Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

An Meihua kept shaking her head, tears blurring her vision. She suddenly knelt down in front of Lin Qin. "I really have no other choice but to ask you for help. I was wrong before, I was bad, but I was also punished and lost my job in the city. If it weren't for Yongming helping me and bringing me back, I would still be trapped in that poor village."

He's a benefactor to me, and also the father of my daughter. I'm desperate, please help me!

"If you really want to save him, you should have advised him to turn back from the wrong path long ago. He brought this on himself. Besides, you probably don't know that my dad was attacked and seriously injured in the vegetable garden, and the assailant was him. I haven't settled that score with him yet! Do you want to leave now and pretend I never came, or do you want me to give him a push so he can go see the King of Hell sooner?"

When An Meihua met Lin Qin's ambiguous smile, her heart sank to the bottom, and she could only watch helplessly as Lin Qin left her side.

"Ah!" An Meihua burst into tears by the Nanxi River, crying until her child started wailing.

She was at a loss, and Ma Cuihua waited for two days without any news, so she could pretty much guess the outcome.

He was so angry that he scolded Lin Qin for several days in a row at home.

Liu Yongguo tried to persuade her not to get angry, but she wouldn't listen, so he had no choice but to let her do whatever she wanted.

Amidst the chaos at the Liu family home, Liu Yongming's verdict was finally delivered.

"What! Death penalty! How could this be such a heavy sentence?" Granny Liu stood up in shock, looking at Su Shengnin in disbelief.
At that moment, she felt ice-cold all over, and the pastries on the table lost their flavor.

Su Shengning comforted her, "Grandma, don't be afraid. We only found out after our investigation that Liu Yongming had more than just moral issues. What you've mentioned are minor matters. The most serious thing he did was accept bribes and launder money on behalf of his superiors, amounting to as much as 50 million."

Besides, he has two more lives on his hands, and the evidence is conclusive.

Originally, Su Shengnin didn't need to come here, but he was worried that the old man would feel burdened if the news of Liu Yongming's verdict spread, so he came to tell him in person.

Liu Ling, standing nearby, cautiously pressed for an answer: "Who did he kill?"

Su Shengning looked at Liu Ling, whose eyes were clear, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to speak, "I killed a loan shark gangster and Fang Meixiang."

"Huh?" Granny Liu and Liu Ling were both stunned.

The two looked at each other, completely bewildered.

“No, that’s not right! I remember Fang Meixiang just caused a scene at the Liu family’s house last month, and took five hundred yuan from Liu Yongming before leaving.” Granny Liu said with certainty.

Su Shengning raised an eyebrow and asked, "Grandma, how did you know Fang Meixiang asked for five hundred yuan?"

"It's all because of Ma Cuihua! Fang Meixiang took the money and left, and the moment she stepped out of her own front door, she was standing there with her hands on her hips, yelling and cursing, calling Fang Meixiang a shameless slut, saying that Fang Meixiang was asking for an exorbitant amount, and that the five hundred yuan was money earned by risking her life."

"Hiss!" Granny Liu realized what was happening and covered her mouth in horror. "Could it really be money earned by risking one's life?!"

Liu Ling felt goosebumps all over her body and unconsciously moved closer to Su Shenglin. "Liu Yongming killed Fang Meixiang just for this? They were husband and wife no matter what!"

Su Shengning sighed softly, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "According to Liu Yongming's confession, he killed Fang Meixiang because Fang Meixiang's appetite was getting bigger and bigger. At first, she asked for twenty a month, then forty a month in the second year, and in recent months she always asked for money under various pretexts, with the amount increasing from one hundred to five hundred."

He threatened Fang Meixiang if he didn't give in. He suspected that Fang Meixiang knew about his bribery and was also worried that he couldn't satisfy Fang Meixiang's appetite. So, he decided to go all the way and plotted to kill Fang Meixiang a week after she left the Liu family.

Moreover, the methods were extremely cruel, but I won't go into details, lest you all have nightmares if I did. An eerie silence fell over the room, and no one spoke.

Su Shengning finished her last cup of tea, stood up and said, "Alright, I should go back now. Grandma, Liu Yongming is a dangerous element with no moral bottom line. You are doing a good deed for the people, so you don't need to feel guilty. We'll keep the Liu family's affairs to ourselves and not tell anyone."

Grandma Liu looked at him with gratitude, "You're a good boy, thank you! Xiaoling, see the guests out for me."

Liu Ling nodded and obediently followed Su Shengning out.

The two had just stepped out of their house when they heard the commotion starting again across the street.

"You can't leave!" Ma Cuihua's shrill voice successfully stopped the two of them.

"Let go!" An Meihua struggled fiercely. "I didn't register my marriage with Liu Yongming, so legally I'm not recognized as a member of your Liu family. Besides, I didn't receive any betrothal gifts from your Liu family. If I want to leave, you can't stop me!"

"Fine! I knew you weren't a good woman either, just like Lin Qin and Fang Meixiang! You won't have a good ending either!" Ma Cuihua shouted.

An Meihua was so angry that she pushed Ma Cuihua hard. Ma Cuihua staggered and fell to the ground, where she started to wail.

An Meihua's face was contorted with rage as she spat viciously on the ground. "You old hag, let me tell you, if it weren't for Liu Yongming, Fang Meixiang wouldn't have died. That kind of murderer should be shot!"

If the police hadn't revealed Liu Yongming's numerous crimes, she wouldn't have known that the man she was so devoted to protecting was a murderer. And to make matters worse, he killed his former lover.

An Meihua couldn't imagine what would happen if she ever got in Liu Yongming's way. Would he silently kill her too?
In particular, she was indeed planning to force Liu Yongming to register their marriage, but she hadn't done so yet.

The thought of being killed at any moment sent chills down An Meihua's spine, and all her past relationships were forgotten.

The two women argued for a while in the yard, and Ma Cuihua, an elderly woman who had recently been discharged from the hospital, really couldn't stop An Meihua.

Liu Ling and Su Shengning realized what was happening and immediately turned around, walking side by side out of the alley.

An Meihua quickly caught up with them, passed them, and hurriedly left the alley.

The two of them just kept watching An Meihua leave, completely forgetting that they were still stuck to each other.

Li San's mother's voice came from behind the two, "Hey Liu Ling! You're dating someone! She's quite pretty! Where are you from? How old are you? What do you do?"

Liu Ling realized what was happening and quickly moved aside, her pretty face flushed red. She smiled politely at Li San's mother and urged Su Shengning to leave.

Old Lady Li was still not giving up, and shouted at the top of her lungs behind them, "Why are you running away! Your auntie isn't going to eat you! Tell me what happened! If you won't tell me, I'll go ask her myself!"

Liu Ling's face paled instantly. "We're doomed! That woman is a notorious gossip in our neighborhood. If she starts spreading rumors everywhere, things will get really messed up!"

She could ignore the mudslinging Ma Cuihua threw at her, since Ma Cuihua's reputation was already ruined and no one believed what she said.

But Li San's mother was different; she had a huge group of older women who couldn't keep any news secret, saying whatever came to mind, good or bad. (End of Chapter)