Chapter 15: Detained

As soon as Zhang Rui spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to her.

“I’m telling you, Zhang family, you can’t bully people like this! If Xiao Jing’s parents were still alive, would you dare treat her this way?”

“You have a big family and a prosperous household. If you won’t think about yourself, at least think about the younger generation—do some good deeds for once!”

Zhang Rui stepped beside Jing Xi, looking at the mess all over the ground with a deep frown.

Wang Cuihua stood with her hands on her hips. “Liu family’s old woman, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong! This is between our family and her. What does it have to do with you? I think you’re the one lacking morals!”

“Sticking my nose in? I’m just stating the facts! I gave Xiao Jing those dihuan vegetables to pickle. What right do you have to accuse her of stealing them? And another thing—since your Zhang family claims to have lost so much, where’s the stolen stuff? Huh? Show us the evidence!”

“I-It’s… Da Zhuang, tell them where it is! Didn’t you say you suspected her? Did you find the money or not? If you did, just tell me! If you really found it, I’ll even give you a hundred as a thank-you!”

Wang Cuihua turned to Wu Dazhuang. He had been planning to slip away quietly since there were too many people around, and he was the one who had stirred up this whole mess. He hadn’t expected to get called out.

That morning, after seeing Jing Xi and Zhang Rui leave for town, he had gone straight to the Zhang family to gossip.

Now, under all the scrutiny, Wu Dazhuang glanced at Jing Xi, then quickly looked away without saying a word.

Jing Xi spoke coldly, “Wu Dazhuang, did you find it? Wang Cuihua, did you find it? Zhang Qiang, did you find it? Zhang Jianjun, did you find it?”

She paused. None of the four responded. Instead, they exchanged uneasy glances.

“Well, if you haven’t found it, I’m calling the police.”

Most of the villagers were good people. As soon as Jing Xi said this, a little girl tugged on her sleeve. She turned and saw Aunt Wang standing there with her daughter, Pang Ya.

“Xiao Jing-jie, the police officers are already here.”

Jing Xi turned her head and spotted the two officers she had seen earlier on the bus. Their expressions were serious as they walked toward her. So, they had been in the village all day? Had they been investigating the recent thefts?

She lowered her voice and said, “Got it. Go find your mom first—I need to handle something.”

She gave Aunt Wang a nod, signaling her gratitude.

Jing Xi remained calm and composed. When the officers arrived, she immediately explained the situation.

The gathered villagers, seeing that the Zhang family had no valid argument this time, began speaking up for Jing Xi. Some even had a bit of a grudge against the Zhangs for being wealthy and were eager to criticize them.

The tide had turned, and now nearly everyone was condemning the Zhang family—and Wu Dazhuang, who had stirred up trouble.

Jing Xi knew these people were fickle and didn’t bother paying them any mind. She let them talk as they pleased.

In the end, all the involved parties had to take a trip to the police station.

The Zhang family accused Jing Xi of theft, but they had no evidence. Moreover, after conducting interviews in the village, the police had already determined that Jing Xi was not a suspect. The real thief had yet to be found.

Meanwhile, the Zhang family had trespassed into Jing Xi’s home, rummaged through her belongings, and repeatedly harassed her, causing a serious disturbance in the village.

The officers sternly reprimanded them.

But Wang Cuihua wasn’t having it.

“Then what about her seducing my husband?! Officer, you have to be fair! And besides, I only went into her broken little house to search for stolen goods! I was trying to help you solve the case!”

The officer’s face darkened. “Ma’am, why are you so unreasonable? You reported a theft, and it is our job as law enforcement to investigate and find the culprit. But you have no authority to break into someone else’s home and rummage through their things. Do you understand? You are not law enforcement. Your only responsibility is to cooperate with our investigation.”

Wang Cuihua rolled her eyes and cursed silently, convinced that the little vixen had bewitched even the police. “I don’t know anything about law enforcement! I just want my money back!”

Jing Xi found it amusing and watched the officer’s face shift.

“I’ll say it one more time: You have no legal authority to trespass into someone’s home! Furthermore, after speaking with your neighbors, we now have a clearer understanding of the conflicts between Jing Xi and Zhang Qiang. I’ll tell you this—she has chosen not to press charges against you, and you should be grateful for that.”

Wang Cuihua let out a dramatic sigh, about to argue again, but Zhang Qiang grabbed her arm and growled, “Shut your damn mouth, you idiot! How do you think you’re talking to the officer?!”

Wang Cuihua glared at him. “Oh, so you only know how to act tough with me, huh?”

Zhang Qiang rolled his eyes, unwilling to argue with this troublesome woman. But before he could walk away, Wang Cuihua suddenly plopped down on the ground and began wailing.

“No conscience! A cheating scumbag!”

“I really misjudged you! Back then, when you were so poor you couldn’t even afford a single coin, I still married you!”

“I took care of your parents—wiping their asses, cleaning their piss—until the day they died! And you think I owe you something?!”

“When Jianjun was burning up with a fever as a child, you were off fooling around with that educated youth!”

