Chapter 23: A Compensation of 1000 Yuan Must Be Paid to Comrade Gu Siqing

When Gu Siqing and her group were leaving earlier, the police had already mentioned it. That’s why she now brought it up again — to stab this family right in their pride. She knew they had no money, so this was the perfect way to strike them where it hurt. Let them feel what it’s like for once!

“Why should we be the ones to pay compensation?” Bai Cuiyan was the first to speak up in protest. “This has nothing to do with us! Isn’t this between you and your cousin?”

Their house had been cleaned out, and they were now facing eviction. If they had to pay money on top of that, how were they supposed to survive?

“Oh really?” Gu Siqing looked unbothered, playing with her fingers with a smirk. “If you won’t pay, then how about you and Uncle both spend a few months sitting in the police station?”

“What do you mean?” Bai Cuiyan cursed under her breath, internally cursing Gu Wanrou a hundred times. “This was your cousin’s doing — it has nothing to do with us! Don’t talk nonsense!”

“What she did has nothing to do with us. Why should we be dragged down with her?”

“We’re family, sure, but if she made a mistake, what can we do? Are we supposed to go without food or drink for her sake?”

Bai Cuiyan’s mind was quick. At this point, she could only push all the blame onto Gu Wanrou. Admittedly, they used to treat Gu Wanrou decently — but that was only because she was useful. Now she’d not only been caught, but they were also being asked to pay a huge sum in compensation. Deep down, they’d already given up on this daughter. After all, they still had a son. If they went all out to protect Gu Wanrou and paid the compensation for her, what would happen to their son? He was the true heir, the one who would carry on the family line.

At this moment, Bai Cuiyan had completely forgotten that it was she herself who had first proposed the idea of having her daughter replace Gu Siqing for university after Gu Wanrou failed to get in. Now, all she could think about was how much trouble her daughter had brought them. If she hadn’t done what she did, none of this would have happened.

Seeing how quickly Bai Cuiyan abandoned her own daughter, Gu Siqing couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This family really was something else. No wonder they had treated her so terribly before — turns out they didn’t treat Gu Wanrou much better, either.

“Maybe I forgot, but I remember back then, Auntie, you used to show off in the courtyard every day, bragging that your daughter got into university,” Gu Siqing said mockingly. “If this whole thing was really done by Gu Wanrou alone, would you have been so proud?”

“She got into college so easily, without lifting a finger. Of course you had to brag. But if you claim now that you knew nothing about it, that you weren’t involved at all, do you really think anyone would believe that?”

Her words came fast and sharp. She crossed her arms and stared coldly at Bai Cuiyan across from her.

It was clear that Gu Wanrou’s family would have to pay compensation. Even the police agreed with Gu Siqing. When Gu Wanrou impersonated someone else to go to college, she had just barely reached adulthood. There’s no way she could have done something like that without help from her family. Everyone in that household must have known.

Bai Cuiyan opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She had no excuse — she had, after all, bragged loudly in the courtyard at the time. Thinking back on it now, she wanted to slap herself. Why the hell did she have to show off?

Just as Bai Cuiyan and the others were racking their brains on how to shirk the compensation, another police officer walked in.

“Because the school has requested a quick resolution, the results are in,” he said officially. “Gu Wanrou committed a serious ideological offense by impersonating someone to attend university. The school will not tolerate such behavior and has decided to punish her.”

“Comrade Gu Wanrou is sentenced to two years in prison and must pay 1,000 yuan in compensation to the victim, Comrade Gu Siqing. Since her parents were involved, the compensation will be executed by her father, Gu Dakai, and her mother, Bai Cuiyan.”

As soon as the officer finished speaking, Gu Dakai cried out, “1,000 yuan?!”

“Yes,” the officer nodded. Just as Gu Dakai tried to argue, the officer added:

“If you refuse to pay, we’ll inform your workplace. Your monthly wages will then be sent directly to Comrade Gu Siqing until the 1,000 yuan is paid in full. You won’t receive a cent of your own salary until the compensation is complete.”

Those words hit Gu Dakai and Bai Cuiyan like a sledgehammer.

Bai Cuiyan murmured in a daze. The old lady next to her almost passed out on the spot.

“This…” The old woman was about to faint. Gu Dakai grabbed her, clearly annoyed. He had brought her here to help smooth things over, but instead she nearly collapsed and made things worse.

Truthfully, even Gu Dakai was starting to feel dizzy from the string of bad news. He could hardly stay on his feet.

How did it come to this? They had thought that after receiving the 1,888 yuan dowry, everything would go smoothly. Who would have thought things would take such a dramatic turn, leaving them in such a miserable state?

“Comrade Gu Dakai, do you have any objections to the compensation?” the officer asked. “When do you plan to pay Comrade Gu Siqing?”

He had been instructed by his superiors to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. They all knew the Gu family was a handful and that it would be tough for Gu Siqing to handle them alone — hence the need for some strong words.

“If you’d prefer to have your entire salary given to Comrade Gu Siqing every month, that can be arranged.”

Hearing that, Bai Cuiyan quickly shook her head and grabbed Gu Dakai’s hand. “If they go to our factory and say something like that, we’ll never be able to work there again!”

Looking pale, Gu Dakai interrupted the officer, “We don’t have the money right now, but we’ll go back and gather it. Please don’t inform the factory.”

Hearing this, both the officer and Gu Siqing were satisfied.

Gu Siqing knew they’d find the money quickly. Once law enforcement was involved, factories took it seriously. If the police showed up at their workplace, this matter would explode — not just within their residential courtyard, but across the entire factory.

Jobs weren’t as hard to find as they were ten years ago, but they weren’t easy either. Both Gu Dakai and Bai Cuiyan worked at state-owned factories — iron rice bowls with stable salaries and benefits. If the police reported their behavior to the factory, it would mean they were morally unfit. The scandal alone could cost them their jobs.

And once they lost their jobs, the whole family would be out on the streets.

So, to avoid making a bigger mess, they would certainly find a way to scrape together the money and pay the compensation to Gu Siqing.