Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 316 Reaping the consequences
Her voice was hoarse, filled with despair and fear: "I...I...I was wrong, please don't arrest me, please..."

She cried her heart out, her voice echoing through the silent woods, sounding particularly mournful.

Her shoulders trembled violently, and she clutched her arms tightly, as if trying to give herself a sense of security.

Her eyes held a pleading look, as if she were begging Wang Chengpeng for pity.

But Wang Chengpeng looked at her coldly, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He knew that Zhao Yuju's tears and pleas were merely expressions of her fear of death, not genuine remorse.

"Zhao Yuju, do you think that crying a few times and saying 'I was wrong' can erase the crimes you've committed?"

Wang Chengpeng's voice was as cold as ice, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

“You don’t think you’re really wrong; you’re just afraid of dying and paying the price for your evil deeds.”

"Captain Wang, I'm leaving this matter to you. If you need any evidence, I can provide it."

Just then, others also volunteered:

"If you need witnesses, we can all testify for you."

"I originally thought Zhao Yuju was just a little ruthless, but I didn't expect her to be so terrifying."

"If we don't let her go to hell to repent, our entire Wangjia Village will never have peace!"

With so many witnesses, Zhao Yuju's fate was sealed.

Her crimes are irrefutable and cannot be denied any longer.

Upon realizing this, Zhao Yuju's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper, devoid of any color, her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear and despair.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her knuckles white, as if grasping at a last straw, and screamed:
"You can't arrest me! I'm so old, half my body is already in the ground, what right do you have to arrest me?"

"So what if I committed a crime? What can the law do to me?"

Her tone carried a hint of arrogance and roguishness, as if her age had become her shield, allowing her to escape all punishment.

"Besides, how many years has this happened? There's no way to verify it now that the dead are dead."

"You're arresting me now, you're just bullying an old woman like me!"

Her voice grew louder and louder, almost a scream.
"If you dare touch me, I'll sue you! I'll sue you for bullying an elderly person and for abusing your power!"

Zhao Yuju's tone carried a hint of threat, as if warning these people not to meddle in other people's business.

The ruthlessness in her eyes was chilling.

But Wang Chengpeng looked at her coldly, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Zhao Yuju, do you think you can escape legal punishment just because you're old?"

Wang Chengpeng's voice was low and cold, as if it were squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
"Your crimes will not disappear with the passage of time. The law will not make an exception for you because of your age."

Having said that, Wang Chengpeng stopped paying attention to Zhao Yuju, who was destined to die, and turned to leave.

But as Wang Chengpeng was leaving, passing by Wang Degong, he saw a face full of guilt—it was Wang Degong's face.

"Child, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to you and your father!"

"I thought I had saved Tieshan, but I never imagined that all of this was caused by this wicked woman."

"It is because I misjudged people that your family suffered such a great injustice."

Wang Degong was filled with remorse. He frantically apologized, hoping to gain Wang Chengpeng's forgiveness.

Faced with all this, Wang Chengpeng simply replied coldly:
“Old Master Wang, we’re not that close, so you don’t need to pretend to be kind.”

"You weren't even willing to come out just now, so it seems you don't want to be a witness."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng, Zhou Delai, and Zhou Fulai gestured for the two men to come to their house to collect the remaining payment, and then left amidst Wang Degong's despairing gaze.

Wang Chengpeng left decisively without the slightest hesitation, leaving Wang Degong standing there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

Wang Degong's mind went blank, his ears were ringing, and it felt as if the whole world was spinning.

His eyes were vacant, his lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Wang Chengpeng's words undoubtedly tore away his fig leaf of morality, exposing his hypocritical true colors directly to the sunlight.

"What kind of karma have I created?!"

Wang Degong let out a wail, looked back in the direction he had come from, at the place where his home was, his eyes filled with confusion—could that place still be called home?
The Wang family living there were not their own flesh and blood at all; instead, the children were born from an affair between Zhao Yuju and her lover.

He never imagined that his wife, with whom he had shared so many years of life, had been having an affair and had asked him to take over and help raise her and her lover's son.

