Chapter 629: The Unjust Accusation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Gu Zi is certainly a woman of means,” the villagers murmured among themselves. “Without her cunning, would Su Shen be so utterly bewitched? I’ve heard that Su Shen even does her laundry and cooks for her after work. He even lets her manage the pig farm. I fear the Lin family has incurred her wrath, and they won’t see a day of peace from now on…”

The villagers, gathered around the spectacle, cast sympathetic glances towards the Lin family. Their expressions were filled with pity, as if they had forgotten that Lin Jie was imprisoned for assaulting Gu Zi’s father, Lin Lao’er. If Lin Jie had any respect for family ties, why would he lay a hand on his own uncle, Lin Lao’er? Yet, now they were blaming Gu Zi for being heartless.

The two police officers present wore grim expressions. The villagers’ words seemed outrageous to them. After all, Lin Lao’er’s leg had been broken in the assault and he was still recuperating. It was as if the villagers were blind to this fact. However, as public servants, they could only silently observe, not daring to say much. Their only wish was to take Lin Yun away as quickly as possible and complete their task.

However, Lin Laoyao’s wife was unaware of some of the things her husband had done. She had been scared earlier, and only now was she beginning to understand. She thought it was Gu Zi who was trying to ruin their family, which infuriated her.

She had been running around aimlessly these past few days, but finally, she had come to terms with their situation. As long as her son was alive, everything was fine. So what if he was in prison? So what if his marriage had fallen through?

What was there to fear? She and Lin Laoyao could live a good life outside, save money, and when their son was released, they could still find him a wife and give him a good life.

However, she hadn’t expected that even after she had admitted defeat, Gu Zi would still not let go. It was too much! After all, they were her uncle and aunt!

Lin Laoyao’s wife wouldn’t stand by and watch her husband be taken away. She ran forward to block the police officers’ path and fell to her knees.

She cried out loudly, “Everyone, please judge for us! Gu Zi, that ungrateful wretch, wants to ruin our family! Isn’t this a blatant frame-up against my husband?

“Officers, you can’t arrest my husband. If you say he has broken the law, you must present evidence. You can’t just favor whoever has more influence. I won’t accept this!”

With Lin Laoyao’s wife causing such a scene, the villagers who sympathized with the Lin family’s plight became even more indignant. Their discussions grew louder, expressing their support for Lin Laoyao with righteous indignation. “We have indeed misunderstood Gu Zi in the past, and we admit our mistake. But who doesn’t make mistakes? Even wise and enlightened kings in ancient times had their moments of confusion. But it can’t always be our fault, can it?”

“I simply can’t believe it this time. For so many years, who in our village doesn’t know that Lin Laoyao is good-natured and kind-hearted? I’ve lived most of my life, and I’ve never met a better person than Lin Laoyao.”

“He would never do such a thing. Gu Zi’s family runs a shop in town, and Lin Laoyao is just an ordinary farmer. How could he possibly influence public opinion in town?”

“Yes, the Lin family is really unlucky. It’s so sad to watch. Officers, you must have evidence when you arrest someone!”

The two police officers, listening to the surrounding discussions, were almost amused by the absurdity of it all. Indeed, in a world of the weak, showing weakness was the best way to win sympathy and protection. They had been handling cases for many years and knew this truth, but they couldn’t stand to listen any longer.

One of the officers stepped forward and shouted, “Silence! What’s all this noise? Do you think we, the police, are just here for show? That we would arrest someone just because Gu Zi said so?”

“If we dare to arrest someone, it means we have evidence. If you continue to talk nonsense, we won’t hesitate to take you all back with us. Then you can see for yourselves whether Lin Laoyao is being wronged.”

The crowd fell silent. After all, no one wanted to be taken to the police station. Once inside, it would be troublesome to get out. However, once the crowd quieted down, even the softest whispers became clear. Someone murmured, “Isn’t that Lin Lao’er and his wife? They’re here!”

Everyone turned to look. Mother Lin was supporting Lin Lao’er, who was leaning on a crutch. They were walking straight towards the police officers and Lin Laoyao.

Lin Lao’er looked at the handcuffs on Lin Laoyao’s hands and fell silent. Lin Laoyao’s eyes were filled with resentment, no longer hidden. He sneered, “So, brother, you’ve come to gloat?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lin Lao’er let go of Mother Lin’s supporting hand and walked a few steps closer. He didn’t answer, but instead said to Lin Laoyao, “When we were kids, the sugar at home would mysteriously disappear. Mom thought I was the one stealing it and would beat me. I never said a word.

“You would beg Mom not to hit me, but the next time, the sugar would still disappear, Mom would still suspect me, and I would still get beaten. It was always like this.”