Chapter 84: Feint to the East and Attack in the West & Get Caught & Poisoned...
As if he didn't notice Sister Wang's expression, Jin Yue displayed his naughty child's principle of "I'm a child and I don't need to be reasoned with", pointed at the vase and said he wanted it.
Sister Wang shook her head like a rattle, "No, no, I'll ask the old man for this vase... Anyway, I can't give it to you."
Jin Yue still had an attitude of "I don't care, I just want it". Sister Wang just hated herself for shooting herself in the foot. If she had known, she would not have played hard to get and raised the price. Now she has hired this naughty kid, and it is her fault!
The vase was received in the 1960s, so it was almost twenty years old. She didn't understand it at the time, and it looked fine, just cracked, but she thought it could be turned to the side where no one could see it, so she thought she could take it home and use it herself. She had kept these things for so many years, and just last month she saw several of her colleagues making money from the old items they had collected. She was extremely envious and jealous, so she went home and sorted out the old items she had collected over the years, and asked the very famous "Junk Hou" in the industry to take a look.
People told her on the spot that her vase was from the Yuan Dynasty and was a lotus flower. She didn't understand or remember the name, but she just remembered the sentence - it's worth at least three hundred yuan now, and if she keeps it for a few more years, it could be worth three thousand yuan.
What does three thousand yuan mean? She wouldn't have dared to do something so big even in her dreams!
So, from then on, she treated this vase as a treasure and would cover it under the quilt when she slept. Just now, she thought that Shu Jinyue was young and naive, and did not bother to hide things under the quilt when he came back.
I really regret it now. This little girl is not honest at all. She has a sharp eye and dares to ask for such a high price.
Bah, bah, bah, you naughty child, you’re so annoying!
"I think this vase is very beautiful. It will be perfect as a decoration for my mother. I want this one. If you don't give it to me, I won't buy it." Sister Wang had no doubt that if she didn't stop him, Jin Yue would most likely rush over and snatch it away.
"Sister Wang, this is not very kind. Is this an expensive vase? Can't I even take a look at it? In this case, let's not talk about it anymore."
Sister Wang relaxed her guard and said with a wry smile, "Hey, kid, how could that be? I treat you like my own sister and I treat you with all my heart... Hey, little ancestor, don't touch me!"
Her movements were still a little faster than Shu Jinyue's. She snatched the vase in her arms and just hugged it.
Shu Jinyue spread his hands and threw the books back. "Okay, I was thinking that if you gave me this vase, I would take all five books."
Sister Wang grasped the key point and became embarrassed: there are five books, and the last one is 180. I didn't expect that she also wanted the other four. Then she could add a little more price, just adding seven or eight yuan, which would be a considerable income.
You know, she picked these things out from the waste and didn't spend a penny on them.
Any profit you can make from a business with no capital investment is a profit, and it is rare to find such a sucker.
Sister Wang gritted her teeth and said, "Oh, by the way, I saw that you really like the bronze figure. How about this, if you give me two hundred and one for these books, I will give you the bronze figure as a bonus."
Shu Jinyue casually glanced at the bronze acupuncture statue gathering dust in the corner, and said with disdain, "I don't like it. It's not made of real gold. Bronze ones are boring and heavy. I don't want them."
Her eyes were still fixed on the vase. She didn't need to act. Just this look made Sister Wang's scalp tingle and her heart beat like thunder.
Between three thousand yuan and thirty yuan, she knew how to choose. She would definitely give the fake gold man to Jin Yue to make it up to her, but the key was that Shu Jin Yue didn't want it!
Sister Wang forced a smile and said, "You are young and don't understand. Although this is not real gold, it is practical. You can put it at home as a decoration. It will be very impressive when visitors see it. Your parents will definitely be happy. They won't scold you for spending money recklessly."
Jin Yue looked puzzled, "Really? Won't others laugh at me for having a fake one in my house?"
"Well, who can afford to display the real thing these days? Even if it's a fake, it's made of copper, which is impressive enough. You bought such a big thing for your parents without spending a penny, how could they not be happy?"
Shu Jinyue's eyes lit up. That's right. Zhao Wanqiu has always been very concerned about her reputation.
Seeing that she finally stopped staring at the vase, Sister Wang breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the bronze man, wiped it clean with a rag, and then wrapped it in an old piece of clothing. "Here, take it back. It's getting late, and I still have to cook for the children."
It's exactly the same play as how one would deal with a naughty child.
"But I don't have that much money."
