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Lu Guangbai pulled out a bunch of straw from the stack of rice behind him, tied them together, and used them to bind the man's hands and feet.
He looked up and saw Zheng Nanle carrying a woman over. She said to Lu Guangbai, "Guangbai, where are the silver needles? Use them to detoxify her."
Stepping out of the shadows, Lu Guangbai finally got a clear look at the woman.
It's Xie Qingmiao.
Her face was flushed and she was sweating profusely. She kept rolling around on Zheng Nanle, her hair and clothes were a little messy, and there were some fresh bruises on her neck. It was obvious what had happened.
Lu Guangbai didn't look at her for long, but instead took her pulse. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and said, "Wait for me."
He ran to the cowshed to get the silver needles.
Using silver needles to suppress the medicine in Xie Qingmiao's body, Xie Qingmiao gradually regained her clarity from the exploding heat. She suddenly tried to get up, waving her hands wildly, but Zheng Nanle restrained her body and shouted, "Sister Qingmiao, it's me."
Xie Qingmiao's eyes widened as she recognized Zheng Nanle. Her expression was somewhat dazed. She quickly looked down at herself, but Zheng Nanle grabbed her hand and pressed her down, saying, "Sister Qingmiao, nothing happened."
Seeing that her clothes were on properly, Xie Qingmiao breathed a sigh of relief, then looked left and right, and asked through gritted teeth, "Where's Zhao Shu?"
Her eyes were filled with hatred.
“Here he is.” Zheng Nanle kicked the unconscious man next to her, then looked at Xie Qingmiao. “It’s alright, Sister Qingmiao, let your grandfather handle it.”
Xie Qingmiao understood Zheng Nanle's meaning. Regardless of whether she was harmed or not, if people found out about this, it would inevitably give them something to talk about and lead to gossip.
Let her grandfather handle it. First, he is the village chief, which is his duty. Second, he has a lot of experience and knows how to handle things better. He can also hide her and let the matter fade away.
Xie Qingmiao's expression changed, and she nodded.
Lu Guangbai put away the silver needles one by one and said, "I'll go call the village chief."
At this moment, Zheng Nanle, being a woman herself, was able to offer Xie Qingmiao more comfort and trust. He was a man, and even though he was a doctor, he could still make her nervous.
He got up on his own and ran towards the village.
Xie Qingmiao hugged Zheng Nanle tightly, silently shedding tears. Feeling the hot tears on her neck, Zheng Nanle soothed her by stroking her back. Xie Qingmiao could no longer hold back and cried even louder.
Crying like a baby, releasing all the fear and lingering dread.
When Xie Qingmiao's mother and two older brothers arrived, Xie Qingmiao, who had already composed herself, couldn't help but shed tears again. In front of her relatives, she didn't need to hide her grievances. "Grandpa, Mom, eldest brother, fourth brother."
She threw herself into her mother's arms.
Xie Ronghua clenched his fist and punched Zhao Shu, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
Xie Jianhua's hand twitched, but out of consideration for his status, he didn't move.
Having already learned what had happened from Lu Guangbai, the village chief stepped forward and patted Xie Qingmiao's hair. "Qingmiao, go home. Forget about this. He won't be in the village anymore."
Lu Guangbai gave the village chief an antidote prescription, then left with Zheng Nanle, handing the site over to the Xie family.
After this incident, Zheng Nanle and Lu Guangbai lost their appetite for moonlight and went home.
On Wednesday, a rare quiet day with no one coming to the police station to report a crime, Zheng Nanle was drinking her cold tea from an enamel cup while reading the newspaper when suddenly, Zheng Laoda and his wife rushed in and knelt down before Zheng Nanle, pleading, "Er Ya, Er Ya, please save your brother Da Hu! We're all family, please save him!"
Zheng Nanle avoided the two kneeling figures, his gaze sweeping over them, a faint sense of disgust rising from the depths of his heart.
