RYEY – Chapter 129 Cutting Ties

“Village Head, I’ll go with you. Let’s see what this Chen Chunhua really has to say.”

Seeing Chen Weimin and the others being so shameless, Li Huan grew worried that Chen Chunhua might start spouting nonsense and drag them down. He asked Li Le to take Cheng Qiao and Mother Li home first.

Cheng Qiao also hoped Li Le could stay behind to see how things turned out, but the problem was—she didn’t know how to drive an ox cart.

“Second Sister-in-law, I can do it.”

Li Le climbed to the front of the ox cart, cracked the whip against the ground, and the ox, hearing the sound, slowly lumbered toward Xiangyang Village.

Inside the interrogation room at the Public Security Bureau, Chen Chunhua anxiously stared at the door. When she saw Chen Weidang and the others enter, her eyes filled with disgust. Hadn’t she said only the village head should come?

With several public security officers at his side, Chen Weidang entered the room. Just as Chen Chunhua was about to speak, her gaze landed on Li Huan standing behind him, and her eyes lit up instantly—Li Huan! He had come to see her.

“Li Huan, you came to see me? Thank you.”

Li Huan: “……”

Who came to see you?

Chen Weimin and the rest, seeing Chunhua treat them coldly yet look at that loafer as if a cat had sniffed out fish, were so furious they didn’t know what to say.

“Chen Chunhua, you asked me to come. What exactly do you want to say?”

“Village Head, I want to say I’m not a murderer. But I can’t bring out any evidence to prove my innocence. Now, it’s too late for words. This is my last letter. After I die, please read it then.”

“This…”

Chen Weidang exchanged a glance with the two officers. He didn’t want to get dragged into anything.

The officers, however, took the letter. After checking it over, they would naturally pass it to Chen Weidang.

He wanted to say something to Chunhua—after all, he had watched her grow up—but in the end, not knowing what to say, he simply turned and left.

Li Huan saw that the two of them had little to say to each other and regretted thinking too much about it. Shaking his head, he too prepared to leave—when suddenly, Chen Chunhua called out to him:

“Brother Li Huan, thank you for coming to see me one last time. I have no regrets now.”

Li Huan: “……”

I didn’t come to see you. I was worried you’d run your mouth and drag my wife into this.

The officers had already opened the letter. After reading it, they felt a little speechless. It turned out Chen Chunhua, knowing she had brought shame on the village, had decided to donate all the money she had earned in recent days to Xiangyang Village.

They opened her passbook and were shocked to see it held nearly three hundred yuan. She had only been with Liu Yong for a few months and had already managed to save so much.

They had half a mind to investigate how Liu Yong had gotten such money, but remembering that higher-ups had already demanded a strict investigation after his death, they decided to keep silent.

“Chen Weidang, though Chen Chunhua is a criminal, we still adhere to humanitarian principles. We plan to respect her wishes and leave this money to Xiangyang Village. How do you intend to distribute it?”

“Then leave it in the village for the elderly without children or support.”

Chen Weidang answered without hesitation. There were several childless elders in the village, and even some families with children were in dire straits.

The officers nodded, handed him the passbook, and issued a certificate stating the money was designated for him to withdraw on behalf of the village.

“That’s my daughter’s money. How can you pocket it?”

Zhaodi lunged forward to snatch the passbook, but the officers held her back.

“Chen Weimin, hadn’t you already cut ties with Chunhua? If she hadn’t said she had something for me, you wouldn’t even be here.”

Chen Weidang looked sternly at Chen Weimin.

Chen Weimin’s face darkened. He hadn’t wanted to come, but Zhaodi had insisted—saying Chunhua must have money since she had followed a rich man. Sure enough, Zhaodi had guessed right.

“Chen Weimin, on behalf of the village committee, I hereby revoke your position as accountant. As for who will replace you, we will hold a unified exam and appoint whoever scores best.”

“Big Brother…”

Chen Weimin’s voice cracked in disbelief.

“As your brother, I’ll write off the hundred yuan I lent you. But as village head, this is something I must do. After all, Chunhua is your daughter.”

Chen Weimin had no reply, but he didn’t take the words seriously. Whether he was removed or not wasn’t for his brother to decide alone.

“And from now on, we sever our brotherly ties. I cannot let my family bear the stigma of being related to a criminal. It wouldn’t be fair to my wife and children.”

Li Huan stared in surprise. This was the first time he had seen the village head so decisive and ruthless. He liked it.

“Erlizi, come with me to the commune. I need to explain things clearly.”

Li Huan nodded silently and followed. It was his first time at the county commune office, a grand-looking two-story building.

The commune secretary received them coldly. As the uncle of a criminal, Chen Weidang was met with nothing but hostility.

“Secretary, I am here to confess my failures. I didn’t manage Xiangyang Village well and disappointed the leaders’ expectations.”

The secretary nodded. They had already discussed the matter in the commune these past two days and were preparing to convene a villagers’ assembly in Xiangyang to investigate and dismiss cadres. Unexpectedly, Chen Weidang had come forward on his own.

He had intended to conduct self-criticism first, then plead hardship—after all, it wasn’t his daughter who committed the crime.

But he hadn’t expected they had already decided how to deal with him. At that moment, his heart felt like it was being torn apart. After so many years of diligent service, his younger brother’s family had dragged him down, and now even his position as village head was gone.

Li Huan felt guilty. The real murderer was his wife’s uncle. Liu Yong had deserved death, but he hadn’t expected Chen Weidang to be implicated. He could only hope to make it up to him someday.

When the commune leaders finally arrived, Chen Weidang struck the gong and drum. Knowing this might be the last time he would do so, he beat them even harder.

Xiangyang Village once again bustled with commotion. Everyone came out of their warm houses. Cheng Qiao, knowing the truth, couldn’t bring herself to face Chen Weidang and stayed inside.

When the villagers heard that Chen Weimin had been removed from his position as village accountant, applause thundered across the drying yard. They had long been dissatisfied with him but had held back only because he was the village head’s younger brother.

Chen Weimin’s face turned green. When his brother had said at the bureau that he would be dismissed, he had been angry but hadn’t taken it seriously. He never imagined his brother would actually go through with it so mercilessly.

His eyes burned with hatred toward Chen Weidang. Since you are unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust. But then, the words from the commune leaders that followed left him completely stunned.