Gao Chao saw Lin Ning and gave her a lewd smile. “So, you’re Lin Ning? Come on, call me Uncle Gao, and I’ll have a nice chat with you about this matter.”

As he spoke, he actually reached out to touch Lin Ning’s hand. Lin Ning sneered. Damn it, does this guy think I’m some harmless kitten just because I’ve been quiet?

She kicked him hard in the groin. “How about I end your chances of ever having kids!”

“Ah—!”

Gao Chao doubled over, clutching his lower body and wailing in pain. He really might be finished; he wasn’t even married yet!

Fan’s mother and Fan Xiao’e ran out of the kitchen, immediately sensing the situation was bad. They tried to mediate. “Lin Ning, it’s all just a misunderstanding!”

“Misunderstanding, my foot! Save your excuses for the police!”

With that, Lin Ning walked to the stairwell and shouted, “Help! Help!”

The neighbors heard the commotion and came out. “What’s going on?”

“Uncle, Auntie, there’s a criminal here. Please help me call the police.”

In this era, people were very willing to help. Someone quickly ran to the police station and brought back the on-duty officers. Coincidentally, one of them was Xu Wang.

Xu Wang was surprised to see Lin Ning. “Lin Ning, what happened?”

Lin Ning explained, “They colluded to scam my brother.”

Xu Wang took Fan Ping and Gao Chao to the police station. Fan’s mother, Fan Xiao’e, and Lin Ning, as witnesses, also went along.

Not long after, the Lin family arrived. During questioning, the truth came out: Gao Chao was a repeat offender. He had scammed not only Lin Yong but also several others using similar tactics, always under fake names.

The case was clear. Gao Chao and Fan Ping were guilty of fraud, while Fan’s mother and Fan Xiao’e, as accomplices who harbored criminals, were also arrested.

The Fan family was dumbfounded. All they wanted was to get some extra money—how did it turn into a crime?

Fan Xiao’e cried and begged Lin Yong, “Lin Yong, my parents were just foolish for a moment. Please forgive them. We’ll pay you back. Can you ask the police not to arrest them?”

Lin Yong was stunned by the ugly truth. After a long silence, he asked, “When your father woke me up early in the morning to make coal balls, did you already know about this?”

“I…”

“You knew beforehand, didn’t you? You also knew that your parents deliberately starved me and didn’t let me eat, didn’t you?”

“I…”

“Fan Xiao’e, you always knew what your parents were doing to me. We’re husband and wife, yet you didn’t stand by me. Instead, you joined them in scamming me!”

“Lin Yong, my parents said that a son-in-law who suffers hardship will eventually become like a father-in-law. They just wanted to toughen you up. Isn’t that how new brides adjust to their in-laws’ homes?”

“Screw you! I’m done wasting my time with you. Go suffer with your parents in prison!”

Lin Yong slapped Fan Xiao’e across the face. “You ungrateful traitor! I’m divorcing you!”

Fan Xiao’e wasn’t one to back down. She screamed and clawed at Lin Yong’s face. “You’re the ungrateful one! You ate our food, lived in our house, lazed around every day, and didn’t even contribute a penny. Marrying you was the worst luck of my life!”

The two started brawling in the police station until the officers had to separate them.

In the end, Fan’s father found someone to negotiate, offering to compensate Lin Yong as long as they didn’t press charges.

Xu Wang explained to Lin Ning that in economic cases like this, jail time wasn’t mandatory. If the Fan family compensated them, they wouldn’t go to jail. But if they refused to pay, they would face prison time. The decision was up to the Lin family.

Lin Ning relayed this to the Lin family. Father Lin asked, “If they go to jail, we won’t get any money?”

“That’s right. You won’t get back a single penny of the 1,500 yuan if they go to jail. But if they pay, they won’t go to jail.”

Lin Yong said angrily, “I don’t want the money! Let them go to jail!”

Father Lin glared at him. “That money doesn’t belong to you alone! It’s the family’s money, and you don’t get to decide!”

Lin Yong begrudgingly kept quiet. Father Lin said, “Lin Ning, tell the police that if the Fan family is willing to compensate us double, we won’t press charges. If they refuse, let them go to jail!”

