Shen Zishan nodded in agreement after listening to his wife's words, saying, "Yes, that's a good idea! It's a good opportunity to let the two young people experience the warmth of our home."
After saying that, he put another piece of meat into Shen Xiaoxiao's bowl and said with a smile, "Eat more, my daughter!"
The family continued to enjoy their dinner in a harmonious atmosphere, discussing how to better express their gratitude to the two educated youths and what dishes to cook.
On the threshing ground, several women were hurrying along the uneven path beneath their feet.
Along the way, they disregarded their fatigue and hardship, with only one thought in their minds—to get to the town as soon as possible.
By the time they finally arrived in town, it was already past midnight.
The town was quiet, but the police station was still brightly lit, like a lighthouse that never goes out, illuminating the road in the darkness.
The women arrived at the police station, but their steps suddenly faltered.
They looked at each other, neither daring to step through the door first.
Thus began an awkward situation of pushing and shoving each other, and they lingered at the door for quite a while before finally stopping.
The police officers who were on duty in the station had noticed the group of strange women outside the door long ago.
Seeing them pushing and shoving each other at the door for a long time without any intention of coming in, the police officer on duty had no choice but to come out of the duty room.
He strode quickly up to them, his face full of doubt, and asked, "Ladies, it's so late, what brings you here? Has something happened?"
Just then, a deep and serious police voice suddenly rang out, like a thunderclap in the silent night.
The women seemed to be greatly frightened, their bodies trembling involuntarily. They looked at each other, and then almost simultaneously took a large step back.
Time ticked by, and the scene fell into a deathly silence, the atmosphere so tense it was hard to breathe.
Finally, after a long wait, a slightly aged figure slowly emerged from the crowd.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this person was Ma San's mother.
She took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm her inner unease and fear.
Then, she gritted her teeth, mustered all her courage, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Officer, I want to ask you something."
"I heard that someone from Shenjia Village brought several people to our police station. Is that true?"
Upon hearing these words, the young policeman instantly understood.
It turned out that the women who came to inquire were the group of troublemakers who had been escorted from Shenjia Village that afternoon.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown slightly, his eyes sharply scrutinizing the group of women before him, and asked, "May I ask who you are? Why are you so interested in this matter, and why have you come all this way to inquire about it?"
After hesitating for a moment, Ma San's mother finally answered again, "I am Ma San's mother."
The young policeman frowned slightly, paused thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "In that case, please come in with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and walked steadily toward the police station entrance.
Seeing this, the women behind them quickly followed closely.
As soon as I stepped into the police station, a strong, almost suffocating stench rushed towards me like a surging wave.
The sudden stench made everyone feel nauseous, and they instinctively covered their mouths and noses.
There was a corpse lying silently in the center of the hall, filling the entire space with an unbearable stench of decay.
Even the police officers, who were used to all kinds of scenes, could not resist the invasion of such a bad smell and hurriedly hid in a more ventilated place at the back.
One of the women looked around anxiously, and when her gaze fell on her youngest son's cold body, tears instantly streamed down her face.
She cried out, wanting to rush forward and hug the child immediately, but the pungent smell was like an invisible barrier, blocking her way and making it impossible for her to get any closer.
"My son, how could you suffer such a terrible fate... even in death you have to endure such torment."
The woman stood about two meters away from the man's body, heartbroken, weeping and sobbing as she murmured to herself.
Tears streamed down her haggard face, dripping onto the ground beneath her feet.
Just then, the on-duty police officer who had been resting in the back lounge heard the noise and hurriedly came out.
He looked at the scene before him with a solemn expression and said slowly to the woman, "Madam, after our investigation and verification, this person is indeed your son."
"Moreover, it is understood that he unfortunately drowned three days ago. After being sent to the hospital for treatment, your family unreasonably demanded 300 yuan in compensation from the hospital."
"It's so hot, why don't you bury him? Instead, you take him to Shenjia Village and let a little girl see someone who died three days ago. What are you thinking?"
The woman's eyes flickered slightly, as if she hesitated and was unwilling.
She bit her lip and said softly, "I was really just unwilling to give up. I thought the village's barefoot doctor was knowledgeable and experienced, so I asked him to come and take another look to see if there was any chance of saving the person."
The police officer looked at the woman with a serious expression and replied solemnly, "You should know best what really happened."
“Ma San and his gang have all confessed truthfully. You should take this body away and dispose of it quickly. As for those other people, they committed such crimes, they certainly won't be going home this time.”
As soon as he finished speaking, several women burst into tears as if they had been dealt a huge blow.
One of the women cried and pleaded, "My son! He was just helping out! Please, kind police officer, have mercy on my son!"
However, the police officer remained solemn and retorted without hesitation, "Don't think of the police station as just any random place!"
"How can you just release them like that? Since they've been arrested, it means they must have broken the law and committed a crime!"
At this point, another woman became even more agitated and, without hesitation, knelt down on both knees, pleading with the police: "Officer, I'll kneel and kowtow to you! My son is so young. If he's sent to labor camp or even imprisoned like this, his life will be ruined!"
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