All eyes in the village turned to Xue’s mother. She knew that if she dared say otherwise, Lin Fang’s job as a health worker might well be over. Then she called out, "Hongzao, what are you standing there dazed for?"
Upon hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Xu Hongzao bolted towards her home. Her mind was in such turmoil that she needed to quickly get in touch with her natal family.
Xue’s mother grimaced as Xue Linfang approached alone, "Where’s your Third Sister-in-law? Why did she let you come by yourself?"
As Xue Linfang walked towards the health clinic, she replied, "She said she had a stomach ache."
Upon hearing this, Xue’s mother cursed, "She’s just like a lazy donkey—give it a warm bed, and it makes an even bigger mess!" The most update n0vels are published on novel•fire.net
However, when she saw Qiu Baolin’s head wound, she was flummoxed. "This wound is too deep," she admitted. "I’ve never dealt with anything like it."
She usually did no more than give injections and dispense medicines, but this wound clearly needed stitches; otherwise, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
The Branch Secretary frowned, "You’ve been apprenticed to Doctor Gong for so long, and you can’t even handle this injury?"
Xue Linfang’s face flushed. "The wound is too deep and needs stitches," she stammered. "I’ve never personally done it before; I’ve only ever assisted Doctor Gong."
Widow Qiu, frantic, lashed out, "Useless, yet you hog the position! I’ve never seen anyone as selfish as you!"
Xue’s mother wouldn’t stand for it. "Widow Qiu," she retorted, "what gives you the right to criticize my daughter?"
Widow Qiu was beside herself with worry. "She’s incompetent yet still in the way, and I’m not supposed to say anything?" she cried. "If anything happens to my son today, I swear I’ll fight you to the death!"
Ignoring the pain from her recent fight, she pleaded, "Branch Secretary, please, save my son! He keeps bleeding!"
With no alternative, the Branch Secretary had to send someone to the Gong Family to ask for help.
The Gong Family hadn’t come to join the commotion. In fact, they knew a thing or two about the brigade leader’s affair with Widow Qiu, so they hadn’t joined the crowd.
The Gong Family home wasn’t far from the scene; indeed, they could hear everything clearly from their courtyard wall where they were listening. They had merely thought the brigade leader and Widow Qiu were having an affair, never imagining Qiu Baolin could be Xu Wenchang’s son.
And as for Qiu Baojuan, she was a posthumous child, but one look at her features made certain things clear without needing words.
No one had suspected anything because the brigade leader and the late Qiu Chunzhu, Qiu Baolin’s father, were cousins. Even if the relation was distant, they were still related by blood and kinship.
The Gong Family naturally didn’t want their old patriarch to go, but with a life at stake, it was hard to refuse. So, they had the old man carried over.
Xue’s mother tried to take the opportunity to slander Yunyi, but no one took her bait. Instead, they looked at the Xue Family with disdain and contempt.
After all, the villagers were well aware that after Xue Linfang returned from the army on a family visit, she had driven away Chu Zhiqing.
Once Qiu Baolin’s bleeding was stopped, the Branch Secretary finally said, "It’s already the middle of the night. Let’s detain him first and assign two people to guard him. We’ll deal with this at the all-village meeting tomorrow morning."
This wasn’t just any villager; after all, the brigade leader himself had erred. The Branch Secretary would still have to go to the commune the next day and ask the commune cadres to handle the situation.
What he hadn’t expected was that when he reported the incident at the commune the next day, a Deputy Director Cai, who was on duty, stepped forward, his words subtly suggesting he wanted to protect Xu Wenchang.
Cai didn’t speak bluntly, which infuriated Yang Gengtian.
They hadn’t yet reached a decision when people from the county arrived.
In fact, three separate groups arrived one after another, which surprised even Secretary Li, who had just gotten to work. He hurried forward and asked, "Director Huang, Deputy Director Li, Secretary Qiao, what brings the three of you here together?"
Just then, Director Huang from the Red Committee spoke up, "We received a report and need to make a trip to Songling Village. Naturally, we had to inform you."
And so, the procession heading to Songling Village grew even larger, startling the villagers who were waiting under the Willow Tree for the outcome.
As soon as the police and the members of the Red Committee entered the village, they headed straight for the home of Xu Wenchang, the brigade leader. Amid Ma Jiuxiang’s wails, they ransacked the Xu family home, turning it upside down.
Ma Jiuxiang had never imagined that their home concealed so many Money Coupons and valuables. She couldn’t comprehend how the man she had shared a bed with for over twenty years had hidden so much from her.
She completely broke down.