Chapter 7 Rewards

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Sentenced to prison? Who are you trying to scare?

The farthest place she had ever been was Xiahe Town. She spent her days busy with family and relatives, which, in Lin Xiufang's mind, was just ordinary verbal disputes.

No matter what, it couldn't possibly involve illegal or criminal activities. Besides, everyone in this village and surrounding area has said these things, and she's never seen the police come to arrest anyone.

Upon suddenly hearing someone say such unrealistic and frightening things, she instinctively wanted to refute them.

However, when her gaze fell upon Chen Shengnan's uniform and white brimless hat, and she saw her calm eyes, Lin Xiufen felt as if her throat was being choked, her face turned red, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Looking at She Hongmei from behind, he felt a little guilty, afraid that she would follow the female police officer's advice and hold her accountable.

She Hongmei had no time to argue with her; her attention was already focused on She Ning, whose clothes were soaked.

The weather around Qingming Festival was still a bit cool, especially after sunset. She Ning was only wearing a thin linen-cotton top with a right-fastening hemp blouse and wide-legged linen-cotton trousers. Her trousers were soaked, the linen lining absorbing water and clinging tightly to her legs. She was carrying a bamboo basket on her back, with water dripping from the bottom of the basket.

She Ning's premature birth and weak constitution had always been a source of worry for She Hongmei. When she was pregnant with She Ning, she received news from the army that her older brother had sacrificed his life.

She Hongmei was fifteen years younger than She Laoda, She Aidang. She had been raised by She Aidang since she was a child. When she suddenly heard the news, she was stunned. In her daze, she stepped on something and fell heavily to the ground, which led to She Ning's premature birth.

Because of her older brother's sacrifice, she was very depressed during her postpartum period. She didn't have enough breast milk, so She Ning grew up drinking porridge. By the time she came to her senses, She Ning was already a month old.

She Hongmei felt very guilty. She always felt that she was the cause of She Ning's poor health, so she rarely made demands or disciplined her. As long as she was happy, that was enough.

"Give me the bamboo basket, come home with me first and change your clothes before you come out." Having guessed that she had gone to the river by the village, She Hongmei didn't say anything, but simply reached out and picked up her bamboo basket.

If it were She Ni who did this, she would definitely be in for a beating with rattan cane.

When She Ni woke up, she didn't see her sister. When she found her, she came over and held her hand tightly, as if afraid that she would get lost.

She Ning hadn't felt cold at first, until She Ni ran over and pulled her hand, her warm little hand pressed tightly against her palm, and she realized that her hands were terribly cold.

"Go back and change your clothes first." Chen Shengnan then noticed the girl's pale lips.

She Ning wasn't one to suffer in silence, so she nodded, took She Ni's hand, and went home, with She Hongmei following behind her carrying a bamboo basket.

After She Ning changed her clothes and came out of the house, She Hongmei put the two large grass carp in the water basin and kept them, while the golden koi was placed in the water tank.

She Hongmei didn't ask any questions about these things, and She Ning pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.

The original owner would never do such outrageous things.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was somewhat silent. She Ni didn't understand why her mother and sister weren't talking. It felt strange. Instinctively, she moved closer to She Ning and took her hand.

"We'll go over after we change our clothes." In the end, it was She Hongmei who broke the silence and took the lead in walking out of the courtyard.

When She Ning and the other two returned to the flat area in the village where rice was being dried, Chen Shengnan had already brought the suspect to meet up with her other colleagues and briefly explained the situation to them.

It is unknown whether there are any criminals who have been overlooked. When explaining the situation, in order to protect She Ning and avoid retaliation from the criminals later, Chen Shengnan tried to downplay the role She Ning played in the case.

Apart from the village secretary, the other villagers all knew that She Ning had helped the police in their investigation, but they didn't know what kind of help she had given, and it certainly wasn't anything important. Therefore, many people thought that She Ning had just gotten lucky.

Those who can't stand seeing others do well start making sarcastic remarks. Chen Shengnan frowned as she listened to those unpleasant words. It was indeed the right decision not to expose She Ning too much.

There are few entertainment activities in the village, and it's rare for news to come out. Even if it's just a stroke of luck that helped the police solve the case, everyone is very curious. As soon as She Ning and her group arrived, all eyes turned to them.

Various gazes: scrutinizing, curious, suspicious, watching a show...

Hundreds of eyes turned to look at her. She Ni was timid, and the scene frightened her so much that she took a step back, turned around, and ran to hide behind She Ning and She Hongmei.

She Hongmei was confused, but out of her instinct to protect her children, she stepped forward and shielded her two daughters behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, staring intently at those people.

It was as if she was saying that as long as she was there, no one could get past her and bully her children.

She Ning looked up at the tall, thin, and frail body that stood firmly in front of her, her eyes slightly warming. She couldn't help but blink. Unlike the love from her grandparents in her previous life, this affection was unconditional and without reason.

So pure, it's truly enviable.

She Ning didn't know when the original owner would return, or even if she would. But by helping the She family escape the ending of the original book, and if the original owner did return later, she could give her a complete family.

