Rural people treat the police with utmost respect and fear, so they would never commit perjury.
Lu Gongan thought that what Zhou Dong said was probably true. Shu Jiandang wanted to set fire to Shu Aiguojia, but the wind blew strangely and blew the fire from next door onto the foundation of his own house. Of course, this process was too fantastical and had many logical loopholes.
It's like the northeast wind blowing through Shanguan Village, which can't possibly blow all the fire to Shu Jiandang's house in the east. Or it's like what kind of wind is so sensible that it blows away every last spark of fire and transfers it all to Shu Jiandang's house?
But none of that matters. The important thing is whether Shu Jiandang actually set the fire. If he did, there's no need to investigate further, and Officer Lu can close the case and go home.
It's the Lunar New Year, a rare holiday, and it's only the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Who wants to work so hard?
Lu Gong'an had just drunk alcohol at his father-in-law's house yesterday, and was feeling dizzy and impatient. He urged Liao Hongmei and Shu Jiandang to go with him.
Liao Hongmei had only been released for two days when she was taken back to the police station. She felt a lump in her throat, unable to swallow her anger.
As she left, Aunt Tong said, "Jian Dang, we're all from the same village. You occupied the patriotic homestead and swallowed up the ancestral property left by your parents, and that's bad enough. But how could you set fire to his house? That's your own brother!"
Huang Xingwang also sighed: "Jian Dang, you're so foolish!"
Shu Jiandang, his face grim, glared fiercely at Zhou Dong before leaving. Zhou Dong, however, wasn't afraid of him; his eyes remained fixed on him, a hint of ruthlessness in his pursed lips. He was the strongest young man in the village, a skilled worker, and always the first to step in when fighting with outsiders. This man had no parents or children, so there was no way to exploit his weaknesses. Even though Shu Jiandang hated him, he wouldn't dare do anything to him.
Zhou Dong took a drag of his cigarette, like a wolf eyeing its prey. Shu Jiandang's eyes darted around; he had finally chickened out and followed behind Lu Gong'an into the town.
Liao Hongmei and Shu Jiandang were both taken away. Shu Kang was sleeping in just a sweater, shivering from the cold. Aunt Tong kept saying it was a terrible thing, but she still found a cotton-padded jacket for her grandson to put on him.
"Your parents did all sorts of bad things, trying to burn others to death, but they ended up burning down their own house instead. That's what you get for it!"
Shu Kang gritted his teeth and glared at him fiercely.
"You little brat, I kindly gave you a cotton-padded coat to wear, and you dare to glare at me! Like father, like son. I can't be bothered with you, I'll just let you freeze to death."
As dawn broke, the fire gradually died down, and the fire in the kitchen went out. Shu Jing went inside and found two burnt steamed buns, which she shared with Shu Kang.
After working all night, Chu Yu was exhausted.
"Mom, let's go back and rest."
Shu Hui nodded, and Shu Aiguo led the children back. The fire next door had already been extinguished. Although their side hadn't caught fire, the smoke and soot had affected the walls to some extent. A patch of the wall on the east side was blackened. Fearing that the house wasn't sturdy, Shu Aiguo turned to look for Huang Xingwang.
"Let's take this opportunity to build the house. It's just after the New Year, so I won't let everyone work for nothing. I'll pay them double the wages."
Shu Aiguo was shrewd. The village had been idle for several months, and no household had any income. Double wages meant that each person could earn several dozen yuan, enough for a family to eat until May or June. Once the weather warmed up and the busy farming season ended, they would gradually have fruits, rice, and flour to take to the county town to repay their debts, and life would be a little better.
Huang Xingwang was quite pleased, saying, "If you're willing to pay, no one would want to quit."
Shu Aiguo patted Zhou Dong on the shoulder, "Thank you for speaking up for your uncle. You must come when the house is being built."
Zhou Dong and Shu Aiguo were not close, after all, they were from different generations. But Shu Aiguo was a kind person. When Zhou Dong was young, his father died early and his mother was bedridden for many years. Shu Aiguo would occasionally come to his house to help fetch water.
The two families lived close to each other, and Shu Aiguo often did his chores. When Zhou Dong's mother was alive, she often said that Shu Aiguo was a kind and honest person, and not like Shu Jiandang.
Zhou Dong was an honest man who wasn't afraid of trouble. Ordinary villagers wouldn't dare to speak up for fear of offending Shu Jiandang's family and being retaliated against by Shu Jiandang.
Zhou Dong dared to speak the truth, and Shu Aiguo thought highly of him. Before the New Year, Chu Yu said he wanted to find someone to go to Guangdong Province to bring in business, but he hadn't found a suitable person yet. Shu Aiguo wanted to call Zhou Dong over, because the young man was really energetic and it would be a pity to leave him in the countryside.
Xibao wasn't run by him alone; Shu Aiguo also needed to consult Chu Yu's opinion.
The sixth day of the lunar new year is an auspicious day, and Shu Aiguo decided that since there was no other time, he would start construction on the sixth day and have Deng Fangping and Shu Hui take the children back to Deyang.
“I don’t feel at ease living in this house. You two should go back to Deyang. Take Shulan there to get acquainted with the area. Didn’t you want to buy a shop? Chen Baifu’s wife has already found out. Have Chu Yu help you make an eye out. As long as you two like it, I have no objections,” Shu Aiguo said.
This house is unsafe to live in. Shu Aiguo even dreams that the house will collapse. It would be better to demolish it and build four main rooms in the front, and two single-story rooms on the east and west sides. That would be enough for nine people.
Chu Yu is right. If you only come back a few times a year, there's no need to spend a lot of money building a house to attract attention. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. There's no harm in keeping a low profile. Chu Yu understood this principle at the age of 18, which made Shu Aiguo feel ashamed.
He told Chu Yu about Zhou Dong.
"This kid is destined for greatness; he'll make a name for himself sooner or later. We might as well recruit him."
Chu Yu had no objections. Zhou Dong had an extraordinary appearance and would leave Shanguan Village sooner or later. Bringing him to Xibao would make him a useful talent, whether it was to travel to Guangdong Province to attract customers or to other places to develop markets.
"I have no objection, you can decide for me."
"How can I make that decision? You have to say it's okay. I'll ask him for his opinion later. By the way, if he agrees, how will the salary be paid?"
Xibao's ordinary staff members receive a base salary of 20 yuan plus commission. Xibao's sales performance is good, and the commission is high. It is common for employees to earn 50 or 60 yuan a month. Zhou Dong is from the same hometown as them and has done Shu Aiguo a favor, so Shu Aiguo wants to promote him.
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