Chapter 135 : Who will pay the compensation?

As soon as Su Xiaqiu and her group arrived at the entrance of Sun Dahan’s house, Chenchen and An an ran out to greet them.

Chenchen looked at Su Xiaqiu and asked eagerly, “Aunt Su, did you win? Are you hurt?”

Su Xiaqiu raised her eyebrows and smiled confidently, replying, “We won, a great victory.”

Uncle Du and Yan Daqiang lifted the two children and tossed them into the air a few times, making Chenchen and An an burst into joyful laughter.

Su Xiaqiu expressed her gratitude to Sun Dahan and Wang Fengqin, saying, “Brother Sun, Sister, thank you so much for your help today. And please thank Tiezhu for going out of his way to bring me the news.”

Wang Fengqin smiled and replied, “It’s nothing. We thought you were home alone, so we asked Tiezhu to go and inform you.”

After a brief chat between Uncle Du and Sun Dahan, the group headed back to Su Xiaqiu’s home.

Since it was still early in the day, Grandma Du and Grandpa Du prepared to return to work. It was the busy farming season, and work points earned during this time were higher than usual. By leaving now, they wouldn’t be late for the afternoon shift.

Su Xiaqiu, concerned that they hadn’t eaten enough earlier, tried to persuade them to stay for a meal. However, none of them agreed.

“Zhenyu’s wife, the noodles you made earlier were rich and filling. We’re all full now,” Grandma Du said with a smile.

Realizing she couldn’t convince them to stay, Su Xiaqiu went to the inner room to pack some items for them. She prepared three parcels: one for her grandparents’ house, one for Grandma Du’s house, and one for her aunt’s house.

Each parcel included a piece of bacon, some cloth, snacks, and a few pounds of rice. She also divided two kilograms of milk candies that the Chang family had gifted earlier in the day, keeping some for Chenchen and Anan and sharing the rest among the three households.

Upon seeing the generous offerings, Second Grandma of the Du family hesitated to accept them. “Zhenyu’s wife, we came here just to support you. We didn’t really help with anything. How can we take so much? Keep these for the children,” she said, placing the bag back on the table.

But Su Xiaqiu picked it up and pressed it into her hands, smiling. “Second Grandma, these are just small tokens of appreciation from us young folks. Please don’t refuse.”

Second Grandma was moved but hesitant as she peeked into the bag, seeing its contents. “This is too much,” she said, clearly overwhelmed.

Grandma Du stepped in and said firmly, “It’s a gift from the child. Just accept it. Why be so polite among family?”

With some reluctance, Second Grandma agreed. “Alright then, Zhenyu’s wife, Second Grandma will shamelessly accept these gifts,” she said with a chuckle.

“You’re being too modest,” Su Xiaqiu replied with a warm smile.

To ease their concerns about the abundance of items, Su Xiaqiu explained, “Grandma, Second Grandma, this is just a coincidence. A few days ago, I saved a child in the city, and these were gifts from their family to thank me. Even if you hadn’t come today, I would have sent these to you in a couple of days.”

Hearing this, Grandpa Du, who had been playing with Anan, looked surprised. “You saved someone? Tell us how it happened,” he asked.

Su Xiaqiu recounted the story briefly. “It wasn’t a big deal. I just lent a hand, but their family was very kind and sent these gifts as thanks.”

Grandpa Du shook his head and said solemnly, “It’s no small thing, Zhenyu’s wife. You saved a life.”

The others chimed in with praise, making Su Xiaqiu feel a bit shy.

Uncle Du glanced at the sky and said, “Let’s get going so we can earn full work points this afternoon.”

Grandpa Du agreed. “Yes, it’s time to head back. Otherwise, we’ll miss the start of the shift.”

As the group prepared to leave, Grandpa Du offered some parting advice. “Zhenyu’s wife, if the Yang families don’t deliver the compensation items to the brigade this afternoon, let someone inform me. Don’t try to handle it alone, you might suffer losses.”

“I understand, Grandpa,” Su Xiaqiu replied with a smile.

