There was a lot of discussion on the drying ground, and An Moxue and Wu Sicheng observed the crowd's reaction from a secluded spot.
An Moxue was mainly looking at Wang Zhaodi and Li Weiguo, and both of them had their eyes shining.
There were also a few people who didn't usually interact with her, but who would speak to her sarcastically when they met, and they seemed a little agitated.
Wu Sicheng glanced at a small patch and memorized all the suspicious parts.
Police officers Lao Wang and Xiao Zhang stood at the front, observing the expressions and demeanor of the crowd below, and felt that this time they would not return empty-handed.
The crowd was chattering—
"Was the report really successful?"
"It's just about having better food and clothing! Their parents risked their lives for it."
"Who is this guy? He's so capable! He's got nothing better to do than fly to the moon! He's turned this peaceful village upside down. If this gets out, will we ever have a peaceful day again?"
"Shouldn't the person who reported it be rewarded for their service?"
"That's how it should be. Why should she be given good food, drink, and clothes? We're all ordinary people, so we should all be treated the same."
“Yes, they are all born of the same mother and raised by the same father, so they should be treated the same. Why does she get new clothes and good food? It’s not fair.”
...
Seeing that the crowd's emotions had escalated sufficiently, Officer Wang stepped forward, raised his hand to signal the crowd to quiet down, and then said, "Comrades, please be quiet and listen to me. We are here to verify the report. In a moment, those who have something to report, please come forward, especially the person who wrote the report. Please tell us the details. Everyone is welcome to speak. Okay, those who have nothing to report, please step back. Those who have something to report, please come forward."
Suddenly, most of the crowd retreated, a small group remained standing still, hesitant to move forward, while a few people had already stepped forward, brimming with excitement.
An Moxue hid to the side, observing coldly, and made a deep impression on these people. She did not expect that several people who she had little contact with would stand up and have no impression of her, and would have such a big opinion about her.
Wang Zhaodi was the first to step forward, "Comrade, do you mean to punish An Moxue?"
Old Wang, the police officer, said in a friendly manner, "Comrade, the leader said that there is no right to speak without investigation. As long as the investigation is true, it will be handled in accordance with the regulations."
"Is there a reward for the person who reports it?"
"If the whistleblower's information is true, they will be rewarded according to the severity of the offense."
"Comrade, I'm reporting that An Moxue is keeping two wolves as pets. These are such dangerous animals; she's threatening the people. Moreover, she lives a life of extravagance and hedonism!"
No sooner had Wang Zhaodi finished speaking than Li Weiguo declared passionately, "Comrade, I'm reporting An Moxue for disunity with comrades, pursuing personal independence and monopolistic practices; she is a traitor to the people!"
"Comrade, I-I-report that An Moxue is not uniting the poor and lower-middle peasants and is an enemy of the people!" A village girl named Sanhua, whom An Moxue had never spoken to before, spoke excitedly with a flushed face and a few stutters. After she finished speaking, she looked proud, as if she had done something remarkable.
"Comrade..."
Eight people filed complaints, but Officer Wang listened with a cheerful attitude.
Officer Zhang was indignant. Officer Wang noticed this and gently tugged at his sleeve, which calmed him down and made him put on a serious face.
A few people were still hesitant, so Officer Wang spoke up: "Is there anyone else?"
In the end, everyone backed down and remained silent.
"Okay, now can anyone tell us who wrote the whistleblower letter so we can reward them accordingly?"
The eight people in front had their eyes light up when they heard about "rewarding those who have made contributions".
As soon as Old Wang finished speaking, four people stepped forward, claiming that they had written the report themselves.
Suddenly, a woman dressed in patched clothes rushed out from the crowd, grabbed a girl, and started to pull her away, cursing, "You stupid girl, what nonsense are you talking about! Come on, let's go home together."
He didn't forget to turn back to the village chief and the police and say, "Village chief, comrade, what she said doesn't count. Just ignore it as a fart."
Sanhua said angrily, "I didn't, I'm telling the truth, Mother, please let me go."
The mother and daughter then separated, one refusing to move while the other tried to drag her away.
The village chief angrily said, "Let go, everyone! We're investigating! What kind of behavior is this?"
Upon hearing what the village chief said, both mother and daughter reluctantly let go of each other's hands.
Officer Wang, still maintaining a friendly demeanor, smiled and said, "Comrades, since you all say you wrote the report letter yourselves, but there are four of you now, and the number of letters doesn't match up. Here's what we'll do: give each of you a piece of paper and a pen, and have you rewrite the report letter. Whoever's rewrite matches the original is the one who wrote it."
After he finished speaking, the village chief said, "You few come with us to the brigade headquarters. The rest of you wait a moment."
After saying that, the group followed the village chief and Officer Wang to the brigade office.
On the drying ground, Officer Zhang, with a serious face, asked, "Does anyone else have something to report?"
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Wu Sicheng asked An Moxue, "Moxue, have you ever suspected any of these people?"
“I’m not familiar with the other three people, except for Wang Zhaodi. I haven’t even spoken to the girl who was being pulled by her mother.”
"You need to be careful around these people from now on. Also, be wary of those over there, and those grouped together," Wu Sicheng said, pointing them out to An Moxue one by one.
"Although they didn't report it, their eyes don't lie; they were full of envy and jealousy."
An Moxue looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw that they all had unfriendly eyes, and they were all women.
Even among the four people who went to the brigade headquarters just now, three were women.
For no apparent reason, she recalled a saying: "A woman's love and hate are not governed by reason, because love and hate are determined by their preferences, especially jealousy, which is the most irrational."
About twenty minutes later, Officer Wang and his team reappeared on the drying ground. Holding the letters of complaint, he said, "Comrades, please come to me now and take a look. Do you remember these letters? We'll make a final judgment."
The crowd lined up to take a look, and a few people even said, "This handwriting is really ugly, not as good as mine!" After looking at it, they couldn't help but purse their lips.
When he got to Li Laitou, he picked up the letter and examined it closely. It was exactly the same as the notebook that Wang Zhaodi had hidden under the mat on the kang.
I have a huge problem with Wang Zhaodi; she's ruined my life!
His eyes darted around, but he finally decided to explain things clearly to the village chief, so that he wouldn't be implicated by Wang Zhaodi.
He walked up to the village chief and whispered, "Uncle Village Chief, let me make this clear beforehand. I didn't know about Wang Zhaodi's despicable deeds until I saw these letters. You can't lump me in with her. We're not like that. These letters are the same as the notebook she hid under the mat on my kang (heated brick bed). I guess they were torn from there."
Li Lai blurted out his words in one breath, like a firecracker exploding, not giving anyone a chance to speak. After he finished, he looked at Village Chief Guo with a hopeful expression.
Village Chief Guo had no choice but to say, "You are you, and Wang Zhaodi is Wang Zhaodi. Don't worry, I can't wrong you. Now go home and get that notebook back."
Hearing what Village Chief Guo said, Li Laitou breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave the drying ground.
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