Chapter 56

“She deserved it!” 

In front of Yin Zhihe’s eldest sister, Lu Baiwei refused to back down. 

“Lu Jiaojiao, an adult, involved herself in a fight between children and even slapped my Xiao Qi.” 

“He’s such a small child, and she left a visible handprint on his face.” 

“So what if I slapped her?” 

“If she bullies children and acts inhumanly, one slap is too little for her.” 

“That’s not right! It was several of your Tang family kids ganging up on my child. Look at the bruises all over my son!” 

Yin Zhihe’s eldest sister pulled her child forward to show the bruises to the team members and Cadre Qian. 

She stood up for her sister-in-law. “Jiaojiao was just distressed for my son. As his aunt, she couldn’t stand by while her nephew was beaten.” 

With Yin Zhihe’s sister backing her, Lu Jiaojiao became smug and even managed to squeeze out a few more tears for show. 

Lu Jiaojiao was clearly using Yin Zhihe’s sister as a tool. 

A fool who suddenly thought she’d grown a brain? 

But Lu Baiwei wasn’t one to be underestimated—she knew the Yin family like the back of her hand. 

If Lu Jiaojiao wanted to stir trouble by inciting Yin Zhihe’s sister, Lu Baiwei could just as easily turn the tables and deepen the cracks already present in the relationship between Yin Zhihe’s sister, her brother, and her sister-in-law. 

Lu Baiwei got straight to the point. “The fight between the children started because your son insulted my Xiao Qi, calling him a child with no parents, and then threw rocks at him.” 

“My Xiao Qi has only been in this brigade for a few days.” 

“Your son only arrived today, didn’t he?” 

Lu Baiwei turned to Yin Zhihe’s sister and asked sharply, “So where did he learn that my child is an orphan with no parents?” 

Yin Zhihe’s sister’s expression changed. She immediately realized that she’d fallen for Lu Jiaojiao’s manipulation. 

Her initial resolve to defend Lu Jiaojiao turned into anger as she glared at her. 

Lu Baiwei wasn’t done—she added fuel to the fire, ensuring Yin Zhihe’s sister saw Lu Jiaojiao for who she truly was. 

“Yue’e, you’ve always cared about your brother and supported your sister-in-law, and that’s fine.” 

“But sometimes, you need to be cautious. Don’t let others teach your children the wrong things.” 

“Think about it—how did my dear sister end up marrying your brother?” 

Lu Baiwei’s tone was sharp as she asked, “Do you think someone like her is fit to raise your children?” 

Yin Zhihe’s sister fell silent. 

She had sent her children to Xiangyang Brigade this time because her mother-in-law was ill, and she had to juggle work while caring for her. She simply didn’t have time to manage her two kids. 

Even though she knew her mother, Shen Guixiang, had agreed to look after the kids partly to use the opportunity to extort money from her to subsidize her brother, she had chosen to forgive Shen Guixiang once more, despite the mess of Yin Zhihe’s wedding. 

But now, with Lu Baiwei’s pointed remarks, she suddenly realized: if she left her children in the hands of people like Shen Guixiang and Lu Jiaojiao, they might truly be ruined. 

After Lu Baiwei’s reminder, Yin Zhihe’s eldest sister suddenly realized that leaving her children in the care of Shen Guixiang and her sister-in-law Lu Jiaojiao would indeed ruin them. 

The claim that someone else’s child had no parents? That was clearly something Lu Jiaojiao taught her son. 

Her child got beaten up because of it, and now Lu Jiaojiao was crying and asking her to stand up for her as the older sister. 

Like mother, like daughter-in-law! 

Her mother, Shen Guixiang, was full of schemes, and this sister-in-law was no better. 

Yin Zhihe’s sister said nothing, glaring angrily at Lu Jiaojiao, clearly implying she’d deal with her at home. 

Because she had a mother like Shen Guixiang, Yin Zhihe’s sister didn’t want her children to follow in her footsteps. She placed great importance on her kids’ character, and Lu Jiaojiao had just stepped on her biggest sore spot, thoroughly offending her. 

With Yin Zhihe’s sister temporarily out of the picture, Lu Jiaojiao stepped up herself. 

“I’m not wrong! So what if I told Xiao Jun that the He family’s brat has no parents?” 

