It was the time when the villagers were going to work in the fields, but some elderly people and women who were looking after their homes heard the shouts and ran out of their houses.
"We're not thieves!" The girls turned pale with fright and hurriedly waved their hands in protest.
Xu Xinghe completely ignored them, her gaze sweeping over the villagers watching, and said loudly, "Uncle Li and I went to work in the fields early this morning, and the house was empty. We clearly heard noises inside just now, so a thief must have broken in! Please help us catch the thief and don't let him get away!"
The villagers were buzzing with discussion, and some had already rolled up their sleeves, ready to help.
Xu Xinghe took out his key, clicked open the courtyard gate, and just as he pushed the door open, he bumped into A Cui, who was panicking and trying to find a place to hide.
A-Cui was still clutching a piece of cloth from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), which she had obviously torn off while searching.
When Xu Xinghe came in, she froze in fright, her face turning as white as paper.
"So the thief wasn't someone else, it was you." Xu Xinghe sneered. "I wondered who was so bold as to break into someone's house in broad daylight."
Her gaze swept over the trembling girls outside the door. "I told you before that as long as you didn't cause me any more trouble, we'd call it even. But I didn't expect you guys to dare break into my house as a group and steal things. In that case, I don't need to be polite anymore!"
After saying that, she turned to the villagers who were watching the commotion at the door and said, "Could someone please go and call the village chief? My house has been burgled, and someone involved needs to be there. Also, could you please keep an eye on these people outside the door so they don't get away?"
"Alright!" a man immediately responded and turned to run towards the village chief's house.
"I'm not a thief! I didn't steal anything!" Ah Cui stamped her feet anxiously. "I just wanted to come and see... I didn't steal anything!"
"Look?" Xu Xinghe raised an eyebrow. "Look that we need to climb over the wall and break into the house, and even ransack the place?"
She pointed to what the other person was holding, "Is this what you call 'taking a look'?"
Ah Cui was speechless, too anxious to speak, and turned to run out the door.
Xu Xinghe was prepared. She stepped to the side to block the doorway and slammed the gate shut, trapping her inside.
"Don't even think about running away!" Xu Xinghe looked at the girls outside the door. "If any of them dare to make a move, I guarantee they'll regret it!"
These girls were already afraid of her because of what had happened before, and when she frightened them like this, they immediately stood still and didn't dare to move or even breathe.
The village chief arrived quickly, followed by a group of villagers carrying hoes and with their trousers rolled up.
They all heard the news from the fields and came over, eager to see what was going on, crowding around Uncle Li's courtyard.
Before the village chief could speak, Xu Xinghe stepped forward first, "Village chief, I've caught your daughter, Acui, in the house. In broad daylight, she climbed over the wall and broke into my house to steal things. You have to give me an explanation today!"
"Impossible!" The village chief's face darkened, and he immediately retorted, "A-Cui grew up in the village; she would never steal! Besides, your family is so poor, what would you have to steal? This must be a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding?" Xu Xinghe sneered. "Village chief, whether it's a misunderstanding or not isn't something you can decide with just a few words. Uncle Li and I locked the door and went to work in the fields early this morning, but she climbed over the wall and went in. When I came back, I saw her holding some of our things in her hand. What is this if not theft?"
The village chief knew he was being unreasonable, but he could only grit his teeth and continue to argue, "Open the door first, let A-Cui come out and we can talk things out."
Xu Xinghe stopped trying to stop her and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Ah Cui immediately rushed out and threw herself at the village chief's side, crying, "Dad! I didn't steal anything! I really didn't!"
"You didn't steal anything?" Xu Xinghe stepped forward, her eyes fixed on her. "Then tell me, why did you climb over the wall and break into my house? My front door was locked securely. If you weren't up to something, why would you climb over the wall?"
Ah Cui's eyes darted away, and she stammered, unable to speak, "I...I just wanted to go in and take a look..."
"Look?" Xu Xinghe pressed closer, her voice rising several decibels so that all the villagers present could hear her clearly. "What's so interesting about my house that you would climb over the wall to look inside when no one is around? Are you looking to see if there's anything valuable in my house, or to see if my fiancé has left?"
The last sentence hit Ah Cui where it hurt. Her face flushed red instantly, then turned deathly pale, and she bit her lip tightly, unable to speak.
If she admits that she did it to see Jiang Linchuan, her reputation will be completely ruined!
The village chief had guessed most of it, and his face grew increasingly grim. He was both ashamed and angry, but for his daughter's sake, he could only try to smooth things over. "Miss Su Xiao, forget it, forget it. Take a look at your home and see what damage you've suffered and what you're missing. I'll compensate you for whatever you're looking for!"
“Ah Cui, I guess she left something with you before, and then she had a fight with you. She didn’t want to tell you, so she made a mistake in a moment of confusion. It’s definitely not stealing.”
Xu Xinghe glanced at the village chief, who was pretending to be calm, and without saying anything more, turned around and went into the house.
Everyone held their breath, staring with curiosity.
A moment later, Xu Xinghe came out of the house, her hands empty. "I counted, and five hundred yuan is missing from the house."
"What?"
These words caused an uproar throughout the room!
Five hundred yuan is no small amount; it's enough for them to live on for several years!
Even the wealthiest village chief's family might not be able to come up with five hundred yuan!
The villagers immediately erupted in discussion.
"My God, five hundred yuan? That's no small sum!"
"Ah Cui is too bold, how dare she steal so much money?"
"No wonder Su Xiao is so serious about it. Anyone would be anxious if they lost that much money!"
Ah Cui trembled with fear and quickly waved her hands, "I didn't! I didn't see any five hundred yuan! You're framing me!"
The village chief's expression changed completely. He didn't expect Xu Xinghe to say that so much money had been lost. This was no small matter. If it wasn't handled properly, not only would A Cui's reputation be ruined, but she might also end up in jail!
He quickly said, "You can't talk nonsense! Five hundred yuan is no small amount. How could you keep it at home? And where did you get so much money?"
Xu Xinghe looked at him. "This money was left by my fiancé, specifically for me in case of emergency. It was kept in a wooden box by the kang (heated brick bed). The box is still there, but the money is gone. Only A-Cui came into the room just now. She didn't steal it. Did the money grow legs and run away?"
Her gaze swept over the villagers present. "Everyone's watching. Today, either A-Cui hands over the money, or we'll report it to the authorities. The police won't let a theft of five hundred yuan go easily."
Ah Cui was so frightened that tears streamed down her face. She clung tightly to the village chief's sleeve, crying, "Father! I really didn't steal it! She's framing me!"
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