Chapter 37

It was pitch black.

Jiang Nian came in from outside, warmed her hands in front of the brazier for a while, then climbed onto the kang and spread out the quilt.

Xu Cheng and his father-in-law's rooms were unusable, so this was the only room they could sleep in.

Lu Yu originally planned to stay with Zhao Gang for two nights, but Zhao Gang had married, and Aunt Zhao's house only had two rooms, so it would not be convenient for him to go there. Jiang Nian glanced at the two quilts on the kang, and she tried to sleep against the wall, letting Lu Yu sleep next to her.

Jiang Nian thought of the embarrassment in the guesthouse that time, and she was worried. She didn't sleep well, what if she ran into Lu Yu again at night? What should she do?

Jiang Nian waited in the house for a long time. When she was drowsy, she finally heard footsteps outside.

She put on her cotton shoes and went out. There was a figure in the dark yard. She knew it was Lu Yu from the outline.

Jiang Nian closed the door and followed Lu Yu into the kitchen. She watched Lu Yu light the kerosene lamp and asked, "Why are you back so late?"

It was not too far from here to the brigade.

Lu Yu put the dishes in the enamel basin, looked at the thin figure reflected on the adobe wall, pursed his thin lips for a few seconds, and then said: "I talked to the captain about something. We will go to Jiang's house tomorrow, and they will go with us."

Jiang Nian was stunned. She

didn't expect Lu Yu to think of the same thing as her. She originally wanted to ask Lu Yu to accompany her to the captain's house tomorrow, saying that she would go to Jiang's house, but she didn't expect that he had solved it. Since she came to this era, it seems that all the complicated problems are handled by Lu Yu.

Jiang Nian said, "What is it like not to take it to heart?"

It feels warm and warm, as if someone is protecting her and finding a backer.

She asked, "What are we having for dinner?"

"Let's cook something and heat up some corn cakes."

Lu Yu carried the bucket to the well, filled it with water, and walked to the stove. His eyes once again fell on Jiang Nian. She was bending her head to light a fire. The orange flames flickered on her face. In the dark night, her features became clearer.

She seemed to no longer be the dull, taciturn, timid and cowardly woman she used to be.

Lu Yu was a little uncertain now. When did his sister-in-law start to change?

Or perhaps, his sister-in-law was different from the night he returned home after his rebirth.

He talked a lot with the old professor tonight. Looking at the gray hair on the old professor's temples, he vaguely mentioned the changes in a few years, as a hope for the old man to live. He said it vaguely, but the old professor heard it. At that moment, Lu Yu saw the light in the old professor's cloudy and sick eyes.

"Lu Yu, add some water to the pot."

Jiang Nian raised her hand and waved it in front of her nose to stop her cough. She waited for Lu Yu to come in with the water and pour it into the pot. She was about to use the rag to wash the pot, but Lu Yu took the lead and said, "The water is cold. Try not to touch it."

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and chuckled, "Then I'll light the fire."

Lu Yu was the one who cooked at night . They had some cooked rice, fried potato shreds, and corn cakes. After the meal, they washed up and went back to the room. Lu Yu glanced at the two quilts on the kang. There was a gap as wide as a pillow between the quilts. He watched Jiang Nian take off his shoes and crawl into the quilt hole on the kang. His ears and neck turned red all of a sudden.

Jiang Nian also felt a little embarrassed. She showed her head. The kerosene lamp in the room was very dim, dividing Lu Yu's figure into a bright and dark boundary. She blinked and whispered, "Let's get along for the next two nights."

The man's voice was a little low and hoarse, "Okay."

After Jiang Nian finished speaking, she turned her back and leaned against the wall covered with newspapers, reading the words on the newspapers to distract her attention. But even so, her ears were still sensitive to the sound of Lu Yu's walking, and she noticed that he was sitting by the bed, taking off his coat...

Jiang Nian closed her eyes all of a sudden and tried to make herself fall asleep, hoping that she would sleep better tonight.

Lu Yu turned his head to look at Jiang Nian who was covered in a quilt, turned off the kerosene lamp, and lay down beside the bed, with his arms behind his head, looking at the dark beams.

He was not sleepy, especially with Jiang Nian lying next to him.

