Those words seemed to strike a nerve with Qin Chengyuan.
He instantly exploded.
“I did everything! The evidence is all there! Why keep digging into it?”
His eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly they trembled as he roared at Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai remained expressionless, quietly watching his violent outburst.
In her previous life, after Song Tian returned to the city, she never came back. Qin Chengyuan, having lost his chance to return, married the original Jiang Lai and remained trapped in the countryside for years.
To Qin Chengyuan, Song Tian had always been the unforgettable white moonlight of his heart.
This time, Jiang Lai intended to make sure Qin Chengyuan and Song Tian stayed together forever. She wanted his cherished “white moonlight” to become nothing more than a pile of rotten dog dung—two piles of dog dung that would never be separated for the rest of their lives.
“Enough shouting!” the senior officer barked.
He slowly stood up and addressed Jiang Lai.
“We’ve already verified what you told us. We sent people to investigate, and it was confirmed that Song Tian bought two jin of loose liquor from Xiahe Brigade that day. We’ve also located the bottle she used.”
He paused before continuing.
“The investigation shows the two of them were in a romantic relationship. Qin Chengyuan has admitted that the entire scheme was his idea to help Song Tian return to the city.”
“Qin Chengyuan is the principal offender. Song Tian is an accomplice.”
Turning to a younger officer, he instructed,
“Xiao Chen, escort Jiang Lai home first. Tomorrow morning we’ll take these two back to the commune.”
“This isn’t an ordinary personal dispute. It involves attempted rape and extortion through threats to seize someone else’s job assignment.”
The senior officer closed his notebook.
It was already late into the night. The officers planned to stay overnight at the brigade headquarters and escort the suspects back the next morning.
Jiang Lai finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
“So… I can still return to the city and start my job as planned?”
The officer nodded.
“You’re the victim in this case. Just continue living your life normally.”
“Thank you for giving me justice.”
Jiang Lai bowed deeply.
“It’s our duty,” the officer replied. “Your family is waiting. Go home and get some rest.”
Seeing Jiang Lai was free to leave, Laizi hurriedly spoke up.
“Comrade Officer, it’s already dark. Since nothing’s wrong, can I go home too?”
He had barely stood when the officer beside him shoved him back into his seat.
“Sit down!”
The long-suppressed Mingyuan finally broke down completely.
“I want to go home! I want to go home! I don’t want to stay here!”
“Yeah!” Laizi protested loudly. “The people accused of sleeping around get to go home! I’m a poor peasant from a good revolutionary family—why can’t I leave?”
Jiang Lai stepped out of the office.
Outside, Zhao Guoshi stood holding a thin padded jacket while speaking to another officer, wearing an ingratiating smile.
Where Jiang Lai had been standing earlier, the brigade captain and the Women’s Director now stood instead.
Jiang Lai knew the senior officer wasn’t the type to smooth things over.
Although Qin Chengyuan had taken most of the blame upon himself, Song Tian, as an accomplice, wouldn’t escape punishment either.
Jiang Lai knew Song Tian had actually been the mastermind.
But without evidence, this outcome was already as fair as she could hope for.
Turning to Officer Chen, she smiled.
“I’ll head home with my grandmother. Thank you for your hard work, Officer.”
Officer Chen was a man of few words.
“Don’t wander around for the next couple of days. We may need to come to your house at any time.”
“I understand.”
Jiang Lai quickly ran over and hugged Zhao Guoshi’s arm.
“Grandma, let’s go home.”
Zhao Guoshi had still been trying to persuade the officers to take the padded jacket with them, never expecting Jiang Lai to come out so quickly.
She stared at her granddaughter in disbelief.
“It’s over?”
“We can really go home?”
“I saw them bring the brigade captain in while he was eating dinner. I thought we’d all have to spend the night here.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
Jiang Lai glanced back at the brigade captain and the others before saying cheerfully,
“We get to sleep at home.”
“As for them… maybe not.”
From inside the office came Mingyuan’s sobs and Laizi’s furious shouting.
Outside, the four people waiting all wore completely different expressions. The scene was almost amusing.
The moment Zhao Guoshi heard they could go home, her pace noticeably quickened.
Grandmother and granddaughter chatted as they walked.
Several villagers still lingered outside the brigade headquarters despite the cold, unwilling to miss the excitement.
When they saw Jiang Lai emerge, they looked astonished.
“Wasn’t she supposed to be publicly criticized? Why’s she coming out?”
“Exactly! Even the brigade captain got taken inside. I thought we’d have a good show to watch tonight.”
Zhao Guoshi’s face darkened instantly.
“Damn your mouths!”
She bent down, grabbed several stones from the ground, and hurled them at the gossiping villagers.
Everyone in the brigade knew how formidable Zhao Guoshi had been in her younger days.
The crowd scattered immediately.
Even so, several people were struck on the backs of their heads by the flying stones.
They rubbed their aching heads and yelped in pain, but none dared complain to Zhao Guoshi’s face.
After all the commotion, Jiang Lai was exhausted.
After much coaxing, she finally persuaded Zhao Guoshi to head home.
The kitchen was cold, with no fire burning.
The entire family remained gathered in the main room.
Only a single kerosene lamp illuminated the table.
