Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 301: Wang Chengpeng must have stolen my money.

"There's something to say about Wang Tieshan, but Wang Yinshan is Wang Degong's real son. How could he be treated like that?"

"Favoritism? This isn't just favoritism, it's downright distorted."

"I don't understand, I don't understand."

"In short, stay away from Wang Degong's family in the future. I heard before that they extorted money from people over trivial matters. They made all that money by extorting people."

"The feng shui of our Wangjia Village is really bad. How could such a family be struck by lightning?"

"They have no conscience, aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning one day when they go out?"

……

This incident was even more terrifying than Zhao Yuju had imagined. She just couldn't understand why everyone was persecuting her when she was clearly the victim.

She's now the subject of gossip and criticism wherever she goes, and she's too ashamed to show her face in public.

It's just that she's shameless. If she were truly a chaste and virtuous woman, she might have simply drowned herself in the river.

If Zhao Yuju is in such a state, then the rest of the family can't be much better off.

Especially Wang Degong, although he is somewhat confused, he is actually the most innocent person in the family, but now he has become the culprit who sucked the blood of his second and third sons to support his eldest son, and he doesn't even dare to leave the house.

Because that's just the way it is, he can't argue against it at all. He can only blame himself for being blind and clueless all these years, unable to see the situation clearly.

Wang Xia'an was the same; his pride was ultimately shattered by the accusations of others.

Although his family did not directly blame him, the occasional reproaches they expressed still made him very upset.

"It was clearly a decision you made on your own, without even asking me. Why should I bear this infamy?"

Wang Xia'an, still furious, didn't dare to act tough outside. After making a harsh statement, she stayed home and became a proper young lady, except when eating.

In this oppressive atmosphere, perhaps only Wang Chun'an was in the best condition, occasionally letting out a gloating laugh, and saying without any hesitation:
"If you hadn't refused to give me this job in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"The facts will tell you that you are not only wrong, but extremely wrong."

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, this once happy family seems to have fallen apart.

Only Zhao Yuju was holding back her anger, eager to find an outlet to vent it.

It was at this time that Wang Zhong and Yue Zhiyong took the initiative to visit.

Since this case happened in Wangjia Village, having Wang Zhong, a local, to help made things much easier.

As for Yue Zhiyong? He had always been Wang Zhong's partner, so naturally he went with him.

No sooner had he sat down than Wang Zhong took the initiative to ask:

"Comrade Zhao, think again if you have any relevant clues."

"The incident happened suddenly, and the location was remote. In addition, the murderer was cautious and did not use the stolen money, so we had no clues."

He had heard from his brother that if he got too close to Zhao Yuju, he would be bitten, so he spoke to her extremely politely, even using the word "comrade."

Upon hearing Wang Zhong say that no clues could be found, Zhao Yuju was stunned and burst into tears.

"Useless, you are all useless."

“That’s a whole three thousand yuan of mine. If you can’t help me get it back, I’ll find a rope and go to your police station.”

"Anyway, my family can't survive without money, so this old woman will go first and scout out a way for my family down below."

Upon hearing Zhao Yuju's words, even Yue Zhiyong's expression changed.

Before he came, Wang Zhong had warned him that Zhao Yuju was not someone to be trifled with, and that she was no different from a mad dog. He never expected to encounter such an outrageous thing as soon as he entered the door.

With a furrowed brow, Yue Zhiyong shouted:
"Grandma Zhao, we've come to you to inquire about the case. If you keep making trouble, I'll charge you with obstructing official business."

"If you know anything, tell us quickly. The more clues we have, the better we can help you get your money back, right?"

Startled by Yue Zhiyong's words, Zhao Yuju stopped crying. Wiping away nonexistent tears, she said sadly:

"Officers, you must help this old woman!"

“I just wanted to go bankrupt to get my grandson a job, but I never expected to encounter something like this.”

“Our Wangjia Village is usually quite safe, so why would we suddenly encounter something like this, especially when I have money?”

"Normally, I would only put some useless little things in my bamboo basket, but that day was different. It contained our family's life-saving money!"

