"Whether we wait for our investigation to conclude or not, you will keep quiet right now!" After the officer issued this warning, he turned to the neighborhood committee director. "Please, go to the police station and bring two more of my colleagues here."
He had initially thought this was a standard civil dispute, but the realization that it involved robbery made the situation rather tricky.
The officer's words caused the hearts of Ma Cuihua and the other three to sink even further.
Liu Li, when it came down to it, was just a spoiled, sheltered young girl. She had never seen such a scene and had already begun to panic. She hid behind Ma Cuihua, trembling, cursing Lin Qin in her heart incessantly.
After gathering the details from Chen Wenjun, the officer asked, "Do you know this comrade?"
Chen Wenjun looked at Lin Qin with an expression of confusion and unfamiliarity. He started to shake his head, but the pain made him wince, so he quickly replied, "I don't know her."
"He's lying!" Liu Yongguo exclaimed, his emotions running high.
Chen Wenjun felt completely bewildered, his eyes reddening with anger. "What lie am I telling? I sell fish on this street. I can guarantee I’ve never seen her before—at the very least, she has never bought my fish! I never set up a stall in the alleys either. Unless someone calls out to me to buy fish while I'm walking through the streets, and since your household has never bought from me, how could I possibly know this woman?"
Everyone felt a bit dizzy from his explanation, but once they sorted it out, they realized his logic held up.
Lin Yi cried out in distress, "My daughter has had a gentle nature since she was a child. Even after marrying into her husband's family, she has no say in anything. Money never passes through her hands. She doesn't buy groceries or go out to the market; she’s still wearing the clothes she brought with her when she got married. She hasn't had a single new piece of clothing in all these years. How could she possibly be involved with a fishmonger? This Liu Family is simply bullying people too much!"
Li Lian muttered quietly, "It’s because she’s useless. Why else would the Liu Family bully her and not the eldest daughter-in-law?"
"Keep your mouth shut!" Lin Zhi gave Li Lian a warning glare.
In the current situation, anyone with eyes could see which side was in the wrong. If Li Lian kept making such remarks and ended up being treated as an accomplice to the Liu Family, what would happen then?
Li Lian pursed her lips, subconsciously shaking her still-numb palm, cursing Lin Qin a hundred times over in her head.
The officer, having formed a preliminary judgment, looked at Lin Qin with a hint of sympathy.
While waiting for his colleagues, he noticed Liu Yaya nearby, covered in dirt, her eyes as swollen as a rabbit’s. He hurriedly picked her up and asked, "Little girl, tell Uncle what just happened."
Knowing the officer was there to help her mother, Liu Yaya began to cry out of grievance, pointing at Ma Cuihua and Liu Li. "Grandma and Auntie hit Mommy. They bullied Mommy together. I tried to beg Auntie to let Mommy go, but Auntie kicked me down."
The officer narrowed his eyes as he looked at Liu Li.
Liu Li turned pale with fear.
Ma Cuihua immediately shielded Liu Li behind her, glaring viciously at Liu Yaya. "What are you babbling about, you little money-pit! You ungrateful brat! I'll sell you off tomorrow!"
"Waaah!" Liu Yaya cried even more heart-brokenly.
The officer was furious. "Human trafficking in front of the police? Do you want to see if I can arrest you right now!"
"I... I was just saying that," Ma Cuihua stammered, shrinking back. She felt very resentful but dared not threaten Liu Yaya again.
Lin Qin hurriedly took Liu Yaya. "Yaya, don't be afraid. That old hag can't sell you. If she dares to touch you, I’ll tear her limb from limb. If nothing else, we can all go down together!"
Lin Qin did not back down, firing back at her. She looked at Ma Cuihua as if she were a mortal enemy. Ma Cuihua wore an equally venomous expression; both sides looked as if they wanted to tear each other to pieces.
What kind of feud was this?
The officer continued to control the situation until his colleagues returned with Li San's mother, bringing along Chen Wenjun’s baskets, shoulder pole, and scales.
As soon as Chen Wenjun saw the items, he grew excited and tried to get up. "That's right, these are my baskets, pole, and scales! One of the baskets had a bamboo slat stuck to the bottom, with a piece of old fishing net attached."
The officer inspected them and found that one of the baskets indeed had a bamboo slat caught in the bottom. While the old fishing net was missing, there were hooks along the edge of the basket, indicating a net had likely been attached to it previously.
"Where is the rest of the stuff?"
"When I went over, Li San's mother denied it, but after I explained the situation, she got scared and gave it to me. It was already like this."
Both officers were left speechless, feeling deep sympathy for Chen Wenjun's plight.
When Chen Wenjun retrieved his belongings and saw the damage to the baskets, his face fell. He said miserably, "Comrade Officer, I can repair the things, but you must help me get back that fifty-three yuan and twenty-five fen! What should I do? Do I go to the police station to file a report?"
The officer motioned for Chen Wenjun to be patient, then walked over to Liu Yongguo with his hands behind his back. "Hurry up. Whatever you took from him, return it now, and I might be able to handle it here. If you refuse to admit it, we’ll have to hand this over to the criminal investigation team as a robbery case. By then, it won't just be a matter of mediation—you might end up in prison, or even facing the death penalty!"
Liu Yongguo was terrified. Trembling, he cried, "We really didn't rob his money!"
The officer lost his patience and raised his voice. "The witnesses and physical evidence are all here. These two are clearly innocent. If you didn't steal his things, how did he end up knocked unconscious by a club and dragged into your house? Don't give me any nonsense about illicit affairs! I see it for what it is: you saw the money and grew greedy, and because you don't like Lin Qin for giving birth to a daughter, you cooked up this scheme to kill two birds with one stone. You people are really something!"
Liu Yongguo immediately knelt down, wailing, "Comrade Officer, I admit we don't like Lin Qin and wanted to drive her out, which is why we framed her. I was on my way to find some thugs to help when I saw Chen Wenjun lying on the ground. I thought I could save some money by using him instead, so we brought him in. But we really didn't steal his money. I swear on my life, if I stole his money, may I meet a wretched end!"
"Bah! Do you think I'd believe your lies?" The officer glared in annoyance.
Xu Manzhi hurriedly defended herself, "Comrade Officer, it must have been Li San's mother! When my husband found Chen Wenjun, he was already knocked out. Li San's mother found his things, she must have pocketed the money!"
"Bullshit!" Li San's mother burst in, furious. "Xu Manzhi, you shameless hussy! It’s one thing for you lot to scheme against Lin Qin, but how dare you splash dirty water on me? I’m not to be trifled with! Everyone, judge for yourselves: though I’m a bit greedy for small gains, am I not a warm-hearted person? Who hasn't received my help when they were in trouble? If I saw a grown man lying on the ground, would I try to steal his money? I’d be scared out of my wits and call for help! Besides, there were witnesses when I picked up the items. It was already dark then—was he knocked out at that time?"
Chen Wenjun nodded in agreement. "It wasn't completely dark yet when I was knocked out."
"Hear that? Hear what he said! Comrade Officer, if you ask me, Liu Yongguo did it! A bunch of women wouldn't dare target a man!" Li San's mother insisted, firmly blaming the Liu Family for the stolen money.
Xu Manzhi was completely panicked. Realizing the situation was extremely unfavorable for them, she gritted her teeth for one last desperate attempt. "Comrade Officer, you can't just believe his words because he was hit! What if he’s lying to us? What if he never had that money on him to begin with?"