However, we really can't ignore Jiang Cuicui's matter.
Grandma Jiang is a very considerate old lady. Even though Jiang Cancan paid someone to take care of her, she didn't dare to bother them too often. That's why the aunt who took care of her before was able to take advantage of the old lady's good temper and treat Grandma Jiang and Jiang Yueyue like refugees.
Fortunately, Lang Ying took over the job later.
Lang Ying herself certainly doesn't have time to take care of Grandma Jiang now, but she has handed the job over to another sister-in-law who is of good character.
Grandma Jiang rarely asked Jiang Xiaoman for help, but this time it involved Can Can's older sister. After thinking about it, Jiang Xiaoman decided to ask people who had worked at the quarry before.
Finding the people wasn't difficult. Jiang Tao and Jiang Feng, two cousins of the cooperative, were said to have worked in mines when they were young, but not in quarries, but in small coal mines in Caishi Town.
Jiang Xiaoman had come to the right people. He never expected that Jiang Cuicui would seek help from Jiang Tao, who was working in the mine at the time, when she first escaped from her husband's family.
"That child has a hard life." Even Jiang Tao, who himself has a hard life, couldn't help but sigh when he mentioned Jiang Cuicui.
Jiang Xiaoman quickly lit a cigarette for Uncle Jiang Tao and asked him to elaborate.
Especially Jiang Cuicui's husband's family, if they want to redeem her, they must first find out about their background, right?
"If you ask about Cuicui's husband, Wang Laoliu, he's really not a big shot. He's all brawn and no brains. He used to work as a henchman at a quarry. He did make a little money with the boss, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to come up with an 8,000 yuan dowry."
"However, a few years ago we were cracking down on organized crime, and his boss was arrested and imprisoned. I heard that Wang Laoliu also went to jail for more than a year, but he was an accomplice, so he was released quickly."
"In the past two years, the county has been trying to improve the business environment and has also nationalized the quarry. As a result, Lao Liu and his gang of thugs have lost their jobs. I heard that the quarry is now all machine-operated and they don't even hire workers with criminal records. If you want to redeem Can Can's older sister, you might actually be able to do so by spending some money."
"This Wang Laoliu... won't he ask for an exorbitant price?" Jiang Xiaoman muttered.
There were more than tens of thousands of yuan in the bank card that Grandma Jiang gave him. He checked and found a total of 129,000 yuan. This money should be the living expenses that Jiang Cancan entrusted her agent to send to Grandma Jiang every month. It had been saved for more than two years. He guessed that Grandma Jiang had never withdrawn any money from this card!
After all, Jiang Xiaoman delivered all the rice, flour, and cooking oil to the house, and she also had someone buy groceries and prepare all the meals for them. The money in the card was originally intended for Jiang Cancan to deposit five thousand yuan into the card every month because she was worried that her grandmother and sister might need money unexpectedly. She didn't want them to ask her for money when they needed it.
Unexpectedly, Grandma Jiang had saved up all of it, unwilling to spend it herself, just to redeem her eldest granddaughter.
Money is not a problem, but why would Jiang Xiaoman give away the money that Grandma Jiang worked so hard to save to a scoundrel like Wang Laoliu who beats his wife?
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xiaoman made a phone call to Director Sun, who had been transferred to work in the county.
Sun Zheyuan was transferred from the township to the county party committee office. He is no longer the director, but no one dares to laugh at him.
Just kidding! Being transferred from a remote mountain village to the county's top leader is definitely a promotion that skips a level. But it's no wonder, as the rural revitalization cause has been short of people in recent years, especially lacking grassroots cadres like Sun Zheyuan who are passionate about their work and have made achievements.
I heard that the county has promoted Sun Zheyuan to the county party committee office. He might get a few years of training and then be able to govern a region and become the second-in-command of a township.
The Commission Office is a special department. It is very close to the top leaders. Although its rank is not high, it has access to all township departments in the county. It is a place where "the official is not big, but the power is not small".
Sun Zheyuan never expected that after his transfer, the first time Jiang Xiaoman called him was not about himself, but about Jiang Cancan's sister.
Does the other party have a criminal background?
Hearing this, Sun Zheyuan laughed. The county had been continuously improving the business environment for the past two years, and they were just worried about not finding a typical example. You've already been in jail, and now you're not just hiding your head and pretending to be honest? What? You want to stay in jail and eat free meals for a few more years?
"Jiang Xiaoman, are you even more timid than a mouse? Don't you know about freedom of marriage? It's protected by national law!"
"Help me hire a lawyer so your relative can file a lawsuit directly in court!"
"I've never heard of a woman being asked to return her dowry after almost ten years of marriage and then getting a divorce. These days, hiring a nanny costs more than eight thousand yuan a year. What? The girl married you, bore your children, did your laundry, cooked, and served your whole family for years, and now she has to pay you compensation after the divorce? Even if this matter goes to court, they won't order the return of the dowry!"