The brigade headquarters already had electricity, but like many elderly villagers, Zhao Guoshi thought electricity was too expensive and had never been willing to install it, so the family still relied on oil lamps.
The room was silent.
No one spoke.
Jiang Minghai had been squatting by the doorway the entire time.
He’d wanted to go to the brigade headquarters, but his mother had forbidden it, worried his quick temper would only make matters worse.
So he’d stayed home, anxiously waiting.
The moment he saw grandmother and granddaughter enter, he sprang to his feet.
Because he’d been squatting for so long, his legs had gone numb.
He limped toward them, grimacing as he rubbed his thigh.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
Jiang Lai smiled sincerely.
“It’ll all be settled tomorrow.”
She truly appreciated this uncle and couldn’t help feeling touched.
Walking over, she gently patted his shoulder.
“As long as you’re okay,” Jiang Minghai sighed with relief.
“That little bastard really had some nerve trying to steal your job.”
“Enough.”
Zhao Guoshi’s worries had finally eased, and her usual fiery personality returned.
“The police are still here. Behave yourself.”
She glared at her son.
“Look at you, acting like some street hoodlum. No wonder you still can’t find a wife.”
As she entered the house, she immediately began chasing everyone away.
“Go on! Everyone get back to your own homes. Stop crowding my house.”
Eldest Uncle, an honest and simple man who was never good at making decisions, finally relaxed after seeing Jiang Lai return safely.
“Mom, what happened?”
“The police are still investigating. How should I know?” Zhao Guoshi replied confidently.
“But they kept the brigade captain there and only let Lailai come home.”
“That tells me this wasn’t Lailai’s fault.”
She opened the grain cabinet, scooped out half a ladle of white flour, then noticed everyone was still standing there.
Growing impatient, she snapped,
“What? Are you all waiting for me to cook for you?”
“The family’s already split up. If you want to eat here, bring your own grain!”
As she walked past Second Aunt, she deliberately stomped hard on her foot.
“For all these years, Jianshe’s family has given your daughters so much good cloth.”
“You’re nothing but an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!”
“What a waste of all that fine fabric!”
“When something happens, all you think about is yourself.”
“Heartless! Completely heartless!”
Second Aunt secretly glanced at Jiang Lai several times, regret written all over her face.
“I’m a mother too. This wasn’t exactly a small matter.”
“Fenfen’s discussing marriage right now. What if this ruined her prospects?”
“Bah!”
Zhao Guoshi spat.
“Lailai is half your daughter too!”
“Because your family has so few working hands, you never earned enough work points to feed yourselves.”
“Lailai transferred almost all of her work points to your household.”
“She was only fifteen or sixteen and already knew your family was struggling.”
“And the moment something happened to her, you panicked.”
“People say one thing, and you believe it without question!”
She pointed a finger at Second Aunt.
“Listen carefully.”
“If you don’t send Lailai dozens of pounds of salted fish as an apology after she returns to the city…”
“…then don’t even think about asking Jianshe’s family to find good bedding fabric for Fenfen’s wedding.”
“We’ll see whether you can even bring yourself to ask.”
Second Uncle hurriedly promised,
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll spend the next couple of days doing nothing but catching fish.”
“Hmph!”
“Hurry up and leave.”
“I’m not feeding any of you!”
Eldest Aunt asked worriedly,
“Mom… is this really over?”
“We’ll know tomorrow.”
“Go home.”
Although Zhao Guoshi was just as anxious inside, she couldn’t afford to let her family lose heart.
She kept a stern face as she ushered everyone out.
That night, Jiang Lai slept peacefully.
Despite waking up in an unfamiliar world, she felt no sense of unease.
The next morning, while she was eating breakfast, Jiang Minghai—who had disappeared at dawn—came charging through the courtyard gate with a loud bang.
“Lailai!”
A furious roar immediately came from inside the house.
“Why are you braying like a donkey first thing in the morning?!”
Jiang Minghai instantly lowered his voice.
Afraid his mother might throw another “weapon” at him, he hopped around the courtyard like an excited puppy.
“Good news! Great news!”
“The police are looking for an ox cart. They’re taking Educated Youth Qin and Educated Youth Song back to the police station.”
“I also heard the brigade captain and the Women’s Director spent the entire night writing self-criticisms.”
“The brigade captain’s got two huge black circles under his eyes today!”
Hearing his excitement, Jiang Lai quickly set down her bowl.
“Grandma, I’m going to the brigade headquarters.”
Still worried, Zhao Guoshi immediately put down what she was doing and climbed off the kang.
“I’m coming too.”
“I’m not letting you go by yourself.”
When they arrived at the brigade headquarters again, Song Tian and the others were sitting in a row on the ground.
After spending the entire night there, they looked utterly miserable.
Jiang Lai felt nothing.
The original owner had lost her life.
Compared to that, spending one night at the brigade headquarters was hardly punishment.
Pushing aside her thoughts, she greeted the senior officer politely.
“Uncle Officer, thank you for everything.”
The senior officer smiled.
“It was no trouble.”
“The commune hasn’t done a good enough job educating people about the law.”
“Even the brigade captain and the Women’s Director were ignorant of it.”
“It’s fortunate you reported the case.”
“Otherwise, who knows what you would have suffered.”