Liang Lihai nodded, said nothing, and turned to leave directly.

The others started laughing and chatting again. This time, their conversation wasn’t the dirty jokes from before. Instead, they discussed Du Ping moving to the city, praising him for having a good brother and remarking that his hard times were over and good days were ahead. They also talked about this year’s crop harvest and their plans for next year.

Although these people seemed crude and often spoke crassly, they knew their limits and when to stop. Moreover, there were certain people they avoided joking about.

Liu Gong’s figure appeared on the hillside. His fellow policemen’s methods weren’t particularly sophisticated; they simply dragged the person out of the woods. The only unexpected detail was that they had used their own clothes to cushion Du Jun’s wife’s body beneath her. That was all.

The rest was just physical labor, hardly a challenge for these farmers. With the village head’s arrangements, they quickly transported the person to Du Jun’s house.

But this action made the police officers from the station frown. At a meaningful glance from the political instructor, Liu Gong stepped forward. "Du Jun, your wife’s ankle is terribly swollen, and she’s been in the mountains for three or four days. You should take her to the hospital first.

"Get her checked out, especially that ankle. If it’s a fracture, it can’t be delayed."

Before Du Jun could speak, Du Jun’s mother chimed in from behind, "What’s the need for a check-up? Look how much she’s moving! She’s perfectly fine, and we’re not going to the hospital.

"Besides, just last year, because she attempted suicide by hanging, we spent tens of thousands of yuan. We don’t have that kind of money now."

Hearing such shameless and utterly disrespectful words, Liu Gong felt stifled. However, this was their family’s private affair, not a violation of law or discipline. As a police officer, there was nothing he could do. Angrily, he snorted and withdrew.

Du Jun forced an awkward, ingratiating smile. "Don’t worry," he said, trying to placate them. "We’ll observe her at home first. If there’s a real problem, I’ll definitely take her to the hospital."

What could Liu Gong say? There was nothing he could say. At this point, their police station’s mission was considered complete. Seeing the political instructor about to step forward and say something more, Liu Gong quickly pulled him back. After whispering a few words among themselves, the officers regrouped and left.

At this time, Du Ping and the others no longer wanted to stay. What remained was the family’s own business. Feeling they had done all they could, they too prepared to leave.

But before they could even step out of the courtyard gate, Du Jun’s mother had untied the ropes binding Du Jun’s wife. Her expression was as foul as if she’d eaten dog shit, and she muttered something under her breath.

Du Ping and the others didn’t see or hear what she said. However, they clearly heard the screams and curses that immediately followed.

When everyone turned to look, they saw Du Jun’s wife had flipped over and pinned her mother-in-law beneath her. She was laughing as she spewed curses at her ancestors, simultaneously slapping and clawing at her.

Seeing this, everyone was astonished. Unsure if they were feigning ignorance or genuinely stunned, they just stood there, looking on askance.

In their memory, Du Jun’s wife had never possessed such audacity, daring to so aggressively challenge her mother-in-law. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been bullied by Du Jun’s family to such a degree. This was truly unprecedented!

Du Jun also found it unprecedented. But when he snapped back to reality, he saw his mother’s eyes starting to roll back. Only then did it hit him: his 100 kg wife was on top of his own mother.

Du Jun immediately rushed over, trying to pull his wife off his mother. But he’d underestimated the dead weight of 100 kg and overestimated his own strength; despite pulling two or three times, he simply couldn’t move her.

Just then, Du Ping and the others noticed something was seriously wrong with Du Jun’s mother and hurried forward to help Du Jun. When she was first pinned, she had been trading curses spiritedly with her daughter-in-law. But in just ten or so seconds, not only did her voice fade, she couldn’t even lift her arms anymore.

They managed to pull the two apart, but Du Jun’s wife suddenly changed targets. Laughing, she started spitting, forcing Du Ping and the others to retreat.

Du Jun had endured this for too long. He struck her hard across the face. His wife looked dazed for a moment. But this quiet lasted only a few seconds before she burst into loud wails again.

Crying, she screamed, "I want water! I want water!" Like a child, she thrashed her bloated body, making everyone’s skin crawl with revulsion.

Du Jun’s father had already helped Du Jun’s mother up. Although her face looked a bit pale, her breathing had finally evened out.

Although Du Ping shared Du Jun’s surname, he harbored resentment and was reluctant to step forward. So, the village head spoke up, "Du Jun, your wife doesn’t seem right. Why don’t we help you take her to the hospital?"

Du Jun hesitated, glanced with disgust at his still writhing wife, then said to the village head, "Let’s wait. We’ll see in a bit. I’ll get her some water to drink first."

With that, Du Jun went straight to the kitchen, scooped a ladleful of water, and poured it down his wife’s throat. As for the fuzz and blood around her lips, he paid it no mind whatsoever.