Chapter 227: The News Spreads Like Wildfire

Zhang Dongze said, “Is it possible that Luo Tianming deceived us? Maybe Luo Qiao is at his place?”

Zhang Dezhen took his last puff of the cigarette and replied, “No, Luo Qiao wouldn’t be eager to seek trouble. If her adoptive mother had treated her well, she wouldn’t have sent her back to the countryside to suffer. Let’s find a place to eat first, then we’ll wait outside the theater compound.”

Seeing his father’s determined face, Zhang Dongze stood up and asked, “Alright, where should we go for food?”

Zhang Dezhen said, “When I came here just now, I noticed a state-owned restaurant. Let’s head that way.”

In the Chaoyang Commune, the news had spread to various brigades. It was reported that Zhang Dezhen from Qingshan Village had been expelled from the Party and removed from his position due to his daughter harming others out of jealousy.

For some reason, this news spread like wildfire within just one morning. Many who had attended school with Zhang Qiaoyan were astonished and couldn’t believe it.

However, some who didn’t get along with Zhang Qiaoyan said she was always pretending and had deceived everyone, and now her true nature was exposed.

When Shang Hongying heard the news at her parent’s home, she didn’t know whether to feel happy or angry. Her sister-in-law had often targeted her and criticized her for her elementary school education.

At first, she felt a bit schadenfreude, but now hearing that her sister-in-law might be sent to a juvenile detention center, she began to feel worried.

She was actually puzzled, Isn’t Luo Qiao seemed to be doing fine. Why had the police arrested her sister-in-law? Now she heard that her sister-in-law had already been sent to a county detention center.

While she was thinking about it, someone opened the curtain and came in.

Seeing her mother, she stood up and said, “Mom, I was thinking of going back today. With such a big incident at home, no matter what, my mother-in-law has been good to me, and I want to go back and check on her.”

Her mother, Cui Aiqing, replied, “Alright, go back. Your sister-in-law may have always looked down on you, but now she’s in trouble, and it’s right for you to go back.”

When Shang Hongying returned to Qingshan Village, people greeted her with strange expressions. Sun Yushan, the lazy woman, who had a grudge with the Zhang family, deliberately said loudly, “Oh, isn’t this the party secretary’s daughter-in-law, Hongying? Oh, wait, let me correct myself.

Hongying, so much has happened in the village while you’ve been away. You should go home and check it out.”

Shang Hongying didn’t like her sister-in-law’s attitude, but she respected her mother-in-law. At least her mother-in-law was kind and treated her well. Ignoring Sun Yushan, she went straight home.

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard her mother-in-law speaking: “Xiaomei, what will happen to Qiaoyan? The county said that people in her situation are usually sent away within a week.” Her mother-in-law began to cry again.

Hearing this, Shang Hongying also felt worried. She wasn’t so much concerned about Zhang Qiaoyan but was worried about the Zhang family’s reputation. She dreaded the thought of her children being mocked because of an embarrassing aunt, which upset her.

When Zhou Xiaomei heard the noise at the gate, she looked up and saw Shang Hongying had arrived. “Hongying is back,” she said.

Shang Hongying nodded and said, “I heard about the trouble at home, so I came back. Mom, where are Dad and Dongze?”

Wang Chunni, seeing her daughter-in-law return, began to cry again despite her earlier attempts to stop. Hongying approached her mother-in-law and said, “Mom, crying won’t solve the problem. It will only make the villagers laugh at us more.”

Zhou Xiaomei thought to herself that Hongying’s bluntness was exactly what was needed. Her elder sister-in-law seemed to be overwhelmed with worry and had been crying since returning from the county. Zhou Xiaomei had never seen her sister-in-law like this before.

Wang Chunni, realizing her daughter-in-law was right, felt that crying was futile. She said, “Hongying, your father and Dongze went to the city. We don’t know if they’ll find Luo Qiao or if they can persuade her to cooperate.”

Shang Hongying thought to herself that if she were in Luo Qiao’s position, she wouldn’t be persuaded either. If Qiaoyan was intent on causing harm, why would a few kind words change her mind?

But she still said, “Dad and Dongze will find a way. Don’t worry too much, Mom. You and the Second Aunt should sit down. I’ll go get things sorted.”