Chapter 701: A Sharp Tongue but a Soft Heart

Looking at Silas Golding wailing on the ground, everyone felt a great deal of sympathy. He’d had some truly terrible luck to have a granddaughter like Jacqueline Spann.

But some saw things more clearly. What goes around, comes around. Phoenix Golding and Linden’s wife had done so many wicked things in the past, so now they were facing retribution and had dragged their whole family down with them. The Thorne family, however, was completely fine. It just proved that you couldn’t live your life without a conscience!

"I’m going to call the police."

Preston Thorne decided to call the police after all. No one knew where Jacqueline Spann had gone, and they would need the authorities to find her.

Jethro Golding looked hesitant and pleaded, "Let’s not get the police involved. If word of this gets out, it will ruin Millstone Peak’s reputation. But I swear I’ll make this right with everyone. As long as I live, I will catch that little monster and make her face her punishment."

Preston Thorne wavered. Jethro Golding had a point. A monster like that born in their village would certainly tarnish Millstone Peak’s reputation. But the thought of letting that little beast get away was more than he could bear.

A glint flashed in Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes. "It’s better not to report it to the police," he advised. "Jacqueline Spann is only ten years old. Even if she’s caught, she can’t be convicted of a crime. The most she’d get is two or three years in a juvenile detention center."

’This isn’t what I want,’ he thought. ’That’s letting Jacqueline Spann off far too lightly.’

The memory of how Little Fatty Tang had nearly died from the poison, and the fact that Dollar was still not out of danger, made Adrian Hawthorne’s heart burn with rage. He was going to punish that viper with his own hands.

"I’m going to kill that little monster!"

Silas Golding shot to his feet, his face dark, and made to leave. He was going to kill that monster with his own hands and avenge his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.

"And where are you going to kill her?" Jethro Golding stopped him. "Do you even know where that little monster is? Go to the clinic first and check on Linden and the others. We’ll deal with the rest later. There’s no way we’re letting that little monster get away with this!"

Where could he possibly find her so late at night? Saving the victims was the priority. Still, Jethro felt a little more at ease. Now that they knew who the culprit was, they didn’t have to live in fear.

"Let’s go to the clinic first."

Preston Thorne came around. Reporting it to the police really wouldn’t be much use; a ten-year-old girl couldn’t be seriously sentenced. It would be better to drag her back and lock her in the ancestral hall. He felt a bit relieved that it wasn’t members of the Thorne family who had been hurt.

Several people headed to town, while the rest returned to their homes. No one could find peace that night.

Adrian Hawthorne walked Tang Xiaonan home. Phoebe Huxley was in the courtyard slaughtering a chicken. Jim Thorne, with his quick tongue, had already told her that Jacqueline Spann was the culprit. Phoebe Huxley’s eyes went wide with shock, and she immediately began to curse. "That little monster deserves a miserable death! How can she do something so wicked? Isn’t she afraid of being boiled in oil and made to climb a mountain of knives in hell?"

This time, she didn’t drag Phoenix Golding into her rant. One should respect the dead. Once a person was gone, even the deepest-seated grudge had to be laid to rest. In fact, Phoebe Huxley now felt a bit of sympathy for Phoenix Golding. ’Now that was a truly awful way to go.’

Suddenly, the color drained from her face. Phoebe Huxley cried out, "It couldn’t have been that little monster who killed her own mother, could it?"

If that little monster dared to poison her own grandfather and uncle, then she’d certainly dare to kill her own mother. A wave of retroactive fear washed over Phoebe Huxley. ’Thank goodness our family is safe. It must be my daughter’s good luck protecting us all.’

"How is Linden Golding’s family doing now?"

Phoebe Huxley was a classic example of someone with a harsh tongue but a soft heart. She now found herself sympathizing with Linden Golding’s family, especially the three children. To be poisoned during the New Year holiday... what would happen if they couldn’t be cured?

"I don’t know. Grandpa made them drink soapy water and then took them to the town clinic. He went with them," Jim Thorne replied.

Phoebe Huxley sighed and went back to slaughtering the chicken. She no longer felt the sting of losing a chicken. Compared to a human life, what were a few chickens? At this point, she wouldn’t even be upset if the pigs were poisoned.