Meanwhile, Shen Hanning hurried to the Public Security Bureau, where he found Pan Jiaxing anxiously pacing outside.
The moment Pan Jiaxing saw him, he rushed over.
“Uncle Shen, what’s going on? I heard Tiantian was arrested for theft, so I came as quickly as I could.
But they said I’m not related to Tiantian and refused to let me visit her.”
Shen Hanning frowned deeply.
“I’m not entirely sure myself. Let’s go inside and find out.”
After explaining their identities and the purpose of their visit, two Public Security officers escorted Shen Tiantian into the interrogation room.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
The moment she saw Shen Hanning and Pan Jiaxing, she rushed toward them.
“Dad! Jiaxing! They’re framing me! I didn’t steal anything! Please tell them to let me out! The people here are so frightening!”
Shen Hanning helped her to her feet.
Looking at his daughter’s grief-stricken face, he suddenly felt utterly exhausted.
Pan Jiaxing spoke hoarsely in an attempt to comfort her.
“Tiantian, don’t panic. The Public Security officers will clear your name. You’ll be released soon.”
Turning to the investigating officer, Shen Hanning asked,
“Comrade Officer, have you figured everything out?”
The older officer nodded expressionlessly and placed two written confessions in front of Shen Tiantian.
“These are the confessions of Zhao Yuanjiang and Zhu Runmei.
They’ve confessed in detail to your theft plan.
How long are you still going to deny it?”
The veteran officer’s name was Li Zhenggang.
An experienced investigator, he had interrogated the three suspects separately.
He had begun with Zhu Runmei, whose psychological defenses were the weakest.
He slammed two fabricated confessions—purportedly from Zhao Yuanjiang and Shen Tiantian—onto the table and told her that voluntarily confessing would earn her a lighter sentence.
She immediately confessed truthfully and signed her statement.
The entire interrogation had taken less than ten minutes.
Next came Zhao Yuanjiang.
At first, he denied everything.
But after seeing Zhu Runmei’s crooked handwriting on her confession, he had no choice but to admit it.
After all, Zhu Runmei was illiterate and could barely write anything besides her own name.
No one knew her handwriting better than he did.
Finally, it was Shen Tiantian’s turn.
Just as they were about to begin questioning her, Shen Hanning and Pan Jiaxing arrived.
Shen Tiantian picked up the confessions.
The color immediately drained from her face.
Her mental defenses collapsed in an instant.
Sobbing uncontrollably, she cried,
“N-No… that’s not what happened, Officer.
We did have a plan…
But when we got there, the secret room was already empty.
We didn’t steal anything.”
The older officer slammed the table.
“So you’ve finally admitted it!
Zhao Yuanjiang and Zhu Runmei entered the Shen residence carrying burlap sacks and scale weights, and even broke a window to prepare an escape route.
If that isn’t theft, then what is?
You had already begun carrying out the crime.
The only reason you failed was because of circumstances beyond your control.
According to Article 22 of the Regulations on the Punishment of Corruption, your actions seriously disrupted the socialist economic order.
An attempted offense shall be punished as though it had been completed.”
Shen Tiantian was nearly hysterical, repeating over and over,
“I didn’t steal… It wasn’t me… I didn’t steal…”
Seeing her condition, Li Zhenggang decided the interrogation had essentially reached its conclusion.
He turned to Shen Hanning.
“Comrade Shen Hanning, all three suspects claimed that the secret room was empty.
Is that true?”
Shen Hanning’s eyes flickered nervously.
Though inwardly uneasy, he answered calmly,
“Yes.”
Before coming here, he had already expected the police to ask this question.
He had thought it through.
Even if the stolen property were recovered, it would never be returned to the Shen family.
It would simply be confiscated by the state.
So he might as well claim that the secret room had been empty from the beginning.
If anyone discovered that the Shen family had secretly hidden so much wealth, they could easily be labeled “counterrevolutionaries” or “capitalist roaders” and dragged off for public denunciation.
Li Zhenggang narrowed his eyes skeptically.
“Comrade Shen Hanning, tell the truth.
Don’t try to play tricks in front of me.”
