Chapter 5

The tall police officer maintained a serious expression, exuding an air of fairness and justice: “Both of you are at fault. Three days of detention for both parties. No exceptions!”

In those days, reputation was everything. Spending even a day in the police station could spark all kinds of gossip in the community.

Li’s mother was adamant in her refusal. “Officer, I was the one who got beaten! Why should I be detained too? No, I’m not staying here. I want to go home!”

The tall officer’s face hardened. “If you hadn’t falsely accused the young lady, would there have been a fight? We can’t side with you just because you lost.

All of this started because of you. The situation escalated because of your actions.

In other words, if you got beaten, you brought it on yourself!”

Li’s mother was so enraged she couldn’t speak. She had thought reporting the incident would result in the villagers being punished. Never had she imagined such an outcome.

Unwilling to accept it, she pressed on. “That man kicked me! He must be detained!”

The tall officer, busy with more pressing cases, was impatient to move on. “I’ve questioned several witnesses. They all said you tried to hit his daughter first, and he kicked you to protect her.

His action was a reflex to defend his child. It’s understandable and doesn’t constitute a crime.”

Li’s mother started crying in frustration. “So I just got beaten for nothing?”

The tall officer replied, “If you insist on detaining him, we can arrange that, but…”

Before he could finish, Li’s mother interrupted, practically shouting in excitement, “Yes, detain him! He must be detained!”

The officer, seeing her eagerness, delivered a cold reality check. “However, if he’s detained, you’ll be detained for the same length of time.

If you really can’t let this go, you can choose this ‘lose some, hurt them a little more’ strategy.”

The smile on Li’s mother’s face froze instantly. “Can’t you just detain him alone?”

The officer enunciated slowly, “No. You. Cannot.”

In the end, Li’s mother had no choice but to withdraw her report.

As she left the police station, she spat in Grandma Xu’s direction. “You’ll face retribution for this! Heaven will punish you!”

Xu Jiajia, her sharp tongue at the ready, retorted, “Do you think Heaven is your second uncle, sitting around doing nothing but waiting to take revenge for you?”

Li’s mother, seething with anger, looked ready to fight again, but Li Chengye quickly grabbed her arm. “Mom, mom! Calm down! You’ve already suffered enough from the last fight. Do you really want to go through that again?”

Li’s mother: “…”
This insufferable fool! I don’t want him anymore!

Xu Jiajia couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “…”
Is he here just to make us laugh?

The others couldn’t hold back either and joined in.

Mortified, Li’s mother lashed out at her son with a slap. “Shut up! If you don’t speak, no one will mistake you for a mute!”

Li Chengye looked at her, aggrieved. “What did I do wrong? Why are you hitting me?”

When she raised her hand to strike him again, Li Chengye, finally learning his lesson, bolted before she could land the blow.

But in his haste, he stepped into a puddle of filthy water, splashing himself from head to toe and leaving him reeking.

Looking at his soiled shoes, he wailed, “Ah, my white shoes! I’m dirty! I’m filthy!”

Li’s mother stared at him, utterly speechless.

After walking some distance, Li’s mother suddenly remembered that Xu Xiaoyao hadn’t paid for the meal. She was so angry she pounded her chest. “Robbers! Robbers! The police must be in cahoots with them!”

Li Chengye, terrified that someone might hear, glanced around nervously. Only after confirming no one was nearby did he breathe a sigh of relief. “Mom, slandering the police can get you detained. Could you please keep your voice down?”

Li’s mother glared at him. “If it weren’t for you, would any of this have happened?”

Li Chengye looked at her, bewildered. “How is it my fault? Weren’t you the one who started it?”

Clutching her chest, Li’s mother thought her ungrateful son might just be the death of her: “…”

…

Not far ahead, Xu Jiajia and her group were stopped by Shen Yuebai, who called out, “Grandma Xu, Uncle Xu, Comrade Xu—”

Xu Jiajia was surprised to see him. “Huh? What are you doing here?”

Shen Yuebai answered honestly, “A comrade of mine works at the police station. I was already there when you arrived, but it wasn’t a good time for me to show up.”

