“I also went to the Old Lady’s room.”
“I went too!”
Liu Guangtian and Xu Damao quickly said.
They were included when it was time to work, but why were they forgotten now that it was time to claim credit?
“I went too. I even wanted to stay in the Deaf Old Lady’s room for a while longer to keep her company, but Lao Liu didn’t give me the chance.”
Jia Zhangshi added.
“You few continue with the questioning, I’ll take one person to go take a look.”
The leading Public Security Officer first instructed the other Public Security Officers, then turned to Yi Zhonghai and the others: “Who among you went to the Old Lady’s room in the Backyard just now? Lead the way.”
Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Jia Zhangshi all raised their hands.
Yi Zhonghai led two Public Security Officers to the entrance of the Deaf Old Lady’s room and pushed the door open.
The Public Security Officer shone a flashlight, the beam first landing on the floor, then inspecting the situation inside the room.
Seeing the pulled-out drawers and the messy bedsheets, the Public Security Officer looked at the Old Lady on the bed, who was now completely silent.
“First, close the door. We’ll come back during the day for a detailed inspection of the room.”
The leading Public Security Officer instructed.
Jia Zhangshi held a flashlight, her eyes darting around the room, thinking about what items to take back to Jia first.
After the culprit’s search, it was estimated that there wasn’t much money left in the room.
The most valuable things were quilts and clothes, as well as some daily necessities.
Jia Zhangshi had already quietly formulated a plan.
“Hurry up and leave, the Public Security Officers are gone, what are you still doing here?”
Liu Haizhong reached out and pulled Jia Zhangshi.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Jia Zhangshi reluctantly swept her eyes around the room one last time before following Liu Haizhong out the door.
The few of them came out of the room and returned to the Middle Courtyard.
“Chief, we found a pile of loose bills on the culprit.”
A Public Security Officer reported after frisking him.
He handed the loose bills found on the culprit to the Old Public Security Officer.
The Old Public Security Officer took them and examined them, then handed the loose bills back to the Public Security Officer: “Keep them as evidence.”
“Hey, those loose bills look like they’re from my house.”
“It seems like the money I lent to the Old Lady before.”
Jia Zhangshi’s eyes turned green when she saw the loose bills, and she spoke with quick wit.
“Oh, give me a break, Granny Jia, you lent money to the Old Lady?”
“You’ve only ever taken other people’s money. With so many people in the Courtyard, whose family have you ever lent money to?”
“Granny Jia is utterly black-hearted to get money.”
“She even dares to deceive the Public Security Officers. In my opinion, she should be arrested and sent to jail.”
The Courtyard residents were furious.
The Old Lady was gone, with no children or grandchildren.
She was a natural target for those who preyed on the childless.
As the saying goes, one worries not about scarcity but about inequality.
No one wanted to see Jia Zhangshi take more.
“I suspect, is it not allowed to suspect?”
“Why are you all so anxious? I didn’t say you borrowed money from me.”
Jia Zhangshi shouted angrily.
“Alright, everyone stop arguing.”
“This Grandpas, is the Old Lady’s room locked?”
The Old Public Security Officer quelled the dispute among the crowd and looked at Yi Zhonghai.
“It’s locked, the key is with me. No one can enter except me.”
Yi Zhonghai replied dutifully.
“Okay, take the person back. We’ll come back tomorrow morning to survey the scene.”
The Old Public Security Officer instructed his subordinates, then looked at Chen Jianye: “Young man, it’s too late now, so I won’t ask you to come to the Public Security Bureau.”
“Wait for us to come tomorrow, and then you can complete your statement.”
“Comrade Police, the person I killed was a culprit, you can’t convict me, right?”
Chen Jianye’s expression was ‘fearful’, looking very worried.
“Haha, no.”
“The person you killed was a culprit. Logically, we, the Public Security, should reward you. Just wait for the good news.”
The Old Public Security Officer laughed heartily.
“That’s good, that’s good.”
“As long as you don’t bother me, I’m not thinking about any rewards.”
Chen Jianye tried hard to appear like an honest person.
“Young man, as the saying goes, surviving a great disaster leads to future blessings. I can’t swallow the reward that’s rightfully yours.”
