Chapter 76 Discussion

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The man in black had just gotten up from the ground, smugly preparing to make his move, when he turned around and everything collapsed.

The She family's house was brightly lit, and She Ning and the others looked at him across most of the courtyard.

Man in black: ...

That's awkward.

Inside the main room, after noticing the commotion in the corner, She Hongmei immediately turned on the light, then took her weapon and came out. She Ni and Old Mrs. She followed closely behind, standing behind She Ning.

She Ning wielded her whip with great force and her pinpoint accuracy with her marbles. Without She Hongmei and the others' help, she quickly subdued the man and tied him to the trunk of a lychee tree, where he would keep company with the trio of thieves under the peach tree next door.

She Ning conducted a routine interrogation, and the man in black provided a considerable amount of information, which corroborated the clues provided by Zheng San.

After daybreak, She Ning reported the incident directly to the police station. Upon receiving the report, the station quickly dispatched personnel, among whom Chen Shengnan was present.

"Detective Chen, it's them." To avoid any awkwardness, She Ning didn't call her Sister Shengnan. She led her people into the courtyard and pointed to the four people tied to the tree.

Chen Shengnan nodded, and she and her colleague stepped forward.

“Zhang San, it’s you again?” Recognizing one of the four people under the tree, Chen Shengnan frowned and spoke seriously.

"Ugh ugh ugh..." Hearing someone call his name, Zhang San, who had been hanging his head, raised his head, looked at the familiar uniform, and excitedly called out.

He was severely whipped and tied to a tree trunk, unable to sleep all night. He couldn't wait to be taken away by the officers at the station.

It's so painful. This little girl's methods are even more ruthless than the people in the station. I don't know where she learned her skills, but with a simple pull and press, they can't close their eyelids.

I stayed up all night, unable to close my eyes. I was so tired and exhausted. It was so painful.

Following her gaze, She Ning was surprised to find that Chen Shengnan knew him.

Chen Shengnan didn't want to know him either.

Unfortunately, he was a notorious scoundrel in the bureau. The man tied up under the lychee tree was named Zhang San, an unemployed bum who spent his days stealing chickens and dogs and engaging in petty theft. He was a regular at the station, and everyone knew him well.

He only stole small amounts each time, so he was only detained for a few days. He was just released a few days ago, but unexpectedly, he committed another crime today.

Together with her colleagues, Chen Shengnan detained everyone and had her colleagues take the suspect away. Then, she came to She Ning.

Zhong Yushen, a beautiful and charming woman, looked at her with a smile. Chen Shengnan looked around but didn't see Hong Mei or the others.

"My mom went to open a shop," She Ning said with a smile, seeing through her thoughts.

The suspect didn't cause any trouble; she could handle it on her own. In the morning, She Hongmei, who wanted to stay and help, was persuaded by her to go open the shop. She Ni was also sent to school by She Hongmei.

Now only she and Chen Yuzhen remain in the She family.

"Detective Chen, they... I suspect... that's the situation."

She Ning told Chen Shengnan the information she had gathered. After listening, Chen Shengnan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"I will verify what you said. If it is true, the station will give you an explanation."

"Thank you, Investigator Chen. I'm sorry to have troubled you." She Ning looked up at her and said.

My 1.6-meter height is compared to her 1.7-meter height, so it's a bit tiring for me to talk while standing close together and looking up.

When will she grow taller? She Ning's thoughts wandered a bit.

"Detective Chen, and the other detectives, you've worked hard. Come in and have a drink of water and take a break." Chen Yuzhen was picking green beans in the kitchen when she heard the noise. She came out carrying a thermos of boiling water in one hand and a sugar jar in the other.

That thermos was a reward for defeating the human traffickers. She Ning was used to drinking boiled and cooled water. After regaining her memory, she educated everyone in the family about the benefits of drinking warm water and the unsanitary nature of drinking raw water. Now, the She family has a constant supply of boiled hot water.

The She family didn't originally pay much attention to drinking boiled water. In the past, when there were no wells in the village, they would boil the river water before drinking it, since the Patriotic Health Campaign had taught them that boiling water could prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

After the village got a well, the clear and clean well water was not like the murky river water. It was sweet and clean. The farmers weren't so particular. If there was boiled water, they would drink boiled water. If not, they would drink tap water. Simply put, they would drink whichever was more convenient.

For a while afterward, She Ni had a poor appetite, liked to bite her nails, and developed hives of varying sizes on her face. She only recovered after taking pagoda-shaped sugar pills from the town clinic.

To make them take this issue seriously, She Ning used a convex lens to make a simple microscope by hand. She Hongmei and the others took turns observing the state of the raw water they usually drank and the boiled water under the microscope. Drinking boiled water has become an essential part of their family's routine.

"Grandma, please don't bother, we're leaving soon." Although Chen Yuzhen was in much better health, she still needed to rehabilitate her hand and foot coordination after being sick for so long. With both hands carrying things, she walked with some difficulty. Chen Shengnan quickly stepped forward to take the things from her hands and politely declined.

She Ning followed closely behind and helped the person to sit down on the side.

The old lady hadn't slept all night, and She Ning called her to catch up on her sleep. She lay in bed with her eyes open, staring at the roof. After the rooster in the yard crowed for the first time, she got up.

She cooked breakfast today, and after her walk, she started preparing lunch.

