Chapter 195 Lost Money

"If they can't find the weapon... given the tempers of my brothers, do you think they'll let this go? Will they cause trouble at the Revolutionary Committee? Will they petition the provincial government? Will they petition the capital city and accuse you of abusing your power, using excessive force, trespassing, damaging property, and intentionally injuring people... Director, do you think you can still hold onto your position? Can the people behind you protect you?"

With each charge she mentioned, the director's expression grew increasingly grim.

The analysis was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head! The Revolutionary Committee Director turned pale, his eyes glancing furtively at Zhao Xiaoyu in the crowd!

Zhao Xiaoyu froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning: ...She...she hadn't thought that much at all! How did Lin Baozhu's words make her seem like the mastermind behind it all? The brief moment of smug satisfaction at being praised for her intelligence was instantly overwhelmed by immense fear! If the director implicated her...how could she possibly live in the village?!

She regrets it so much! She should have reported it anonymously!

"Alright..."

Lin Baozhu ignored the pale-faced director and called out to the group of men in red armbands, "You lot, don't rush off. We need to carefully tally the losses. Every penny of compensation must be paid! Now, please step aside and don't obstruct our calculations!"

After saying that, she pulled Lin's mother into the messy main room. The members of the Revolutionary Committee, afraid that they would remember something, hurriedly followed.

As Lin Baozhu named out one item after another, the village accountant, who was helping to record them, kept writing with his pen:

"An old iron pot, though slightly cracked, can still be used to feed chickens. If it gets smashed and ruined, you'll have to pay the market price!"

"A traditional earthen stove, which originally had a small crack and was still usable, has been half-damaged and needs to be rebuilt. Compensation will be provided at the original price!"

"A chipped earthenware pot..."

"Wait!" A man in a red armband couldn't help but point to the crack in the earthenware pot, which was clearly an old wound. "This...this crack looks old! At most, it's just a dent..."

"The old one?" Lin's mother, with her sharp eyes, immediately pointed to a newly made dent on the bottom of the jar. "See that? This dent is new! You're the ones who made it! Write it down!"

"Daughter!" Lin's mother "coincidentally" noticed a cracked iron pot by the stove and exclaimed, "Oh dear! They've smashed our good pot too! I usually don't even want to use this pot!"

The crack clearly showed signs of weathering, only now it had a new dent.

Red armband: "..." I have to pay for this too?!

“Record it—upload it—” Lin Baozhu drawled, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Just then—

"Auntie! Something terrible has happened!" Tiger rushed out from the direction of the outhouse, his face pale, pointing towards the latrine, his voice trembling with tears:

"All the poop in our latrine is gone! Did...did they steal it and eat it?!"

The entire room fell silent.

The villagers were dumbfounded: ...

The Revolutionary Committee members' faces went from white to green, then from green to black?! What the hell are they talking about?!

Even if they were starving, they wouldn't stole a farmer's excrement to eat.

"Ahem!" The brigade leader's lips twitched, and he quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "They're just kids, children say the darndest things! The village just did a collective composting today, and all the manure has been taken away!"

After saying that, he glared at Hu Zi and said in a serious tone, "What nonsense are you talking about, you child!"

Lin Baozhu suppressed a laugh, pulled Hu Zi and Tian Tian to her side, and gently flicked Hu Zi's forehead: "If you keep talking nonsense, be careful they take you to a dark room!" Her tone was a loving warning.

After comforting the children, Lin Baozhu and her mother continued to "take stock" of the losses in the ruins.

Sudden!

Lin's mother's gaze swept over a rusty, open biscuit tin in the corner, and she seemed struck by lightning, letting out a piercing wail:

"My money—!!! Which heartless bastard stole my banknotes?! May he be struck by lightning and become a thief!"

She lunged forward and hugged the empty metal box, glaring at the members of the Revolutionary Committee with eyes blazing with fury, as if she wanted to devour them whole!

boom!

The villagers who were watching immediately erupted in an uproar!

"What?! The money is gone?!" someone exclaimed in shock. "Why did it have to go so soon? The Revolutionary Committee members just left and the money is gone?! Could it be..." Countless suspicious gazes, like searchlights, slammed into the red armband-wearing individuals.

"I knew it! I'd heard people gossiping before, saying that they only steal things when they raid houses! And the people who get robbed don't dare to say a word! I didn't expect Baozhu's mother to be so tough and expose it directly!"

"Look at that empty metal box! They must have thought the Lin family was finished and took the opportunity to run off with all their assets! How heartless!"

As the surrounding discussions grew increasingly harsh and pointed, the Revolutionary Committee Director's composure crumbled completely, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

Pay for the damage? Of course not! But if this accusation of "stealing money" is firmly pinned on him… even if the Lin family claims they lost five thousand, he'll have to swallow his pride and admit it! His hawk-like gaze swept fiercely over his subordinates, and the few guilty, evasive glances he received made his blood pressure spike instantly! These incompetent fools!

"Ahem! This... Sister-in-law Lin, is there... perhaps some misunderstanding?" He tried to remain calm, his voice hoarse. "Our Revolutionary Committee... has always been strictly disciplined! We would never take a single needle or thread from the masses! This money... could it be that you've simply misremembered where it's going?"

"Mistaken?!" Upon hearing this, Lin's mother reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, slamming the tin box heavily to the ground with a loud bang! She stood with her hands on her hips and roared:

"Bullshit! Every single one of my banknotes has the word 'treasure' clearly written on it! Don't believe me? Let the whole village search you one by one! If they can't find it—"

She patted her chest and declared, "I'm just an old woman who's wronged an innocent person! I admit defeat for what you did to my house and my son! I won't take a single penny of compensation from you!"

"But what if they find it..."

Her gaze was like a knife, and she said, each word distinct and deliberate: "The three thousand yuan that went missing from my house! You must return every single penny to me!"

"Three thousand?! Why don't you just rob someone?!"

A hot-blooded young man in a red armband couldn't help but jump out, shouting red-faced and gruff, "How many generations has your family saved up for three thousand yuan?! You're just bragging!"

"Ha!" Lin's mother puffed out her chest and confidently began to count on her fingers:

“My eldest son is serving in the army on the frontier, sending money to us every month! My second son does research at a machine factory, earning a salary and bonuses every month! My daughter is even more successful! She gets a salary from the police station and bonuses from the machine factory—it's all real money! And—”

Her voice suddenly rose: "That bastard Bi Yuntao, the money he owes my daughter for emotional distress and loss of youth is a huge sum! All in all, three thousand yuan is no problem!" She spoke with conviction and self-righteousness.

Hearing the source of this "huge fortune" listed so "clearly," everyone present—including villagers and members of the Revolutionary Committee—had extremely interesting expressions on their faces.

"So? Do you dare let the villagers search you?!" Lin's mother asked aggressively, hands on her hips.