Chapter 24.4

During the early self-study period, as the number of people at the school gate increased, she hurriedly searched through the crowd. There was no one who couldn’t be swayed; given the current environment and the price she offered, she believed those two would come forward.

Oh, and there was the principal. His house might also be a breakthrough.

She caught hold of a male teacher and gently asked, “Excuse me, do you know where Principal Qian lives?”

The male teacher sized her up, clearly not recognizing her. Given her age, she didn’t seem to be a student; was she perhaps a new teacher? “Who are you? What do you need Principal Qian for?”

“Oh, I’m a distant relative of his. We haven’t been in touch for many years, and I didn’t know where they moved.”

“I see.” The male teacher noticed her decent attire and gentle demeanor, so he pointed her in the right direction. “He lives in that area, number fifty-three in building nine.”

“Thank you.”

“Wait a moment.”

Luo Lan thanked him and was about to leave when the man called out to her. “Do you know something happened at his house?”

“I don’t know. What happened?”

The man hesitated, glancing around. At this hour, the street was quite empty, and it wasn’t yet time for work. “It’s nothing. You’ll find out when you get there.”

“Oh, thank you.”

She thanked him again and turned to leave. Of course, she had heard about what had happened at the principal’s house. Things have been chaotic lately. Not only the principal but many had been taken down by those Red Guards.

Using the address he provided, she quickly found the place. The principal’s home wasn’t far from the school. A big notice was plastered at the entrance, making it look chaotic. The front door was open, and as she entered, she encountered a woman.

“Hey, who are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for Principal Qian.”

“Principal Qian isn’t home; he’s locked in a small dark room.”

“Who else is in his house?”

“His wife and children, of course.”

“Thank you, Auntie. Could you please tell me which room they’re in?”

“Sure, the east room has three rooms, and there’s the east side room over there.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Luo Lan was very sweet, and the woman readily provided her with the information. She quickly made her way to the east room and gently knocked on the door.

Inside, a woman sat on a chair. Upon hearing the noise, she jolted, and when she turned around, panic was evident on her face. Her voice was very polite, laced with fear.

“Who are you looking for?”

“You must be Principal Qian’s wife?”

“We… we are getting a divorce.”

“Don’t be afraid, I’m not a Red Guards.”

Hearing this, the woman finally relaxed a bit. She took a deep breath, glancing at the bag Luo Lan was holding. The bag was made of opaque material, so she couldn’t see what was inside.

“Can I come in to talk?”

“Sure, please come in.” In times like these, one couldn’t afford to offend anyone. After all, even a single word could crush an already overwhelmed camel.

Luo Lan entered the room and sat down, placing the bag she was holding on the small table. Time was precious, and she didn’t beat around the bush. She took out the noodles and eggs from the bag and got straight to the point. As soon as she mentioned Zhou Minshan, the woman immediately understood. It seemed she was aware of the situation.

“You want my husband to expose Sun Tong?”

“Exactly. It would be best if you could tell me the names of those eyewitness classmates; having more witnesses is crucial.”

Their family was currently in trouble, and all their belongings had been confiscated. The woman needed supplies; otherwise, they wouldn’t have enough for breakfast this morning. She was still contemplating who to borrow from when Luo Lan arrived.

“Old Qian probably won’t speak. But I’ve heard him mention it before. I’ve also seen Sun Tong’s father.” She glanced at the items on the table.

“Sister-in-law, it’s settled then.”

“Don’t worry.”

After all, they were all in the same boat; too many lice wouldn’t bite. Exposing the truth could also be a way to earn merit while bearing guilt. Putting the blame solely on Sun Tong’s father, who had previously covered up the incident, seemed appropriate. It was time for the truth to come to light. Moreover, judging by the woman’s demeanor, it seemed she would go look for informed classmates, and those who could previously be silenced would definitely come forward now.

The woman readily agreed, but Luo Lan didn’t put all the pressure on her. After leaving, she returned to the school gate to wait for her target again, and this time, she was quite fortunate to spot that male classmate.

“Hey, are you here to sell notebooks again?”

“No.”

Entering a narrow alley with the male classmate, she explained the situation. The person who had insisted last time that he wouldn’t come forward to testify now seemed eager to step up.

“I’m going to expose Sun Tong. There are plenty of us willing to testify. But…” he said, laughing, with a greedy look in his eyes. Luo Lan didn’t need him to elaborate; she understood what he meant.

Taking out a notebook with a hard cover featuring a sci-fi spaceship design, she saw the boy’s eyes light up as he reached for it. She lifted her hand to pull it away, meeting his questioning gaze.

“I’ll give you five notebooks, but you need to handle this first.”

“Okay, I’ll find a buddy. Then those five notebooks will be ours.”

“The more people, the better. That way, it’ll be more convincing.”

“But…”

“Classmate, this isn’t a one-time deal.”

“Will you have good stuff in the future?”

“Definitely, and you can sell it for me.”

“Got it, wait for me. I’ll find someone right away.” The male classmate said, running out of the alley but then returning. “Where should we meet next time, and what time?”

He was quite skilled. Luo Lan smiled and replied, “Same place, tonight at nine.”

“Okay, I’ll keep you posted.”

Luo Lan had to go to work today, so after taking care of everything, she quickly returned home. She had been out for over two hours, and upon her return, her husband and mother-in-law looked at her curiously.

“Where did you go?”

“I just went out for a stroll.” She deflected the question, and after her mother-in-law left, her husband spoke up again.

“What exactly did you do?”

“I found two eyewitnesses from back then, and they agreed to come forward today.”

“You found them?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you find anyone?”

“I’m still persuading them.” The man looked at her intently. “What did you use to convince them?”

“Benefits.”

“After all the dowry, where do you still have money?”

“I saved some before.”

He silently sighed, “I’ll pay you back later.”

“Why be so polite with me? We’re family.”

He nodded silently, remembering his wife’s kindness. Since his wife had already swayed key witnesses, he needed to make some preparations on his end. Skipping breakfast, he took a bun and left.

Seeing her son leave in a hurry, her mother-in-law asked her daughter-in-law, “Lan’er, what’s Qingshan busy with?”

“He said there were some matters at work, so he had to leave early.”

“Oh, alright. Let’s eat then.”