After a long time, Lu Yu heard steady breathing and knew that Jiang Nian had fallen asleep. He turned his head to look at Jiang Nian who was leaning against the earth wall. The night was quiet, and the sweet breathing sound was in his ears. Lu Yu had never felt that any night was as tormenting as tonight.

He faced the beams, closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep.

Half awake and half asleep until midnight, he heard the sound of someone turning over beside him. He closed his eyes and didn't look, letting the late sleepiness gradually shroud his consciousness. It was not until he felt weight on his legs that Lu Yu suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Nian who had turned over in her sleep.

The woman's head was against his pillow, with her arms hanging outside. She was wearing a sweater she knitted herself. Her hands were slender and white, and her fingers were white and tender. They were so clearly pressed against his neck that he only needed to turn a little to touch her hands and skin.

Lu Yu's breathing was tense, and he looked up at the weight on his body.

It was Jiang Nian's legs that were on him. Fortunately, she was wearing pants. Lu Yu pursed his lips and stood up to hold Jiang Nian's ankles. Her ankles were very thin and the injury on her right ankle had completely healed.

Lu Yu held her ankles and put her legs into the quilt. After tucking the corners of the quilt for her, he moved his body a little further out to keep a little distance from her.

The senses were very strong at night. The steady breathing in the ears was like a spider web, drilling into the earlobes. Lu Yu pursed his lips, turned over and lay down for a while, then got up and went outside. He sat in the yard in a thin white shirt, letting the cold wind blow on him.

Lu Yu sat there until the middle of the night before returning to the house.

The room was dark, the window faced the kang, the moonlight shone through the window onto the bed, Jiang Nian didn't know when she fell into his quilt, curled up and slept on the edge of the kang, with only half of her face exposed.

Lu Yu: ...

He frowned helplessly, got on the kang and lay down in the quilt against the wall, the quilt covered her body, the unique scent of Jiang Nian came to her nose, and the drowsiness that Lu Yu had finally gotten out of was gone.

At dawn, the chickens raised by Aunt Zhao next door began to cluck.

Jiang Nian frowned at the noise. She turned over, lifted her legs, hooked the quilt under her feet and pressed it under her legs to continue sleeping. But she suddenly woke up while sleeping. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Yu standing nearby!

"Awake?"

Lu Yu was sleeping against the wall, and his voice was hoarse.

Jiang Nian replied in a daze: "Oh."

She came to her senses and realized something was wrong. She turned her head and looked behind her. She found a large open space behind her. She turned her head again and saw Lu Yu leaning against the wall. She was leaning against Lu Yu, with her head almost resting on his shoulder.

Jiang Nian: ...

She knew it would be this tragic.

Jiang Nian crawled into the quilt and rolled out twice, covering her head with the quilt. She didn't think about how she rolled from inside the kang to outside the kang. She said in a muffled voice with great annoyance: "I'm sorry."

Lu Yu got up and put on his coat. He glanced at Jiang Nian, who looked like a huddled turtle, with a smile in his eyes: "It's okay."

Jiang Nian didn't stick her head out of the quilt until she heard the sound of the door closing. She turned over, knocked her head on the pillow, and frowned in annoyance.

There were other important things to do today. Jiang Nian stayed in the quilt for a while and then got up. When she put on her cotton-padded clothes and went out, Lu Yu had already boiled hot water. She went in with the enamel basin, looked at Lu Yu standing in front of the chopping board cutting vegetables, lowered her head and quickly scooped a ladle of hot water and went out.

After breakfast, Lu Yu went to the commune first. Jiang Nian was not idle either. She went to find Aunt Zhao and told her that she wanted to go back to her parents' home and get back the money that Jiang's mother had robbed from her over the years. These were Lu Yu's wages. Although they were sent back to her, they were actually for Xu Cheng.

Aunt Zhao had always disliked the people in the Jiang family and had mentioned it to Jiang Nian several times before, but Jiang Nian kept his head down and couldn't say a word for a long time, so she never said anything again. Unexpectedly, after being away for half a year, her mind had opened up.

Jiang Nian said that she wanted Aunt Zhao to find a few more neighbors to serve as witnesses to identify the money that Jiang's mother had stolen from the Xu family over the years. When Aunt Zhao heard this, she said, "I'll go ask Old Li and the others, you come with me."

Jiang Nian smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhao."

