She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

Chapter 384

This is a serious injury. As for those minor injuries or superficial wounds, even mediation only involves persuading them to reconcile. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many years of domestic violence without a single divorce. The only divorce they've had so far was by this old man who, without being beaten, burned down the house and insisted on getting a divorce.

Although they are pitiful, they cannot be arrested at the moment; we can only arrange for them to receive education and guidance. Of course, if a wife is abusing her husband, they will not be involved.

The police officers were annoyed. Jiang Wenhua kept trying to reason with them, but they already understood the reasons. Old Lady Xia kept pressing on this point.

In the end, they actually thought it made perfect sense. If husbands and wives can beat each other, then mothers beating their sons is even more justifiable; it's simply a matter of course.

Now that they've arrested this old lady, does that mean they'll arrest the parents of any child who hits them next time? That's even less likely.

Xia Yu'e was lost in her own thoughts, and by the time she came to her senses, she was already on her way back.

Seeing Jiang Wenhua muttering that he had been beaten for nothing, and that all his hard work and effort had been wasted, I suddenly felt guilty.

She not only failed to help them, but also became a burden to them.

"I..." Xia Yu'e stopped and whispered, "Did I ruin your plans?"

Jiang Wenhua exclaimed, "Hey, Auntie, you've ruined my plans! I had a whole plan in mind—even if Tian Chengping doesn't die, he'll be skinned alive. I had a way to squeeze money out of him, even if it means working myself to death. Now look what's happened! You've ruined everything! Let me tell you..."

Xia Yu'e suddenly choked up and said, "I...I'm so sorry, I...I'm so useless, I can't help you with anything, and I even made you get scolded by Tian Cheng. I'm just a completely useless person, whoever is nice to me will be unlucky, I...Yu'e, I'm sorry."

“That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t want to hear him talk about them anymore. They’re all good kids, and he shouldn’t have described them like that. I just didn’t want him to keep going. I… I can’t do anything right… I’ve caused you all trouble. I’m sorry.”

Her speech was incoherent and rambling, overwhelmed by guilt and self-reproach. She had never hit Tian Chengping before; why did she have to strike when her sister and Comrade Xiao Jiang were working together? Why did she act so impulsively and ruin everything? Why was she so stupid...?

"Sister, it's okay, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I've wanted to hit him for a long time too. So what if I did? It's just that those police officers weren't thinking straight. Actually, there's nothing wrong at all, otherwise you wouldn't have come out, right?" Grandma Xia put her arm around her sister's shoulder and comforted her, then stared at Jiang Wenhua.

What else could Jiang Wenhua do but force a smile? "Auntie, I was just saying that casually. How much money can Tian Chengping squeeze out of me? Probably just a tiny bit, practically nothing. You were so impressive with that blow, I felt so good. He almost beat me for nothing. That was a great blow, a brilliant blow, he was screaming in pain."

Xia Yu'e's voice was still a little hoarse, "I know you're trying to comfort me... I'll go find work, and I... I'll pay back the compensation he paid for hitting and cursing you."

Grandma Xia sighed, "Sister, it's really not much. I used to curse people until I felt good, I would never ask for compensation. As Xiao Jiang said, what can you do with that little bit of money? Nobody will care. If you really want compensation, I'll treat everyone to a meal at a state-run restaurant. Let's not worry about money and hurt feelings."

As for you, just focus on taking care of your health and getting your leg healed. Don't think about anything else. If you go out and take on jobs and make yourself sick, wouldn't I be even more upset?

Xia Yu'e was still a little upset, but she didn't want to spoil the mood, so she forced a smile and was then pulled by Old Lady Xia to the state-run restaurant.

As for Tian Chengping, who's still in the hospital, who cares? Next time he comes, we'll just beat him first and talk about it later. It's not illegal for a mother to beat her son, and it's certainly not illegal for an aunt to beat her nephew either. Old Mrs. Xia's hands were itching.

At the state-run restaurant, Jiang Wenhua ordered several meat dishes in one go. He only stopped after being glared at several times by Old Lady Xia. "Damn spendthrift, he doesn't know how to cherish money that isn't his own."

Chen Xiangbei was overjoyed. This kind of meal, with so much meat, was something he only ever ate at banquets. The head chefs at state-run restaurants earned exceptionally well; they would order so many dishes that the chefs would personally cook them separately, making them so delicious you'd want to swallow your tongue.

Chen Xiangbei's clumsy hands were so fast that Old Lady Xia even doubted his eyesight. But if she continued to doubt, Xiao Jiang and Lao San would snatch all the meat, so she had no choice but to quickly pick up food and start eating as well, while also frantically piling food onto her sister's and the two shy girls' plates.

Using one pair of chopsticks as if they were four pairs almost exhausted Grandma Xia.

"Eat up, everyone! If you don't eat soon, those two bottomless pits will eat it all up. Don't be shy, eat up!" Grandma Xia said while picking up food for herself.

Because everyone ate without holding back, everyone ended up eating until they were stuffed, which was very satisfying.

Fang Yingdi felt like she was about to choke on her food; at times like this, she lamented that her stomach was too small to eat any more.

"It's so delicious! The food at this state-run restaurant is even better than breakfast." Fang Yingdi patted her pockets and then calculated when she would get paid. She decided she would come eat here next time she got paid.

Xia Yu'e's bowl was overflowing; she was the slowest eater. Her plate was empty, but her bowl still had a lot of food left.

"Sister, you're amazing! You're so calm and unhurried in everything you do." Grandma Xia was afraid that she didn't want them to wait and that eating in a hurry was bad for her health, so she praised her somewhat dryly.

Xia Yu'e was eating in silence, but when she heard this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Old Lady Xia. "Don't talk, don't disturb my meal."

Although she felt guilty, they had already tried to persuade her for so long, and it would make them feel bad if she put on that deadpan expression again, so Xia Yu'e didn't say anything more.

It was a pity about the meal; she couldn't taste anything.

After finishing their meal, the group walked home together, rubbing their bellies.

Having lost a source of income, Jiang Wenhua became even more concerned about Fang Yingdi's business. "Comrade Fang, your parents aren't not coming, are they?"

Fang Yingdi shook her head: "Impossible. If they don't come on this day off, they'll definitely come on the next day off. If they still don't come on the next day off, they'll definitely come on payday the week after next. I know their temperament a bit."