For all her years, she had never seen so much money and vouchers. Without delay, Old Mrs. Chen quickly reached out, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into her clothes pocket. As soon as one pocket was full, she moved on to the next.
Only when all the money and vouchers were safely in her pockets did she emerge with a satisfied look.
...
"Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, please hurry. My third sister-in-law is home alone. What if they harm her?" Gu Xingping urged anxiously as she led the way.
Looking at Old Mrs. Chen's demeanor, she didn't seem like an easy person to deal with. Chen Baozhu, who was not good news, was also by her side. What if her third sister-in-law was bullied while she wasn't there?
Rushing along, Gu Xingping had just entered the courtyard when she saw Chen Baozhu grabbing Chen Lishu's arm. She immediately became furious.
"Chen Baozhu, let go of my third sister-in-law!" Gu Xingping exclaimed, rushing forward and scratching and clawing at Chen Baozhu.
Chen Baozhu, caught off guard by how fierce this young girl was, managed to raise his arm to dodge. However, his face and neck still took two solid hits, instantly feeling a burning pain.
Old Mrs. Chen came out of the house and saw this scene. Anyone who touched her grandson was touching her lifeblood. Without a word, she charged at Gu Xingping.
"You little rascal, why are you scratching our Baozhu? Stop it right now!"
Chen Lishu broke free from Chen Baozhu's grip. Glancing at the Public Security officers who arrived shortly after and seeing Old Mrs. Chen charging forward, she stepped forward and knelt down, quickly grabbing Old Mrs. Chen's leg. Old Mrs. Chen stumbled, nearly falling.
"What madness are you spewing? Get off me!" Saying this, she reached out to hit Chen Lishu. Chen Lishu did not fight back, but simply held onto her leg and cried, "Grandma, that's the allowance Xingdong sent me. I rely on that little bit of money to live after splitting from the family. You can't only have your grandson in your eyes and neglect your granddaughter's life."
"What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean 'your money'? Once it's in my hands, it's mine. It's only right that you show filial piety. Get off me now!"
Old Mrs. Chen was anxious to save her grandson and didn't want to entangle herself with Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu, however, did not comply. Where the Public Security officers couldn't see, she raised her hand, pinched a piece of flesh on Old Mrs. Chen's leg, and twisted it fiercely.
"Ouch!" Old Mrs. Chen cried out in pain, and at the same time, her anger flared. She raised her hand, intending to strike Chen Lishu severely.
"All of you, stop!" The two Public Security officers, who had been watching by the doorway for a while and considering what Gu Xingping had reported, had already formed a general conclusion.
"Com-Comrades from the Public Security Bureau." Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu were startled by the arrival of the police, but quickly calmed down, thinking that they hadn't done anything outrageous.
"Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, you've arrived at the most opportune moment. If you had come any later, I would have been bullied to death by these two."
With seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, Chen Lishu straightened up, wiped her tears, and said, "These two trespassed into my residence, forcibly robbed me of my property, and even assaulted me. Will you handle this matter or not?"
Her skin was fair, and the slap marks left by Old Mrs. Chen on her cheeks were exceptionally clear and conspicuous. Coupled with her pitiful appearance, she truly looked like a poor victim, harmed by her grandmother and cousin with no recourse.
Trespassing, robbery, and assault were all serious crimes. The two Public Security officers looked sternly at Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu. "You two will immediately come with us for investigation."
As the two officers spoke, they brought out handcuffs and prepared to take them to the police station.
"Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, there's been a misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding. She's my granddaughter. Isn't it natural for her to give me some filial money?"
"The money wasn't given voluntarily; they robbed it by force. They even caused me significant physical harm. When you arrived, she was still intending to harm me. Comrades, you all witnessed this, didn't you?"
"This..."
The two Public Security officers knew she was telling the truth. However, the fact that they were relatives was also true. Considering the special circumstances, the two officers exchanged glances and turned to discuss with Chen Lishu, "Since they are relatives, why don't you agree to a settlement?"
Typically, when encountering such family disputes, they advocated for settlement if possible.
"Yes, yes, we are all family. It's no big deal. Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, you are right. We are willing to settle."
Chen Baozhu pointed to the scratches on his face and neck, showing them to the two Public Security officers. "Look how that crazy girl scratched me."
"Who told you to bully my third sister-in-law? What's wrong with scratching you a few times? It's lucky I didn't scratch you until you bled." Gu Xingping was still angry thinking about what she had just seen. These two were not family at all; they were debt collectors.
It served him right to be scratched for bullying a woman.
The two Public Security officers ignored Chen Baozhu and turned their gaze to the victim, Chen Lishu. "How about this: they return the stolen property and also offer a formal apology. What do you think, comrade?"
"I disagree." Chen Lishu shook her head firmly and stated, "Since their criminal facts are clear, you should take them back and detain them. Considering we are relatives, I will not prosecute for a criminal sentence."
"You little beast! I am your grandmother! How can you cruelly ask us to go to jail? I don't want to live anymore!"
Upon hearing that the matter had escalated, Old Mrs. Chen became terrified and started to cry and threaten to hang herself.
"If you can die here today, I will generously forgive you. If you can't die, you will still have to go to the detention center."
Chen Lishu stepped forward, took out the money and vouchers from her pocket, and turned to the two police officers, "If I were to pursue legal action, how many years would they be sentenced for robbing so much property?"
"This..." The two, seeing that her expression was not a bluff, and for the good of Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu, advised, "Why don't you still come with us? If you really pursue legal action, you will be sentenced. Given this amount of money, it would be at least one to two years. If you cannot gain the understanding of this comrade, it could be three to five years."
Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu were completely stunned.
They had just tried to take some money, and now it was about sentencing, and for several years.
Chen Lishu glanced indifferently at Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu. "I am very easy to talk to. Either you go to the detention center for ten to fifteen days now, or I pursue legal action and you go to jail. You choose."
Neither Old Mrs. Chen nor Chen Baozhu wanted to choose.
At this moment, Chen Baozhu remembered his wife who was giving birth in the hospital. He hurriedly pleaded with Chen Lishu, "It was Big Brother's fault. He was blinded by greed for a moment. Please, be magnanimous and forgive Big Brother this time. Your sister-in-law is still giving birth in the hospital. What will happen to them if I go in?"
Chen Lishu looked up, met his gaze, narrowed her eyes, and said coldly, "Don't make me repeat myself."