Qing Xia and Du Chunfang were in good health and could handle the tossing, otherwise, this matter would have been hard to resolve.

Back at the large courtyard, Li Long unhitched the horse cart, wiped the horse's sweat, gave it water with salt, and then fed it the fodder he had brought.

Number Seventy-Six had been to the large courtyard, so it wasn't a stranger and was grazing leisurely in the backyard.

Li Long started making dinner. By the time Gu Xiaoxia returned, it was almost dark.

"Eh? When did you come over?" Gu Xiaoxia was somewhat surprised. "Are you planning to go into the mountains?"

"No." Li Long said. "Something happened at home, and I need to explain it to you."

Hearing that something happened at home, Gu Xiaoxia's heart rose instantly, and she said anxiously:

"What happened? Who had an accident? Is it serious?"

"Sit down, let's talk while we eat." Li Long had boiled cornmeal porridge—what the Northeast calls *dacha* porridge—steamed buns, steamed air-dried meat, prepared dipping sauce, and stir-fried green peppers with eggs. It was a very sumptuous meal, but Gu Xiaoxia had no appetite; she just wanted to know what happened.

Li Long explained the matter. After hearing it, Gu Xiaoxia let out a sigh of relief, her heart settled, and she said with emotion:

"This girl, she isn't easy either. Maybe something happened at home, like a forced marriage? Otherwise, how could she run so far?"

"She isn't easy, but the method she used was wrong." Li Long said. "If she had come and talked nicely, discussed it, we wouldn't have been so heartless. Using such extreme means is like putting us on a fire pit. How could we let her have an easy time?"

"Sigh." Gu Xiaoxia shook her head. "No wonder they say pitiful people must have hateful aspects. I saw the pitiful side with Sister Xiuzhu, but with this Du..."

"Du Qiuping."

"Right, with Du Qiuping, I saw that saying."

"Then you aren't angry?"

"What's there to be angry about?" Gu Xiaoxia shook her head. "The cause of the matter was said to be a word from Qiangqiang's grandmother. Actually, you and I both know she must have encountered something back home to dare to do this. This counts as a desperate gamble. But this scene she caused..."

"That's why I say, she ran into our family. If it had been a softer family, wouldn't she have been manipulated?" Li Long didn't sympathize much with this person. "This is deserved." (End of chapter)

"So you see, she happened to run into our family. If she'd run into a softer one, wouldn't she have been taken advantage of?" Li Long didn't have much sympathy for the person. "This is what she deserves." (End of chapter)