After speaking, Su Li still looked worried and afraid. She lowered her voice and said: “Mom and Dad are in the hospital. I heard your maternal uncle’s side said that you hit Baoming. He called his two maternal brothers and said they were coming to deal with you.”
Su Qiu was still somewhat drowsy and casually replied: “Is that so? Then let’s go. We’ll hide at the Public Security Bureau.”
“Huh?” Su Li was completely confused.
“Let’s go. I’m almost falling asleep. Maybe if we go early, I can even borrow a chair at the Public Security Bureau and sleep for a while.”
Su Li followed in a daze and felt that what her younger sister said made sense. If they stayed at the Public Security Bureau, at least their uncle and the others would not dare to act violently.
Her younger sister had always been obedient and sensible, doing all the hard work at home without complaint. Suddenly, she had hit Baoming—she must have been pushed to the limit.
Su Li felt somewhat guilty for not being able to protect her sister properly.
Su Qiu did not know what her elder sister was thinking. Following the route in her memory, the two of them headed straight to the Public Security Bureau.
When the comrades inside saw that it was two young women, they came out to ask what had happened.
Su Li became nervous in front of the Public Security comrades and swallowed nervously, about to stammer an explanation.
Su Qiu stepped ahead of her and began her dramatic performance in tears.
“Police comrade, save me! I almost got beaten to death today! Three or four strong men wanted to beat me, a young girl. I’m so scared. Police comrade, please stand up for me!”
Su Li, watching her crying sister with tears streaming down her face, was completely stunned.
Th-this… could this be done like this?
Upon hearing such a serious matter, the Police comrade quickly supported Su Qiu and said sternly: “Comrade, don’t worry. In the Public Security Bureau, no one can bully you. Tell us your grievances, and we will stand up for you.”
Su Qiu wiped her tears and spoke pitifully:
“My name is Su Qiu. My biological mother died early. My father remarried a second wife. My stepmother not only abused me, she also transferred my job to her daughter and secretly registered me to go down to the countryside. I was willing to go, but they refused to give me living expenses.
“I only mentioned asking for living expenses and grain tickets, and I was beaten in the stomach by my stepmother’s son. I acted in self-defense and pushed him, and he somehow hit his thigh. Then my stepmother’s relatives heard about it and were going to bring people to beat me. I was lucky to escape quickly, or I would have been beaten to death.”
Everything Su Qiu said matched the facts, only her wording was slightly more “elaborate.”
The Police comrade, looking at Su Qiu’s thin, skeletal body and sallow face showing clear signs of malnutrition, had already believed her.
“Comrade Su Qiu, don’t worry. We will contact your Neighborhood Office director and investigate. If everything is confirmed true, we will definitely give you justice.”
Su Qiu gratefully said: “Thank you, Police comrade. You are the good helpers of the people, and also the heroes in my heart. I knew coming to you was right…”
After a long string of praises, the Police comrades were deeply moved by Su Qiu’s enthusiasm and said with strong sense of justice: “Comrade Su, you are too polite. This is our duty. I will report this case as a typical case to our superiors. You can stay here in peace. No one will dare to bully you.”
“Great! Thank you for your hard work, comrades—especially you. You are truly a responsible and dedicated comrade…”
The Police comrade did not know whether to laugh or cry and immediately brought three Auxiliary Police officers to Su Family’s residence to investigate.
They happened to run into Liu Pingqing, the younger brother of Su Qiu’s stepmother Liu Xiangyu, who had brought two or three strong men to “teach Su Qiu a lesson” at the Su Family gate.
When Liu Pingqing saw the police, he panicked. The group instinctively tried to run, but they were quickly seen through and blocked by the Public Security officers.
……
At the same time, Su Qiu was dozing off on a seat in the Public Security hall, while Su Li secretly wiped her tears.
She had not known that their father had transferred Su Qiu’s job to the younger daughter, nor that the stepmother had secretly registered Su Qiu to go down to the countryside.
Her younger sister’s sudden change in personality must have been due to being deeply hurt.
Their mother had passed away, leaving only her and their father as blood relatives, yet their father had repeatedly disappointed them.
Even the only sensible younger sister had been harmed by them like this. Su Li felt heartache and, for the first time, resentment toward their father and stepmother.
If they had not been so cruel, her sister would not have been forced to go down to the countryside and suffer.
Hearing her sister’s quiet sobbing, Su Qiu lost all sleepiness. She got up and moved closer to comfort her.
“Sis, I’m fine. I’ve just figured it out. That family is a bunch of ungrateful wretches. Going down to the countryside is much better than staying there.”
It was 1975. One could not attend school, could not do business, needed a letter of introduction to travel, and even food and daily necessities required ration coupons.
Of course, Su Qiu, who had a dimension space, could definitely live comfortably, as she did not worry about food or clothing.
But once registered to go down to the countryside in this era, it could not be reversed.
On the bright side, going down to the countryside at this time still included household registration transfer.
Su Qiu planned to remove her household registration from the Su Family. When she could return to the city in a couple of years, she would use gold from her dimension space to buy a house and register herself independently. Then she would live alone.
In her previous life, Su Qiu had already achieved financial freedom and had endured hardships before.
Going down to the countryside would only mean harder labor. As for not having enough food or clothing, she was not worried at all with her dimension space.
Moreover, with resources in hand, she could adapt anywhere. Whether in the city or countryside, she could survive. She would simply accept things as they came.
Su Li only thought her sister was comforting her. She hugged Su Qiu with red eyes, already knowing that going down to the countryside could not be changed.
She could only say: “When the time comes, I will send you off. I will bring enough grain tickets for you. That place is harsh, so eating well and staying warm is the most important. If you need anything, write to me and I will send it to you.”
Su Qiu could feel that her elder sister genuinely cared for her and replied: “Got it, sis.”
In her memory, Su Li’s husband was not very capable and was timid, unable to make decisions because of his mother-in-law’s control.
Su Li herself had a soft personality. After two years of marriage, she had only given birth to a daughter, and her in-laws constantly nitpicked and looked down on her.
At that moment, several Police comrades returned, escorting Liu Pingqing and the others.
Liu Pingqing shouted loudly: “Police comrade, I am innocent! I really did not break the law…”
“Shut up! Behave yourselves! Whether you broke the law or not, we will investigate.”
“Xiao Guo, take them to the Interrogation Room for separate questioning.”
……
Soon after, the director of the Neighborhood Office where Su Qiu belonged also arrived.
In the Public Security Bureau, no one dared to lie. In less than an hour, the investigation was fully completed.
The two men brought by Liu Pingqing were trembling with fear. After being questioned by the police, they confessed everything—they had followed Liu Pingqing to teach a young girl a lesson.
The Neighborhood Office director also knew the situation of the Su Family and did not cover anything up. He truthfully reported everything about Su Qiu and the Su Family.
In summary, everything matched what Su Qiu had told the police.
Liu Pingqing, as the instigator, was directly detained. The other two were educated and warned that if it happened again, they would be sent to jail.