What he found even more unacceptable was that he had actually helped Zhao Yuju abuse her own son, Wang Yinshan, ultimately forcing him to follow in Wang Tieshan's footsteps and separate from the family at an early age.

An indescribable pain and regret welled up in Wang Degong's heart.

He suddenly remembered his indifference and neglect towards Wang Yinshan over the years, and how he had repeatedly sided with Zhao Yuju, helping her to criticize Wang Yinshan, while happily praising the utterly useless Wang Jinshan.

He recalled Wang Yinshan's eyes when he was a child, yearning for his father's love, and how Wang had tried time and again to get closer to him, only to be ruthlessly pushed away by him.

"What...what did I do?" Wang Degong's voice trembled, filled with despair and self-reproach. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, like a flood breaking its banks, washing over his wrinkled features.

He suddenly remembered Wang Tieshan's family and his adopted son whom he had neglected for many years.

Wang Tieshan was sensible from a young age, worked diligently, and never complained.

However, because of Zhao Yuju's instigation, he always treated Wang Tieshan coldly, and even let his whole family starve to the point of being emaciated.

It felt like something had ripped open his heart, the pain almost making it hard for him to breathe.

However, Wang Degong also knew that things had developed to this point and were completely beyond repair.

He missed Wang Tieshan, Wang Chengpeng, Wang Yinshan, and the happy family that should have been his.

He became Zhao Yuju's accomplice and the driving force behind this family tragedy.

"I...I'm such a bastard..." Wang Degong's voice trembled, filled with self-blame and despair.

But he knew it was all too late.

Love that comes late is worthless, even more so than grass.

Wang Degong's tears are worthless; they can't bring back those he hurt.

He was destined to live in regret and pain for the rest of his life, until he died completely.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally walked towards the location of Wang Yinshan's new house, leaning on his cane.

Whether Wang Yinshan will accept him again is an unknown.

……

Wang Chengpeng had barely arrived home when the Zhou brothers showed up. They felt they had handled the situation exceptionally well, extracting all the necessary information from him according to the script Wang Chengpeng had laid out.

The reward of one thousand yuan was naturally what they deserved.

Even so, they dared not act recklessly in front of Wang Chengpeng.

Because they knew that the success of this seemingly brilliant scam had little to do with them.

Wang Chengpeng's script is the key; otherwise, with their mediocre acting skills, they would have been exposed by Zhao Yuju long ago.

After all, Zhao Yuju's ability to deceive those inside and outside shows that her intelligence should not be underestimated.

The two men placed the briefcase containing the radio on the table, bowed to Wang Chengpeng, and said in an extremely polite manner:

"Comrade Wang, I have successfully completed my mission."

“There’s a recording on the radio. Even if Zhao Yuju wants to overturn the case, she will never be able to overturn such an ironclad case.”

Wang Chengpeng took a tape recorder out of his suitcase, rewound it for a while, and then played it. Soon, the conversation between the two appeared.

Because it was all done in such a rushed manner, Wang Chengpeng felt the plan was far from perfect.

For example, Zhou Delai couldn't play his role well at all. Even with the special potion, it only made his voice sound a bit old.

His acting skills weren't great either; he didn't look like a real old man.

However, it was under such circumstances that Wang Chengpeng managed to combine the right timing, location, and people to win the battle in one fell swoop.

This happened decades later. While time can erase most traces, it can also create many opportunities.

The passage of time not only intensified Zhao Yuju's longing for Awei, but also eroded her memory of him, making her unable to recognize that the person in front of her was a fraud. This was the opportune moment.

This incident occurred in Wangjia Village. Through Wang Chengpeng's meticulous management, he was able to easily mobilize local forces, which can be described as a geographical advantage!
Without Wang Fucheng, without Wang Hai, and without so many respected people as witnesses, and with Zhao Yuju vehemently denying everything, there might still be a chance for this matter to be resolved.

Zhao Yuju's crimes were heinous and she showed no remorse; everyone has the right to kill her.

With the addition of key figures Zhou Delai and Zhou Fulai, everyone united to try Zhao Yuju, which is what constitutes harmony among people.