"It's okay, it's okay. I know you are a good kid and a trustworthy person. Besides, your unit is there, so I can go to your unit to get it some other day." Sister Wang really wanted to send her away quickly. She said that she trusted her, but then she threatened her that she could go to her unit to get it.
Of course, she held firmly in her hands the Shandong cuisine recipe book “reserved by old professors and experts from the medical school.”
Shu Jinyue therefore "confusedly" and "half-heartedly" paid a deposit of 10 yuan, took the "worthless" bronze man and four other ancient books home, and then came back to pay 200 yuan in exchange for the cookbook.
A cookbook cost 200 yuan, which made Shu Jinyue very upset. He had to spend the money he just earned from reselling down quilts before he could even warm them up. The most important thing was that he bought such a broken thing.
But there is no other way. If she wants to buy the bronze man without making any noise, this is the only way. Otherwise, with Sister Wang's snobbery and cleverness, she will definitely find something wrong. Once she comes to her senses, whether she raises the price or resells it to the H countryman, things will become more difficult.
As for the vase, Jin Yue actually didn't really want it. It was hard to say whether it was real or not. Even if it was real, she was not greedy. This fortune belonged to Sister Wang, and she would not snatch it. She pointed at the vase deliberately, simply to make a feint to the east and attack in the west, so that Sister Wang would relax her vigilance and give her the bronze man on her own initiative.
Until she returned home again, Jin Yue's heart was still beating wildly. She carefully took out the acupuncture bronze man, wiped it carefully twice, wrapped it in three layers of old clothes, and then hid it.
This thing that broke the hearts of Chinese medicine practitioners in Long country was finally bought by her. From now on, people in H country can no longer use this as evidence to say that "Chinese medicine" originated in their country.
Of course, Jin Yue knew that given the character of some people, they would still say it, but at least Jin Yue would not let thousands of Chinese medicine practitioners be humiliated because of this bronze man, and would not disappoint everyone again.
***
A few days later, the weather was getting colder and colder. Shu Wenming finally sold out all his down quilts. After making a fortune, the Shu family officially entered hibernation mode.
The elderly and children don’t like to go out anymore. The young people go home as soon as they get off work and stay on the kang. Because there are so many people, and with Mengmeng and Yaya coming over, there is hardly enough room for the whole family to sit on the kang.
Teacher Shu looked at the crowded family and sighed, "It's a pity that it's too late now. We'll build a big kang in this room next summer." Wenming and Jinyue gave each of them several dozen yuan as hard work fee, and he now had some pocket money in his hands.
"Okay, I agree. Mengmeng and Yaya will be big next year, and they will need more space if they want to act naughty. With the addition of Wenming's family, there are already several children in this room."
Xu Wenli looked at Shu Wenming eagerly.
Shu Wenming looked at her sideways: No way.
At this time, Liu Huifang suddenly remembered, "Hey, will Wenyun come back during the winter vacation this year? It's been almost a year since she went to Beijing."
Teacher Shu shook her head and was silent for a moment: "She just called today and said that she has a lot of things to do at school and she will go to the south during the winter vacation."
He didn't even come back for the New Year. Is he angry with his family or is he estranged from them? Liu Huifang didn't say anything. Selfishly speaking, she definitely liked Jin Yue more, but Wen Yun was Shu Wenyan's biological sister after all, so she couldn't say anything.
"Forget it. My children are grown up now and have their own things to do. By the way, Jin Yue said she would send you 300 yuan. She called me right after she sent it. I estimate it will arrive in seven or eight days. Please keep an eye out for it."
She had promised to pay back Jin Yue's money, and she had paid back most of it over the years. These three hundred were the last payment. In the past few years, she had to work and study at the same time, and she gave all her salary back to Jin Yue except for enough for necessary living expenses.
Jin Yue actually didn't need this little money, but she also knew that Shu Wenyun felt guilty, and she would feel even worse if she didn't accept it.
While they were chatting, Xu Wenli's colleague, Ms. Li, who was the one who bought the job from Shu Wenming, brought over two brown things.
"They say they make their own dried beans, and they are delicious when stewed with meat."
There are not many fresh vegetables in winter and they are very expensive, so everyone is used to drying some beans, cabbage, lettuce and other dried vegetables in spring and summer, and then soak them in winter to cook them.
"You know what, this stuff is a lot in the summer, I eat it every day, and I really want it in the winter." Shu Wenyan also likes it, "Do we have a piece of bacon at home? I'll go get it and stew it?"
