Chapter 168: Truth Stranger Than Fiction
Comrade Li, the public security officer, was sure these two knew something. He spoke gently, trying to coax them:
“If you two know anything, you mustn’t hide it. If you help us now, you can make amends for your wrongdoing. Also, we still can’t confirm whether those shoe prints belong to the thief — which means we can’t confirm if you’re the thief either. Only when we catch the real thief can we clear you of suspicion.”
Seeing that they still seemed hesitant, he continued:
“If the stolen item and the shoe prints belong to the same person, then we’ll know for sure who the thief is. As for the trouble you caused today, if the victim doesn’t press charges, we’ll just give you a verbal warning — we won’t take you away. But if we confirm you are the thief, then Li Qiang will have to come with us.”
At that, Li Qiang suddenly looked up at Chen Yechu.
“Comrade Chen, you… you really can forgive us?”
“I keep my word,” Chen Yechu nodded.
Among neighbors in the countryside, it was common to turn a blind eye to things. Chen Yechu wasn’t planning to pursue things too harshly this time — she was willing to give him one last chance. But if they caused trouble again in the future, she wouldn’t be so lenient.
In fact, her decision was partly influenced by Ning Xiyue’s attitude. Since Ning hadn’t pressed the matter, Chen Yechu suddenly felt that constantly fighting with the villagers was pointless. After all, she wouldn’t be staying here much longer.
Ning Xiyue, however, had no idea Chen Yechu’s decision was based on her actions. She was now fully focused on Li Qiang and Zhang Xiaohua, waiting for their answer.
She was genuinely curious — who was the thief, and what connection did he have to the two of them?
Li Qiang glanced at his wife, who looked conflicted, a hint of apology flashing in his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and said firmly:
“Comrade Public Security, I do recognize this chain. It belongs to Zhang Si from the neighboring team.”
The moment Auntie Liu heard the name, she remembered where she had seen it and exclaimed in agreement:
“Yes, yes, I remember now — it’s Zhang Si’s! I went to the next team one day and saw him showing it off, bragging that it brought him good luck. He said he’d worn it since childhood and had never had any misfortune.”
Someone in the crowd spoke up:
“Isn’t Zhang Si Zhang Xiaohua’s cousin?”
“No wonder the two of them were so hesitant — it’s a family crime!”
“How could it be such a coincidence? Don’t tell me Li Qiang and his wife were involved too?”
That last comment reflected what most people were thinking.
The public security officers, now aware of the family connection, reconsidered whether Li Qiang and Zhang Xiaohua might be accomplices.
Chen Yechu looked at the couple suspiciously.
Ning Xiyue, on the other hand, noticed that their expressions from start to finish didn’t seem like those of people who were in on the crime — or even aware of it.
Hearing the crowd’s speculation and feeling their stares, Li Qiang raised his hand and swore:
“Comrade Chen, Team Leader, Public Security comrades, and everyone here — I, Li Qiang, swear on my life that everything I’ve said is the absolute truth. I’m not lying. I didn’t know anything, I wasn’t involved, and I’m not the thief.”
[Host, he’s telling the truth. He’s not lying.]
The system — which Ning Xiyue had spent 10 points to unlock for lie detection — was still active and whispered its confirmation on her shoulder.
“Where does he live? Take us there,” another officer demanded.
“All right,” Zhang Xiaohua stood up and agreed.
Ning Xiyue raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected Zhang Xiaohua to comply — this was righteous betrayal of kin. Or rather, betrayal for the sake of her husband.
“Comrade Ning! Comrade Ning! Please come save someone!”
Just then, someone outside called out for Ning Xiyue — someone needed medical help.
“Coming!” Ning Xiyue answered and walked out.
The others began to leave as well.
Some followed Ning Xiyue outside, while others followed Li Qiang and Zhang Xiaohua, curious to see what was going on in the neighboring team.
Of course, the officers instructed the team leader to guard the shoe prints carefully.
“Don’t worry — I’ll watch them closely,” the team leader promised. As long as the thief wasn’t from their own team, he could rest easy.
Outside, Ning Xiyue saw two villagers carrying an unconscious man with a face covered in bruises and scratches.
“What happened to him?” she asked, as was routine.
One of the villagers guessed:
“He probably slipped and fell down the mountain. We found him at the bottom. Since he was still breathing, we brought him here to save him.”
Ning Xiyue walked over, lifted his eyelids to check his pupils, then quickly examined his body. There was no life-threatening injury — just a bump on the head. He had likely passed out from hitting it.
“I’ll go get my medical kit,” she said, turning to head back inside.
“Hey, isn’t this Zhang Si?” Auntie Liu suddenly shouted when she got a good look at the man on the ground.
“Comrade Public Security! Zhang Si is here!”
“What? Zhang Si? Where? Where?” Those lagging behind perked up excitedly.
What a coincidence?
Ning Xiyue froze mid-step, turned back to glance at the unconscious suspect on the ground, then quickly continued inside to fetch the medical kit.
Truth stranger than fiction!
What a day — she had to wake this man up as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Chen Yechu, who had been locking the door, heard Auntie Liu’s shout and rushed forward in haste.
