??23: Chapter 23: Arrangents_1
23: Chapter 23: Arrangents_1
Old Mrs.
Qin called out to her, “Jinhua, I couldn’t ask during dinner, but who told you that Jin was arrested?” People really do have loose lips.
Jin hasn’t co ho for several days, and they’re already spreading rumors that he’s been shot?”
“My mom heard people in the village gossiping early this morning, so she sent
to find out what was going on,” Li Jinhua replied.
She rembered that he’d only been arrested after visiting relatives after the New Year; this matter was certainly far from over.
And tomorrow, Li Qiao was supposed to visit relatives and Cai Hechuan was due to hide in the haystacks.
She needed to arrange the ti to catch Qin Jin in the act of cheating.
Thinking this, Han Ting with a book in arm and Li Qiao, one in front and the other behind, ca out of the room.
The forr said, “Recently, there hasn’t been much work in the brigade, and we’ve all been quite idle.
You should co over when you have the ti.”
“Sure.”
The family saw off the guests.
As Li Qiao turned around, Li Jinhua asked, “Third sister, what material did Han Zhiqing give you?”
Li Qiao replied, “Notes and exam papers for review.
Aren’t you also planning to retake the exams?
How’s your studying going?”
“How can I study without a teacher?” Li Jinhua retorted.
Li Qiao was speechless.
How much could you learn if you only expected to be taught by a teacher?
“Jin is back, eh?
Need your help again.” The visitor was from La Feng’s family, who, hearing that Qin Jin had returned, ca to seek his help again.
Qin Jin readily agreed.
As soon as the visitor left, Old Mrs.
Qin scolded, “That rascal, I’ve told him ti and again not to get involved in other people’s affairs, and he’s gone and done just that.
Does he think people can’t get by without him?”
Li Jinhua said, “Brother-in-law excels in leadership and managent; he can offer strategic advice wherever he is.”
Li Qiao was greatly surprised; she had known Qin Jin for not a short ti and only knew of him as immature, venom-tongued, chatty, and quick-tempered.
Smoking and drinking, you na it.
A whole host of vices.
Leadership and strategic planning were tactics associated with mature and composed n in the workplace.
How did Li Jinhua see that?
Old Mrs.
Qin chuckled, “With what you’ve said, those unaware would think he’s so high-ranking official.”
She probably wanted sothing from Jin, otherwise, after being beaten up, one would’ve held a grudge long ago; why else would she save and praise him?
Li Jinhua, unaware that her thoughts had been seen through by the shrewdly observant old lady, continued to lavish praise.
Li Qiao listened without any change in expression.
After a while, Li Jinhua proposed to leave, and Li Qiao escorted her to the village entrance.
After returning ho for a nap, when she woke up near evening, she felt a dull pain in her lower abdon, and upon checking, discovered her period had started.
She got up, changed out of her dirty clothes, and took them to wash at the well.
Old Mrs.
Qin, seeing this, snatched away her basin: “When a woman’s on her period, she can’t touch cold water.
Let Jin wash it for you when he gets back.”
“Is that alright?”
“What’s not alright?
It’s only natural for a man to take care of a woman.
Otherwise, why marry him?”
Li Qiao grinned through clenched teeth.
As dusk approached, a police car arrived in the village.
Old Mrs.
Qin thought it had co for Qin Jin, and her face turned pale, her limbs went weak, and she urged Li Qiao to tell Qin Jin to run fast.
Yu Feng wore a look of soone ready to enjoy the drama: “The police car is here; where could he run to?
If you ask , Jin has co to this end; you as an elder are not without bla.”
Peng Chunhua nudged Yu Feng with her elbow, signaling her not to kick a man while he’s down.
Yu Feng, absorbed in satisfying her urge to gossip: “I’ve said it since he was a child, that boy would never amount to anything.
Other kids were well-behaved wherever they went, but he’d climb high and dive low, either pilfering bird eggs or stirring up hornet’s nests, tossing firecrackers into people’s outhouses, feeding the production team’s pigs with poppy husks, causing the pigs to run all over …”
After a long tirade, Li Qiao was both annoyed and amused.
He certainly was naughty.
“Now he’s gone from bad to worse, first hitting people, now killing,” said Yu Feng, feeling that Qin Jin had fallen to a point of no return, and it was a relief to finally say it out loud.
Old Mrs.