Liu Huifang nodded and gave him the key.
Just as they were talking about eating beans, Little Chicken Mi suddenly came running to Jin Yue with a grunt: "Sister Jin Yue, my mom asked you to go and watch the fun. There's a fight in our compound!"
Everyone stood up collectively, "Who's with whom?"
Why are they fighting in such a cold day? Do they want everyone to watch it or not? It's really ignorant.
"Aunt Niu Xiaofang from our courtyard and Aunt Tian Meizhi in the back."
These two were the celebrities of Liuye Hutong a few months ago. After the divorced man was fired, the two lived in peace for a while. Why are they fighting again now?
Little Chicken Popcorn couldn't explain the reason, but everyone put on thick clothes, locked the door, put their hands in their pockets, and Jin Yue and Wen Li each held a hot water bottle and went to watch the fun.
As soon as I went out, I met Aunt Zhao from the front yard, Aunt Feng from the middle yard, and Aunt Liu from the back yard... Well, the whole family was out, even Aunt Qian, who suffered from social phobia, came.
Everyone looked at each other and ran as fast as they could, fearing that the battle would be over if they were too late.
Yard No. 3 was already packed with people. It seemed that Little Chicken Popcorn's legs were not fast enough. People from Yard No. 16 could not squeeze in and could only stand on the periphery and ask the people in front of them why the fight started.
"You guys are late. It was so exciting just now!"
"Niu Xiaofang said that Tian Meizhi faked her pregnancy. Tian Meizhi said that Niu Xiaofang had an affair with the director. Niu Xiaofang said that every time she met with the director, her belt was tied in a knot. It was Tian Meizhi who drugged the director and then got into bed with him."
Everyone: "..." Ah, what? They are still arguing about the past. The divorced man has disappeared, but the two of them are still arguing about him.
Aunt Zhao curled her lips, "It's meaningless to do it for a man like that."
"What kind of drug is that? Is it an aphrodisiac?"
"Who knows? It is said that Tian Meizhi asked Liu Laoguang from the same workshop to put it into the director's cup. It is said that he was the only one who entered the office that day."
Liu Laoguang is a well-known bachelor in the machinery factory. Not only is his family poor, but he is also not very reliable. He spends all his salary every month and has never found a wife. But he is quite attracted by Tian Meizhi's tricks. He is so happy that he loses his mind when she just smiles and winks at him.
Jin Yue listened for a while and summarized the version: Liu Laoguang was Tian Meizhi's loyal bootlicker, and in order to facilitate her relationship with the director, he even helped her to give her aphrodisiacs... It sounds outrageous, but based on past experience, the more outrageous the version, the closer it is to the truth.
Drugging in the office has appeared frequently in social news. It is usually due to conflicts of interest. Colleague A suddenly feels unwell for no apparent reason. Examination reveals that he has some toxins or heavy metals exceeding the standard. Further investigation reveals that it was colleague B who secretly put the drug in his water cup.
Thinking of this, Shu Jinyue suddenly thought of Li Xiangyang. Could his loss of sense of smell also be... After all, based on Jinyue's pulse-taking skills, there was no cause in his body that would cause the loss of sense of smell.
Perhaps, Jin Yue was looking in the wrong direction from the very beginning. He should not have looked for it in him, but in someone else?
According to Mrs. Li, before the old master retired last year, the daily chemical factory needed to select a successor, and the talented Li Xiangyang might be a threat to others.
Otherwise, the timing of the onset of the disease would be too coincidental! Just before the selection, he fell ill.
Thinking of this possibility, Jin Yue quickly asked her second brother to accompany her to Xiao Li's house.
They lived in the North City District. In the past, Li the Butcher's parents were quite far-sighted and divided the property among their brothers and bought houses for each of them. However, within a few years, Li the Butcher's elder and younger brothers died of illness. Without a wife and children, the house was inherited by him, so the Li family had no shortage of places to live.
"My father told us to move back that year because there was plenty of room to live." Mrs. Li smiled and poured boiling water for Jin Yue and his sister and brewed a handful of tea leaves.
"My parents treated the three of us equally. Each family was given two rooms, and the yard was shared. The sunny house was next door."
Jin Yue got up, walked outside, stood at the window and looked inside. Li Xiangyang was lying on the kang, motionless.
"Alas, he has been a man of few words since he was a child. After losing his sense of smell, he hasn't said a word for three days."
