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

Chapter 324 Fairness and Justice
Xia Mingyue frowned deeply when Wang Fucheng asked her questions.

If it were easy for her to implicate Wang Chengpeng, she would have done so at the educated youth meeting long ago. Why has she delayed until now?

After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Xia Mingyue unhesitatingly chose to expose Wang Chengpeng rather than damage her own reputation.

Wang Chengpeng kindly lent her the book without making any demands, so how could she let him get involved in this mess for no reason?

Thinking this through, Xia Mingyue said with extreme firmness, "It's inconvenient."

"If it were convenient for me, I would have already explained the specific situation clearly at the educated youth meeting."

"Both publicly and privately, these textbooks are my property, and I have the right to decide whether to borrow them or keep them."

“You may consider me to be of low character, but that cannot cover up the criminal acts committed by these people.”

"Captain Wang, please uphold the law impartially and make the fairest ruling."

Xia Mingyue's words made perfect sense. Even if she had moral failings, what did it have to do with Luo Wenbin taking her book?

This is like thinking you're bad, so I'm going to steal your things—pure robber logic.

Seeing Xia Mingyue readily admit it, Luo Wenbin also revealed a victorious smile and said:

"Xia Mingyue, since you are so aware of your mistakes, you have admitted them."

"Then I, a grown man, have no need to hide anything and will admit my mistakes as well."

"That's right, I was the one who led the robbery of your book. You can sentence me however you want, I'll accept it."

"But these educated youths were innocent. They were deceived by me, which is why they did such foolish things."

"Captain Wang, Captain Wang, I only hope that you will let them go after you have offended me, considering that they are first-time offenders."

"Now that the national college entrance examination has been reinstated, these are the pillars of the nation's development, and they cannot be buried here."

Luo Wenbin's "upright and honest" remarks immediately won him the favor of countless people, and even some uninformed members of the public began to plead for him.
They argued that since the matter was clearly Xia Mingyue's fault, why should Luo Wenbin, who stood up for everyone, be punished?

If things continue like this, will people who speak up for the people disappear?

Xia Mingyue was clearly the victim, but now she's become a drowning dog that everyone wants to beat.

Luo Wenbin was clearly the perpetrator, but now he has become a hero admired by everyone.

Such a stark contrast almost made Xia Mingyue suffer internal injuries from anger, but in order to cover up Wang Chengpeng's existence, she dared not tell the truth directly, so she could only swallow her anger.

However, just as Wang Fucheng was wavering and about to make a judgment on the matter, a tall figure pushed through the crowd and walked straight in.

This person was none other than Wang Chengpeng, who arrived late.

Looking at Luo Wenbin, who stood tall and proud as if he were a hero, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
“Originally, I didn’t want to get involved in this matter, but as one of the parties involved, I really can’t stand some people deliberately distorting the truth and bullying Xia, a weak woman.”

"Stop talking nonsense. Just admit that you made a mistake, and the rest will be explained. Especially your claim that they were deceived by you is utter nonsense."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng walked straight to several other piles of textbooks that had been searched from other rooms, picked up one of them, and showed it to everyone.

This is a chemistry textbook from the first semester of the second year of high school. It looks ordinary, but the name Wang Chengpeng is written on the title page.

Not only on the title page, but also on many pages throughout the book, Wang Chengpeng's name is written as he turns the pages.

Even so, Wang Chengpeng still felt it wasn't enough, so he opened several more books and showed them to everyone.

After confirming that everyone had seen clearly, Wang Chengpeng coughed lightly, walked up to Xia Mingyue, and apologized, saying:

"Xia Zhiqing, I'm so sorry that you've suffered because of me."

"As you can see, these books with my name on them were all lent to Xia Zhiqing by me."

“Since these books do not belong to Xia Zhiqing, she naturally has no right to lend them to others directly. This is why Xia Zhiqing only agreed to lend a portion of the books.”

"It is precisely because these books all have my name on them that these people cannot be said to be innocent of the truth."

“As long as they take one look at my book, they can be 100% sure that it doesn’t belong to Xia Zhiqing.”

"But they still chose to keep the book despite Xia Zhiqing's repeated attempts to retrieve it. It's not hard to guess what they were thinking."

