The next day at noon, Xu Ning had just finished eating when Wei Lanlan came over.

“How did you find time to come out?? Is Xiao Pang asleep?”

After sitting down, Wei Lanlan said quietly, “Chen Xiangdong is watching him at home. After you told me about Wang Juanjuan yesterday, I started observing her. You have no idea how she looked at me and Lin Miao; it gave me goosebumps.”

Xu Ning thought for a moment and asked, “Can you find out from the commune if anyone knows what her boyfriend’s name is?”

“When I was fighting with Gu Wenjing the other day, I ended up hitting her and Jiaohua as well. I can only ask Lin Qiuhua if she knows. I’ll have Chen Xiangdong look for Yang Wenli to see if he knows anything too.”

After saying that, Wei Lanlan hurriedly left.

In the afternoon at work, Chen Xiangdong told Xu Ning that Wang Juanjuan’s boyfriend was named Cao Bo, and that the director of committee assembly was his brother-in-law.

Xu Ning nodded and said, “Got it. I’ll take a day off tomorrow to go to the county town and find out more.”

She first went to Zhao Jianshe’s house in the county town, but both Su Hongmei and Zhao Jianshe had gone to work.

Su Hongmei’s mother saw her and smiled, “Xiao Ning is here! Come in and sit down.”

Xu Ning handed her a half-basket of vegetables she had picked from the field and said, “Auntie, these are vegetables I grew in my yard. I had some things to do in town today, so I picked some for you.”

“Oh my, look at these vegetables! They’re so fresh and lively, unlike the wilted ones we buy at the supply and marketing cooperative.”

Xu Ning laughed and asked, “Auntie, has my brother and sister-in-law gone to work?”

“They’ve all gone to work. Your brother Jianshe won’t be back for lunch, but your sister-in-law will be back soon. You can eat here at noon, and you two can talk for a bit when she gets off work.”

“Auntie, I came to find my brother Jianshe for something, so I won’t stay for lunch. I’ll go to his workplace to look for him.”

“Then at least eat before you go. Can you find his workplace? Do you want me to take you there?”

As Xu Ning pushed her bicycle outside, she replied, “Auntie, I can find the place. You carry on with what you’re doing. I’ll come to see you next time.”

After saying that, she rode her bicycle to the public security bureau.

When Zhao Jianshe saw her, he quickly asked, “Xiao Ning, what brings you here? Did something happen?”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Brother Jianshe, nothing’s wrong. I came today to ask you about someone.”

Since Zhao Jianshe heard her say this, he didn’t take her inside the station. Instead, he brought her to a secluded spot and asked, “Who are you trying to find out about?”

“Brother Jianshe, do you know the directors of committee assembly?”

Zhao Jianshe frowned and asked, “Li Shiyou? What do you want to know about him?”

Xu Ning explained the situation to him in detail.

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Actually, I don’t have any major conflict with Wang Juanjuan, but she has a strong sense of jealousy and can’t stand it when others are doing better than her.

She has asked about the money my brother and they send me every month several times, and I’m worried she might cause trouble. I want to find out more about her partner so I can be prepared.”

Zhao Jianshe said, “This Li Shiyou is a ruthless person. He doesn’t have much of a moral compass when it comes to his actions. A few years ago, he led a house search campaign and harmed many people before he ended up in his current position.”

“His first wife died just a couple of days later, and he married his current one. This wife is young and beautiful, and she pleases him greatly. His brother-in-law is Cao Bo, and it was he who arranged that job for him. This Cao Bo isn’t a good person either; he’s ruthless and merciless.”

Xu Ning thought for a moment and asked, “Brother Jianshe, did his first wife leave any children?”

Zhao Jianshe looked at her appreciatively and said with a smile, “He has a son and a daughter, but both of them despise their father and have basically no contact with him. The son works at the county machinery factory, and the daughter married a worker from the same factory.”

Xu Ning inquired, “Do you know what their names are?”

“His daughter is named Li Ping, and she lives in the machinery factory’s residential area. His son is named Li Jiang and isn’t married yet; he lives in the factory dormitory.”

“I see. Thank you, Brother Jianshe. I’ll head back now.”

Zhao Jianshe said, “Xiao Ning, be careful, and if you need anything, just come find me.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Brother Jianshe, I understand. I’m just gathering information as a precaution.”

Up until the autumn harvest began, Wang Juanjuan remained completely quiet.

However, Xu Ning didn’t dare let her guard down. Wang Juanjuan was a very calculating person, unlike Gu Wenjing, who wore her emotions on her sleeve and could be seen through easily.

Lu Xiaotang, who had just completed his task, looked at his injured arm and sighed.

He had hoped to finish the job early so he could return before the autumn harvest and help her with some work, but now that plan was thwarted.

He decided to write her a letter to let her know he was safe, to explain how he was organizing things there, and to assure her that he would take some time to recover before returning, so she wouldn’t have to worry.

During the autumn harvest, Wang Juanjuan’s boyfriend came to see the village chief, claiming that she was unwell and asking the chief to arrange a lighter job for her.

The village chief, along with several team leaders, felt obliged to accommodate her boyfriend’s status, so they had her work with a few children, picking up the harvested crops that had been left behind, earning her four work points each day.

After a day of work, she was exhausted, with her back aching from squatting all day. Unlike the kids, who were short and agile, she ended up picking less than they did—some of the children could gather two work points in a day, which was more than her four points.

As she squatted on the ground, she noticed Xu Ning and her brother leaving work early yet again, and a wave of jealousy surged through her.

She then glanced at Gu Wenping, who was helping Lin Miao with their tasks, and her jealousy twisted her face into a scowl. The children picking beans alongside her noticed her expression and moved away from her.

That evening, as Xu Mo passed through the village, he saw Xiao Wang and Da Chui and played with them for a while.

Xiao Wang, feeling indignant, said, “Brother Mo, all the brothers are really angry today. We picked beans with Wang Zhiqing, and even though she’s so much older than us, she picked less than we did!”

“She still gets four work points? She really has some nerve. Just because she found a powerful man, what’s so great about that? If she’s so capable, she shouldn’t even bother working!

When she saw Xu Zhiqing leave work early, her expression turned sour, looking like someone who had just received bad news.” Xiao Wang said, pulling a face that resembled a ghost.

Xu Mo listened intently, feeling sorry for them as he patted Xiao Wang and Da Chui on the shoulders.

He sighed and said, “Brothers, you’ve been wronged. It’s my fault for not being capable enough to stand up for you.”

Da Chui, equally upset, added, “Brother Mo, how can you blame yourself? It’s just because she’s pretty and knows how to charm men.”

Xiao Mo’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Brother Chui, where did you learn to use ‘charm’ like that?”

Da Chui proudly replied, “The village aunties are all talking about it. They say she’s relying on her looks to charm city men to help her out. If she’s so great, why doesn’t she just go to the city? What’s she doing here, making a fool of herself?”

After hearing what he wanted, Xiao Mo said to the two, “Let’s head home. You’ve worked hard all day. Eat dinner and get some rest; we need to earn work points again tomorrow.”