Chapter 24: Certificate of Merit

After Li Guifang was once again rudely driven away by Shi Qingqian when she tried to mooch a meal, she angrily cursed to herself on the roadside. At that moment, three police officers were walking toward the Xu family’s home. Seeing Li Guifang, one of them asked, “Comrade, may we ask which household Shi Qingqian lives in?”

Li Guifang’s eyes instantly lit up. A surge of schadenfreude ran through her. She hurriedly pointed toward the Xu family’s house. “Officers, she’s over there! She must have done something wrong. I’ll tell you, she’s no good. You’d better investigate thoroughly and lock her up for a few years for proper education.”

The police frowned slightly but ignored Li Guifang and walked straight toward the Xu family. Li Guifang eagerly followed, wanting to witness the commotion.

At this time, the workers were eating. Seeing the police, they all tensed up.

“Officers, what brings you to our home?” Xu’s father stepped forward to ask.

Before the lead officer could speak, Li Guifang quickly interjected, “Father! The police are here to arrest Shi Qingqian. She must have done something bad outside, and her dowry isn’t clean either. Quickly hand her and her things over to the police to avoid dragging us into trouble!”

“Shut your mouth!” Zhang Lanxiang warned her sharply.

Li Guifang, feeling the police were present and she couldn’t act recklessly, decided to vent fully. She was determined to see Shi Qingqian, “that money-wasting little brat,” locked up and disgraced, and then see how the two old folks would favor her.

“Why should I shut up? Those who do filthy deeds hide from the world, but I will speak out and expose all your favoritism!”

“Who’s done filthy deeds and hides from the world?” Shi Qingqian stepped forward.

Seeing her, Li Guifang immediately shouted at the police, “Officers, it’s her! She’s Shi Qingqian! Don’t let her escape—arrest her now!”

Shi Qingqian scoffed. “Excuse me, are you part pig? How can your face be so thick? Who do you think you are, giving orders to the police? Cut the act—you claim ‘filthy deeds,’ but do you have any evidence? No evidence? Then I’ll sue you for defamation, and you won’t get away with it.”

Unable to argue further, Li Guifang hurriedly turned to the police. “Why haven’t you arrested her yet?”

The lead officer stared at her sternly. “Comrade, please stop talking nonsense. When did we ever say Shi Qingqian committed a crime? And when did we say we came to arrest her?”

Li Guifang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Then why are you here? She must have done something wrong—otherwise, why would the police come?”

“We are here today to present Shi Qingqian with an award and a cash prize. Thanks to her brave actions on the train, she helped capture a human trafficker. Following her lead, we were able to dismantle the criminal gang and rescue dozens of children and young women,” the officer explained.

“On behalf of the rescued individuals, as well as the government and the police, I extend our highest respect to Shi Qingqian. Her courage and sense of justice have made a tremendous contribution to society. By government approval, we present her this certificate of honor and a cash prize of 200 yuan,” the officer said solemnly.

Everyone was astonished and looked at Shi Qingqian with admiration. Xu’s parents were proud, and the workers whispered among themselves, praising her bravery.

Shi Qingqian felt a little embarrassed. “I was just doing what anyone would do. Anyone in that situation would have helped.”

The officers handed her the certificate and cash, reiterating their gratitude. “Comrade Shi Qingqian, your actions are worthy of learning for all of us.”

“Officers, you flatter me,” Shi Qingqian said. Holding the certificate and cash, she deliberately looked at Li Guifang, a teasing smile curling on her lips.

“Eldest sister-in-law, what do you have to say now? You’ve been waiting for me to get into trouble, but too bad—you’re disappointed. Not only did I not get into trouble, I received a certificate and cash. This is what it means to be rewarded for doing good, while people like you, who spend all day scheming and gossiping, will never have such luck.”

Li Guifang’s face turned green and then pale. She opened her mouth but had nothing to say, jealousy boiling inside her. She had known the police were coming to give an award and deliberately didn’t show up, only to make herself look foolish. She suspected the officers were in cahoots with Shi Qingqian. Fuming, Li Guifang stomped away.

Zhang Lanxiang turned to Xu Huaiguo and said sternly, “Pack up your wife’s things. Since she refuses to behave properly here, send her back to her parents. Let them teach her a lesson. If they can’t, she won’t come back. Our family will consider her nonexistent.”

Xu Huaiguo nodded, lowered his head, and went home.

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“I’m sorry, officers, for letting you witness this farce.” Xu’s father hurriedly cleared three seats at the table. “Please, officers, if you don’t mind, stay for a meal.”

“No need to be so polite. I’m Wang Zhiyong, formerly under Commander Xu. If it weren’t for Commander Xu saving my life, I wouldn’t even know where I’d be now.” Wang Zhiyong looked around but didn’t see Xu Huaian. “Sister-in-law, why isn’t the commander home?”

Shi Qingqian smiled. “He went to the city to fetch bricks. He’ll be back later. If you have time, you can wait for him here.”

“Probably not enough time,” Wang Zhiyong shook his head regretfully. “I have urgent matters and must leave soon.”

“By the way, besides presenting you the award and cash, I also have something else—your marriage registration has passed verification. Here’s your marriage certificate. With this, you can officially register your marriage.”

“Make sure to notify me on your wedding day,” Wang Zhiyong said with a smile.

Shi Qingqian accepted the marriage certificate, her face lighting up with joy. “Of course, as soon as we set a date, you’ll be the first to know.”

Xu’s parents were overjoyed. Looking at Shi Qingqian, their eyes were full of satisfaction. “Great! Qingqian and our third son can finally marry officially. I’ll go get the certificate tomorrow.”

Shi Qingqian shyly lowered her head, but her heart was full of happiness. “Uncle, Aunt, isn’t this a bit too rushed?”

Xu’s father laughed heartily. “Not too rushed. The sooner your matters are settled, the more at ease we’ll be. Besides, this is a good thing—the sooner, the better.”

Xu’s mother nodded in agreement. “Qingqian, just listen to your uncle. Get the certificate tomorrow, and then live happily with Huaian.”