Chapter 25: Letter of Forgiveness

Diao Xiaojiao grew anxious the moment she heard this. Her old man and their sons had been under her thumb since they were small; they could barely string a sentence together. If they were taken to the police station, they would surely be at a disadvantage. Even though they were in the right, she feared they might be wronged simply because they couldn't speak for themselves. Without another word, she was taken away along with the other men of the Gao family.

Liang Bing helped Li Qi toward the ambulance and lowered his voice. "Brother, how do you intend to handle this?"

Li Qi asked directly, "If I refuse to sign a letter of reconciliation, will they all be sentenced?"

Liang Bing nodded. "The authorities are currently making examples of people. This kind of mob fighting with over ten participants is enough for criminal charges."

"Then tell them to get their money ready to buy my letter of reconciliation." Li Qi then took out the photos he had taken during the day and handed one to Liang Bing. "This is evidence of Gao Jianye soliciting a prostitute. If their family dares to claim my sister is sleeping around, I will sue them for slander!"

Liang Bing tucked the photos away, told Li Qi to focus on his medical treatment, and specifically instructed the accompanying officer to ensure the medical injury report was properly filed.

The rest of the Gao family, aside from those who had been bleeding and were sent to the hospital for stitches, were taken to the police station. The sequence of events was quickly clarified. They had all been summoned by Old Man Gao and Gao Jianye’s brothers for the purpose of "teaching the Li family a lesson." Almost everyone had participated in the violence, save for two who had hugged the wall and stayed on the sidelines. This was too obvious to be missed; while the Gao family hadn't noticed at the time, the onlookers had seen it clearly. After taking their statements, those two were released. The Gao family cursed them viciously as they walked away.

Liang Bing personally interrogated Diao Xiaojiao. At this point, she was still acting arrogant, shouting that the police were bullying them, claiming they were the victims, and demanding to know why the Li family wasn't being locked up and executed.

Liang Bing couldn't be bothered to argue. "There are twenty-six of you in total. Nine of you were carrying hoes, pickaxes, and crowbars—these are considered lethal weapons. This includes your husband, your three sons, your husband's younger brother, and their children. Now, Li Qi and Li Mantang both have head wounds that required stitches; these are definitely classified as minor injuries. If those nine are sentenced, they will spend at least two years in prison. Aside from your husband who is retired, the rest are miners, right? They will certainly lose their jobs."

Diao Xiaojiao bristled upon hearing this. "Why? We were injured too! Our heads were cracked open as well!"

Liang Bing was speechless. "The onlookers saw it clearly, and your own people have admitted it: those injuries were caused by your own side. It has nothing to do with Li Qi. However, if the injured party refuses to mediate, they can press charges against those who hit them."

Diao Xiaojiao wouldn't have it. "If we hadn't been trying to beat Li the Third, we wouldn't have accidentally hit our own people. Li the Third has to be held responsible for this!"

Liang Bing couldn't take it anymore. This old woman was nothing but an unreasonable, foolish nuisance. He stood up. "I'm not going to argue with you. You hurt people, and now you have two choices. If Li Qi provides a letter of reconciliation, the matter can be settled through mediation and won't go any further. If Li Qi refuses to forgive you, those nine will go to prison. Do you understand?"

Diao Xiaojiao’s eyes darted around. "Why must it be him forgiving us? Can't you comrades at the police station forgive us instead? His sister is an adulteress, and he hit us! You police shouldn't help bad people bully us good folks!"

Liang Bing was so angry he could feel his nose bridge tilting. "You say Li Li is sleeping with men—where is the evidence? This is a police station. If you fabricate facts and spread rumors again, that is slander. If Li Li sues you, I can have you detained immediately."

With that, Liang Bing produced the photo Li Qi had given him. "I have a photo of your son in bed with another woman right here. Tomorrow, we can investigate this woman's identity. If there is a transactional relationship, it can be classified as prostitution. We will then send the judgment directly to his workplace."

"No! My son would be ruined by you!" Diao Xiaojiao finally panicked.

Liang Bing had delivered the message for Li Qi and had no interest in dealing with this trash any further. He waved his hand. "Get her to sign. Release everyone except the nine who carried weapons."

At the hospital, Li Qi and his father had finished getting their stitches and were resting in their beds. Li Li had also arrived from the police station to stay with them. Li Qi waved at her. "Sister, go home. Junmei is still young, and that brat Li Zhe is useless. Go back and look after the children. Don't forget to bring us food tomorrow morning."

Looking at the bandages on the heads of her father and brother, Li Li couldn't hold back her tears. "What are we going to do? They were so ruthless. If anything happens to you two, how will I live? I should go find our eldest and second brothers; they need to know about something this serious."

"Just go home. Our eldest brother just had a fortune squeezed out of him by me; he won't care if we live or die. Our second brother already said he wouldn't get involved in family affairs. Why go find them? I'm fine, and Dad is fine."

Old Man Li sighed. "I was fine to begin with, but why did you have to give my head a whack?"

"Wait, Dad, you were hit by him?" Li Li was bewildered.

Li Qi felt a faint sense of despair; how did he end up with such a brainless father and eldest sister? He instructed Old Man Li seriously, "Tomorrow, if anyone asks how you feel, you must say you are dizzy, nauseous, that you feel muddled even when lying down, that your vision is spinning, your heart hurts, and you have difficulty breathing. Remember, no matter who asks, you must say exactly this."

"Is Dad that sick? What should we do? I'll go get the doctor!" Li Li was panic-stricken.

Old Man Li finally understood Li Qi's intent. He rolled over and pulled up the quilt. "I'm dizzy, I'm going to sleep. Eldest girl, you go home. Who did you inherit that lack of brains from? Your mother and I aren't this stupid."

Li Li left the hospital, looking back every few steps, and went home to take care of her children.

Meanwhile, the Gao household was in an uproar. With nine of their men locked up at the station, the remaining wives gathered at Diao Xiaojiao's house, several of them already wailing in terror.

"If the children's father is sentenced, how will we live?"

"I heard that if a father is sentenced, the children won't be able to join the army or become government officials."

"Isn't that just like the 'Five Black Categories' from before? Won't they even be able to work as laborers?"

"Oh, Heavens! Auntie Gao, you must find a way for us!"

Looking at the chaotic room, Diao Xiaojiao sneered. "Why the hell are you crying? This whole thing was organized by my family; I certainly won't let your men suffer. The police station is still on our side. They've already pointed out the clear path: a letter of reconciliation. As long as the Li family gives us that letter, everything will be fine!"

"Sister-in-law, I heard you cracked open the heads of Old Man Li and Li the Third. Will they really give you that letter?"

Diao Xiaojiao smiled faintly. "Old Man Li is a coward, and Li the Third is just a brat. Dealing with them isn't hard. Let me tell you, the only one in the Li family who can make decisions is their eldest, Li Peng. He is the deputy director of the teaching department at the town middle school; he holds a position and is surely a reasonable man. Tomorrow, I'll go find him and have him rein in his younger brother to sign that letter for us."