Qin’s frail body swayed, their family had faced hardship and were destitute in this place, without any relatives to turn to.
Being a woman and with a grandson to protect, if he wasn’t tough, wouldn’t he be bullied to death?
That was why she had been sowhat indulgent with him.
Li Qiao steadied Old Mrs.
Qin and glanced at Yu Feng — this, fearing the grandmother hadn’t been shocked enough, the good and the bad people alike.
“Grandma, don’t worry, the police definitely aren’t here to arrest Jin.
Today, Dr.
Xun found so key evidence that completely clears him of any involvent.”
Xun Dong specifically ntioned that Qin Jin had been taken away for questioning only because of his previous record of creating disturbances, not because he was presud to be the murderer due to his bad reputation.
It wasn’t because they had already pegged him as the killer.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs.
Qin’s emotions eased quite a bit, but as the police car drew nearer, her heart still rose with apprehension as it drove past their house and headed straight to the west end of the village.
The villagers, loving a spectacle, followed along.
Old Mrs.
Qin couldn’t rest easy and insisted on following; Li Qiao accompanied her, offering comfort along the way.
Most people consoled Old Mrs.
Qin, and so even said, if it really ca down to it, they would block the car to let Qin Jin escape.
Li Qiao found it amusing — no wonder there was a need to promote education.
Without knowledge, people had no respect for the law.
Eventually, the car stopped at the Zhou family’s doorstep.
Three people got out and entered the Zhou house, retrieving a pair of rubber-soled rain boots and a hat missing its badge.
Zhou Chao was then taken away, but he continuously cried out his innocence.
Old Mrs.
Qin let out a long sigh of relief, and the worry that had been weighing on her heart settled back into her stomach.
Chaos erupted at the Zhou house as adults and children alike began to cry, and despite their desperate attempts, they couldn’t prevent him from being taken away.
La Feng’s family grabbed hold of old Zhou’s collar, demanding that the son pay for the father’s debts.
However, the police officers conducting the arrest pulled the two sides apart and clearly stated that they only suspected him of being involved in the cri — they had not concluded that he was the murderer.
The car drove the suspect away.
As the door closed, Li Qiao noticed Xun Dong was also inside the car.
Surveying the crowd.
She realized that he had taken her words to heart and that his suspects included not only Zhou Chao but also Feng Dezhong.
However, Feng Dezhong was related to La Feng and they had no conflicts in ordinary tis; there was no reason to interrogate him.
Following Xun Dong’s gaze, she saw Feng Dezhong mingling among the onlookers, appearing normal on the surface.
Qin Jin popped up out of nowhere, walking up to Old Mrs.
Qin and stealthily slipping two eggs into her pocket, then handed Li Qiao a gray paper package, warm to the touch — a rice ball?
Li Qiao felt pleased inside and asked caringly, “Have you eaten?”
“I’ve eaten, I’ve got a few things to take care of, it’s cold here, you guys should head back first,” Qin Jin said before walking away.
Seeing this, Yu Feng struck up another line of reasoning, “I also thought that although Qin Jin could be brutish, he wouldn’t go as far as to kill soone.
Zhou Chao has always seed so honest, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
Old Mrs.
Qin still harbored resentnt towards Yu Feng and didn’t want to engage with her.
Li Qiao said, “The police have already said that they are just suspecting him for now.
If they were certain, they definitely would have taken him away in handcuffs.
Auntie, don’t keep spreading rumors.
We all live in the sa village and see each other every day; if you keep this up, how will we get along in the future?”
“They’ve already found evidence, how could it not be him?
Let’s see if he gets out,” Yu Feng retorted.
Li Qiao fell silent; with those two pieces of evidence, it did indeed seem conclusive.
…
Back ho.
Old Mrs.
Qin shared one of the eggs with Li Qiao.
Li Qiao also took out the paper package, which contained two well-roasted sparrows, exuding a savory aroma.
She almost drooled at the scent but held back her hunger and said, “Grandma, you eat.”
“at is hard to digest, I won’t eat it,” she declined.
Li Qiao greedily consud both portions of at along with an egg, then chatted with Old Mrs.
Qin for a while before returning to her own room.
As she closed her eyes, Qin Jin’s smiling face involuntarily ca to mind.
She thought over the events of the past couple of days and felt exhausted, soon drifting off to sleep.
…
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