Chapter 36: Unmasking Lies

However, her father still had the energy to act, which meant his injuries weren’t too severe, and Jiang An’an felt relieved.

“How can the police use extrajudicial punishment? First, he hit you in the chest, and now he’s attacking your lower back. Is he planning to… kill and silence you?” Jiang An’an suddenly realized, “It’s all our fault for accidentally exposing his bribery.”

Bribery is strictly prohibited in any era.

The square-faced officer said sternly, “Don’t worry, fellow villager, we will definitely give you an explanation for this matter.”

Seeing the situation turning favorable, Jiang An’an nodded obediently, “We trust the police will handle this fairly. After all, last time my elder sister had a divorce, Officer Wu Jianguo helped a lot.”

Wu Jianguo had accomplished two significant tasks last night; he would surely be on the promotion list by the end of the year, and it was unexpected that he had a close relationship with the Jiang family.

The square-faced officer replied, “Since Officer Wu handled the divorce case, I will ask him to assist in the investigation.”

–

Wu Jianguo, who hadn’t slept all night and was almost on his feet the whole time, walked into the interrogation room with two large dark circles under his eyes.

“Comrade Jiang, let’s first discuss the first case. There are reports from the public that your elder sister, Jiang Shulan, extorted her ex-husband for an amount as high as three hundred yuan. How do you plan to explain this?”

His attitude was clearly biased in favor of the Jiang family, and he designated the most articulate member, Jiang An’an, to respond.

Jiang An’an glanced at the recorder and spoke clearly: “First of all, the divorce is a private matter between my sister and Zhou Kang and does not violate any legal provisions; secondly, the division of property after divorce and Zhou Kang’s payment of child support for the two children are covered under Articles 13 and 23 of the Marriage Law. I want to emphasize that the source of the three hundred yuan is reasonable and legal.”

She spoke slowly, waiting for the recorder to stop writing before continuing, “Yesterday, I submitted this matter to an authoritative newspaper in the capital as a legal education piece. The post office should still have my mailing record. The Jiang family has nothing to feel guilty about regarding the divorce. My sister sets an example and represents women who dare to fight for their rights; this three hundred yuan was obtained honorably.”

“Submitted to a newspaper?”

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Jiang An’an looked apologetically at her parents and elder sister: “It takes at least half a month to get a response from the newspaper, and I originally planned to give you a surprise.”

That regretful expression seemed to affirm her belief that she would definitely be selected.

The Jiang family also believed without doubt.

“When it’s published, we’ll hang it in the main room, and anyone who comes will see it at a glance.”

“Let’s buy a few more copies and send them to our in-laws as well.”

Watching the Jiang family discuss how to show off their daughter’s newspaper publication as if no one else was around, Wu Jianguo raised his fist to his lips and cleared his throat twice, saying loudly, “To clarify this matter, we police will provide an official document explaining the ins and outs.”

Jiang An’an nodded, “Why not let the Women’s Federation take the lead and hold a lecture on the Marriage Law? My sister can speak as a typical representative of progressive women, helping the villagers understand the law better.”

“…” Wu Jianguo was taken aback.

He suddenly felt a bit out of sync with Jiang An’an’s pace.

Aren’t we supposed to be interrogating a case?

How did one party involved as a suspect start discussing work in the capacity of an official?

Not just him, Jiang Shulan silently dropped her jaw. How did she suddenly become a typical representative of progressive women?

Even though she felt anxious inside, she cleverly refrained from undermining her younger sister publicly.

Wu Jianguo: “Why isn’t the police taking the lead? Legal education is our job.”

It sounded like a significant undertaking to hold promotional lectures, and if the Women’s Federation took charge, the old chief would certainly be furious.

“Because protecting women and children falls under the jurisdiction of the Women’s Federation,” Jiang An’an quickly responded, “However, we can organize two sessions for legal education: one led by the Women’s Federation and the other by the police on the topic of inciting public disorder, condemning those responsible for the health clinic disturbances, and enhancing the police’s credibility and authority.”

