Chapter 24: A Battle of Wits or a Trial of Might

Su Li arrived.

She whispered into Da Niu's ear, "Go and call everyone in our family, and the village head as well."

"Got it!"

Da Niu dashed off in a flash.

"I didn't take it!"

"I believe you!"

Li Meilan shouted, and Su Li answered.

Su Li pushed through the surrounding crowd and walked up to Li Meilan with a solemn expression.

"Mom believes you."

Li Meilan met Su Li's gaze, which was filled with firm trust. Her eyes, which had been stinging from suppressed anger, instantly welled up with tears. It was the kind of feeling where one could be very strong, but the moment someone showed care, the urge to cry became overwhelming.

"Mom will stand up for you."

Su Li held Li Meilan's hand and turned to look at the aggressive Xiu Mei standing opposite them.

Wang Xiumei was the daughter of Old Mrs. Wang—the woman Su Li had refused to give buns to at noon. Xiumei had a few years of schooling and served as a group leader, responsible for overseeing the peanut fields. Every year, there were incidents of workers secretly hiding peanuts; Li Meilan wasn't the only one who did it, but she was the only one who had been caught red-handed three times.

"Aunt Su, what's the point of you believing her? Look at the workers in the field; who else could it be but Li Meilan? She hadn't come to work for two days, and the moment she shows up, she heads straight for the peanut patch. Everyone knows why. Just make her take it out and be done with it. Since she’s got sticky fingers, she shouldn't have the nerve to make such a scene."

"You bullsh—"

Li Meilan rolled up her sleeves, ready to start a fight, but Su Li held her back.

"Wang Xiumei, don't be in such a hurry to bite. Let's wait until the village head gets here. You don't have the authority to settle this."

"You—"

"The village head is here!"

The village head arrived, and the Cheng family arrived with him. They had already heard about what was happening on their way over. To be honest, none of them believed that Li Meilan was innocent.

Miao Xiaocao thought: My second sister-in-law is so bold; I wouldn't dare.
The second son, Cheng Junnan, was worried: My wife is just too careless.
The third sister-in-law pouted, but her husband stopped her from speaking.
The fourth sister-in-law scoffed; it was truly embarrassing to have such a person as a sister-in-law.
The fourth son, Cheng Junbei, spoke up as soon as he arrived: "Second sister-in-law, you—"

"Shut up, Fourth!"

Su Li glared at him, then looked at the Cheng family. "All of you, shut your mouths and stand in the back. If anyone dares to say one more word, I’ll burn the Cheng family’s assets to the ground. You won’t need to wait for the family division; you can all get out right now with nothing to your names!"

The Cheng family: Has the old lady lost her mind?
Li Meilan: My own mom!

After speaking, Su Li turned to the village head and invited him to the center. "I trouble you to act as a witness."

"Very well."

The village head nodded, and Su Li turned back to Wang Xiumei.

"Tell me, do you want to settle this through a civil debate or a physical one?"

As she spoke, Su Li reached behind her and pulled out a gleaming kitchen knife.

"Oh my, that won't do!"

The village head was startled, and Wang Xiumei retreated two steps, looking wary.

Su Li smiled slightly and tucked the knife back.

"A civil debate it is, then."

"Wang Xiumei, you just said my second daughter-in-law stole peanuts, right?"

"That's right!"

Wang Xiumei’s voice was loud, as if she were trying to bolster her own courage.

"Good. Then prove it. How did my daughter-in-law steal them? At what time? Who are the witnesses, and where is the evidence?"

Wang Xiumei lowered her head slightly and said, "What do I need to prove? It was Li Meilan, that's all!"

Su Li chuckled and stepped forward. Wang Xiumei backed away: You still have that knife tucked in your waistband!

"My second daughter-in-law has insisted from beginning to end that she didn't take anything. You don't believe her, so you are the one making the accusation and the one carrying the burden of proof. What's the problem?"

"What do I need to prove! Who else could it be but Li Meilan!"

Su Li shook her head. "So, you have no evidence and no witnesses, only a conclusion you fabricated because you don't like Li Meilan."

"In that case, Wang Xiumei, you stole a hundred yuan from me. Return it immediately!"