He sometimes eats and sometimes doesn't; he sometimes washes and sometimes doesn't. It seems that he does these very basic things to survive depending on his mood.
Shu Jinyue did not hesitate and told his speculation, "Why don't you consider this aspect and see if you can find the cause of the disease? It would be best to go to the provincial hospital or the municipal hospital to draw blood and take an X-ray..."
"You mean, you suspect my brother has been poisoned?"
Jin Yue nodded, "This is just a guess, you can pay more attention to it." Li Xiangyang's brother is a public security officer and a criminal policeman. He should have more experience in these things than himself, a half-baked one.
Sister Li frowned immediately. "Now that you mention it, it's possible. Master Xiangyang has six brothers and sisters in total, and he is the youngest among them, but he is the most talented. When he first came in, he had to live in the factory dormitory. Although he was young, the master praised him for his talent every day and used him to inspire others. When someone was upset, they would throw rat and dog shit on his bed and rat shit into his thermos... He is introverted and never told us these things."
In fact, what Jin Yue also wanted to say was that Li Xiangyang was not only gifted and envied by others, but his appearance could also easily become a weakness that could be attacked. She could imagine what nicknames those senior brothers would give him.
These behaviors are no longer just simple pranks between classmates, but bullying.
After repeatedly reminding them to investigate thoroughly, Jin Yue left Li's house with his second brother. There were two large bones with some meat on them in the cart. Jin Yue thought that when he got home he would ask his mother to get two large radishes out of the cellar and stew some radish soup.
"I still remember that year when I gave radish soup to Grandma Hu. She liked it very much." She was used to eating delicacies from land and sea, but she actually ate up all the radishes.
"You miss the old lady, don't you?"
Jin Yue nodded. She lived a fulfilling life every day with family, friends and lover. In fact, she seldom thought of Grandma Hu. But the moment she saw the bronze acupuncture man, she also thought of her.
With her death, the Hu family's processing technology officially lost its successor, and many well-known processing techniques in later generations were passed on to Japan and H countries. Many years later, it was the Chinese people who had to learn the technology from them and buy imported Chinese medicine at high prices. The processing rules of Chinese medicinal materials were actually set by them. This was nothing short of a shame for the sincere practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.
"According to Grandma Hu, Master Kang Yongxin actually only learned half of the Hu family's skills. The real master is Cuiguo's grandfather, and Cuiguo is her grandfather's direct disciple."
Shu Wenming pedaled his bike, "Is that the fire-making girl in her family you mentioned?"
"Well, she is also Master Hu Rongsheng's fiancée."
Shu Wenming was deeply impressed by Hu Rongsheng, a male version of an "old goblin". "When it becomes more convenient to travel in the future, I will help you find it wherever I go."
His tone was very flat, as if he was talking about what to eat today, but Jin Yue knew that his second brother would do whatever he said.
"Okay, thank you. This is a very difficult matter. Hu Rongsheng has been looking for it for half his life and he still hasn't given up. Every time he goes to a place, he goes to the public security bureau to look for it, but he can't find any clues after so many years..." Jin Yue said very frustratedly.
Shu Wenming disagreed: "Even the police would have a hard time finding her. After all, you only know her name as a maid thirty years ago. Who knows if she changed her name in order to get her household registration? Once her name was changed, it would be even harder to find her." It's also possible that she was never registered at all, or that she has actually passed away.
Jin Yue knew this truth, so she didn't hold out much hope. "Don't force it. Look for it when you have a chance. Your business is more important."
It’s not easy for my second brother to get to where he is today. The reason why she was so concerned about the possibility that Li Xiangyang might have been poisoned by his fellow disciples was because she thought of her and her second brother's childhood.
Although there were some unhappy things in her childhood, she was silly and didn't think much, so the unhappiness would not stay in her heart for too long. But her second brother was different. The background tone of his entire childhood, adolescence and youth was gloomy.
According to Teacher Shu, he was very smart when he was very young and learned everything very quickly. However, he met some bad kids when he just started school. They bullied him because he had no mother, searched his stationery, tore up his schoolbag, and stuffed dog feces and bugs in his clothes. Later, the situation evolved to the point where a group of bad kids blocked him in the toilet and beat him.
This was blatant bullying, but no one cared at first. Everyone thought it was just a child who was ignorant and playing tricks on his classmates. Even Shu Linong, the teacher, didn't take it seriously.
