I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 515: Escape

Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Escape

"In the dead of winter, the house was set on fire, and it wasn’t something that could be covered up. There were still many things inside, and surely they got burned too."

On the other end, Qiao Shengbao picked up the phone and told Qiao Qingyu not to worry, "Some of the things inside indeed burned, but he and a few brothers as well as Qiao Genbao had managed to salvage everything during the day. It was just his crafts made from corn leaves and wheat stalks that were largely destroyed."

But those losses couldn’t be mentioned anymore, not when compared to the shock they experienced.

However, Qiao Shengbao was furious, "Wang Mei is inhumane. She didn’t consider the monks or the Buddha, and there were elderly and children in the house. How could she bear to do this? I don’t care whose grandma or mother she is. I’ve already reported it. This is arson. We absolutely cannot let her off lightly..."

Qiao Shengbao also knew that he couldn’t occupy the He Family’s phone for too long.

Besides, it wasn’t something good to dwell on. Mentioning it briefly was enough; in fact, his uncle thought it was best not to say anything temporarily, to avoid worrying his little aunt.

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Qingyu then said to Wu Qianyun, "Mom, you and dad should move out of the Qiao Family Team."

"Let me think about it." Wu Qianyun’s complexion was poor. Although she knew her husband was alright, and her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren were all safe, how could she not worry without hearing their voices?

But even if she worried, she couldn’t just leave little Chaoxuan and go back to the Qiao Family Team. Besides, what was there to go back for?

She’d only end up more upset.

What, my daughter helped you and she did it wrong?

What exactly is going on with you Qiao Family people? Aren’t all of you rather capable? A large family of dozens and you can’t deal with one Wang Mei? You really are capable.

Among all this, there could be people fishing in troubled waters, sowing discord, trying to take advantage of the situation, or simply acting out of jealousy and spite; it’s hard to say.

That’s why when everyone was poor, there seemed to be no difference between them, but when wealth came, it revealed everyone’s true colors.

But these were not the words she could tell her daughter. Even though it was not ideal, it was just those few people. Now that Wang Mei had fled and Shengbao had reported the crime, bringing her back meant incarceration. She didn’t believe the Qiao Family had the audacity to bail her out. So let the caught Wang Mei spend her remaining years there.

If that was really the case, it would be like removing a thorn.

However, even so, for DouDou and Feifei, Wu Qianyun decided that the next day, during the day, she would contact Qiao Zhicai and ask him to take his son and daughter-in-law to Yun City.

Her own father had secretly bought funds and stocks for the family, and his factory shares were allocated to them too, Qiao Zhicai included.

Even if they did nothing, they wouldn’t lack food or drink, but Wu Qianyun wasn’t planning to tell her son and daughter-in-law about these things. The days at the Qiao Family Team were just starting to improve, and in comparison to the wealthy, it was still a far cry. Just like that, greed had already started to set in.

Therefore, she couldn’t use money to test what kind of people her son and daughter-in-law really were.

But she would give them some capital, enough for two adults to support two children without an issue. Moreover, moving to Yun City meant they wouldn’t need to rent a place; they had their own, which would be the most cost-saving arrangement.

Wu Qianyun lay in her room, her thoughts in disarray. She wondered where Wang Mei had run off to and whether Qiao Zhihai had found someone and hidden her away.

No matter what, they were still married, and having an arsonist in the family wasn’t good for anyone.

Even having children who attended school was a big problem.

At that moment, in the woods behind Wangjia Village, the snow had fallen heavily this year. With each step, it came up to one’s knees.

Wang Mei had set the fire the previous night. After setting it and seeing the flames blaze intensely, she became fearful and regretful. If it had spread to other people’s homes, or someone had been hurt, she would have been in deep trouble. So, in the chaos, she turned and ran.

The first place she went, naturally, was her maternal home.

To her, it was the closest place, even though she was over fifty years old. She still felt this way.

Upon getting to the Wang Family, Old Mrs. Wang was over seventy but in robust health. She narrowed her eyes at Wang Mei, scolding her as being useless—surely driven back by Qiao Zhihai. She told Wang Mei that she couldn’t divorce, under no circumstances. It didn’t make sense. When the Old Qiao Family had been poor and clanging with emptiness, she had given birth to several sons for them. Now, just like that, she spoke of leaving? There was no justice in that. She also bolstered her daughter’s confidence, telling her not to be afraid and that if the commotion persisted, she would go to the provincial capital and report them—labeling the entire Qiao Family as ungrateful traitors like Chen Shimei.

Noticing something wrong in Wang Mei’s expression, her sister-in-law sensed something was amiss. Upon inquiry, she discovered to her horror that Wang Mei had set fire to her father-in-law’s and mother-in-law’s house, as well as her brother-in-law’s house.

The Wang Family was completely stunned.

They truly hadn’t expected Wang Mei to do such a thing.

Immediately, Wang Mei’s brother pushed her out, "Go away quickly, you’ve broken the law now. You can’t stay at our house. If you do, how will our Wang Family cope..."

Wang Mei struggled. It was bitterly cold, the middle of a snowy night. If she stayed outside all night, she would likely freeze to death. She hadn’t expected her usually sweet-natured brother to treat her this way.

It wasn’t just her brother; Old Mrs. Wang was terrified too. She knew that whatever quarrels Wang Mei had with Qiao Zhihai were simply marital squabbles. But setting the brother-in-law’s house on fire was a crime, and it would definitely bring trouble to the Wang Family. So, she too pushed Wang Mei out.

Wang Mei had come to her maternal home with a heart full of warmth, thinking that this place could protect her, help her get past this, thinking that once it was over, she just had to speak nicely to Qiao Zhihai, and the matter would be resolved.

People inside the house weren’t foolish either. Who wouldn’t know to run out if there was a fire?

She figured nobody would die from the fire.

As for the burnt belongings, Qiao Zhicai was so wealthy that it didn’t really matter.

She just planned to hide for a few days. Yet, the Wang Family really changed faces, and didn’t recognize her. Her brother, worried about being implicated, dragged her out of the village.

He even fiercely threatened her—don’t even think about entering the Wang Family home again. If nothing went wrong, it would still be okay to talk; but if his children were affected, he’d personally take her to the police station.

Wang Mei wasn’t great in many ways, but she had one good quality—she devoted her heart and soul to her maternal family.

Never had she imagined her dedication to her family—thinking of her mother, her brothers, even her nephews and nieces—could end up like this. When trouble arose, they were all afraid she would bring them down.