She stepped forward, took their arms and helped them up, asking, "Uncle, Aunt, what happened to Brother Dahu? As a police officer, protecting citizens is your duty."
Zheng Nanle did not criticize the two for kneeling to a junior as elders and to the police as citizens, or for the impact this would have on her.
You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep. The two of them, harboring unspeakable thoughts, deliberately committed this wicked act. Even if she pointed it out, the other party wouldn't change; it would just be a waste of breath.
The Zheng couple didn't want to get up, but Zheng Nanle's strength was far beyond their ability to resist. They were easily pulled up, and their knees buckled. They wanted to continue kneeling, but they found that the hands gripping their arms were like tightly bound steel, keeping them firmly in place.
Hua Chang walked over, took Zheng Laoda's arm, and half-coerced and half-forced him to sit in a chair. Zheng Nanle followed suit. Afterward, she stood behind the couple, pressing her palms on their shoulders as if to comfort them.
Hua Chang poured a cup of tea for Zheng Laoda and his wife, then sat down across the table, took out a pen and paper, and said, "Gentlemen, please tell me what happened to Comrade Zheng Dahu? When did it happen, and what caused it? Who first discovered the dead and injured, and where was the initial crime scene..."
Hua Chang asked in a very serious tone.
The Zheng couple nearly jumped up when they heard this. The Zheng wife scolded, "You're a police officer, how can you curse someone to have bad luck? My son is perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with him at all."
Zheng Nanle appeared puzzled, "Nothing happened, so why did you report a false case? You need to improve your ideological awareness. How about this, Uncle and Aunt, why don't you stay at the station for three days of training?"
Mr. and Mrs. Zheng shook their heads repeatedly. Were they going to be arrested and detained?
The two shook their heads repeatedly, "No, no, no, we didn't file a false report. It's your Brother Tiger who doesn't want to live anymore, Er Ya."
Mei Lanhua, Zheng Laoda's wife, wiped away her tears and looked at Zheng Nanle pleadingly, "Please give him the job. He was beaten up and his health is ruined. He can't do farm work anymore. If he doesn't get a job in the city, he won't be able to survive."
"Also, he's unemployed, and his girlfriend wants to break up with him. They're deeply in love, and he can't live without her. Please, Er Ya, are you trying to drive your brother to his death?"
"I'm begging you, whatever compensation you want, even my life, I'll give it to you, as long as you give the job to your older brother and leave him a way to live."
Zheng Nanle's gaze swept over the two of them.
This method of moral blackmail couldn't have been their idea. Zheng Dahu, well, maybe, he's shameless enough. But what role Zhang the Butcher played in it, we don't know.
She smiled at the two of them, her expression unchanged, but a hint of coldness in her eyes.
When Zheng Laoda and Mei Lanhua met her gaze, they felt a pang of fear, but thinking of their son, they trembled and held on.
“Er Ya, your aunt has never asked you for anything. Please help your brother Da Hu out of respect for the fact that your aunt raised you.”
Whether they had jobs or not, everyone in the bureau was loitering around the interrogation room under various pretexts. When they heard Mei Lanhua's words, a look of disbelief flashed in their eyes. "No way, how can she be so shameless?"
And what kind of relatives are these? Are they trying to ruin Er Ya?
If Er Ya doesn't let Da Hu go to work, she's driving him to his death; she's cold and heartless. But if she does get a job, what will happen to Er Ya?
She could have settled in the city, but instead she returned to the countryside, spending her life toiling in the fields.
What a cruel heart.
Anyone with a bit of shrewdness knows that this precedent cannot be set.
If this couple succeeds, others will follow suit, and society will descend into chaos.
The bureau chief, nearing retirement, held his enamel mug and coughed lightly. "Gentlemen, jobs aren't something you can just give up so easily. Don't disrupt the country's recruitment efforts; it's illegal."
