Chapter 79.2

Old Man Gao staggered slightly.

He hunched down and sat on the only intact chair in the courtyard, looking exhausted. He waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Do whatever you want with her. I’m done… I don’t care anymore!”

“Old man…”

The strong-willed old lady couldn’t hold back her tears upon hearing this.

Old man Gao turned his back, choosing to ignore her.

“What about the money?”

Mrs.Ruan glanced at the eldest uncle.

Beaten and in pain, he could only look at his wife helplessly.

When everyone turned to her, the eldest aunt wore the same guilty expression as the old lady.

“…I took the money back to my family…”

Old Man Gao shut his eyes in despair.

“Very well,” Mrs.Ruan lifted her chin slightly, “take her away too, and charge them with theft.”

The eldest aunt felt hopeless.

She knew that after a year and a half, her family had long spent all the money. She and the eldest uncle didn’t have much savings left, and with Old Man Gao abandoning even the old lady, there was no way he would help her.

Qi Yangyan had grabbed a few people and was about to leave when a middle-aged woman pushed through the crowd, blocking his path.

“Let them go!”

Mrs. Ruan looked at the newcomer and smirked coldly.

“Gao Cuilan, I was planning to come and find you, but it seems you couldn’t wait to rush to your doom.”

Gao Cuilan flinched at the sight of Mrs. Ruan.

She instinctively shrank back but suddenly remembered something and straightened her back, trying to assert her authority as the eldest sister-in-law. However, Mrs. Ruan swiftly interrupted her with a slap before she could say a word.

Next came Ms. Ruan’s solo show.

Seeing Gao Cuilan, who had been beaten to the point of being defenseless, Gu Yilin was filled with excitement, her eyes shining with joy.

“Girl, my aunt is truly to my taste.”

She almost wished she could call her “Mom” right then and there.

Ruan Mingfu glanced at her. “Just wait until Mrs. Ruan beats you up like that. Then you’ll know her true power.”

“Has she beaten you like this?”

“…No.”

“Hmph!”

Gu Yilin snorted coldly, struggling to keep her jealousy from showing in front of her plastic friend.

“Don’t be ungrateful! If my aunt became my mom,” Gu Yilin mused, “who knows how happy I would be.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

As they chatted, Mrs. Ruan’s vigorous beating of Gao Cuilan was coming to an end.

“You’re not fit to be Xiao Rong’s mother,” Mrs. Ruan proclaimed fiercely, pulling on Gao Cuilan’s hair. “From today on, she has a father and an aunt and uncle, but she does not have you as her mom.”

Luan Rong walked over obediently.

“I listen to my aunt.”

Gao Cuilan, already beaten half to death, couldn’t take it anymore and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“You…you…”

“Tsk tsk, why do you need to do this?” Gu Yilin walked over, shaking her head. “Honestly, having a mom like you is really bad luck for my cousin.”

Gao Cuilan could no longer bear it and vomited blood again.

“Isn’t that a bit weak for someone like you?”

“Exactly,” Ruan Mingfu joined in, poking her in the chest again. “You’ve done shameful things, so why can’t you handle a little criticism?”

Gao Cuilan had remarried in the town, and her husband still worked at the same factory as Uncle Gao.

She just didn’t believe that Gao Cuilan had no idea that Luan Rong had been sold.

Mrs. Ruan glanced at Gao Cuilan, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, and coldly snorted.

“We should go.”

…

On the way back, Father Ruan took over the driving. Qi Yangyan was finishing up the work with his men and would be back later.

As soon as Ruan Mingfu arrived at the family compound, she saw a young soldier leading several police officers standing at her front door. Nearby, a few nosy sisters-in-law were peeking curiously.

The young soldier brightened upon seeing Ruan Mingfu.

“Sister-in-law, you’re finally back!”

Ruan Mingfu opened the door, inviting the officers inside while shutting the courtyard gate to block the prying eyes.

“What’s going on here?”

“Sister-in-law,” the young soldier said, taking the water that Mrs. Ruan handed him, “these police comrades want to ask you a few questions.”

Ruan Mingfu thought carefully.

She had been behaving herself lately and hadn’t done anything out of line… recalling what happened today, she took a deep breath.

How could they have come looking for her so soon after the commotion with the Gao family?

“That was fast.”

“Please, sit down. You don’t have to be polite, comrades.”

The leading officer nodded at Ruan Mingfu.

“You don’t need to be nervous. We’re just going to ask you a few routine questions.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded.

Their attitude seemed fine, which relieved her a bit.

“Did you go to Hehua Village a few days ago?”

Hehua Village?

Life had been so peaceful that Ruan Mingfu almost forgot about it. She instinctively wanted to deny it but quickly remembered and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Let me answer this,” Mrs. Ruan interrupted, pulling Ruan Mingfu aside. “I’m her mother, and I took her to Hehua Village.”

The police officers exchanged glances.

Forget it, as long as you are happy.

“What were you doing there?”

It wasn’t a secret, so Mrs. Ruan straightforwardly explained the situation about rescuing Luan Rong.

“After you left, where did you go?”

“After leaving, we returned to the family compound,” Mrs. Ruan replied calmly. “Later, we went to the hospital. We have our medical records…”

“…”

The police officers asked several more questions, and Mrs. Ruan answered smoothly.