"You're always so cunning, I don't believe you can be stumped by a country bumpkin! Tell me! What do you want from me?"
As Sun Zheyuan spoke, he suddenly remembered that although Jiang Xiaoman was a weakling, his gang of brothers were all formidable fighters. Putting everyone else aside, just that Shan Yan alone could easily crush that idiot Wang Laoliu, who only had brute strength.
"Hehe~ That won't do. We are all law-abiding citizens. How can we just shout for violence at the drop of a hat?" On the other end of the phone, Jiang Xiaoman's tone was full of an ordinary citizen's awe of the country's laws.
Sun Zheyuan rolled his eyes from afar.
Jiang Xiaoman dared not keep her in suspense any longer and waste Secretary Sun's precious time.
"Brother Sun, I heard you have a friend in the public security system? Well, your brother is my brother. Could you ask him to do me a favor and find someone in the public security system to accompany me to Caishi Town to visit relatives?"
“Grandma Jiang is getting old and hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. She’s been missing her eldest granddaughter, so I’d like to take Aunt Cui Cui back to her parents’ home for a few days.”
"Going to court is so damaging to relationships! Don't waste precious public resources on such a small matter!"
"Brother, think about it. If we had a relative in the police station, would Wang Laoliu still dare to cause trouble?"
Jiang Xiaoman has certainly had his share of dealings with rural thugs and hooligans; he knows these people all too well.
Don't let their usual bossy and aggressive behavior fool you; the moment they see someone wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a large silver bracelet, they become incredibly docile.
Jiang Xiaoman's plan was to ask Sun Zheyuan to act as an intermediary and borrow an acquaintance from the county public security system to impersonate a relative of theirs and go with him to Caishi Town.
As long as Jiang Cuicui is safely brought back, and with the added threat of a "relative working at the Public Security Bureau," Jiang Xiaoman can then have Shan Yan act as a middleman. Even if she really gives the other party eight thousand yuan, spending that little money to get rid of a scoundrel like him isn't a bad deal.
Anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem.
However, if you just throw eight thousand yuan at him, who knows what might happen? He might lose his job and then find out that Jiang Cuicui's family is rich. He might start coming over every few days to beg for money. Grandma Jiang's family consists of a bunch of old people, women, and children, which would be troublesome.
Instead of doing this, let's take this opportunity to show that scoundrel Wang Laoliu that his family not only has government relatives working in the Public Security Bureau, but also powerful relatives like Shan Yan. If they know what's good for them, they should take their betrothal gifts and get lost. They'll never dare to come and bother us again after the divorce.
You should take a good look at your own hands; it's not impossible that the police will arrest you, interrogate you, and send you to jail to eat free meals for a few more years.
The reason Jiang Xiaoman didn't go to the town's police station was because she was wary. She was worried that someone like Wang Laoliu might have connections in the local police station, and if he tried to claim a family relationship, it would be easy for his deception to be exposed.
On the contrary, Jiang Xiaoman believed that the all-powerful Director Sun would definitely help him find a suitable "fake relative" in the county...
Chapter 260
As expected of someone who works as a secretary for a high-ranking leader, Sun Zheyuan hung up the phone, his mind racing, and he immediately knew what Jiang Xiaoman was up to.
However, it's really better to handle this kind of matter in this "streetwise" way than to take it to court.
After all, divorce isn't some heinous crime. Even if Wang Laoliu committed domestic violence, no one died, so the court can't sentence him to death, can it?
He'll hold a grudge then, and after being locked up for a while and released, who knows how he'll take revenge on Jiang Cuicui's family?
However, even a scoundrel like Wang Laoliu isn't fearless.
What they fear most is, firstly, being targeted by the police, and secondly, being confronted by "gangsters" who are tougher than them.
"Social figures" are easy to find; Shan Yan can play the role.
So, his task was to help Jiang Xiaoman find a cousin or something at the Public Security Bureau?
Thinking of Jiang Xiaoman's biological mother, Secretary Sun immediately felt uncomfortable.
Xiaoman is such a good person, how did she end up with a mother like Yan Susu who is vain and would even abandon her own son?
If even her own mother is like this, then Xiaoman's maternal grandmother probably doesn't have anything good to offer either!
What if he actually finds a real cousin and then tries to cling to Xiaoman?
Thinking of this, Secretary Sun picked up her phone from the table and went out to make a call.
Jiang Xiaoman was surprised by Sun Zheyuan's efficiency. He had just finished making a call when he received another call from Sun Zheyuan around lunchtime, asking him to come to the county to pick up his newly minted "cousin".
Well, it's not easy to expose someone who's a "cousin" or something like that.
After all, everyone knows that Jiang Xiaoman was picked up by her father at a market. Now that her biological mother has appeared, it doesn't seem strange that a "cousin" has also come out.