Shen Hanning immediately put on an earnest expression.
“Officer, you can verify this with the Revolutionary Committee.
Before my father passed away, he had already handed over a large amount of our family’s assets.
We absolutely did not hide any additional property.”
Li Zhenggang narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Very well.
I’ll send someone to verify that with the Revolutionary Committee.
I hope every word you’ve said is true.
Otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences yourself.”
Shen Hanning nodded.
His palms had already begun to sweat.
Li Zhenggang handed another confession to Shen Tiantian.
“Come on.
Sign it.
Voluntarily confessing will earn you a lighter sentence.”
Shen Tiantian snatched the confession and threw it onto the floor.
“In your dreams…
I won’t sign it.”
Signing that confession would mean carrying the stigma of being a criminal for the rest of her life.
She was supposed to be the innocent, delicate young woman who deserved everyone’s protection.
How could she possibly accept such a stain on her reputation?
Li Zhenggang said coldly,
“I understand how you feel.
But the law is not a game.
You must take responsibility for your actions.”
Standing nearby, Pan Jiaxing asked solemnly,
“T-Then… Officer… how long will she be sentenced?”
“At least six months.”
Pan Jiaxing gasped.
“That long?”
Li Zhenggang shook his head.
“Longer than that.
We’ve received reports from numerous members of the public that Comrade Shen Tiantian once ordered four dishes and one soup for herself alone at a state-owned restaurant.
That’s considered extravagant capitalist behavior.
Because multiple people reported it, the offense is considered more serious.
She’ll receive an additional three months of reform through labor.”
Shen Tiantian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Officer! When did I ever go to a state-owned restaurant and order that much food by myself?
You’re making up charges!
I’m going to report all of you!
You black-hearted—”
“Shen Tiantian!”
Li Zhenggang interrupted sharply.
“Watch your language.
The Public Security Bureau serves the people.
We carry out our duties to protect the lives and property of the masses.
How dare you slander us like this.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
With a loud wail, Shen Tiantian threw herself into Shen Hanning’s arms.
“Dad! Save me!
I don’t want to be sent to a labor camp!
I’ve heard people get beaten to death there!”
Shen Hanning felt as though something had slammed heavily into his chest.
The evidence of Shen Tiantian’s intent to steal with Zhao Yuanjiang and his wife was undeniable.
She had truly betrayed the Shen family.
Gently pushing her away, he asked hoarsely,
“Tiantian…
How has our Shen family ever wronged you?”
He let out a long sigh.
“Officer, may I speak with her privately for a few minutes?”
Li Zhenggang nodded.
“Fine.
You have five minutes.”
As soon as Li Zhenggang left, Shen Hanning’s expression darkened.
His face was colder than an icy winter lake.
“Tiantian, things have come to this.
There’s nothing more for me to say.
For the sake of our father-daughter relationship, I originally didn’t want to make things difficult for you.
Even if you were convicted, your mother and I had planned to submit a letter of forgiveness to the authorities.
But you should never have targeted Jiawei.
He’s the Shen family’s only son.
He’s the only one who can carry on our family line.
Did you really think that by sending Jiawei to the Northwest, the Shen family’s property would become yours?”
As he spoke those words, Shen Hanning’s voice trembled.
Although he and Pang Dongling had always doted on Shen Tiantian, Shen Jiawei was their son.
He was their bottom line.
In that era, very few families didn’t favor sons over daughters.
It was as if a bolt of lightning had exploded inside Shen Tiantian’s mind.
Her eyes flew open.
“Dad… what are you talking about?
I don’t understand.
What Northwest?”
Pan Jiaxing also jerked his head up, his face filled with shock.
Shen Hanning couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“You’re still refusing to admit what you’ve done?
Jiawei is already on the train to the Northwest!”
“How is that possible?
Dad… it really wasn’t me…”
The girl’s helpless expression was enough to make anyone feel sorry for her.
Shen Hanning bit his lip, as though finally making an agonizing decision.
With great difficulty, he said,
“From this day forward…
we are severing all ties.
You…
are no longer a member of the Shen family.
Zhao Tiantian.”