Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander-Chapter 543 - 369: The Truth_2

As Dagang’s Grandpa finished speaking, a commotion arose outside. Widow Li and Second Scabby, pushed by several strong villagers, entered. Their eyes swiftly glanced at Dagang’s Grandpa, who was seated authoritatively in the middle on a chair that Chuxia had moved out. Widow Li began to tremble like a sieve, and then, with a "thud!", knelt down: "Uncle Dagang, we are but helpless women and children. If we don’t obey, we can’t stay in the village anymore..."

"Enough..." Dagang’s Grandpa waved his hand dismissively at her and looked toward the village chief, Lin Youbao, who had led the pushing. Lin Youbao quickly stepped forward, handing over a stack of papers: "Brother, I’ve recorded what they said. They’ve all pressed their fingerprints and signed."

"Hmm." Dagang’s Grandpa nodded, took the papers, and looked at Widow Li and Second Scabby, "Everything written here is true, right? You’d better be sure because if there is even a slight lie, you’ll spend your lives in prison. This is no small matter."

"It’s true, all true." Widow Li nodded repeatedly, "Uncle Dagang, if I tell even half a lie, may the heavens strike me with lightning." Realizing she had invoked a superstitious phrase, she quickly corrected herself, "What I mean is, if I lie, I would not die a good death."

The onlookers wanted to laugh but dared not; were her two ways of putting it really different?

Luckily, Dagang’s Grandpa did not pursue the matter further but instead turned to Second Scabby.

Second Scabby was a peculiar presence in the village. In the era when the Red Guards dominated, he was a notable figure, fiercely denouncing and battling others and utterly disowning all kin—his own father had been beaten to death by him.

Due to his ruthless character, no decent family’s daughter would marry him. A robust-looking girl from a neighboring village, upon hearing that her parents were considering a match with Second Scabby, had hanged herself that night. Fortunately, her grandmother, who was up at night, found and saved her, but since then, her clear voice had turned hoarse.

After that incident, it became even harder for Second Scabby to find a wife. Of course, he could have lowered his standards, but he stubbornly refused to marry anyone he did not respect.

As time passed, his chance for marriage was repeatedly delayed. Later, as the Red Guards disbanded and policies changed, he retained his notoriety in the village but became a rat crossing the street— too many had grievances against him.

His real name was actually Lin Baojie, a rather pleasant name. The nickname Second Scabby had dual meanings: one, he had two scars left by scabies in his childhood on his head; two, his disposition was fierce and muddled, never acting reasonably in any situation. Initially, people called him Second Scabby behind his back, but as he lost his status in the village, Second Scabby outright replaced his real name.

Now, seeing Dagang’s Grandpa looking at him, Second Scabby quickly nodded to show his stance: "Dagang’s Grandpa, what’s written there is true. I might go against what others say, but how dare I oppose you?"

"Then you two explain it yourselves." Dagang’s Grandpa said.

As Luo Gangshun and Fat Auntie had suspected, the results the two recounted were indeed the handiwork of Lin Baojiang, aiming, of course, to take over Luo Gangshun’s position.

A woman, raising her son with meager earnings, Widow Li, heartbroken for her son, had secretly gone to the sweet potato field to steal sweet potatoes to stave off his hunger. Unfortunately, Lin Baojiang caught her red-handed. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

She was truly terrified at the moment; fortunately, Lin Baojiang merely glanced at her and walked away. But the incident lingered in her mind. This time, Lin Baojiang used the incident to blackmail her.

As for Second Scabby, the reason was even simpler. He was about the same age as Luo Gangshun and had always outdone him in the past. Now, he might even be resented for tying Luo Gangshun’s shoelaces; how could his heart be at peace?

Lin Baojiang exploited this psychological weakness and promised him the team leader’s position upon success—both to see his rival in trouble and to achieve his desires. Why wouldn’t Second Scabby agree?

Thus, one day when Luo Gangshun was passing by her house, Widow Li deliberately stood weakly at the doorway asking for help, saying that her kang had collapsed and she had rebuilt it, but the flue wasn’t working right and asked the secretary to help check it.

There were a few in the village who were particularly skilled at building kangs, and Luo Gangshun was one of them. He hesitated at first, after all, considering she was a widow; it wouldn’t look good to cause rumors, so he thought about bringing someone along.

This was precisely to trap him; how could Widow Li comply with his wishes? She intentionally cried, snot and tears running, lamenting that she had thought of asking others but feared they would think too much. She felt it was right to ask the secretary. Unexpectedly...

Given the situation, Luo Gangshun, being a kind-hearted man, thought that if he delayed further, the widow and orphan would freeze for another day. So, he rolled up his sleeves and started working.

After the kang was finished and the fire properly tested, Luo Gangshun left without even drinking a sip of water.

When he was leaving, he just bumped into Second Scabby— who had been waiting outside the door, how could they not bump into each other?

Then, the story, with nitty-gritty details, began to spread.

Luo Gangshun, of course, discussed the entire incident with Fat Auntie, who truly believed him. But as the rumors intensified, it was inevitable that some doubts crept in.

Of course, that’s the official explanation.

Chuxia now absolutely suspects that Fat Auntie did it on purpose, intending to use her and Luo Xiaoqiong’s hands to stir up the matter. Honestly, if an elder had come unannounced, it definitely would not have had this effect. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, support with monthly tickets, or comment. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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