Jiang Nian followed Aunt Zhao to several neighboring homes and told the aunts about the situation. These aunts all ate the cakes and candies that Jiang Nian brought back yesterday. Two families were in a dilemma, and thinking that less trouble is better, they found an excuse to decline.

However, there were two other families that had a good relationship with Aunt Zhao. After listening to Aunt Zhao's words, they thought of how the Jiang family came to the Xu family empty-handed every time they came, and when they left, they were full of things, like bandits entering the village .

When Old Xu was alive, he also took care of the two families.

So Aunt Li and Aunt Wang decided to go with Aunt Zhao and Jiang Nian to meet the Jiang family in the next village.

When Lu Yu, the team leader, and the village chief came over, they saw Jiang Nian, Aunt Zhao, Aunt Li, and Aunt Wang together, and Aunt Zhao's daughter-in-law and son Zhao Gang followed them.

Aunt Zhao said, "Let's go to Tianxi Village next door to ask the Jiang family for money."

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian thoughtfully, Jiang Nian avoided his gaze, lowered his head and walked with Aunt Zhao. In winter

,

there was no work to do on the land of the brigade, and basically every household rested at home.

Jiang's mother Cao Lan took two radishes from the vegetable cellar, and saw her grandson Jiang Fu eating a piece of peach cake. She frowned and ran back to the house to ask her husband Jiang Hai: "Did you give him the peach cake?"

"No."

Jiang Hai was lying on the kang rubbing his left foot. He had injured his left foot when he went to work in the team a few years ago. His family was poor and he kept putting it off. In the end, not only did he become lame, but every winter when it was cold, the bones in his feet would ache.

He leaned on the pillow and glanced at Cao Lan: "The keys are all in your pocket, and I can't touch them."

Cao Lan snorted coldly: "If it's not you, then it must be Lian Qin. She must have secretly run to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it and hid it. If Xiaofu hadn't taken it out today, I wouldn't know about it. I said at the beginning that if we divide the family, we must divide the family. If we don't, Lian Qin, that shameless woman, will definitely suck our blood. Look, now... "In the past, she didn't even tell me that she bought peach cakes. Also, where did she get the money from?"

Jiang Hai was too lazy to leave her: "It was your good son who gave it to her."

At first, it was the mother and the old couple who went to the Xu family. When Xu Cheng's father was alive, they could be more restrained and asked Xiao Nian for money. After Xu Cheng's father died, there was only the paralyzed Xu Cheng left at home. They went so far as to take back all the food that was stored by others. They also snatched away the subsidies that Lu Laoer sent back every month.

With Jiang Guo's lazy and greedy personality, how could he have money?

Every year, when Xiao Nian was working for the brigade, the family could still get a few grains at the end of the year. After Xiao Nian got married, she relied on Cao Lan and Jiang Guo, and had to pay grain to the brigade at the end of each year.

Where did Jiang Guo get the money? Didn't he steal it from Xiao Nian?!

Jiang Hai is a cripple and can't work, so he has no say in the family. Cao Lan scolds him like a grandson all day long. Jiang Guo also half ignores his father. He just wants to get by one day at a time in this family.

"Mom, I'm hungry. Is the meal not ready yet?"

Jiang Guo opened the door and saw Jiang's mother quickly locked the cabinet, so he walked over curiously: "Mom, how much money do you have hidden in the cabinet?"

Cao Lan looked at him unhappily: "No matter how much money you hide, I won't give it to you. I'm saving it for Xiaofu to get married in the future."

Jiang Guo said: "It's too early for him to get married."

"I won't give it to you either. And your wife bought peach cakes without my knowledge. How expensive are peach cakes? It's enough for our cornmeal money for half a month. Why is she so wasteful? Did she spend all the money you took from Xiao Nian?"

Jiang Guo was annoyed when he heard Cao Lan talking about Lian Qin again, but he still suppressed his annoyance and said, "I didn't take much money from Xiao Nian. Isn't her money all in "What about yours?"

Cao Lan got angry all of a sudden and poked Cao Guo's forehead: "You are always siding with your wife. You really forgot your mother after marrying your wife!"

Jiang Guo rubbed the place that was hurt by the poking, and did not dare to talk back to Cao Lan. Now his mother is still the richest person in the family. With the betrothal money from Xiao Nian and the money he got from Xiao Nian in recent years, it is estimated that there are 1,000 yuan.

