"I didn't notice it, but when I came to the store this morning, I found scratches on the outside door. I didn't think much of it at the time and just opened the door to continue business."
His voice was almost trembling, as if he were about to cry at any moment. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu disregarded all other concerns and raised her voice slightly:
"Where is it? Take me there."
At this moment, the truth seems to be right before our eyes.
Following Jiang Yu's instructions, the child tending the shop pointed to the scratches on the lock when he turned to the back door.
"This is the place. I glanced at it when I came over this morning and thought it was some kid who accidentally slipped on the roadside. But then it caused such a commotion, and I was afraid of being punished for not paying attention. If someone dies, I will also be held responsible."
His explanation makes sense, and from a child's perspective, being afraid of being arrested and going to jail is quite normal. Because the general education level here is low, no one deliberately educates children about the law.
After taking a quick look outside, Xiao Wang hurriedly went back inside and told Shi Shumei what had happened. She rushed out in a panic and happened to catch a glimpse of something shiny in the grass. Peeking through it, she discovered it was a small pull tab from a soda can.
Thinking the poisoner must be a beverage enthusiast, I wanted to take another closer look around, but I found nothing more.
Jiang Yu reminded her to think about the people around her who liked to drink this kind of beverage but didn't get along with them. Without thinking, Shi Shumei immediately suspected Shi Tian.
She figured he must be holding a grudge about the shop, and since he couldn't have it, he might as well destroy it. The more Shi Shumei thought about it, the more frightened she became. She thought the Shi family making a scene at home was the limit, but she didn't expect them to do something like this. You really can't judge a book by its cover.
They had a direction, but unfortunately, a single pull ring wasn't enough to catch the culprit. The group returned to the shop and pondered the matter, but all their proposed solutions were rejected.
"Why don't we close the shop now and let my sister-in-law go home and spread the word that the oil sold extremely well today, so that the Shi family can hear about it?"
Jiang Yu felt that since there was no evidence to question them, it was best not to alert them. She should just pretend the incident never happened and see how they reacted.
They guessed that Shi Tian would be furious, and if they were right, he would come back tonight. All they needed to do then was have people lie in wait around, ready to pounce.
Everyone agreed to her plan, praising it as an excellent idea; the only challenge would be her acting skills.
To ensure the plan was flawless, Bai Chen and Jiang Yu couldn't go to Shi Village with them. At this moment, Xiao Wang volunteered, saying he had a bicycle and could take Shi Shumei back.
Before leaving, Jiang Yu slipped twenty yuan into Shi Shumei's pocket, whispered a few words in her ear, and then saw a smile appear on her sister-in-law's face.
After they left, Jiang Yu and Bai Chen decided to stroll around the town for a while. Since it was their first time here, they were very curious about everything.
Sitting on a park bench, during a break, she asked Liu Cui about their relationship.
......
As soon as Shi Shumei reached the road leading to her house in Shicun, she couldn't wait to do as Jiang Yu had instructed. First, she got off her bicycle, and then she started telling Xiao Wang how hard he had worked today, mentioning how many customers had come to the shop.
The two men's ostentatious display quickly attracted the attention of the villagers. Someone, recalling hearing about the oil shop incident earlier that afternoon while passing through town, couldn't help but ask:
"Sister Shu, we heard that something happened to the oil shop?"
"That's all just a rumor. Otherwise, would Xiao Wang have brought me back with such a smile on his face? If that were true, I'd be incredibly careless."
As soon as Shi Shumei finished speaking, a considerable commotion arose in the crowd. What she said seemed to be true; if that was the case, then it must be a rumor.
"If you ask me, Lao Shi was smart back then, starting his own business early. Now his family is comfortably well-off, and who wouldn't envy their quality of life!"
Hearing this, the gossipy aunties in the village showered Shi Shumei's father with praise. As more and more people gathered around, the woman seized the opportunity to pull out the two ten-yuan bills Jiang Yu had given her from her pocket and handed them to Xiao Wang.
"You said my husband isn't home, and I'm just a woman here, so it's not right for me to let you come home for a drink of water. This is the pay for selling a lot of oil today. You've worked hard, so keep up the good work tomorrow."
Shi Shumei's words made sense, and many people praised her, saying that it was rare to see a woman who could maintain such a distance.
Of course, many people were also drawn to the two large ten-yuan bills, and couldn't help but exclaim, "That's a real twenty yuan! Shi Shumei is so generous!" This shows that she had indeed earned quite a bit of money today.
However, there were still some jealous people who secretly complained. What's there to be proud of? The child is still in the hospital. But none of this concerned her.
After parting ways with Xiao Wang in full view of everyone, she still looked radiant as she walked home.
The news quickly reached Shi Tian's ears. He sat in the room, angrily putting down his drink, feeling that nothing tasted good anymore.
He paced anxiously, becoming increasingly agitated. Everything seemed utterly unpleasant to him. Before leaving, he kicked the wooden door hard to vent his frustration.
Because they shared a wall with Shi Shumei's family, they could hear everything clearly from the corner of the wall, no matter what was happening on either side.
From the moment she closed the door, she crouched by the wall, watching everything that happened across the street. When she heard Shi Tian kick the door, Shi Shumei knew he was about to leave.
The man went to a small, unknown clinic in town and bought several packets of medicine wrapped in paper. As he left, he deliberately looked around, worried about being seen by someone he knew.
Little did he know, Xiao Wang, who had left Shicun, was already watching his every move from not far away.
To avoid being discovered when doing bad things, one must wait until dark. Although the sun had set, there was still some afterglow. Shi Tian dared not act rashly. He found a noodle shop with the medicine powder in his pocket, ordered a bowl of noodles, and wolfed it down.
On the other side, Jiang Yu, who had been chatting for a long time, couldn't wait for Chen Ying to come over. She rubbed her rumbling stomach and decided with Bai Chen to find a restaurant to eat.
Although they went into the same noodle shop, fortunately there were pillars blocking their view, so Shi Tian didn't notice them.
As night fell, Shi Tian let out a burp, swaggered out of the noodle shop, and headed straight for the oil shop.
Just like last time, he found a steel wire in the abandoned ironworks next door, held it in his hand, and prepared to use it to pry open the door.
When he got to the door, he felt uneasy for some reason, but he didn't have time to think about it. He frantically picked up the wire and started poking it into the lock.
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