Chapter 272: Public Exposure

"Hey? Isn't that Zhu Laowu's wife?"

"Yes, it is. What's she doing here? Has she gone mad or something? Doesn't she want to stay at the forest farm anymore?"

"I heard that Li You arranged a night watch position for her at the sawmill a few days ago, so she and her family had a place to stay. Now that Li You is running for factory head, could it be that this old woman is here to cause trouble for Gao Factory Head?"

"Hard to say. I heard some rumors that Li You might have bribed her, so this old lady might have... walked into a trap?"

In the office courtyard, after a brief shock, people began to murmur about Chen Gui-xiang's outburst.

The surrounding noise pulled Gao Dayi out of his stupor. Seeing Chen Gui-xiang approaching, he grew angry.

"Zhu Laowu's wife, what are you trying to do? This is a society governed by law; you need to be responsible for your words!"

Fuming, Gao Dayi was no longer polite. He glared at Li You beside him, sneering, "Oh! I see. Old Five's wife, did Li You make some arrangement with you? Knowing there was an election today, did he have you come here to make trouble for me? Fine, fine! It's quite something to see how you're playing these tricks just for the position of factory head. I'm truly learning something new!"

With a fake smile, Gao Dayi suddenly shoved Li You aside and pointed at Chen Gui-xiang, shouting, "What do you mean by saying I have a smiling face but a knife behind my back? How am I a dog of a son? You need to clarify that in front of everyone! If you can't clarify it, I don't care if others gossip about me behind my back—let's see what I'll do with you in the future!"

Amidst Gao Dayi's roar, Li Xian stepped forward, coming to Chen Gui-xiang's side, and greeted, "Sister-in-law."

Chen Gui-xiang turned her gaze from Gao Dayi to Li Xian, her lips pressed together in apology, "Our youngest, Xiao Si, came down with a rash and a high fever early this morning. I... am a bit late."

Li Xian looked closely and saw the emaciated child in Chen Gui-xiang's arms, with a face covered in rashes and lips turned purple from crying.

"Sister-in-law, why did you still come? Hurry up and take the child to the clinic!"

Chen Gui-xiang shook her head, "It's not about the delay. Second brother, don't laugh at me, but a few days ago, when life was chaotic, I felt like giving up. If you hadn't found a warm place for me and a job as a night watchman... and the baby formula, with this hailstorm, my six children and I would probably be looking for a place in the river. I have a lot to say, and I must say it in front of everyone today!"

Seeing Chen Gui-xiang's determined look, Li Xian hesitated for a moment, then called out to Doctor Zhang from the clinic.

The clinic had only one doctor, who was essential for everyone's health issues and was highly respected. Since this election involved connections with Li You and Gao Dayi, he decided to skip voting and watch the drama. When he saw the child's condition, he diagnosed it as urticaria and said an IV was needed.

Li Xian hurriedly arranged for Zou Ni and Li Pi to take the child with Doctor Zhang.

After the child received treatment, Chen Gui-xiang felt a huge burden lifted from her. She turned her attention back to Gao Dayi and stepped forward, determined.

Facing the crowd, Chen Gui-xiang began, "Today, with everyone here, I have a reason to speak. So, Gao Dayi, don't try to scare me. I'm here to clarify things. If things can't be clarified, not only will you not take the position, but I also won't!"

"What exactly do you want to say, old woman?" Gao Dayi, frowning and suppressing his anger, asked.

Chen Gui-xiang laughed coldly, "Gao Dayi, do you really not know you've done something heartless?"

Gao Dayi's eyes shifted, but he quickly regained his composure and sneered, "Look at what you're saying. Although I'm not a saint, I consider myself just. If I've ever had a falling out with someone, it's mostly related to the factory's matters. Apart from that, ask anyone in the factory; I've never had a conflict or tricked anyone."

"Well, let me ask you! Who reported when our Old Five was captured and imprisoned?" Before Gao Dayi could finish, Chen Gui-xiang's sharp question interrupted him.

