Chapter 4: Cooperation

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Shen Zhiyi didn’t want to get entangled too much with these people. The reason she had Zhou Muxuan bring her here was to retrieve her dowry. And if the Lu family dared provoke her, she wouldn’t mind smashing the banquet they had laid out.

Before she and her sister married, their mother had specially commissioned a carpenter to make two high-quality camphor wood chests as dowries—one for her sister Shen Zhilan, the other for her.

These camphor chests weren’t just expensive; they held deep meaning.

Other items like quilts, cloth, or pillowcases could be left behind, but these chests? She had to get them back to fulfill the original owner’s wish.

Shen Zhiyi wasn’t about to let the scumbag family have an easy win.

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“Lu Yusheng, bring out my camphor chest. I’ll leave immediately. You can continue your banquet—but if you don’t hand it over, forget about this feast today.”

“What camphor chest?” Lu Yusheng barely paid attention to an old wooden box. It couldn’t be eaten or drunk, just stored some useless things—and she even had Zhou Muxuan deliver it back?

“The camphor chest from our wedding day. Your two sisters kept envying it and asking where it came from, and if they could get one for themselves. If you don’t remember, go ask them—they’ll know.”

“Perhaps someone has already taken it while I’ve been gone for these years. If that’s the case… sorry, but I’ll call the police on the spot.”

“Dr. Lu, misappropriating someone else’s property is illegal. If Shen Zhiyi reports it, our station will file a case. Better to hand it over.”

Zhou Muxuan cooperated perfectly with Shen Zhiyi. Without any hint, he explained everything to the crowd.

Lu Yusheng’s two sisters were internally seething. They wanted to retaliate, but Shen Zhiyi, a labor reform inmate, looked untouchable.

How had she changed in three years?

Other labor reform prisoners would leave quietly, heads bowed, afraid of being looked down on.

She, on the other hand, flaunted her presence like a proud warrior, as if everyone should know she had been in labor reform.

And why was Zhou Muxuan helping her so much?

He was acting strangely.

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“I don’t know. Go find it yourself,” Lu Yusheng said lazily.

“No way. She’s a labor reform inmate, full of bad luck from head to toe. This is our Lu family—I absolutely will not let cursed things step into my home.”

Lu Yusheng’s mother stepped forward again, firmly refusing Shen Zhiyi entry. Other family members joined, forming a human barricade.

“If you won’t let me in, then hand me what I want. Otherwise, forget your banquet today.” Shen Zhiyi didn’t mind the wall of people in front of her.

She casually dragged over a wooden stool, sat down, crossed her legs, and leisurely cracked open some sunflower seeds from the table in front of everyone.

“Shen Zhiyi, are you a female hooligan?” Lu Yusheng’s father hobbled over, leaning on his cane. “Today is my eldest grandson’s first birthday banquet. Can’t this wait?”

“No, Dad. I just want my camphor chest,” Shen Zhiyi replied firmly.

“This is the Lu family. Shen Zhiyi, I’ve tolerated you for a long time, don’t force me to slap you—shameless, is that what you are?” Lu Yusheng’s eldest brother, Lu Changsheng, stepped forward.

“Shameless? Pfft—”

Shen Zhiyi spat a seed shell on the ground, glaring at Lu Changsheng. “I remember you and your wife were also eyeing my chest back then. Shall we have Officer Zhou check your room?”

The sudden accusation made Lu Changsheng lose his temper.

He swung his arm to hit Shen Zhiyi, but Zhou Muxuan’s firm hand caught his wrist mid-air, freezing him completely.

“Bitch—” Lu Changsheng cursed.

Shen Zhiyi’s eyes turned sharp. If she didn’t give them a scare, they wouldn’t hand over her chest.

She stood up and kicked over the nearest table. Plates, bowls, and even the fragrant braised pork spilled to the ground.

She grabbed the stool she had just sat on and threw it onto another table.

The villagers watching were shocked. Shen Zhiyi had gone completely berserk.

“Shen Zhiyi, what are you doing?” Lu Yusheng’s eyes blazed with anger.

“Return my camphor chest.” One sentence. Nothing else mattered—just the chest.

“You—”

“Yusheng, stop talking to her. Shen Zhiyi, you’ve disrupted my eldest grandson’s birthday banquet. Officer Zhou, I, as the matriarch, can call the police, right? You should step in and arrest this shrew.” Lu Yusheng’s mother wailed dramatically.

“Eldest grandson?” Zhou Muxuan was confused. Qiangqiang was supposed to be her grandson, not “eldest grandson.”

Shen Zhiyi smirked. The old woman was flustered and speaking recklessly.

“Eldest grandson or not, no one escapes. Officer Zhou, go ahead and arrest me—but before that, your whole family comes in with me. Until the real thief is found, every member of the Lu family is a suspect. Not a single one escapes.”

“What did you just call me? You—” Lu Yusheng’s mother realized Shen Zhiyi had just called her a “dying old woman.”

She was still her mother-in-law since Shen Zhiyi hadn’t divorced Lu Yusheng, yet she dared to say that?

It was outrageous. Lu Yusheng’s mother clutched her chest in anger, nearly unable to breathe.

Thankfully, Lu Yusheng quickly supported her, helping her recover.

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“Apologize, Shen Zhiyi.” Lu Yusheng stepped forward, voice cold.

“In your dreams, Lu Yusheng,” Shen Zhiyi sneered, refusing without hesitation.

“Fine. You’ve got guts. Don’t come begging later.” Lu Yusheng took a menacing step toward her.

In their rural village, if a woman was obstinate and refused to admit wrongdoing, a man could rightfully teach her a lesson—it was a household matter, no one could interfere.

He and Shen Zhiyi had only been married a year. At the start, he had been diligent in learning, so they had mutual respect. They weren’t particularly affectionate.

When Jiang Ruochu returned, their old feelings reignited, and he looked down on Shen Zhiyi even more.

Zhou Muxuan stepped in again, blocking Shen Zhiyi from Lu Yusheng.

Lu Yusheng frowned, displeased. “Officer Zhou, this is my family matter. Step aside.”

…