Yan Xiaoqiang and Chen Cuihua, "Mom, you're not sleeping soundly either," but they dared not say this aloud; they could only mutter it to themselves.
Grandma Yan rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking just because you don't say anything. Humph, forget it, I don't want to talk to idiots."
Tang Jianjun and the old bachelor were taken by the police to the village committee office, which had now been turned into a temporary interrogation room. One of the policemen was carrying a bag of cornmeal that he had brought from the old bachelor's house and casually placed it on the table.
Because of the old bachelor's confession, Tang Jianjun was released on the spot. The village chief said meaningfully, "Old Tang, don't blame the Yan family. You were the first to rob the grain that day. Of course we have to cooperate with the police investigation. You can't blame them."
Tang Jianjun wiped his face with his hand and said, "Village chief, I don't blame you. If this happened to my family, I would definitely do the same. It's good that the bad guys have been caught. Otherwise, I'll carry that bag of grain back for the Yan family."
The village chief shook his head. There were still three people who hadn't been caught yet. The grain couldn't be touched. It could only be returned after the truth came out.
Yang Jianjun glanced out the window and asked, "Village chief, what should we do with this woman?"
Following his gaze, the village chief glanced at Widow Zhang lying on the stretcher and shook his head: "I don't know, let's wait for the police to decide."
Widow Zhang was carried to the village committee entrance on a makeshift stretcher made of tree branches by the villagers. Widow Zhang had married into the village from another village. Her family had sold her to Zhang the Cripple from Mushroom Village for fifty catties of coarse grain. For some reason, the two of them never had any children. After Zhang the Cripple died, Widow Zhang lived a life of ease, with no one else to worry about.
The village doctor arrived and examined her carefully. He found that Widow Zhang's right leg was broken, likely from rolling down the mountain. She had also probably suffered severe shock, which had affected her mental state. The village chief spat and said, "Serves her right. This is karma."
The police carried Widow Zhang into the car. Even if you're mentally unstable, there should be punishment for doing bad things. Widow Zhang, you're going to jail.
The police officers who went out to arrest three other hooligans returned empty-handed; their families said that none of them had returned last night.
As they left, they told their families that there were places where they could buy food, and that they were waiting for it.
The police officer sneered, "You don't need to wait for the grain. They went to steal grain from other people's homes. If they come back, you must report to the police. Otherwise, you will be harboring criminals, which is equivalent to committing a crime."
The families of the hooligans nodded repeatedly in fright, "Yes, yes." The police also learned about their usual movements and went to several places they frequented, only to be told that no one had come for two days.
That's strange. Three people don't just disappear for no reason. An experienced police officer said, "Could it be that one of them is planning to double-cross someone, kill them, and then escape?"
They all nodded in agreement. That was possible. They must have come from the road through Mushroom Village after stealing the goods. The roadside was either wooded or covered in grass. Let's split up and search along the way.
An hour later, the three people were found. One had already passed away, and the other two were also seriously injured and were barely breathing. The police quickly arranged for a vehicle to take them to the hospital.
There were three bags of grain nearby, one of which was stained with blood, probably from someone who had been slashed while trying to protect it. This kind of cornmeal clumps when it gets wet, and judging by the large bloodstains, the grain was probably wasted. The old policeman waved his hand and said, "Take the grain back with you. Food is scarce now, it might not go to waste."
Yan Xiaoqiang and Yan Dongnan arrived at the village committee and saw the grain on the table. They ran over happily and found all four bags of grain still there. They thanked the police and the village chief, saying they were very capable.
The police told them that one bag of grain had been stained with blood, and the cornmeal inside should also be stained with blood. They were free to do whatever they wanted with it. Yan Xiaoqiang and his son took a look and, sure enough, there was a large patch of blood on the sack. It looked disgusting, so they took three clean bags of grain and left the bloodstained one behind, thinking it was bad luck.
The village chief looked at the bag of grain with a mix of unease and reluctance. So he dragged the grain to the threshing ground, cut it open, and was overjoyed to find that only one side of the grain was stained with blood, while the other half was perfectly intact.
The village chief had someone call Yan Xiaoqiang over and pointed to the half-clean cornmeal, asking, "Qiangzi, this half-bag is still edible. Why don't you take it back?"
Yan Xiaoqiang glanced at the village chief and shook his head, saying, "Uncle Village Chief, we don't want it. You've worked hard these past few days, and the police officers have worked even harder. Why don't you decide what to do?"
The village chief nodded, "He's a sensible young man." Yan Xiaoqiang spoke again: "Uncle Village Chief, my mother, wife, and children were terrified. My mother has decided to build a high wall around the yard and make the gate more secure. You see, after the spring planting, we'll ask the uncles to help us with it."
The village chief nodded repeatedly, "This definitely needs to be done." Suddenly, a thought struck him: "That Yan kid probably wants a piece of land to build a house, right? He's quite cunning. Alright, let's grant his wish." He took out his pipe, and Yan Xiaoqiang helped him light it with a very smug look.
The village chief exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Qiangzi, how about I approve a piece of land for your family, the one in your backyard? After the spring planting, you can build a few houses. Dongnan is getting bigger now, and it'll be time for you to get married in a couple of years."
"Oh, Uncle, you're such a wise man. Thank you so much. When are you coming to measure the land? I'll be waiting for you. Or why don't you come over to my house for dinner? We've recovered all the grain," Yan Xiaoqiang said excitedly.
"Qiangzi, you're so kind. I won't eat. I'll cook some food for the police later; they've worked hard. I'll give the extra to those elderly people living alone; they're so pitiful. I'll have someone come and measure the land this afternoon."
Yan Xiaoqiang sighed happily and ran home to discuss with his mother and Cuihua how to build the house, whether it should be separate from the old courtyard or built together.
Grandma Yan has already discussed this topic with Cuihua. Cuihua's idea is that it's better to stay together so that they can look after each other. Grandma Yan's idea is that it's better to separate when the tree is big and branches out. At most, they can just make a doorway in the middle of the yard so that it's convenient for people to come and go. If anything doesn't go their way, they can just close the door.
Both of them had valid points. Grandma Yan looked at Yan Xiaonan and asked, "My dear child, tell me, is Grandma right or is your mother right?"
Yan Xiaonan thought for a moment, pointed to Grandma Yan and Cuihua, then pointed to herself and said, "Come with me, outside."
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