"I'm getting old and useless, I'm just causing you all trouble." She said forlornly, rubbing her aching lower back.

"Not at all. The old lady is still very healthy and vigorous, destined for a long and happy life. With such filial piety from her younger generation, she's sure to be in good health and live to be a hundred."

Chen Yuzhen was about the same age as her maternal grandmother. Seeing her was like seeing her maternal grandmother. Thinking of that energetic and impulsive old lady, Chen Shengnan felt a little nostalgic and said some nice things to Chen Yuzhen to coax her.

“My child is indeed good, extremely filial.”

Hearing her praise the younger generation, Chen Yuzhen's eyes lit up. She changed from her previous dejected state to a beaming smile, and hugged She Ning beside her, saying affectionately.

Many villagers outside the courtyard were peering into it. The She family has been the talk of the town and village recently. The excitement of discovering the treasure hasn't died down yet, and today several government vehicles have arrived.

Looking at the few people wearing black hoods who had been detained, everyone whispered and discussed among themselves.

Seeing that Chen Shengnan's colleagues had already detained everyone and put them in the car, Chen Yuzhen didn't dare to waste her time. She patted She Ning's hand and told her to go to the kitchen to get something.

"Detective Chen, you're busy, I won't disturb you any longer. Come over to my place another day when you're off work."

“You’ve come so early in the morning, you probably haven’t eaten yet. Take these and eat them on the way.” Chen Yuzhen took the things from She Ning and stuffed them into Chen Shengnan’s arms. Before Chen Shengnan could refuse, she continued.

“This is not a single needle or thread from the masses, but the care of an elder. You have a good affinity with our family and have always been taken care of by you. We have no way to repay you, so today this old woman will take the liberty of calling you Shengnan’s grandniece. I hope you don’t mind.”

Chen Shengnan looked down at the bag in her arms, which was full of steaming buns, plump and white, as well as sweet brown sugar buns, all still steaming hot. It felt warm to hold in her arms.

“It’s just some food, it doesn’t violate any rules,” Chen Yuzhen said with a kind smile, looking at her.

I know they have rules against taking things from the public, but normal social interactions between relatives do not involve the fairness of the case or an exchange of benefits, so accepting them does not violate any rules.

Having said all that, Chen Shengnan couldn't refuse, nor did she want to; she wasn't a traditionalist.

She switched the item from her arms to her right hand, a smile appearing on her usually stern face. Chen Shengnan followed her words, saying, "It is an honor to receive such a gift from an elder, Grandma She. I will accept it. Thank you for your kindness. Once I'm done with this busy period, I will definitely come over and chat with you all. Please don't find me annoying then, Grandma She."

She got to know the She family through She Ning, and as they spent more time together, she came to appreciate them. Although she didn't see them often because of her busy work schedule, she always treated them like family.

Chen Yuzhen wouldn't be annoyed by her. The old lady loved being surrounded by lively people. She walked out of the courtyard gate and watched her and her colleagues drive away.

Chen Yuzhen then followed She Ning back into the house.

A crowd of villagers had gathered outside the house. They hadn't dared to come over because of the police presence earlier, but now that the police car had left the village, their gossipy hearts were stirring.

Within fifteen minutes of leaving home, She Ning was pulled aside and questioned no less than ten times. She answered questions about things that wouldn't affect the trial, while also subtly weaving in her speculations.

News travels fast in the village. By the time She Ning went to the fields to pick vegetables, the whole village knew that the She family had been robbed the day before. Luckily, they were light sleepers and discovered the thieves immediately, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

According to the thieves' confession, they came because someone in the village sent them a message that was like a bomb going off in the village.

Most people in their village are surnamed She, and if you go back three generations, they are all of the same bloodline and family.

The village rule is that internal conflicts should be resolved internally. Hiring outsiders to harm the villagers is tantamount to betraying the village, which is an unforgivable crime.

Everyone is speculating who did this disgusting thing.

The She family consists of an orphan and a widow. They are kind-hearted and get along well with the villagers. They were recently commended, and these days everyone is happily busy preparing for the ancestral hall ceremony the day after tomorrow. The village is filled with a joyous atmosphere.

As for who least wants to see the She family prosper, the second and third sons of the She family, who have conflicts with the She family in the village, are prime suspects.

Luo Xiaoling had just returned from her parents' home and hadn't even entered the village when she heard the gossip circulating there, which immediately enraged her.

She's a gossip and loves to take advantage of others. She can't stand seeing She Hongmei doing better than her. She admits it, but at most she can only take advantage verbally. Every time they fight, she's the one who gets seriously injured. After She Ning sent her to the police station last time, she turns away from the She family whenever she sees them, and she hasn't even seen them in person.

To say that she brought people from other villages to harm the She family is utter utter nonsense!

She kept stuffing the things she brought back from her parents' home into her husband's hands, and then, with sleeves rolled up, she would argue with the villagers who were spouting nonsense.

She Lao Er's family,

"Mom, did you instigate the theft at the She family's house?" She Lili looked at the person slowly sharpening a wood-chopping knife on the side of the yard with complicated emotions.

After She Yaozu was arrested, her family fell apart. Her father and brother avoided going home whenever possible, and her mother became gloomy and seemed to want to take revenge on society.

I'm mentally exhausted.

Lin Xiufen ignored her question, her hands continuing their work, the gleaming blade reflecting a white light in the sunlight.