Chapter 17

Li Chengye pointed at Wang Bo and burst into laughter. “That tiny thing, and you still dare to show it off? What a joke!”

Everyone else turned to look at Wang Bo, their expressions ranging from awkwardness to shock and even contemplation.

A woman screamed, covering her eyes. “Ah! Indecent exposure!”

Grandma He was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure. She instructed the men nearby to pull up Wang Bo’s pants and untie the ropes. Walking over, she demanded, “What’s going on here?”

Wang Bo spat out the rag stuffed in his mouth and glared angrily at Xu Jiajia. “Ask your granddaughter!”

Xu Jiajia remained unbothered by his rage and replied calmly, “Don’t be in such a rush. I’ll explain everything later.”

Humiliated, Wang Bo couldn’t contain his anger and lunged toward Xu Jiajia, but Shen Yuebai grabbed his wrist. “Talk properly. No need for violence.”

Wang Bo struggled but couldn’t break free. He pointed at Shen Yuebai, cursing, “You bastard! Let go of me! If you hit me, I’ll report you to your unit for assaulting a civilian!”

Before Shen Yuebai could respond, Shen Zhou rushed forward and punched Wang Bo. “Letting my brother dirty his hands on you would be a waste. Someone like you? I can handle it myself!”

He followed up with another punch, this one drawing blood from Wang Bo’s nose. Wang Bo howled in pain, his eyes filled with hatred. “You bastard! This isn’t over!”

Seeing Shen Yuebai still holding Wang Bo’s wrist, Shen Zhou taunted, “Come on! Who’s afraid of you?”

Wang Bo raised his free hand, ready to strike back, but Xu Jiajia stepped in and blocked him. “You’re a grown man—picking a fight with a kid? Really?”

“You bit—” Wang Bo began to curse, but Shen Yuebai’s sharp gaze froze him in place. “Try finishing that sentence,” Shen Yuebai warned.

Wang Bo, intimidated and realizing he couldn’t win, quickly backed down. “It’s my fault. I was out of line.”

With a sheepish grin, he tried to defuse the situation. “Shen, today’s your big day. Getting into a fight is bad luck.”

Shen Yuebai turned to Xu Jiajia. “How do you want to handle this?”

Xu Jiajia made her decision without hesitation. “Tie him up for now. We’ll deal with him after the guests leave.”

Wang Bo’s face turned livid. “Xu Jiajia! How dare you tie me up in front of all these people? Aren’t you afraid of karma?”

Xu Jiajia retorted coldly, “If you’re not afraid, why should I be?”

Wang Bo’s temper flared, but when he met Shen Yuebai’s intimidating gaze, his clenched fist loosened. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, “Fine, don’t tie me up. I’ll stay put.”

Xu Jiajia wasn’t buying it. “Better to tie you up. Saves trouble.”

This turn of events left Grandma He confused. “Jiajia, what’s going on here?”

Xu Jiajia replied, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”

Others in the room started criticizing Xu Jiajia.

“Jiajia, no matter what, he’s an elder. You should talk things out, not tie him up.”
“Exactly!”
“He came here to celebrate the wedding, and you treat him like this? That’s cruel!”

He Taohua, unwilling to let her niece take all the blame, rolled up her sleeves, revealing scars crisscrossing her arms. “You all know nothing. What right do you have to judge Jiajia? She’s doing this for me!”

The crowd gasped when they saw her injuries. Purple, blue, black, and red bruises covered her arms—a clear sign of long-term abuse.

Choking back tears, He Taohua pointed at Wang Bo. “This beast beats me every day. The scars on my hands, my body, my legs—they’re all from him. There isn’t a single part of me left unscarred.”

Grandma He’s heart broke at the sight. It felt like a dagger to her chest. She hugged He Taohua tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. “My Taohua! How could you endure this? Why didn’t you tell us? Oh, the pain you must have felt!”

He Taohua’s three brothers, who were drinking at another table, rushed over upon hearing Grandma He’s cries. “What’s wrong? What happened? Why the tears on such a happy day?”

Grandma He pointed at Wang Bo. “This beast has been beating Taohua!”

Second Uncle He’s eyes turned red with rage upon seeing the injuries. He clenched his fist and punched Wang Bo in the nose. “You bastard! Do you think we’re dead?”