Lin Ning glanced at Father Lin. He always let Mother Lin take the blame for being the bad guy while he stayed in the background as the good guy. Now he wanted to use her as a pawn again? No way.

“If you want to negotiate the amount, you go talk to the police yourself.”

Father Lin glared at Lin Ning before going to Xu Wang himself. “Officer, we spent a lot of money when Lin Yong married Fan Xiao’e. Just compensating us 1,500 yuan isn’t enough. We also deserve compensation for emotional damages!”

Ha! He even knew about emotional damages. Xu Wang had seen plenty of cases like this. “How much do you want?”

“Double—3,000!”

Xu Wang nodded. “You can ask for as much as you want, but whether they agree is up to them. You’ll have to negotiate.”

Xu Wang brought Fan Ping out for a face-to-face discussion with Father Lin. When Fan Ping heard the Lin family wanted 3,000 yuan, he immediately started cursing. “You’re crazy! There’s no way! I only got 750 yuan. Giving you 1,500 is already too much!”

“Fine. If you don’t want to pay, then go to jail!”

Fan Ping gritted his teeth. Jail was out of the question. A few years behind bars would ruin him. “Alright, alright! Brother Lin, I don’t have 3,000. Can you ask for less?”

Finally, under the police’s mediation, Fan Ping agreed to pay the Lin family 2,000 yuan in exchange for avoiding jail time. As for Gao Chao, his repeated offenses meant no amount of money could keep him out of prison. He was sentenced.

After the Fan family was released, they scrambled to gather 2,000 yuan and handed it over to the Lin family. The next day, Lin Yong and Fan Xiao’e went to the civil affairs bureau to finalize their divorce. The Lin family also brought back all their furniture, officially ending this farcical marriage.

In her past life, Lin Yong and Fan Xiao’e had spent their entire lives happily together, free of any burdens.

When they got married, the original host’s dowry money bought them a house. The original host did all the work. Father Lin and Mother Lin enjoyed her care, and Mother Lin even helped raise their children. Later, they benefited from a land redevelopment project, becoming overnight millionaires, living in wealth and comfort for the rest of their lives.

But in this life, without anyone to leech off, no one to do their work, their lives had turned upside down. It was exactly what they deserved.

When Lin Ning returned home, she stretched out her hand. “As agreed, half the money recovered is mine. Hand over the 1,000 yuan.”

Lin Yong immediately objected. “Why should I? I’m not giving it to you!”

Lin Ning sneered. “I only staked out the Fan family because of Mom. If I hadn’t caught Gao Chao, you wouldn’t have gotten a single cent back! Hand it over!”

Mother Lin added, “Lin Ning, you don’t need money. Let’s just forget about it.”

“Ha! Next time you need help, don’t come to me. Ask your son instead! I won’t lift a finger for you again!”

Mother Lin wanted to argue further, but Father Lin counted out 1,000 yuan and handed it to Lin Ning. “Take it.”

Lin Ning pocketed the money. It was the first time Father Lin had ever been so generous. She tucked the money away and left.

Lin Yong complained, “Dad, you gave her the money. How am I supposed to buy a house now?”

“If you want a house, earn the money yourself! This money doesn’t belong to you—it’s the family’s money. We’ll decide how it’s spent. If we give it to you, you’ll just waste it again!”

“But without a house, how can I get married?”

“That’s your problem. Marry or don’t. Stay single forever for all I care!”

Lin Yong was furious. “If I don’t get married, the Lin family will have no heirs!”

Father Lin sneered. “I’ve already had a son. The Lin family name continues with me. If it ends with you, that’s your problem, not mine!”

After this incident, Father Lin and Mother Lin’s perspective changed. They realized that the child who could support them in old age mattered more. Sons or daughters—it didn’t matter. They had favored Lin Yong for over 20 years, and he had just abandoned them to join the Fan family. What use was such a son?

Meanwhile, Lin Ning returned to the Dong’an County Police Station. “Officer Xu, have you caught Morita yet?”

Xu Wang shook his head. “No. We’ve been searching for days but haven’t found any trace of him. He might be hiding in the mountains.”

Lin Ning said, “I have an idea. Let’s see if we can lure him out.”