Lin Shu was quite puzzled.

What was going on? Hadn’t they already visited the martyr’s widow before?

Why were they here again?

She saw the team leader, the brigade leader, and several others, including Director Qin from the commune, a few police officers in white tops and blue pants, and some militiamen in old green uniforms, all coming over.

Behind them followed a group of elderly people and children, including Qiu Pozi, Li Shen’er, and Huahua, all squeezing in.

Her father-in-law had said that someone from the commune had visited Lu Shaotang’s grave the day before to pay their respects, but they had gone quietly without disturbing the family.

So why were these people coming with such fanfare? It couldn’t be just for Lu Shaotang, could it?

What were they here for?

As the brigade leader and the team leader led the group in, they were first distracted by the striking vegetable garden before even seeing the host.

Wow! What a delightful vegetable garden!

Everyone knew the Lu family’s yard was large, but before, it had just a few irregular vegetable plots, surrounded by piles of straw and miscellaneous items, looking quite messy.

Now it had completely changed—clean, fresh, and even… aesthetically pleasing?

The vegetable plots were divided into areas by height and color.

Climbing vegetables like beans, cucumbers, and loofahs were arranged further away, with neatly and orderly built racks, while shorter leafy vegetables were placed closer to the path.

There was even a small vegetable pond made of stones near the path.

Seasonal flowers and plants were planted in the empty spaces around the yard—daisies, chrysanthemums, and crepe myrtles.

There was a row of sunflowers and cotton plants at the base of the wall, and clusters of various roses, probably mature plants that had been directly transplanted, already budding.

Though these were common plants, they looked exceptionally beautiful in this yard.

Every plant was in the perfect spot, adding more charm to the garden. Everything was just right.

Blue sky, white clouds, yellow earthen walls, mud straw house, and a beautiful farmhouse!

Wow, it’s so refined and beautiful!

At the end of the garden, the bright and charming young woman and her two delicate children were even more eye-catching than the garden itself.

She and her children standing there made for the most beautiful scene.

A few young people, sneaking glances at Lin Shu, couldn’t help but blush.

She was so pretty, unlike any charming young woman they had seen in the dull countryside before.

When Lin Shu looked back at them, they seemed to be embarrassed, quickly averting their gaze and focusing seriously on the flowers and plants at their feet.

The group marched up to Lin Shu and the others.

Lin Aidi’s first reaction was: Oh my, what has Lin Shu done to get herself in trouble and be taken away?

She immediately stepped in front of Lin Shu, smiling and asking the newcomers, “What, what are you here for?”

Lin Shu winced as Lin Aidi pulled on her arm, causing her pain. “Sister Aidi, it’s okay. These are our brigade officials.”

The brigade leader, who had been smiling broadly, suddenly became aware of the situation and quickly suppressed his smile, almost hitting his chin with the sudden movement.

“Third daughter-in-law, thanks to you and the kids’ reminders, our secretary went to the commune to ask Director Qin to call the county police.

The county then contacted the Huang County police, and with everyone working together, the criminals were swiftly apprehended.”

The brigade secretary gave him a sidelong glance, as if to say, “Are you reporting to the leaders? Will this get you a promotion or something?”

Lin Shu happily responded, “Thank you, leaders. Everyone has worked hard and spared the children from more suffering.”

If it had taken a few more months to find them, it’s likely the children would have been deeply affected, just like Huzhi.

Of course, if Lin Shu hadn’t known the plot, it might have taken a year and a half to find the children.

Lin Aidi looked at Lin Shu in surprise. “Sister, what’s going on?”

Lin Shu didn’t have time to explain.

She asked her to help serve water to the guests and called Aunt Li to fetch Fang Dihua and Old Lu.

The brigade leader called out loudly, “No need to be busy, Director Qin is here with the police and militia to speak with you and conduct an interview.”

Lin Shu maintained her composure and displayed a hint of shyness on her face, but she was no longer timid and shrinking like before.

Instead, she handled the situation with grace.

Everyone looked at Lin Shu with hidden astonishment.

Director Qin was the most surprised.

The last time he saw her, she was timid and reluctant, hiding behind the door frame, keeping her head down, and nervously greeting people in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

Her shyness made him afraid to even breathe too loudly, worried it might blow her away.

