Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Liu Chun Has Committed Suicide

Liu Chun fell silent, biting her lip hard.

No matter what they said or how they cursed her, she didn’t utter another word.

Liang Zhiqiu was furious.

“You won’t talk, huh? Fine, then go to jail. Let’s see how tough you really are.”

Suddenly, Liu Chun dropped to her knees and started kowtowing desperately.

“Mister, Madam, I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I can only repay you in my next life, even if it means being a beast of burden.”

No matter how much they pressured her, she never revealed anything.

Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu were exhausted and gave up trying to force her.

Yun Runtong sent one guard to report the case, and had another drive them back to Xujia Village.

Gu Qinghuan went to Chen Fengqin’s house to pick up the two children. They’d already eaten there, so she quickly thanked her.

Chen Fengqin had wanted to ask about Xu Huaian, but seeing Gu Qinghuan’s troubled expression, she didn’t dare inquire further.

By that afternoon, word had spread throughout Xujia Village—everyone was saying Xu Huaian’s biological parents were big shots, and that the family was about to hit it big.

Chen Fengqin was worried. If Gu Qinghuan left Xujia Village, what would happen to the soap factory? Without her support, it would feel like there was no backbone. But people always seek better opportunities, and she couldn’t stop her.

Sigh! Xu Mingshan really was a troublemaker.

On the way home, the two children kept sneaking glances at Gu Qinghuan.

“Mom, they said Dad isn’t Grandpa and Grandma’s real son. Is that true?” Beibei asked, holding Gu Qinghuan’s hand, her eyes full of confusion.

“Yes, it’s true. They don’t deserve to be your dad’s parents. The grandpa and grandma who came to our house this afternoon are your real grandparents. Remember to greet them properly when we get home.”

Hearing this, Dabao smiled.

He never liked his old grandparents—they didn’t like Dad, and they didn’t like the two of them either.

As soon as the three of them returned to the courtyard, Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu came out to greet them.

“So these are the children? They’re beautiful. Qinghuan, you’ve worked hard,” Liang Zhiqiu said warmly, knowing the children’s background and sensibly not pressing further. She pulled them into her arms for a closer look and gave each a big red envelope.

Yun Runtong looked at the children and, thinking of their story, couldn’t help but sigh.

Such pitiful souls—it’s no wonder Huaian adopted them.

Gu Qinghuan let them chat happily, then hurried into the kitchen to cook.

Her in-laws had been here for so long and hadn’t even had a sip of water yet.

Time was tight, so she couldn’t make a feast. She quickly whipped up stir-fried cucumber with wood ear and eggs, braised eggplant, and shredded potatoes.

The staple was steamed buns from that morning.

Liang Zhiqiu offered to help in the kitchen, but Gu Qinghuan was embarrassed to let her mother-in-law do real work, so she just asked her to shred some potatoes. But Liang Zhiqiu ended up cutting them into chunks and nearly cut herself.

Well, some people just aren’t meant for kitchen work—better to do it herself!

Liang Zhiqiu was mortified. It was her first time meeting her daughter-in-law, and she’d wanted to make a good impression, but she couldn’t do anything right. So embarrassing.

“I, uh, always had the maid prep the ingredients when I cooked. I’m not good at chopping,” she explained awkwardly.

“It’s fine. You’re a doctor—your hands are meant to save lives, not for kitchen work. You shouldn’t be in here anyway,” Gu Qinghuan said, smoothing things over.

Since the potatoes were now chunks, Gu Qinghuan just deep-fried them until crispy, tossed them with seasoning, and they tasted just like the spicy potatoes sold outside.

In less than half an hour, dinner was ready.

Liang Zhiqiu praised her: “Qinghuan, you’re so capable! It smells delicious—I can tell it’ll taste great.”

After running around all afternoon, Yun Runtong was starving. He’d been holding back, and the aroma from the kitchen had nearly driven him crazy.

Gu Qinghuan set the table and invited everyone to eat.

Even though they were hungry, everyone waited for her to take the first bite before starting—a basic courtesy.

With a bite of vegetables and a mouthful of steamed bun, Yun Runtong’s stomach finally felt at ease.

This girl could really cook—better than his wife, even. Huaian was truly blessed to have survived all he had.

Everyone was hungry, and with the big steamed buns, they polished off all the dishes.

Gu Qinghuan cleared out the room next door where the kids usually slept for Yun Runtong and his wife, and she slept with the two children.

As for the guard, he had to make do sleeping in the car.

The next morning, as Gu Qinghuan was making breakfast, the guard who’d gone to report the case suddenly returned with the police.

“Sir, something’s happened!”

“What is it?” Yun Runtong’s heart tightened at his expression.

“Liu Chun… she hanged herself last night!”

With a crash, the washbasin in Liang Zhiqiu’s hands fell to the floor.

“She’s dead?”

As much as they hated her, they’d never actually wanted her dead.

At such a critical moment, she’d killed herself?

Why?

Was it because they’d pushed her too hard yesterday?

Yun Runtong’s doubts grew.

“Are you sure it was suicide?”