Later, after being bullied more and more often, the second brother learned to resist. He would hit the bully if he could, and run away if he couldn't. However, those experiences became the shadow of his childhood, so much so that in the following twenty years, Jin Yue always felt that unhappiness was written on his face.
This is also the reason why Jin Yue dislikes him and is even afraid of him.
Every child may present a different state after being bullied. The second brother became gloomy and impulsive, Shu Jinyue became introverted and inferior, so what about Li Xiangyang?
He became a timid, sensitive and feminine boy, out of tune with everyone around him.
If his loss of sense of smell was really caused by poisoning by his fellow disciples, then Jin Yue hoped that such trash would be punished, preferably with life imprisonment, because they did not deserve to enjoy the sunshine!
Xiangyang, Xiangyang, Li Xiangyang should live facing the sun.
＊＊＊
Today's dinner was indeed big bone and radish soup. Because of the meat, the soup was more fragrant than ever before. It warmed my heart when I drank it. The whole family lay on the kang and discussed matters concerning the New Year.
Now there is still a month before the Spring Festival. Shu Wenming has made a lot of money and wants to buy a pig. Naturally, such a good thing should be kept within the family, so he went to find Mother Li.
"Let's do it next week. You all will have a rest then and the weather will be colder, so pork won't spoil easily. Then we can go to Lijia Village," said Teacher Shu.
"Last time, my eldest brother said he would also contribute some money. I will tell him tomorrow, so that he won't say that we have left him out of everything and treated him as an outsider."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a burst of noise coming from the front door, getting closer and closer until the Shu family's door was banged on.
In the quiet winter night, the noise was too loud. For some reason, the Shu family suddenly had a bad feeling.
"You guys sit down, I'll go open it." Shu Wenming didn't put on a coat, just a sweater and cotton shoes. "Who is it? It's so loud in the middle of the night. Are you deaf?"
The door creaked open.
"Who is Shu Wenming?" the person outside asked loudly.
"I am."
"Okay, we're looking for you, come with us." Without saying anything, he took out a pair of handcuffs from his waist and handcuffed him.
Shu Wenming's reaction was quick, but he was still not faster than them. Besides, there were four people outside, all of them were big and strong men, and his small body was really no match for them.
Not wanting to scare his family, he did not resist, but tried to put on a smile: "Comrades, can you tell me what's wrong with me? I need your help..."
"You still dare to ask, ha, don't you have any idea about speculation?"
Another strong man shouted, "Boy, someone reported you for speculation. You are so bold. You have gone through so much trouble. Your pockets must be bulging, right?"
"Why waste so much time talking to him? Just take him back."
Shu Jinyue's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly took out two packs of cigarettes from the kang cabinet and stuffed them into the hands of the two people who were talking. "Comrade, thank you for your hard work. Our family is the most red and professional three generations of urban poor. If my brother accidentally makes any mistakes, please be kind and give me some advice."
She spoke nicely and, most importantly, stuffed two packs of Changbaishan. The two men relaxed a little and said in a low voice, "Your brother was reported for speculation and profiteering, selling those duvets. We were notified to arrest him. We don't know anything else."
Shu Jinyue breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the reason, "Then are you guys the cadres of the fight office?"
Jin Yue stuffed some tea leaves into the two people behind her. She did not give them the wrong things. Contrary to common sense, the one walking in front was the leader, and the two people behind were probably subordinates or novices. She smiled and said to them, "I just wanted to ask for clarification. If we visit the prison in the future, our family members will be able to find a place, right?"
"Okay, take a look, these are our work ID cards." The two young men at the back were relatively easy to talk to.
Jin Yue winked at his frightened parents and second sister-in-law, and the four of them looked at the documents together. Their unit was the Beicheng District Public Security Bureau, and coming to Xinqiao Street to arrest people was cross-district law enforcement. Then they quickly wrote down the names and positions of several staff members. Jin Yue focused on verifying the authenticity of the documents. They were not wearing work clothes.
The stamp looks real.
"Have you checked? If you have, we will take the person away. The family members will wait for notification."
Shu Jinyue handed over his ID and left a phone number for his bureau. He also told them the phone number of the Xinqiao Subdistrict Office and told them to call Shu Jinyue if they had any problems.
Seeing such a loud noise, all the neighbors opened their doors and came out, but there was complete silence. Even Aunt Li, who usually hated to see the Shu family get along well, didn't dare to say a word and watched Shu Wenming being taken away by the police.
Silence hung in the air.
After a while, Aunt Zhao asked timidly in a low voice: "Jinyue, your second brother is... Why does it sound like he is speculating and profiteering?"