Wang Chengpeng's sudden intervention surprised everyone present; they never expected that he would be involved.

With Wang Chengpeng's self-disclosure, the details of this matter have gradually become clear.

Xia Mingyue wasn't selfish at all, nor was she plotting to frame other educated youths. She simply chose to bear everything alone because she didn't want to involve Wang Chengpeng.

The fact that she mentioned being able to lend some money was not a pretense, but a very real one.

However, Luo Wenbin was insatiable. Instead of being grateful for Xia Mingyue's selfless act of lending him the textbooks, he also took a liking to books that did not belong to Xia Mingyue.

Xia Mingyue refused to lend him the money, so he resorted to stealing and robbing, which was utterly despicable.

Seeing the situation suddenly turn sour, Luo Wenbin was dumbfounded. How could Wang Chengpeng have ruined his previously favorable situation with just a few words?

Seeing Wang Fucheng's increasingly hostile expression, Luo Wenbin, being quite straightforward, immediately admitted his mistake and said to Xia Mingyue:

“Xia Zhiqing, I really didn’t know you had such an unspeakable secret. I just thought it was an excuse you used to brush us off.”

"Look, I haven't caused any losses, and I've realized my mistake."

"Besides, all of this started as a misunderstanding. Why don't you be magnanimous and just forgive us?"

Luo Wenbin's attitude at this moment was extremely sincere, completely different from his previous arrogant demeanor.

However, his pleas for mercy did not arouse Xia Mingyue's sympathy at all, as she still vividly remembered the scene of being isolated before.

If Wang Chengpeng hadn't stepped in to help him in time, he probably would have become the only victim in this matter.

Although Wang Chengpeng stepped in to protect himself, he also exposed himself, which was a net loss.

The culprit behind all this is Luo Wenbin, the hypocrite in front of us who keeps saying he doesn't know anything and that it's all a misunderstanding.

However, Xia Mingyue didn't want to leave a sharp and sarcastic impression on Wang Chengpeng. After hesitating for a moment, she turned to Wang Fucheng and whispered:

"Captain Wang, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Since she didn't say she forgave him, then naturally she didn't forgive him. In the end, Xia Mingyue chose to hand the problem back to Wang Fucheng.

However, Wang Fucheng did not answer directly, but instead turned his gaze to Wang Chengpeng, who was standing to the side.

Although Wang Fucheng didn't say anything, his gaze clearly indicated he was asking Wang Chengpeng what his thoughts were on the matter. Compared to Xia Mingyue, Wang Chengpeng didn't need to be so subtle in his speech.

This is Wangjia Village, his territory. If he doesn't even dare to deal with a few educated youth sent to the countryside, wouldn't the situation he has painstakingly built up become a joke?
Thinking this through, Wang Chengpeng immediately said without any hesitation:

"What else can Captain Wang do but enforce the law impartially?"

“Even if the stolen goods are not priceless, gang robbery is still extremely heinous.”

"As one of the victims of the robbery, I feel I have a right to speak, and I hope Captain Wang can enforce the law impartially."

Although this matter seems to have nothing to do with Wang Chengpeng from beginning to end, he did have a share of the stolen items, so it's not a big problem for him to express his opinion.

Most importantly, he was from Wangjia Village and had made outstanding contributions to the village; his words carried far more weight than Xia Mingyue's.

Almost the instant Wang Chengpeng finished speaking, the surrounding voices overwhelmingly supported him.

"Comrade Wang Chengpeng really spoke up for justice, standing up in a situation that everyone else would avoid and saying a few fair words."

"That's true, Luo Wenbin is simply malicious."

"With sharp teeth and audacity, they can even turn black into white."

“It was clearly his fault from beginning to end, yet he deliberately misled us into suspecting Xia Zhiqing.”

“Xia Zhiqing was clearly a good comrade who was both selfless and responsible, but he was falsely accused of being a despicable and shameless villain.”

"Yes, Xia Zhiqing meant well and didn't want to involve Comrade Wang, who lent her the book."

"The result was just a little off; she almost became an unforgivable sinner."

"Severely punish them! These educated youths must be severely punished."

"Not only did they steal Comrade Wang's book, but they also went so far as to distort the truth and frame Xia, the educated youth. Their crimes are simply unforgivable."

