Chapter 259: The Deadly One
Translator: Lonelytree
When Xiao Chengcai hit Zhang Xiaolan, his eyes were sharp and filled with hatred. However, from the corner of his eyes, he secretly looked at Xiao Lingyu. Xiao Lingyu completely ignored him.
Even when Xiao Chengcai threatened to beat Zhang Xiaolan half to death, Xiao Lingyu did not open her mouth to stop him. Instead, it was the village chief who stopped him.
The village chief said angrily, “Xiao Chengcai, you can divorce Zhang Xiaolan, but you can’t kill her. Moreover, you haven’t divorced her yet. She’s still your wife.”
Xiao Chengcai stopped and grumbled, “Village chief, look at what this bitch has done. It’s embarrassing. If I don’t teach her a lesson, how am I supposed to face the villagers?”
Xiao Lingyu raised her eyebrows when she heard that. ‘This is interesting. It is true that the silent ones are the deadliest. Xiao Chengcai is normally so weak, but he is really the brains behind everything.’
The village chief frowned slightly and said, “Alright, but you need to watch your force. Look at your wife. She is half-dead. What is this?”
Xiao Chengcai tightly pursed his lips, and the anger on his face did not fade. He nodded and said, “I’m just teaching her a lesson.”
Then, Xiao Chengcai walked up to Xiao Lingyu and apologized sincerely, “Lingyu, I’m sorry. My wife has accidentally burned your land. However, I’ve already taught her a lesson. I believe she won’t dare to do it again in the future. Do you think you can forgive your Auntie Zhang this time?”
When Xiao Lingyu heard Xiao Chengcai earlier, she was already expecting this. Xiao Chengcai beat up Zhang Xiaolan so that he could plead on her behalf and demand mercy from the crowd. The moment Xiao Lingyu forgave Zhang Xiaolan, she would be spared from a prison sentence.
Xiao Lingyu looked at Xiao Chengcai and said with a smile that was not a smile, “Uncle Cai, my forgiveness is not that important. Even if I forgive her, the fact remains that Auntie Zhang has committed arson. The police will be involved.”
Father Xiao and Mother Xiao also caught up to Xiao Chengcai’s plot. They were so angry that their faces turned green.
Mother Xiao said angrily, “Xiao Chengcai, what is the meaning of this? After that beating, you want us to forget that Zhang Xiaolan has burned down our field? You sure are a cunning man.
“Do you know how much we’ve lost because of your wife? Let me tell you. It’s over 100,000 RMB!
“Plus, did we ask you to beat up your wife? Why does she deserve our forgiveness after your beating?”
There were some things that Xiao Lingyu, the junior, could not say, but Mother Xiao could.
Mother Xiao’s words enlightened most of the villagers. They understood why Xiao Chengcai was beating up his wife without any warning. It was to vent his anger and to make him look like the victim.
It had to be said that this was indeed a smart move.
They had really underestimated this silent man.
After his intentions were exposed, Xiao Chengcai’s face turned red and he did not know how to refute. Then, Xiao Chengcai thought of something, “Xiao Lingyu, my wife was burning the weeds at our land. It was an accident that the fire spread to your field. Even if the police are involved, the result will be the same.”
‘Interesting.’ The corner of Xiao Lingyu’s mouth curled up slightly. ‘This cowardly man is quite smart.’
The villagers were impressed. The village chief demanded, “Xiao Chengcai, so you mean your wife didn’t mean to set fire to the strawberry field? It was an accident?”
Xiao Chengcai nodded and said, “Of course!”
Xiao Lingyu didn’t want to argue, so she said with a cold expression, “Uncle Cai, the police will confirm whether it was intentional or not. As for forgiveness, that is impossible.”
Xiao Chengcai said with a livid expression, “Xiao Lingyu, we are neighbors. Do you have to be so cruel?!”
“Xiao Chengcai, do you still remember we’re neighbors?” Xiao Zhengyang was angry after Xiao Chengcai’s tone turned aggressive. “Your wife didn’t sleep at night and came to set our field on fire. If it weren’t for the help of the villagers, my family would have lost more than 100,000 RMB. A simple beating, and you think we should forgive her?”
“If I burn down your house, will you forgive me because I’m your neighbor?” Mother Xiao retorted. “Plus, we didn’t even ask you to hit your wife.”
Xiao Chengcai was clever, but he was not fluent with his words. He couldn’t win the Xiao Family in the argument.
Xiao Chengcai said angrily, “Do you have to be so cruel? Do you have to send my wife to jail?”
He was not Zhang Xiaolan. He knew that arson was a big criminal offense. He turned around and addressed the villagers. “Village chief, have you considered the consequence if one of us is arrested and sent to jail?”
When Gong Tianhao heard this, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly. ‘This skinny man is interesting. Since the Xiao Family is unwilling to forgive his wife, he plans to use the entire Taoyuan Village and its reputation to pressure the Xiao Family?’
Xiao Chengcai continued, “Everyone knows that we’ll all be implicated if one of us goes to prison. The entire village will be despised and criticized by the other villagers.
“The best example is the Chen and Lan Family Villages. They are now looked down upon by other villagers. They are being avoided like the plague. Right now, the youngsters from these two families can’t even find people to marry them.”
The entire crowd became quiet. The villagers were all silent and deep in thought.
Xiao Chengcai’s words made sense. If one of them were imprisoned, the whole village’s reputation would be affected. Their children’s future would be affected. They would be mocked and criticized like the people from the Chen and Lan Villages.
However, most of the villagers present were smart people, and they didn’t dare to speak up for Xiao Chengcai and his wife.
This was because Xiao Zhengyang’s family was not easy to bully.
If they spoke up for Xiao Chengcai and his wife, they might be barred from picking Little Cattle King’s manure in the future.
Many villagers were in a dilemma.