If he spends this money frugally, it will be enough for him to spend for many years.

Jiang Guo returned to the house and saw Lian Qin sitting on the kang eating melon seeds. He went up to her and asked, "Did you give peach cakes to Xiaofu?"

Lian Qin glanced at him and said, "What's wrong?"

"What else?"

Jiang Guo was so angry that he sat on the kang and said, "Xiaofu took it outside and mother saw it. Mother is very angry now. What do you think? If he offends mother and we are really separated, can we still get the money?"

Lian Qin immediately put the melon seeds on the kang and said, "This brat, I told him to finish eating before leaving, but he dared to lie to me."

Lian Qin knew that her mother-in-law had something against her, and she also thought about dividing the family, but her mother advised her not to do so, saying that her mother-in-law had money, and that she would divide the family after she cheated the money, so she had been enduring it.

Jiang Guo was a lazy man who loved to eat, and she only knew that after she got married. If he was the only one to support them, they would starve to death sooner or later, which was also the reason why she didn't want to divide the family. At least her mother-in-law had money and tickets, and if there was no food at home, her mother-in-law would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it.

The three of them could live well by drinking and eating.

"Lian Qin, come and light the fire."

Jiang's mother's voice came from the kitchen, and Lian Qin hurriedly said, "I'm here."

She put on her shoes and pushed Jiang Guo away: "I'll deal with Xiaofu tonight."

After saying that, she ran to the kitchen.

The Jiang family only had two meals a day, one at noon and one at 6 p.m. If they were hungry, they would just force themselves to eat. So every time it was time to eat, everyone in the family would eat as much as they could.

The first meal was stewed cabbage with radish, and a plate of pickled vegetables. The steamed buns were made of sweet potato noodles. The family sat in the living room to eat. Jiang Fu was three years old this year. Children have small stomachs, so he was not too hungry after eating a piece of peach cake.

At the dinner table, Cao Lan said to Jiang Guo and Lian Qin: "When spring comes, both of you go to the fields and earn some work for me. If anyone is lazy and goes home, there will be no food to eat."

Jiang Guo and Lian Qin were reluctant to do this. Jiang Hai said: "Before you got married, you were lazy and gluttonous. How can you be lazy and gluttonous after you got married? How long can you rely on us? When we are old, who will give Xiaofu money to marry a wife?"

Lian Qin didn't say anything. Jiang Guo said: "I don't rely on you either. I rely on Xiao Nian and mother."

He said it with a clear conscience.

Jiang Hai got angry instantly, threw down his chopsticks and went back to the house.

Jiang Guo looked at Cao Lan: "Has the letter you asked someone to write been sent to Xiao Nian?"

Jiang's mother was upset when she mentioned this. She felt that this girl had grown wings and turned into an ungrateful wolf. She would not care about her mother at all after she left. So she said impatiently: "There is no trace of her until now."

Jiang Guo frowned: "What about the marriage of the captain's cousin? We promised Lao Du that we would find Xiao Nian and marry her to him. He promised to give us 400 yuan as a betrothal gift." Cao

Lan put down her chopsticks after dinner, looked up and glared at him: "Do you think I'm not in a hurry? After the New Year, I will go to Lu Lao Er's troops to find Xiao Nian. She is my daughter. Even if she gets married, she is still a member of my Jiang family. Why should she follow Lu Lao Er?"

"After she gets married, she is no longer a member of your Jiang family. She is a member of the Xu family!"

The voice of the captain came from outside. It was the captain called by Lu Yu.

The voice was so loud that it scared several people in the house. They stood up and ran outside to see who had come. As a result, they saw more than ten people, including their Tianxi Village captain Du Ping and several people in the team. There was another group of people that Jiang's mother knew and some did not. Among them were Mrs. Zhao, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Li. They were all neighbors of the Xu family. She often went to the Xu family, so she knew them. There were

also a few people she didn't know.

But Jiang's mother and Jiang Guodu saw the two most conspicuous people in the crowd, the second son of the Xu family, Lu, and her daughter Jiang Nian.

This mighty force really scared the Jiang family.

Cao Lan was the first to react, and she shouted to Jiang Nian: "You stupid girl, you still know how to come back, get out of here!"