The agreement signed earlier stipulated that the families of Yang Chunhua and Yang Lanhua would deliver the compensation items to the brigade headquarters before their afternoon shift. The brigade leader would verify the items before handing them over to Su Xiaqiu.

After seeing everyone off, Su Xiaqiu took Chenchen and An an back inside. Spotting the bicycle in the yard, she realized she hadn’t returned it to the brigade leader yet. Since no one would be at the brigade headquarters at the moment, she decided to return it later in the afternoon when collecting the compensation. She also planned to bring a gift to thank the leader for mediating the issue so effectively.

Sun Dahan, Han Lei, Sun Dashu, and their families also helped to varying degrees today.  

Aunt Qiuye and Aunt Aihua, who had always been close to her, came over as well. She needed to show her gratitude to them too.  

Life is all about give and take, being generous ensures that when you face difficulties in the future, others will be willing to step forward and help.  

As Grandpa Du and his friends took the main road back, they encountered Han Zhenhua near the village entrance. He was carrying a few packets of medicine, likely for his wife and sister.  

When Han Zhenhua saw them, his face darkened, and he walked past without a word.  

Yan Erqiang sneered and asked Grandpa Du, “Grandpa, was it your idea or Zhenyu’s wife’s idea not to report them to the police today?”  

“That was Zhenyu’s wife’s suggestion, but I agreed with it,” Grandpa Du replied.  

After they left the Sanhua Brigade, Grandpa Du added, “No matter what, Han Baoguo is Zhenyu’s father. If we had reported them to the police and had them arrested, how could Zhenyu and his wife live in this village?  

“People would think they were heartless, and no one would dare to associate with them in the future. Even the captain might take issue with them.”  

Yan Erqiang muttered, “The Han family got off easy.”  

Grandpa Du chuckled. “Erqiang, today’s matter was handled well. We made them bleed and taught them a painful lesson. I doubt they’ll dare to trouble Zhenyu’s wife anytime soon.”  

He also offered his grandson some advice “Remember, unless there’s a deep grudge, don’t go to extremes. Always leave others a way out. If you push someone too far, they might retaliate out of desperation, and neither side will benefit.”  

“Understood, Grandpa,” Yan Erqiang said.  

Grandpa Du Er then turned to Grandpa Du and said, “Brother, Zhenyu’s wife is no ordinary woman. She’s brave and resourceful. When she fights, she doesn’t hesitate. When she argues, she doesn’t waste words, and every point she makes hits the Han family hard.”  

“That girl is impressive,” Grandpa Du agreed. “How many young women would think of asking their in-laws for help in a situation like this?”  

He continued, “It’s not that others wouldn’t think of it, but most young wives feel too embarrassed to speak out when bullied. Some don’t even dare to return to their parents’ home, let alone ask their husband’s relatives for help.”  

Grandpa Du chuckled at the memory. “When Erqiang came home to call us today, I really thought Zhenyu’s wife had been beaten. Only when we arrived did we realize she’d been the one doing the beating. She was just worried Yang Lanhua would retaliate and called us to back her up.”  

Meanwhile, things were far from peaceful in the homes of Yang Chunhua and Yang Lanhua.  

Yang Lanhua’s situation was relatively better. Although they were beaten and forced to pay compensation in money and food, at least her husband and son didn’t hold it against her.  

Yang Chunhua’s predicament was much worse. She had gone to help her sister and niece get revenge but ended up beaten and fined 20 yuan along with food and eggs.  

Her husband wasn’t the only one angry with her, her son and daughter-in-law were too.  

Her eldest son complained, “Mom, we went to help Second Aunt fight, and now you’re being blackmailed by Han Zhenyu’s wife. The compensation should be paid by Second Aunt’s family. You can’t expect us to help and pay for it too. If that’s the case, we might as well cut ties with them.”  

Her second son was even angrier. His wife had been beaten worse than his mother and sister-in-law, and now they were being asked to pay a significant amount of money and goods.  

His frustration boiled over, and he spoke to his mother with far less respect than before.  

“Mom, I’m going to find Second Aunt and Uncle. They need to take responsibility and pay this compensation!”