Helplessly rubbing his forehead, Wang Zhong had no choice but to interrupt Zhao Yuju and say:

"Comrade Zhao, get to the point."

"If you have any clues, tell us quickly. If not, we'll look for clues in other places."

If Zhao Yuju continues to ramble on and on, he's afraid he might not find any useful information even after two more hours.

Upon hearing Wang Zhong's words, Zhao Yuju immediately became displeased and said:

"What do you mean by getting to the point? Everything I say is important."

"Wang Zhong, how can you be a policeman? Losing so much money isn't the point. What is the point?"

Wang Zhong: ...? ? ?
Fortunately, Wang Zhong didn't come alone, otherwise he might not have been able to handle it.

"Alright." Yue Zhiyong interrupted Zhao Yuju's unreasonable argument and asked again,
Do you have any leads regarding the robbers who stole your belongings?

“After all, you were the only one who saw the robbers’ appearance at the time. Ding Yongkang didn’t see any similar people in the vicinity when he came.”

Trying hard to recall the scene, Zhao Yuju murmured:

"The robber's face was covered with a cloth, how could I see him clearly?"

"By the way, his back looks familiar, like I've seen a ghost somewhere before."

At this point, Zhao Yuju seemed to suddenly remember something and screamed loudly:
"I know, the robber must be Wang Chengpeng. No wonder he looked so familiar to me."

"Look at their whole family, they have no income, yet they're building a new house, running electricity, buying furniture, and a whole bunch of new clothes. They must be heavily in debt."

"When they found out I had money on me, that little rascal wasn't very bright, and that's how he committed such a serious crime."

“His family happens to live nearby, so who else could have done it if not him?”

As she spoke, Zhao Yuju even imagined Wang Chengpeng robbing her, and shouted again: "This bastard dares to steal my money, he's completely lawless!"

"You two go and arrest him quickly; there's no way he could have been wrongly accused."

Upon hearing Zhao Yuju's deduction, Wang Zhong frowned again; this was already the umpteenth time he had frowned today.

Wang Zhong coldly interrupted Zhao Yuju's story, saying:

"Comrade Zhao, what evidence do you have to support your claim?"

"If you don't have evidence, I advise you not to speak recklessly. After all, Zhou Erhua is still in jail. I don't think you want to be her neighbor, right?"

Upon hearing Wang Zhong's words, Zhao Yuju instinctively shrank her neck.

Wang Chengpeng has an outstanding track record, having already sent several people who spread rumors and slandered him to jail. If he finds out about this, won't he be in deep trouble?
However, Zhao Yuju only hesitated for a moment. She was Wang Chengpeng's grandmother, and she didn't believe that Wang Chengpeng would dare to send her in. If that happened, the villagers would surely criticize him.

Thinking this, Zhao Yuju's chest lifted again, and she said:

"Wang Zhong, did you take money from Wang Chengpeng for speaking up for him like that?"

"I don't have any evidence, but it's just a reasonable speculation. You tell me if what I'm saying makes sense."

Yue Zhiyong sighed, picked up where Zhao Yuju left off, and said:
"Grandma Zhao, your speculation is not so reasonable."

"First of all, Wang Chengpeng had no way of knowing that there was money in your bamboo basket. Secondly, you recognize so many people, so why are you so sure that he was the one who robbed you?"

"Who else could it be but him?" Zhao Yuju sneered. "Could it be someone from my own family?"

"That figure clearly belongs to a young man, and he's someone I know well. Who else but Wang Chengpeng would do something so shameless?"

“You definitely won’t find the money at his house, but he must have stolen it. Go to his house and drag back his bicycle, sewing machine, and other things to pay off my debt.”

"Even though they're all secondhand, I can still barely accept them if they're folded in half and handed to me."

Taking a deep breath, Yue Zhiyong tried his best to calm himself down and said:

"Grandma Zhao, you're right, that is indeed a possibility."

“I’ll go with Comrade Wang to Wang Chengpeng’s house to ask him. If it really was Wang Chengpeng who did it, we will absolutely not tolerate it.”

After saying that, Yue Zhiyong pulled Wang Zhong away, feeling that he couldn't stay there for even a moment longer.