“I’ll tell you after the Leader gives his opinion tomorrow.”
The Old Public Security Officer announced the end of the operation.
The culprit was put into a sack by the Public Security Officers and carried out.
The Old Public Security Officer spoke a few more words with Yi Zhonghai, instructing the latter to take care of the Courtyard residents’ emotions and appease the public.
Yi Zhonghai naturally nodded repeatedly.
“Everyone go back to sleep. We can discuss anything else tomorrow.”
After the Public Security Officers left, Yi Zhonghai said, feeling very tired.
Mainly, witnessing the tragic state of the Deaf Old Lady had left Yi Zhonghai mentally exhausted.
Without children or grandchildren, those vicious people would target such individuals first.
If the culprit hadn’t left the door open when he left,
It might have been First Aunt bringing food to the Old Lady when she would have discovered that the Old Lady was gone.
Dying in bed, unnoticed.
Just thinking about it sent a piercing pain through Yi Zhonghai’s heart.
“I have another matter.”
“There’s a pool of blood at my doorstep, shouldn’t someone clean it up for me?”
Jia Zhangshi shouted loudly.
She thought that this pool of blood was made by Chen Jianye, so Chen Jianye should clean it.
But Jia Zhangshi had been beaten by Chen Jianye a few times, and she was indeed afraid of confronting Chen Jianye directly.
So she spoke very tactfully.
“It’s just a pool of blood, just clean it yourself.”
Yan Fugui said, neither lightly nor heavily.
“Yan Lao Xi, it’s not your place to speak. It’s easy for you to say, why don’t you come and clean it?”
Jia Zhangshi cursed loudly.
“Well, that blood didn’t flow to my doorstep. If it flowed to my doorstep, I would clean it without a second thought.”
Yan Fugui said calmly.
“Then you wait, I’ll shovel it to your doorstep later.”
Jia Zhangshi said angrily.
Yan Fugui snorted and stopped talking.
Originally, he wanted to say that if Jia Zhangshi dared to do that, he would have Yan Jiecheng slap Jia Zhangshi a few times.
On second thought, constantly having his son beat Jia Zhangshi could easily give the Yan Family a reputation for bullying orphans and widows.
Jia Zhangshi hadn’t done it yet, so there was no need to threaten.
“If you don’t clean it, who do you want to clean it?”
Liu Haizhong asked.
“Well, whoever made it should clean it, isn’t that right?”
Jia Zhangshi said, lowering her voice slightly.
Chen Jianye listened, then turned around and went home.
He deliberately chose to kill the person at Jia’s doorstep precisely to disgust Jia.
He didn’t care if it was cleaned or not, he certainly wasn’t cleaning it.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui saw the situation and each went home.
Jia Zhangshi called out a few times, but no one answered.
Anyway, the blood clots didn’t fall in front of their doors.
If Jia didn’t clean it, then so be it.
Jia Zhangshi stamped her foot in anger. After everyone went home, she secretly ran back to the Backyard and tugged at the lock on the Deaf Old Lady’s room.
Hey, it really wouldn’t open.
To open it, she would need to forcibly break it with a blunt object.
That would make too much noise.
Jia Zhangshi became even angrier, muttering all the way back home, then collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
The next day.
The sun rose as usual, casting light and warmth upon the earth.
The doors of many residents in the Siheyuan (Courtyard) opened, and old sisters-in-law and young wives emerged with chamber pots, heading to the public toilet in the Backyard to empty their waste.
“Ah!”
Qin Huairu came out with her pregnant belly, and seeing the large, congealed blood clots at her doorstep, she couldn’t help but scream.
“Qin Huairu, this blood was left by Chen Jianye when he killed the culprit last night, don’t be afraid.”
An old sister-in-law explained to Qin Huairu.
“Yes, Chen Jianye killed the culprit and rendered great service.”
“Jianye can render service even while taking a piss, his luck is too good.”
“Hey, why don’t you say Jianye was almost killed by the culprit? I’d rather my old man not have any credit, as long as he’s safe and sound.”
Several old sisters-in-law gathered, discussing animatedly at Jia’s doorstep.