Chen's father had recently lost a calf while herding them on the mountain. He was anxious and searched everywhere, but accidentally injured his leg.
He had been recuperating at home, and Wang Hongying had been unable to sleep well at night, worrying. She also had to manage the feeding of the family's pigs and cattle, keeping her exceptionally busy every day.
When the Zhao family arrived, Wang Hongying was not home. The original host, seeing their imposing demeanor, knew there was trouble. Fearing that a scene would disturb her father's rest, she led them to the village entrance to talk.
The original host had always known she was adopted, but her parents treated her exceptionally well. When she was little, she used to fantasize about her birth parents. After she grew sensible, she only wanted to be filial to the Chen couple.
Seeing the ugly face of her supposed birth father, she didn't want to stay a moment longer and stated she would not acknowledge him. She directly refused their unreasonable requests, which is why she was being lectured by a group of people.
She was rescued by some uncles returning from migrant work. The family hadn't had a happy New Year, and shortly after, the original host was supposed to go to the provincial capital for university.
The university was far from home, requiring a walk to the town to catch a bus to the county, then a transfer to a bus to the train station, followed by a seven- to eight-hour train ride.
After getting off the train, she could only wait at the station for daylight to catch the earliest bus back to school. It was only when she arrived at school that she realized she had become famous.
Their village was remote, and the satellite dish signal was poor, meaning most households could only access a few channels. Zhao Qingqing had edited the video she filmed and broadcast it on Qiezi Satellite TV.
In the video, the original host was heard screaming curses at them, declaring she would not support Zhao Xianming in his old age. She told them to get lost and never bother her again.
Zhao Qingqing had portrayed Zhao Xianming as a good father who had never given up searching for his abducted daughter, while the original host's adoptive parents were depicted as hideous buyers.
The original host was instantly branded as unfilial and ungrateful. Her classmates pointed fingers at her, and the girls in her dormitory were afraid to play with her. After repeated questioning, she learned the reason.
Angrily, she tried to clarify the situation, but it had little effect. Zhao Qingqing quickly brought people to the school, creating a very embarrassing scene. In the end, the original host chose to call the police.
The school granted her a week's leave, hoping she could resolve her personal matters before returning to her studies.
Zhao Qingqing, accused of spreading rumors, was detained for five days and then released, only needing to delete the video and apologize to the original host.
Although the incident was false, discussions about it at school were rampant. Qiezi Satellite TV did not issue a formal apology or clarification.
They shifted all blame to Zhao Qingqing, firing her and ending the matter. Therefore, many who had seen the video didn't understand the truth of the situation.
The original host was not defeated by these events; she focused solely on her studies, hoping to provide her parents with a better life. However, she received the devastating news from home that Wang Hongying had drowned.
The Zhao family had gone to their home to cause trouble, eager to get rid of the troublesome Zhao Xianming. Since the original host's side was not yielding, they went directly to the Chen family to cause a disturbance.
They smashed many of the household decorations, and the Chen family's nephews were not to be trifled with. The two sides immediately got into a fight, which later escalated to a confrontation by the fish pond.
Wang Hongying had come along to ensure the children's safety, and the scene was very chaotic at the time. During the scuffle, Wang Hongying fell into the fish pond. By the time she was pulled out, she was already dead.
No one knew who had pushed her. The police arrived quickly. A young delinquent under sixteen voluntarily stepped forward, claiming he had accidentally pushed her.
No one from the Chen family had seen it, but the Zhao family adamantly insisted on it. The child, crying, said he hadn't meant to, he was just too scared at the time.
Wang Hongying was gone, and the Zhao family faced no consequences. The process of buying a coffin and finding a burial plot was slow. The original host returned and was utterly devastated seeing her mother's cold corpse.
She blamed herself, believing she had brought disaster upon her parents. The Zhao family even came to mourn her, with Zhao Xianming having the audacity to tell the original host to take care.
He said they hadn't expected things to turn out this way and begged the original host for forgiveness and acceptance. The original host grabbed a wooden stick to strike him, but Chen's father, with a cold expression, stopped her.
Limping, he personally poured a cup of wine for the Zhao family members. They, mistaking him for a simple, timid farmer, looked down on him.
Without hesitation, they drank the wine. Shortly after, several of them collapsed. Only then did the original host understand. She cried and pleaded with Chen's father to run.
Chen's father also intended to take poison and commit suicide. The original host reached out to stop him. Chen's father smiled as he always did and spoke softly.
"Daughter, Dad doesn't want to be executed. Let Dad leave with dignity like this. The coffin has been ordered and will be delivered soon. You'll have to walk the rest of the path alone."
Chen's father's mind was made up, and the sound of police sirens could be heard outside. Chen's father had called the police beforehand. As the police rushed in, he took the poison.
With his last breath, he declared that this matter had nothing to do with the original host. Since the authorities couldn't handle it, he would avenge his wife himself.
Chen's father passed away, and the police could only notify the Zhao family's relatives to claim the body. Upon learning the details, they felt this group had brought their fate upon themselves and could only repeatedly urge the original host to take care.
The original host managed to arrange her parents' bodies, and those who came to help dressed them in burial clothes and placed them in coffins. As soon as the Zhao family relatives arrived, they rushed forward to attack the original host.
They hurled the most unpleasant insults. Fortunately, the police were present. Zhao Qingqing, upon hearing this, was relieved that her family hadn't gone. She believed the original host had caused her to lose her job, and her husband was a lawyer.
She directly had her husband sue the original host for civil compensation. The original host, a university student who hadn't even graduated, was saddled with over three million yuan in debt.
After winning the lawsuit, Zhao Qingqing taunted the original host, "You didn't want to be our Zhao family's daughter. Now you'll pay for it. Daughter of a murderer, you'll never be able to hold your head up in this life."
The original host didn't think her father had done wrong, but she knew any appeal would be useless. This debt was like evidence of her father's mistake, and the original host refused to repay it.
The Zhao family relatives took away the livestock the family had raised. The original host looked at the empty house, feeling immense sorrow. They had been a happy family not long ago, and now they were suddenly gone.
She couldn't bear it and devised a meticulous plan to kidnap Zhao Qingqing and drag her to the fish pond to drown her alive.
Before she could implement the next stage of her plan, she was apprehended by the police and sentenced to death. The incident caused a great stir locally.
It was only then that people conducted interviews and learned the entire story. "The thinnest rope breaks first; misfortune only finds the unfortunate." "Never push an honest person too far." These two sentences summarized their family's tragedy.
The original host's wish was to protect her parents and hope they could live their lives safely and healthily.
"Okay."