Xu Jiajia rubbed her chin, giving him a sly smile. “I was wondering why the officer sided with us. Turns out it’s all about knowing the right people in high places!”

Grandma Xu, in high spirits after her “victory,” gave Shen Yuebai a big thumbs up and praised him generously, “Not bad, not bad at all!”

Shen Yuebai’s actions earned Xu Jianguo’s approval as well. He thought this potential future son-in-law was reliable and composed, someone who handled matters with propriety. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll skip work and wait for you to come over.”

Shen Yuebai pulled out a pack of Hong Shuangxi cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Xu Jianguo. “Uncle Xu, my comrade gave me this. I don’t smoke it much, so you can have it.”

Although Xu Jianguo wasn’t much of a smoker, such a gift was prestigious to carry around. Even if he didn’t use it, it was a great way to show off.

“This is too much trouble,” he said modestly, though his hands moved quickly to accept it.

Grandma Xu wasn’t having it. “If you’re so embarrassed, then don’t take it!”

Fearing she might snatch it back and return it to Shen Yuebai, Xu Jianguo quickly stuffed the pack into his pocket and covered it with his hand.

Grandma Xu: “…”
Xu Jiajia: “…”
Shen Yuebai: “…”

Xu Xiaoyao noticed something was off. She leaned toward Xu Jiajia and whispered, “What’s going on between you and Comrade Shen?”

Xu Jiajia didn’t hide it. “He’s my fiancé. He’s coming over tomorrow to discuss the engagement.”

Xu Xiaoyao was so shocked she stammered, “B-but don’t you already have a fiancé?”

Xu Jiajia casually replied, “We broke it off.”

Xu Xiaoyao wasn’t slow on the uptake. She clenched her fists and asked through gritted teeth, “Was it because Song Ran made a fuss about your reputation?”

After Xu Jiajia was rescued from drowning, the village gossips had been wagging their tongues, and the news had undoubtedly reached Song Ran’s ears.

Seeing her best friend get angry on her behalf warmed Xu Jiajia’s heart. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just a scumbag. I wouldn’t even consider him!”

A guy like that? Trouble for anyone who gets involved!

Xu Xiaoyao relaxed a bit, noticing Xu Jiajia wasn’t upset. Her anger toward Song Ran faded somewhat. “So you’re really planning to get engaged to Comrade Shen?”

Xu Jiajia nodded. “Of course! Why would I joke about this?”

Xu Xiaoyao had heard that Shen Yuebai’s stepmother wasn’t easy to get along with and worried about Xu Jiajia’s future. “After marriage, will you move to live with his unit?”

Xu Jiajia shook her head. “No, there’s no housing available on the base.”

Xu Xiaoyao frowned. “He’s okay with you living under the same roof as his stepmother?”

Xu Jiajia understood her friend’s concern and patted Xiaoyao’s hand reassuringly. “After the wedding, I’ll continue living at home.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyao finally felt relieved. “That’s a good arrangement.”

…

In the city, weddings often followed the trend of “three rounds and a sound”—referring to a bicycle, a watch, a sewing machine, and a radio.

Shen Yuebai wanted to meet these standards but hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be to acquire the required coupons. After asking several people, he finally secured a coupon for a women’s Plum Blossom wristwatch.

“Comrade Xu, I have a coupon for a Plum Blossom women’s watch. Since it’s still early, shall we go to the supply and marketing cooperative to check out the styles?”

Xu Jiajia’s eyes lit up. This is perfect! A watch is so practical. Shen Yuebai really knows how to win me over.

Just as she was about to agree, Guagua’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

[Host, the body of Song Hanyong’s brother-in-law has surfaced.]

[It surfaced this quickly?]

[At this time of year, bodies generally resurface in one to three days, but it’s not absolute. The exact timing depends on various factors, including the season, water properties, depth, whether the person ate before death, and body weight.]

Realizing she couldn’t go to the cooperative now, Xu Jiajia gave Shen Yuebai an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I just remembered I have something urgent to handle. Let’s go next time!”