CHAPTER 1403: CHAPTER 1403: RIGHT OR WRONG, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING

After the Sun family slunk away in defeat, they still felt unwilling to let it go. After some discussion, the family decided to call Ning Ziping to confirm a few things.

Afraid of being overheard in the village or the town, Sun Baowen and Sun Baoqing, the two brothers, took a bus to the county to make the call. On the phone, they didn’t tell the truth—they only said that Stone had returned to the village to pay respects at his mother’s grave and had also acknowledged them.

They stated that if Stone was to acknowledge the Ning family, there would have to be a payment of 20,000 yuan; otherwise, they wouldn’t agree.

However, Ning Ziping, being extremely shrewd, not only refused to negotiate but also lashed out at the Sun brothers, scolding them harshly.

He even told them that they had already found Stone and didn’t need the Sun family’s interference anymore.

When the Sun brothers returned home and relayed the events to their family, everyone immediately felt like their efforts had been all for nothing. A wave of dissatisfaction swept through them—some cursed Stone, others cursed Ning Ziping, and there were even people cursing Luo Qiao and her husband.

When they realized the money was likely out of reach, their spirits resembled wilted eggplants, drooping with defeat.

But soon, Du Chunfang spoke up, "No matter what, we’re still Stone’s relatives, his elders...."

******

The next day, Luo Qiao and the others woke up and had breakfast. The younger ones went over to the Peach Orchard to pick some peaches, washed them, and got them ready to eat during the journey.

That day, they planned to stay in Ji City and meet up with Ji Lin to handle Shen Juan’s affairs, so they weren’t leaving too early.

Once everything was in order, Luo Qiao and the others were saying their goodbyes to the villagers.

Luo Qiao noticed someone staring at her. She turned around to look.

It took her a while to recognize the person—it was Zhang Qiaoyan, the cherished daughter of Zhang Dezheng’s family, holding a basket in her arms.

Zhang Qiaoyan no longer had the arrogance she once displayed, but her eyes now were filled with rage.

Luo Qiao withdrew her gaze, turned around, and was about to head towards the car when she heard Zhang Qiaoyan speak bitterly, "Luo Qiao, you’ve ruined my entire life, and now look at you, basking in your glory."

Luo Qiao turned around and said, "The one who ruined your life isn’t me—it’s your own jealousy. There’s a demon inside you. If I hadn’t avoided it in time, you wouldn’t have spent three years in juvenile detention; you would’ve become a murderer.

I’m surprised that after so many years, you can still say something like this. It seems no one has taught you well. Are you worthy of your parents, your brothers and sisters-in-law, your nieces and nephews?"

Just then, Li Xiulan, who had returned from visiting relatives, saw the scene. Since she was already at odds with the Zhang family, she immediately started mocking: "Zhang Qiaoyan, hurry up and go home. Don’t embarrass your own family anymore. Don’t let someone return your marriage proposal—then the Zhang family will have no face left to show."

Zhang Qiaoyan, desperately looking for an outlet for her anger, charged forward. But halfway through, she changed direction and headed straight for Luo Qiao.

In her mind, she figured this was her only chance—she’d deal with Luo Qiao first, and Li Xiulan could wait since she lived in the village and there would be other opportunities.

Everyone present saw Zhang Qiaoyan change direction and cried out in alarm.

Gao Jiefang shouted, "Zhang Qiaoyan, don’t do anything reckless!"

The Zhang family also noticed their daughter’s actions, and their hearts leapt into their throats. Wang Chunnian shouted loudly, "Qiaoyan, stop!"

Just as they finished speaking, Luo Qiao deftly pulled the ready-to-retaliate Lu Yichen back several steps, shielding him behind her and preparing to deal with Zhang Qiaoyan herself.

But what she didn’t expect was for Taifeng to step in instead. With a swift kick, he sent Zhang Qiaoyan flying quite a distance.

Luo Qiao had wanted to protect Lu Yichen to keep him from getting involved; his sensitive identity meant it would bring trouble if he acted. She had planned to teach this mentally unstable woman a lesson herself.

But Taifeng, upon seeing the woman change direction, instantly knew the current situation wasn’t ideal. With so many people present, Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu taking action could lead to complications. Stone would’ve been an unsuitable choice as well, leaving himself the only option.

Of course, he intentionally held back a bit, not wanting Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu to attract unnecessary trouble.

Zhang Qiaoyan fell to the ground and scraped her arm. She began crying and wailing, shouting about how the officials were bullying her.

Luo Qiao angrily shouted, "Shut up!"

With that one shout, everyone could tell that Luo Qiao was truly upset.

Luo Qiao stepped closer, one step at a time: "It seems three years in juvenile detention wasn’t enough to teach you anything. Look at the situation now—so many people witnessed it. Do you think if I call the best lawyer, you’ll manage to avoid another three years? Of course, this time, it’ll be prison."

Zhang Qiaoyan was terrified. She didn’t want to lose her freedom again—that kind of life was something she couldn’t bear to relive.

The Zhang family was also shaken, and Wang Chunnian hurriedly spoke up. "Luo Qiao, you’re a generous person. Show her some mercy, won’t you? Look, she’s already fallen and hurt herself, and she didn’t harm you."

Luo Qiao looked at Wang Chunnian. Previously, she had thought this person had some dignity, but now it seemed she was mistaken. Luo Qiao sneered coldly, "Didn’t harm me? That’s only because someone intervened. Just because I wasn’t hurt, does it mean nothing happened at all?"