The older police officer didn’t come today. Instead, four younger officers arrived, led by Xiao Li.
But unlike Chen Jinhui, who was an outsider, Xu Cigang was a militia member. He was practically their colleague and someone they knew.
He had just returned from the labor camp overnight, and they had even sat together drinking and chatting last night. And now he was suddenly a murderer?
Xiao Li found it unbelievable and looked at Wu Jingjing. “Are you sure he killed someone?”
Officer Xiao Liu put on white gloves. “Where’s the crime scene? Where’s the victim? Take us to see.”
Xu Xiaomei was about to say something when Chen Mianmian let out a sob. “They have connections. It’s useless… I might as well just die.”
Police procedures relied on process, but the crowd ran on emotion.
And emotion was exactly what Chen Mianmian had stirred up. Everyone was already full of anger.
Someone immediately shouted, “Are you trying to protect a murderer?”
Another said, “Just because you’re on the same side, you won’t interrogate him after he killed someone?”
Wu Jingjing added, “Didn’t you release Accountant Xu early because she has connections?”
Xiao Li coughed and took out the handcuffs, looking at Xu Cigang. “How about…”
They were friends, and Xu Xiaomei had been released with Xiao Li’s approval.
But when he released her, he hadn’t expected her to cause such trouble or stir up public outrage.
Xu Cigang understood and stretched out his hands. “Fine, I’ll let you cuff me. But tell me—who did I kill?”
At the moment Chen Mianmian accused him, he had felt a bit guilty and panicked.
After all, people often died in the labor camp he worked at—those were lives.
But then he thought again: those “rightists” died from starvation or illness due to lack of food. He relaxed.
He was only 21 and had never killed anyone. What did he have to fear?
Once he was cuffed, Xiao Li felt more confident. “Murder cases require a scene and evidence. Without that, it’s slander. Comrade Chen may be pregnant, but she’s still a citizen. She can’t spread rumors or waste police resources.”
The crowd turned to Chen Mianmian. “Right—who did he kill?”
Everyone waited for her to reveal the answer, but she held her lower abdomen. “I’m not feeling well.”
Then she pulled Wu Jingjing. “Come with me to the toilet.”
The guesthouse had a pit latrine. She had come earlier that morning but had been too scared to use it.
Since arriving here, she hadn’t relieved herself at all, and now she really couldn’t hold it anymore.
Inside the latrine, she looked around and asked Wu Jingjing, “Do prisoners ever escape here?”
Wu Jingjing pulled down her pants. “Of course. Especially from labor camps—rightists often run into the desert.”
Chen Mianmian asked again, “What happens after they escape?”
“They either get caught by the militia or eaten by wolves.”
Chen Mianmian didn’t know how those who fled into the desert survived.
But she realized one thing: “If I present evidence of Xu Cigang’s crime, he’ll likely be executed. Then he’ll probably… try to escape!”
Wu Jingjing nodded. “He’s just a temporary militia worker. He might really run.”
Unlike Chen Jinhui, who had a secure job and couldn’t afford to run.
Xu Cigang was just militia. He was acting tough now because Chen Mianmian hadn’t shown any evidence yet.
But once she did, and he realized how serious things were, he would definitely try to escape to save his life.
And since he had spent years chasing fugitives in the desert, he knew how to survive.
Chen Mianmian looked at Wu Jingjing. “Do me one more favor. I’ll repay you in the future.”
…
Of course the case had to be handled properly—but to prevent trouble, she first needed to block Xu Cigang’s escape route.
…
Her face was already sallow, and after the smell of the latrine, it looked even worse.
As she walked toward the crowd, her body was thin but her belly bulged like a frog’s, and she gagged as she walked.
Zhao Hui came over and asked, “Can you hold on? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
She hadn’t revealed her identity yet, but she was worried about Chen Mianmian’s pregnancy—after all, she was carrying the Zhao family’s bloodline.
The courtyard was full of onlookers. They sympathized with Chen Mianmian, but public opinion still leaned toward justice and the rule of law.
Someone said, “Girl, don’t waste the police’s time. Just tell us—who did Xu Cigang kill?”
Xu Cigang smirked. “I’m curious too. Go on, tell us.”
Chen Mianmian finally began, “At the labor camp where you work, there are many rightists.”
Xu Cigang laughed. “Rightists—enemies of the people. If they die, do I have to pay with my life?”
Chen Mianmian smiled as well. “Among them is a relative of my ex-husband. Ever since he came to Quancheng, he would visit the camp regularly to see and ‘re-educate’ that relative.”
At this sentence, Xu Cigang stopped smiling, and Xu Xiaomei suddenly became tense.
At first, Chen Mianmian had been talking about murder, so they assumed it was a murder case.
But when she suddenly brought up her ex-husband, they started to feel uneasy.
Xu Cigang licked his lips and glanced aside—
Chen Mianmian immediately said, “Officer Li, he’s trying to steal your key.”
Xiao Li instinctively looked down. The handcuff key was hanging from his waist. After glancing at Xu Cigang, he put the key into his pocket.
Chen Mianmian continued, “To get to the labor camp, you have to pass Hongqi Canal. It’s a large reservoir.”
Xu Cigang’s smile disappeared, and his eyes turned cold and vicious.
Xu Xiaomei suddenly snapped, “Chen Mianmian! You only jumped into the water because Officer Zhao was handsome and generous—you wanted to trap him into marriage. You’re a terrible woman!”
Zhao Hui, hearing this involved her nephew, quickly said, “Don’t be intimidated. Keep talking.”
