The crowd of onlookers automatically made way for her, and Qian Shulan's shouting came to an abrupt end.
Just now, when Qian Shulan came over, she whispered in Jiang Yuying's ear, "Go find the police."
Jiang Yuying didn't dare to delay after hearing her words, and immediately squeezed through the crowd to find the police at the nearby police station. When she led two police officers to this side, she suddenly heard Aunt Qian shouting "Murder".
She was almost scared to death. After squeezing through the crowd and seeing that Aunt Qian was safe and sound, Jiang Yuying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Qian Shulan winked at her and got up from the ground.
Jiang Yuying pointed at Li Caiying and explained to the police, "This woman beat my aunt to death." She glanced at the crowd and said, "If you don't believe me, ask them. They can all testify."
The older policeman seemed very dignified, wearing a military cap on his head. It was unclear where he got it from. He glanced at Li Caiying and saw Qian Shulan covering her head with her hands to wipe away tears, frowning. He asked in a deep voice, "Tell me what happened?"
Without waiting for the two men to answer, he ordered another policeman to find a few people to take statements.
Qian Shulan covered her head with one hand and began to explain the situation. "Comrade police officer, I want to sue Li Caiying for bullying us poor and lower-middle peasants. She acted like a lady at home and pushed all the dirty work to my son. She also accused my son of having a bad work style. After the factory investigation, my son was found innocent, but she deliberately ran to the guesthouse where my son was resting, not letting him rest, and dragged him to the door of the guesthouse to let him cool off. Such a vicious woman is even more exploitative than the landlords in the old society. You must let us poor and lower-middle peasants take charge."
When the old policeman heard that the old lady had gray hair but was talking incessantly, he was stunned for a moment.
The old policeman nodded and asked Li Caiying, "Is what this old lady said true?"
Li Caiying didn't dare to act arrogant at this moment. She lowered her head and began to speak softly, "Comrade policeman, this is a matter between us. My husband is willing to do housework because he is happy. I can understand that my mother-in-law doesn't like it. After all, she is an old lady from the old society, and she is most used to being oppressed and slaughtered. As for me going to the guesthouse, it is to let my husband go back to his own home to rest. Living in a guesthouse instead of a home also causes trouble for the staff of the guesthouse, don't you think?"
The old policeman seemed to agree with her and kept nodding.
When Qian Shulan saw that Li Caiying was so eloquent, she said, why pretend to be a silly girl? It was obvious that Li Caiying was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Qian Shulan covered her head and pretended to be dizzy. She also knew that she probably would not be convicted for working at home. Their family was from poor and lower-middle peasants, and so was Li Caiying. They were in the same class, so it could only be considered an internal conflict. Moreover, Wang Shouzhi was willing to work, and no one beat him. So, Qian Shulan covered her head and began to cry, "Comrade police officer, this wound on my head is not fake, right? I worked hard to raise my son. I only returned home in the first year of marriage for seven years. I waited for six years and thought my son died outside, so I came to the city to find him. Who knew that this woman didn't give my son a penny. My son has a home but can't return. I want to sue her for being unfilial! I want to sue her for abuse of the elderly and intentional injury!"
The old policeman saw that the old lady was quite old, but her mind was very quick. She had quickly come up with several charges against her daughter-in-law. He looked at her carefully, then seemed to have thought of something and sighed heavily.
Li Caiying saw the serious expression of the old policeman and had a bad feeling in her heart. She quickly explained, "After my mother-in-law came, I had already compensated her for the money. It's not considered unfilial, right? As for abusing the elderly? I didn't do it on purpose. I was just careless."
Qian Shulan ignored Li Caiying and started crying to the old policeman. She was not stupid. The policeman looked at her with an inexplicable nostalgia. He must be sympathizing with her. She must seize this rare opportunity. Therefore, she looked at the old policeman with eyes full of vicissitudes and looked at him hopefully, "Can I sue? She kicked me and I'm still a little dizzy. I also got a bruise on my forehead and there's blood all over the floor. She said something careless and I'll lose my life. This is even more hateful than being a rich landlord!"
The old policeman's forehead twitched when he heard her words. Originally, it was a quarrel between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. He just needed to come and mediate. He originally wanted to smooth things over, but it seemed that it would not work. However, this old lady always reminded him of his mother-in-law who had been kind all her life but had a rough fate. He lowered his voice to the old lady and said, "It is better to resolve a feud than to create one. Besides, you are still a family. Are you sure you want to sue her?"
Before Qian Shulan could answer, Li Caiying started howling, "Mother-in-law, I didn't mean it." Her voice was so miserable, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
But the coquettish tone almost made Qian Shulan's hair stand on end. She suddenly remembered that this woman made the same sound in the morning when she did the same thing with another man. She felt so disgusted that she shook off the goose bumps on her body and said to the police quickly and confidently, "Yes, I am going to sue her!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a man squeeze in from the corner of her eye.
Qian Shulan turned around and saw that the person who came was a middle-aged man with half-white hair, about fifty years old, with a serious face and seemed to have a lot of authority. He glanced at the crowd of onlookers and lowered the heads of those who passed by. This was Li Guocheng. He had a stern face, deep eyes, and a slightly cold voice, "Are you all not going to work?"
