Several villagers who were called in later either said that this did not happen or could not explain it clearly. Only Mrs. Jin Mu said that she had indeed purchased some.
Now that they had evidence, Ge Jun and Yang Qi were excited. They ignored what the two so-called witnesses said, "We only acquired a little."
Ge Jun called Chen Xia in again and said sternly, "We've already investigated and found that you did indeed steal grain. Tell us the truth and tell us where the grain is hidden!"
Chen Xia complained, "I bought some food from the villagers for my own consumption. Is this not allowed? Which law in the country stipulates that ordinary people cannot buy food?"
Yang Qi said proudly, "Can you? You have no say. Come on, take us to where you hide the food."
"If you want to accuse someone of something, you'll always find a pretext. If you want to leave, then leave. I don't believe there's no place for justice in Xipu Commune."
Chen Yigen didn't interrupt, just smoked his cigarette and watched the show.
The group followed Chen Xia and soon arrived at his home. Chen Xia opened the door and pointed to a pile of rice inside and said, "Here is all the food I harvested. This is enough for me, my brother and sister, and I to eat for a year. We earn our own money and buy this ourselves. Is that illegal?"
Yang Qi pushed Chen Xia aside and went into the woodshed first. He was in the grain industry and could tell at a glance that the pile of rice was no more than 2,000 kilograms. If converted into rice, it would be just over 1,400 kilograms. If calculated based on the annual food ration for three people, it was indeed not too much.
But this was not the result he wanted.
"Chen Xia, I advise you to be honest. You only have this little food hidden in your house. I see you have a lot of houses, so there must be more food hidden inside. Hurry and open the door, otherwise I will not be polite."
"Why are you being so rude? Are you planning to break into someone's house? If you dare to do so, you are actually breaking the law." Chen Xia said nonchalantly.
"Bullshit, why are you talking to me about law? I am the law in Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Xiao Li, break down these doors."
Ge Jun felt it was inappropriate to bang on the door. The other party was no ordinary peasant. In this day and age, high school students could be considered intellectuals. Peasants were always a little wary of nerds.
But Yang Qi couldn't care less. Once a man was angry, it was impossible to stop him. Besides, he was already used to being a tyrant in Xipu Township. "What are you afraid of? I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. Smash it!"
It has to be said that the working style of rural cadres in this era is really rough, which even Chen Xia did not expect.
Yang Qi hadn't expected that after smashing down one door after another, he wouldn't find a single bag of rice. This had him scratching his head. He didn't feel like he'd done anything wrong, but he was just unhappy that he hadn't caught the thief.
When the door was being smashed, Chen Qiu and Chen Dong at home were so scared that they burst into tears. The villagers watching at the door accused the working group of being too barbaric. Not only did they smash the door, but they also scared the children into crying.
Chen Xia's anger was growing. In his two lifetimes, he had never been bullied like this. The door to his house had even been smashed. This matter was not over yet.
"Director Ge, Stationmaster Yang, you smashed this door and found the grain. I want to ask you, which eye of yours saw me engaging in speculation? You are so lawless in the village, how can you be as cruel as the Japanese?"
Chen Xia's words irritated Ge Jun and Yang Qi so much that they were embarrassed. Now it was no longer a question of whether Chen Xia was wronged, but a question of the leader's face.
Furious, Ge Jun glared and cursed, "Boy, just because you bought these two thousand kilograms of rice, I can classify you as a speculator. Let's go to the commune police station. Don't you abide by the law? What awaits you is the severe punishment of the law. Let's go."
This outcome was far beyond the expectations of Chen Xia and Chen Yigen. They originally thought that the investigation would yield no results and the commune would have to return empty-handed. Unexpectedly, Ge Jun and Yang Qi were desperate this time and went to the police station. Wouldn't that mean they would be at the mercy of the authorities like dumplings?
Chen Yigen realized the seriousness of the situation and became a little angry. "Two leaders, there's no need to kill a little kid just to buy some food, right? Leave some space for him so we can meet again in the future."
Hearing this, Ge Jun became even angrier. "Chen Yigen, you need to understand whether you are on the side of the organization or the side of the profiteers. I will definitely take the person away. The organization's decision is not something you, as the village party secretary, can question."
Chen Yigen almost vomited blood in anger.
When Chen Xia saw that they were not playing by the rules, he thought he could only imitate the monsters in Journey to the West and find a backer. His backer was of course the Fourth Hospital of Yuezhou.
While the commune cadres and Fourth Grandpa were arguing, he grabbed Chen Guoqing's hand and whispered, "Uncle Guoqing, please do me a favor and tell Dean Gu and Secretary Zhang of the Fourth Hospital that I was arrested by the commune for accepting some food rations and will be charged with speculation."
Of course Chen Guoqing was helping Chen Xia, and he quickly said, "Okay, I understand."
"Also, don't tell the leaders of the Fourth Hospital that I'm collecting grain. I'm collecting grain for the Fourth Hospital, but as a public institution, they won't acknowledge it. You have to pretend you don't know, otherwise the leaders of the Fourth Hospital will also go to jail."
Chen Guoqing nodded firmly, "Okay, I'll leave right away, and you take care of yourself."
Just like that, amid the villagers' curses and the cries of Chen Qiu and Chen Dong, Chen Xia was taken away by the police station.
The police station chief was also easy to talk to. He said kindly, "I know you are Chen Bingkun's son. You are a little wronged in this matter, but Ge Jun and Yang Qi are brothers-in-law. I can't do anything if they want to punish you. You should think of a way out quickly."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
