Chapter 99: Exposed

After confirming that she was uninvolved, Shen Hongmei immediately ran to Lu Jianping, eager to distance herself from the situation: "Captain Lu! Xiangyang and I have separated from them! If they commit any crimes, it has nothing to do with us!"

"Shen Hongmei!" Zhang Xiuying finally couldn't hold back and roared angrily.

Shen Hongmei shrank back in fear at her angry gaze, but still stubbornly argued, "Mother... the whole brigade is here, you can't hide even if you want to. Xiangyang is your son too, you have to protect him, right?"

As she spoke, she glanced furtively into the house.

The search party had already ransacked her house and was rushing into Liu Zhixia's room.

Since nothing was found in his own house, it means the fire won't burn him.

She looked at Liu Zhixia with schadenfreude.

Let's see how arrogant you are now!

To completely absolve herself of any responsibility, she shouted at Lu Jianping, "Captain Lu! My sister is married now, so her affairs shouldn't be attributed to us, right?"

Lu Jianping glanced at her coldly and said sternly, "That depends on what it is! If they find something that shouldn't be there, even if you split up the family, you'll still be guilty of harboring a criminal!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Hongmei completely panicked and stammered in her defense, "But...we've already separated! What she does is none of my business!"

"Shen Hongmei!"

With a roar, Liu Xiangyang burst in from outside, his eyes red, and grabbed Shen Hongmei's wrist tightly: "What the hell have you done!"

Shen Hongmei, however, looked smug: "What could I do? These people came to us of their own accord! It must be that your little sister was doing something shady outside and someone exposed her!"

Looking at her face, Liu Xiangyang felt a chill run through his body, and his eyes were filled with fear.

This woman... she actually reported my younger sister!

He heard the news in the field, dropped his hoe and ran back, praying all the way that it had nothing to do with her.

But now, what's the point of asking?

This is clearly her doing!

He turned to look at Lu Xiaohui, who was smugly standing by the door, and he understood everything.

Her mother had just told her to stay away from this woman, and in just one afternoon, she had sold off the entire family!

Liu Xiangyang looked at his family members not far away with a face full of shame, his voice choked with emotion:

"Mother...Little sister...I'm so sorry!"

After saying that, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, and collapsed to the ground with a vacant look in his eyes.

Zhang Xiuying looked at her slow-witted son with heartache.

This time, he finally saw through Shen Hongmei's true colors.

This kind of treacherous woman is absolutely not allowed to stay in the Liu family!

"Found it! We found it!"

An excited shout came from inside the house.

A group of people rushed out carrying a locked wooden box, followed by three people carrying jars.

Lu Jianping was taken aback when he saw the box, and hurriedly asked, "What about the others? For example, a large number of kimchi jars?"

“Captain,” the leader said with a troubled expression, “there are only these three… one still has half a jar of pickled vegetables in it, and the other two are empty.”

"What?! Three?!" Lu Jianping almost choked on his breath. "What money can three jars fetch? Find more for me! You have to dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

The group looked at each other, stammering, "But Captain... we've searched every nook and cranny, even the outhouses and rooftops, and there's really nothing left."

Zhang Xiuying's heart skipped a beat when she saw the jar, but she was stunned when she heard these words.

Where did all the jars that used to fill the empty room go?

Liu Zhixia calmly stepped forward, walked up to Lu Jianping, and pointed to the box: "Captain Lu, that's mine."

"Open it!" Lu Jianping ordered imperiously. "Let me see what kind of trickery is hidden inside!"

“These are all my man’s personal belongings that he gave me before he left,” Liu Zhixia said firmly. “The brigade shouldn’t have the right to look at them, right?”

"Enough with the nonsense!" Lu Jianping pointed at the box, his voice stern. "I suspect it contains stolen goods that could harm the collective interest! Liu Zhixia, I order you to open it immediately!"

Liu Zhixia raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on her face: "Are you sure? If it doesn't open, then that's false accusation. You know the current policy; falsely accusing a member is a serious crime. Captain Lu, are you really sure?"

This question hits the nail on the head!

Lu Jianping panicked and subconsciously looked at Li Xuemei and Lu Xiaohui, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

This is a sensitive time. If he were to be accused of making a false accusation, his position as captain would be over!

Just as Lu Jianping was hesitating, Gu Mansheng strolled over leisurely, looking on with an expression of anticipation.

"Oh, I heard the Liu family has gotten into big trouble?" She glanced at the box in Lu Jianping's hand, then looked at Liu Zhixia with a mocking expression. "Liu Zhixia, it's you again? What trouble have you gotten into this time? Let me tell you, my father is incorruptible. Don't even think about using old favors to plead for him!"

Liu Zhixia crossed her arms, a half-smile on her face: "Yes, Captain Lu, what do you, the 'iron-fisted' captain, plan to do?"

Lu Jianping forced a smile and said, "I only came to investigate after receiving a tip..."

"Oh? Who is the whistleblower?" Liu Zhixia pressed on, "Without verification, you led people to break down the door and ransack the house based solely on someone else's unsubstantiated statement. Both you and the whistleblower are fully responsible for this!"

Lu Jianping felt even more panicked.

The whistleblower is his daughter! They haven't found anything yet, so the report is invalid. If this gets out of hand…

Seeing his hesitation, Gu Mansheng snatched the box away and shouted, "Dad! If someone has reported it, it can't be baseless! We represent justice, what are we afraid of? Her current bluster shows she has something to hide!"

She glanced at Shen Hongmei beside her, and felt even more confident.

If it's reported by someone from within, how could it be false?

Lu Jianping pulled her back and lowered his voice: "Daughter-in-law, you can't do anything without evidence! She's a military dependent now, you can't touch her!"

"What are you afraid of!" Gu Mansheng said impatiently. "Have you forgotten that I have acquaintances in the Public Security Bureau? So what if she's a military family member? She'll still be arrested if she makes a mistake! As long as we have solid evidence, even if her husband comes back, he can't protect her! Besides, how could a report from her family be false?"

These words acted as a reassurance, instantly straightening Lu Jianping's posture.

That's right! With his daughter-in-law as a connection, why would he be afraid of Liu Zhixia, that paper tiger?

He pointed at the box and shouted sternly, "Liu Zhixia! Open the box! Let us see what tricks are hidden inside!"

"Are you sure?" Liu Zhixia took the box, her eyes playful. "I'm a military dependent. If there's nothing inside, Captain Lu, can you bear the consequences?"

Seeing that she repeatedly emphasized the consequences and hesitated to open the box, Lu Jianping became even more convinced that something was amiss!

He waved his hand dismissively and declared firmly, "Open it! If there's no evidence of a crime inside, I, Lu Jianping, will take full responsibility!"