Sun Zheyuan, that drama queen, went all out with his act. The "cousin" he found for Jiang Xiaoman was actually the same person as Yan Susu, who was formerly Yan Xiaofang. He was named Yan Liangpeng and looked a few years older than Jiang Xiaoman. He was tall and strong, and when he had a stern face, he was quite intimidating.
Jiang Xiaoman felt a little awkward. She couldn't bring herself to call him "cousin" right after meeting him.
Unexpectedly, Yan Liangpeng seemed quite happy. After the two chatted for a while, Jiang Xiaoman realized why he was so happy even though he was pretending to be a relative.
"Pretending to be my cousin is nothing, as long as I don't have to wear women's clothes..."
Oh wow? Bro, please tell me your story →_→
Yan Liangpeng refused to tell, of course, but he couldn't resist the betrayal of an "insider".
"Pfft, hahaha~ Do you know why my brother assigned Xiao Yan to you?" Secretary Sun laughed like a villain on the other end of the phone. "I heard that Xiao Yan is the best actor in their criminal investigation team. When our county cracked down on prostitution and illegal publications, Xiao Yan played multiple roles without any flaws!"
Jiang Xiaoman gripped her phone tightly, trying so hard to suppress her laughter that her stomach ached.
No wonder Officer Yan said playing the cousin was no problem; it seems that playing himself is no challenge for this veteran of the public security system. It's cross-dressing as the female lead that Officer Yan can't accept…
Once the "cousin" is found, the "thugs" will be even easier to find.
Shan Yan's face wasn't the kind that made him look like a bad guy, but when he stood there with a stern face and his dark eyes staring at you, his imposing aura was something most people couldn't withstand.
On her way back, Jiang Xiaoman made a special trip to the town's credit union and withdrew eight thousand yuan in cash.
Now, the "props" are in place.
Three "rural non-mainstream film stars" temporarily formed a film crew, took their "props," and headed straight to Caishi Town.
Jiang Xiaoman had never been to Caishi Town before. She only knew that there was such a place. In addition to stone quarries, there were also small coal mines. It was a relatively wealthy town in the Langshan area.
However, in wealthy areas, it is more difficult for men from poor families to find wives.
Because the woman's family is well-off, their demands on the man are higher. Ordinary dowry, car, and house are no longer enough. Some families even have requirements for the man's education level, especially if the girl has a college degree. If he doesn't have a bachelor's degree, they won't even bother to ask him out on a blind date...
It's estimated that Wang Laoliu couldn't find a wife in Caishi Town, so he had to go to the even poorer Langshan Town to "buy" one.
Following the address given by Grandma Jiang, Jiang Xiaoman and the others eventually found out where Wang Laoliu lived.
Before I even entered the door, I heard the sounds of pots and pans being smashed and bowls being broken, along with the faint sound of a woman sobbing.
Jiang Xiaoman's face immediately darkened.
Shan Yan did not come alone.
In order to play the role of "big brother" assigned to him by Jiang Xiaoman, he also brought a few "henchmen" with him. As soon as the "big brother" gave a look, two henchmen stepped forward and kicked open the Wang family's door.
Tsk~ They even said that "Caishi Town is the richest town in Langshan", yet they still use wooden doors?
In Langshan, the better-off families are now using steel security doors.
Wang Laoliu was lying on the bed playing on his phone. He hadn't received much education, and in his younger days he could work as a thug with his brute strength. But since his release from prison, the "gang" he used to know had disappeared. Some of the "big brothers" who were willing to pay for their livelihood had already passed away, while others were still eating the free meals provided by the government.
The easy, quick-money jobs are gone, and he wants to swallow his pride and work in a mine, but the new boss actually makes him fill out a resume!
Wang Laoliu could only write his own name, "Wang Hui," and couldn't even write his full home address. After struggling to fill out his resume, the person checked and found out that he had been imprisoned for involvement in organized crime, so they immediately returned his resume to him.
Unable to find a job, Wang Laoliu simply stayed at home doing nothing. Fortunately, he had a wife, who, although she couldn't lay eggs, was very hardworking and willing to do all the work in the house and fields. If it weren't for her diligence and ability to earn money to support him and his mother, Wang Laoliu would have sold Jiang Cuicui long ago.
Wang Laoliu's mother, Li Sanmei, had always wanted to kick out this woman who couldn't give her a grandson.
She had already found out that there was a widower in town whose wife had died and who had three children who needed care. He wanted to marry a woman to take care of the children, and it didn't matter whether she could have children or not, as long as she was young, hardworking, and could take care of his whole family.
Li Sanmei wanted to ask the other party for a dowry of 30,000 yuan, but the other party refused, saying that "being unable to have children" and "not wanting to have children" are not the same thing! After finding out that Jiang Cuicui was a hen that could not lay eggs, the old widower immediately cut the dowry from 30,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan.
Li Sanmei was furious, but dared not argue with them. So when she got home, she naturally started to nag her daughter-in-law.