Chapter 35

Cao Yunshu bit her lip tightly, not daring to show her sleeve. Deng Wencheng, seemingly losing patience, gestured to two young police officers behind him. The two officers immediately stepped forward, grabbed Cao Yunshu, and turned up her sleeve. Deng Wencheng quickly stepped forward to take a look.

When he saw the intricate butterfly embroidery and the words “Lan Yun’er,” his expression darkened. He asked Cao Yunshu, “What do you have to say for yourself now?!”

Cao Yunshu’s face turned pale. She slightly opened her mouth, trying to say something, but no words came out. She turned her gaze to Cao Yu, hoping to plead for help.

Cao Yu also saw the butterfly and name on the sleeve. She bit her lip, cursing internally. Lan Yun’er, that shameless woman! How audacious to embroider butterflies and her name on her sleeve! I’ve never seen such a pretentious person.

Furious, she composed herself and tried to explain to Deng Wencheng, “Officer, this…”

Before she could finish, Lan Yun’er interjected, “Officer, she also stole another piece from me. Could you please help retrieve it?” Her tone was polite and composed.

Deng Wencheng nodded. “Alright.” He signaled to the two officers, who quickly headed toward one of the rooms.

From outside the courtyard, a neighbor spoke up, “Cao Yunshu lives in the room on the far right. Please check that one.”

The neighbor lived next door to the Cao family. The Caos had a poor relationship with the neighborhood, often arguing several times a month. The Cao family was widely disliked in the village.

The two officers responded with a quick “thank you” and rushed to the far-right room.

Cao Yu tried to stop them, exclaiming, “No, no, there’s nothing in my daughter’s room! You won’t find anything!”

Cao Guangji, Cao Guangwei, and others also attempted to intervene, but Deng Wencheng and the remaining three officers stood firmly in their way, like unmovable mountains.

Meanwhile, Lan Yun’er called out, “Officers, it’s a pink woolen coat, XX brand, with butterflies and my name, ‘Lan Yun’er,’ embroidered on the sleeves.”

Hearing this, Cao Yunshu and Cao Yu rolled their eyes in frustration. That wretched Lan Yun’er!

Within three minutes, the officers returned with the item. Lan Yun’er looked at the coat. It had clearly been worn—so often that it had lost its shape.

Looks like Cao Yunshu has been wearing this every day. She must be obsessed with these stolen clothes.

“This XX brand coat seems pretty expensive. I have a relative working at a state-run store in the county, and I heard these coats cost at least a hundred yuan each,” one of the officers remarked.

“A hundred?! That expensive?!”

The villagers outside the courtyard were stunned. The Cao family had managed to steal not one but two such expensive items.

Yao Guizhi, also in the courtyard, was equally astonished. She had always known Lan Yun’er’s family was wealthy, but she didn’t realize just how well-off they were.

The two coats weren’t bought by Lan Yun’er’s parents or herself but were gifts from her two uncles, both of whom worked in the county and were relatively affluent.

When Lan Yun’er got married, her uncles splurged on her, each buying her an expensive coat. But before she could even wear them, Cao Yunxia stole them and gave them to Cao Yunshu.

There’s no way I’m letting this slide, Lan Yun’er thought. If I don’t get justice, I’m not human!

“Officer,” Lan Yun’er said, “the receipt shows that the two coats cost a total of 216 yuan. That’s a significant amount, isn’t it? Shouldn’t Cao Yunshu be detained for this?”

Deng Wencheng’s expression turned serious. He nodded. “Yes, 216 yuan is indeed a substantial amount, enough to qualify as a serious offense.”

Turning to Cao Yunshu, he said, “Comrade, the value of the stolen items is significant. You must come with us today!”

Cao Yunshu began trembling violently. She shook her head vehemently. “No! I won’t go! I’m not going to jail!”

She turned to her sister, Cao Yunxia, ready to speak, but Lan Yun’er interrupted with a smirk, “Officer, besides these two coats, the Cao family also stole half a pig from our home today. It was wild boar meat we hunted ourselves and planned to enjoy slowly. But the Cao family took advantage of our absence and stole it all.”

Deng Wencheng twitched slightly at the corners of his mouth, astonished by what he was hearing. The Cao family is something else—stealing even pork!

Cao Yu immediately countered, “What do you mean, stole? You gave it to us! Now you’re accusing us of theft? What kind of malicious intent is this?!”

Lan Yun’er sneered, “Give it to you? Our family can barely feed ourselves. Why would we give half a pig to your family? Do you think we’re fools?”

The officers and villagers nodded in agreement. Pork was a luxury in those days.

Seeing she was losing ground, Cao Yu argued, “Because I was sick, you felt sorry for me and gave us the meat for nourishment!”

“Sick? You look healthier than me!” Lan Yun’er mocked.

Deng Wencheng cut them off. “Enough!”

He turned to the officers and ordered them to find the meat and assess the quantity.

The officers headed straight for the kitchen, where Cao Guangwei’s wife, along with Cao Yunxia and her two children, had been hiding behind the door, watching.

Seeing the officer’s approach, Cao Guangwei’s wife panicked and tried to shut the door, but it was too late.

Inside, the officers immediately spotted a bucket filled with meat and a chopping board with more pork on it. Clearly, the Cao family had been preparing for a feast.

Without hesitation, the officers gathered the pork, placed it back into the bucket, and carried it outside.

Cao Guangwei’s wife and children tried to stop them but were no match for the officers’ strength.

In the courtyard, Deng Wencheng assessed the meat. “This amount is indeed about half a pig, a significant value.”

He turned to Cao Yu, Cao Guangji, and the others. “Everyone involved in this theft must come with us today!”

Lan Yun’er subtly signaled Zhong Cuitao, who nervously stepped forward and pointed to the culprits one by one, “It was them—Cao Guangji, Cao Guangwei, Cao Yunshu, and Cao Yu.”

Zhong Cuitao’s rare act of bravery surprised everyone, especially Cao Yunxia, who glared daggers at her.

As the police prepared to take them away, Cao Yunshu began screaming, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t steal anything—it was my sister! She stole the clothes and forced them on me!”

She turned to the officers, desperately explaining, “It’s all my sister’s doing! She’s the one who took the meat and stuffed it into our basket!”

Cao Yunxia was stunned. Her own sister was shifting all the blame onto her.

Cao Yu quickly chimed in, “Yes, Officer, my eldest daughter did all of it. We’re innocent!”

Even Cao Guangji and Cao Guangwei echoed her sentiments, each trying to absolve themselves by pointing fingers at Cao Yunxia.

Cao Yunxia was devastated. She looked at her mother and brothers in disbelief. She had always thought they cared for her, but now they were throwing her under the bus.

Cao Yunxia’s voice trembled with pain, “Mom, how can you do this to me? You’re pushing all the blame on me?”

“Stop talking and take responsibility!” Cao Yu cut her off, glaring at her as if to signal, Just admit it and take the fall.