Chapter 6 The Scapegoat
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pack your things." The scarred man kicked aside the lock-picking man and slipped inside along the wall.
Shen Wanjun was packing her things when she heard a familiar rustling sound.
This is—the scarred man came to her house?!
Shen Wanjun was overjoyed. She had just been worrying about how to explain to her uncle where these vanished things had gone.
Now that a scapegoat has come knocking on our door, let's just pass the buck to them.
Shen Wanjun crouched down and went upstairs to wake up her sleeping family members. "Uncle, Grandpa, a thief broke into the house. We'll go out through the back door."
Shen Kun rolled up his sleeves and pulled a black scabbard from his waist. "Who dares to steal from our Shen family? I'll beat them to a pulp."
"No." Shen Wanjun carefully pressed down the black shell in his hand. She was shocked to see the thing up close.
"Uncle, they're just a few petty thieves. There's no need to risk your life."
Murderers must pay with their lives, and the Shen family is no exception.
Shen Kun put away the black shell and asked, "Wanwan, what do you suggest? Your uncle will listen to you."
He didn't know why he would blindly trust a young girl, but his niece's eyes were firm and steady.
For some reason, he felt he should listen to her.
When a young girl encounters a petty thief, she'll either cry or be completely bewildered.
The niece, however, remained calm and composed, even having time to comfort others.
"Aunt, Grandma, Grandpa, let's stay at the small house in the suburbs tonight."
The Shen family bought a small house in the suburbs, a house that few people knew about.
Shen Biyun's dowry was hidden there.
The family was about to go downstairs and exit through the side door when they saw flames below as soon as they reached the stairwell.
The Shen family looked worried, and the aunt was anxious to find someone to put out the fire.
Shen Wanjun directly led the group out through the secret passage.
The scarred man was furious because he hadn't stolen anything.
Very well, now that this house has burned down, the Shen family will no longer be the richest family in Shanghai.
Overnight, the scarred man went from being a capitalist to an ordinary citizen; he was practically the Shen family's benefactor.
The fire burned ever brighter, and the Shen family was filled with grief, with Shen Wanjun constantly weeping.
"My precious pearl necklace, gone, all gone."
"Our family will be left with nothing but the northwest wind from now on."
Most of the onlookers were secretly amused.
Haha, even the richest man in Shanghai has a day when he has to starve. It's truly a blessing from heaven.
Some people think that even a starving camel is bigger than a horse, and the Shen family shouldn't be starving.
But the luxurious lifestyle of the past is probably gone forever.
The fire burned for a long time before it was finally extinguished just before dawn.
The fire was extinguished, but the mansion was completely burned down.
Early in the morning, the Shen family went to the police station to report the case, and unfortunately, the Zhong family also arrived.
The police station doesn't start work until 8 a.m., so the Zhong family must have been waiting for a long time; they were all bruised and swollen from the cold.
The office door opened, and Zhong Ming was the first to rush in: "Officer, my house has been burgled."
"Please register first."
Zhong Ming aged considerably overnight due to his anxiety. The police officer poured him a glass of water, but before he could even begin to comfort him, the Shen family barged in.
Shen Wanjun: "Officer, I want to report a crime. All of our family's property has been burned down."
"Register first, and I'll call you over when I hear from you."
Zhong Ming glared at Shen Wanjun, suspecting that she had hired someone to steal from his home.
The rest of the Zhong family thought so too, and Zhong Chuchu even suspected that Shen Wanjun might have been reborn as well.
She has been behaving very strangely since yesterday.
The most obvious change was in her eyes, which were no longer gentle, but instead held a proud, resolute, and determined air.
Three days later, the police summoned both families.
"We have found out that the Shen family's gate was damaged, and the thieves stole first and then burned it."
"The same goes for the Zhong family. Judging from the modus operandi, we suspect it was done by the same group of people."
Upon hearing this, Wang Fang burst into tears, crying out, "My savings account, my banknotes, my watch, everything I own is gone!"
Shen Wanjun also cried: "My dowry from my mother and grandmother is all gone, it's all burned to ashes."
Grandma couldn't help but sob: "My Shen family has donated all our wealth over generations to the country, and all we have left is this house. That damned thief, he's going to kill me!"
Zhong Chuchu re-evaluated Shen Wanjun; she seemed to have underestimated her opponent before.
Yesterday, Dad asked Shen Wanjun for her dowry, and today she burned it all for her own family. She's so heartless.
Wang Fang stared intently at Shen Wanjun, then suddenly shouted, "It was you! You stole my key yesterday!"
"You emptied my house; you took my savings account and my banknotes."
Wang Fang howled and rushed forward, trying to scratch people, completely unlike her usual gentle and virtuous self.
Shen Wanjun said calmly, "A stepmother is a stepmother. She tries to pin all sorts of blame on me."
A female police officer stepped forward to help Shen Wanjun, saying, "This woman simply didn't have the time to commit the crime."
"When the Zhong family's house was robbed, she was still at the police station with you."
The dispute between the two families yesterday was also mediated by this female police officer, who had a deep impression of Shen Wanjun.
She was so beautiful that she even suspected she was an enemy spy.
Another male police officer said, "She stayed in the small room all day yesterday, and I was watching her from outside."
The person never left; I even asked him for a glass of water in the middle of the night.
Wang Fang spat poison in her eyes; no matter what the police said, she insisted that Shen Wanjun was the one who should die.
Although Zhong Chuchu also had her doubts, she knew that Shen Wanjun was not a god and could not possibly move so many things in such a short time.
Therefore, the person who stole from the house must be someone else.
The following day, the newspaper headline featured a large news item: Shanghai's richest man's home caught fire, and his vast fortune was destroyed.
The Shen family was devastated and decided to donate all their houses to the state. The family will soon return to the Northwest to farm.
The long, detailed text expressed regret over the fire at the Shen family home and praise for the donation.
On the back of the newspaper, in a small space, a few words described the theft at the Zhong family's home.
Back at the cabin in the suburbs, Shen Wanjun quickly put all the dowry left to her by her grandmother and mother into her spatial storage, without even having time to look at it.
I reckon those boxes were filled with gold and silver treasures.
Money is important, but life is more important.
Without saying a word, Shen Wanjun saw her family off onto the train to the Northwest, saying, "You go first, I'll come find you in a few days."
Her maternal grandfather's hometown is in the Northwest, and her ex-husband also lives there. Once she finishes dealing with things here, she will soon be able to reunite with them there.
Before leaving, Shen Kun handed Shen Wanjun a large black box, saying, "If anyone dares to bully you, just shoot them."
"Don't be afraid, if anything happens, your uncle will take care of it for you."
He was extremely worried about his niece being left alone in Shanghai.
But Shen Wanjun was adamant, and he couldn't persuade her otherwise.
"Don't worry, I'm very smart," Shen Wanjun said proudly, patting her chest.
After seeing her family off, she opened the black box and took a look, instantly gasping in shock.
A whole box full of black-cased aircraft: Type 54, Type 53, and assault rifles.
All kinds of knives were available, and there were even medical anesthetics and some date rape drugs.
Shen Wanjun picked up a small curved knife, carefully put away the anesthetic and sleeping pills, and hid them in her boot.
She then changed into more understated clothes and headed to the bank—she hadn't yet withdrawn Wang Fang's savings account.
At the bank entrance, Wang Fang, along with the rest of the Zhao family, prepared to lie in wait.
She wanted to see who had the audacity to take her family's money.
She lost her household registration booklet and hasn't been able to get a new one yet, so she's been very anxious these past few days.
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