But as soon as they stepped out of the Wang family's house, Wang Zhong said with some dissatisfaction:
"Brother Yue, do you really believe that old lady Zhao's nonsense? How could my cousin be a robber?"

Yue Zhiyong glared at Wang Zhong with annoyance and explained:

"I'm not stupid, why would I believe such nonsense?"

"If you don't go along with what Old Lady Zhao says, we might not be able to get back to the police station today."

“I think Comrade Wang is a very observant person. He showed his extraordinary talent in the case of Bi Jun last time. Maybe we can get some clues by asking him this time.”

Hearing Yue Zhiyong's explanation, Wang Zhong's expression softened somewhat, and he sincerely apologized:
"So that's how it is, Brother Yue. I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

“My cousin is indeed a remarkable person. Let’s go over and ask him. We might actually find something useful. At least it’s better than wandering around aimlessly like headless flies right now.”

Because they had bicycles, the two traveled quite quickly and arrived at Wang Chengpeng's house in no time.

After briefly describing the situation, Yue Zhiyong looked at Wang Chengpeng with a face full of curiosity and said:
"Comrade Wang, this is roughly what happened. Old Mrs. Zhao insists that you robbed her of her money, which makes no sense."

"Of course I know she's being unreasonable. I mainly came here to ask for your opinion: who do you think stole the money?"

It is true that people sit at home, and disasters come from heaven.

Wang Chengpeng looked at Yue Zhiyong with some helplessness and spread his hands, saying:
"You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask?"

Just as Yue Zhiyong was about to leave in disappointment, Wang Chengpeng added another sentence:

"However, I think this matter is actually very simple, not as complicated as you imagine."

"No one would rob a seemingly ordinary bamboo basket unless the robber already knew that the basket contained a considerable amount of money."

"Furthermore, no one saw any strangers in Wangjia Village on the day of the incident, and my grandmother said that she felt the robber's back looked familiar. It should be very clear who the robber was."

With Wang Chengpeng's guidance, Yue Zhiyong felt that the fog surrounding the truth had been lifted, and he would soon be able to touch the real truth.

Wang Zhong went even further, saying bluntly, "Cousin, are you saying that Zhao Yuju's family is embezzling from their own household?"

"But this makes no sense at all. Stealing money from your own family and making it public knowledge will only make you a laughing stock. It's completely unreasonable."

In fact, they had considered the possibility of embezzlement, but considering that Zhao Yuju and the Wang family were indeed the real victims in this robbery, they did not continue to think about it in that direction.

After all, there's no insurance these days, so once the money's gone, it's truly gone, with no possibility of profit.

Who would do something so harmful and without any benefit? It's simply illogical.

That's why they even thought Zhao Yuju was just unlucky, that she happened to encounter robbers while carrying a large sum of money.

After taking a sip of tea, I have to say that the tea that Song Wenxin brought back was really good; it left a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

After swallowing the tea, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "There are plenty of things in this world that harm others without benefiting oneself, so why can't we have one more?"

"Moreover, this matter can't really be considered as harming others for personal gain, after all, your thinking is still a bit too narrow."

"If we consider this family as a whole, then if it was committed by one of their own, then this robbery is indeed a lose-lose situation."

"But if we break them down into individual parts, then this matter becomes something with huge potential profits, enough to make people take risks."

What Wang Chengpeng said is unlikely to happen under normal circumstances. After all, Wang Degong's family now only consists of Wang Jinshan's family, and in theory they should be of one mind.

However, it's normal that their whole family are eccentric and have some strange ideas.

Moreover, once all the wrong answers are eliminated, the remaining answer, no matter how outrageous, is still the truth.

Nodding thoughtfully, Yue Zhiyong asked impatiently:

"That is indeed a very possible thing. In Comrade Wang's opinion, who is the real culprit?"

Shaking his head, Wang Chengpeng said quite frankly, "I'm not a god who can predict the future, how could I possibly know such things?"

"However, I have a good idea. If we do as I say, we might be able to easily solve this mystery and find the real truth."

(End of this chapter)