Gao Dayi was stunned!

The crowd instantly fell silent.

Seizing the moment, Chen Gui-xiang took a step forward and pointed her finger directly at his nose. "Old Five came back secretly on February 2nd, when the whole forest farm was on holiday. He needed to get some documents from you because his ID and household registration were with you. He hadn't even reached Dongfeng when he was stopped on the road. Can you honestly say this wasn't your doing?"

At this, the crowd erupted.

Zhu Laowu's family had fled on the 16th of the lunar new year, and many people at the forest farm were unaware. The Yin-yang Village had few people, and Zhu Laowu's family was poor. During the New Year, they didn't gather to play mahjong like other families and rarely interacted, so no one knew about their escape. It wasn't until February 2nd, when someone came to catch Zhu Laowu, that people realized they had fled.

People wondered why Zhu Laowu, despite fleeing, was still caught. Now that Chen Gui-xiang had exposed this publicly, the way the crowd looked at Gao Dayi changed.

These days, reporting for capture earned rewards.

If a report was validated, the reward was usually two to three hundred yuan.

Although life was tough for the people at the forest farm, few would go out of their way for such small rewards. Villagers generally avoided such schemes, even for a few hundred yuan.

Moreover, anyone who reported for reward risked retaliation, including having their windows smashed or being isolated. With few families at the forest farm, it was challenging to survive without support. Thus, such petty schemers often ended up moving away when discovered.

However, people found it hard to believe Gao Dayi could do such a thing.

Although the Gao family wasn't as well-off as the Li family now, Gao Dayi had been the factory head for nine years and had received numerous benefits. To them, it seemed unlikely for a dignified factory head to engage in such disgraceful behavior.

"Old Five's family, is there a misunderstanding here?"

"Yes, you're making accusations without evidence based on your suspicions. Isn't that a bit much?"

"Exactly. Even if Old Five was caught, it doesn't mean Gao Factory Head was the one who reported him. Maybe someone else saw him and wanted the reward?"

"Yes, this old woman is just throwing mud. Even if you want to repay Li You's kindness, you shouldn't handle it like this!"

Several of Gao Dayi's loyal supporters immediately countered.

Chen Gui-xiang pressed her lips together, waiting for the crowd to finish before sneering, "What you say is reasonable, but I, Chen Gui-xiang, am not one to spread baseless accusations! The reason I'm saying this is because I have evidence!"

Gao Dayi's face turned dark as he slammed his hand on the red cloth-covered table. "What evidence do you have?"

Chen Gui-xiang stood up to his fury and retorted, "On February 2nd, the entire forest farm was on holiday. Reporting had to be done by phone. Besides your family, who else in the entire forest farm had a phone?!"

The crowd was shocked!

Indeed, February 2nd, the Dragon Raising Day, marked the end of the New Year celebrations in the forest farm. On that day, every family prepared pig heads, and the office and broadcasting station were locked and closed for the holiday. If someone reported Old Five...

Then...

Realizing this, everyone's gaze shifted to Gao Dayi.

Feeling the suspicion in the crowd's eyes, Gao Dayi panicked.

"Get out of here, you old dog! What evidence do you have? Just because we have a phone? According to you, Li You's family also has a phone! Why couldn't it be them who reported? Did you see me report it? Maybe it was someone from outside who saw Zhu Laowu and wanted the reward? Accusing me without proof, I'll sue you! You old hag, aren't you afraid of ending up in prison with Zhu Laowu?!"

Fuming, Gao Dayi raised his hand, ready to strike Chen Gui-xiang.

At that moment, Li Xian stepped in front of Chen Gui-xiang. Facing the enraged Gao Dayi, he smiled.

"Sister-in-law doesn't have evidence."

"Well, that settles it!" Gao Dayi shouted triumphantly.

Li Xian chuckled.

"But I do!"

He said, reaching into his pocket.