"Mom, it's okay." She Ning tugged at her clothes. In her line of sight, among a group of people in white clothes talking to the village secretary, a middle-aged man who was a little older, about forty years old, turned his head and looked over. Then, he strode towards them.

"You must be She Ning's mother, hello, hello." The middle-aged male police officer walked up quickly and greeted She Hongmei.

"I am He Xinzhou, deputy director of the Xiahe Town Public Security Bureau."

"As expected of a descendant of soldiers, your child is truly outstanding!" He Xinzhou smiled as he looked at She Ning beside She Hongmei, his eyes full of admiration. He had already learned from Xiao Chen that the suspect's capture was entirely due to the girl's wit and courage.

"You're too kind. The military and civilians are one family. This is what she should do." When Grandpa She was still alive, his family would often receive visits from his former comrades-in-arms and their descendants during holidays. Many of them were former soldiers who had been transferred to the police force. She Hongmei didn't have the same natural fear of this profession as others.

As for He Xinzhou's praise of her child, although she was still unclear about what had happened, judging from the current situation, it was definitely not a safe matter. After responding to He Xinzhou in a generous manner, she turned her head and secretly glared at She Ning.

I'll deal with you when we get back.

Receiving her threatening signal, She Ning smiled awkwardly and hid with She Ni.

"Are you scared too?" Chen Shengnan had come with He Xinzhou and was standing next to She Ning. She naturally saw She Hongmei's little actions just now.

Earlier, when they were bringing the suspect over, this little girl acted like a grown-up, fearless and invincible. She thought the little girl was afraid of nothing.

"I'm still a little scared." With a serious expression, She Ning recalled the image of her mother, who had been alone in her room for three days and emerged with white hair.

He looks so well-behaved and sensible. Despite appearing so mature for his age, he's still just a child.

The more Chen Shengnan looked at She Ning, the more she felt a connection with her. After thinking for a moment, she gave her a heads-up.

"You've done a great service this time. Once the procedures are completed, the institute will give you a bonus. Your family situation is special, so the fewer people who know about this, the better."

"The institute will also let you know, and your name and situation will not be revealed in the announcement. I hope you don't mind."

Although those crazy years are over, society is not so stable, and cases are frequent in various places. This time, all the criminals on this line have been caught, but no one can guarantee that there are no other suspects who have not been arrested and brought to justice.

The She family is entirely composed of women, from the youngest to the oldest. If they were to be deliberately retaliated against, it would be a huge problem.

She Ning was aware of this, but didn't think much of it. Her catching the human trafficker was accidental, and human traffickers are universally condemned; no one would let him go. As for the reward, that was an even bigger surprise.

"Sister Police Officer, I understand." She Ning nodded obediently.

Over there, He Xinzhou and She Hongmei had finished their conversation. It was getting late, and they needed to pack up and escort the suspect back to the police station.

The villagers had been watching them from a distance, and when they were about to leave, some of the bolder ones came over to gossip.

But seeing that the policewoman was still there, he stopped in his tracks.

When the main force retreated, Chen Shengnan deliberately lagged behind by a few steps. Strangely enough, she had never liked to get too involved with others, but this time, she had an impulse to do so.

"Xiao Aning, my name is Chen Shengnan. I work at the town's police station now. You can come to town to find me if you need anything," she said, patting She Ning on the shoulder.

Chen Shengnan.

She Ning pondered the name, feeling that it sounded somewhat familiar. She tried hard to recall where she had heard it before, but she couldn't remember. She Ning had no choice but to give up.

When she got home, She Hongmei indeed punished her.

Knowing that she had been involved in the entire arrest of the suspect, and that she was the one who made the arrest, She Hongmei remained silent, lying on the bed without speaking or eating. The 1.7-meter-tall woman just curled up on the bed.

This was even more painful than punishing She Ning; she would rather She Hongmei whip her.

Afterwards, She Ning said many kind words and made many promises, and She Hongmei's complexion improved, and she finally agreed to eat.

She Ning finally felt a little relieved.

However, since that incident, no matter how many skills and tools she has, she will never risk her life and worry her family.

While sleeping that night, She Ning had a dream in which Chen Shengnan died during the arrest operation.

When She Ning met her, the reed bed where she was was very close to the spot where the suspect had previously been hiding in the water.

The suspect has a knife.

Chen Shengnan was very perceptive; she did indeed spot the reeds in the water, but Chen Heping also spotted her.

As she approached, he leaped up and stabbed her with a knife. Chen Shengnan was wounded and struggled, and the violent fighting attracted other police officers. However, Chen Shengnan had already lost too much blood and was still clinging to the criminal before losing consciousness.

Although Chen Heping was later arrested, Chen Shengnan died a heroic death.

When She Ning woke up, she was still feeling a bit palpitations. If she hadn't come over, Chen Shengnan, who had ideals and ambitions, would have died on her first day of work, just like in the book.

This time, She Ning changed the ending of her original book. What will happen in the future is unknown, but she didn't perish when her dream was just beginning, which is great.

Thinking of that smart and capable policewoman, and how she would strive for success in her future career, She Ning felt genuinely happy.

"Triggering task: Complete school registration."

In the darkness, suddenly, the system's mechanical voice rang out.

She Ning: ...

Do you want to check what time it is now?