Chapter 29: Killing The Chicken To Scare The Monkey

Zhao Xiaomei looked up at the captain and said, “Captain, this Luo Qiao is an outsider. Our Zhao family has been from Qingshan Village for generations. Don’t confuse insiders and outsiders.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Jiefang’s face darkened, especially with the cadre from the commune standing behind him. If they were to bully an orphan girl based on Zhao Xiaomei’s words, how could he continue to be the captain?

Before he could respond, Zhao Pulin stepped forward and slapped Zhao Xiaomei. This act was inviting trouble for their Zhao family. After all, regardless of the situation, Gao Jiefang was still the captain, and Zhao Xiaomei had no right to instruct others.

Noticing the captain’s stern expression, Zhao Xiaomei didn’t realize the gravity of her actions.

Zhao Xiaomei hadn’t anticipated her father slapping her. For whom had she sided? She had surprisingly joined others in bullying her.

Feeling wronged, she said, “You hit me for an outsider. I hate you.” With that, she pushed her father away and ran off.

In reality, Zhao Xiaomei had grown tired of staying here and took advantage of the opportunity to leave. She knew her reputation was ruined because of today’s incident.

Zhao Pulin hurriedly apologized to the captain, saying, “Captain, please don’t listen to Xiaomei’s nonsense. She’s just feeling embarrassed.”

The captain said, “Regardless of the situation, it’s wrong for them to go to someone’s house and snatch things. Luo Qiao handed this matter over to me today, which shows the child’s sense of righteousness. If a case is reported, your daughter will have to go to the police station and may end up in jail. I’m not trying to scare you; this is considered burglary, which is a serious offense. You need to understand this.”

Still at the scene, Zhao Xiaotao’s face turned extremely unpleasant. “Captain, this matter has nothing to do with me. I only came to ask Luo Qiao if she needed seeds, and I didn’t participate in the robbery.”

Her words made things worse for her, exposing her further. It might have been better if she had kept silent, as her actions only garnered more contempt from others.

Luo Qiao stood by and watched. She couldn’t help but admit that the captain was a wise person. If she indeed reported this to the police, there would at least be criticism and education involved. If she insisted on pressing charges, they might even have to spend some time behind bars.

Zhao Pulin lowered his head and said to Luo Qiao, “Luo Qiao, Uncle apologizes to you for what happened. Now that this has occurred, Uncle apologizes on their behalf. Would that be acceptable to you?”

Luo Qiao said, “They were the ones who did wrong, so they should apologize. I’ve handed this matter over to the captain today. I trust he is a good village official.”

Upon hearing this, the captain didn’t want to delay further. He said, “Pulin, ultimately, it’s your daughter’s fault in today’s matter. Apologizing to Luo Qiao is not only for her sake but also to give an account to the village and set an example. Zhao Xiaomei must apologize to Luo Qiao face-to-face. Additionally, as a gesture of your apology, would you agree to compensate Luo Qiao with ten kilograms of cornmeal?”

Gao Suhua immediately objected, “No, apologizing isn’t enough. The items are still in her possession, and our Xiaomei didn’t take anything.”

The captain responded, “If there’s no punishment for wrongdoing, it will teach the children in the village bad lessons. If you don’t agree, then I wash my hands of this. If Luo Qiao reports to the police, don’t come looking for me.”

People in the village were also dissatisfied. Li Xiulan shouted, “Gao Suhua, is your Zhao family trying to tarnish the reputation of our Qingshan Village? This could affect marriages of our young men and women in the future. The captain is right; after committing a wrongdoing, there must be consequences. This is what they call ‘killing the chicken to scare the monkey.’ Oh, right, showing it to the monkeys.”