“Xiao Ming, what did you say? My Ran ‘Er was really stabbed?” Lan Erying stumbled to Xiao Ming. She demanded. “How can this be?”
Mother Xiao finally understood why the Chen Family was acting like that earlier. Chen Dahua and Lan Erying probably thought Xiao Lingyu was lying to them.
Mother Xiao said, “Lan Erying, so you thought my Xiao Yu was joking with you? However, you wanted to call the police on her, for you thought it was a joke?”
Chen Xiaoming was a young man in his twenties. He said, “Auntie Chen, that’s what the village chief told me. He said Brother Chen Ran’s injury is quite serious. He wants you to hurry to City Z. The hospital also said that Brother Chen hasn’t paid for his hospitalization and surgery fees, so they need you to clear that payment as soon as possible. Or else… the hospital will have no choice but to cut off Brother Chen Ran’s medication.”
When the village chief got the call, he thought it was a scammer. He had to confirm multiple times before he was certain it was really a call from the hospital. When the chief heard Chen Dahua and his wife had brought his whole family to Taoyuan Village, he immediately sent a messenger. That messenger was Chen Xiaoming.
Lan Erying swayed. She covered her forehead. Her face was extremely pale. She was frightened and uneasy. This was the normal reaction of a mother after she heard her son was injured.
“Big Brother!”
“Second Sister!”
Chen Dahua and Lan Erying’s siblings immediately went to help them.
Lan Erying shook her head and stood up. She rushed towards Xiao Lingyu and scolded angrily, “Xiao Lingyu, you bitch, what have you done to my son? Let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, I will make you pay with your life!”
Mother Xiao immediately shielded Xiao Lingyu behind her and fired back, “Lan Erying, you’re crazy. What does your son’s injury have to do with my Yu ‘Er? If you have time to waste here, why not hurry to City Z to see your son?”
Lan Erying shouted, “How is it not related? My Ran ‘Er and this bitch went to City Z to work together. Now, my Ran ‘Er is lying at the hospital, and she’s hiding at home? If she’s not guilty, then who is?” Then, she strode past Mother Xiao to grab Xiao Lingyu. She cursed, “You little bitch, you are coming with us to City Z. You have to take care of Ran ‘Er until he recovers. And the Xiao Family has to pay the medical bill. Give us 100,000 RMB, or we are not letting this little bitch go!”
Mother Xiao smacked Lan Erying squarely on her face. “Lan Erying, I didn’t want to take issue with you since your son is injured but don’t you push it. Stop calling my Yu ‘Er a bitch. Do you think I, Chen Qiuying, am so easily bullied? Do you really think you run the law here? Do you think the villagers of Taoyuan Village are so easily-bullied?”
Lan Erying went mad. She collapsed and rolled on the ground. She cried. “They are bullying me! The villagers of Taoyuan Village are bullying me. The daughter stabbed my son, and the mother slapped me. They are horrible people.
“Oh my God, I don’t want to live anymore. I can’t live anymore. Just let me die in front of this little bitch’s house. I will come back to haunt them.
“My poor son… Why is your fate so pitiful? In the past, you cared so much about this little bitch, but in the end, this is how she repays you.
“The little bitch didn’t even stay to take care of you even after she stabbed you. She ran home and left you alone in City Z…”
Xiao Lingye just came back from the field, looking for his father, Xiao Zhengyang. When he arrived, he heard Lan Erying lay on the ground and say those horrible things about his sister.
The young man’s anger flared up, and he was about to charge forward to beat up Lan Erying. His sister liked Brother Chen Ran, so he allowed the Chen Family to take advantage of them. However, it was too much to have the Chen Family slander his sister’s name so openly.
However, Xiao Zhengyang pulled his impulsive son back. “Don’t be rash. If you really go and beat her up, you’ll fall into her trap. It’ll only make things worse for your sister after she marries the Chen Family.” Since they had just returned, they didn’t know Xiao Lingyu and Chen Ran had already broken up.
Xiao Zhengyang walked through the crowd and saw Lan Erying lying on the ground. He frowned and asked in puzzlement, “Sister Lan, what’s wrong? Why are you lying on the ground?” Then, he looked at Chen Dahua and said, “Brother Chen, what is going on? What are you doing at my house?”
“Xiao Zhengyang, come over here!” Mother Xiao roared. “Who told you to care about them? They are accusing our Yu ‘Er of stabbing their son and are trying to extort 100,000 from us!”
“What?” Xiao Zhengyang was shocked. He looked around and was very confused, “What happened?”
He asked Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Lingyu said calmly, “Dad, Chen Ran and I broke up. Chen Ran married the daughter of our company’s boss. However, once they got married, the boss lost his company. Then the CEO’s daughter stabbed Chen Ran. The hospital called to rush them to cough up the medical fees. But the Chen Family insisted that I was the one who injured Chen Ran and wanted us to pay 100,000 RMB!”
Xiao Lingyu explained loudly for Xiao Zhengyang and the other villagers to hear. She was telling them the truth.
“You liar!” Chen Dahua roared, “You’re making this up. Everyone knows you hunger after my Ran ‘Er. Why would he suddenly marry someone else? You have to be lying! It’s because you don’t want to have Ran ‘Er as a burden! You don’t want to be responsible! How can you be so heartless? You are his girlfriend!”
Xiao Lingyu took out her camera phone and showed them a photo. She said, “This is the marriage certificate of Chen Ran and his wife, Zhao Wenman.”
Xiao Lingyu’s old Nokia didn’t have a camera function. However, knowing what would happen, Xiao Lingyu went to purchase a camera phone after she left Marriott Hotel. It had come in handy.
Many villagers’ eyes flashed in envy seeing the new phone in Xiao Lingyu’s hands.
Xiao Lingye snatched the phone and studied the marriage certificate. His pupils constricted, and he huffed angrily, “It’s true. Chen Ran has already married another woman. He is no longer related to my sister, so why should she be held responsible for his medical bills? Go and find his new wife!”
The other villagers immediately surrounded Xiao Lingye. After they saw the snapped marriage certificate, they tutted. “So it’s true. Some people are too shameless.”
“That’s right. The man is already married to another woman, but they demand his ex-girlfriend to take care of him. This is just ridiculous.”
The members of the Chen Family also rushed over to look. The evidence was real.
“Big Brother, Chen Ran is really married to another woman.”