The Public Security Bureau took Xu Dalai's report very seriously. They all knew that Xu Dalai was the head of the security department of the furniture factory. If a department head came to report a case, the case must be quite serious.
Based on the address provided by Southwest, the police issued a search warrant and an arrest warrant. If a tape recorder and thick bedding are found on the spot, the arrest warrant can also be used.
Xu Lili's family home was located in a small courtyard at the very end of a narrow alley. There were six or seven households in the courtyard, which was filled with all sorts of odds and ends.
When the police officers rushed into the courtyard, the children who were playing there ran home in fright, shouting, "The police are here to arrest people!"
When the neighbors heard that the police were coming to arrest someone, they all rushed out to see who was going to be arrested.
As Liu's mother sat by the door eating sunflower seeds, a sudden unease crept into her heart.
Sure enough, the police officer's eyes were fixed on her: "Who here is Liu**!"
Liu's mother turned pale. She knew perfectly well that it was wrong to steal her son-in-law's tape recorder, but she just wanted to gamble that her daughter wouldn't dare to make a fuss.
You know, she came back today with lots of bags and packages, and she received envious looks from her neighbors.
She was certain that her family owned the tape recorder the only one in the entire courtyard, but before she could even enjoy it, the police officers came knocking.
Seeing that Liu's mother had stood up, the police officer confirmed her identity again before taking out a search warrant, waving his hand, and several officers ran inside.
Before long, everyone was carrying something: two quilts and blankets, a tape recorder, a thermos, an iron pot, and a large bag of unopened meat and white rice.
The neighbors were stunned. These were the things Liu's mother had brought back that morning. How did the police find them? Could they have been stolen?
The thought of stealing made the neighbors' eyes turn hostile. Even a broken house is worth a fortune; even a lump of coal or a piece of paper is valuable.
There were many people in the courtyard, but everyone was clean and honest. Apart from arguments over who would take up space, nothing was ever stolen.
A bolder woman approached and asked, "Officer, did the Liu family steal something?"
The police officer nodded slightly. Even if it was something from the daughter's family, taking it without the daughter and son-in-law's knowledge was still a form of theft.
When the woman learned that the Liu family had indeed been arrested for theft, she started to chatter: "No wonder I felt like some of my coal was missing; it turns out there was a thief in the house."
Liu's mother: "..."
Once one person started whispering, everyone began to murmur among themselves. Liu's mother, already domineering, couldn't tolerate this unfounded suspicion. Hands on her hips, eyes bulging, she launched into a tirade:
"I stole your grandma's mouth. Your few broken coal briquettes are not worth my attention. My daughter's dowry was only three hundred. What about your daughter? She's a complete money-losing burden."
The woman choked on her words. Her own daughter had really been paying for her husband's services. The word "paying for her husband's services" had become a permanent pain in her heart.
“You’re not just taking a bride price, you’re clearly selling your daughter. You got three hundred yuan for selling her, so why did you steal things?”
Liu's mother became even angrier and started cursing, even hurling insults at the police officers:
“What did I steal? These things were given to me by my daughter. How did it become stealing? What are you doing here? Put them back exactly as they were taken out.”
Liu's mother's assertive attitude left the neighbors in the courtyard speechless. "This woman, is she crazy? How dare she talk to the police like that?"
Sure enough, the police chief waved his hand and said, "The evidence is conclusive, arrest him."
In the blink of an eye, a silver bracelet appeared on Liu's mother's wrist, gleaming softly in the sunlight.
Even the most domineering woman is still a woman. The police's move completely baffled Liu's mother.
Seeing the handcuffs on his hands, he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground. Then, as if he remembered something, he burst into tears.
Crying and cursing, she was naturally cursing Liu Lili and Yan Xinan: "Those two heartless ingrates! I only took a little bit of their stuff, and they called the police to arrest me! Why don't they get hit by a car and die...?"
Not to mention the neighbors, even the police officers were dumbfounded. How could so much stuff on the ground be called "something"? This is just too ridiculous.
Without saying a word, the two police officers pulled Liu's mother up and headed towards the police station, while the others picked up the stolen goods from the ground and followed behind.
After everyone had gone far away, Liu's mother's youngest son peeked out from inside the door, his heart pounding wildly, terrified.
Southwest rushed to the police station and claimed the items the police had brought. However, Southwest only took a tape recorder and an iron pot; he didn't want anything else.
The police officers shook their heads. "Such a good quilt, and they don't even want it, as well as the meat and rice. It's such a waste."
Southwest might be willing to waste things, but the police officers were not. After obtaining Southwest's consent, they sent all these items to the shelter, where these necessities were most scarce.
After all, she was his wife's mother, so Southwest didn't make things too difficult for Liu's mother. He only asked her to be detained for a week to scare her.
A week later, Liu's mother was finally released, but as soon as she returned to the tenement, she knew that the status she had gained through her arguing was gone.
What replaced them were the neighbors' disapproving looks and the cautious reminders between them:
"Take a look at the things in the east wing."
“I’m keeping a close eye on things, you have to protect them too, things aren’t peaceful right now.”
"Exactly, exactly. I've taken everything back from the kitchen now. It's such a hassle to take it all out again when I'm cooking."
Liu's mother was so angry that her blood pressure rose, and she almost couldn't breathe. How could she live like this?
I thought about going after Liu Lili to vent my anger, but then I realized that Southwest was no pushover. Everyone knows that it was Southwest who reported the case, so I decided it was better not to provoke her.
Liu Lili carried Bao'er home and saw that the house was neat and tidy, with all the bedding and blankets replaced with new ones. She knew what was going on.
She was furious with her mother for being so ruthless and showing no consideration for how she would live in her husband's family in the future.
Seeing Tang's mother busy taking care of me during my postpartum period, I felt grateful and wished that Tang's mother was my own mother.
Looking at Liu Lili in her postpartum period, Tang's mother felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She also recalled how Grandma Yan and Cuihua took care of her during her postpartum period when her own daughter had two children.
Xuemei from their family helped with so many things, but now that Liu Lili is having a baby, Xuemei has disappeared.
In fact, Xue Mei didn't have time to visit Liu Lili at all; she was busy helping Liu Jin prepare things for his trip abroad.
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