Chapter 45 has been sentenced.

Perhaps because her physical fitness had improved, Ning Xuan ran a bit and then walked a bit, and she returned to the courtyard in just one hour.

It was already noon, thankfully it wasn't her cooking today.

She quickly returned to her room and removed the spirit stones from the puppet. The once lifelike puppet immediately turned into a lifeless humanoid mannequin. Ning Xuan was a little afraid to look at it and quickly put it back into her storage ring.

Then she quickly took out water to wash her face. Wearing that mask and wig for a long time was uncomfortable, so she had already taken them off.

However, she was covered in sweat on the way back, so she washed herself and changed her clothes.

Just as she finished tidying up, Xu Jiajia came over to call her for dinner.

"Those two went to the commune again. We'll have noodles for lunch. What do you want to eat for dinner?" Xu Jiajia asked Ning Xuan as soon as she sat down.

Actually, Ning Xuan wasn't very hungry. She had egg noodles at the Jiang family's house in the morning, and she didn't expect to have noodles again when she got home, with an egg and a few pieces of green vegetables.

Although she didn't really want to eat it, Ning Xuan still finished it.

She was craving fish for dinner, but there wasn't any in their yard. So Ningxuan said she'd get a fish later and have some for dinner.

Xu Jiajia nodded.

Ning Xuan had already decided how to cook the fish. On this cold day, a fish dish with pickled cabbage would be both appetizing and warming.

Lu Xun and Zhou Zhipeng didn't return until evening.

When they returned, both of them had happy expressions on their faces.

"Jiajia, I have good news for you. Zhang Qiang and his whole family have been arrested!" Zhou Zhipeng told Xu Jiajia the good news as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Xu Jiajia's face showed both surprise and delight after hearing this. "What happened?"

Then Lu Xun and Zhou Zhipeng told each other what they had seen at the commune.

It turned out that they had also gone to the commune early in the morning, and arrived at the department store just as Zhang Qiang and the other man were confessing their crimes, so they basically saw the whole thing.

Lu Xun said, "Logically speaking, people like them wouldn't easily wake up and repent. There might be someone else targeting them. But no matter what, it's a good thing they were caught."

Looking at Ning Xuan's seemingly shocked but actually somewhat fake expression, Lu Xun guessed that it was probably Ning Xuan's connections who had intervened.

It has to be said that Lu Xun's intuition was quite sharp, and his guess was actually correct. Ning Xuan's props were indeed provided by her extensive network of connections.

However, Lu Xun always maintained a strong sense of boundaries and did not ask any further questions.

Ning Xuan seized the opportunity and said, "I just happened to have prepared a fish. Let's have sauerkraut fish for dinner tonight to celebrate hearing this good news!"

Everyone agreed that, in addition to the sauerkraut fish, there were other dishes as well, because everyone was in a good mood, so the dinner was cooked together again tonight.

Luckily, everyone has similar tastes and can handle spicy food.

The main dish for dinner was sauerkraut fish, along with vegetables such as tofu, enoki mushrooms, potatoes, and cabbage. Ningxuan was extremely satisfied with the meal; this kind of life was so comfortable.

Of course, it would be even better if there were heating, a soft sofa, and the ability to openly use your phone and watch TV!

During the meal, the group chatted.

Lu Xun said, "In the next few days, Zhipeng and I will go to the commune to inquire about when the verdict for Zhang Qiang's family will be handed down."

The verdict against the Zhang family came down faster than expected, in just two days.

Zhang Qiang and Zhang Youde ate peanuts directly. Zhang Xiuying and her daughter lost their jobs and were to be sent to the Great Northern Wilderness for reform.

Xu Jiajia finally breathed a sigh of relief; being targeted was a very unpleasant experience.

In the past, she would have asked her family for help, but now, her family lives far away, and their situation has also been difficult recently. Not only is her family unable to help, but some friends who seemed to be on good terms with her have also chosen to wait and see and will not rush to lend a hand.

So Xu Jiajia has actually been under a lot of psychological pressure these past few days.

While Ning Xuan and the others were discussing what delicious food to make to celebrate.

At the entrance of Xiangyang Commune Prison, Gousheng finally saw Zhang Xiuying and her daughter emerge.

"Miss..." Gou Sheng had just opened his mouth to call Zhang Xiuying when he was immediately glared at by Zhang Xiuying.

Gou Sheng then realized that he could no longer address him as before.

Gou Sheng blushed and whispered, "Xiu Ying."

When Zhang Xiuying heard that this former lackey of her brother dared to call her by her name, she wanted to get angry, but considering that she would need Gousheng's help later, she had no choice but to hold back.

The Zhang family's house was obtained through improper means, so it was taken back. Zhang Xiuying and her daughter only had two days to prepare, as they would be taking the train to their new post in two days.

Zhang Xiuying and her brother are now penniless, but fortunately, her brother's former follower is still willing to help them.

But when Zhang Xiuying followed Gousheng to their home, it was a large, crowded courtyard where many people lived. Many households had built their own small wooden sheds in front of their doors, making it very messy.

Zhang Xiuying's face turned green. She wanted to leave immediately, but she knew she couldn't, as she and her mother couldn't even afford to stay in a guesthouse.

When Gou Sheng first learned of the incident, he cleverly took advantage of the chaos to run to the Zhang family's house, intending to help Brother Qiang guard some valuables. However, not long after he arrived at the Zhang family's house, Uncle Hat arrived.

In the emergency, he could only grab some clothes before jumping out of the window and running away.

Gousheng's home is very cramped, with only one room of less than 20 square meters, which is then divided into several small rooms by wooden partitions.

His parents lived in the slightly older room. He and his younger brother lived in the smaller room, in a bunk bed like those in a student dormitory.

This small cubicle is just big enough to fit a bed, with a little room for people to pass through, but there's not even enough room for a table.

There's another space on the outermost side where we can eat during the day. In the evening, after the dining table is cleared away, Grandma lays out a bed board here and goes to sleep.

There was no kitchen or toilet in the house; the toilet was shared outside. The kitchen was just a very small wooden shed built at the entrance.

When it comes to showering, on hot days the men just rinse off outside, while the women take the water back to their rooms to dry themselves. The others stay outside and don't go inside.

In winter, if you save up your bath tickets, you can go for a bath. It's considered good if you can take a bath once a winter.

However, this situation improved after Gousheng got together with Zhang Qiang, at least he no longer had to take a bath only once a winter.

Although Gousheng's parents' salaries aren't high, they're better than before. They actually have some savings now, but they can't bear to rent another place, hoping that their employers will allocate housing to them in the future. So the whole family continues to live in this cramped situation.

Even so, his conditions were better than Tiezhu's. Tiezhu's living conditions were worse, and his family spent a lot of money but he didn't have a formal job.

However, Zhang Xiuying had never suffered such hardship even before her father joined the G Committee. She turned to leave, but her mother stopped her.

Yu Meifang whispered to Zhang Xiuying, "Xiuying, don't be stubborn. Where can we go now? Even if someone gives us money, we don't have any introduction letters to stay at a guesthouse. We only have two days, let's stay here first."

Tears welled up in Zhang Xiuying's eyes as she thought about what she had experienced in the past two days, but she also listened to what Yu Meifang had said, so she nodded and walked into the dimly lit little room that didn't even have a clean bench.