……

The outcome of the public discussion has almost certainly sealed Luo Wenbin's fate.
Indeed, that is the case. Since even Wang Chengpeng said that Wang Fucheng should enforce the law impartially, he would naturally not condone this person who had no connection with him without reason.

Amidst Luo Wenbin's ashen face, Wang Fucheng and Wang Hai exchanged a glance and offered their final solution:

"Alright, everyone, please be quiet."

"Such a heinous incident occurred in Wangjia Village, and it certainly cannot be tolerated."

"First and foremost is Luo Wenbin, the mastermind, who received the heaviest punishment."

"Given the severity of this incident, he was punished by having to clean the village toilets for three months, and then barred from taking the college entrance examination for three consecutive years."

Wang Fucheng had barely finished speaking when Luo Wenbin screamed, saying:

"No, you can't do that to me."

"I won't accept either cleaning the village toilets for three months or being barred from taking the college entrance exam for three consecutive years!"

They actually tried to bargain with me. It seems that I haven't made a move in a long time, and people have forgotten my abilities.

Wang Fucheng squinted slightly, looking at Luo Wenbin with an amused expression, and said:
"Oh? Comrade Luo, are you not satisfied with my solution?"

"Since that's the case, I won't be the bad guy and take matters into my own hands."

Before Luo Wenbin could even feel happy for two seconds, Wang Fucheng's next words plunged him into despair:
"Captain Wang, I'm too old to manage village affairs anymore."

"I'll trouble you today. Go and call some more people to take all these educated youths who have committed offenses to the town's police station for processing."

"A gang robbery, that's quite a glorious thing, it deserves to be recorded in history."

Once a gang robbery is recorded, the lives of these educated youths are ruined. They will never have the chance to take the college entrance examination again because they cannot even pass the most basic political review.

Moreover, if this crime were to be investigated strictly, although it might not lead to a death sentence, imprisonment would be almost certain.

After Wang Fucheng finished speaking, he showed no intention of lingering any longer and turned to leave.

He had enough to do in town; he didn't have time to waste here arguing with these clueless educated youth.

I have already been magnanimous and given them a chance, but they did not cherish it. So let them suffer the consequences.

"Captain Wang, wait a moment, I'm willing to agree to your conditions."

Before Wang Fucheng could take two steps, Luo Wenbin stopped him, crying and shouting.

Luo Wenbin wasn't stupid; he was someone who could distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.

Although the punishment of carrying manure for three months and being barred from taking the college entrance examination for three years is severe, it is definitely a blessing compared to being imprisoned and having a criminal record for gang robbery.

Most importantly, the way the other educated youth in the settlement looked at Luo Wenbin was almost like that of a hungry wolf ready to devour him.

Although they were somewhat greedy, strictly speaking, they were definitely tricked by Luo Wenbin.

Before they could even vent their pent-up anger, they discovered that what could have been a major issue could have been easily resolved.

Since Luo Wenbin's refusal to accept punishment was about to escalate into a serious crime of gang robbery, how could they not want to devour Luo Wenbin?

After all, even Luo Wenbin, the mastermind, only received this punishment. No matter how severe the punishment was for them, it was certainly not as serious as being arrested and imprisoned for gang robbery.

Looking at Luo Wenbin blocking his way, Wang Fucheng smiled and said:
"Comrade Luo, it seems you are indeed very dissatisfied with me, and now you actually intend to restrict the personal freedom of this old man."

"Sigh, it's no wonder you think that way. It's true that I'm getting old and useless."

“In that case, I’ll go to the educated youth office later and tell them that our Wangjia Village can’t accommodate such a big shot like you, and ask them to help you get a new village that can manage you.”

Upon hearing Wang Fucheng's words, Luo Wenbin felt as if his world had collapsed.

Not to mention that the conditions in Wangjia Village were much better than those in other villages, being sent back to the educated youth office was an extremely serious matter.

Once someone is labeled as unruly, who knows what terrible place they might be assigned to.

Thinking this, Luo Wenbin was about to step aside to block Wang Fucheng, but then, as if remembering something, he stood back firmly.

If Wang Fucheng leaves, and he is arrested by the village militia and imprisoned, then his life will be truly over.

(End of this chapter)