“You! He’s my grandson—are you seriously trying to tell me I can’t discipline him?” Old lady Lin fumed.

Song Wei replied calmly, “Yes, he’s your grandson. But if you beat him so badly he can’t work, then your family will owe me 130 yuan plus a watch coupon. Your choice.”

Old lady Lin yelled, “130 yuan?! Why not just rob a bank! That little pest isn’t worth it!”

“Bah, he’s nothing but a troublemaker—just like his good-for-nothing mother! Eating and living at my expense, and the one thing I ask him to do, he messes it up. I should’ve drowned him at birth!” old lady Lin’s words were laced with venom, cursing Heidan with every slur she could think of.

By now, even the bystanders were disgusted, unable to listen any longer.

Just then, the Captain arrived, looking worn out. Granny Lin was a notorious troublemaker, and the others struggled to handle her.

“Granny Lin, is this how you talk about your own grandson?” he asked with a scowl. “Even if you raised a dog, you’d feel something for it by now. What exactly are you trying to do?”

The captain’s tone was sharp, his voice carrying an edge of anger as he remembered the bruises covering Heidan’s small body.

But old lady Lin, still lost in her anger, didn’t notice the captain’s glare. Instead, she began pointing fingers at Song Wei.

“Captain, you have to do something! This girl is nothing but a troublemaker. She shows up with a broken watch just to get free labor out of my grandson. And yesterday, she even attacked Lin Youfu! Look at my daughter-in-law’s face—it’s all swollen from her beating!”

Old lady Lin dragged her eldest daughter-in-law over to show the captain.

“See? Song Wei is vicious! She may look young and harmless, but she’s as cunning as they come. You can’t let someone like her stay in the brigade. Who knows what trouble she’ll stir up next?”

The captain didn’t even have time to respond before his wife, Wu Xinghua, marched over, hands on her hips.

“Old lady Lin, why are you screaming like a banshee? Does being the loudest make you right?” She roughly pried old lady Lin’s grip from her husband’s hand. “And what’s with grabbing onto my man like that?”

Old lady Lin’s touch made her cringe. It was revolting.

The captain, too, was thoroughly annoyed. Old lady Lin’s grip was surprisingly strong for her age.

“Xinghua, be careful. Some folks may be old, but their hearts sure aren’t,” someone in the crowd muttered snidely.

Many in the village, especially those who lived nearby, harbored grudges against old lady Lin’s family, finding them brazen and insufferable. They’d made plenty of enemies over the years.

“What did you just say, you shameless old hag?” Old lady Lin retorted, now turning on one of her neighbors. “I haven’t even gotten to the part about your grandson bullying my little grandson, but here you are butting in!”

“Enough!” the captain shouted, his face darkening. “Everyone, be quiet! Keep this up, and you won’t get any work points today!”

At the mention of work points, which affected everyone’s food rations, the crowd finally fell silent.

“Song Wei, explain what’s going on,” the captain said. He didn’t look at her angrily, having already spoken to her earlier.

Song Wei nodded and recounted how old lady Lin had spread rumors about her and Lin Youfu, then explained the story about the broken watch.

The leader glanced at the watch in Song Wei’s hand, inhaling sharply. Song Wei’s strategy was no small gesture—that watch cost 130 yuan! Some families didn’t even make that much in a year. It was an expensive item.

Old lady Lin jumped in, her tone harsh. “What rumor? That’s the truth! My grandson said it himself, and your kind should consider yourself lucky if my grandson is interested in you. But no, you had to act all stuck-up!”

“Silence!” The captain gestured to the scorekeeper. “Deduct three work points from old lady Lin’s household.”

Old lady Lin’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected him to do that. She let out a howl and began to throw a fit, while her daughters-in-law grew visibly anxious. Work points meant food for the whole family, after all.

“If you keep this up, I’ll deduct even more,” the captain warned.

Old lady Lin and her daughters-in-law fell silent, no longer daring to cause a scene.

“Do you have any proof of your accusations against Song Wei and Lin Youfu? Did anyone see them together?” the captain asked.

Old lady Lin huffed indignantly. “My grandson said so, and that’s enough!”

“And that’s enough for you to believe him? Who in this village has ever seen Song Wei and Lin Youfu together? You all just open your mouths and say whatever you want, not caring how it can ruin a young woman’s reputation. If Song Wei files a report with the police and they investigate Lin Youfu, he could end up in jail for slander.”

Lin’s face paled, and her eldest daughter-in-law, Deng Chunhua, looked even more alarmed.

“She wouldn’t dare!” Deng Chunhua shrieked.

Song Wei folded her arms, smirking. “Try me. Just look at your precious Lin Youfu. I bet he’d be scared stiff the moment he sees a police officer.”

Most people in those days were frightened of the police, and Lin Youfu was the type to crumble at the slightest pressure.

“You can’t report us!” Deng Chunhua screamed. “You slandered me and my mother-in-law too!”

Song Wei smiled innocently. “Oh, that? I was just kidding.”

“You…” The Lin family hadn’t expected her to brush it off so lightly. Old lady Lin’s hand shook in rage as she pointed at Song Wei, helplessly furious. She had finally met her match.

Song Wei looked at old lady Lin and her family. “So, does Lin Youfu have any relationship with me?”

Her casual smile was cold, almost as if daring them to find out what would happen if they pushed her further.

Old lady Lin scowled. “No, he doesn’t! My grandson is a fine man and wouldn’t look at someone like you—a weakling who wouldn’t be able to bear healthy children!”

The crowd exchanged disdainful looks. Just a moment ago, Granny Lin had claimed her grandson was interested in Song Wei. Now, fearing legal trouble, she was changing her tune and even insulting Song Wei.

The captain turned back to the matter of the watch. “Since Heidan broke Song Wei’s watch, the Lin family either has to pay the 130 yuan, or Heidan can work for her to pay it off. Song Wei’s being generous enough not to demand immediate payment.”

Old lady Lin sneered. “Fine! But don’t expect us to feed or house Heidan anymore!”

The captain gave a bitter laugh. “And just what ‘precious’ food were you feeding him? Lin Zhen sends monthly support specifically for his younger brother. Has any of that money actually gone toward Heidan’s care?”

Old lady Lin’s gaze faltered for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and retorted, “I’ve raised Heidan to this age, haven’t I? Feeding and clothing him all these years wasn’t free, you know! Besides, Lin Zhen is also my grandson, so part of that support money is for his grandparents!”

The captain’s patience was nearly gone. “How thick-skinned can you be?”