It has been almost half a year since the letter was sent, and there is no sign of it. Cao Lan is almost dying of anxiety. Now that she sees Jiang Nian, she wants to vent all her anger on her. She also promised Du Ping's cousin that she would marry Jiang Nian to him.

That is a betrothal gift of 400 yuan.

Lu Yu stood in front of Jiang Nian's left with a cold look on his face, looking at Jiang's mother coldly: "Since Jiang Nian married into the Xu family, she has been a member of the Xu family, and it is up to her to decide whether to stay or go."

"Bullshit!" Cao Lan glared, "I am her mother. She came out of my stomach. Even if she dies, the blood flowing in her body is from my Jiang family."

Lu Yu knew that it would be useless to talk to such a person, and he didn't want to waste any more words, so he said to Du Pinghe and the captain, "Jiang Nian has been married to the Xu family for four years. I calculated last night how much money the Jiang family has stolen from Jiang Nian, including the food from the Xu family. The total amount is one thousand yuan."

Cao Lan's family was afraid of Lu Yu. Now they heard that Lu Yu was here to ask for money, and they became anxious, "Who stole your money?" , don't just talk nonsense and frame us!"

Jiang Guo and Lian Qin were also anxious. After all, they were still relying on this money to live a good life. They immediately wore the same pants as Cao Lan and said, "We didn't take her money at all. She was talking nonsense."

Jiang Guo looked at Jiang Nian: "Do you have a conscience? Your mother raised you up and married you to a good family. It's fine if you don't thank your mother, but you still have the nerve to say that we stole your money?"

Jiang Nian has the memory of the original owner and knows the shamelessness of this family, but she has never seen it with her own eyes. Seeing it today really refreshed her three views.

It is truly shameless and has no bottom line.

Aunt Zhao was unhappy with this and stopped talking. She pulled Aunt Li and Aunt Wang and said to the captain and Du Ping, "Don't listen to their nonsense. We saw it clearly whether they came to Xu's house to rob money. Every time they left Xu's house, their hands were full of money. Do you think we are blind? Before, the daughter-in-law of the Xu family swallowed her anger, and we as outsiders couldn't say anything. But today, the daughter-in-law of the Xu family asked us to testify, so we have to tell the truth. If we tell a lie, let my Zhao family be extinct."

These words were cruel enough to shock Du Ping and the captain.

Even Jiang Nian and Lu Yu were a little surprised. Aunt Li and Aunt Wang knew that Aunt Zhao was not lying, and they echoed, "We are the same. We didn't tell a single lie. Especially the mother and brother of Xu's daughter-in-law. When Xu Cheng's father was alive, they came once a month. After Xu Cheng's father passed away, they came several times a month. I think Xu Cheng was probably pissed off to death by the Jiang family."

Aunt Zhao, Aunt Li and Aunt Wang were also good at talking. Lian Qin and Jiang Guo could not compare with the mouths of the old women, let alone Cao Lan. Jiang Hai sat in the room listening to the voices outside, turned his head and looked out the window. His haggard and tired eyes stared at Jiang Nian's face for a long time, his expression full of guilt and powerlessness.

If he hadn't been lame in the past and couldn't do heavy work, and had a say in the family, Xiao Nian wouldn't have suffered so much.

Cao Lan yelled, "All of you shut up and let my daughter speak. Ask her if I stole her money?"

She was sure that Xiao Nian would not say anything. She knew her daughter's personality best. She was a timid person from childhood to adulthood. She would not dare to talk back when others scolded her. She would just stand there with her head down and could not say anything. No matter what others said, as long as Xiao Nian said that she did not take the money from the Xu family, it would be useless for these people to say anything.

Everyone's eyes fell on Jiang Nian. Jiang Guo also looked at Jiang Nian and showed his brother's identity: "Xiao Nian, mother and big brother have been worried about you for the past six months. Why didn't you tell us when you left?"

Jiang Hai watched in the room without saying a word.

Lian Qin also spoke: "Xiao Nian, sister-in-law is also worried about you."

Jiang Nian looked at the hypocritical faces of this family and couldn't help sneering in his heart. Aunt Zhao and the others also looked at Jiang Nian, with some worry on their faces. Aunt Zhao came to her senses and regretted that she had said too much just now. If the daughter-in-law of the Xu family retreated in the face of battle, they would become a joke today.