The recorder raised his hand in agreement: “That works!”

Just listen to Comrade Jiang An’an’s choice of words; she truly lives up to her educated background.

The public outside was completely unaware of the severity of the situation. The health clinic had basically come to a standstill all morning; patients couldn’t see a doctor, and the hospital had also suffered damages, constituting a significant case of public disturbance.

If it weren’t for the county sending additional police forces, it might have escalated further. If bad elements took advantage of the situation, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wu Jianguo said solemnly, “Don’t worry, Jiang Dezhu and the others had serious offenses. The police will definitely punish them severely. However…”

He said with some sympathy to Jiang An’an, “The robbery by Liu Qiang and others also needs to be made public; it may lead to some rumors that could tarnish your reputation.”

“What robbery?”

“An’an, you weren’t just injured on the side of the road; you were robbed by Liu Qiang?”

The Jiang family’s faces suddenly changed.

Who in the surrounding villages hadn’t heard of Liu Qiang’s notorious reputation? He was known for being lazy and hated by everyone. He was big and strong, and skilled at fighting, so he led a gang of petty thugs.

It was said he often harassed women from the same village and had a murky relationship with his sister-in-law. Such a scoundrel had robbed Jiang An’an last night.

“An’an, is what Officer Wu said true?”

Jiang An’an innocently blinked: “…Yes.”

Lin Meiru was furious and slapped her shoulder, “How could you hide such a huge incident from us? It’s infuriating! Have you grown wings? Now that you’ve become some official, you don’t recognize your mother?”

That slap landed hard, making her shoulder burn with pain.

Tears welled up in Jiang An’an’s eyes as she sweetly grabbed Mrs. Lin’s hand, pouting, “I didn’t want you to worry; after all, I wasn’t really hurt.”

Her words softened Mrs. Lin’s anger, making her feel better inside. Still keeping a stern face, she raised her hand and poked Jiang An’an’s forehead sharply, “If you get into trouble, I’ll make your dad go after Liu Qiang.”

“…” Jiang Degui couldn’t help but joke, “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll fight at the front while you stay back and collect the bodies for An’an and me.”

The scene suddenly fell into a heavy silence.

The next moment.

Lin Meiru was furious and grabbed his ear, twisting it from behind, causing Jiang Degui to beg for mercy repeatedly, showing no trace of manly bravado.

The men present who were already married could relate, unable to resist rubbing their own ears.

“Comrade police, what exactly happened last night?” Jiang Shulan asked, recalling her uncle’s actions. “Did my sixth cousin also participate?”

Wu Jianguo lightly acknowledged and recounted what happened last night.

The interrogation room fell silent for a full two minutes.

“Eight adult men robbed An’an’s bicycle together? That’s eight men!” Lin Meiru was so furious that she spat while speaking, her eyes turning red. If the police had been even a moment later or hadn’t coincidentally been on the mountain handling a case, then An’an…

In the dead of night, a group of men robbing an unmarried girl in a desolate area—what would they do next after robbing her? Anyone could guess with their eyes closed.

…Rape!!!

Lin Meiru trembled all over; even if An’an hadn’t been physically harmed, once the rumors spread, regardless of the truth, her reputation would be ruined.

“My poor An’an,” she could no longer hold back her tears.

What had An’an done wrong?

Her only mistake was being alone on that road last night…

No wonder Zhou Zhiqing made up excuses to send a message; he must have wanted to protect An’an, right?

But now, after Jiang Dezhu’s uproar, the police had no choice but to disclose all the details of the case, and everyone in the surrounding villages would know about it.

It’s over!

Everything is over!!

Lin Meiru glared fiercely at her husband: “Jiang Degui, from now on, I will be at odds with your elder brother. If you still recognize him, we’ll get a divorce, and I will raise our two daughters on my own.”

“Slap!”

Jiang Degui slapped his own face, his heart cold as ashes: “He’s not my brother; I don’t have a brother who continuously harms his niece.”