Upon hearing this, Liu Xueli felt a huge weight lifted from her heart!
She let out a long sigh of relief, and the arrogance that had just faded from her face quickly returned, even carrying a hint of smugness from surviving a disaster.
She sneered, "Hmph! Xu Kuo, you little punk, you think you can fool me? You think you can lock me up? Dream on! The security team isn't yours to run! Once they're gone, I'll see how I ruin your reputation!"
She glanced at Xu Kuo sideways, her words dripping with sarcasm: "Ha, did you hear that? Xu Kuo! The guards have already said they can't lock him up! Stop waving your hand around like it's nothing, who are you trying to scare? Get your men to release Jian Guojianjun right now, there's still room for negotiation, otherwise..."
However, before she could finish speaking, Xu Kuo seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his sharp gaze swept over Liu Xueli and Zhang Cuifen, who was trembling beside him.
"Wait!" Xu Kuo spoke again, interrupting Liu Xueli's clamor.
This time, his words carried a sense of realization and coldness.
"Comrade, I almost forgot something important." Xu Kuo turned to the captain of the guard, his expression becoming serious.
“Some time ago, my family was in financial difficulty. We finally managed to save up some grain coupons, meat coupons, and a few yuan worth of industrial vouchers. My mother was sick at the time, and Liu Xueli took these coupons and used them without my permission.”
"I remember it clearly: fifty jin of grain coupons, three jin of meat coupons, and five yuan of industrial coupons! We agreed to pay them back in a few days, but what happened? It's been dragging on until now, and there's still no sign of them!"
"I've been busy with other things lately and almost forgot about this! Doesn't their behavior constitute misappropriation of other people's property? Doesn't it constitute speculation and profiteering?"
In the 1960s, the value of grain coupons and meat coupons even exceeded that of cash! This was no small matter!
The security captain's expression changed instantly!
If the previous quarrels were just domestic disputes, then the unauthorized appropriation of important state documents is a completely different matter! This is a target of severe crackdown!
He glared sharply at Liu Xueli and Zhang Cuifen, his voice suddenly rising in intensity and filled with authority: "Oh? Is that so?! Fifty jin of grain coupons? Three jin of meat coupons? Five yuan in industrial vouchers?!"
He repeated himself slowly and deliberately, each word striking Liu Xueli and Zhang Cuifen's hearts like a hammer blow.
"This is no small matter! This constitutes theft of state property and disruption of market order! And the amount is not small! If it is verified, you could be sentenced to two or three years in prison, let alone a few days in jail!"
With a "boom," Liu Xueli felt as if her mind had exploded!
The color drained from her face instantly, her eyes widened as she stared intently at Xu Kuo, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word.
How...how could he still remember?!
How could he remember it so clearly?!
It's over! It's all over!
She thought that Xu Kuo had long forgotten about that "small amount of money" after making a fortune, but who knew he remembered it so well!
And they even said it in front of the security team!
This is a mess I can't clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River!
Locked up for two or three years?! Wouldn't that ruin her life?!
Looking at their terrified expressions, Xu Kuo felt no pity, only icy coldness.
He nodded to the security team members: "Then I'll trouble you comrades to take them back and interrogate them properly! Find out where the tickets went and handle them according to the regulations."
"No--!"
Zhang Cuifen was the first to break down!
She scrambled to her feet, no longer caring about being afraid of Liu Xueli, and knelt down before Xu Kuo with snot and tears streaming down her face. With a thud, her knees hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Brother Xu Kuo! I was wrong! I was really wrong! It's all her fault! It was Liu Xueli who forced me to come! She said you're her brother-in-law, so taking a few things is nothing! She took the tickets too! It has nothing to do with me! Please! Please talk to the security team and let me go! I have children at home! I'm begging you!!"
In order to save her own life, Zhang Cuifen betrayed Liu Xueli completely in an instant, and while saying this, she actually kowtowed loudly on the ground.
Seeing this, Liu Xueli panicked completely. All her pride and dignity vanished in the face of the fear of being imprisoned for two or three years!
She shoved away Zhang Cuifen, who was still kowtowing, and crawled to Xu Kuo on all fours, grabbing his trouser leg and wailing.
"Xu Kuo! Third Brother! For our sake, we're family! For Mother's sake! Please forgive me this time! I was bewitched! It's my fault! I'm not human! I'll give you back those tickets! I'll give them back double! Please! I can't be arrested! Jian Guo and Jian Jun are still inside. If I go back in, this family will fall apart! Waaah..."
Xu Kuo coldly looked down at the two women at his feet, who were weeping and behaving in a disgraceful manner, his face full of disdain.
“Opportunity?” He gently kicked Liu Xueli’s hand away, his words icy. “I told you to leave earlier, but you wouldn’t. You insisted on throwing a tantrum. Now you’re scared? Too late! I gave you a chance, but you didn’t seize it.”
There aren't that many pills to undo regrets in this world.
Liu Xueli was utterly desperate! She knew Xu Kuo was determined to kill them!
A surge of resentment and unwillingness welled up in his heart. Since he couldn't escape, Zhang Cuifen shouldn't expect to have an easy time either!
She suddenly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhang Cuifen, and screamed, "Xu Kuo! You can't just arrest me! Zhang Cuifen got her share of those coupons too! She got more coupons than me! She even secretly exchanged them for money on the black market! If you're going to lock her up, lock her up too! Why does she think she can get away with it?!"
"You're talking nonsense! Liu Xueli, you slanderous and vicious woman!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuifen was terrified. Forgetting all about begging for mercy, she jumped up from the ground and pointed at Liu Xueli, cursing, "You were the one who divided it! You gave it to me! Now you want to deny it to me? I'll fight you to the death!"
She regretted it; she should have broken free and run away when Liu Xueli grabbed her and wouldn't let her leave!
It's too late to say anything now. That damned Liu Xueli, she's having such a hard time and she's dragging someone down with her!
Enraged, Zhang Cuifen disregarded everything else and lunged forward, scratching Liu Xueli's face with her fingernails!
"Ah! You crazy woman! How dare you scratch me!" Liu Xueli screamed and dodged, while also reaching out to grab Zhang Cuifen's hair.
The two women, who had just been united against a common enemy, suddenly turned against each other in order to protect themselves. They started fighting like shrewish women in the courtyard, rolling around in a heap, their clothes disheveled, their hair messy, and cursing each other's ancestors.
The villagers watching outside the courtyard gate couldn't help but burst into laughter and point at each other when they saw this scene, their faces full of disdain and a desire to see more fun.
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