When they mentioned Father Ruan, Qi Yangyan, and some bodyguards coming back from working on a construction site, the officers showed no signs of surprise.

Ruan Mingfu quickly realized.

These police officers had probably done their homework on them already.

The lead officer took notes on a piece of paper.

After a moment, the officers exchanged glances.

The lead officer nodded at Mrs. Ruan, “Thank you for your cooperation, Comrade Luan.”

“Comrade,” Ruan Mingfu asked curiously as they were about to leave, “what exactly happened?”

Most of these officers were former soldiers and had a good impression of Ruan Mingfu as a military wife. Hearing about Luan Rong’s situation, they felt a bit sympathetic.

“We received a report about a violent incident in Hehua Village. The situation is particularly serious.”

A younger officer spoke up, “Thirteen people died, and twenty-eight were injured. Only one person from the Old Gen family remains—Gen Sigou.”

Ruan Mingfu: “Really…really?”

She almost couldn’t suppress the smile creeping onto her face.

This was truly great news!

The officers: “…”

They understood her feelings, but they figured she should just let it out. Holding it back made her expression look distorted and rather frightening.

Ruan Mingfu: “Ah…what a pity!”

The officers: “…”

“We found out during our investigation that the villagers fought because of the three hundred yuan given by Comrade Qi,” the lead officer gave her a deep look, “and that’s about it. We should be going now.”

Ruan Mingfu enthusiastically escorted them to the door and said, “Goodbye, Public Security Comrade.”

Once they left, she finally sighed in relief. Just as she was about to go inside, a nosy sister-in-law grabbed her arm.

“Sister Ruan, why did the police come to find you?”

The other sisters-in-law also perked up, eager to listen.

“If you want to know,” Ruan Mingfu said with a smile, “the police comrades haven’t left yet. You can ask them yourself.”

Sister-in-law: “…”

Ruan Mingfu quickly closed the courtyard door.

What a bunch of busybodies!

They had nothing better to do than gossip about others.

Qi Yangyan returned just as it was getting dark. As soon as he entered the house, he was met with two pairs of curious eyes.

“Brother, brother, how did it go?”

Ruan Mingfu eagerly offered him a cup of tea.

“They’ve all been taken in,” Qi Yangyan replied calmly after taking a sip. “All the women from the Gao family are inside now. I found out that Aunt Gao will probably get at least ten years.”

“That’s great!”

Gu Yilin’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Brother, you are so awesome.”

Qi Yangyan smiled.

And that’s not all.

He pulled some strings, ensuring that Gao Cuilan’s husband would lose his job, and Uncle Gao’s position as director was also in jeopardy. It’s best if such scum stayed behind bars.

“Cousin, brother avenged you!”

Luan Rong smiled sweetly. “Thank you, big brother.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Cousin, just focus on living well with Mom from now on,” Ruan Mingfu said cheerfully. “If anyone bullies you, just let me know. If it gets really bad, call me.”

Luan Rong nodded, “Okay.”

A genuine smile lit up her face.

“Thank you, cousin,” Luan Rong said, squeezing Ruan Mingfu’s hand. “I will.”

….

The next day, Ruan Mingfu woke up early.

Knowing that Ms. Luan was leaving, she was in a bad mood that night. She tossed and turned, but couldn’t fall asleep. It was midnight when Ruan Mingfu finally couldn’t resist the sleepiness and fell asleep for a while.

Arriving at the station, Ruan Mingfu’s eyes turned red when she looked at Mrs. Ruan and Father  Ruan.

“Why don’t you stay a bit longer?”

Mrs. Ruangently patted her head.

“That’s enough. It’s not like we won’t see each other again,” she said, lightly tapping Ruan Mingfu’s head. “Take care of yourself and don’t rely on Xiao Xie for everything.”

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes were still teary.

She covered her head where Mrs. Ra]uan had tapped and looked at her with dissatisfaction.

“Mom, who exactly is your daughter?”

“I wish I didn’t have such a troublesome daughter,” Mrs. Ruan shot back, giving her a glare. “Remember what I just said. Someone is reporting your every move to me.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Life was going to be hard to bear.

“My daughter, Dad really can’t bear to leave you.” Father Ruan wiped his tears, “How about… come with me…”

Before he could finish, Mrs. Ruan elbowed him.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

Your daughter is married now. How could she still run after her father?

Father Ruan felt wronged but said nothing.

“Then how about you stay?” Ruan Mingfu suggested.

Father Ruan: “…”

Hmph!

Seeing Father Ruan hesitate, Ruan Mingfu understood his feelings.

Though he often called her daughter, when it came to his aspirations for the country, his dreams were far more important.

Ah, men!

The train arrived, and Xie Yanzhao took the luggage from Father Ruan and Mrs. Ruan. Ruan Mingfu followed, watching as he carefully placed the bags.

It dawned on her that her parents were really leaving.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them back.

“Mom, this is the money I prepared for you.”

Like Qi Yangyan, she pulled out a bankbook.

“Keep it safe,” Mrs. Ruan said, refusing to take it. “Your brother has given us plenty. You don’t need to give me anything.”

Ruan Mingfu: “… What he gives is his, this is mine!”

Saying this, she stubbornly shoved the bankbook into Mrs. Ruan’s hands.

Curious glances came from those around them.