Now she seemed like a different person, radiant and charming, with an aura that made her appear like a university professor or even a star performer in a performing arts troupe.

This was a complete transformation.

The police exchanged glances with Director Qin.

Before coming, Director Qin had cautioned them to be gentle in their approach because Lin Shu was very timid and they should avoid frightening her, as it would be difficult to handle if she cried on the spot.

But now… was this the same person?

She was clearly poised and composed.

Director Qin looked at the brigade secretary, wondering if this transformation had been rehearsed or if it was something else.

He used the garden as an introduction to start the conversation, “Maintaining this vegetable garden must take a lot of effort. It’s managed so well and thriving, which makes one feel that the owner must be just as positive and energetic.”

As everyone followed Director Qin’s lead and openly admired the garden, it was indeed impressive!

It was true that the leaders, who had cultural knowledge and eloquence, could say it well.

Lin Aidi also whispered, “Sister, you’ve worked hard maintaining such a large garden.”

Not to mention the difficulty of removing pests and weeding every day, just watering the vast garden could be exhausting.

Ah, Lin Shu was so thin and frail; it must have been really tough for her.

Lin Shu was already replying to Director Qin, “This garden is managed by my parents-in-law and our family. My parents-in-law are very industrious and can’t sit still. My eldest sister-in-law and second brother-in-law are also very fond of working. As for me, I only handle the harvesting and cooking.”

Lin Aidi thought, I don’t believe that.

After praising the garden, Director Qin praised Lin Shu and the two children and then asked the police officers and militiamen to explain the general situation.

Lin Shu was surprised.

Why did they need to specifically come and tell her?

She wasn’t an important figure; couldn’t they just inform the victims and the leaders?

Was the brigade leader specially bringing people over?

Was he trying to give her some recognition?

Lin Shu didn’t understand immediately but kept a composed expression and listened quietly.

Hearing the police officer’s account, it seemed that the tinker didn’t have much of a background.

He was just an ordinary tinker, though his life had been quite tragic.

A few years ago, when the commune organized the repair of the canal, he participated.

His wife, pregnant with their fifth child, stayed at home with their four children.

His wife went to work at the production team despite being heavily pregnant.

Due to overwork, she went into premature labor at night and died along with the unborn child.

Later, there was a major flood.

The school where his sons studied was destroyed by a mudslide, resulting in three of his four children dying.

The remaining one also jumped into a river and died.

Some elderly people were wiping away tears, saying, “Ah, the weakest spot is where the rope breaks; misfortune always befalls the most unfortunate people.”

Lin Shu noticed their sympathy for the tinker and reminded them, “Being pitiful doesn’t give him the right to harm others. There are so many pitiful people in this world, but not every pitiful person harms others.”

Listening to the tinker’s plight, she sympathized with him.

If he had been resilient and unyielding, everyone would respect him, or even if he was simply tragic, everyone would feel pity.

However, turning his own suffering into a reason to harm others was wrong.

If it weren’t for her knowledge of the original plot, these women and children might not have been found so quickly.

In a few months, they would either be tortured to death or driven insane by his cruelty, unable to live normal lives.

Hadn’t the tragic fate of Lu Panpan and the suffering and madness of the imprisoned people in the original book proven the problem?

It’s unreasonable for a pitiful person to become a hateful one and then bring misfortune to other innocent people.

After she said this, Director Qin and others nodded in agreement. “That’s exactly the point.”

They felt that even though Lin Shu was a rural woman with limited education and experience, her mind was quite clear.

Lin Shu immediately praised her father-in-law, “My father-in-law studies Mao Zedong’s works and Marxist-Leninist theory every day. After listening to him and my mother-in-law and the children, I seem to have learned a lot too, and my mind feels sharper.”

Panpan and Tiantian eagerly chattered about what their grandfather read and the stories he told, leaving Director Qin and the others stunned.

It seemed that Old Lu had undergone a significant transformation.

No wonder the vegetable garden was thriving.

Yes, he was indeed someone who pursued progressive thinking. Good!

Among the police officers, two were responsible for writing reports.

They quickly started taking detailed notes of everything related to the case.