“And now you’re scolding me in front of outsiders?! I can’t take this anymore! I don’t want to live anymore!”

Zhang Jianjun, seeing his mother start her usual antics, quickly stepped back and held his forehead.

Here we go again.

Jing Xi watched the scene unfold with a bystander’s mindset. Zhang Qiang took a deep breath, his eyes widening in fury. Unable to hold back his anger, he grabbed Wang Cuihua, lifted her, and then, without restraint, slapped her across the face and kicked her.

“You damn wailing hag! Cry all day, cry all night—are you trying to bring ruin to this family?!”

The situation quickly spiraled out of control. Jing Xi immediately stepped back to clear the battlefield.

“Oh my, fighting inside the police station?! Domestic violence!”

“Stop this right now! What do you think you’re doing? Do you take this place for a marketplace?”

“You dare to use violence inside the police station?! What exactly are you trying to pull?”

Several police officers rushed forward and pulled the two apart.

As a result, the Zhang couple was detained for two days and received a harsh reprimand from the officers.

The two of them were completely dumbfounded.

Jing Xi sometimes wondered how such brainless people had managed to become one of the wealthier households in the village. Had they just stumbled into luck?

Meanwhile, Zhang Jianjun, seeing his parents about to be locked up, finally panicked.

But no matter how much he pleaded, it was useless.

In the end, they had to pay a fine as well.

On the other hand, Wu Dazhuang, for some reason, was able to leave immediately after finishing his police record.

Jing Xi watched his departing figure from the station, her lips curling into a cold smile.

“Comrade Jing Xi, could you come here for a moment?”

Jing Xi turned to see the familiar Officer Li calling her. She quickly withdrew her gaze and followed him into the office, where another familiar face, Officer Liu, was also present.

After exchanging greetings, she took a seat.

“Comrade, regarding this incident, do you have any additional requests?”

Jing Xi noticed Officer Li winking at her and immediately caught on.

“Yes, I do! I demand compensation. Even though there wasn’t anything particularly valuable in my house, they threw out all my bedding, pots, and pans. None of it can be used anymore. I need money to replace them. A complete set of replacements would cost at least 100 yuan!”

Officer Li did a rough calculation. That sounded about right—new bedding wasn’t cheap.

“Understood. Anything else?”

Jing Xi observed Officer Li’s expression and sighed inwardly before adding, “Emotional damages! Zhang Qiang harassed me before, and their constant targeting of me in recent times has significantly affected my life. I demand compensation for emotional distress—100 yuan! No, actually, 200 yuan!”

“So, to clarify, you want the Zhang family to compensate you with a total of 300 yuan?”

“That’s right!”

After noting it down, Officer Li glanced at Officer Liu across the table.

Officer Liu hadn’t expected Jing Xi to be so bold in her demands.

But seeing that he remained expressionless, Jing Xi felt reassured.

“Alright, we’ve recorded your request. We will communicate this to them and coordinate the resolution. It’s getting late; you can go home for now. We’ll notify you if there are any updates.”

Jing Xi nodded and stood up.

“Thank you both so much! Having public servants like you really puts us common folks at ease. I must have caused you quite a bit of trouble these past few days, so I won’t take up any more of your time. Please notify me if anything comes up—I will fully cooperate! Thanks again!”

With that, she exited the office, closed the door, and stepped outside, a wide smile spreading across her face.

Inside, the two officers chuckled softly.

“The villagers all say this girl is quiet and timid, never causing trouble. But from what I see, she’s got a head full of tricks.”

By the time Jing Xi left the police station, the sky had turned dark.

The last bus was probably gone, meaning she’d have to walk back.

But with it being so dark, she didn’t feel comfortable walking alone at night.

Just as she was wondering how to get home, her sharp eyes caught sight of Zhang Jianjun and Wu Dazhuang eating at a restaurant across the street.

Zhang Jianjun truly had a big heart. His parents had just been taken away, yet he still had the appetite to eat.

And as for Wu Dazhuang…

Originally, she had planned to deal with the Zhang family first and then handle him later. But now… hmph.

Jing Xi decided to try her luck at the bus station to see if she could find a small inn nearby to stay for the night.

She still had some money left—five yuan should be enough for a night’s lodging.

As she walked toward the station, luck was on her side—she managed to catch the last bus back to the village.

She quickly flagged it down and got on.

The ride was bumpy, and she thought about how messy her home was. If it was truly unlivable, she might just have to spend the night in her space.

After all, the space had a constant temperature.

But to her surprise, when she arrived home, the lights inside her house were on, and two female figures were inside, cleaning.

It was Aunt Wang and Aunt Liu!

Jing Xi quickened her pace.

She found that her pots and pans had been washed, the kang bed had been swept clean, and the bedding was hanging on the drying rack. The stove was burning, the floor had been swept spotless, and even the small amount of spare change she had kept under the mattress was now neatly placed on the kang.

Warmth filled Jing Xi’s heart.

She would remember the kindness of these two women.