As Liu Tao hesitantly asked, “Comrade Qian, both my sister and brother-in-law work at the Machinery Factory. Do children of factory employees still need a high school diploma for these positions?”
“Yes,” Qian Hongyan replied as she sat back down, emphasizing, “Applicants with less than a high school education will not be considered.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If you wanted to hint that you had connections, you should’ve done it privately. Even if you were dropping hints, at least mention a department head or the factory director. Chen Zhu was just an ordinary worker, and Hu Xing wasn’t even a permanent employee—only a temporary one. What exactly was she so proud of?
“Comrade Hu Tao, if you don’t meet the qualifications, you can wait for future openings at the factory. Please don’t hold up the people behind you.”
Hu Tao flushed with embarrassment. Just as she was about to argue, a sharp voice rang out from around the corner.
“Officer! That’s her—the young woman in the plaid shirt with the two braids!”
Lin Xiyun pointed decisively as she marched over with two uniformed police officers.
She believed in following the law. If there was trouble, you called the police.
Hu Tao froze at the words “police officer.” Before she could react, Lin Xiyun had already led the officers right in front of her.
Pointing straight at Hu Tao, Lin Xiyun declared loudly,
“I’d like to report Comrade Hu Tao for attempting to undermine national unity, disrupting social harmony, insulting the wife of a serviceman, and fabricating and spreading malicious rumors about a revolutionary comrade!”
“Everyone here witnessed what happened just now.”
“W-What? I didn’t! She’s lying!” Hu Tao stammered.
She had never imagined that a simple verbal argument would end with Lin Xiyun going straight to the local police station.
Panicked under the officers’ scrutinizing gaze, the young woman completely lost her composure. All she could do was keep repeating,
“I didn’t… I really didn’t…”
The officer beside Lin Xiyun, Chen Yaping, stood tall in his uniform, his expression righteous and composed. His sharp eyes swept across the crowd before he smiled faintly.
“We’ll need to conduct routine interviews with everyone who witnessed the incident. Please cooperate.”
He motioned for everyone to accompany them to the Public Security Bureau.
Immediately, several bystanders protested.
“Officer, it was Hu Tao who insulted Comrade Lin and mocked her for being from the countryside! We all heard it. We weren’t involved—we just came here to apply for jobs.”
No one wanted to spend half the day at the police station because of a stranger.
Talk about bad luck…
Once one person spoke up, everyone else chimed in, recounting exactly what Hu Tao had said.
The insults had been made only minutes earlier, and with so many witnesses, Hu Tao couldn’t deny them.
Seeing the fire had been stoked enough, Lin Xiyun gently brushed aside her dark hair, exposing the scar on the back of her head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her face and choked with emotion.
“Officer… the Hu sisters have made my life unbearable. They’ve constantly insulted me in the factory housing compound, ruined my reputation, and mocked my poor peasant background. Anyone there can confirm it.”
“A few days ago, Hu Xing shoved me to the ground and cracked my head open. That was attempted murder!”
“I want to formally report both Hu Tao and Hu Xing. Please open a criminal investigation against Hu Xing for attempted murder and for assaulting the family member of a soldier!”
“I… I didn’t…” Hu Tao murmured weakly.
Even as the police led her away for questioning, her mind remained blank.
She simply couldn’t understand how a few harsh words had escalated into a police case.
When the officers came to arrest Hu Xing, she was in the middle of arguing with Aunt Wang, another resident of the workers’ housing compound, over a tiny vegetable patch.
Clutching her chest in anger, Aunt Wang leaned against her doorway.
“The garden is in front of my house! I bought the seeds, I watered them, and I grew those vegetables! Taking them without asking is stealing!”
Hu Xing rolled her eyes dismissively.
“The vegetables are planted in a shared courtyard, not inside your house. How are they yours? They’re communal property. Stop slandering me.”
Having “won” the argument, Hu Xing twisted her waist smugly and headed toward her room.
Just then—
Knock! Knock!
A cold voice came from the gate.
“Which one is Comrade Hu Xing?”
Hu Xing froze.
Turning around and seeing two police officers standing there, her arrogance instantly evaporated, as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.
She swallowed nervously.
“O-Officer… I’m Hu Xing.”
The officer displayed his identification.
“We’re from the Public Security Bureau. Comrade Lin Xiyun has filed a report accusing you of attempted murder, verbal abuse, and harassment. We are taking you in for investigation.”
“W-What? Officer, you’ve got the wrong person! I didn’t try to kill anyone!”
Her shrill cry drew all the neighbors out of their homes.
Even Aunt Wang, who had just been about to slam her door shut in frustration, peeked through the crack.
Hearing the reason for the arrest, she couldn’t help muttering,
“So the fourth daughter-in-law of the Lu family has quite the temper now.”
She patted her chest in relief.
Good thing I never joined Hu Xing in spreading rumors about that girl.
“Hmph. Serves her right! That vicious woman finally met someone who could deal with her!”
Her little grandson looked up curiously.
“Grandma, what did that police uncle mean? Did Auntie finally get arrested for yelling at people?”
“It means if you keep doing bad things, sooner or later someone will come for you.”
After answering, Aunt Wang hurried into the vegetable patch and picked every last vegetable before Hu Xing could come back.
Outside, neighbors crowded around the gate trying to peek inside.
One nosy woman, still holding a handful of sunflower seeds, waved enthusiastically.
“Hey, Auntie! What happened to Xing’er?”
“I was taking a nap. I don’t know much. Go ask someone else.”
Aunt Wang wasn’t about to gossip while she still had a basket of green beans in her hands. She quickly hurried inside and slammed the gate shut with a loud bang.
“People never get tired of watching other people’s drama.”
“Hey! Auntie!”
The woman barely avoided having her nose caught in the closing gate. Muttering a complaint, she hurried off again, determined not to miss the freshest gossip.
In no time at all, word spread throughout the workers’ compound that both Hu Xing and Hu Tao had been taken away by the police.
By the time everyone got off work that evening, it was the only thing people were talking about.
Many residents who had suffered under Hu Xing before felt a sense of satisfaction.
“Hmph. With that mouth of hers, she’d argue even when she was obviously wrong. She always thought she could outtalk everyone. Look where that got her.”
“Still, they all work at the same factory and live in the same housing compound. Don’t you think the fourth daughter-in-law of the Lu family made too big a deal out of it?”
Just then, Li Nianwu happened to ride by on his bicycle after work. Catching that last comment, he immediately braked, planted one foot on the ground, and asked,
“What happened to my sister-in-law?”