After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Without uttering a sound, Tian Xiuhua watched as her daughter was taken advantage of. She picked up a wooden stick from the side and rushed forward, aiming it at Widow Zhang's head.

Fortunately, Widow Zhang reacted quickly, got up and ran. The sound of the wooden stick cutting through the wind almost grazed her ear, scaring her so much that she nearly wet her pants.

"Liu Defu!" Zhang, the widow with disheveled hair, hid behind Liu Defu and shoved him while questioning him.

"Are you even human? Just standing there watching me get beaten up?"

"Why aren't you doing something about your wife?!"

In front of the entire village, Liu Defu awkwardly cleared his throat, "Ahem, ahem! Please stop fighting!"

The police officer, clutching his injured ear, angrily said, "Can't you talk things out? Why resort to violence? What kind of behavior is this!"

"Do you know what? That one swipe of yours just now could have constituted an attack... never mind!"

"Perfect timing, now that all three parties are here, let's quickly explain what exactly happened!"

After a standoff, there were only two possible answers: either Zhang's grandson stole it, or Liu Defu stole it.

Liu Defu stood there silently, his expression quite complicated. Zhang's beloved grandson's eyes were already swollen from crying.

"Liu Defu! If you're a man, admit it right now!" Widow Zhang said through gritted teeth, standing in front of her grandson.

"Don't make a child bear the burden of your own sins! If you do too many bad things, you'll face retribution!"

Liu Defu frowned, glared at Widow Zhang with considerable displeasure, and said irritably:

"What kind of talk is that? Who are you cursing?"

"What's the big deal if a child makes a small mistake? As long as they acknowledge their mistake and correct it!"

With that, Liu Defu turned around, stared at Lan Yujuan coldly, and said, "Now that the phone has been found, what are you still making a fuss about?"

"Get this case closed quickly, it's the Lunar New Year, don't waste everyone's time!"

In short, the implication was clear: the blame for "stealing the phone" was being placed on Zhang's grandson.

He will mediate and resolve the matter, but the other party must bear the blame.

Widow Zhang was stunned, staring at Liu Defu in disbelief. "You rascal, what did you say?"

Liu Zhifang, who hadn't fared well in the fight, now had her parents backing her up. She immediately tucked her stray bangs behind her ears and said sarcastically:

"Are you getting old and hard of hearing?"

"Your grandson stole the phone! Don't try to pin the blame on my dad just because he's easily influenced, has a good temper, and is kind-hearted!"

"I'm telling you, no way!"

Widow Zhang was so angry that her chest heaved violently. She pointed a trembling finger at Liu Defu, "Liu Defu! Who stole the phone?"

"If you've got the guts, say it again in front of the whole village!"

Feeling guilty, Liu Defu avoided eye contact, only glaring at Lan Yujuan beside him, and mumbled, "None of this matters, why do you keep bringing it up?"

"I've already said that my family won't pursue this matter any further. If the child makes a mistake, we can teach him slowly later."

"The child's parents are not around, and he has grown up without parental guidance. Even if he occasionally makes mistakes, the villagers are generally understanding!"

Widow Zhang was furious. She spat in Liu Defu's face, yelling, "Pah! You shameless old beast!"

"Although my grandson loves playing on his phone, he never goes to other people's houses, and he would never steal even a needle or thread from someone else!"

"It was clearly you who shamelessly delivered the phone to my house this morning!"

"They even said this new phone is great, it doesn't lag when playing games, so my grandson can play games on the first floor while we do our business on the second floor without being disturbed!"

Widow Zhang was furious and completely disregarded everything else. She turned to Tian Xiuhua and said:

"You seem pretty skilled at swinging that stick! Trying to kill me with one blow?"

"What, so you finally realized that on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when you fell into the pond and were half-drowned and no one came to your rescue, your man was having an affair in my bed?"

"Tian Xiuhua, you can fool others, but you can't fool me!"

"That night, Liu Defu came downstairs from my apartment, and that blow was from you!"

"If I hadn't called the village doctor in the middle of the night to give him acupuncture and provided timely treatment, Liu Defu would have been carried up the mountain by now!"

Tian Xiuhua remained silent, standing there pale-faced, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

"You shrew! Shut up! Don't say another word!" Liu Defu raised his hand, so angry that he was about to rush forward.

Upon seeing this, the police officers quickly composed themselves, stepped forward to stop them, and shouted, "Stop it, all of you!"

Widow Zhang put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said fiercely, "Try touching me!"

"Liu Defu, I'm warning you! If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless and daring to reveal anything!"

"I'll show you that your retribution is me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Defu immediately said, "Yes, yes, it's me!"

"I took the phone, okay?"

After saying that, he pressed her again, "Lan Yujuan, just give me a straight answer, what do you want to do?"

"Just pretend I took your phone this time!" Even when pushed to this point, Liu Defu still didn't completely rule out the possibility of losing it.

Lan Yujuan sat far away, holding her child, having long since had enough of this awful show.

She kissed her daughter's forehead, not even bothering to glance at Liu Defu.

Why are you asking me this question?

"I bought this phone on the first day of the Lunar New Year for about 13,000 yuan. The receipt and invoice are all in the box."

"Stealing 13,000 yuan is illegal and a crime. It should be dealt with according to the proper procedures!"

"It's not up to me to decide; I listen to the police officer."

Finally, with the help of the police officers, a settlement was reached.

Lan Yujuan took the initiative to suggest that Liu Defu issue a written apology letter, apologize in front of the whole village, and record a video as evidence.

Upon hearing that it was free, Liu Defu immediately agreed, eager to quickly put the matter behind him.

After the incident, Liu Mei was furious at his lack of assertiveness:

"Yujuan, you've read too many books; they've made you stupid!"

"What use is that apology letter to you?"

"Since you've already offended them, you might as well take this opportunity to make them pay you some money. It's much more practical to have some cash in your hand!"

"After all, you don't have a job right now, and you still have to support your child. It's not easy for a woman to live a life where she has to rely on others."

Lan Yujuan just smiled and said, "It's okay, it's good that the phone has been found."

"I really envy you. You have a good relationship with your husband, you're raising your children well, and your parents are by your side..."

Liu Mei sighed softly and gave her a tight hug. "Yujuan, everything will be alright! You'll get through this eventually!"

Lan Yujuan's smile faded slightly, but she returned the hug firmly, "Liu Mei, I really can't bear to part with you..."

Liu Mei was surprised and said softly, "Oh, how did you know we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning? I was just about to tell you!"

For a moment, Lan Yujuan felt a void in her heart, and forced a smile, saying, "I... I just guessed."

"Counting the days, the New Year is over, and you should all be going back to work soon."

Liu Mei gently patted her shoulder, her eyes filled with reluctance:

"We're afraid we won't be back until after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Yujuan, if you encounter any difficulties and I'm not home, you can ask my mom for help."

"Once Xiaoman starts kindergarten, the expenses will increase."

"Just in case, I mean just in case, you're short of funds for a while, remember to call me or send me a WeChat message, okay?"

Lan Yujuan nodded, her eyes red-rimmed. "Yes, I've got it."

"You two, take good care of yourselves while you're away!"

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Mei and her husband drove away right after breakfast.

Lan Yujuan held her daughter and stood at the intersection watching the car disappear into the end of the alley.

Just as she was about to go back inside, she suddenly saw a taxi approaching from afar, getting closer and closer.

"Ding~", the phone in my pocket rang.

Lan Yujuan took out her phone and saw a message from her husband, Liu Zhiyuan: "Wife, I have a surprise for you! I'll be home in five minutes."