“His parents were sent to the labor farm—he is a kid with no parents.” 

“What kind of child with parents ends up in the countryside, living with his uncle and aunt?” 

Initially, when the two little kids arrived in Xiangyang Brigade, the locals crowded into the Tang family’s home, curious to see what children from the big city looked like. 

Xiao Qi and Ranran were adorable, quickly endearing themselves to the brigade members. 

But now, with Lu Jiaojiao’s pointed remarks, the villagers started to realize something. 

“That’s right!” 

“What kind of kid with parents lives with an uncle and aunt?” 

There must’ve been trouble in their family. 

In those days, having a “bad family background” was a serious stigma. The simple-minded Xiangyang villagers quickly developed an instinct to avoid the two children. 

The group of kids who had been happily playing with Xiao Tang and He Yunqi now pulled their children away, stepping back a pace. They were just short of showing outright disdain on their faces. 

This was exactly what Lu Jiaojiao had been waiting for. 

She wanted the two children to be rejected and ostracized by the brigade, and she wanted Lu Baiwei and He Ting to be disdained alongside them. More importantly, she wanted to drag the Tang family down as well. 

“So what if Tang Jinghe is the brigade leader?” 

“If your niece’s husband has a bad family background, what does that make you? Still so arrogant?” 

With a triumphant sneer, Lu Jiaojiao turned to Lu Baiwei and shouted, “Look at this, dear sister! You were so careful in choosing, yet you ended up marrying into a family with bad roots. From the old to the young, they’re all counter-revolutionaries!” 

Lu Baiwei: “…” 

Her hand itched. She wanted to slap Lu Jiaojiao again. 

Lu Baiwei couldn’t tolerate anyone insulting anyone related to He Ting. 

Since the thought occurred, she decided to act on it.

Since the thought had crossed her mind, Lu Baiwei decided to act on it. 

Just as Lu Jiaojiao was getting up from the ground, Lu Baiwei gathered strength and slapped her again, this time sending her crashing to the ground. 

“Lu Baiwei, are you out of your mind? You married a bad element, and now you’re still hitting people?” 

“You’re only bullying people because you’re relying on the power of your uncles!” 

Lu Jiaojiao covered her face, furious, and shouted to Cadre Qian, who was watching from the sidelines, “Cadre Qian, you must arrest Lu Baiwei, this troublemaker! She has an uncle who’s a brigade leader who protects her, and another uncle who’s a military officer—she’s nothing but a bandit and a bully!” 

“She bullies the villagers in the brigade. She’s always hitting people!” 

It looked like Tang Jingchuan, her old classmate, wasn’t going to enjoy the show anymore! 

Now that it was all out in the open, Cadre Qian had no choice but to step in and mediate. 

“This comrade, who told you that He Ting’s family are bad elements?” 

Cadre Qian’s face turned serious. “Spreading rumors and slandering others can get you arrested.” 

“No!” 

Lu Jiaojiao was in disbelief. 

How could Cadre Qian be siding with He Ting and Lu Baiwei? 

Under everyone’s watch, could it really be because of his good relationship with the Tang family that he was so clearly biased? 

She had reported them as bad elements, but now she was being warned. Lu Jiaojiao was furious. 

Suddenly, it dawned on her, and she pointed at Cadre Qian and Tang Jingchuan. “Aha, so you two are in it together!” 

“This comrade,” Cadre Qian’s expression grew even sterner, “You can joke about food, but you can’t make careless remarks.” 

“I came to Xiangyang Brigade today to deliver household registration transfer documents for He Yunqi and He Yunran from Beijing.” 

“If the He family were truly bad elements, our organization wouldn’t have approved the transfer of their household registration to Xiangyang Brigade.” 

“He Ting’s family voluntarily applied to go to the northwest to plant trees and contribute to the country. Our organization supported He Ting’s niece and nephew moving to Xiangyang Brigade.” 

Cadre Qian looked at Lu Jiaojiao with a stern warning: “This comrade, you’re slandering a young intellectual’s family who has contributed to the nation. Your behavior is extremely reprehensible.” 

“You’re chasing shadows, and I suspect you have ulterior motives. You’ll come with me to the commune for an investigation.” 

Lu Jiaojiao was completely stunned. 

How could this be happening? 

Why was it so different from her previous life?