The cotton mill workers who were watching the scene dispersed, but those who didn't know Li Guocheng continued to watch from the sidelines.
When Li Guocheng saw that all the people he knew had left, he immediately put on a friendly smile and walked over.
Qian Shulan took a look at the other person's expression and knew that he wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter.
Qian Shulan watched Li Guocheng's performance quietly. After he exchanged greetings with the famous police officer, he pretended to reprimand Li Caiying, then walked over and smiled at her, "Dear relative, you see how this has happened. Caiying is also anxious. She only did this because she cares about Shouzhi. As parents, we should understand..." The child
After hearing his words, Qian Shulan was disgusted. Before he could finish, Qian Shulan interrupted him directly, with a face full of sarcasm and disdain, "Forget it! After all this, you still expect my son to continue to work like a slave for your daughter, old man Li, are you too naive or am I too stupid! Just indulge me! Sooner or later, this poisonous weed in your family will be harmed by your indulgence." Seeing that Li Guocheng's warm smile was finally broken by her, Qian Shulan felt a little relieved in her heart. She waved her hand like she was chasing away a fly, "We, the Wang family, don't want this daughter-in-law anymore. Let's talk about Xiaodie's belonging!"
Li Guocheng's eyelids twitched, which meant that he didn't want to settle the matter peacefully. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
Qian Shulan was not afraid of his gaze. She had reminded him to teach Li Caiying a lesson before, but he just didn't listen and continued to spoil her. He even bullied Wang Shouzhi. What did he do to him? If she gave up, she wouldn't call him Qian Shulan. She stiffened her neck and said, "You don't have to scare me. I, Qian Shulan, a widow, was able to raise six children. I didn't rely on being scared by anyone."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Li Caiying and said, "Do you know why Xiaowu is so obedient? Because I was beaten all the time. If a child is disobedient, the adults have to educate him. If he doesn't listen, he has to be beaten. Old man Li, your child deserves to be beaten!"
Li Guocheng had never been scolded like this in person before, and he felt a little embarrassed at the moment. A cold light flashed in his eyes, his mouth slightly pursed, his fists clenched together, and blue veins appeared on the back of his hands.
The old policeman saw the two quarreling and started to play the role of peacemaker. However, when he heard Qian Shulan insisted on suing, he had no choice but to do justice.
In the end, Li Caiying was fined 300 yuan and imprisoned for three months. After being released from prison, she had to submit ideological reports regularly. Although Li Guocheng tried his best to say good things, there were so many people watching when Li Caiying pushed Qian Shulan, and she could not deny it at all. Therefore, the charges were established and there was no way to refute it.
Qian Shulan was somewhat dissatisfied with the punishment. Chen Yue'e was sentenced to six years for suing her husband and mother-in-law, but she was only sentenced to three months for suing Li Caiying. The difference was too big. She wanted to object.
But the old policeman glanced at her head. This meaningful look scared Qian Shulan. She was shocked, thinking that the policeman saw that she was pretending to have a bleeding head. She felt extremely embarrassed and ashamed.
Later, Jiang Yuying explained to her why there was such a big difference in the same lawsuit.
First, the extent of their injuries was different. Chen Yue'e was beaten for a long time, and her body was covered with wounds. And what about Qian Shulan? The only wound on her head was fake. They can't be compared at all.
Second, the two are in different positions. Because we are now against the feudal system. She is the mother-in-law, and Li Caiying is the daughter-in-law. In feudal society, mothers-in-law oppressed daughters-in-law. Now it is the other way around, so naturally the sentence will be lighter. If the two were in different positions, it is estimated that she would be sentenced to more than three years.
After listening to Jiang Yuying's explanation, Qian Shulan felt that her three views had been greatly impacted. Regardless of whether things were right or wrong, they were judged by their origins. What kind of era was this
The day after the sentencing, Qian Shulan asked Wang Shouzhi to file for divorce.
Just as Qian Shulan had thought, Wang Shouzhi began to feel a little reluctant. "Mom, Caiying is already in such a miserable state. Let's wait a little longer. I will file for divorce after she is released from prison. Otherwise, people will say I am an ungrateful person."
Qian Shulan snorted, "You are an ungrateful person. You only have eyes for that daughter-in-law who bullied you and treated you like a human being. I raised you with all my heart, but you didn't come home for more than six years. Are you so ignorant of right and wrong? Xiaowu, we must act with conscience. If others treat us well, we must treat them twice as well. If others bully us, we must bully them back! This is the right thing to do."
Qian Shulan was trying to teach him the correct sense of right and wrong. After all, Wang Shouzhi only needed to complete the last item of sense of right and wrong. But Wang Shouzhi was shocked when he heard her words. He frowned and was puzzled. "Mom, when did you change? Didn't you tell me before that I should always think about clinging to capable people and try to get benefits from them? As long as they are willing to give up a little, it will be enough for us to live."
Qian Shulan was almost choked to death by him. What kind of logic is this? To please others? To lick the capable people
This, this, this . . .