"You're crazy! When did I ever steal your money? You're talking nonsense!"

Wang Xiumei’s face flushed red, and she was instantly displeased.

Su Li stepped forward again, staring at her.

"When you were slandering my second daughter-in-law with nothing but empty words, why didn't you call it nonsense? I suspect you stole my money right now, just because I scolded your mother at noon. The logic is sound, so what’s wrong with that?"

"You, you, you—Village Head, aren't you going to do something?"

Wang Xiumei’s train of thought was derailed, and she fell into the trap of self-defense, turning to the village head for help.

The village head was sweating profusely. When did Old Mrs. Su become so formidable?

"Now, Sister Su, let's talk this out reasonably."

Su Li was more than willing to take a step back. "Fine. Let's talk based on facts. Wang Xiumei accused my daughter-in-law of theft without evidence simply because there were a few pounds less of peanuts today than yesterday."

"Wang Xiumei, let me ask you: how many acres of peanuts were harvested today? Were there sections of the field with missing seedlings? Did you account for those?"

"I, I—"

Wang Xiumei felt guilty; she hadn't accounted for them.

"Oh, I remember now! There were two-meter-long gaps in the rows I was harvesting."

"I had a patch like that, too."

The accounts balanced.

The village head kept a straight face and stared at Wang Xiumei.

"Apologize to her! You didn't oversee the work properly and started shouting baseless accusations. I think you should step down as group leader!"

"I, I, I—she always takes them, so I just assumed—"

Su Li turned around, pulled Li Meilan forward, and stood opposite Wang Xiumei.

"Enough of your damn nonsense! Apologize to my daughter-in-law."

"I'm sorry!"

Wang Xiumei tried to run away as soon as she finished the words, but Su Li grabbed her, nearly causing her to fall before Li Meilan steadied her.

"Wang Xiumei, apologize properly. Use her name, and speak up!"

Su Li scolded, gripping Xiumei's sleeve tightly, looking every bit like a mother-in-law standing up for her own. Li Meilan looked down, her tears streaming down uncontrollably. Even her own mother had never protected her like this.

Wang Xiumei was forced to turn back.

"Li Meilan, I'm sorry!"

After the shout, Su Li looked at Li Meilan with a gentle smile.

"Meilan, do you forgive her?"

"Mom—I—"

"If you don't want to forgive her, you don't have to. Apologizing is something she had to do; forgiving is your choice."

Li Meilan’s face was soaked in tears. From now on, her mother-in-law was her real mother!

Su Li let go of Wang Xiumei’s sleeve and looked at the village head.

"Thank you, Village Head. If you hadn't been here to ensure fairness, my second daughter-in-law would have had to swallow this injustice today."

The village head thought: What did I even do?

"It's only right, only right."

Even though he hadn't done much, he had to accept the respect Old Mrs. Su was offering.

Su Li shook her head. "Nothing is 'only right.' You've worked hard."

"Since everyone is here, I'm not afraid to air my family's dirty laundry. My second daughter-in-law didn't behave well in the past, but she has promised me that from now on, she will work hard. If a child makes a mistake, they should correct it, and I will certainly support that. I ask everyone to stop looking at her through the lens of the past."

Li Meilan, still crying, had tears stuck to her eyelashes: When did I ever promise that?
The second son, Cheng Junnan, thought: My wife actually went behind my back to make a vow to my mother?
Others thought: Is the second daughter-in-law really that thoughtful?

After speaking, Su Li held Li Meilan’s hand, putting on an expression of 'don't be afraid,' which made Li Meilan cry even harder.

This time, she wasn't crying out of being touched, but out of the realization of the hard work she would have to endure in the future. After all, the persona had already been built up!

Seeing this, the villagers believed Su Li's words. She must have been wronged; otherwise, she wouldn't be crying like this. People have a low tolerance for good people doing bad things, but their tolerance for bad people changing their ways is much higher. While it might be a bit exaggerated in Li Meilan's case, it wasn't entirely unbelievable.

"Meilan, stop crying. We misunderstood you."

"We'll work together from now on."

"That's right, let's all work hard together!"

Li Meilan felt a wave of sorrow, and she let out a loud, wailing sob.