"Yes, we didn't want to help, but we were scared too. The captain told us that even if we didn't do anything, we were still in the same boat, so he told us to coordinate our statements and say that he fell overboard by accident."
"There are too many taboos at sea. We also want to go home, Shenheng. You really can't blame us for not helping you back then."
There were seven crew members on the ship. When Shen Heng was forced to jump off the deck by these people, he chose to go to the cabin to avoid seeing them.
Bai Jiaojiao visited them one by one during the day. They heard that Shen Heng had woken up, but they didn't blame them, so they all agreed to come and testify tonight.
With these crew members' testimonies, the matter is quite clear.
Zhou Fukun made a last-ditch effort: "You bribed these crew members. There are more than twenty people on board. We can't just believe their one-sided story! My son did something wrong tonight, but that doesn't mean my son and I are going to be framed!"
Most of the crew members were involved; they couldn't remain indifferent, so Zhou Fukun assumed they wouldn't recant their testimonies.
Zheng Xu glanced at him: "Don't worry, we will definitely find out the truth about this. I just had someone go to the commune office to call the police. The police will be here soon to handle it. They will definitely ask about your statements and the statements of the other crew members. Don't worry."
Zhou Fukun choked, realizing that the other party had obviously come prepared. His mind raced, trying to think of any connections he could make contact with before going in, hoping there might still be a glimmer of hope.
It was already 11 p.m., and the villagers were as if they had taken a sobering drug. Except for a few crew members who were feeling guilty, almost the entire village had gathered, eager to know the truth of the matter.
The police arrived shortly afterward and, without giving Zhou Fukun a chance, separated the father and son.
The police officers took it quite seriously. Four of them arrived on two bicycles. They questioned the crew members separately, and Zheng Xu handed over the fishing boat entry slips for this year to the police.
"I don't know if they changed their story in front of you, but when they came back they told us that Shen Heng fell in while fishing. Our village's boat goes out twice a year, both times to the deep sea, which wastes fuel. Fishing in the near sea would definitely be a loss. Comrades, look at the time it took Shen Heng to drift from the sea to the shore, he definitely couldn't have swum back from the middle of the sea."
Zheng Xu also pointed out Chen San to the police, who was the one who carried Shen Heng home and could serve as a witness to the time when Shen Heng was washed ashore.
The officers from the Public Security Bureau couldn't say anything because of discipline, but they smiled disdainfully to themselves.
The captain didn't need to go to such lengths to collect evidence, because during the earlier questioning, most of the crew members had already switched sides and were all vying to become witnesses for the prosecution, hoping to receive a lighter sentence.
But the case has already been brought to this point by the victim, so there's no need for these people to testify anymore.
“I understand what you’ve said. Based on the initial assessment, we need to take these individuals involved in the case back for further investigation.”
"Yes, our brigade will definitely cooperate fully."
The police officers were quite polite, but Zheng Xu was really embarrassed.
It's shameful that something like this happened to the brigade.
Including Zhou Fukun and Zhou Yanshan, a total of eighteen people were taken away. It was a large group, and anyone walking alone at night would be startled if they ran into them.
"Alright, everyone, let's all go home now. It's almost dawn, go back to sleep!"
These past two days, they haven't been working, and it doesn't matter when they sleep; they just want to watch the show: "Captain, aren't Zhou Fukun and his son going to jail?"
"Go away, you don't need to worry about these things!"
Zheng Xu, with a stern face, chased the lingering villagers out of the Bai family's house.
Li Shiqing stayed a while, inquired about Shen Heng's injuries, and glared at Li Shuxian: "You brat, you told me he was about to die."
Does this look like it's failing?
Li Shuxian scratched his head and said, "When I came yesterday, he was indeed still talking nonsense."
What can Li Shuxian do if he doesn't lie?
We can't exactly tell his father that his in-laws forbade him to tell him, can we? Bai Shiqing will never be able to live a decent life in his family again.
The matter was considered resolved, but Bai Jiaojiao was still not satisfied: "They got off too easily. We should have someone throw them into the sea too, so they can taste what it's like."
Shen Heng laughed and said, "Shunzi said yesterday that he wanted to find someone to deal with them, but you didn't want to."
"I..." Bai Jiaojiao was speechless.
"Okay, I'm really fine. I used to do this all the time when I was a kid. There was no food, and it was the dead of winter. Everyone was struggling to get food, and if you asked, you couldn't get any. So I would go into the sea by myself and I don't know how many times I died."
Shen Heng wanted to comfort Bai Jiaojiao, but Bai Jiaojiao felt even more upset. She nestled against his chest, hugging his waist tightly, and said with heartache, "If only I had met you sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much."
"Forget it, you were still a pampered young lady back then, why would you know me? That's all in the past, isn't it? Your man is in great shape, so stop worrying about that useless thing."
Shen Heng felt the hand on his waist tighten, his heart filled with joy. He pulled Bai Jiaojiao closer to him and rubbed her gently: "The matter has been resolved. Shall we move home tomorrow?"
Bai Jiaojiao sniffed: "Our new house has been built for a long time, and we're waiting for you to come back and raise the roof beam."
If it weren't for Shen Heng's voyage, Bai Jiaojiao would have been living in a big new house long ago.
Their new house was the most impressive in the village, and the craftsmen all looked on with envy as they worked.
Shen Heng said, "I'm almost fully recovered now. I think we should set off the firecrackers and raise the roof beams tomorrow, then we can pack up and move in. We won't live in that shabby little house anymore. Have you gotten new tables and stuff?"
"No."
"Let's stay here for now and add things gradually."
Their new house has a huge kang (heated brick bed) in the main room, big enough for them to roll around on. Once the kang is heated, the whole house will be warm.
Shen Heng wasn't afraid of burning firewood; as long as Bai Jiaojiao was comfortable living there, he was content.
The next morning, Bai Jiaojiao told Bai Zhiman that she wanted to move back.
Somewhat abruptly, Bai Zhiman said, "Why don't you wait two more days? Shouldn't we prepare a feast for the roof-raising ceremony?"
“Dad, we don’t have many relatives in the village. Heng and I discussed it and decided to just set off some firecrackers. If anyone comes to watch, we’ll buy some fruit candies and wave them around.”
Preparing a feast is usually a good deal, since people who come to eat there are expected to bring a gift of money.
But Bai Jiaojiao didn't think much of it either, knowing that Shen Heng was too lazy to deal with those people.
Bai Shihai thought for a moment and said, "It's up to you two. Just make sure you've discussed it."
During the years he spent bedridden, he also came to understand this principle: when it comes to human relationships, to put it bluntly, it's true that when you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city, but when you're rich, you have distant relatives even in the deep mountains. As long as you live a good life, everyone around you will be polite.
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