Chapter 10: Calling the Police

Jing Xi’s self-assessment of her personality was simple—she had a bit of a petty mindset, but she did have a few moral boundaries, though not many.

In her past life, she worked as an internet troll, getting paid to curse people, but she had her own rules.

She never took jobs involving the state, politics, or baseless online harassment.

The most common assignments she accepted were cursing cheating men and mistresses, as well as speaking out for workers facing unfair treatment in the workplace.

Because of her precise wording, vast vocabulary, and endless creativity in insults, her business was always thriving. Eventually, she became independent, taking orders without relying on a company.

Although she didn’t get rich from it, earning ten to twenty thousand yuan a month was easy—more than enough to live comfortably in a small city.

Still, cursing people wasn’t exactly virtuous, so she tried to make up for it by regularly feeding stray cats and dogs and buying sanitary products and school supplies for girls in remote areas.

It was a little superstitious, but not excessively so.

Even after arriving in this era, her mindset remained unchanged.

A bit of morality, but not too much. A bit of superstition, but not too much.

On her way home, she had already come up with several ways to vent her frustration.

Since she had failed to steam the buns (a metaphor for achieving her goals), she might as well fight for her dignity—and for the original owner of this body, who had died in anger.

She was almost home when she suddenly changed direction and headed toward the Zhang family’s courtyard.

If there was one good thing about northern winters, it was that every household took afternoon naps after lunch. That meant she didn’t run into anyone on her way through the village.

Outside the Zhang family’s courtyard, she stepped into her space and floated above the wall, peering inside to see what they were up to.

She arrived just in time—inside, the three members of the Zhang family were rummaging through cabinets and drawers, searching for something.

On the side table, there was a thick stack of money—likely the earnings from selling Dihuang.

Jing Xi estimated it to be a few thousand yuan.

The cabinet doors on the heated brick bed were wide open, with clothes and bedding scattered everywhere. All three of them looked anxious. Wang Cuihua even had a large blister on her lip.

“My dear heavens! Where the hell is my money? Jianjun, you little bastard, tell me—did you steal it and lend it to Wu Dazhuang?”

Zhang Jianjun stood on the floor, rubbing his hands together. He glanced at Wang Cuihua, who was sitting on the brick bed holding a broom for sweeping the bed. “Mom, it really wasn’t me! I don’t even know where you keep your money! Besides, I haven’t even been around Wu Dazhuang lately. I swear it wasn’t me! And the amount doesn’t even match—you lost over a thousand yuan, right?”

“If it wasn’t you, then how could the money just disappear? Did it grow legs and walk away?”

“You useless brat! That money was saved for your wedding and building a house, and now it’s gone!”

Wang Cuihua wailed as she cursed, filling the entire room with her shouting.

Zhang Qiang, watching his mother throw a fit, was equally distressed about the lost money. “Alright, enough crying! What’s the use of crying? Get up and go report it to the police! That’s a lot of money—if we catch the thief, they could be sentenced to years in prison!”

Wang Cuihua, still fuming, suddenly had a realization. “Wait a minute! You—tell me, did you secretly give the money to that little slut Jing Xi? Huh?! You think I don’t know what happened at the village office that day?! You shameless bastard! Sharing a bed with you disgusts me!”

Hearing her mention Jing Xi, Zhang Qiang became even more frustrated. He was no pushover—both he and his wife had explosive tempers, always responding to each other’s anger in kind. Now, he was completely enraged.

“Fuck your mother, don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t do anything! She seduced me!”

“She put a bewitching spell on me! The fortune teller was right—this year has been nothing but bad luck for me!”

“And what’s the damn point of all this yelling? If you’re accusing me of giving her the money, at least show some proof! You think I’m stupid enough to hand her that much cash?”

“For all I know, you secretly spent it yourself and now you’re blaming me and our son! And you dare say sleeping in the same bed with me is embarrassing? Maybe you’re the one sneaking around! Why else do you keep running off to that widower Zhou’s house every day?”

The moment Zhang Qiang finished speaking, Wang Cuihua grabbed the broom and lunged at him.

