Originally, Second Brother Lu Erge’s voice was not loud, and Second Sister-in-law Lu Er was also trying to keep her voice down to avoid being heard by the in-laws.

However, when Lu Cuicui shouted, Fang Dihua outside heard it.

On the first day of the New Year, people aim for a joyous atmosphere.

Whether it’s theft or a fight, it’s considered bad luck.

Fang Dihua was relieved that her family was safe when she suddenly heard Lu Cuicui’s scream.

Her expression immediately turned dark.

She lifted her foot to go scold Second Daughter-in-law Lu Er but was stopped by Old Man Lu.

Old Man Lu whispered, “Have you prepared the New Year’s money? The kids will come to pay their respects later. Give them a couple of cents each.”

Don’t scold your daughter-in-law during the New Year.

We’ll deal with it after the holiday.

Fang Dihua was most inclined to listen to Old Man Lu, so she let it go for now.

Soon, cries of alarm filled the street.

They were calling for the security director, Deng Dala, and asking to involve the militia to investigate the theft.

The commotion quickly diluted the festive atmosphere.

Big Brother Lu Dage walked over, buttoning his coat and calling out to Lu Shaotang and Second Brother Lu Erge, “Second, Third, are you up? Come with me to see what’s going on.”

As the brigade accountant and a brigade official, he needed to check the situation.

People love to join in on the excitement, whether it’s a good or bad event.

Haven’t you seen crowds gather at fire scenes, car accidents, and drownings?

The affected households and the street were crowded with people, and even the people from the back of village came to join in.

People skipped visiting and directly gathered in the street, asking “Happy New Year, how many bowls of dumplings did you eat?”

Many families, eager to see the excitement, had everyone out, including the elderly and children.

Even the chimneys were not smoking.

Lu Shaotang didn’t go.

It was just a simple theft case, so it was naturally the responsibility of the security director and the militia.

He wasn’t interested in joining the crowd.

At home, everyone from Fang Dihua to the two children had gone out, leaving only him and his wife.

On the first day of the New Year, men cooked, and women didn’t need to be in the kitchen.

He was busy following his wife’s instructions to tend the fire.

After a while, Lu Xiuxiu returned with Tian Tian and Pan Pan.

Pan Pan’s little face was tense as she clung to Lu Shaotang’s shoulder and whispered, “Dad, I suspect Lu Changfu is the thief!”

Lu Shaotang: “He doesn’t have the ability.”

It wasn’t that he trusted Lu Changfu’s character, but he could tell at a glance that Lu Changfu lacked both the skill and the courage.

Burglary required not just courage but also skill.

Pan Pan: “He even tried to open my trunk last night.” She turned to Tian Tian, “Tian Tian, right?”

Lu Xiuxiu was puzzled: “He tried to open Grandma’s trunk last night?”

Tian Tian: “Yes, he did. If he didn’t want to open it How could Yixiang have had her hand caught by Panpan?”

Last night, Lu Shaocai came over with his children to pay New Year’s visits.

The house was already small, and with the Lu family there, it was even more cramped.

As soon as they entered, it became even more crowded.

Lu Changfu stood at the back, and nobody actually noticed what he was doing.

After all, no one would have expected that a nephew visiting his second uncle’s house during the New Year would be sneaking behind so many people to pry open someone’s large box.

Lin Shu also didn’t see it because she wasn’t paying any attention to Lu Shaocai’s family.

However, the original plot did not mention that the Lu family village collectively suffered theft; it would take another two years before the Lu family was robbed.

She hadn’t affected anyone else, and the objective events of the original plot shouldn’t be changed arbitrarily, right?

She couldn’t have caused the Lu family village to be collectively robbed just because she had traveled back in time.

Lin Shu imagined the scenario and thought it couldn’t be her fault; it was the thieves’ fault.

Seeing the two kids acting like little detectives, suspicious of Lu Changfu, she said to Lu Shaotang, “I’ll cook, you take them to solve the case.”

The kids immediately became excited. “Dad, let’s go!”

Lu Shaotang replied, “I need to cook first. On the first day of the New Year, women don’t do housework; men have to do the work.”

Panpan turned to Lin Shu and Lu Xiuxiu and said, “Mom, Sister, don’t do anything. Later, when I see Uncle, Second Uncle, and Big Brother, I’ll ask them to come back and cook.”

Having said that, Panpan and Tiantian clung to Lu Shaotang’s neck and shoulders, urging him to hurry up and solve the case.

Lin Shu said, “Alright, you go ahead.”

It was hard for the villagers to divide up the money during the New Year, and it was too pitiful that they were robbed.

She had confidence in Lu Shaotang; he would definitely be able to help solve the case.

Fang Dihua had said that Lu Shaotang was smart since childhood.

Whenever his elder brother stole snacks or pocket money and blamed it on him and his second brother, he could always solve the case immediately.

Now that he was an operative in secret missions, how could he not catch a few thieves?

Lu Shaotang picked up the two children and went out.

At that moment, the village secretary was overseeing the situation.

There were six households in the village that had been robbed, including a five-guarantee household that lost two pounds of meat, and an almost-blind old lady who cried as if her husband had died again.

Other households lost not only money but also clothes and shoes.

Farmers really don’t have much of value; the most valuable things at home are the task pigs and food rations.

New clothes and shoes made this year were considered valuable items!

The secretary was truly angry, his face ashen.

It was horrifying that a theft happened on New Year’s Eve under his administration!!!

He had never encountered such a situation in all these years.

Stealing during the New Year—what kind of insult is that?

