Chapter 139: "You are the thief"
Everyone who got the seeds tried to grow spinach seedlings, but after seven or eight days, not a single one sprouted. During this period, everyone asked each other a question.
“Have yours sprouted?”
It is conceivable that boiled seeds cannot possibly germinate.
Wang Xiaoyan has been to He Shulan's house twice, but she hasn't found the thief who stole her cabbage in a week.
Today, she came to ask again. He Shulan was getting annoyed. "Xiaoyan, don't worry. Wait for two more days."
Wang Xiaoyan refused to give in, so He Shulan had to reveal her plan in full. Anyone who dared to bring spinach seedlings upstairs to exchange for pork would be guilty of stealing the cabbage.
"Sister Shulan, you are so smart. I believe you." Wang Xiaoyan left happily.
In fact, He Shulan was also unsure. Now no family has grown enough spinach. Is it true, as her niece said, that someone would come and exchange spinach seedlings for pork?
One day, two days... He Shulan was about to give up on this matter, but someone really came over early in the morning, holding up his own spinach seedlings, "Sister Shulan, I want to exchange for pork."
He Shulan looked closely and saw that this was the wife of a military officer.
The military wife looked away. She held a small bowl in her hand, which contained a few thriving spinach seedlings. She handed it to He Shulan hesitantly, "These are the spinach seedlings you asked for."
How could she be a military officer's wife? He Shulan was puzzled.
The military wife is not that kind of person. He Shulan also believes in her own judgment. She has been here for several years and has always been timid and fearful. It is impossible for her to steal Xiaoyan's cabbage and pull out Sang Ning's spinach seedlings.
He Shulan asked seriously, "Did you really grow this yourself?"
The military wife shook her body, a hint of surprise flashed across her face, "Yes."
Seeing that she still refused to plead guilty, He Shulan sighed and tried to save her face, "Go into the house first."
At this moment, Wang Xiaoyan ran out from somewhere, quickly grabbed the hand of Dajun's wife, and shouted: "It's you, it's you who stole my cabbage."
"What are you talking about? I didn't steal." The military wife frowned, her eyes almost red with grievance.
Wang Xiaoyan didn't believe it. Two cabbages were missing from her house. It must have been stolen by the military officer's wife. It was unimaginable that she, who was usually timid, actually liked to steal other people's cabbages in the middle of the night.
"Bah, shameless, you dare not take responsibility for the consequences." Wang Xiaoyan was originally a powerful person. She was quick in words and deeds, and she had a lot of ways to scold people.
The army's wife was scolded so harshly that she didn't even dare to raise her head. Fortunately, He Shulan was there to smooth things over. The noise here was so loud that the people downstairs had to stick their heads out to listen carefully.
After entering the house, seeing that Dajun's wife still refused to admit it, He Shulan looked at her disappointedly and explained the whole story clearly.
It turned out that the seeds she gave could not grow into spinach seedlings at all. Anyone who brought spinach seedlings to exchange for pork would be considered a thief who stole Wang Xiaoyan's cabbage.
The military wife got anxious the moment she heard this, "No, no, I really didn't steal."
"I didn't steal it. Where did you get the spinach seedlings?" He Shulan asked.
"My mother-in-law asked me to come up and exchange this. She grew it." The military wife was so anxious that tears were about to fall. She looked at Wang Xiaoyan at a loss.
"I really didn't steal your cabbage."
Wang Xiaoyan saw the military wife crying, and although she didn't say it, she believed her explanation in her heart.
"Who stole it?"
The military wife thought of the cabbage her mother-in-law had taken out a few days ago, and the spinach that had sprouted at who knows when, and hesitated for a long time, not knowing whether she should give the person away.
He Shulan could guess almost everything just by looking at her expression without her saying anything. There had never been any theft before, but after Dajun's mother came, Xiaoyan's cabbage was lost and Sang Ning's spinach seedlings were gone.
It's hard not to suspect that the military was responsible.
Since he is a member of Dajun's family and an elder, He Shulan doesn't know what to do. If she tries to persuade him, he might steal again in the future.
She thought for a moment, then followed the army's wife downstairs, intending to talk things over with the army's mother.
The old lady saw that her daughter-in-law had been gone for such a long time. As soon as she pushed the door open, a stick as thick as a wrist came directly towards her. If He Shulan had not dodged quickly, the stick might have hit her in the face.
"What are you doing?" He Shulan's bandaged face looked a little scary. The old lady cried out "Ouch" and hurried forward.
"Ouch, you hit the wrong person. You hit the wrong person."
He Shulan looked at the stick on the ground and frowned, "What if this stick is thrown casually and hits someone?"
The old lady didn't take it seriously at all. When He Shulan turned her head, she glared at her daughter-in-law fiercely. Dajun's daughter-in-law subconsciously hid behind He Shulan, trembling.
"Old lady, are you Xu Dajun's mother?"
When the old lady heard her son's name from He Shulan's mouth, she narrowed her eyes proudly and said, "Yes, my son, Dajun, has a promising future."
"It's like this. Two cabbages and some spinach seedlings were lost from our building a while ago. Are you aware of this?"
The old lady's face turned pale, and she pushed He Shulan with both hands to leave their house, "I don't know what the difference is, please leave, we don't welcome you."
He Shulan was not angry either. She looked at the mess on the floor and the dirty dishes piled on the table. She looked straight into the old lady's eyes.
"You took it, didn't you?"
If it were someone else, He Shulan would not be so sure, but she saw a small pile of spinach seedlings under the stool just now and was so angry that she lost her mind. It was such a sin that such good spinach was pulled up like this.
The old lady felt that she was wronged, and she put her head against He Shulan's body and acted like a rogue, "You wronged an old woman, I'm going to sue you."
"My son is a soldier. I want to bring disgrace upon you. Is it great that a leader can arbitrarily accuse someone?"
The old lady knew that He Shulan would not dare to attack her easily. As long as she dared to touch her finger, she would fall to the ground and make He Shulan pay for it. She always succeeded in doing this in the village.
Everyone is afraid of her, and no one dares to argue with her.
The old lady thought that the same thing would happen to her this time, but unexpectedly, before her head hit He Shulan's body, she took two steps back. Her feet slipped and she couldn't brake, so she staggered.
Perhaps it was because the noise was too loud, people from upstairs and downstairs came running over to watch the fun, and the old lady's embarrassing appearance was just visible to everyone.
Most of the women in the family compound either disliked their mother-in-law or were forced by her to come and follow the army. When they saw the old lady making a fool of herself, they all covered their mouths and laughed.