Chapter 169: A Mouse Seeing a Cat
After Ning Xiyue grabbed her medical kit and stepped outside, she took out a pill that promotes blood circulation and relieves bruising, and fed it to Zhang Si.
In no time, Zhang Si woke up. When he opened his eyes and saw countless expectant faces staring at him, his fear and panic skyrocketed. He tried to push himself up to run.
“Ah!”
But the injuries on his body wouldn’t allow it. Before he could get fully upright, he collapsed back onto the ground, aggravating his wounds.
He clutched the largest bump on his head and groaned in pain.
“Comrade, don’t run if you have a concussion. You won’t get away,” Ning Xiyue said lightly, glancing at him before slowly closing the medical kit and standing up.
“He’s awake! He’s awake! Officer, he’s awake!”
“He’s trying to run. He must be guilty,” muttered some of the onlookers.
Ning Xiyue’s words, combined with the murmurs from the crowd, completely unnerved Zhang Si. His face went pale, and he desperately wanted to flee.
But Ning Xiyue’s last three words looped in his mind like a spell, making his head throb painfully.
“This is enough to give someone a headache,” someone whispered.
“Maybe it’s the wound hurting,” another guessed.
The villagers analyzed every move Zhang Si made while sitting on the ground.
The people in the back even helped by shouting to the officers, “Comrades, step back a bit, let them through!”
Seeing the officers’ uniforms, Zhang Si was terrified. His whole body shook, his mind racing — today was over for him.
Ning Xiyue watched the sweat pour from him and clicked her tongue. Such weak nerves! He was trembling before the officers even spoke — anyone watching would suspect something shady.
He looked exactly like a mouse confronted by a cat.
“You are Zhang Si, right?”
Officer Sun stepped forward, standing in front of him.
“Y-yes…”
Zhang Si stammered, his teeth chattering.
“Are these yours?”
The string of copper coins lay before him.
Zhang Si was shocked, patting himself to check — when had he lost his precious belongings?
“They’re mine… thank you, Officer,” he said anxiously, reaching for them. He wanted to grab the chain back immediately.
But it was evidence, and the officers weren’t going to let him take it.
One officer lifted his hand and withdrew the chain.
Zhang Si struggled, trying to get up. “Comrade, give it back! It’s mine!”
Aunt Liu at the side chimed in for him: “It’s yours, that’s why we found it for you.”
“Good enough that it’s yours,” Officer Sun said, nodding, and kept the evidence safe. He called on the villagers to help escort Zhang Si to the kitchen behind them.
Zhang Si watched helplessly as he was carried toward the place he had earlier tried to flee, growing increasingly anxious. This time, he really was done for.
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
Several villagers restrained his arms and legs to prevent him from breaking free.
Outside Chen Yechu’s kitchen, the officers removed his shoes and placed them on the footprint for comparison.
The shoe matched the print perfectly.
“See? It’s him.”
“The thief, that’s the thief.”
“Look at him — he looks like a thief.”
“His eyes are shifty, like a crook,” someone muttered.
The crowd erupted in excitement. They had witnessed a thief being caught and felt thrilled.
Each onlooker fancied themselves a detective, trying to find additional evidence to prove Zhang Si was the culprit. Face-reading theories were even being whispered. But that was just one old woman muttering to herself.
Li Qiang glanced at the stunned Zhang Si on the ground. He felt a bit guilty but mostly relieved — he wouldn’t be blamed for this mess.
“Officer, does this mean I’m in the clear?”
The officers nodded. Li Qiang was told to apologize to Chen Yechu, while they handled Zhang Si.
While Li Qiang was happy, Zhang Xiaohua felt both relief and anxiety for the future. She had been shrinking back, not wanting her cousin to see her. She feared if he was caught, her family wouldn’t dare return home, and her uncle’s household might even physically punish her.
Li Qiang didn’t care about that. He pulled Zhang Xiaohua to Chen Yechu and apologized once more, sincerely.
After they finished, Chen Yechu calmly looked at them and gave a reminder: “I hope you don’t repeat this kind of behavior. Remember this lesson — not everyone will forgive you next time.”
“Yes, yes, we won’t do it again. Thank you, Comrade Chen, for forgiving us.”
Li Qiang, having been punished earlier, reflected seriously on his actions. He realized he had been completely wrong.
Another reason for his sincerity was that the incident had scared him to death. Thinking of Wu Xiuli being caught, his legs shook. Thinking of his wife and child being scorned by Wu Laogen’s family, he broke out in a cold sweat. He would never dare act recklessly again.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he pulled Zhang Xiaohua to Ning Xiyue and apologized once more.
Ning Xiyue, watching the officers interrogate Zhang Si, glanced at him and waved, saying: “This time, I’m forgiving you both for the sake of your little girl. With such a smart and hardworking child, you two are still lucky in the future.”
Li Qiang’s family had four daughters. The little girl was the youngest, only five years old. She, like Uncle An Guo’s dog Dan, was the child of their old age, but her fate was different.
One was ordinary, one was a treasure.
The little girl was the treasure — even at a young age she worked, while other children played. She carried a basket taller than herself, full of pig fodder.
Ning Xiyue first met her because she had thrown Wu Laogen and Li Cuihua into the dung pit. The village children admired her and often came to the clinic to play with her.
Ning Xiyue, of course, kept them busy by giving them tasks — memorizing arithmetic tables through trickery.
The children believed that memorizing them would make them as capable as her in fights, so they practiced diligently, letting her have a moment of peace.
The little girl would help Ning Xiyue whenever she came along, doing what she could and memorizing the arithmetic rules the fastest.
Over time, Ning Xiyue grew fond of the responsible little girl.
That was why she mentioned her in passing earlier.
Zhang Xiaohua straightened her chest, feeling proud — this was her child.
Li Qiang’s face lit up with a broad smile. “Yes, yes, thank you, Little Ning Doctor. She’s indeed diligent and smart. She’ll learn from you.”
This gave him hope. If even Little Ning Doctor praised her intelligence, could their daughter grow up to be as capable as Ning Xiyue, becoming a prominent figure in the village? That would make the family prosperous.
Maybe next year she could even go to school and grow up to be a barefoot doctor, eventually attracting a suitable husband.
This way, the family line continued, and they wouldn’t have to rely on nephews. Children born late in life were never quite reliable — only their own daughter was dependable.
Ning Xiyue didn’t realize that her casual remark had given Li Qiang plenty to think about, indirectly helping the girl’s life become brighter.
Seeing Li Qiang deep in thought, she turned her attention back to Zhang Si, kneeling and crying in the snow, terrified by the officers, confessing his motives and actions.
