The village head and several team leaders had already heard from Xu An on the way. They planned to take the two men to the village committee and then send them to the police station at dawn.

After the village head took the two away, Xu Ning instructed Xu An briefly before riding her bicycle into the city to find Zhao Jianshe.

When she knocked on Zhao Jianshe’s door, it was still quite early, and he was surprised to see her when he opened the door. “Xiao Ning, what brings you here at this hour? What happened?” he asked.

Xu Ning recounted the events of the night, detailing how Liu Fang had brought Wang Daqiang to scout around her house a few days prior, as well as her past grievances with Liu Fang.

After listening, Zhao Jianshe said, “I understand. You should go back right away. Don’t let anyone know you came here alone. Come back with your village head shortly and repeat what you just told me at the police station. I’ll head there now and wait for you.”

He added a final reminder, “You and Xiao An should keep quiet about Wang Daqiang, especially the part about Liu Fang having a boyfriend. Don’t mention it later.”

Xu Ning replied, “I understand, Brother Jianshe. I’ll head back now.”

After riding her bicycle home, she found that Xu An had already prepared breakfast. She ate a few bites before heading to the village committee with Xu An.

The villagers had woken up early and were already aware of what had happened. When they saw the siblings, they approached with concern, asking, “Xu Zhiqing, are you both alright? What’s going on?”

Xu Ning sighed and explained, “That man is Liu Fang’s boyfriend. Remember how I had that fight with Liu Fang last year? She sent her boyfriend to take revenge on me.”

With that one sentence, the villagers understood the situation.

The village head and several young men from the village soon arrived, escorting Wang Daqiang and the other man.

Seeing Xu Ning and Xu An there, the village head said, “Xu Zhiqing, you and your brother should come along. Let’s go to the police station and explain what happened.”

When they arrived at the police station, Zhao Jianshe took over the case and immediately began questioning Wang Daqiang and Wang Ergou with a colleague.

Wang Daqiang, filled with resentment towards Liu Fang, claimed that she had instigated him and even taken him to survey the area. His testimony aligned with Xu Ning’s account, prompting Zhao Jianshe to send two police officers to Yushu Village to bring Liu Fang in for questioning.

The youths from the camp hadn’t gone to work yet, and when the officers asked for Liu Fang, everyone realized what had happened.

Liu Fang’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected Wang Daqiang to be so useless. Her plan had been to use him to tarnish Xu Ning’s reputation, then claim Xu Ning was trying to seduce her boyfriend. In that scenario, she would have positioned herself as the victim and rid herself of Wang Daqiang.

After Liu Fang was taken away, the youths at the camp still hadn’t fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Despite the incident happening so close to them, they hadn’t heard a single sound the previous night.

Once Xu Ning and Xu An returned from the city, they resumed their normal routines—attending school and going to work—without any disruption.

Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei saw Xu Ning approaching with a hoe and rushed over to ask, “What happened? With such a big incident, why didn’t you call us last night?”

Xu Ning sighed and replied, “I was so scared last night. After knocking those two out and tying them up, I only realized they were Liu Fang’s boyfriend afterward. I was worried he might team up with Liu Fang to fabricate a story, so I didn’t dare go to the camp to get you. I had my brother go find the village head and a few team leaders instead.

I really didn’t expect Liu Fang to be so malicious. Just because of that small incident last year, she has been holding a grudge all this time and even sent her boyfriend to take revenge. Sigh.”

Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei were stunned, unable to believe that someone could be so wicked, especially a twenty-year-old girl.

Several people from the cow shed had also heard about the incident and were extremely worried. During lunch, they sent Xu Mo over to inquire.

When Xu Mo arrived, he was dripping with sweat. Xu Ning quickly poured him a basin of water to wash his face and asked, “Xiao Mo, why are you sweating so much?”

After washing his face and wiping it with a towel, Xu Mo said, “Sister, I ran back from the village. I was with mom and dad when we heard in the fields that something happened here last night.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “It’s alright now. Your second brother and I caught the bad guys last night and sent them to the police station today. You can tell Mom and Dad when you go back, and I’ll visit them tonight to explain everything.”

Xu Mo replied angrily, “I heard from the aunts in the village that it was Liu Fang and her boyfriend. That guy is really terrible! Did the police beat them up when they arrested them?”

Xu Ning patted his head and laughed, “They did. Not only did they beat them, but they’re also going to lock them up and make them do hard labor.”

Hearing this, Xu Mo felt better and took Xu Ning’s hand, saying, “Sister, were you scared yesterday?”

“I wasn’t scared. I’m strong; most people can’t beat me, and your second brother was there too.”

Xu Mo pouted and declared, “Sister, don’t worry. I’m growing up fast, and one day I’ll protect you.”

Xu Ning looked at him, her smile softening. “Then Xiao Mo needs to eat more and get bigger quickly.”

Knowing that their parents were worried, Xu Ning didn’t keep Xu Mo for lunch. Instead, she packed a piece of meat and a bag of milk candies into his backpack for him to take home.

That evening, Xu Ning visited the cow shed and explained everything in detail to her parents.

The judgment for the three individuals hadn’t been delivered yet, but everyone in the youth commune understood that Liu Fang wouldn’t be coming back. Given her nature, she would likely receive a sentence of several years.

Wang Juanjuan and Gu Wenjing had already moved into their new house. Now, only Chunhua, Jiaohua, and Lin Qiuhua shared one room. Lin Qiuhua had become quite withdrawn, ignoring whatever anyone said.

Jiaohua sighed and asked, “Chunhua, how many years do you think Liu Fang will get?”

Chunhua continued to work on her sewing and replied, “Little Aunt, let’s not talk about her anymore.”

Lin Qiuhua, sitting in the corner, rolled her eyes. She found it rather hypocritical; just a few days ago, both of them had been laughing and joking with Liu Fang, but now that trouble had struck, they were quick to distance themselves

While Xu Ning was in the field picking vegetables, Sun Hao called her from over the wall, asking her to fetch the letter and remittance slip. She gathered a large handful of green beans, picked some cucumbers and tomatoes, and headed toward the youth camp.

The postman, seeing her, smiled and said, “Xu Ning, no need to hurry. I can wait for a bit. Today, I have a letter for you and a remittance slip.”

Xu Ning placed the vegetables into the mailbag before reaching for the letter and the remittance slip.

Noticing how many vegetables she had, the postman remarked, “Xu Ning, I can’t accept your vegetables. It’s not easy for you to grow them. You should take them back and eat them yourself.”

Xu Ning waved her hand and laughed, “Uncle, these aren’t rare at all. They’re all from my family’s fields. The vegetables I planted this year are thriving. I pick two big baskets every day, and my brother and I can’t eat them all. Please help yourself; every family in our village grows vegetables. I can’t even give them all away!”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, the postman accepted her offer and then handed over a notebook for her to sign.