He had his son quickly ride to the production team to check around.

It was troubling that only Lu’s village was targeted, while other villages were untouched. Was this deliberate targeting?

The villagers discussed amongst themselves:

“Definitely the same group that stole the crops.”

“Maybe it’s those educated youth? They don’t work properly. They either steal our chickens and ducks or vegetables. They’ve been caught several times!”

“Perhaps it’s hooligans from outside the village?”

Pan Pan said to Tian Tian and Lu Shaotang, “How could thieves from outside know about our village’s situation and specifically target these few families?”

Tian Tian: “Maybe they’re like that tinker, coming to scope things out first?”

Lu Shaotang: “That’s called casing the joint.”

Pan Pan: “Yes, they must have come to scout. There haven’t been any outsiders sneaking around our village recently.”

They usually play on the street, so if there were any strangers wandering around, they would have noticed quickly.

Tian Tian: “So there must be a mole!”

The comic books say that invaders always find a mole first.

Pan Pan: “Lu Changfu is the mole. He came to our house to scout and even tried to open our trunk.”

While the children were analyzing this, someone saw Lu Shaotang and greeted him.

“Shaotang, you’re home. Help the brigade solve the case and catch the thief quickly.”

“Yes, it’s so frightening. They come and go so suddenly; it makes life feel unstable.”

Lu Shaotang asked which families had been robbed.

He didn’t know if it was just his keen perception, but he noticed that the households related to his father had not been affected.

The affected households were those with less connection to his family or no connection at all.

Did the thief know he wouldn’t dare steal if he was home, or was the thief afraid he would stand up for his own?

The households that suffered theft had relatively few people.

The largest had five members, while the smallest had only two.

But the conditions of these households were not poor.

Moreover, the men in these households were either absent, liked to drink and sleep, or had a bad temper and liked to hit their wives.

Zhang Xiuying’s household had a man working in the county town, and he was on duty and did not come home for New Year’s Eve.

Only the woman and children were at home.

The five-member household consisted of an elderly couple living with their son and daughter-in-law, with only one grandson.

The family was very frugal and liked to take small advantages.

They were known for visiting others and eating and drinking during the New Year to save their own food, always saying they were saving money to build a house and marry off their grandson.

Another young couple had recently separated.

Neighbors said they had only been married for a short time and were often either lovey-dovey or fighting.

Last night, on New Year’s Eve, they had another argument.

The husband didn’t make any New Year’s Eve dinner.

In another household, the man was an alcoholic. Normally, he was controlled by the village secretary and the brigade leader to prevent him from drinking too much while working.

During the New Year, with no one to oversee him, he drank to excess and was probably unconscious.

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Zhang Xiuying was crying with her face smeared with tears and snot. “Damn thieves, if I find out who you are, I’ll bite you to death!”

Deng Dalaba asked Lu Dage (Brother Lu) to help with recording information.

He was in charge of the inquiries, asking when the theft was discovered, how the thieves entered, if locks were broken, and how much property was stolen.

Zhang Xiuying didn’t want others to know how much money her family lost, but the yard was packed with villagers eager to watch the commotion, so she had no choice but to disclose it.

When she mentioned that 228 yuan was stolen, some villagers were shocked.

“She always says she’s broke when we’re distributing food rations, claiming she has no money.”

“After saving up so much money, she’s reluctant to spend it on food and drinks, and now it’s gone to the thieves.”

Zhang Xiuying’s son was quite angry.

He hated the thief and was also upset with his mother for always lying to him.

She constantly told him that the family was struggling, and every time he paid school fees, she said they were out of money.

He couldn’t directly blame his mother, so he shifted his frustration to his sister. “What’s wrong with you? You were sleeping so soundly that you didn’t even notice the thief?”

Zhang Xiuying’s daughter was very aggrieved, her eyes swollen from crying and her face marked with her mother’s slaps.

Zhang Xiuying was deeply pained by the loss of money.

Her husband had stayed on duty at the factory on New Year’s Eve to earn a few extra bucks, but this lazy girl didn’t stay up to guard the house.

If she hadn’t gone to bed so early, the thief might not have stolen from them.

In her anger, Zhang Xiuying cried and continued to scold her daughter.

Women’s leader Wang Lijuan couldn’t stand it anymore. “The thief didn’t just steal from your family. How can it be the child’s fault? Why are you constantly hitting and scolding her? Moreover, traditionally, it’s the men’s job to stay up and guard the house on New Year’s Eve…”

“I’ve been busy with grave visits and cleaning the house. Am I not tired? I just took a nap. Why am I being blamed?” Zhang Xiuying’s daughter suddenly exploded in anger.

She usually didn’t do much work at home, and she felt guilty, thinking others were criticizing her.

She subconsciously felt that the women’s leader was blaming her for not guarding the house properly.

Zhang Xiuying also began to curse Wang Lijuan, accusing her of not catching the thief and causing trouble instead, which made Wang Lijuan so furious that she decided to stop dealing with it.

Deng Dalaba went with Brother Lu Dage to inquire at the other households.

Lu Shaotang had already checked out several households carrying the two kids.

He directly told the brigade leader, “It was done by someone from the village.”

The brigade leader suspected as well; it was too obvious.

Outsiders couldn’t have known the village so well.

He was just somewhat deluding himself, unwilling to believe that the village under his watch was so bad.

Despite his focus on maintaining discipline, with daily patrols and prohibition of card games and gambling, how could theft still occur during the New Year?

Was this a deliberate show of defiance against him?