Chu Sheng feigned anxiety, yet he could barely mask the excitement and smugness in his eyes.
Besides, given that his family couldn’t even afford a bride price, where on earth would they have over two thousand yuan in savings? Was he dreaming?
And claiming Xia Xian stole it? The fool.
Quan Ruifeng curled his lips in a sneer, his gaze heavy.
"Are you certain that over two thousand yuan was stolen by Xia Xian? Think carefully before you speak. The consequences of filing a false report are severe."
"You wouldn't want to find out."
Quan Ruifeng offered a warning, sticking to his professional ethics.
But Chu Sheng wouldn't take the hint. To him, the fact that Xia Xian had stolen their money was absolute.
He stated with certainty, "I’m sure of it. Xia Xian stole over two thousand yuan from our family, and we want to report it!"
"That’s right! We want to report it!"
"You little officer, you’ve been trying to stop us over and over. Don't tell me you’ve gotten tangled up with that shameless little hussy, Xia Xian? Let me tell you, even if she is your mistress, you cannot show her favoritism. You’re a member of the Public Security Bureau! You’re supposed to serve the people!"
Old Woman Chu looked at Quan Ruifeng with suspicion, throwing around insults like "little hussy" and "mistress."
It was the first time Quan Ruifeng had encountered someone so vulgar and crude. He was so angry he laughed, then spun around and headed back into the Public Security Bureau.
His long strides kicked up a gust of wind.
"Come and give your statements. I’m deploying immediately."
He tossed the icy words over his shoulder, clearly truly incensed.
"Mom, can you control your mouth? Stop spouting nonsense! He doesn't look like someone to be trifled with. If we piss him off, we’re all going to be in deep trouble!"
"Besides, he’s an officer. If he really decides not to handle our case, what can we do? We wouldn't even know where to file a complaint against him. Should we throw a tantrum? What if he locks us up like they did yesterday?"
Chu Sheng was speechless, starting to lecture his mother; he couldn't let her ruin his scheme.
"Oh, yes, yes, Mom knows she was wrong. Mom is used to throwing tantrums, I’ll change."
Old Woman Chu also understood the gravity of the situation and immediately apologized sheepishly. She even went inside and carefully offered an apology to Quan Ruifeng.
"I'm sorry, little officer. I was just too anxious earlier; I didn't mean to say those nasty things to you."
"Who wouldn't be anxious if their family lost that much money? Plus, my family didn't just lose money, we lost a daughter-in-law. You have to sympathize with an old woman like me; I'm a widow, and life isn't easy..."
As she spoke, she began to wail again.
"Quiet."
Quan Ruifeng wasn't buying it. He cast a sharp, cold glance at her and barked a command, his voice filled with authority. Chu Sheng hurriedly pulled at his mother, and the group stumbled through the remaining procedures.
Quan Ruifeng went to fetch Liu Jun, stopped by the Chu family home for an inspection, and then followed Chu Sheng and his mother toward Xia Xian’s house.
The two homes were located on opposite ends of town, quite a distance apart—nearly an hour's walk.
Because of that distance, the Xia family hadn't heard about Eldest Master Chu falling ill at the time.
At that moment, the men of the Xia family were all at work. Father Xia, Eldest Brother Xia, and Second Brother Xia all had jobs.
Her mother and sisters-in-law were unemployed. In this day and age, finding a job was difficult; they would occasionally pick up temporary work as day laborers to earn a few days' wages.
Back when they were trying to keep their children from being sent to the countryside, Father and Mother Xia had emptied their savings and pulled every favor they had to buy jobs for the two brothers. They were still heavily in debt. As for Xia Xian’s job, she had earned it herself. She was lucky enough to help a person of influence, who told her the factory was hiring. She went to test for it and proved her worth by passing.
Although she was still just a temporary worker, she didn't have to go to the countryside.
Originally, she hadn't wanted to marry so soon, but she feared her job might be jeopardized, forcing her to relocate. Combined with the lack of space at home and the fact that she had reached a marriageable age, Eldest Master Chu seemed decent enough. Driven by various factors, she had gotten married.
She hadn't expected that even with such caution, she would still fall into the Chu family's trap. Fortunately, fate had given her another chance.
Today, Xia Xian had intended to find Quan Ruifeng to discuss a deal. Once that was settled, she could free her hands to deal with Chu Sheng and his mother. She hadn't expected them to show up on her doorstep.
As the door opened, Lei Juan was enraged to see Chu Sheng and his mother daring to return. She grabbed a broom, ready to strike.
"You dare come to my house! You heartless wretches, you tricked my good daughter into becoming a widow! I’ll beat you to death!"
"That’s right! And you have the nerve to bully us at home!"
Eldest Sister-in-law Xia and Second Sister-in-law Xia immediately searched for suitable tools.
"Hey, hey, Auntie, don't be so rash! Don't hurt us by mistake; we’re from the Public Security Bureau!"
"These two are claiming that before Xia Xian returned to her maiden home last night, she stole over two thousand yuan from their house. They’ve filed a report, so we must investigate and have a confrontation with Comrade Xia Xian."
Liu Jun grabbed the broom to calm her down and explained their purpose.
However, this made Lei Juan even more furious. She asked in disbelief, "My daughter stole two thousand yuan from them? Never mind whether my daughter would steal money; if they had two thousand yuan, would they have even struggled to find a wife in the first place!"
Xia Xian was also stunned by the boldness and stupidity of the mother-son pair, though that was just how they had always been.
She chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. Too lazy to defend herself, she slanted a look at them and said, "They say I stole it, so I stole it? Where is the proof?"
"Director Mei saw me leave yesterday. I couldn't wait to get out of the Chu house; who would have the leisure to steal money? I didn't even ask for a bride price because I sympathized with their poverty. Claiming I stole money is a grave insult. If they can’t produce evidence, I will sue them for slander! Along with charges for fraudulent marriage and hooliganism!"
Xia Xian’s words were resonant and firm, showing none of the guilt of someone who had done something wrong.
Liu Jun also felt the mother and son’s story was absurd, but as an officer, he had to enforce the law impartially and follow procedure.
"Then..."
"Come with us. Let Director Mei serve as your witness."
Liu Jun was about to speak, but Quan Ruifeng interrupted him. He looked at Xia Xian. Although his voice remained cold and his expression indifferent, Liu Jun still sensed something different.
He felt puzzled. This man usually didn't care about anything other than the mission, just going through the motions. Why had he spoken up so suddenly today?
"Fine."
"Mom, Sister-in-law, don't worry about me. I'll be back soon."
Xia Xian wasn't afraid and immediately stepped out the door.
"Who’s poor! We just don't flaunt our wealth!"
"Not paying a bride price isn't because we couldn't afford it; it was to test you! We don't want women who only care about money!"
"In any case, my money was stolen by you. Go back and see for yourself what you’ve done to our house—there isn't even a clean spot to step on!"
Old Woman Chu declared aggressively, feeling more righteous than ever.
"It wasn't that you couldn't afford a bride price, but rather that marrying a sister-in-law was more cost-effective? Ha."