noveldrama
Chapter 98 - 98 98 Beaten to Death
Chapter 98 - 98 98 Beaten to Death
?Chapter 98: Chapter 98 Beaten to Death Chapter 98: Chapter 98 Beaten to Death Bai Mei and the young man were taken back to the police station by the police.
With the evidence conclusive, Bai Mei’s cries of innocence fell on deaf ears.
At that moment, everyone had clearly seen the young man retrieve his wallet from the bottom of Bai Mei’s bundle.
The police wanted to detain Bai Mei. Desperate, she pleaded, claiming her grandmother was hospitalized at the People’s Hospital, and insisted she was not a thief.
In the end, seeing it was her first offense, with no prior messy record and possibly just a moment of madness, and considering the police station was overcrowded with people detained for similar petty theft, held for just over ten days,
they decided to notify Bai Jianguo today. After all, such matters could be blown out of proportion or dealt with lightly. Seeing her as a young girl, they thought some reprimand and a fine would suffice, and she could go back as long as she promised not to reoffend.
When Bai Jianguo and Hao Fang heard Bai Mei also lost five hundred yuan, they were filled with rage. It was obvious to them where the money came from—straight out of their own family’s savings in the bedside cabinet. The damnable girl had stolen the family’s money and had tried to flee, only to end up branded as a thief.
Bai Mei claimed she lost five hundred yuan, but not a single police officer believed her, thinking she was merely making excuses.
A fine of one hundred yuan.
Bai Jianguo had no choice but to pay, unable to leave Bai Mei locked up.
Otherwise, who knows what kind of rumors would circulate in the village.
Grinding his teeth, Bai Jianguo took out the last 100 yuan from his pocket, paid the fine to the police, signed the guarantee letter, and then the couple, along with Bai Mei, walked out.
After leaving the police station, Bai Mei was filled with fear and trepidation about the huge trouble she had caused; not only had she lost all the house’s money, but now her family had to pay a fine, and she had been detained overnight. Adding it all up, it was unlikely her own father would let her off easily.
She began to drag her feet, not wanting to go any further. If she could find the chance to run away, that would be the best.
Hao Fang grabbed Bai Mei’s wrist and whispered harshly, “Behave yourself, don’t make trouble. Your dad’s so furious right now he could kill. If you cause any more fuss and your dad, in front of others, loses face and beats you until you’re crippled, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Hao Fang wanted to protect Bai Mei, but Bai Jianguo would hit even her when he was agitated.
At this time, she couldn’t afford to let her daughter run away. If Bai Mei escaped, back home Bai Jianguo would take it out on her and beat her to death.
Bai Mei no longer had a chance to escape.
Bai Jianguo stayed silent the entire trip, buying three bus tickets, and the three of them returned to the village, dejected and disheveled.
Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang had already brought the old lady back to the village. She had to be helped home by the two of them, and both were almost dead from exhaustion by the time they got back. There was not even hot water in the house, and after settling the old lady onto the kang bed, the two had to go boil water themselves.
But upon lifting the lid of the water tank,
they found it completely empty, and all the firewood by the stove gone as well.
The hearth was cold and neglected.
The two were full of complaints, not understanding why Bai Mei, who was supposed to be looking after the house, would run off to the county town.
Bai Jianguo just got back, and they immediately started berating Bai Mei.
“Meizi, what did you go to the county town for? Look at this house, what do you need that we’ve got? All day at home, what are you doing? Not fetching water nor chopping wood.” These chores were usually done by Bai Xiao, but now both of them felt it should have been Bai Mei’s responsibility.
Upon hearing this, Bai Jianguo’s anger flared up even more.
He snatched up the fire poker by the wall and, gripping Bai Mei, threw her into the room. Bai Jianguo always cared about face, but in front of Bai Mei, he would mercilessly beat her.
“You prodigal wretch, you’ve already brought shame upon us with your shameless actions, and now you’ve squandered all the money at home. Do you have no shame? Getting a grown girl like you locked up at the police station.”
When had Bai Mei ever been beaten by Bai Jianguo like this?
She was already wailing and crying pitifully when Bai Jianguo struck her with the poker, warning her, “If you dare scream again, I’ll break your legs.”
Bai Mei was terrified; Bai Jianguo’s appearance was clearly not one of jest.
Hao Fang watched as Bai Jianguo had been beating her for a while and knew he had vented his anger.
She hurriedly went to persuade Bai Jianguo, “Child’s father, stop hitting her. If you beat her into a bad state, we’ll still have to pay for her medical treatment and medicine.”
Bai Jianguo forcefully threw the fire poker aside.
“What should we do now? This wretched girl has now lost all our money. Go and see how much we have left,” he ordered.
Hao Fang glared at Bai Mei before hurrying back inside the house; earlier, as Bai Jianguo was blocking the doorway, she didn’t dare approach, lest she get beaten too.
Upon entering the room, she saw the lock on the cabinet bed had been smashed open.
After turning the cabinet bed upside down, except for some loose change and a few food and cloth coupons, there was no money left.
Bai Jianguo called from outside, “How much money is left?”
Hao Fang, furious, walked out and slapped Bai Mei across the face.
“You wretched girl! How could you take all the money? Look at what’s left in the house – just these few coins. Are you trying to send us to our deaths? That money was saved up for your brothers’ betrothal gifts for their marriages, and now, thanks to you, it’s all gone. You’re practically taking our lives.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang were simply livid. In their minds, Bai Mei and Bai Xiao were no different; from childhood, their parents and grandmother had always said that they were the pillars of the home and that all the family property was to be left to the two brothers.
Now, Bai Mei had squandered the money meant for them to take wives. Originally, seeing Bai Jianguo beating Bai Mei so fiercely, they had thought of intervening, but now, upon hearing these words, they wished they could just beat Bai Mei to death themselves.
Bai Mei, terrified, hid in a corner. Her whole body ached, and she watched as her own father really seemed ready to beat her to death today.
She did not want to die.
What should she do?
True to form, Bai Jianguo picked up the fire poker from the ground, his eyes shining with a knifelike gleam. Bai Mei felt that she might not survive the day.
In a frantic rush, she suddenly thought of Fang Xiaoshan. No matter what, Fang Xiaoshan now became her lifeline. Even if Fang Xiaoshan’s family was involved in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, they were willing to give a betrothal gift. As long as her parents considered that two hundred yuan betrothal gift, perhaps she could escape today’s peril.
After a few days, once the family relaxed their guard, she would find a way to escape.
She never intended to marry Fang Xiaoshan.
With her eyes quickly darting around, Bai Mei cried out urgently: “Dad, I’ll marry Fang Xiaoshan. That way, I won’t take a penny of the betrothal money, nor will I need a dowry.”