Ge Hongxia snapped, “You’re saying this is Zhao Jianjun’s shoe?”
The man nodded. “It’s a liberation shoe. When Captain Zhao bought it, he showed it off to us for ages! See that black mark on the toe? That’s from when he accidentally burned it with a cigarette.”
Ge Hongxia’s anger boiled. Her family had already suffered enough under the Zhao family’s dominance, and now Zhao Jianjun had the audacity to come steal chickens from their house?
But a single shoe wasn’t enough to prove that Zhao Jianjun was the thief.
What if he claimed it was lost by accident?
Without hesitation, Ge Hongxia grabbed the shoe and rushed to the security office.
Zhao Hongbing was dozing on a desk when he was abruptly awakened by a sharp “slap” in front of him.
He looked up to see Director Ge glaring at him with fury.
“Zhao Hongbing! How did you patrol last night? A chicken thief entered the village—did you even know? With your work attitude, if a spy came and wiped out the whole village, you probably wouldn’t even notice!”
Spittle sprayed across Zhao Hongbing’s face.
He didn’t dare respond—or even wipe the cologne from his face.
He knew Ge Hongxia’s capability better than anyone. He had seen her stand outside the yard of a family refusing to cooperate all morning, berating them without repeating herself.
He remembered the vague figure he saw last night—holding what looked like two chickens.
Could it really have been Captain Zhao?
On one side was Zhao Jianjun, his direct superior; on the other, Ge Hongxia, the village’s fiercest women’s committee director.
He didn’t want to offend either.
But Zhao Hongbing didn’t hesitate. If he didn’t speak the truth, Director Ge would probably smash the shoe down on something—and he didn’t want that to be him.
And why should he take the blame for this?
He had patrolled diligently, never slacking. The dogs barked all night, and he had run after them all night, not daring to blink.
His family had some connection with Zhao Jianjun’s—otherwise, his father wouldn’t have had the face to bring thick gifts to ask Captain Zhao to place him in Zhao Jianjun’s militia.
But Zhao Jianjun didn’t like him, and he didn’t care for those sycophantic lackeys either; he was always sidelined under Zhao Jianjun.
Zhao Hongbing refused to take the fall for someone who looked down on him. At worst, he could just go back to farming.
So he spoke honestly, without needing to be coerced:
“Director Ge, don’t be angry. I didn’t slack off last night. While patrolling, I saw Captain Zhao holding two chickens. I just don’t know if they were yours.”
Ge Hongxia exploded with rage. So it really was Zhao Jianjun!
The grudge over stolen chickens was personal—this was unforgivable!
Old resentments and new ones surged together.
The Zhao family had a fake, self-righteous fool already, but that wasn’t enough!
Even the youngest of the Zhao family dared to bully her family—did they think the Zhangs were defenseless?
“Everyone, follow me to the Zhao house and settle this!”
With authority in her voice, villagers eagerly followed, curious to watch.
Word spread quickly. By the time Ge Hongxia reached Zhao Shizhong’s house, a huge crowd had surrounded it. People cleared a path for her, and she strode directly to the front gate.
It was just dawn.
Zhao Shizhong and his wife were awakened by the commotion outside, hastily dressing.
“Dad! Mom! Something’s wrong! The front gate is crowded—looks like trouble!”
Their eldest daughter-in-law, Chunxing, pounded on the door.
Zhao Shizhong stormed out, frowning.
“What are you doing? As the eldest daughter-in-law, how can you act so recklessly? How can I ever trust you to take over this house from your mother-in-law?”
Chunxing shrank back, terrified.
Villagers thought her father-in-law was kind, but only their family knew the truth: he was domineering, and the “kind guy” persona was a facade before becoming militia chief.
Even the brash younger son relied on his father’s backing. The two were cut from the same cloth.
“Do you understand what’s going on?” Zhao Shizhong asked Chunxing as he headed toward the gate.
Shaking her head, she had just woken up.
Zhao Shizhong glared at her—useless! If the family had been richer when the eldest son married, he wouldn’t have let him marry such a fool!
Chunxing, intimidated by the glare, stayed silent. She knew Zhao Shizhong had always disliked her; if her husband hadn’t supported her, she doubted she’d still be in the Zhao family after bearing two sons.
Ignoring his daughter-in-law’s thoughts, Zhao Shizhong’s right eyelid twitched—he sensed the crowd at the gate meant trouble.
Opening the gate, he saw several layers of people surrounding it. At the front was Ge Hongxia, glaring at him, eyebrows raised.
Zhao Shizhong smiled and said, “Director Ge, what brings such an esteemed guest here so early? Come, come, let’s talk inside.”
He extended his right hand, inviting her in.
With so many people outside, if Ge Hongxia said anything untoward inside, it would be hard to manage.
But Ge Hongxia didn’t budge. Her gaze at Zhao Shizhong was icy, and she sneered:
“I’m not going into your gate. Once I do, I won’t be able to leave.
Zhao Shizhong’s smile faltered, but he still said politely, “You jest, sister-in-law. You’re the wife of my brother, so we’re family. Let’s go inside to talk.”
“Cut the nonsense! Who said we’re family! Bring Zhao Jianjun out! He stole my chickens last night, and I’m here to settle accounts! Even if he ate them, he’ll have to spit them out!”
Ge Hongxia didn’t let him interrupt; her face was full of rage.
Zhao Shizhong breathed a sigh of relief—it was just the missing chickens.
He knew his youngest son well. If Zhao Jianjun took someone else’s chickens, he wouldn’t be surprised; but stealing? He couldn’t believe it.
Zhao Jianjun had been raised under his guidance; even if he took chickens, it would only be from families like the Sus—with no support or backing.
The Zhangs were prominent in the village; Zhao Shizhong couldn’t believe his son would be foolish enough to steal from them.
“Director Ge, maybe there’s a misunderstanding. My Jianjun can be mischievous, but he’d never do anything like stealing chickens!”
“Slap!” Ge Hongxia threw the liberation shoe in front of Captain Zhao.
“Look at this! We lost five chickens, and this shoe was found outside our yard. Someone says it belongs to your son!”
Zhao Shizhong picked up the shoe, examining it. “It’s just a shoe. Whether it’s Jianjun’s or not, even if it is, it could have been lost by accident.
Director Ge, you don’t know that Jianjun was beaten yesterday—his head’s still wrapped in bandages. Someone could’ve taken the shoe while he wasn’t paying attention.”
Ge Hongxia’s chest heaved with anger at Zhao Shizhong’s denial.
She knew that dog of a kid wouldn’t admit it!