The Delicate Darling with Her Rough Man

Chapter 235: Chapter 234: We Are Wronged

The production brigade had a dedicated meeting place for its cadres. The room was a decent size and didn’t feel crowded even with over a dozen people inside.

The brigade leader was the first to walk in. A cadre brought in Lin Jiandong and his wife, the two child traffickers, and behind them came Gu Jiaojiao, Leng Yuan, Sweet Girl, and Xiao Yang. They all entered.

The gawking villagers who had followed along also tried to push their way inside.

The brigade leader immediately blocked them.

”Alright, stop pushing! Anyone not involved, stay outside!”

Chen Beiguo let those involved in the matter stay and shooed everyone else out.

Unwilling to leave, the onlookers crowded around the windows to peer inside.

Chen Beiguo paid them no mind. His icy gaze landed directly on Lin Jiandong, who was shivering from the cold.

There was no stove in the meeting room. While it was warmer than being outside, the room was still cold.

Worse, Lin Jiandong’s lower half was still soaked. He was not only cold but also foul-smelling, reeking of urine.

Chen Beiguo questioned him from a distance.

Even Chen Shulan quietly shuffled a little farther away.

’So embarrassing.’

There was not a single person near Lin Jiandong. Everyone else in the room was crowded together, leaving him isolated.

Chen Beiguo stopped about five paces away from Lin Jiandong and questioned him with a grim expression.

”Lin Jiandong, start talking. What is going on here? You said you were adopting Xiao Yang, and the village approved it. It’s only been a few days, and you’re already trying to sell him?”

Lin Jiandong flinched.

”Brigade Leader, it’s a misunderstanding.”

”These two are relatives from my mother’s side of the family. They heard we adopted children and came over to visit.”

”They took a liking to Xiao Yang, so they wanted him to go stay with them for a few days.”

”Ever since I adopted Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang, I’ve treated them as my own flesh and blood. I made clothes for them, bought food for them... everyone has seen me do it.”

The long walk in the wind had given Lin Jiandong time to think it all through. He was an honest man, and he was sure everyone would believe him. The best strategy was to pin the blame on Gu Jiaojiao, claiming she was trying to sow discord in his family. However, he was wary of that killer, Leng Yuan, so he didn’t mention his name, just a few neighbors instead. He claimed they could all vouch for him.

And he wasn’t wrong. Lin Jiandong had played his part exceptionally well, always making sure to deliver food or clothes when there were plenty of people around to see. The moment he spoke, quite a few people were indeed ready to vouch for him.

”That’s right.”

”When Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang first arrived, they were only wearing thin, single-layered clothes!”

”It was Lin Jiandong’s wife who made them thick clothes!”

”The way I see it, this has to be a misunderstanding.”

A glimmer of delight flashed in Lin Jiandong’s eyes.

’This was the advantage of being seen as an honest man. No matter what happened, people would believe him.’

Chen Shulan hadn’t expected such a turn of events, especially at this stage.

Her eyes darted as a thought struck her, and she immediately backed up Lin Jiandong.

”Brigade Leader, we’ve been framed! I worked my fingers to the bone making clothes and caring for these two children, only to be falsely accused of trying to sell them! It’s a terrible injustice!”

She launched into the classic routine of a village woman: wailing, shouting, and slapping her thighs.

Hearing them say this, Sweet Girl’s little face flushed red with anger. Combined with the slap she had just received, her cheek was swollen, and her eyes were puffy from crying.

She looked utterly pitiful.

Just then, two children ran out from the crowd of onlookers—they were Lin Jiandong’s own son and daughter.

The two children, though young, were much healthier and sturdier-looking than Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. The sight of them standing together made a few people in the room frown.

Aunt Zhao’s eyes flew wide as she stared at the clothes the two children were wearing.

”Chen Shulan! You claim you’re so good to Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang, so how come their clothes are on your own children?”

Aunt Zhao had of course seen those clothes before; they were the ones Gu Jiaojiao had asked Wang Xiuhua to make. The other villagers, however, had not.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

”What clothes?”