Chapter 187 A Straight Person Has Nothing to Fear
Liu Shouren snorted coldly and straightened his back: "A clear conscience fears no accusation. The commune can investigate however it wants; our Liu family is always ready to assist."
He turned to Secretary Qi, who had been silent all along: "Leader, the person has been brought here. Our captain will report the details to you."
Aunt Zhou stepped forward, neither humble nor arrogant: "Secretary Qi, the Lu family colluded with wanted criminal He Shijie to commit crimes in the village. The evidence is conclusive. He Shijie has already been taken away by the police station. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to verify it now."
Secretary Qi waved his hand, interrupting her: "No need to say anything more."
Lu Jianping was overjoyed, thinking that Secretary Qi was going to help him. He scrambled over and grabbed Secretary Qi's leg, saying, "Old Qi! I knew you were a righteous official! How many years have we known each other? Don't you know what kind of person I am? I've been wronged! This is a blatant frame-up!"
Secretary Qi looked at Lu Jianping with a half-smile: "You say you're wronged? What exactly did they wrong you about?"
Lu Jianping cried out, "I've been terribly wronged! They say I'm exploiting the people, colluding with capitalists, and framing the villagers! These are all baseless accusations! Pure fabrication!"
The smile in Secretary Qi's eyes deepened, and he said meaningfully, "So, the whole village is conspiring to slander you?"
Lu Jianping nodded vigorously, looking aggrieved: "Isn't it just because they're jealous of how well my family is doing? Before, when I was the brigade leader, they were still somewhat wary of me, but now that I've stepped down, these people have teamed up with Widow Zhou to bully me!"
Liu Shouren couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily, "The whole village knows about the despicable things you've done, and now you're trying to turn the tables on me? Secretary, please don't be fooled by him!"
Liu Zhixia grabbed her angry father and lowered her voice: "Dad, don't be anxious, just watch the show."
Liu Shouren was taken aback. Seeing the confident smiles on his daughter's and Aunt Zhou's faces, he was puzzled but managed to suppress his anger.
Secretary Qi smiled and looked at Lu Huaiyuan and Gu Mansheng: "Do you have anything to add? This is a rare opportunity, so please speak freely."
Gu Mansheng quickly seized the opportunity: "Yes! I want to report Liu Zhixia for speculation and profiteering! Does she have a license to sell pickled vegetables? Are those wild vegetables legally sourced? This is all illegal!"
Secretary Qi frowned slightly: "The Liu family's business is registered with the commune and has signed contracts with legitimate units. The procedures are complete and it is protected by law. You also dealt with the state-owned factory back then, so you should know more about this than anyone else."
“But…” Gu Mansheng was speechless, yet unwilling to give up, stammering for a long time without being able to give a coherent answer.
Secretary Qi turned to Lu Huaiyuan: "And you? What do you have to say?"
Lu Huaiyuan's eyes darted around, and he came up with what he thought was a brilliant reason: "They say we colluded with He Shijie, but I think that's just the thief crying 'stop thief!' I heard that He Shijie visited the Liu family not long ago! Maybe they're the ones in cahoots! This big fuss is just to cover He Shijie's escape!"
Secretary Qi chuckled: "That's quite a unique perspective. He Shijie kidnapped Liu Laosi, and the Liu family would still cooperate with him? What's their motive? Are they masochists?"
Lu Huaiyuan's eyes flickered, and he forced a lie: "That...that might be a ruse! He's deliberately putting on this show to cover He Shijie's escape! That brat Liu Zhixia is very cunning, what wouldn't she do? Besides, who else could know the situation in the village so well and tell He Shijie everything?"
Secretary Qi narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp: "Indeed, we should thoroughly investigate who leaked the village's secrets. Such a traitor, betraying his own people, would have been a complete collaborator back in the day! He must be severely punished!"
Lu Huaiyuan felt uneasy under the intense gaze and forced a dry laugh, "No...that's right! The traitor must be severely punished!"
The villagers nearby couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Secretary, why do you believe everything he says? I think the traitor who betrayed the whole village is probably Lu Huaiyuan himself!"
Lu Huaiyuan jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, and roared angrily, "Bullshit! How could I do such a thing? Stop spouting nonsense! I'll beat you up!"
As he spoke, he raised his pampered fist and charged forward.
The villager sneered, easily grabbed his fist, and casually shoved him away.
"Thump!"
Lu Huaiyuan fell to the ground like a weakling and couldn't get up for a long time.
The villager clapped his hands, looking disdainful: "Useless piece of trash who can't even lift a finger, you think you can fight me? I can carry an ox with one hand!"
Lu Huaiyuan was dazed and confused after the fall, and awkwardly tried to explain, "I...I just lost my balance! It doesn't count!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Liu Zhixia stepped forward, arms crossed, looking down at him with mockery in her eyes: "Lu Huaiyuan, has your sore spot been hit? Why are you so quick to jump up and down? Think about it carefully, although Gu Mansheng has been here for a while, she may not be familiar with the terrain in the deep mountains. On the other hand, you, a native of this area, know that path leading to the next brigade like the back of your hand, right? Besides you, who else can guide He Shijie?"
Lu Huaiyuan's eyes flickered as he forced a defense: "Nonsense! Why should I help He Shijie? What benefits could he possibly give me?"
Liu Zhixia raised an eyebrow: "Benefits? You don't have to pay back the huge debt you owe He Shijie? You betrayed him, so he definitely won't forgive you. To protect yourself and to pay back your debts, you lured him to our village, revealed the hidden cave and wooden house, and even helped him kidnap Lao Si. Is it hard to deduce these logics?"
Lu Huaiyuan sneered: "You really know how to make up stories! He Shijie is unconscious now, you can make up whatever you want!"
“He Shijie is unconscious, but his trusted henchmen are still awake.” Liu Zhixia smiled. “We’ll find out who led the way and who tipped them off by questioning them. Lu Huaiyuan, stop struggling, it’s useless.”
Lu Huaiyuan's face, which had been flushed, turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Even a fool could see the problem with that guilty look.
Seeing the situation was turning bad, Lu Jianping quickly rushed towards Secretary Qi, trying to divert attention: "Old Qi! Did you see that? This brat is the worst! She's spewing nonsense and trying to sow discord! Arrest her!"
Secretary Qi nodded, his expression inscrutable: "I saw it, and I heard it. Do you have anything else to add?"
Lu Jianping shook his head: "That's it! The evidence is conclusive, hurry up and arrest them!"
Secretary Qi sneered, waved his hand, and ordered the militiamen beside him, "Alright, take them all in! Thank you for your trouble!"
Lu Jianping was dumbfounded: "Old Qi, what do you mean by this? Who are you arresting?"
Secretary Qi looked at him coldly: "Lu Jianping, the last investigation was just a formality because it lacked solid evidence. But this time it's different. You probably don't know, do you? Your good daughter, Lu Xiaohui, has been in the commune for two days and two nights, and has revealed all the dirty deeds your whole family has done, one by one! Based on her testimony, we have already found conclusive evidence! With witnesses and physical evidence, what else do you have to say?"
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