Xu Damao became more and more emotional as he spoke, and finally, with a wide grin, he wiped away tears in front of everyone.
"Officers, you didn't see the state of my house. It looked like it had been ransacked by bandits. You couldn't even find a single intact plate."
Xu Damao looked like a wronged wife who had been bullied by her in-laws; her sobbing and aggrieved demeanor was simply pitiful.
Xu Damao was definitely tall for that era. Standing in front of the two police officers, he hunched over, pouting, wiping his right eye with his left hand and his left eye with his right, looking exactly like an old woman who had been sexually assaulted.
He didn't care what the neighbors thought of him; he was determined to tell the police officers everything that had happened to him that day.
The young policeman was already tired of hearing it, and he cursed inwardly that such a grown man was not as good as a strong-willed old woman.
But with Wang Dabao standing to the side, he didn't dare say anything more.
The middle-aged policeman had a serious expression but showed no impatience. On the contrary, he occasionally offered words of comfort, which encouraged Xu Damao's desire to confide in him.
Wang Dabao really couldn't bear to watch any longer. He knew that if he hadn't been standing there, the two policemen would have already started cursing at Xu Damao. So he coughed twice and said, "Damao, I think you should get to the point. Don't waste the two policemen's time."
The neighbors nearby echoed the sentiment.
Everyone came to watch the show. The Jia family has been acting arrogantly in the courtyard for more than a day or two. Xu Damao, you're just making a fuss here, isn't that just delaying things?
These other people shared the same thought as Wang Dabao: they were also afraid of their own families suffering misfortune and wanted to take this opportunity to catch the thief, preferably to put him in jail.
Xu Damao wiped away his tears and looked up to meet the impatient gaze of the young policeman. He hurriedly handed over the piece of cloth with the shoe print on it, and then took out four or five more pieces of cloth of the same size from his pockets.
The neighbors were stunned.
Even Wang Dabao, Liu Haizhong, Yi Zhonghai and others were stunned on the spot.
Good heavens, Xu Damao, you know how to collect evidence. If Jia Zhangshi were to try and steal it, wouldn't that exhaust the old woman?
After the two police officers confirmed the information again, one of them stepped forward to knock on the door.
Just then, Sha Zhu limped over.
Xu Damao quickly grabbed the middle-aged policeman and pointed at Sha Zhu, saying, "Comrade, this man is an accomplice of the thief. We can't let him get away."
The middle-aged policeman frowned as he looked at Sha Zhu's miserable appearance, then turned his head and glanced at Wang Dabao inadvertently.
After Wang Dabao nodded, the middle-aged policeman finally spoke up: "Who is the head of the compound?"
"I am."
Liu Haizhong and Yi Zhonghai quickly raised their right hands and walked towards the policeman.
Yan Bugui's small eyes darted around. He stood in the crowd without stepping forward, thinking it was better to avoid such excitement if possible.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't let the suspect leave the compound until the matter is fully investigated."
Liu Haizhong stopped putting his hands behind his back, straightened his back, and opened his squinty eyes: "Police officers, please rest assured, our compound will never tolerate the existence of thieves, and we will not let any suspects escape."
Yi Zhonghai silently lowered his hand, turned his head to look at the pale-faced Sha Zhu, his eyes full of helplessness.
When Sha Zhu heard that he was being identified as a suspect, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.
When Jia Dongxu arrived, he was stunned to see two police officers standing in front of his house.
Now he can only hope that it wasn't his own family member who did this, because those two hundred dollars don't seem so appealing now.
Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were pacing anxiously in the room.
Only Banggeng sat calmly on the kang (a heated brick bed), fantasizing about where to buy milk candy tomorrow.
"Mom, the police are right outside, what are we going to do?"
Qin Huairu was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing Banggeng's leisurely appearance, she became even more furious. "Banggeng, tell Mom, did you steal the money from Xu Damao's house?"
Seeing Qin Huairu reach out to grab Banggeng, Jia Zhangshi stepped forward and pushed Qin Huairu away: "Qin Huairu, I raised Banggeng myself. I know what my grandson is like. He would never steal from other people."
"Besides, so what if he stole it? What evidence do they have to prove that my grandson is a thief? As long as we don't admit it, there's nothing they can do."
Banggeng jumped off the kang and buried his head in Jia Zhangshi's arms.
"Grandma, you're right. They can't accuse me of being a thief without evidence."
Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Banggeng in disbelief: "Banggeng, what do you mean by that? Did you really steal from Xu Damao's house?"
Jia Zhangshi was also momentarily dazed, but after the initial panic, a hint of joy appeared on her face. She had heard Xu Damao say that he had lost more than two hundred yuan. This would allow her family to live a good life for a long time!
“My dear grandson, remember this: you can’t admit to doing it, whether you did it or not.”
"Don't worry, Grandma, they have no evidence. Why would they arrest me?"
Listening to the conversation between the grandmother and granddaughter, Qin Huairu felt dizzy and had a sense of impending doom.
The police outside had already started knocking on the door.
The neighbors all held their breath, waiting for the show to begin.
“We are police officers. Open the door; we need to come in and check.”
I called three times in a row, but there was no response at the door, and the room was completely silent.
“You’re the managers of the compound. Go find something and break down the door so we can go in and arrest people.”
The middle-aged policeman beckoned Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong over and ordered them to break down the door.
"Officers, could you please wait a moment?"
Yi Zhonghai realized that things couldn't be resolved peacefully today, so he quickly ran to Jia Dongxu's side and analyzed the pros and cons for his apprentice. "Dongxu, you saw what happened today. It's no longer a matter of whether the door is open or not. Didn't you see the police officers trying to break down the door and arrest the thugs?"
“Go and open the door quickly. If Bang Geng really did this, maybe if you are nice to him, you can get leniency. After all, Bang Geng is still a child.”
Upon seeing the police, Jia Dongxu's mind was already a complete mess. When he heard Yi Zhonghai's words, he hurriedly nodded and did as he was told.
Standing on tiptoe to the door, Jia Dongxu felt quite sensible and even bowed to the two police officers.
Wang Dabao and the neighbors watching scoffed at the sight, feeling inexplicably that Jia Dongxu at this moment resembled a traitor from a movie in their past life.
The two police officers ignored Jia Dongxu, but Xu Damao, who was standing next to him, got impatient.
"Hurry up and knock on the door, don't waste the police officers' time."
Jia Dongxu glared at Xu Damao with resentment, but didn't utter a word of rebuttal in front of the police. He then turned and began knocking on the door.
"Mom, it's me, Dongxu. Please open the door. The police need to check and compare the evidence provided by Xu Damao. It's not that Banggeng is the thief."
As Jia Dongxu finished speaking, the door creaked open.
"The police officers have all arrived."
With her triangular eyes wide open, Jia Zhangshi ignored the two police officers and angrily shouted at the onlookers, "Who called the police? If you have the guts, step forward. If it's proven today that it wasn't my Banggeng who stole it, I'll never forgive him."
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