“The police who went with me checked—there’s basically no sign of foul play.”

“All right. Thank you for your hard work.”

Liu Chun’s suicide wasn’t hard to understand. Compared to being arrested and suffering in prison at her age, death was an easier way out.

But now, everything about the past would be buried with her—no one would ever know the full story.

Yun Runtong and his wife were content just to have found their child. This matter was over.

The police took Xu Mingshan and Liu Guifang away to question them about the past.

The two had already coordinated their stories. No matter how the police separated and questioned them, they insisted they knew nothing about Xu Huaian being a kidnapped child. With Liu Chun dead, there was no evidence, so the police couldn’t do much—just detained them for a few days.

With Liu Chun’s matter settled, Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu met with the Zhong family to express their gratitude and remind them to prepare for the return to Beijing, then headed back themselves.

Yun Runtong had just been transferred back to the Beijing Military District and had a lot on his plate.

They’d originally planned to take Gu Qinghuan and the two children back to Beijing with them for a family reunion.

But Gu Qinghuan refused—she still had things to wrap up in Xujia Village, and her job at the school needed time to hand over.

The kids were almost at the end of the semester; she wanted them to finish their classes rather than leave halfway. Besides, the environment here was better for her to focus on studying. If she went back to Beijing, there would be endless things to deal with.

So, she decided to wait until the Zhong family was cleared before considering the move.

Still, she asked them to bring lots of food for Xu Huaian—beef jerky, spicy rabbit, pork jerky, and more.

The Yun couple respected her wishes. They’d wanted to warn her to be careful of Xu Mingshan seeking revenge, but thinking of her formidable fighting skills, they figured there was no need.

Gu Qinghuan cherished these last peaceful days.

In fact, these two years in Xujia Village had been the most peaceful time she’d ever known—no pressure, just a simple life.

Going back to Beijing meant all that peace would be gone.

Wherever there are people, there’s trouble.

Xujia Village was about to hold its triennial election.

Xu Mingshan had already lost his advantage, and after the recent scandal, he was criticized by everyone and kicked off the candidate list.

Xu Huainian, who’d led the effort to build the factory and fought for everyone’s welfare, was straightforward and well-liked. He was unanimously elected as the new Party Secretary.

He hadn’t expected the “big plans” Gu Qinghuan had painted for him would actually come true.

Xu Huainian was suddenly the center of attention, and those women who used to curry favor with Liu Guifang now flocked to ingratiate themselves with Chen Fengqin.

But as the women’s director, Chen Fengqin wasn’t so easily swayed.

Some people were destined to leave empty-handed.

Others took the chance to kick Xu Mingshan while he was down—throwing manure at his house, spitting at him, and cursing him viciously.

Especially those who’d suffered under him before—they all came forward now.

They accused Xu Mingshan of greed and corruption, saying he lived like a landlord, occupying a big house that belonged to the collective and demanding he return it.

They also said Liu Guifang didn’t work and acted like a capitalist.

Someone even snuck into their house at night and stole from Liu Guifang’s grain store, which, just as Gu Qinghuan had said, was packed with food.

Xu Mingshan could only swallow his losses.

As the saying goes, “What goes around comes around.” Sooner or later, you pay for your actions.

Xu Meiling also lost her job as a scorekeeper—without her father’s backing, she had no protection.

With her lazy work attitude, she was lucky not to be publicly criticized.

Lin Xiaomeng’s family was affected too, though not as badly as Xu Mingshan. She and Dacheng simply hid out at the school and didn’t come home, ignoring all the gossip.

With Lin Xiaomeng not coming home, Yan Lijun was even less likely to return. She was used to bringing her child to work, and as long as it didn’t interfere, her boss understood and the child was well-behaved.

She worked hard to provide for her child, who now looked just like any other healthy kid.

Gu Qinghuan watched all this unfold with a cold eye, and suddenly felt it was all for the best. Even if the law hadn’t punished Xu Mingshan, public opinion was a sharper blade.

Bit by bit, everything they cared about was taken away.

Dignity! Reputation! Status! Money!

All gone.

The best way to get revenge on someone is to take away what they care about most.

Before the gossip about Xu Mingshan had even died down, news suddenly spread through the village—the college entrance exam was going to be reinstated!

Immediately, all the educated young people were excited.

The educated youth point was in an uproar—everyone wanted to take the exam.

Zhu Chunlin and Lin Shengnan wanted to take it too.

Before, they’d thought there was no hope and they’d have to settle down here forever.

Now that there was a chance, they were determined to try, hoping to take their child and return to the city.

Even Qiu Shuxia wanted to take the exam, which surprised Gu Qinghuan. She couldn’t believe Qian Caihua would agree—wasn’t she afraid her daughter-in-law would get into college and run away?

Jiang Xue and her husband Hao Zhigao were also preparing for the exam—they were both teachers, with a solid foundation.

As for Chen Jianghe, he was even more determined. In fact, the news had come from him.

His parents had some connections and heard about the possible reinstatement early, so they wrote to tell him to start studying."

"Chapter 307: Acknowledge Them? Why Not?