Shen Zhiyi had no interest in wasting words with them. She had asked Zhou Muchuan to bring her here specifically to retrieve her dowry. And if the Lu family dared to provoke her, she wouldn’t mind smashing their precious banquet to pieces.
Before she and her sister got married, their mother had commissioned a carpenter to make two high-quality camphorwood chests to serve as dowry.
One went to her sister, Shen Zhilan, and the other was hers.
These chests weren’t just expensive; they held immense sentimental value.
She could leave behind the quilts, the fabric, the pillowcases all of it. But this chest, she must get it back for the original owner.
She certainly wasn’t going to let this scum of a family and his relatives benefit from it.
“Lu Yusheng, bring out my camphorwood chest, and I will leave immediately. You can continue your feast. But if you don’t… then as long as I’m here, this party is over.”
“What camphorwood chest?” Lu Yusheng couldn’t be bothered to remember such trivial things.
It was just an old box, good for nothing but storing her junk. And yet she had actually asked Officer Zhou to drive her all the way back just for this?
“What chest? The one your two sisters were so jealous of on our wedding day,” Shen Zhiyi said coolly. “They kept asking me where I got it, wondering if they could get one too.”
“If you don’t know, go ask your dear sisters. They’ll remember.”
“Or perhaps… someone took it for themselves while I was gone? If that’s the case, then I’m afraid I’ll have to call the police right here and now.”
“Dr. Lu, illegally occupying another person’s property is a crime,” Zhou Muchuan interjected smoothly, playing along perfectly. “If Ms. Shen reports it, the station is obligated to open a case. It would be best just to give it back.”
He didn’t need any signals from her; he was more than happy to explain the law to everyone present.
The two Lu sisters, clearly implicated, exchanged nervous glances. They wanted to get angry, but there was something intimidating about this ex-convict Shen Zhiyi that made them hesitate.
How had she changed so much after three years in prison?
Usually, when people got out, they kept their heads down, terrified of being looked down upon.
But she? She was strutting around like she owned the place, as if daring everyone to remember she had been in jail.
What was going on?
And why was Zhou Muchuan helping her like this? It was extremely odd.
“I don’t know where it is. Go look for it yourself,” Lu Yusheng snapped, impatient.
“No! She is an ex-convict! She brings bad luck with her!” Mother Lu stepped forward again, blocking the way. “This is the Lu household! I will not allow such bad luck to cross our threshold!”
The rest of the family gathered behind her, forming a human wall to prevent Shen Zhiyi from entering.
“If I can’t go in, then you go in and bring it out to me,” Shen Zhiyi said calmly, completely unfazed by the wall of people.
She casually dragged over a wooden stool, sat down, and crossed her legs comfortably.
Without the slightest hesitation, she grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the table meant for guests and started cracking them open right in front of their faces.
“Shen Zhiyi, are you a common hooligan?” Father Lu hobbled over, leaning on his cane. “Today is my eldest grandson’s first birthday. Can’t whatever this is wait until tomorrow?”
“No. Father, I only want my camphorwood chest,” Shen Zhiyi insisted.
“This is the Lu family! I’ve been patient with you because you’re a woman, but don’t push me too far! Do you want a slap? You ungrateful bitch!”
Lu Changsheng, the eldest son, stepped forward aggressively.
“Ungrateful?” Shen Zhiyi spat a seed shell onto the ground and looked him up and down with disdain. “Lu Changsheng, I remember you and your wife had your eyes on this chest too. Why don’t we ask Officer Zhou to go search your room right now?”
“You !” Accused outright of theft, Lu Changsheng lost his temper completely.
He raised his arm, ready to slap her across the face.
But before he could connect, his wrist was caught mid-air by Zhou Muchuan’s large, firm hand. He couldn’t move it an inch.
“Whore!” Lu Changsheng spat out the word.
Shen Zhiyi’s eyes turned sharp as blades. It seemed if she didn’t show them her true power, they were never going to hand over her property.
She stood up and kicked over the nearest table with one powerful sweep.
CRASH!
Fruit plates, bowls, chopsticks, and that fragrant braised pork all tumbled to the ground, ruined.
Without pausing, Shen Zhiyi picked up the wooden stool she had been sitting on and hurled it at another table, smashing that one too.
The villagers watching were stunned. They hadn’t expected her to go completely berserk like this.
“Shen Zhiyi! What do you think you’re doing?!” Lu Yusheng’s eyes were blazing with fury.
“Give me back my chest,” was all she said. Nothing else mattered.
“You ”
“Yusheng, stop talking to her!” Mother Lu wailed dramatically. “Shen Zhiyi, you ruined my grandson’s birthday! Officer Zhou, I want to report her! Arrest this shrew and put her back inside where she belongs!”
“Grandson?” Zhou Muchuan frowned, confused. “Wasn’t Qiangqiang your daughter’s child your grandson-in-law?”
Why was he suddenly her “grandson” now?
Shen Zhiyi sneered beside him. The old witch was panicking so badly she wasn’t even watching her words anymore.
“Grandson or grandson-in-law, it’s the same! Officer Zhou, arrest her now!”
“Shen Zhiyi, calm down, don’t do anything rash,” Zhou Muchuan advised verbally, but he had absolutely no intention of handcuffing her as the old woman demanded.
“See? Even Officer Zhou knows what’s right. Old witch, listen closely he can arrest me. But before he does, your whole family is coming with me. Until we find the real thief, every single one of you is a suspect.”
“Not a single one escapes.”
“What did you call me?” Mother Lu finally caught it. She had called her an ‘old witch’?
Shen Zhiyi had just said she wasn’t divorced yet, which technically still made her her mother-in-law! How dare she speak to her like this? It was an insult to all decency!
Furious, Mother Lu clutched her chest, gasping for air as if she were about to collapse.
Lu Yusheng reacted quickly, catching her and rubbing her back until she finally caught her breath.
“Apologize, Shen Zhiyi,” Lu Yusheng stepped forward, his voice cold and dangerous.
“In your dreams, Lu Yusheng,” she scoffed, refusing without a second thought.
“Fine. You asked for this. Don’t beg for mercy later.” Lu Yusheng looked murderous as he advanced toward her step by step.
In the countryside, if a woman made a mistake, talked back, and refused to apologize, it was perfectly acceptable for a man to teach her a lesson. It was family business; no one else had the right to interfere.
They had only been married for a year. At the beginning, he had been busy with his studies, so they had maintained a polite distance.
Truth be told, there was hardly any real affection between them.
Shortly after Jiang Ruochu returned to the village, they had rekindled their old flame. After that, he had despised Shen Zhiyi even more.
Once again, Zhou Muchuan stepped forward, placing himself firmly between Shen Zhiyi and Lu Yusheng.
Lu Yusheng’s face darkened with anger. “Officer Zhou, this is a domestic matter. Please step aside.”