Li Xiaorou sat on a bench in the corridor of the Public Security Bureau, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms, leaving four crescent-shaped red marks.
She couldn't even feel the pain; all her senses were focused on her ears, catching any possible sounds outside the door.
The old-fashioned wall clock made a mechanical clicking sound, and each tick of the second hand felt like a heavy hammer blow to her temple.
She stared intently at the slowly moving hands on the clock face, realizing for the first time how long a minute could feel.
Nearly two hours have passed since the police left.
The occasional sound of a bicycle bell outside the police station gate always made her, a guilty thief, straighten her back.
What if we really do find gold...
She nipped the idea in the bud as soon as it popped into her head.
While it was certainly satisfying to see Ji Yanchen arrested, those gleaming gold bars would certainly be confiscated once they were found, and her carefully planned future would be shattered.
But then she thought, maybe she could take advantage of the chaos to ransack Ji Yanchen's house again?
The police may not be able to find all the silver coins that might be hidden in wall cracks or under floor tiles.
The moment this thought crossed Li Xiaorou's mind, an even more terrifying speculation immediately arose.
What if we find nothing?
Her throat suddenly tightened, as if it were being choked by an invisible hand.
How would the police view a rural woman who filed a false police report?
If Zhou Mingyuan knew that she was doing these things behind his back, he would definitely investigate her.
She was too hasty and hadn't thought about a way out.
Li Xiaorou unconsciously bit her lower lip until she tasted blood and snapped out of her daze.
She hurriedly wiped her mouth with her sleeve, only to find that the dark blue cuff was already stained with sweat.
A draft of wind blew through the corridor, sending a shiver down her spine. She then realized that her clothes were soaked through and clung to her back.
"Comrade, have some water."
A young policewoman handed her a cup of hot water. Li Xiaorou took off her scarf, took the cup, and sipped it, but her throat felt as dry as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.
"Thanks……"
She whispered, but out of the corner of her eye she caught the policewoman staring at her thoughtfully.
Something's not right.
Her heart sank, but she didn't show it on her face. She just lowered her head and pretended to drink water, but her fingers tapped lightly on the side of the cup to hide her unease.
Finally, the sound of a bicycle bell came from afar.
Li Xiaorou suddenly looked up and saw three policemen pushing bicycles into the yard through the window, their faces grim.
Li Xiaorou's heart sank instantly.
The police officer leading the group strode in, carrying none of the heavy cloth bag she had imagined.
"Comrade, are you sure you saw Ji Yanchen go to the ancestral home to retrieve gold last night?"
The police's voice became skeptical.
Li Xiaorou's throat tightened, but she knew she absolutely couldn't show weakness now.
"I, I really saw it with my own eyes! He was acting suspiciously; he was definitely hiding something!"
"And I wasn't wrong, the Ji family were landlords before!"
She raised her voice, as if to bolster her courage.
“But we searched Ji Yanchen’s house three times, even digging up the kang (heated brick bed) and the cracks in the mud floor, and found nothing but a few pounds of grain coupons and a few yuan.”
"You have to take responsibility for what you say; making a false police report can also lead to detention."
The police stared at her, their eyes sharp as knives.
Li Xiaorou's face turned deathly pale instantly.
impossible!
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