Chen Mianmian remained calm. “Because he worked at the labor camp, Xu Cigang knew when my ex-husband would pass Hongqi Canal. He also knew someone might fall into the water—and that my ex-husband would try to rescue them.”
Zhao Hui understood. “Someone deliberately followed the officer and planned the drowning incident.”
Despite her messy appearance and sallow face, Chen Mianmian was strikingly beautiful.
Someone in the crowd sighed, “Even heroes fall for beauty. It’s understandable that the officer saved her and fell in love with her.”
Xu Xiaomei said, “Exactly! She was the mastermind—she jumped into the water on purpose to force the marriage.”
But Zhao Hui immediately countered, “Then why did she force the marriage? To help you get 500 yuan?”
The case now aligned perfectly with Chen Mianmian’s earlier story. The crowd instantly turned into amateur detectives.
Everyone said at once, “Whoever has the 500 yuan is the mastermind!”
Chen Mianmian nodded and continued, “I can’t swim. If my ex-husband hadn’t jumped in to save me, I would have drowned. If I had known beforehand, how would I dare take that risk? So the answer is—someone lured me to Hongqi Canal and pushed me into the water.”
The police might bend small rules, but they couldn’t make serious mistakes.
This was starting to make sense. Xiao Li stepped farther away from Xu Cigang.
Chen Mianmian added, “Xu Cigang told me there were big carp in the canal. I went there to catch fish.”
Zhao Hui nodded. “He lured you there and secretly pushed you in.”
Chen Mianmian said, “The water was deep and freezing. I fainted as soon as I fell in. Luckily my ex-husband was a strong swimmer, or we both would have died.”
A man stepped forward. “Her ex-husband is a military officer. As militia, Xu Cigang plotted against an officer?”
Zhao Hui said firmly, “This is extremely serious—it’s equivalent to attempted murder!”
Xiao Li was about to speak, but Xu Cigang cut in, “All speculation!”
He looked at Chen Mianmian. “You say I pushed you—do you have witnesses or physical evidence?”
Chen Mianmian hesitated. “If… I mean if I have evidence, and it’s right—”
Suddenly she shouted, “Careful! He’s trying to run!”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xu Cigang bent forward as if preparing to flee.
But seeing everyone staring, he twisted his neck. “Didn’t sleep well last night—my neck hurts. Is that not allowed?”
People in this era started working early. Though he was only 21, he had already been a militia member for three years.
After chasing fugitives for years, he had plenty of experience escaping.
Chen Mianmian continued, “Pushing me into the water was attempted murder. And following a military officer is—”
She paused, unsure of the exact term.
Zhao Hui finished for her, “Following a military officer counts as espionage—just as serious as intentional murder!”
Xiao Li wiped his sweat. “If it involves espionage and is confirmed, it could mean execution.”
Officer Xiao Liu looked at Chen Mianmian. “Since this involves human life, you must have evidence.”
At this time, the police still held judicial authority, including the power to carry out executions.
Because of that, their standards for evidence were strict.
Step by step, the crowd realized how serious the situation was. The courtyard fell silent.
But Xu Cigang suddenly relaxed and even smiled. “Where’s the evidence? Show it.”
Then he sneered, “If you keep talking without evidence, be careful—you might lose both your life and your baby.”
Because Chen Mianmian had seemed hesitant, he assumed she had no evidence and was bluffing.
But he didn’t know that, as a lawyer, her instinct was to gather evidence first.
Without evidence, she would never have acted.
She continued, “When my ex-husband saw someone fall into the water, he took off his clothes and watch and jumped in. But because he was half-naked, when I woke up, I thought he was trying to assault me. I fought him all the way back to the production brigade.”
Zhao Lingcheng had removed his clothes to make rescue easier.
But when she woke up and saw him wearing only shorts on top of her, she thought he was molesting her.
She grabbed his clothes and ran crying to the brigade to demand justice.
In the end, the matter was only resolved when Zhao Lingcheng agreed to marry her.
But that was just the sequence of events. Where was the evidence?
Just as everyone grew impatient, thinking she had none, Chen Mianmian suddenly shouted, “Officer Li! Take off Xu Cigang’s watch—quick!”
Then she yelled, “He’s running! Stop him!”
She really did have evidence—and Xu Cigang’s watch was it.
The moment the truth was about to be revealed, he didn’t hesitate—he ran.
He knocked over officers and bystanders, breaking through the crowd and sprinting away.
Xiao Li failed to grab the watch and drew his gun, shouting, “Stop, or I’ll shoot!”
The other officers chased him, and the crowd surged toward the gate.
But after a scream, they realized Xu Cigang hadn’t gone out the gate—he had turned sharply toward the latrine.
A woman was grabbing his wrist, struggling with him.
After a brief struggle, she staggered back. Xu Cigang leaped high—but fell with a splash.
Wu Jingjing raised a dung ladle and slammed it into the pit, shouting, “The murderer fell into the latrine! Come catch him!”
The one who had caught up to him was Zhao Hui—quick to react, as expected of a soldier.
Xu Cigang had tried to jump onto the wall, but failed and fell back down.
Below him was the nightmare of the northwest—a pit latrine. He fell straight in.
He tried to jump out again, but Wu Jingjing struck him on the head with the ladle.
Zhao Hui, after glancing at the foul pit, grabbed the watch and ran straight to Chen Mianmian.
Zhao Lingcheng was the Zhao family’s only surviving descendant—the sole bloodline left after generations of martyrs.
And yet his marriage had been the result of a plot?
Fortunately, the crucial piece of evidence was now in Zhao Hui’s hands.