As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Hong regretted them. The scene fell silent for a moment, followed immediately by a chorus of voices from the crowd, all denouncing Zhou Hong and Jiang Jie.
"Shame on you, Jiang Jianguo! Is this how you treat your daughter after Lanxin is gone? Have you no conscience left?"
"Jiang Jianguo, have you forgotten how good Lanxin was to you back in the day?"
"You actually condone this bitch bullying her own daughter!"
"Zhou Hong, you shameless wretch, how dare you treat Jiang Rou like this? Think back to when you first came here from the countryside—who helped you get your household registration, and who helped you when you were at your lowest?"
Jiang Jianguo hung his head, not daring to argue back, let alone look anyone in the eye. At the same time, he cursed Zhou Hong in his heart for being a foolish woman with no filter, blurting out whatever came to her mind.
Just then, an older man frowned and said, "Stop the noise. Let’s just call the police and let them handle it." The crowd echoed his sentiment.
"The police have already been called."
At that moment, someone shouted, "The police are here! The officers are here!"
Seeing the police arrive, the crowd automatically stepped aside. Jiang Rou raised her eyes to take a look. The leading officer was Zheng Dadao, a veteran of this area with extensive experience in investigating cases. The two officers following him looked a bit green, clearly fresh recruits.
"Who called the police?"
Zhou Hong, ignoring everything else, decided to pin the blame on Jiang Rou first. "Officer, it must be this little slut who colluded with outsiders to do this..." She began to fake a cry, acting as though she were injured while spewing nonsense, her spittle flying everywhere.
Auntie Shen could no longer stand by and confronted Zhou Hong. "Cut the crap! You only know how to slander others. You must have offended someone outside and brought this disaster upon yourself."
"Quiet! Quiet!" Officer Zheng shouted, finally putting an end to the bickering.
He then questioned everyone one by one to understand what had happened, eventually finding himself at a loss for words.
The officer named Guo Yuanqiao spoke up, "Officer Zheng, my colleague Song Zhiyuan and I met Miss Jiang at the neighborhood office this afternoon, so the timelines don't match up."
Zheng Dadao himself never believed that a frail little girl like Jiang Rou could be capable of such a feat.
"I see."
"You claim she colluded with outsiders to—" Zheng Dadao looked at the house, which looked like it had been picked clean even by a hungry mouse, and felt somewhat speechless. "Steal everything? Why would she do that? This is her home, too; she has a share in the things inside. Why would she do this?"
Zhou Hong, no longer caring about her reputation, opened her mouth to slander her again. "Who knows what kind of riffraff this little brat has been hanging out with!"
At this, someone couldn't hold back. "Why don't you think about your own son? He’s been stealing since he was a kid. With such a massive incident happening at home, he’s nowhere to be found. Perhaps..."
Jiang Jianguo was a man who favored sons over daughters, valuing his son many times more than his daughter. That was why he had married Zhou Hong less than half a year after his wife’s death. Seeing someone direct the fire at his son, he immediately stood up to retort, "Shut your mouth! I think this situation at my house likely has something to do with you."
"Police! You can’t frame an innocent person! You must help us get our things back! Our things were stolen; why are you suspecting my son? What kind of sense does this make?" Zhou Hong grabbed Officer Zheng’s arm, sobbing and playing the victim.
With Zhou Hong tugging at his sleeve, Officer Zheng’s brow furrowed into a deep frown. He pulled his arm away firmly and said sternly, "Enough! This is a criminal investigation, not a place to bicker." He turned his gaze toward Jiang Rou, his eyes searching. "Jiang Rou, describe in detail what happened when you got back today."
Jiang Rou sobbed and recounted the story she had already fabricated: "I came back this afternoon, and as soon as I stepped through the door, I felt something was wrong. Before I could react, someone hit me from behind and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, the house was like this. I’m so scared..." As she spoke, she began to cry again.
After crying for a while, Jiang Rou feigned exhaustion and fainted.
Seeing this, Officer Zheng said to Officer Song, "Little Song, take this girl to the hospital first."
Officer Song walked over and said, "Leave it to me."
As he took Jiang Rou from Auntie Shen, he realized she was incredibly light—"thin as a rail" would be an understatement. Apart from the injury on the back of her head, it was clear she bore the marks of long-term domestic abuse.
However, this was not the time to dwell on that.
Zhou Hong stepped forward to block them. "She can't go! We haven't figured out what really happened yet."
"Ma'am, please step aside. This girl is covered in injuries. If you keep delaying, be careful or I might charge you with obstructing official business," Song Zhiyuan said solemnly.
Frightened, Zhou Hong quickly backed away. Though she was unwilling, she didn't want that charge pinned on her.
Officer Zheng nodded at Song Zhiyuan, then began to inspect the house, not missing a single corner. Other officers wandered around the courtyard, asking neighbors if they had seen anyone suspicious today.
Just then, Jiang Jie appeared from the street. Seeing the police at his front door, he turned and ran.
Such a guilty reaction immediately drew attention. Song Zhiyuan, who happened to be standing nearby, stuck out his left foot.
Jiang Jie, not paying attention while running, fell flat on his face. Officer Guo then rushed over and hauled him back like a chick.
Zhou Hong was still making a fuss, muttering, "It must have been that girl’s doing. Officers, you must investigate thoroughly." At this moment, Jiang Jie ran back in a panic, and upon seeing the state of his house, he was stunned.
Jiang Jianguo hurried to pull his son behind him, looking at the crowd with vigilance. Zheng Dadao looked at Jiang Jie and asked, "Where were you today? Why are you just now getting back?"
Jiang Jie stammered, "I... I was out with friends. What happened at home?"
It was obvious that Jiang Jie wasn't telling the truth; otherwise, he wouldn't have bolted at the sight of the police.
Jiang Rou narrowed her eyes, watching everything from the shelter of Officer Song’s arms. She felt smug inside, though she continued to play the part of a fragile and pitiful victim on the surface.
She knew that as long as she survived this ordeal, she would be able to successfully head to the countryside and leave this family behind for good.
...
At the hospital, because of her long-term malnutrition and the injuries all over her body, Jiang Rou was ordered to stay for observation. It also helped that her home was now empty and impossible to live in.
Of course, this matter had almost nothing to do with her anymore. After all, it was unlikely she would be the prime suspect, and she had played the role of the victim perfectly.
Since ancient times, you need the thief and the loot, the culprits and the evidence. No matter how much Zhou Hong tried to pin this on her, the police—even if they had their suspicions—couldn't touch her without evidence.
Moreover, Jiang Jie was a much more likely suspect; his guilty behavior at the sight of the police was a dead giveaway that he had done something wrong.
Over the next two days, Jiang Rou rested quietly in the hospital, waiting for the notification to head to the countryside.
During this time, Auntie Yang, the director of the printing plant workshop, and Yang Xiaofang, her classmate and good friend, came to visit Jiang Rou.