“You bastard! How dare you accuse me of cheating? You couldn’t seduce a woman, so now you’re blaming me?! You heartless piece of shit, I’ll rip your balls off and use them as marbles!”

“You bitch! You’re scratching me! You think I won’t beat you to death today?!”

“Ahhh! Dad, Mom, stop fighting!”

“Zhang Jianjun, get the hell out of the way! You’re just like your father! Don’t ever call me ‘Mom’ again!”

“Son, come help me! Your mother is grabbing my crotch!! Ahhh, it hurts! It hurts so bad!! You’re really going all out!!”

“You old bastard…!”

Jing Xi watched as the Zhang family of three fought like a whirlwind inside their home, laughing so hard she almost lost her breath.

But the thick stack of money on the table caught her eye—it was truly tempting.

“They bullied me, so taking their money as compensation isn’t too much, right?”

The Zhang family continued their brawl for quite some time until Aunt Wang, their neighbor, heard the commotion and called a few people over to break it up. Only then did the chaos settle.

Xie Aiguo, Wu Jun, Tong Dawei, and the prime suspect in the theft, Wu Dazhuang, all arrived.

Wang Cuihua rolled her eyes dramatically the moment Wu Dazhuang stepped into the room.

“What is it this time?” Xie Aiguo asked with a frown.

Wang Cuihua didn’t respond—she just kept rolling her eyes at Wu Dazhuang.

Zhang Qiang sighed, “Sorry, folks. Just some family matters.”

Wu Jun chuckled, “Old Zhang, you guys sure have a lot of drama lately. What’s going on? This place is a mess—there’s barely even a place to step!”

Hearing that, Wang Cuihua snapped, “What do you mean, ‘a lot of drama’? We lost a huge amount of money! Over a thousand yuan—just vanished into thin air! If it were your family, wouldn’t you be panicking?”

After she said that, Wu Jun instinctively glanced at Wu Dazhuang.

But Wu Dazhuang’s expression remained steady.

“That much money? Have you reported it to the police?”

“Not yet,” Zhang Jianjun answered. “My parents were too busy fighting about it, so they didn’t have time to report it.”

Xie Aiguo also glanced at Wu Dazhuang before turning to Wu Jun. “Call the police immediately! That much money isn’t a small amount—it’s enough to marry several wives! Old Wu, take Dazhuang with you to the town police station.”

Wu Jun nodded and left with Wu Dazhuang.

As soon as they stepped out of the Zhang house, Wu Jun asked urgently, “Dazhuang, tell me the truth—this wasn’t you, right?”

Wu Dazhuang shook his head. Even though he felt a little guilty, he still denied it. “It wasn’t me. I’ve been with you these past few days—how could I have done it?”

“Then where did you get the money to pay back your debt? Did you borrow it? You didn’t take out a high-interest loan, did you?!”

Wu Dazhuang quickly shook his head. “No, no! Don’t worry, brother. I… I went gambling again…”

Wu Jun’s eyes widened. “You gambled again?! What if you lost?!”

“Brother, relax! This was the last time—I’ve learned my lesson!”

Wu Jun sighed. “As long as you didn’t steal it. Come on, let’s go to town.”

The two of them rode their bicycles toward town, but just as they set off, they saw Jing Xi walking toward them, holding a wooden stick.

Out of politeness, Jing Xi greeted them. “Heading out?”

Wu Dazhuang, still anxious, quickly replied, “Yeah, the Zhang family lost some money. The village chief asked me and my brother to report it to the police.”

Wu Jun was surprised—why was Wu Dazhuang suddenly talking to Jing Xi so proactively?

Jing Xi acted curious, but while Wu Jun was looking away, she secretly mouthed something to Wu Dazhuang. Seeing her gesture, Wu Dazhuang finally relaxed.

“Oh, I see! They lost a lot of money?”

“Apparently over a thousand yuan.”

Jing Xi frowned. “That much? Then yeah, they should definitely report it. Well, I won’t keep you two from handling business. I’ll be on my way.”