The crime of speculation in the past few years was not light, it has only been slightly lighter in recent years, but no matter how light it is, it is still a crime and you will be arrested and fined. In fact, you are usually not very popular in the courtyard because of your civilized behavior, and people would just laugh and scold you a few times and it would be over, but when it comes to such a serious crime, no one dares to say anything.
Shu Jinyue knew what was going on, and his heart was beating like thunder, but he certainly couldn't admit it, "No, it's nothing. The police just took my second brother to inquire about some circumstances."
Close the door and don't say another word.
Soon, the whole courtyard was buzzing with discussions, and the Shu family in the house were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Teacher Shu was about to put on his shoes and go out to find the eldest brother. "Let your eldest brother use his connections to ask if there is any leniency."
Xu Wenli was also anxious, but she didn't cry from beginning to end. Although she was scared when she saw her second brother being taken away, she didn't shout or scream. She was much more stable than Jin Yue had imagined.
"It may be useless to find the big brother." After all, he is just an ordinary clerk now, almost forty years old, and the number of people he knows is limited. Besides, knowing people and having people willing to help you are two completely different things.
Jin Yue went out without hesitation, got on his bike and headed straight for Goldfish Hutong.
At this time, all the streets were pitch black, with only a few street lights on on the First Ring Road. I rode for two or three kilometers without seeing a single person. But Jin Yue no longer had time to be afraid. She pedaled hard, sweating profusely in the middle of winter, and finally arrived at the door of Xu's house.
Xu Siqi opened the door. "Jin Yue?"
Shu Jinyue nodded, "Is your uncle here?"
Like Xu Ping and Zhang Zhen, he also knew that Shu Jinyue was his uncle's mysterious object, and he felt a little uncomfortable. He and Shu Wenyun had broken up now, but his ex-girlfriend's sister was his aunt, which felt weird.
The door of the east wing creaked open, and Xu Duan came out quickly in his military coat. "Why are you here at this time? What happened?"
Without saying a word, he put his military coat on her, buttoned it up, and pulled her numb hands into his arms to warm them.
After listening to Jin Yue's words, his face was calm, as if this matter was not difficult at all, "Go to my room to warm up first, I'll make a phone call."
Just now Jin Yue told him the unit and name of the arresting unit. First of all, he must confirm whether this is true and whether they really received instructions to arrest people. Then who gave the task and who reported it, and what stage the case has reached...Xu Duan made four or five calls, which lasted for more than half an hour.
Shu Jinyue had been waiting in his room. The Xu family's house looked ordinary from the outside, but it was actually quite special inside. For example, she felt very warm now, as if the ground was emitting a constant stream of heat. There was no kang in the whole house, but it was warm.
In a room like this, she didn't even need to wear her military coat.
"Why did you take off your clothes? Put them on." Xu Duan pushed the door open and saw her sitting quietly.
"How about it?"
"After asking, we found out that it was the cotton sellers at the ghost market who reported it. They said they had observed that Wenming could sell at least four duvets every day. The amount involved was indeed not small."
Jin Yue's heart skipped a beat. In fact, four beds were considered few. There must have been at least ten beds. It was just that his second brother and mother acted separately and took turns. They reported his second brother and did not include his mother's. In addition, if the neighbors bought beds, they would send them directly to his home instead of trading them at the ghost market.
"Has that been filed?"
"It hasn't come to that yet. It's not a big deal. I'll take care of it. I'll take you home first, okay?"
Shu Jinyue breathed a sigh of relief because she believed him. If he said it was not a big deal, then it probably wasn't as serious as she thought.
"In fact, the market has been somewhat chaotic in the past year. The higher-ups have been trying to solve this problem, but... a large number of educated youth have returned to the city, and so many are unemployed. We have to let people survive. Although your second brother is not an educated youth, he is unemployed. Even if the facts are verified, he will be given a lighter punishment."
Shu Jinyue swallowed his saliva, "But he and my parents have actually been selling for a while, and they did make 500 yuan. What should we do?"
Xu Duan chuckled, "It's not a big deal. Your costs are there. Excluding transportation and storage costs, it's not a huge profit. Didn't you see that a few days ago, a cotton deal was launched for tens of thousands of dollars?"
"What's the result?"
"The result is still pending, and the higher-ups are still thinking about it. Don't worry, your second brother will be fine. He just may need to stay in there for a while. When it's convenient for visiting, I'll pick you and your second sister-in-law up, okay?"
