HLnovel Chapter 180 The Jade Bracelet Dispute
Chapter 180 The Jade Bracelet Dispute
Azan walked in from outside, and it looked like he had some important information to release.
Sure enough, he took a breath and said to the others, "Another trouble has occurred. I just heard from the aunties that the body of the woman who committed suicide is still warm, and her mother-in-law is fighting with her grandson, who is the woman's child."
Everyone was surprised to hear this. Even if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a bad relationship, they shouldn't have been so critical and harsh on the child. What exactly was going on? Azan looked at everyone and continued:
"I heard that the old lady was cursing in the yard, saying that the child was a thief at such a young age and had stolen a precious jade bracelet from her. I don't know if it's true or not."
Everyone was even more bewildered. This child had just faced the tragic loss of his mother, so why would he steal the old lady's jade bracelet now? Could it be that the old lady was looking for an excuse to drive the child away? If so, that would be truly cruel.
Ran Mo analyzed the situation and said, "Whatever the old lady's motives, since she dared to publicly shout about this matter, I'm afraid we should investigate it first. This will also be beneficial to the child."
Ran Mo suggested that they go to the old lady's house to inquire about the details. She had already encountered the incident last night, so why not continue to help with the follow-up matters today.
Everyone agreed. Then they locked the gate, went out to ask the neighbors where the family lived, and then followed the directions to the old lady's house.
The family was not far from the inn where Ranmo and the others were staying. Before they got close, they saw a group of people gathered at the door, looking at the scene in the yard. And from the yard came the old lady's shouting and cursing:
"You little devil, just like your dead mother, always doing things dishonestly and uncleanly. If you don't hand over the jade bracelet today, I will send you to the county government office for trial."
The child sat in the corner of the yard, not saying a word, occasionally looking up at the old lady with hatred in his eyes.
"You dare to glare at me? Let me show you how I'm going to deal with you, you little bastard!" The old lady stood up, walked over, grabbed the child's ear, and tried to lift him up.
Unexpectedly, the child bit her wrist with his mouth. The old woman quickly let go of her hand and shook it off, screaming in pain. After a moment, she looked around again, went to the wall, picked up a broom, and prepared to come over to beat the child.
"Stop!" Ran Mo shouted. Several people then squeezed in and stopped the old lady.
The old lady was a little stunned when she saw so many people coming in. She asked: "What are you doing? Why are you entering my yard? Get out!" Then she shouted twice over the wall.
"Second brother, third brother, come and help your mother. Someone is bullying your mother. Oh my God, how can we live like this?" Then she started howling.
A slight noise erupted from the previously silent courtyard next door. Then two men and two women entered. Judging by their expressions, they must be the second and third sons and daughters-in-law the old woman had mentioned.
The older one looked at them gloomily and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you coming into my house?"
Qingsheng was about to speak up when Ranmo stopped him and said to the man:
"We are assisting Lieutenant Li from the county government in his visit and we found something unusual here today. This must be your old lady, right? Since she said something was lost, why didn't you go and report it to the police?" Ran Mo's expression was neither humble nor arrogant, but with a hint of severity.
After hearing what Ran Mo said, the man turned around and looked at the others, then turned around and said, "Losing things is our family matter. There is no need to report it to the police. Please go back."
Ran Mo glanced at him and said, "Then we need to ask the victim himself." Then he left the man and walked up to the old lady and asked politely, "Auntie, you just said that you lost something. Do you want us to help you find it, or report it to the county government office?"
The old lady didn't respond at first, then she looked at the teeth marks on her wrist, then turned her wrist again, as if admiring something, though her meaning was unclear. After a moment's thought, she said angrily, "I'll definitely report it to the authorities. Having a grandson like this isn't a big deal. This brat not only bit me, but also stole my precious jade bracelet. It's a family heirloom, and I had so much trouble getting it..."
Having said that, she paused, looked at Ran Mo suspiciously and said, "Can you really help me find the jade bracelet?"
Ran Mo nodded and said, "Since the item is lost, we definitely have the obligation to help you find it. But you should at least tell us the whole story."
The old lady looked up at her son-in-law and daughter-in-law, sighed and shook her head, then continued to tell Ran Mo the story.
She said that this jade bracelet was a family heirloom and she usually didn't want to wear it. After her daughter-in-law's accident last night, she was in a bad mood and went to sit in the yard after returning.
This morning, when she opened the cabinet to take something out, she found that the jade bracelet she had put in the package was missing. She searched everywhere anxiously, but couldn't find it.
Suddenly, she saw the boy passing by her house and called him to ask why he had taken the jade bracelet. He not only ignored her but also glared at her fiercely. She was so angry that she wanted to hit him.
Anyway, based on various signs, it was speculated that this boy had stolen the jade bracelet. Otherwise, why didn't he deny that he didn't take the jade bracelet when she openly scolded him like this today?
After listening to the old lady's pointing and scolding, Ran Mo looked at the child sitting in the corner with a cold expression, his head slightly lowered, his eyes looking towards the corner.
Ran Mo said to the old lady, "Okay, I roughly understand. I'll go over and ask the child." Then he left the old lady and walked towards the child.
When she got there, she squatted down in front of the child, looking at his pale, thin face with a little dirt on it, and she couldn't help feeling pity for him.
She said in a gentle voice: "Little brother, would you like to talk to me for a few words? I know you are very upset right now, but some things will be more uncomfortable if they are not said or resolved in your heart. I will take you out for dinner and buy you some new clothes. Tell me first, do you know about the bracelet?"
Ran Mo said this very gently. She knew that some of the people watching nearby might like to hear some loud and clear words, but children need to be guided patiently to open up their hearts. Therefore, she did not bother to pay attention to the old lady and some people's grumbling, and just did what she thought was right.
The child raised his eyes slightly and looked at her, then glanced to the side and said, "Anyway, it wasn't me who stole it." The old lady was about to get angry when she heard that, but Ran Mo raised her hand to stop her and wanted to continue asking some questions.
According to her analysis, the child's words can be understood in two ways: one is that I didn't touch the bracelet at all; the other is that even if I took it, it is not called stealing and it is excusable.
Ran Mo then laughed and said, "Of course. If something belongs to me and I take it myself, how can it be called stealing, right?" She gave this example casually.
The child's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and he looked up at her. Ran Mo caught his expression and continued:
"I believe you are a good child and would never steal, right? You certainly wouldn't want the people who care about you to be saddened by seeing you like this, right?"
Ran Mo didn't dare mention his mother, but the child obviously thought of his mother, and he opened his mouth and burst into tears, as if he wanted to cry out the sorrow of his mother's departure.
There was another small commotion nearby. Ran Mo gestured for them to keep their voices down. She thought it would be a good idea to let the children release their negative emotions.
After the child calmed down a little, Ran Mo comforted him and said, "Child, you don't have to worry about your future life. There are several brothers who will help you. Look, they are them."
She pointed at Qingsheng, Wu Shao, and the others. She had actually been planning this since last night, but she hadn't had time to discuss it with Qingsheng and the others. She didn't have time to ask for their opinions now.
Seeing Ranmo gesture towards him, Qingsheng and the others nodded to the child. Although they didn't know what Ranmo was planning, they believed that Ranmo was thoughtful and that they would not go wrong if they followed her instructions.