Du Ping and the captain also looked at Jiang Nian. They were the captains of two villages. The one who came to them was the second son of the Xu family, Lu, who was the deputy commander of the army. They all knew about the Jiang family's affairs, but no one said anything, so they just turned a blind eye. But now the trouble is in the open, they can't just ignore it.

Lu Laoer also told the two captains that the Jiang family's case was a burglary. Although they were related to the Xu family's daughter-in-law by blood, they took away the Xu family's property without the Xu family's consent, which was a criminal act. The captain saw it with his own eyes on the way here. Lu Laoer asked Zhao Gang and his wife to go to the county to ask for police officers.

The captain was full of admiration for Lu Laoer. The country people had a weak sense of law. If it were someone else, they would never have thought that there were so many twists and turns in this matter. Country people usually come to the brigade to solve any problems they have. Who would think of going to the county to ask for police officers?

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian calmly. Jiang Nian noticed Lu Yu's gaze and did not look up at him, but looked at the three members of the Jiang family who were looking at her expectantly. With both groups of people holding their own hopes, Jiang Nian said word by word: "When I married into the Xu family, my father-in-law was still alive..."

Cao Lan and Jiang Guo stared at her with warnings in their eyes.

Jiang Nian could not see it at all, and was not afraid at all: "When my father-in-law was alive, Cao Lan would come to see me at the end of every month, sometimes with Jiang Guo, to force me to hand over the money and bills on my body..."

"You're talking nonsense! You have no respect for your parents. You don't even call us mother and brother, but call us by our names. I think I have raised a stupid wolf!"

Cao Lan rushed forward to hit Jiang Nian, and Jiang Guo also rushed forward to pull Jiang Nian over. Lu Yu stood in front of Jiang Nian, and when Jiang Guo's hand reached out, he grabbed his wrist and shoulder with one hand, turned over and held him down, his voice was deep and sharp, with an inviolable majesty: "Do you want to commit another crime of assault?!" Jiang Guo was twisted

in pain and kept shouting: "It hurts, it hurts, let go! Mother, let him let go quickly, my arm is going to be broken!"

"Let go of my son!"

Jiang's mother was anxious to step forward and pull Lu Yu away, but Lu Yu let go of Jiang Guo first and didn't let Cao Lan touch him.

He let go of Jiang Guo's mouth and gave him a push.

Jiang Guo stumbled forward and tripped over the uneven muddy ground, falling flat on his face. Du Ping looked very ugly and glared at Jiang's mother: "If you make trouble again, follow me to the brigade to be criticized!"

The three people from the Jiang family immediately stopped.

The team leader said to Jiang Nian: "Don't be afraid, tell it, you are from our village, and you can't let other villages bully you!"

Aunt Zhao also said: "The team leader is right."

Du Ping was the team leader of Tianxi Village. He glanced at the team leader at the Xu family, and finally said to Jiang Nian: "Go on."

Jiang Nian glanced at Lu Yu who was blocking her. The man was tall and covered all the dirt for her. The danger from the Jiang family shocked her heart for a moment, but she suppressed her surging heartbeat and continued, "After my father-in-law died, Lu Yu came back and buried him with me, leaving me some money and notes. The money and notes left by my father-in-law after his death were also given to me. On the third day after Lu Yu left, Cao Lan and Jiang Guo came to the Xu family and forced me to hand over all the money and notes, and took away the food in the house, regardless of the life and death of Xu Cheng and me."

"After that, they came every few days to see if Lu Yu had sent me any subsidies. All the subsidies that were sent back would be snatched away by Cao Lan and Jiang Guo. Aunt Zhao, Aunt Li, and Aunt Wang saw all this with their own eyes. It was because Cao Lan and Jiang Guo took away all the money that Xu Cheng had no money to buy medicine, causing his old injury to relapse. It was also because they took away the food that Xu Cheng and I didn't have enough to eat. After Xu Cheng died, they went so far as to take away the food in our home and took away the money I gave to Xu Cheng to deal with his funeral. They robbed more than half of my belongings, causing me to starve for two days, and then Li Niu and Liu Fugui from the same village broke into my house—"

Lu Yu stopped Jiang Nian from talking and said in a cold voice: "Because of your robbery, my sister-in-law had no strength to resist, and was unable to do anything when her house was robbed. In the end, she was seriously injured. You must all bear corresponding responsibilities for the injuries she suffered."

