CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 104 SLAP IN THE FACE

Liu Chenglin glanced at the damaged seedlings. "Okay, I support you."

He clearly remembered what the private plot originally looked like; it was barely distinguishable from wasteland. Chu Zhiqing had worked incredibly hard to make it arable.

Moreover, they shouldn’t let the people at the Zhiqing Point develop bad habits. If ignored once, they might take it as a given in the future, and that would be unacceptable.

The two carried their baskets and went directly to the Zhiqing Point ahead.

The people at the Zhiqing Point had just returned from work and were washing up in the courtyard when Geng Erhong saw Yunyi and asked with a smile, "Yunyi, why have you come over?"

Just coming out of the house, Bai Suli said, "Well, well, isn’t this our Doctor Chu? Are you here to show off?"

Yunyi didn’t bother arguing with such an idiot and turned to Wang Jianhui in the courtyard. "Point Leader, I’d like to ask, has anyone from the Zhiqing Point been to our private plot to pick vegetables today?"

Wang Jianhui, a bit displeased to hear this, nonetheless responded without saying anything unpleasant, "Hold on, I’ll ask."

He walked to the kitchen door. "Zhiqing Cui, Zhiqing Deng, did either of you go to Chu Zhiqing’s private plot to pick vegetables today?"

Cui Aiju was scooping out noodles and didn’t respond immediately. "No, how could we go to someone else’s private plot to pick vegetables?"

Deng Xiaojie, however, felt a pang of guilt but couldn’t admit it for the sake of her pride and said defiantly, "Is she crazy? She lost vegetables, so why come to us?"

With their firm denials, Wang Jianhui felt more confident. "Chu Zhiqing, Liu Zhiqing, you heard them. We’re all educated people; how could we stoop to such petty theft? It’s very impolite for you to come knocking on our door so rashly."

At this point, Bai Suli interjected from the courtyard, "Exactly! This is an insult to our character. What do you take us for?"

Ignoring Bai Suli, Yunyi addressed Wang Jianhui, "The private plot has been maliciously damaged, so naturally, I need to find the culprit. If it wasn’t someone from the Zhiqing Point, then I can confidently go to the village cadres. After all, this is no small matter. Wasting food is a heinous act, and the vandal must not go unpunished."

Deng Xiaojie in the kitchen felt like she was sitting on pins and needles after hearing Yunyi’s words.

Bai Suli found Yunyi’s remarks too severe. "It’s just a few vegetables. Is it necessary to make such a fuss? Do you think the village cadres are so idle they’ll bother with such trivial matters?"

Without saying any more, Yunyi turned and walked out.

Cui Aiju looked at the guilt-stricken Deng Xiaojie. "What’s wrong with you?"

Suspecting something, she eyed Deng Xiaojie doubtfully. "The vegetables we picked earlier, they weren’t really from their private plot, were they?"

Deng Xiaojie glanced outside. "It’s not like they planted those vegetables. Even if I picked them, so what?"

Cui Aiju looked at her as if she were a fool. "It seems it’s true. I advise you to hurry and catch up to them, apologize, and resolve this quietly. Don’t bring trouble upon the Zhiqing Point."

Deng Xiaojie glared at Cui Aiju. "You’d better mind your own business."

She thought that since the vegetables were already in the pot, what could Chuyunyi do even if she brought the village cadres over later? The vegetables would be eaten. She would deny everything, and what could they do to her?

She quickened her pace dishing out the food and didn’t forget to shout outside, "Dinner’s ready!"

When the Branch Secretary arrived, the people at the Zhiqing Point were having dinner.

Wang Jianhui hadn’t expected Chuyunyi to actually bring a village cadre. "Branch Secretary, what brings you here?"

The Branch Secretary scanned the crowd eating in the courtyard. "Who picked vegetables from Chuyunyi’s and Liu Chenglin’s private plot today? Step forward voluntarily."

