Chapter 3: Snatch Back the 888

“Oh my dear, what on earth did that Zhang family do to you? How did my good, obedient girl turn into this after just one day at their house? Tell me quickly, I’ll go settle the score with them right now!”

Lin Wangsheng was also crying. “Bingwei, don’t be rash! Talk to us properly and let your brother go.”

Lin Bingwei said flatly, “I already told you, you sold me off. Don’t expect me to talk nicely to you.”

“This… When did we ever sell you? We really didn’t!”

“Didn’t sell me? Hah! If you didn’t, then why did you take 888 yuan from the Zhang family?”

The two of them: “……”

“You never treated me as your real daughter.”

“How can you say that? We raised you all these years—how could we not treat you as our own?”

“Don’t you know what kind of family the Zhangs are? They deal with shady, sinister things and are haunted by a pregnant ghost seeking revenge. Who in their right mind would send their own daughter to that family?

Zhang Tingyuan’s eldest sister-in-law was married into that house for just a year. And what happened? After only one year, she became a widow. She ran away and abandoned her child!

Anyone who marries into their family is just there to raise that mute kid for them.

And Zhang Tingyuan? He might not live long either. We just got married yesterday, and last night, he ran off. Who knows if he’ll ever come back?

Tell me, what were you two thinking? What kind of parents would do this to their own daughter? Answer me! Didn’t you sell me off for 888 yuan?”

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua were completely speechless.

Since when did this timid pushover, who never even dared to talk back, become so sharp-tongued?

“Hah.” Lin Bingwei let out a cold laugh. Her grip on the hatchet tightened, and with a forceful push, she shoved Lin Yaozu onto a nearby stool.

The hatchet pressed against his neck, as if she could chop his head off at any moment.

Like a madwoman, she shouted, “If you won’t let me live peacefully, then none of us will! This whole family, let’s just die together!”

“Ahhhh—!” Lin Bingwei screamed.

Lin Yaozu was so terrified that he lost control of his bladder and bowels, screaming even louder than she did.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua also started shrieking.

The four of them were all screaming at once, causing a huge commotion. The neighbors, alarmed, began gathering outside, unsure of what was happening.

They didn’t dare open the door just yet, so they stood outside, eavesdropping.

“Bingwei, tell us what you want, just say it! I’m begging you, let your brother go. He’s scared out of his wits!”

The stench in the room was unbearable, and Lin Bingwei felt like she was going to pass out from the smell.

Feeling that she had terrorized them enough, she decided not to drag things out any further.

“Hand over the 888 yuan you sold me for. I’m returning it to the Zhang family to buy back my freedom.”

“Huh?” 888 yuan—not 8 yuan 80 cents! How could they possibly give that up?

That was practically their lifeblood!

“Don’t joke around! I already told you—we didn’t sell you, we married you off to the Zhang family. If you ever miss home, you can always come back! That 888 yuan was the Zhang family’s bride price for you. You can’t be foolish and give it back!”

“The bride price for me?” Lin Bingwei sneered at Bihua. “If it was for me, then why didn’t you marry into their family instead?”

“T-this… No, it was the bride price for you. Mom was just holding onto it for you.”

“Oh? If it was my bride price, then give it back to me.”

“No, it—it was given to me…”

“So, was it for you or for me? If it was for you, then you should marry into their family. If it was for me, then hand it over—hurry up and decide.”

She pressed her foot down on Lin Yaozu’s shoulder. “Otherwise, we all die together.”

“Mom, help! Dad, save me!” Lin Yaozu screamed.

Lin Wangsheng caved first. He turned to Bihua and urged, “Hurry! Go get the money and give it to her!”

Back then, after Bihua gave birth to Ye Bingyu, she hadn’t conceived again for over a decade. That’s why Lin Bingwei and Ye Bingyu were already twenty-three years old, while Lin Yaozu was only ten.

Lin Yaozu was their precious treasure, their lifeline—what was money compared to that?

Bihua still hesitated, but eventually, she went to fetch the money.

She brought out eight freshly printed 100-yuan bills from the newly released 1980 series—crisp and brand new.

Eight “big unity” bills, along with eight one-yuan notes.

Lin Bingwei took the money and shoved Lin Yaozu back to them before opening the door and leaving.

The onlookers were stunned.

Especially when they saw Lin Bingwei stepping out, still gripping the hatchet, looking fierce and untouchable. They were frozen in shock for several seconds before they regained their senses and rushed inside to question the family.

“Bihua, what’s going on? Wasn’t today Weiwei’s homecoming visit? Why did she barge in with a hatchet and storm off like that?”

Bihua sobbed uncontrollably. “Oh, that wicked girl!”

Through sobs, she exaggerated the story, claiming that Lin Bingwei had come back just to steal their money and even attempted murder.

Lin Wangsheng slammed the table in fury. “Call the police! I want to call the police! That wretched girl robbed us and tried to kill us—I’ll have her thrown in jail!”