Jiang Nian understood why Lu Yu stopped her from talking. He was afraid that she would tell the truth about Li Niu and Liu Fugui's attempted rape and that it would ruin her reputation.

Du Ping only now realized that Jiang Nian had to suffer this ordeal. His eyes immediately turned colder when he looked at the Jiang family. With a rat like the Jiang family in Tianxi Village, he, as the team leader, would definitely be scolded as well. This matter would definitely not be settled now. He didn't expect that the Jiang family would bring such a big scandal upon him just at the beginning of the new year. If he were to select outstanding cadres at the end of this year, he would definitely not be included.

Seeing Jiang Nian had said so much, Cao Lan started to lie: "How do you know that the money is yours? Even if my family has money and bills, you have no evidence. How can you say it is yours?"

She looked at Aunt Zhao again: "Did you see me robbing her money?"

This question stumped Aunt Zhao and the others. They only saw Jiang's mother and Jiang Guo carrying things out of Xu's house, but they did

n't see them robbing money. Lian Qin and Jiang Guo saw that they were silent and smiled smugly.

The two captains were also looking at each other. Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, Lu Yu spoke: "The tickets you took from Xu's house were sent back by me from the army. There was a stamp of the army on the tickets. One thousand yuan is a lot of money. I have learned about your family's situation. Jiang Hai is lame and can't work in the fields. Jiang Guo is lazy and seldom does the work given by the brigade. Jiang Guo's wife Lian Qin also rarely goes to the brigade to work." The family is making money, and it all depends on you, Cao Lan, an elderly person, to earn money to support the whole family. Under such circumstances, let alone having extra food, there is no money at home. Now it is very clear that as long as we find the money and the bill, the evidence will be solid. "

Jiang Guo was a little panicked: "What are you based on? Check our house?"

Cao Lan also reacted, anxious and panicked: "Yes, yes, if you dare to enter my house, I will beat you to death!"

Lu Yu said, "We don't have the right to break into your house and search for evidence, but we can use the search warrant from the public security comrades. I have asked someone to report to the county police, and the public security comrades will come over soon. When they find out whether there is the money and bills in your house, the truth will be revealed."

As soon as these words came out, the Jiang family panicked.

They didn't understand these things at all, but Lu Laoer was a soldier in the army and knew all about these things. If it was really like what he said, what should they do?

Jiang Guo was also anxious, and asked in a low voice: "Mom, what should we do?"

Cao Lan didn't know. She kept staring at Jiang Nian, but Jiang Nian was blocked by Lu Laoer's tall body. She couldn't see anything she wanted to see. Cao Lan never thought that this uncle who came out halfway would be so protective of Jiang Nian. Jiang

Nian pursed her lips and looked at the man who was "shielding her from the wind and rain" in front of her, and her heart was warm.

She felt more and more that calling Lu Yu back this time was a correct choice, because with him around, he really helped her solve many things that she needed to talk hard to do.

The captain walked straight to the bench in the yard and sat down, saying, "The public security comrades are coming, so I will sit here and wait. The people from Tianxi Village have come to our village to rob money. As the captain, I serve the Party and the people. If I can't even come forward to solve the demands of my own villagers, what am I doing, captain?"

These words were not only said to the Jiang family, but also to Lu Yu.

Lu Laoer's position was not ordinary, and he would be able to help the village with more things in the future. If Lu Laoer's help could make the village one step closer, then he, the captain, could move up a step. Who wouldn't want to get more benefits from this idea?

Only by making achievements and convincing the villagers, he would have a chance.

The Xu family's daughter-in-law might be an opportunity.

Seeing that the captain had said so, Aunt Zhao and the others also sat on the bench and said, "We won't leave either. We'll stay here. My son and my daughter-in-law will be here with the police soon. Let's see how long you can keep stabbing."

As the saying goes, it's difficult for an honest official to settle family affairs, but the actions of the Jiang family have indirectly led to Jiang Nian being bullied by Li Niu and his men. Moreover, the money they robbed was not a small amount, and the money was sent from the army. It was not a simple family affair.

The neighbors around the Jiang family heard the noise early in the morning. The news spread quickly. Now there were many people outside the Jiang family yard. The neighbors knew more or less about what the Jiang family had done in the past few years. Moreover, Jiang Guo had been lazy and gluttonous since he was a child. He was already notorious in Tianxi Village. Even Lian Qin married a woman from several villages away.