Well, she thought about it carefully and realized that her original self did say something like this.
Qian Shulan pretended to look as if she had forgotten, and lamented, "Mom, I only realized this recently. People should rely on themselves. What is yours will eventually be yours, and what is not yours, even if you try your best to please it, may eventually be lost."
After hearing this, Wang Shouzhi lowered his head and thought about it. In the past, all he wanted was to have a job and become a city dweller.
But he married Li Caiying and tolerated her for seven years. Although he had a job and became a city dweller, he was not happy.
On the contrary, my mother only stayed in the city for a few days and found a job for me. Although it was also helped by others, my family could afford it and it was not wronged.
So, don't try to please others all the time, just be yourself.
Wang Shouzhi felt that his thoughts were once again overturned by his mother.
Qian Shulan helped him sit down, and when Li Caiying came over, she immediately pushed Wang Shouzhi's arm and said, "Go ahead."
Wang Shouzhi glanced in the direction of Li Caiying and was immediately shocked.
After not seeing her for just a few days, Li Caiying seemed to have aged ten years. Her eyes were dull, blood was faintly seeping from the corners of her mouth, her mouth was chapped, her face was sallow, her hair was messy, and half of her face seemed to have been beaten just now, it was swollen and had purple marks.
Wang Shouzhi couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, but Qian Shulan felt that it was not enough. Compared with the persecution of Wang Shouzhi by the Li family father and daughter, the suffering Li Caiying had endured in the past few days was nothing.
Wang Shouzhi was detained for three days and three nights. He only drank a bowl of porridge every day and was interrogated like a criminal. When he was released, he had no strength at all. Later, he had a fever of 39.6 degrees.
Even so, Li Caiying still came to his house to trouble him. Her intentions were so vicious that it was simply unbearable.
Seeing Wang Shouzhi standing there in a daze, Qian Shulan pushed his shoulder. Wang Shouzhi immediately came to his senses, handed over the divorce papers in his hand, and said dryly, "Let's get a divorce!"
Qian Shulan saw that Wang Shouzhi was not hopeless, so she patted him on the back and said, "Keep your head up and your chest out! You are a grown man, why are you bending your back like a bridge?"
Wang Shouzhi immediately straightened his chest.
Li Caiying's shackled hands came over without warning. These days, she had a very hard time in prison. The food she ate every day was not only pitifully small, but also rotten. That would have been fine, but she would be robbed of the food she had just received from the cafeteria.
After entering, she finally understood what kind of people were in this prison. Either they were extremely vicious criminals waiting to be shot as soon as the verdict came down, or they were short-term prisoners like them who were serving very short sentences and were not worth going through any more.
Those who were sentenced to several years or more were all sent to labor camps. The prison did not have enough food for them. They needed to be self-sufficient down there. However, Li Caiying would rather go to a labor camp, at least it was relatively safe there.
Here, she couldn't even sleep because people were staring at her with strange eyes all the time. If her father hadn't secretly given her some money when he came to see her, she would never have suffered such a minor injury.
Originally, she wanted to sit quietly for the next three months and try to get out as soon as possible. However, when she saw the man she had trampled under her feet in the past straighten his back, she could no longer bear the resentment in her heart, and she punched him in the face.
Wang Shouzhi was frightened by her posture, which was like a demon seeking his life. However, before Li Caiying could swing her fist, her arm was slammed back by the prison guard, who said in a deep voice, "Cell 98 has violent tendencies. The visit is over. Put him in cell 8."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Caiying's face turned pale and she kept begging Wang Shouzhi for mercy, "I didn't hit him, I was just too excited. He wanted to divorce me, and I just wanted to beg him."
Seeing such a pitiful look on the unbearable Li Caiying, Wang Shouzhi immediately softened his heart and agreed, "Yes, she was just too excited, she didn't want to hit anyone."
The prison guard ignored him and said, "Take him away!"
Qian Shulan had no sympathy for Li Caiying. She was more curious about Room 8, which could scare Li Caiying so much. How terrifying it must be.
When Li Caiying was locked up again, Wang Shouzhi looked a little depressed. Qian Shulan didn't say anything. Anyway, their divorce papers had been delivered, and it would take effect even if Li Caiying didn't sign it. Divorce was very convenient in this era. There was a way: as long as the man and woman didn't communicate for three years, the marriage would be automatically dissolved.
Another way is: one party gives the other party a divorce certificate, and the other party knows about it, and then goes to the street office to apply for divorce, and after review, the marriage can end. It is much more convenient than later generations. Of course, this also led to the fact that most of the educated youth who returned to the city during the turbulent ten years divorced directly in this way.
The author has something to say: The list of earning over 1,000 words on the 27th is very important, and the update time will be set to 23:00 at night. Please understand, muah…
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When I was writing this article, my best friend gave me a lot of help. I write very slowly, and I have to revise a chapter several times before I can finally finalize it. People think it takes only a few minutes to read, but I have to write it several times. This process is very boring, but fortunately I have the help of my best friend. I am really grateful for her help.
I recommend her novel, it has been finished and is very well written. If you like it, you can go and have a look!
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