“I just borrowed a tractor from Changhu Commune. Urgent matters should be handled quickly. I figured it’s better to resolve this sooner, otherwise no one will sleep well,” Gu Zhao scratched his head and said with an honest, simple smile.
Shu Ning looked at him, wishing she could give him twelve thumbs up!
Lei Zhenxing, on the other hand, was still in shock. Since when did this brat Gu Zhao learn how to drive a tractor?
Changhu Commune treasured their tractor like a precious gem. Their team leader was stingy and difficult to deal with. Earlier this spring, he had tried to borrow it to plow the fields, saying all kinds of nice things, yet they still refused.
So how did Gu Zhao manage it?
And bring it back so quickly?
The group rode the rumbling tractor and reached the police station in just over ten minutes.
As soon as they entered, Zhu Qiulan immediately lost her confidence.
Though intimidated, she refused to admit anything.
She insisted Chen Daming must have “seen a ghost” and was talking nonsense.
As for the money found on him, she claimed it was purely a coincidence.
Shu Ning had long expected Zhu Qiulan wouldn’t confess, but she wasn’t in a hurry.
No matter what, Zhu Qiulan would pay the price.
Everyone stayed at the police station, giving statements and testimonies, until well past midnight.
Since things had already reached this point and couldn’t be resolved immediately, they decided to return to the commune first.
And unanimously chose to ride Gu Zhao’s tractor back.
Among the nearby communes, only Changhu Commune had a tractor.
Whenever it ran, it roared loudly and looked incredibly impressive.
Every time it passed by, the driver from Changhu Commune would act especially proud, speeding off without stopping.
They had never even touched one before, let alone ridden it.
Riding a tractor felt as novel as a bride riding in a wedding sedan.
“Everyone, wait for me. I need to go back inside and use the restroom,” Gu Zhao said after everyone had climbed onto the tractor, jumping down and heading back into the station.
Once inside, he walked up to one of the officers, pulled him aside, and whispered, “Old Zhang, the evidence against that woman for hiring someone to commit murder is already sufficient. Please take extra care to make her reflect properly. Make sure she confesses as soon as possible. If she refuses… let her suffer a bit.”
Old Zhang glanced at him and calmly replied, “Comrade Gu Zhao, don’t worry. We will carry out our duties properly.”
Gu Zhao left, reassured.
By the time Shu Ning returned to the dormitory, it was already past midnight.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, yet she ended up sleeping until after nine in the morning.
As soon as she stepped out, she heard the other educated youths discussing the case.
“Chen Daming confessed—completely. He said Zhu Qiulan told him that although everyone thought she and Shu Ning were close, Shu Ning constantly suppressed and looked down on her, making her feel suffocated.”
“Seeing her upset, he asked what he could do. Zhu Qiulan gave him five yuan and told him to push Shu Ning into the river.”
“After he pushed her, Zhu Qiulan saw that it worked and gave him another five yuan.”
“Later, when Shu Ning was rescued, Zhu Qiulan got scared the truth would come out. She gave him another five yuan and told him to insist it was an accident—that he had no intention of harming anyone.”
“Who knew Chen Daming felt guilty after hurting someone. When he saw Shu Ning at night, he thought her spirit had come for revenge and immediately confessed.”
Hearing this, everyone sighed.
But Shu Ning knew—
This was exactly the truth.
Chen Daming hadn’t lied at all.
“But why would Zhu Qiulan want to harm Shu Ning? Shu Ning treated her so well.”
“Who knows?”
“But I heard Zhu Qiulan still hasn’t confessed. Even after being beaten badly, she didn’t admit anything. Oh right, Zhang Guofei just came back from the station—he said she’s in terrible shape. She wasn’t allowed to sleep all night, covered in injuries, and none of them were treated. She’s almost unrecognizable!”
A faint smile curved on Shu Ning’s lips.
Good.
That was exactly how it should be.
For hiring someone to commit murder, even if she couldn’t make her rot in prison forever, she would make sure Zhu Qiulan experienced the suffering inside.
“With Chen Daming’s testimony, Zhu Qiulan definitely won’t escape prison—unless Shu Ning is willing to write a letter of forgiveness.”
A letter of forgiveness?
Shu Ning let out a soft laugh.
Not even in the next life.
As she stepped out of the dormitory, she saw Sun Guofei approaching from a distance.
He seemed to be looking for her.
As if she would let him find her.
Shu Ning immediately turned a corner and walked straight into the commune’s general store.
The shop wasn’t big, but business was good. By the time she arrived, all the pork was sold out—even the offal was gone.
Left with no choice, she bought some dried fungus, chili powder, soy sauce, MSG, and other ingredients.
After that, she noticed villagers nearby harvesting bok choy and mustard greens. She walked over, exchanged some grain coupons, and got a large bundle of vegetables.
On the road, a group of male educated youths returned from morning labor. Seeing Shu Ning carrying fish in one hand and vegetables in the other, they nudged Bai Zhiping and teased him.
“Zhiping, you’re really lucky! Look, Shu Ning bought fish again—you’re in for another good meal today.”
Bai Zhiping adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Why had Shu Ning spoken so harshly yesterday?
See?
Wasn’t she still buying good food now to make up with him?
“You’re really cold-hearted. After everything she went through yesterday, you didn’t even go comfort her. But it’s fine—Educated Youth Shu still has you in her heart.”
He hadn’t been present when Shu Ning beat Zhu Qiulan badly last night, but he had already heard about it early this morning.
The outcome left him feeling complicated.
Since the moment Shu Ning fell into the river, he had assumed she did it out of unrequited love for him.
But now, it turned out her fall had nothing to do with him.
Did he really mean nothing to her?
That thought made Bai Zhiping feel as if he had fallen from the clouds into a valley.
But seeing the fish in Shu Ning’s hands, his sour mood improved slightly.
“I don’t care for her cooking anyway,” Bai Zhiping snorted, his face full of disdain, though his eyes revealed pride and vanity.
“You really don’t know how lucky you are! Shu Ning is beautiful, rich, and can cook—what exactly do you dislike about her?”
Bai Zhiping paused.
What did he dislike?
He couldn’t say.
But he realized he enjoyed this feeling—
Rejecting her again and again, while she continued chasing after him.
“Should we go help her carry those things?” someone asked.
“Help with what? Let’s go!” Bai Zhiping cast a cold glance at Shu Ning, who was still picking vegetables in the field, then slung his hoe over his shoulder and walked back to the dormitory with an air of indifference.
“…” The other male educated youths fell silent.