First Uncle He, equally furious, scolded He Taohua. “You’ve been beaten like this, and you didn’t tell us? What do you take your family for?”

He Taohua’s eyes reddened as she lowered her head. “I… I didn’t want you all to worry.”

Her eldest uncle was so furious he almost slapped her. “Worry? You think this is something to keep from us? You’re still young and can endure it now, but when you’re older, it’ll send you straight to the grave!”

He Taohua anxiously twisted the hem of her shirt, biting her lip, looking like a child being scolded. Seeing her so lifeless, her uncle didn’t even have the energy to stay angry.

Meanwhile, her second uncle was still beating Wang Bo. Fearing it would escalate to murder, Shen Yuebai intervened. “That’s enough. If you beat him to death, you’ll end up in prison. Someone like him isn’t worth it.”

Wang Bo thought Shen Yuebai was going to rescue him, but his hopes were dashed when the second uncle landed another kick. “Just wait. I’ll finish you off later!”

At that moment, Wang Bo’s hatred for Xu Jiajia peaked. If not for her, his wife wouldn’t have exposed her injuries in public.

…

The eldest uncle tied Wang Bo up and locked him in a side room.

Only then did everyone return to their meals, though the conversation inevitably turned to He Taohua’s injuries.

“She’s so foolish! It’s not like her family wouldn’t have supported her. Why didn’t she say anything?”
“Exactly! With wounds like that, it must’ve hurt terribly when she was beaten!”
“Maybe… maybe it’s because his thing is too small, so he vents his frustrations by hitting her?”
“They already have two kids. That can’t be the reason.”
“…”

The guests, sensing the awkwardness, finished their meals quickly and left.

Among them, only Grandma He’s family and He Taohua had come from a distant village. The other guests were either from the same village or nearby, with a few being Xu Jiajia’s high school classmates.

Matchmaker Li, always eager for gossip, wanted to stick around. Seeing there was more drama in the Xu family, she naturally stayed behind.

But Grandma Xu wasn’t having it. “Off you go! Why are you everywhere?”

Matchmaker Li feigned hurt. “We’re so familiar with each other. Why be so stingy?”

Grandma Xu retorted, “This is a private family matter. I need to preserve their dignity.”

Since the host made it clear, Matchmaker Li had no choice but to leave.

Once most of the guests were gone, Liu Kui approached Xu Jianguo. “Song Hanyong said he gave you 600 yuan. Is that true?”

Xu Jianguo feigned ignorance. “What 600 yuan? I don’t understand.”

Liu Kui pressed on. “Did it happen or not?”

Grandma Xu walked over and interjected, “600 yuan is no small amount. Someone as shrewd as him wouldn’t just give us money for no reason.”

Liu Kui wasn’t accusing them but simply doing his job. “Song Hanyong claimed you took 600 yuan as hush money.”

Grandma Xu sneered. “Where’s the evidence?”

Liu Kui hesitated. “…”

“I’m just asking. I’m not accusing you of anything!”

Grandma Xu remained calm. “No evidence means it’s just slander.”

She had left no traces behind, precisely to avoid such situations.

Liu Kui was left speechless. No wonder she fought off the Japanese back in the day!

Xu Jianguo watched from the side, his eyes shining with admiration. “…”

Seeing he wasn’t getting anywhere, Liu Kui shifted the topic to Song Hanyong. “Not only is he a spy, but he’s also involved in illegal trading.”

Xu Jianguo didn’t seem surprised. “When will he be sentenced?”

Liu Kui wanted it to happen soon, but they still needed to catch bigger fish behind the scenes. “It’ll take some more time.”

Since Liu Kui had other cases to handle, he planned to leave. But as he said his goodbyes to Shen Yuebai and Xu Jiajia, the latter stopped him. “Don’t be in such a rush. I might need your help later.”

Liu Kui: “…” What does that mean? Why don’t I understand a word of it?

…

After returning the borrowed tables and chairs, Li Chengye eagerly approached Shen Yuebai. “So, can we let that guy out now?”

Shen Yuebai, knowing Li Chengye was just here for the spectacle, decided to indulge him. “Go ahead and bring him out.”

Li Chengye leapt in excitement, but the uneven ground caused him to stumble.

He lost his balance and fell to the left—right onto someone standing there.

The two rolled over, ending up in an awkward and suggestive position.