Bihua wiped her tears. “Yes, call the police! Let her rot in prison!”

Lin Wangsheng ran to the village leader’s house to make the call.

Meanwhile, Bihua continued crying, lamenting how hard it had been to raise Lin Bingwei, only for her to be so ungrateful—claiming they sold her when all they did was marry her off. She ranted about how Lin Bingwei had come back for revenge.

The neighborhood ladies listened with interest, gossiping while helping her boil water to clean up Lin Yaozu.

After all, the boy had soiled himself in terror.

Once they had cleaned him up, the police arrived.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua scrambled to recount their version of events—of course, heavily exaggerated.

The officers listened with skeptical expressions. “You need to be honest with us. How could a twenty-year-old girl overpower all three of you? And I don’t see any signs of a struggle here. None of you are injured. If you’re making false claims, that would be obstructing justice—you could end up in jail instead.”

The couple froze, looking at each other in panic.

The neighbors couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Since you’ve called the police, you’d better tell the truth. We were all outside and heard everything.”

The villagers nodded in agreement.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua were suddenly very embarrassed.

Their anger deflated, they gave a much more truthful recounting of what had happened.

After listening, the officers turned to the villagers. “Is this accurate?”

The villagers nodded. “Pretty much. Weiwei accused them of selling her for 888 yuan, so she came back to take it and buy back her freedom.”

The officers turned back to Lin Wangsheng and Bihua. “Is that right?”

The couple nodded.

“Yes, but we didn’t sell her! We were just marrying her off and accepting a bride price!”

A helpful villager chimed in, “But Weiwei said—if it was really her dowry, then she should have the right to take it.”

Bihua was still reluctant, but Lin Wangsheng kicked her and snapped, “Hurry up! That damned girl has lost her mind, can’t you see?”

Back then, after giving birth to Ye Bingyu, Bihua hadn’t gotten pregnant for over ten years. So, while Lin Bingwei and Ye Bingyu were both twenty-three, Lin Yaozu was only ten.

Lin Yaozu was their precious treasure, their lifeline. What did money matter in comparison?

Still, Bihua went to fetch the money—eight crisp, newly issued hundred-yuan bills from 1980.

Eight “big unity” notes, plus eight one-yuan bills.

Lin Bingwei took the money, shoved Lin Yaozu toward them, pulled the door open, and left.

The onlookers outside were stunned. When they saw Lin Bingwei emerge with a menacing expression and a hatchet in hand, they froze for a few seconds before reacting. Then, they all started asking the family inside what had happened.

“Bihua, what’s going on? Wasn’t Weiwei supposed to be visiting home today? Why did she come back looking so fierce with a hatchet… and then just leave?”

Bihua was crying uncontrollably. “That wretched girl, she’s heartless!”

Through sobs and exaggeration, she spun a tale of how Lin Bingwei had come to rob them and even tried to kill them.

Lin Wangsheng slammed the table in fury. “Call the Public Security Bureau! I’m reporting her! That damned girl robbed us and tried to kill us—I want her thrown in jail!”

Bihua wiped her tears and agreed. “Yes, yes, call the police! Let her rot in prison!”

Lin Wangsheng went to the village head’s house to call the police.

Meanwhile, Bihua continued lamenting about how hard it had been to raise Lin Bingwei, how ungrateful she was, how they had only married her off but she insisted they had sold her, and how she had now returned for revenge.

A few neighbor women, while gossiping, helped heat water to clean up Lin Yaozu.

After all, the boy had been so scared he had soiled himself.

By the time they had cleaned him up, the Public Security officers had arrived.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua rushed to tell their version of the story, of course embellishing it heavily.

But as the officers listened, something seemed off. One of them said, “You need to tell the truth. How could a twenty-year-old girl possibly overpower the three of you? Besides, I don’t see any signs of a struggle in here, and none of you are injured. If you’re making false statements and interfering with an official investigation, you could end up in jail yourselves.”

The couple froze, staring at each other in shock.

The neighbors couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Since you’ve called the police, you might as well tell the truth. We all heard everything from outside.”

The villagers nodded in agreement.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua suddenly found themselves in an awkward predicament.

With no other choice, they dropped their earlier outrage and embellishments and retold the story more truthfully.

After listening to their revised account, the officer turned to the villagers. “Is this version accurate?”

The villagers nodded. “More or less. Weiwei was furious because she believed they had sold her for 888 yuan. From what she said, she came back to take the money—to buy her freedom.”

The officer looked at Lin Wangsheng and Bihua. “Is that true?”

The two of them nodded.

“Yes, but we didn’t sell her! We were just marrying off our daughter and accepting the bride price, that’s all.”

A warm-hearted villager chimed in, “But Weiwei said, if it was her bride price, then it should belong to her—so she just took it back.”