He had just gone to the plot to check. The thief might not have noticed, but the scallions at the edge of the plot had been watered, making the footprints quite obvious.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes turned to Deng Xiaojie and Cui Aiju.

Cui Aiju rolled her eyes at everyone. "Why are you looking at me? I certainly didn’t go to Chuyunyi and Liu Chenglin’s private plot."

As soon as she said this, everyone turned to look at Deng Xiaojie.

The Zhiqing Point was a collective; they shared honor and disgrace. Deng Xiaojie believed Cui Aiju wouldn’t betray her, even for the sake of the Zhiqing Point’s reputation, so she feigned composure. "When we came back, there were quite a few village children running around there. It might just have been some children’s prank."

Upon hearing this, the Branch Secretary’s face turned grim. "You’d better go to the scene and see for yourselves."

Wang Jianhui frowned. Could it be more than just stolen vegetables? Otherwise, the Branch Secretary wouldn’t have such an attitude.

He dared not delay any further, especially with the Branch Secretary waiting there.

When they saw the damaged seedlings in the field, their faces changed as well. What kind of grudge would drive someone to do this?

Wang Jianhui turned to the Branch Secretary. "But without any concrete evidence, you can’t just say it was someone from our Zhiqing Point, can you?"

The Branch Secretary pointed to the footprints not far away. "Why do you think I didn’t let you walk on that side when we came here? I didn’t want to destroy the evidence."

The Zhiqing who had followed looked in the direction the Branch Secretary indicated. They could roughly determine that the person who stole the vegetables had come from the direction of the Zhiqing Point.

Wang Jianhui frowned. "This only proves that the person came from this direction; it doesn’t prove it was someone from our Zhiqing Point."

Yunyi stepped forward. "Point Leader, perhaps you should take a few steps closer and see for yourself before you speak."

Before Wang Jianhui could move forward, Xie Lizhu stepped ahead of him, craning his neck to take a closer look. After seeing the footprints clearly, he instinctively looked down at everyone’s shoes.

Then, as if something occurred to him, he turned for a closer examination of the shoe prints. He thought of the two who had returned early to cook today, and his expression instantly turned ugly.

Since Deng Xiaojie had also come over, not only did the shoe prints match, but there was also mud on the uppers of her shoes. Because they had spread matured fertilizer, the soil there was a different color from elsewhere. The mud on Deng Xiaojie’s shoe uppers was exactly like the soil in the scallion patch.

Deng Xiaojie didn’t grasp what they were implying. "Why are you all staring at me? Besides, is it appropriate to make such a fuss over such a trivial matter?"

Wang Jianhui, fearing the situation would escalate, quickly signaled to Deng Xiaojie with his eyes. "If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. You can’t refuse to admit it just because you’re afraid of taking responsibility."

Before Deng Xiaojie could say anything more, the Branch Secretary spoke up. "To think you come from a big city and pride yourself on being an intellectual. I feel embarrassed for you."

Unable to bear the Point Leader’s disdainful look, Wang Jianhui said, "Deng Xiaojie, stop making excuses."

At that moment, Deng Xiaojie noticed everyone looking at her shoes. She suddenly realized something and, unwilling to give up, took a few steps forward. When she saw the footprints under the fence and then the mud on the uppers of her rubber shoes, her face turned pale. "I... I... I..."

She was at a loss for words, her face burning with shame.

Yunyi then stepped forward. "This private plot may not have been planted by Liu Chenglin and me, but it certainly wasn’t planted by you either. When I took over, this place was no different from a wasteland, yet back then, you all picked every edible vegetable there was.

Now, this is the land assigned to us by the village. It was already wrong of you to sneak in and pick vegetables, but then you had to rip up these perfectly good seedlings like this.

If it were one or two seedlings, one could say you were in a rush and weren’t careful. But look how many you’ve damaged!

Is this because you’re dissatisfied with the cadres’ decision, or are you dissatisfied with us? To waste these vegetables like this, then deny it afterward and try to shift the blame—you really are something else."