Li Xiaorou squinted her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of her handbag.
She is currently running away from home to avoid her family's pressure to get married, and she can only go back after her younger brother gets engaged.
But now this has become an obstacle.
She couldn't go back to the village or inquire about Ji Yanchen's whereabouts; otherwise, if her family found out, the freedom she had finally gained by running away would be lost.
What's more troublesome is that she's now working with Zhou Mingyuan.
If Zhou Mingyuan didn't steal this gold, that man is as cunning as a fox. If she rashly spends money to have someone investigate Ji Yanchen, and the news reaches Zhou Mingyuan's ears, he will definitely become suspicious again.
Will she still be able to keep all that gold then?
Li Xiaorou bit her lower lip until she tasted a hint of rust.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up; she had come up with a brilliant idea.
The next morning, Li Xiaorou was already standing at the entrance of the county public security bureau.
She was wrapped in a drab gray scarf, her face was completely covered by a mask, and she even deliberately hunched her back when she walked.
"Officer! I want to report something!"
She slammed her hand on the reception desk, deliberately raising her voice by eight octaves, behaving like a country woman who had never seen the world.
"Report what?"
The police officer on duty looked up from behind the newspaper and sized up the woman who was wrapped up tightly.
"Ji Yanchen from our Liushugou Village has a large amount of gold hidden away!"
"Those were all hidden away by his father, that landlord!"
Li Xiaorou leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Is there any evidence?"
The police officer frowned.
"I saw it with my own eyes!"
“Last night I went up the mountain to collect herbs and saw him go to his ancestral home to get gold! The gold is currently hidden in the stove hole in his house!”
She patted her chest and assured him.
The police officer paused for a moment on the notebook.
"Hey, officer, if you don't believe me, go search now and you'll definitely find it! That gold bar... it's this long!"
Li Xiaorou noticed this subtle movement and immediately pressed her advantage, gesturing exaggeratedly.
"Comrade, we need your cooperation in the investigation. Let's go to the village together..."
The police officer closed his notebook, his expression turning serious.
"no!"
Li Xiaorou jumped back as if she had been burned.
"I! I can't go! That Ji Yanchen is a notorious lunatic! If he finds out I was the one who reported him... he definitely won't let me off the hook!!"
Her voice began to tremble, and her fingers twisted the edge of her scarf tightly.
"This is standard procedure; you must be present to identify the suspect..."
The police officer stood up.
"Officer! I can't go!!"
"I have an eighty-year-old mother at home... How about this, you go first, and if you really find something, I'll come out and testify?"
Li Xiaorou suddenly grabbed the policeman's sleeve, her voice trembling with tears.
Her palms were covered in cold sweat, which soaked through the police officer's sleeves.
The police stared at Li Xiaorou for a long time. She was unconsciously rubbing a corner of her scarf, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Her eyes darted around, and she never dared to meet anyone's gaze. Her shoulders were slightly hunched inward, as if she were truly terrified.
"Comrade, please don't be in a hurry."
The police officer softened his tone and turned to his colleague next to him, whispering a few words.
Li Xiaorou strained her ears, only managing to catch a glimpse of the words "protect the witness."
Her heart started beating even faster.
This was not part of the plan. Li Xiaorou thought she could leave as long as she provided clues, so she secretly followed the police into the village to steal the gold. But now she is trapped here.
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