"Teacher, the money has been found. Now we should investigate who put it under my mattress."
Bai Jiaojiao's words brought everyone to their senses. Indeed, with such a good hiding place as Bai Jiaojiao's bed, who would keep stolen goods there?
Huang Shifeng was absolutely certain that Bai Jiaojiao was innocent.
So he said, "If the money is found here, there's no way to investigate further."
Bai Jiaojiao is often not in the dormitory, so this area is now a common area.
"That's easy. Everyone just needs to swear an oath that whoever takes this money will suffer a terrible death."
Bai Jiaojiao stared at Hu Xiao as she said this.
"Bai Jiaojiao! Watch your words," Huang Shifeng said, frowning.
What's the difference between saying this now and being reactionary?
From the moment Bai Jiaojiao entered the room, she sensed that something was off about Hu Xiao.
She usually had a timid and sullen demeanor. Today, she didn't say much behind Zhang Mai, but her eyes were always fixed on Bai Jiaojiao. Bai Jiaojiao guessed that she was feeling guilty. When they said they wanted to search the entire dormitory and Hu Xiao agreed, her eyes unconsciously looked towards Bai Jiaojiao's bed.
When Bai Jiaojiao found the money under the mattress, she knew that Hu Xiao was definitely involved.
The local customs in Hu Xiao's area are very superstitious. The fear and reverence for ghosts and gods are deeply rooted in everyone's heart. No matter how the policies change on the surface, traditional customs remain deeply ingrained in everyone's mind.
Now that the door is closed, even if Huang Shifeng gets angry, as long as everyone doesn't take it too seriously, nothing will happen.
Bai Jiaojiao immediately said, "I swear to the Party and the people that I, Bai Jiaojiao, absolutely did not take any class funds, or I will never be able to graduate and will never be able to sleep at night again!"
Huang Shifeng: "..." Such an oath is not impossible to make.
Although Shu Manling felt it was pointless, she was eager to prove that she had a clear conscience, so she immediately followed Bai Jiaojiao and made a vow as well.
After Xu Yue finished speaking, she looked at Zhang Mai provocatively, and Zhang Mai also held up three fingers: "If I take it, may I be hit by a manure truck and die tomorrow!"
The atmosphere in the dormitory became increasingly strange. Huang Shifeng touched his forehead, unsure of what to do.
"It's your turn." Bai Jiaojiao looked at Hu Xiao.
Hu Xiao's hands were soaked with sweat and clenched tightly.
She dared not speak, because her mother had told her since she was a child that trouble comes from the mouth and that one should not speak carelessly, for it might come true at any time.
"Hu Xiao, tell me!" Xu Yue immediately noticed Hu Xiao's hesitation and nervousness, and pressed him, "Are you afraid to swear? You are the one who stole the money, aren't you?!"
"No...it wasn't me..." Hu Xiao clutched her trouser leg, afraid to admit it, because she knew how serious the consequences would be if she did.
Bai Jiaojiao said, "As long as you swear it, we can believe you."
"Bai Jiaojiao, are you deliberately targeting me?" Hu Xiao asked, her voice trembling with tears. She felt as if she were facing imminent disaster and her vision was going black. She even wanted to beg Bai Jiaojiao to let her go.
Everyone in the dormitory knew that Hu Xiao was superstitious, and the fact that she dared not swear an oath meant she had something to hide.
Seeing this, Huang Shifeng understood. He had seen many people, and judging from Hu Xiao's appearance, he knew that she was definitely involved in this matter.
"Hu Xiao, the money has been found now. Be honest and return it to the class, and we will let bygones be bygones."
"Is it really possible to let bygones be bygones?"
Xu Yue immediately said, "Look, it's her! She admitted it!"
Hu Xiao burst into tears: "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, I hope everyone can forgive me, sob sob..."
Xu Yue is good at arguing, but when she sees someone crying, she can't bear to say anything more.
Bai Jiaojiao said, "You're scared now? Do you know how Shu Manling felt when you slandered her yesterday? Now you're asking us to forgive you. If we hadn't forced you to admit it, would you have advised others to forgive Shu Manling?"
Bai Jiaojiao's words silenced the entire dormitory. Hu Xiao was too ashamed to cry, so she buried her face in her arms on the table.
"Shu Manling, what do you think about this?" Huang Shifeng still cared about his students. They were outstanding individuals who were admitted to Yenching University. They made a mistake when they were young, and as their teacher, he naturally wanted to help them if he could.
Shu Manling's accusations were cleared, and her nose felt a little sore. She said, "Teacher, there's no point in me dwelling on this. My only wish was to find out the truth and help the class get its class funds back."
"Shu Manling, thank you." Hu Xiao looked up and grasped Shu Manling's hand.
Bai Jiaojiao said from the side, "Don't rush to thank her. The issue here isn't whether Shu Manling should forgive you or not. It's almost noon now, and Chen Meizhen has been gone for so long. If she tells others about the missing class funds, I will definitely tell the truth for the sake of Shu Manling's reputation."
Shu Manling was enlightened by Bai Jiaojiao, and she thought that once the real culprit was found and she was cleared of suspicion, everything would be fine: "Bai Jiaojiao is right. If that's really the case, then I will definitely prioritize myself. Hu Xiao, don't think I'm selfish. You were in the wrong in this matter, and I can't take the blame for you."
Upon hearing this, Hu Xiao's eyes filled with despair.
"Hu Xiao, how about this, I'll go find the class monitor for you first. Let her worry, and it would be best to apologize to her. It's the weekend and there aren't many classes today, so she might not spread the word, right? Don't worry."
"Thank you, teacher." Hu Xiao's hope was rekindled.
Huang Shifeng said, "But if you do something wrong, you have to be punished so you can learn from it. I don't care what your reason was for taking this class fund, but you must return every penny. Also, since it's class fund, you should contribute more to the class. In the second semester, you'll be responsible for cleaning the lab after everyone finishes their experiments. Is that okay?"
"No problem, teacher. As long as we don't let anyone know, I can clean the entire university for everyone!"
"Hu Xiao, you only need to clean for half a semester, but there's one thing: this is your punishment. Regardless of whether this gets out or not, you have to do it. Do you understand?"
Huang Shifeng did have his own set of management measures, and his solution was fairly sound.
Bai Jiaojiao could understand Huang Shifeng's desire to help Hu Xiao suppress the matter. After all, all teachers are like that; they all want to lend a helping hand when students go astray. Huang Shifeng's actions made Bai Jiaojiao see some reliability in him, and she respected and loved this homeroom teacher even more.
Hu Xiao left with Huang Shifeng, while the others stayed behind and tidied up the money on Bai Jiaojiao's bed. Every penny was accounted for; the ten yuan and fifty cents bills were neatly stacked together according to their face value.
"Zhang Mai, shouldn't you apologize to Shu Manling now?! Yesterday you joined Chen Meizhen in falsely accusing her and even went through her things against her will. Now that the truth has come out, it's only right and proper for you to apologize to her!"
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