Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

The lake water wasn't cold in early summer, and the three young men quickly created splashes.

Zhao Dahu's location wasn't exactly secluded, but the lake water was quite dark, and with the added reflection, it wasn't easy to see what was going on inside from the shore.

The young man only circled for five minutes before spotting Zhao Dahu in the water.

He had a clump of water plants tied to his ankles, and his hands hung limply at his sides, swaying gently with the waves.

The young people were terrified, and one by one they surfaced, their faces pale.

Old Lady Zhao asked anxiously, "Is there anyone at the bottom of the lake? My Da Hu is such a good swimmer, how could anything have happened to him!"

The young people remained silent, and Wang Defa keenly sensed that something was amiss.

He gave Wang Xiaoshun a wink, and Wang Xiaoshun understood and went to call Zhao Dahu's father, Zhao Laogen.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Wang De asked.

The young people exchanged glances, and finally mustered their courage to stammer, "Uncle Da Hu, he, he's at the bottom of the lake."

"What? How is this possible!"

Old Lady Zhao didn't believe it at all, shaking her head and saying, "My Dahu can swim, how could he drown! This bitch must be talking nonsense and cursing my Dahu!"

Zhao Laoniang slapped Li Chuncao across the face in front of everyone, making her already swollen cheeks even worse.

Hearing the "slap," Qiao Manman trembled. As if a large slap had landed on her, she cowered and took a step back.

Lu Yuan was even more confused.

This girl is clearly brave enough to scare people, so how come she looked terrified and turned pale while watching a play?

If Qiao Manman knew what Lu Zha was thinking, she would definitely say, "I wasn't afraid, I was terrified from the depths of my soul!"

Damn it, in the novel, the original owner of this body got beaten by Old Lady Zhao a lot. Three beatings a day, the original owner's face was never thin.

The author used a large portion of the text to describe the original owner's tragic life in order to highlight the female protagonist's happy life.

So much so that even Qiao Manman, who had transmigrated from another era, felt a sting in her face when she heard the sound of a slap.

Li Chuncao's head was ringing from the beating. After a long while, she hid behind Wang Defa with a swollen face and said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle Captain, help me!"

"Aunt Zhao, let's talk this out. We haven't even figured anything out yet, why are you taking your anger out on Chuncao?"

Wang Defa felt like he had aged more than ten years in just one hour. What kind of ridiculous and absurd things had all come together like this?

He, the captain, was overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse!

Wang Defa didn't expect to quiet Zhao Laoniang down with just a few words. He turned to look at the three figures in the water: "Is Zhao Dahu really in the lake?"

"Yes, Captain, Uncle Tiger's ankle got tangled in the seaweed..."

This explains why Zhao Dahu, who knew how to swim, drowned unexpectedly.

Wang Defa told the young man to cut the water plants, then turned to comfort Old Lady Zhao: "Old Lady Zhao, you heard it too, it was all an accident, please accept my condolences."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Zhao glared fiercely at Wang Defa: "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one in trouble! It's not your Xiaoshun who got into trouble!"

Wang Desheng got angry: "I was just trying to comfort you, how could you curse my son? Lin Wanhua, you're the worst person I've ever seen!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Dahu's father, Zhao Laogen, arrived. Upon catching a glimpse of Zhao Dahu emerging from the water, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

Tears streamed down his honest and kind face: "Tiger, how could you just leave like that? You were the last son of our Zhao family!"

Hearing Zhao Laogen's heart-wrenching cries, Wang Defa sighed and felt sorry for him. A parent outliving their child—how would they cope?

Hearing her husband's cries, Old Lady Zhao shuddered. Seeing Zhao Dahu getting closer, she rushed forward to help.

She held her son, whose body was ice-cold and face was deathly pale, in her arms: "Son, how did your foot get tangled in the water plants? It's only May, why did you go swimming?"

Only after saying that did she realize something was wrong: "Li Chuncao, didn't you see my son go into the water? His foot got tangled up, why didn't you call for help?"

"Yes, she shouted! She called us to come and save Qiao Manman!"

"Wait a minute, it was Zhao Dahu who fell into the water, why is Chuncao trying to pin this on Manman?"

All eyes turned back to Qiao Manman.

Unwilling to accept that her scheme had failed and her reputation ruined, Li Chuncao pointed at Qiao Manman and said, "It was her! She pushed Uncle Dahu into the water and threatened me not to tell anyone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Laogen rushed to Qiao Manman, baring his teeth and wanting to avenge his son, but Lu Yuan grabbed his arm behind his back.

Qiao Manman rolled her eyes and said impatiently, "Li Chuncao, will you die if you don't try to pin this on me?"

I've already told you I just arrived, I just arrived! What are you trying to do by ruining my reputation like this?

I, Qiao Manman, have nothing to fear. If things get bad, we'll just report it to the police!

"But you, changing your story every now and then, are you the one who pushed him? Are you crying 'stop thief'?"

After speaking, she glanced around and noticed that her gaze lingered on Zhao Laogen for a moment longer.

"Uncle Captain, from beginning to end, Li Chuncao was the only one by the lake. As for how Uncle Dahu died, she can say whatever she wants."

Report it to the police; I believe they can investigate thoroughly.

These words silenced the noisy atmosphere.

Qiao Manman opened her clear, bright eyes and asked Lu Yuan, "Lu, you're an educated person, you know a lot. Shouldn't you be locked up for deliberately ruining someone's reputation?"

Lu Yuan knew she was setting a trap, but he still nodded: "Yes, depending on the severity of the case, they will be detained for three to six months. Those with particularly serious cases will be sent to the Northwest for labor reform."

Most of the commune members were illiterate and were easily fooled. Even Li Chuncao panicked.

"We can't report it to the police, we can't report it..."

Her face was deathly pale; she looked like she had a guilty conscience.

Qiao Manman snorted coldly: "How can you clear my name if I don't report it to the police? I didn't even get close to the lake, yet you have slandered me time and time again."

Li Chuncao, do you know that murder is a serious crime? Once the police find out, you'll be shot.

Have you ever seen a gun? It looks like this. 'Bang!' The bullet went right through his brow. White and red brain matter spilled all over the ground; he couldn't close his eyes even in death.

As Qiao Manman spoke, she gestured, making a gun shape with her fingers and then pointing it at Li Chuncao's forehead with a "bang," which immediately broke the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl's guard.

Although Zhao Dahu's death was not directly related to her, her behavior made it hard not to connect the two.

Moreover, Li Chuncao's innocence was truly questionable. Fearing the police might uncover something, she offered her peanuts.

"Please, don't call the police. I was wrong, it's all my fault..." Li Chuncao cried, tears and snot streaming down her face, kneeling on the ground and pleading desperately.

Lin Wanhua and Zhao Laogen were furious when they saw that she had admitted it.

She lay on top of her, crying and scratching, and soon, several bloody marks appeared on Li Chuncao's face.