Chapter 189: Interrogation
As they were talking, everyone discovered something was wrong.
“Strange, with Cai Jinhua’s family’s conduct, they would definitely hold a banquet for such a good thing. Why are they trying to take her away so sneakily?”
“Besides, that young man from the Zhou family isn’t bad-looking, and I see he’s perfectly healthy. Why would he pay a betrothal gift of two hundred yuan to marry Laidai? It’s not that I’m looking down on Laidai.
Any healthy young girl raised by Cai Jinhua would look so skinny and dark that she wouldn’t be good-looking. With a betrothal gift of two hundred yuan, that young man from the Zhou family should have no problem marrying a girl with better conditions. Why did he fancy Laidai?”
“Right, could there be something fishy going on? Does that young man from the Zhou family have some hidden illness?”
Listening to everyone’s speculation, the village chief’s expression turned somewhat displeased.
Cai Jinhua also panicked: “What nonsense are you all spouting? My son-in-law is fine. He just has good taste and fancies my Laidai. Laidai is just a bit dark and thin, but she inherited my good genes and looks very good. Once she’s taken care of, she’ll become fair and plump…”
The crowd who heard this: ………
Seriously, have some self-respect. Don’t you know what you look like?
Many people rolled their eyes.
The village chief’s voice was stern: “Then tell me, what was Laidai doing going to the seaside? Why would she rather leave than marry that young man surnamed Zhou?”
This “leaving” wasn’t clearly defined as leaving the village or…
The village chief’s mood was heavy: “Besides Aunt Yun Er, did anyone else see Laidai?”
Everyone looked at each other, and indicated they hadn’t.
Yun Jiao rested her chin on her hand and wondered if Yun Laidai really intended to commit suicide by jumping into the sea.
Her guess wasn’t wrong. The moment Yun Laidai learned she was being married off for a ghost marriage, she felt despair and thought about jumping into the sea to end it all.
But when she reached the seaside, after crying for a while, the wind cooled her down. However, her unwillingness to accept this and her desire to escape grew even stronger.
Then, she walked along a nearly deserted path. Finally, tired and hungry, she hid behind that haystack.
As the villagers talked, they increasingly felt that Yun Laidai had probably jumped into the sea.
The village chief immediately called for some strong young men to search the nearby sea area.
This was a matter of life and death, and the villagers were very united at this time.
Those who had boats basically all set out.
The village chief turned to Cai Jinhua’s family and sternly questioned them: “What exactly did you do? Are you really marrying Laidai to that young man from the Zhou family?”
The village chief also felt something was fishy. Otherwise, Laidai, that girl, had been tormented by her heartless mother to the age of 17, and wouldn’t have wanted to commit suicide right before her wedding.
Under the village chief’s gaze, Cai Jinhua and Yun Dana shrunk their necks, their eyes darting away.
“Of, of course she’s marrying that young man from the Zhou family. Haven’t they already come to see her? How could there be a lie? It’s just that Laidai, that dead girl, has grown too tough and won’t listen.
I raised her from infancy, and this is how she repays us? An ungrateful wretch…”
As she spoke, Cai Jinhua even started to scold.
Yun Jiao’s eyes rolled, and she ran to Grandma Li’s side.
This Grandma Li was known in the village for her fiery temper and love for gossip.
“Grandma Li, Yun Jiao will tell you a secret. The other day, I accidentally overheard two people from the Zhou family saying that their third son died. Pitiful, he has a wife now.”
Grandma Li, who loved to gossip, indeed perked up upon hearing this.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement: “Really?!”
Yun Jiao nodded: “Mhm, really, really.”
Grandma Li not only loved to gossip but also liked to get firsthand news and then spread it.
Of course, Grandma Li didn’t spread all news. She had her own standards; she wouldn’t spread rumors without basis.
For instance, at this moment, although she had heard Yun Jiao’s words, she didn’t directly question Cai Jinhua if she had arranged a ghost marriage for Yun Laidai.
Instead, she asked: “Cai Jinhua, I heard that the third son in your in-laws’ family died?”
The guilty Cai Jinhua immediately panicked, her eyes flickering.
“Well… how would I know.”
Grandma Li stared at her, and seeing her expression, she knew Yun Jiao’s news was likely true.
She cracked sunflower seeds and said: “Didn’t Laidai and that young man from the Zhou family not know each other before? Why would he suddenly be willing to pay two hundred yuan to marry her? And doing it so secretly, tsk tsk tsk… Who is it that’s marrying Laidai?”
These words didn’t need to be said clearly; those with quick minds understood.
For a moment, the way everyone looked at Cai Jinhua was filled with disbelief.
Is this her own mother? Isn’t she trying to force Laidai to her death?
The village chief also stared intently at Cai Jinhua and Yun Dana.
“Is what Granny Li said true? Yun Dana, you’re marrying off your own daughter for a ghost marriage?!”
Cai Jinhua and Yun Dana, who were already feeling guilty, panicked even more.
“No!”
Cai Jinhua denied it with a very loud voice: “I am Laidai’s mother, how could I… how could I possibly do such a thing!”
“If not, then why hide the marriage?”
The village chief, enraged, pointed at the two of them: “Fine, fine… you refuse to admit it, then I’ll personally go to Zhou Village to find out if it’s really the young man from the Zhou family who’s getting married!”
Cai Jinhua completely panicked: “Village chief, we, we are doing this for Laidai’s own good.”
This time, she didn’t deny it.
This matter would be known as soon as they inquired in Zhou Village, and she couldn’t argue her way out of it.
Cai Jinhua simply began to cry pitifully: “Our family has so many daughters, we don’t have money, we’re poor. Since the Zhou family can come up with two hundred yuan as a betrothal gift, Laidai marrying over there means she’ll have a good life. At most, she’ll be a widow. Her body is so weak; even if she married a normal person, she couldn’t have children, so it’s better…”
“Scoundrel!”
The village chief, furious, pointed at Cai Jinhua’s nose and cursed: “You’re a mother, and Laidai is your own daughter, how can you debase her like this? No wonder Laidai couldn’t bear it. You heartless dogs, if it’s so good, why don’t you marry her yourself…”
The old man, when extremely angry, was also very good at scolding, spitting as he cursed, making Cai Jinhua and Yun Dana unable to lift their heads.
However, Yun Jiao felt that those two were still unconvinced.
Finally, Cai Jinhua became impatient and said directly: “Laidai is flesh and blood from me, she’s my daughter. Wherever she goes and whoever she marries, it’s up to us parents to decide. Village chief, this is our family affair, so don’t interfere too much. Just find that dead girl Laidai for me.”
Two hundred yuan betrothal gift, if she had to return it, how her heart would ache.
“Heartless, heartless!”
The surrounding people looked at Cai Jinhua with strange eyes, whispering.
But Cai Jinhua and her husband, along with their son, had incredibly thick skin and didn’t take these words to heart at all.
It was their daughters who held onto each other, their eyes filled with fear and numbness.
Seeing this, many adults shook their heads and said it was sinful.