Zhao Yuju's death was not unjust, considering that Wang Chengpeng had all the advantages in terms of timing, location, and people to deal with her.

After listening to the entire recording, Wang Chengpeng nodded in satisfaction and placed a pre-prepared bag on the table.
"Here is the agreed-upon payment. Count it, and once the money and goods are settled, we'll go our separate ways."

Looking at the bag on the table, Zhou Delai didn't touch it. Instead, he pulled his younger brother Zhou Fulai to bow to Wang Chengpeng again and said:
"Comrade Wang, we don't want this money. We wonder if you could spare us a meal?"

Making 3,200 yuan in two days—that's a speed at which even robbery wouldn't be as fast.

Although such opportunities are rare, and it's a case of "three years without business, then three years of profit," it's still far better than working hard to earn money.

It was precisely because of this that the two of them came up with the idea of ​​relying on Wang Chengpeng and doing things for him.

Since the other party is willing to pay the agreed fee, they are a trustworthy person, which is much more worthwhile than running around outside.

However, Wang Chengpeng had no intention of engaging in shady dealings for the time being, and ultimately shook his head in refusal, saying:

“I don’t have any plans to develop in this direction for the time being. You can take your pay and leave.”

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's rejection, Zhou Delai was somewhat unwilling and asked again:

"Comrade Wang, rest assured, if you are willing to take us brothers in, we will definitely work for you wholeheartedly."

Pointing to the bag on the table, Wang Chengpeng repeated, "Take the money you're owed and leave."

"Actually, you don't need to rely on me. Today's money and yesterday's money together amount to a considerable sum, enough to change your current situation. There's no need for you to live under someone else's roof."

Seeing the determination in Zhou Delai's eyes, Wang Chengpeng sighed and said:

"You guys helped me out in this matter, so I owe you a favor."

"If you really reach a dead end, come to me, and I can help you this once."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's promise, Zhou Delai's eyes lit up immediately, and he said with delight:

"Alright, then thank you for your help, Comrade Wang."

"We'll take the money, and we won't come back to you unless absolutely necessary."

Although it was just a seemingly insignificant promise, Zhou Delai understood that some people's promises might be more valuable than gold.

After saying that, the two grabbed the bags on the table, didn't even count them, and left the Wang family courtyard.

Stroking the bracelet in his hand that had just been recycled, Wang Chengpeng never expected that this bracelet would become the key to breaking the deadlock and the last fulcrum to pry open the truth of what happened back then.

Those who commit many evil deeds will surely perish. Zhao Yuju's repeated acts of courting death ultimately paved a path to certain death for herself.

……

Good things don't go out, bad things pass thousands of miles.

Although Zhao Yuju's actions were kept secret, with only a very few people involved knowing about them, and she was even taken to the police station by Wang Hai on the spot, the matter still spread and became known throughout the entire Wangjia Village.

She tricked people into taking over her lover's child.

Murder and robbery.

The attempt to kill his adopted son failed.

She sucked the blood of her biological son and adopted son to support her lover's son.

At her advanced age, she abandoned her family and children, and actively chose to elope with her lover...

Each of these events was utterly shocking, shattering the worldview of normal people.

"Zhao Yuju, she's really a ruthless person."

"She doesn't do ordinary things; she does extraordinary things."

"I always felt that the Wang family treated their children strangely. The case has been solved, and it turns out that's what happened."

"That Wang Yinshan is really pitiful. He should have been Wang Degong's only son, but he ended up with a tragic family division."

"Wang Yinshan was in a terrible state, but Wang Tieshan was in an even worse state."

"Not only was her own mother killed by villains right after she was born, but she was also forced to recognize her enemy as her mother and support the son of her enemy."

"Wang Tieshan is really in a sorry state."

"Fortunately, his son Wang Chengpeng is successful. He not only solved this decades-old mystery, but also manages the family very well now."

“My husband works at the Dapeng Sugar Factory and passes by his house every time. His yard looks very impressive.”

"I heard they recently got electricity and installed some appliances. Sometimes when I get home late, I rely on their lights to light the way."

(End of this chapter)