"good."
It is clear that the higher-ups do not want to pursue this matter, because the people's ever-increasing material needs are there, whether it's food or clothes or quilts, these are all basic needs...especially the issue of heating in winter, which can freeze people to death if not handled properly. Shu Wenming traveled thousands of miles to buy a down quilt and made a little money by reselling it, but compared with those who resold cotton and made several times the money, it was nothing.
I am more fortunate now that my second brother is not greedy and the gross profit is only half of the purchase price.
Fortunately, when he went there for the second time with a lot of money and wanted to do something big, the down factory was short of resources and he could only get 30 beds. The amount involved was not large, so it was a blessing in disguise.
"But the fact that Wenming was reported is still related to those cotton sellers in the ghost market. What I meant by the phone call just now is that the group of cotton sellers thought that Wenming reported them."
Although Shu Wenming is not likable, he doesn't care about anything that doesn't overly threaten his personal interests. How could he be so bored as to report others? It’s easy to tell that the black market is very complicated.
As they were talking, Xu Duan sent Jin Yue home, and then he personally said a few words to the old couple and Wen Li, telling them not to worry and that he would tell them as soon as there was any news.
Knowing that he was not the kind of person who boasted or made promises, the Shu family finally put their minds at ease and decided to send him to the entrance of the alley.
Xu Duan asked them not to see him off, closed the door and left quickly.
＊＊＊
Over the next few days, there was no laughter in the Shu family. After a whole night of digesting the news, the neighbors in the compound gradually accepted this reality and even comforted the Shu family.
"Don't worry, wait for the news. The son of the family next door to the Tian family in our alley was also arrested for speculation and was released after being detained for two months."
Two months was considered a very light punishment by everyone. For those who had a job, they might face dismissal or something like that. But Shu Wenming did not have a job, so the impact was not significant.
Thinking of this, the old couple felt a little relieved.
Aunt Li, who had always disliked the Shu family, did not offer any comfort, but she also did not say anything sarcastic. She just listened quietly by the side.
This is really "kind" to the point of being abnormal. Based on her habit of making trouble for many years, everyone even suspected that she was guilty. "Wanqiu, this matter of civilization, could it be that Aunt Li reported it?"
Although the Shu family keeps a low profile, several close families have bought duvets from them and know what Shu Wenming is doing. It is possible that Aunt Li also knows and is hiding it in order to do something bad.
Zhao Wanqiu shook her head. Xu Duan came again yesterday. He had found the person who reported the incident and had contact with him. She didn't know how he persuaded him, but the man suddenly changed his mind and said that he had read it wrong. In fact, Shu Wenming only sold one bed a day at most.
If the amount continues to drop, things will be easier.
Many people saw Shu Wenming selling down quilts, so it is impossible to completely deny that he has ever done this. However, considering the amount of money and his status as an unemployed person, any reduction in the amount will help.
With that group of cotton sellers in front, his fault was not that big. Jin Yue even thought that if the course of history had been faster, perhaps nothing would have happened to his second brother. It was a pity that they started too early.
If it had been pushed back a few months, nothing would have happened to him, because Jin Yue remembered that he had watched a documentary that said the first business license for Longguo after the reform and opening up was issued in December 1980 in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Even if it took time to spread to inland provinces, it would only take a few months at most.
But it happened that my second brother was reported at this point in time.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Your eldest son is at work. Can you find someone to help make some concessions for Wenming?" Aunt Zhao asked in a low voice.
Teacher Shu shook his head. This time Shu Wenyan was indeed active and ran around for the second child's affairs, but he was in a low position and had no influence. He had no say and no connections, so his efforts were in vain.
However, the Shu family also noticed his attitude.
We chatted for a few minutes, and seeing that they were not interested, we stopped asking. If anyone encountered such a thing, they would not be in the mood to celebrate the New Year. The plan that we had originally planned to go to Lijia Village to slaughter pigs had to be put on hold for now.
However, after hearing about it, Mother Li came to visit the two elders in person and said some comforting words.
It is winter vacation now, so Jin Yue naturally has to go to work. She just got home from get off work and saw her parents looking sad, and she didn't know what to say.
"Where's my second sister-in-law?"
"Her parents came to call her home in the afternoon. She didn't look well."
As she was speaking, Xu Wenli opened the door with red and swollen eyes, "I'm back. They want me to stay for a few days, but I don't want to."