Mei Lanhua: "My son graduated from high school and is tall and strong. How could he not be suited for this job? Er Ya, a little girl who has never been to school, can get a job. Why can't my son?"
Old Zheng has turned into a quail again.
He certainly knew how strange Er Ya was; his son might not be able to do what Er Ya was capable of.
But then he remembered his son's hysterical outburst at home, and his son's disappearance yesterday. When they found him, he was standing on the edge of a cliff, one more step and he would fall off.
What could he do?
This son has always been his pride and the future pillar of the family. He has worked hard all his life for him.
He lowered his head and silently supported his wife.
The director laughed angrily, “This lady, let me make it clear to you, every job belongs to both the individual and the collective. Even if an individual is forced to give up their job, the collective must agree. Our bureau does not agree; we cannot lose a good comrade like Er Ya.”
“That would be another job opening. My son has just graduated from high school. Your company will definitely not regret hiring him.”
The bureau chief was helpless.
There are quotas for each job position; how can they be increased or decreased arbitrarily?
Otherwise, with all the workers in the field being temporary, how could there be any young people who couldn't find jobs and had to go to the countryside?
Er Ya got her position through her merits. What merits did the couple's son have? What earth-shattering contributions did he make to society that made the bureau make an exception for him?
If you don't have any, where does your face come from?
He advised in a gentle tone, "Comrade, recruiting people isn't under the jurisdiction of our bureau, it's under the jurisdiction of higher authorities. Our bureau doesn't have the authority to recruit people; we need approval from above. How about this, I'll give you a clear path: you go to the government first and submit your application. After our bureau receives the notification, we'll ask your son for the recruitment notice, okay?"
Upon hearing the director's words, his colleagues couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The director's words were simple to say but difficult to do. However, if the two of them were bold enough to make this request to their superiors, and the superiors suddenly agreed, they would wholeheartedly support it.
After all, having more openings means more hope for one's child or relative to find a job.
Mei Lanhua and Zheng Laoda didn't understand the bureau chief's subtle attempt to persuade them to resign, and they were actually considering this method. Zheng Nanle patted the two of them on the shoulder and said, "Uncle, Aunt, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Come on, let me treat you to lunch."
Zheng Nanle took the two to a nearby state-run restaurant.
She ordered a steamed bun for her uncle and aunt, sharing half with them, and ordered a bowl of beef noodles for herself. She picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Mei Lanhua probably noticed that Zheng Nanle was very kind to them at the station, and that no matter how angry she was, they wouldn't lay a hand on her. So she became a little bolder. She held the steamed bun with some dissatisfaction and said, "Er Ya, how can you only give the elders plain steamed buns? Give them some noodles too."
If she weren't in the county, and if she hadn't seen Zheng Nanle eating noodles, she would have been just as satisfied with plain steamed buns.
After all, it's made with refined flour.
Soft, fluffy, and sweet, made entirely of flour without any other additives, this steamed bun is an absolute delicacy compared to the cornmeal buns made at home that incorporate corn cobs.
But compared to the steaming bowl of noodles in front of Zheng Nanle, this white steamed bun seemed insignificant.
Zheng Nanle smiled and said, "Auntie likes noodles? Then please order for yourself."
If it weren't for the fact that Meilanhua was making a scene regardless of the occasion, she wouldn't have even ordered steamed buns for the two of them, and she wouldn't have just eaten a bowl of noodles. Wouldn't braised pork or twice-cooked pork be better?
Meilanhua fell silent.
State-run restaurants require both money and ration coupons, neither of which she possessed, and even if she had them, she wouldn't be willing to part with them.
“Uncle, Brother Dahu got medicine from the sorceress in Zhangyuan Village, which is the third team. I was in a difficult position after I found out about this.” Zheng Nanle said slowly, “Brother Dahu soaked the chopsticks in the medicine. I thought that we were all family, so I gave him a chance and didn’t report it to the police. Uncle, Aunt, do you think I did the right thing?”
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