Xiao Wei was squatting in front of the chicken coop, feeding the old hens with a handful of old vegetable leaves, when two tall figures suddenly barged in, saying nothing and rummaging around.
They searched every nook and cranny, from the eaves and corners of the roof to the chestnut trees, and from the vegetable garden fence to the surrounding areas.
Before Xiao Wei's mother passed away, she told Xiao Wei that Xiao Cheng was a bad person and would be arrested by the police sooner or later.
He was forbidden to play with Xiao Cheng, and he was also forbidden to call him "brother" when they met, because if he did, the police would take him away with him.
Xiao Wei threw down the vegetable leaves and rushed back to the front yard. He tripped and fell at the corner, but before he could feel the pain, he stumbled to his feet and looked for that tall figure.
No, that's not it.
Big brother isn't a bad person!
You won't get arrested by the police!
Bai Lu looked up and saw a small, dusty figure rushing towards her. She instinctively opened her arms to stop it.
"Xiaowei, don't be afraid, your brother and sister-in-law are here."
Xiao Wei didn't dare to rush into Xiao Cheng's arms; he was just too excited and anxious to hug Xiao Cheng's leg.
Holding Bai Lu's hand and standing beside her, he was stunned for a moment. The anxiety and fear in his watery eyes were put on hold, and he obediently did not resist.
The little hand grasped Bai Lu's warm big hand for the first time, as if grasping a lifeline, because Bai Lu's other hand was holding her brother's hand, and everyone was still together.
The police searched for a long time, going back and forth repeatedly, thoroughly checking inside and out.
In the end, nothing was found.
The leader of the group glanced at Xiao Cheng from afar, his expression complex, but he had no choice but to withdraw his team.
Outside the gate, neighbors who had heard the news all crowded around the gate, forming layers upon layers.
Amidst the heated discussions and various speculations about the reasons, no one wanted to miss any firsthand information, and everyone eagerly awaited the results from the search team.
The result came out, but it was as if there was no result at all.
Just as the onlookers were about to jump to conclusions, Li Chengbin, who was limping, was carried out of a silver-gray sedan that had never been seen in the small town, sitting in an old-fashioned wheelchair for the disabled.
After landing, they went straight to the entrance of Xiao Cheng's house and blocked the way of the police officers who were about to leave.
"Officers, you must help me! These injuries were inflicted by Xiao Cheng and his men a few days ago. He wasn't satisfied with that, so last night he brought three more men to my house. They attacked me without saying a word as soon as they entered! The gunshot wounds on my chest and legs were all done by Xiao Cheng!"
“My wife, Sun Huiping, was also kicked into the river by one of them. She was shot in the shoulder before falling in and is still in the hospital! If I hadn’t been lucky enough to dodge in time, it wouldn’t have been her leg that was broken, but her life! Officers, you must take Xiao Cheng, this lawless and ruthless bully, back to jail and educate him!”
Li Chengbin was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. His ordinary face was full of calculation. He was clutching the wound on his chest that was wrapped in gauze dozens of times, and he looked like he was about to die.
The neighbors were stunned by his miserable state, unable to believe that Xiao Cheng had done it.
"Wasn't Xiao Cheng building a house for Aunt Wu? How come he's still beating people up, even women! I thought he'd reformed after getting married, but he's still the same old guy. He's trying to kill someone!"
"You can't say that. Who knows if this person is telling the truth or not? I've lived in this town for so many years and I've never seen him before. He just comes here covered in injuries and claims that Xiao Cheng beat him up. Does he have any evidence? Did anyone see it?"
"Xiao Cheng doesn't have a gun. If he did, it would have been found long ago..."
The neighbors chatted amongst themselves. After the Liu Guanggun incident and the recent days of Bailu, they went out to buy groceries every day and greeted the neighbors with smiles. If an auntie struck up a conversation, they would stop and chat for a bit. Everyone knew a little about what kind of person Xiao Cheng was, no longer just hearsay like before.
After this incident, people are no longer as easily swayed as before.
Everyone has their own judgment.
Xiao Cheng, who was used to being wrongly accused based on one-sided statements, was slightly surprised to hear a neighbor defending him. He glanced at the girl standing next to him and felt a soft warmth in his hand. He tightly grasped her small hand in return.
His cold gaze swept over Li Chengbin, an overwhelming sense of oppression sweeping over him with an overwhelming force.
Where is your evidence?
Li Chengbin was terrified by the cold, deep voice and the imposing aura emanating from it.
When the police arrest someone, they rely on solid evidence. No matter how strong your connections are, you can't fool the public.
In public places, the police officer in charge should also act prudently, follow the rules, and act based on evidence.
Li Chengbin naturally understood this principle; otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately led his men to Xiao Cheng's house without stopping after receiving news from the hospital that nothing had been found.
He patted his chest with trembling hands to regain his composure: "Of course I have evidence."
Even if there's no physical evidence, he still has witnesses!
We must get Xiao Cheng in here today, no matter what!
Li Chengbin smiled sinisterly and gave a wink to the person supporting him, who immediately nodded and left.
A moment later, he returned with a skinny, dark-skinned man who also had a limp and walked with a stumbling gait.
As soon as the man appeared, shouts of curses, contempt, and hatred erupted from the surrounding crowd.
Liu Tiezhu had long been accustomed to these repeated insults and didn't take them seriously.
Fearing being pelted with rotten eggs, he hid far behind the tall and imposing man and testified: "I saw with my own eyes last night that Xiao Cheng led people to Li Chengbin's house."
"Is it him?" The police officer looked at Xiao Cheng.
Li Tiezhu didn't dare look at Xiao Cheng, nodding vigorously: "It's him. I'd recognize him even if he were ashes. He beat me and my cousin a couple of days ago, and he even crippled my leg..."
"You heartless bastard! Why don't you say how you got beaten up? You stole things and kidnapped people, and you still think you're right?"
Some neighbors who had been harmed by Liu Guanggun spoke out in righteous indignation, and others echoed their sentiments.
"You're always stealing chickens and dogs, and you even harass underage girls. You deserve to be beaten to death!"
"How dare you still be alive..."
"Who did Xiao Cheng take to Li Chengbin's house?" the policeman suddenly asked, interrupting the neighbors' collective condemnation.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Wang Hao, Xiao Dazhuang, Luo Shiliu."
"What are you going to do?" the policeman asked again.
Liu Tiezhu looked like he was trying hard to recall, then said with certainty, "I was a bit far away at the time. I only saw Xiao Cheng lead the three of them into Li Chengbin's house, and then I heard the sounds of things being smashed, gunshots, people shouting for help... and the sound of someone falling into the river. Not long after, Xiao Cheng and the others came out, and I saw that Xiao Cheng had a gun... and Wang Hao and the other two had machetes in their hands..."
"You're talking fucking nonsense!"
Upon hearing the news, Wang Hao rushed over and, upon hearing Liu Tiezhu's blatant lies and fabricated accusations, his fiery temper flared instantly, and he went to beat him up.
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