The Jiang family had few people working in the fields to earn work points, but since Jiang Nian got married, they could eat meat every now and then. Many people in the village were jealous and disliked them. Du Ping never had a good face when he saw the Jiang family.

Cao Lan, Jiang Guo, and Lian Qin panicked when they saw this situation. They didn't know what to do.

Jiang Hai sat calmly on the kang in the room, as if he was a person who didn't care about anything.

After an unknown amount of time, someone outside started shouting, "The police are here--"

The crowd dispersed, and Zhao Gang and his wife came in with two police officers. The Jiang family was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

One of the police officers said, "We received a call from the police saying that there was a robbery here."

Lu Yu looked at Zhao Gang, who was stunned for a moment, and then quickly said, "Isn't it a robbery you asked me to talk about?"

Lu Yu: ...

Jiang Nian: ...

She remembered that Lu Yu didn't say that.

The public security comrade frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Lu Yu briefly explained the situation of the Jiang family and the Xu family. Another public security comrade recognized Lu Yu, who was also the one who sent two criminals who attempted to rape women to the public security bureau last time. He also explained his identity and took notes and testified with them.

At that time, he and another colleague came down to understand the situation and also understood the situation of the Xu family. Now Lu Yu briefly explained the situation of the Xu and Jiang families again. Thinking of the previous things, the public security comrade knew that this was not an ordinary burglary, but also involved the victim's injury indirectly caused by the behavior of the Jiang family.

So the public security comrade said, "We don't have the right to search either."

Cao Lan and Jiang Guo just breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and then they heard the public security comrade continue to say, "But I'm going to go back and apply now. Before the search warrant is issued, all the property in the Jiang family's house cannot be moved or damaged."

The Jiang family's faces turned pale again.

In order to prevent the Jiang family from moving evidence, Du Ping locked Cao Lan's house with a lock and asked the people working in the brigade to guard it. Lu Yu stated the time he would leave. The public security comrade said, "We will apply when we go back. It will be issued as early as tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Today is the fifth day of the first lunar month. If the search warrant can be issued tomorrow, this matter can be resolved. We can catch the train at 6 pm on the sixth day of the first lunar month and return on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

This matter can only wait for news from the public security comrade.

Tonight, the Jiang family members all looked sad, only Jiang Hai was in the same mood. However, even if he knew the whole story, he would not tell anyone or expose his family. He would let the public security comrades investigate it themselves. If they found out, they found out. If they didn't, he wouldn't say anything more.

If he took the initiative to confess, he would be the sinner in the family, and then he would have trouble living in the family.

Compared with the Jiang family who were full of worries, Jiang Nian was much calmer.

After returning home, Jiang Nian went to the brigade to buy some fine flour, and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some eggs and brown sugar. After returning, he went to the stove room to start kneading the dough, planning to make some cakes and brown sugar steamed cakes for the three aunts and the brigade leader's house.

Today's matter was also thanks to them, otherwise it would not have been resolved so quickly.

Jiang Nian was shivering with coldness. Lu Yu washed his hands with water from the well, walked into the stove room, and took the enamel basin from Jiang Nian's hand: "I'll knead the dough, you light the fire."

Jiang Nian shook her hands and smiled: "Okay."

She sat in front of the stove to light the fire, lit the fire, added water to the pot, and then sat in front of the stove to warm herself by the fire. She looked up at Lu Yu who had kneaded the dough and put it in the pot to let the hot steam rise.

Jiang Nian pursed her lips: "Lu Yu."

Lu Yu turned his head and looked at her: "What's wrong?"

She smiled at him: "I bought flour to make some cakes and brown sugar steamed cakes. I want to give some to a few ladies and the captain. What do you think?"

Is she asking him?

Lu Yu looked at the cheerful smile on her face, and said in a low voice with tenderness: "Okay."

When it was dark, the dough was ready. Jiang Nian made some cakes and put them in the pot to steam. The kerosene lamp was lit in the kitchen. Lu Yu sat in front of the stove and watched the fire. He watched Jiang Nian cover the pot, then raised his eyes to look at her face, observing her expression with his dark eyes: "When the cakes are ready, we will also give some to the professor who lives in the cowshed we told you about."