Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Appeasement and Deduction
Being unyieldingly tough would only offend more people. Miao Dahai, who was worldly and tactful, naturally understood this principle very well.
"Then we’re counting on you, Wu Minghai." Miao Dahai wore a grateful expression, but inwardly he was cursing. ’This Wu fellow is completely different from last time. He must have accepted something from Wang Dadan and Li Siming. Perhaps Wang Dadan’s cousin-in-law even pulled some strings behind the scenes.’
"Alright then, you can all head back for now. We’ll get you an answer as soon as possible." Wu Minghai breathed an inward sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness they didn’t cause a scene. Not that it would have gotten them anywhere, but it still would have cast doubt on my work.’
In these troubled times, it was best to avoid stirring up more trouble.
Wang Yuan and Li Qiong’s eyes were brimming with tears. Hearing that the culprit still hadn’t been caught, they were overcome with grief and indignation, trembling uncontrollably.
"What... what are we supposed to do now?" Wang Yuan choked out between sobs. "We can’t eat or sleep peacefully knowing that monster is still out there. This has happened twice already, and I’m sure it’ll happen a third time. Does someone actually have to die before the commune starts taking this seriously?"
Wu Minghai looked extremely awkward. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have given Wang Yuan the time of day. But she was a victim now. If she made a big scene, it would cause a huge public uproar. And if the girl truly fell into despair and took her own life, it would be his responsibility. His career would be over.
"Ms. Wang, we sympathize with what you’ve been through, and our entire team is involved in the investigation. But adjudicating a case and determining guilt requires evidence. Without evidence, we have no authority to convict them." Wu Minghai spoke placatingly, hoping Wang Yuan would see the difficulty and back down instead of continuing to cause a scene. After all, three people had already confessed; that should be enough to close the case.
’The things he’d taken didn’t come for free, and it made him feel guilty.’
"If this keeps up, I’m going to lose my mind," Wang Yuan said, her expression dazed and her eyes red and swollen.
Seeing her state, Wu Minghai quickly tried to placate her. "Ms. Wang, try to look ahead. The organization is aware of your hardships. When the time is right, we’ll do our best to process the paperwork for you to return to the city. After all, you’re not well, mentally or physically."
Hearing this, Wang Yuan froze. Her expression twisted for a moment before she suppressed it with great effort. Gasping for breath, she said, "I’m honestly afraid I’ll go mad and just start attacking people. Nianqiao Village... that place is terrifying. I’m not going back."
Miao Dahai and Li Guihua, who were standing nearby, felt deeply wronged when they heard this, but they couldn’t argue. After all, Wang Yuan had indeed suffered her ordeal in Nianqiao Village.
Even though the culprit hadn’t been caught, Li Guihua had been caring for Wang Yuan and Li Qiong with all her heart these past few days. But with that one sentence, Wang Yuan had dismissed all of their efforts.
Seeing Wang Yuan in this state, Wu Minghai said, "Miao Dahai, I’ll write you an authorization slip. Go get them two train tickets and send them home today. Hopefully, they can recover after a couple of months of rest."
A bitter taste filled Miao Dahai’s mouth, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "But there are five volunteers in our village. You’re only buying two tickets..."
"Er... alright, buy one for Yang Guanghui, too. He was injured, after all." Wu Minghai thought for a moment, then looked toward Zhao Nuanyue, Hua Yusen, and the others. "You are heroes, so you must demonstrate heroic qualities. Be selfless and put others before yourselves..."
Wu Minghai droned on, but the long and short of it was that he wasn’t going to buy train tickets for Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuan Yang, and Hua Yusen.
After all, train tickets were hard to come by. Getting three was already an incredible feat.
Zhao Nuanyue didn’t particularly want to go back, but being treated so differently still rubbed her the wrong way.
Seeing Zhao Nuanyue’s expression darken, Hua Yusen also feigned annoyance. Wu Minghai quickly added, "However, as for your heroic deeds, the commune will reward you. There will be certificates of merit, silk banners..."
"Wu Minghai, we appreciate the honor, but as strangers in a strange land, we’d also like to have a good New Year and a decent meal." Zhao Nuanyue rubbed her eyes. ’She was young, she’d followed the arrangements and come to the countryside for tempering, and she had even distinguished herself several times. On what grounds could they just fob her off with a silk banner and a certificate, with no practical benefits at all!’
’Man, these kids are no pushovers.’
"Yes, given your special circumstances, the commune will take that into consideration. We will send some supplies as part of your reward," Wu Minghai said with a smile. ’It was a good thing they were willing to state their demands. If he could satisfy them, he would.’
’What he feared were the ones who would just make a scene without any regard for the consequences. You could put in the effort, give them things, and still end up with a bad reputation.’
"Thank you, Wu Minghai." Zhao Nuanyue feigned a grateful expression. ’Things had already come to this. If she didn’t agree, she wouldn’t just be offending Wu Minghai. Wang Yuan and Li Qiong’s words had already deeply offended Miao Dahai and Li Guihua. Therefore, she absolutely couldn’t push for more.’
"You’re all good people!" Wu Minghai sighed in relief, hoping he could get them all on their way quickly.
Once they were out of the Public Security Office, Miao Dahai held the authorization slip from Wu Minghai and turned to look at Wang Yuan and Li Qiong. He had been about to say a few harsh words, but then he remembered how much they had been through.
’Forget it,’ he thought. ’I won’t say anything.’
Since Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were in the hospital, some villagers had already brought their luggage over for them. So, Miao Dahai and Li Guihua went directly to get the train tickets. They also collected the subsidy from the commune—ten or twenty yuan and coupons for five pounds of grain—and saw the three of them off at the train station.
Hua Yusen arranged to meet Miao Dahai later in Ling City. He, Zhao Nuanyue, and Zhao Nuan Yang didn’t go with the others to the commune office, choosing instead to go shopping. After all, they would be spending the New Year here, and there were some daily necessities they couldn’t do without.
As they walked, Hua Yusen said quietly to Zhao Nuanyue, "Li Siming must have spent a lot of money. Otherwise, they’d never have been able to overturn our testimony."
"But now Liu Lanhua is stubbornly denying the charges. And those three who confessed claim they weren’t working with her or the one who escaped, and that they don’t even know either of them," Zhao Nuanyue said, frustrated. "Just what price did Wang Dadan and Li Siming pay to get this result? It can’t have been just money and gifts, right?"
"Oh?" Hua Yusen paused. "Are you saying there was some other deal involved?"
A cold smile touched Zhao Nuanyue’s lips. "If there wasn’t a deal, why would Wu Minghai’s attitude have changed so drastically? And why would he go so far as to get free train tickets just to smooth things over?"
Hua Yusen thought for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right. Last time, that Wu Minghai was at least reasonable and pragmatic. But this time, most of what he said was just empty, official-sounding nonsense. Still, I don’t think Wang Dadan’s cousin-in-law could have that much influence on his own!"