Zhao Wanqiu and her daughter looked at each other. She didn't cry when Wenming was arrested, so why did she cry like this after returning to her parents' home? She quickly got off the kang and put her arm around her daughter-in-law's shoulders, "What's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll go heat up some food for you."
"No need, mom. I just came back after eating."
She was not one to keep things to herself, and as soon as she got on the kang, she whispered about her trip to her parents' home: "My parents first asked about Wenming, and then... they advised me to... divorce. How could they say that? Woohoo, they didn't treat my illness at the time, but Wenming kept encouraging me and insisting on treatment. Now that I'm better, they want me to divorce when Wenming encounters a setback. Why?"
Jin Yue felt helpless. The Xu family was really cunning.
If the relationship between a young couple breaks down, she would persuade them to divorce, not to mention them. But they are obviously very happy now, so it would be too selfish to persuade them to divorce. They are simply afraid that if their second brother is really sentenced to jail, it will implicate them, and the most important thing is their precious son. Xu Wenli is now recovering well and doesn't look like she had ever suffered from such a serious illness. If they really get divorced, it will be easy for her to find another one, who might even be able to provide some support to their precious son.
Shu Wenming, the son-in-law, didn't give them much help.
After all, the second brother is very cunning. If he wasn't afraid that his second sister-in-law would be sad without her parents' visit, he would have wanted to cut off ties with the Xu family directly. How could he give them the opportunity to suck his blood like leeches? Every time he went back to his mother's house, he brought the cheapest wine, broken tea leaves, and cigarettes that he himself even disdained.
The New Year's money given to his brother-in-law was even funnier. He gave him 3.6 yuan in the first year, but his father-in-law thought it was too little. The second year he directly gave him a □□, and the third year he gave him a piece of paper full of multiplication formulas... All the things were good, but they were not what his father-in-law wanted. The old man was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
"Anyway, I won't leave, so they can forget about it."
"Okay, okay, no one is forcing you, don't worry." Shu Linong persuaded quickly, and took out two handfuls of White Rabbit from the kang cabinet, "Eat it, eat it, you will feel better after eating it."
Of course, Jin Yue also got two full handfuls.
These candies were originally bought to eat during the Chinese New Year, but now no one is in the mood to celebrate the New Year, so they ate them in advance.
"Grandma Shu, there's a police officer outside looking for you!" A child shouted from under the window. All the families in the compound fell silent and tiptoed to open their windows a crack.
The Shu family also thought that the Public Security Bureau had come to inform Shu Wenming about the matter. They all became nervous and got off the kang to put on their shoes. "Comrade Public Security, Shu Wenming's family is here. We are at home."
The policeman was a little confused, wondering why this compound was so strange. When he first arrived at the gate, every household in the compound was bustling with activity, but as soon as they heard that he was looking for the Shu family, the entire compound became silent.
"Uncle, aunt, I'm looking for Shu Jinyue."
"Looking for Jin Yue?"
"Yes, I am Li Xiangyang's brother. You haven't seen me, but you must have seen my sister. Her name is..."
Before he could finish his words, Zhao Wanqiu immediately stopped him: "Okay, okay, Jin Yue is here, come in."
Li Xiangyang's brother, named Li Xiangdong, rushed over right after get off work and had not had time to change out of his work clothes.
"My sister told me that something happened in your family. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Brother Li heard about Shu Wenming's accident, and naturally Sister Li also knew about it. At this time, his father-in-law and mother-in-law wanted to stay as far away as possible, but these old neighbors were very enthusiastic. Shu Jinyue was a little touched. "I don't know yet. I can only wait for news."
"So do you have any words or things to bring to him? I happen to be going there tomorrow."
Jin Yue thought about it. The day after the accident, Xu Duan came to help him collect a set of bedding and toiletries, as well as a few thick clothes. He didn't need to bring any more for the time being. "Thank you for your concern. By the way, how is Li Xiangyang?"
Li Xiangdong took off his hat and placed it neatly on the table. "It's still the same. There's no sign of recovery of the sense of smell."
"I talked to Sister Li last time, is there..."
Li Xiangdong frowned and shook his head. "After you reminded me, I went to investigate the next day. I collected the cups, bowls, chopsticks, bedding, clothes, shoes and socks he had used before. I also took him to the hospital for a checkup, but no suspicious items were found. Combining the results of multiple visits and based on my many years of criminal investigation experience, I have basically ruled out the possibility of poisoning by others."
This is a difficult problem. Since he was not poisoned, why can't his nose smell anything?
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