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Chapter 234: Chapter 224 Inclined to Profit, Averse to Harm
But a dead chicken cannot be brought back to life, and now that these chickens have all been slaughtered, what use is there in saying sorry to you and to me? It’s better to discuss something practical.
Shen Yingxue looked at Shen Yunfang not responding and had to continue speaking herself, "It’s all my fault; this was a mistake in my work. Yunfang, how about this, I can have someone clean up all the chickens neatly for you to take away, or I can pay you the purchase price in cash... Of course, you’re bound to lose out a bit, but please try to understand me. I haven’t been working here long, and if the leaders find out about this, I might lose my job. We are both pregnant now, and you should understand my feelings the best. Yunfang, please help me out and don’t hold a grudge."
Although Shen Yingxue spoke softly, her expression told a different story. These past few months, as Director Zhao’s daughter-in-law, she was pampered and flattered everywhere she went, so her temper had also grown considerably. She no longer had the patience to put on a smiling face for someone who was inferior to her in every way. She felt that it was Shen Yunfang who should be fawning over her and speaking nicely to her. Even if she had killed all the chickens in her family, Shen Yunfang should not hold it against her.
Shen Yunfang glanced at Shen Yingxue’s belly and sighed inwardly, thinking how the two of them really had a twist of fate; even their pregnancies were close in timing, with Shen Yingxue probably only lagging by about two months. Now at four months pregnant, Shen Yingxue’s belly was indeed more impressive than hers had been at that time.
As for what to do about these chickens, Shen Yunfang was truly in a bind. Logically, one must pay with their life for murder and repay their debts for borrowing, so Shen Yingxue should compensate her for the chickens, which was only right. But then she would have truly offended the petty Shen Yingxue. Don’t be fooled by her current willingness to pay; the moment she had to actually fork out the money, she would be in agony and would certainly come to hate Shen Yunfang deeply. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Originally, Shen Yunfang had no qualms about offending Shen Yingxue. If they did not get along, they could simply avoid contact, and that would be the end of it. However, the events from yesterday to today made it apparent that Shen Yingxue was no longer the person she used to be. Now, with Deputy Director Zhao behind her, it would be safer for Shen Yunfang not to offend such a villain.
In such a society, during such times, she too wished to stand up to authority, but when one’s arm couldn’t twist a thigh, one had to be a bit more realistic.
For villains like Shen Yingxue and Director Zhao, you either strike them down with one blow, preventing them from ever posing a threat to you again, or you don’t provoke them at all, at the very least not offending them so badly they think of harming you every day.
Regarding the current situation, Shen Yunfang knew she had no choice but to accept Shen Yingxue’s deception. Could a chicken laying eggs be of the same value as a dead one? Even if Shen Yingxue compensated her at the purchase price, Shen Yunfang would still be at a loss.
After all, wasn’t she just an ordinary person without any powerful backing? That’s the harsh reality.
As for Xing Zhonghua, she had no profound relationship with him; that he offered to help her this time was already more than she could be thankful for. If there was another issue in the future, it was uncertain whether he would assist her.
"Look at what you’re saying. We grew up together as friends. For such a small matter, it’s not worth you getting so worried. Besides, the chickens have been slaughtered, but they’re still here. I won’t lose much, and even if you had eaten them all, so what? Just tell me, and that’s the end of it," Shen Yunfang said with an understanding look.
"Let’s not talk about compensating with money anymore. I’ll just take the chickens home, and that’ll settle it."
Shen Yingxue was very pleased with Shen Yunfang’s tactfulness. A smile appeared on her face, and after chatting with Shen Yunfang for a few more sentences, she let the cafeteria staff load the prepared chickens onto the vehicle, and someone from the Revolutionary Committee was arranged to drive Shen Yunfang home.
Watching the car drive away, Shen Yingxue, standing by the roadside, stamped her foot in frustration. She was determined to find out what had happened. With three complaint letters, Shen Yunfang was still released; she wondered how these people were handling things.
In the car, Shen Yunfang, having left the cell that detained her overnight, relaxed and closed her eyes to feign sleep, meticulously contemplating what she would do once home.
It’s strange how people think; last night, when she was stuck in a cell, all she could think about was how to get out safely. If she truly couldn’t leave, what would become of the child in her womb, or Li Hongjun? Would he divorce her? Once she was actually out, her thoughts turned to figuring out who had framed her, and to the chickens and pigs back home on the mountain that she hadn’t fed that morning. She wondered how hungry they must be by now. And Taxue, did she catch the weasel yesterday? Her mind was now a jumble of such miscellaneous concerns.
Half an hour later, just as suddenly as the trip there, the car pulled up directly in front of Shen Yunfang’s house, where the driver thoughtfully helped her carry the chickens from the trunk to the yard.
Before she could finish unpacking, a large group of villagers led by Elder Shen from Gaijiatun sprinted toward her from the village path.
After a quick look, Shen Yunfang guessed that probably everyone from Gaijiatun who could walk had come.
"Yunfang, are you alright?" Elder Shen approached, scrutinizing his niece. Seeing that she lacked nothing physically and bore no expression of suffering, his heart was finally at ease.
Once someone is brought to the revolutionary committee, they don’t care if you’re male or female; they come at you just the same. There are many instances where people have been beaten into confessing.
"Elder, I’m fine. This morning, the leaders of the revolutionary committee cleared up the situation. The accusations in the complaint letter were completely unfounded; I was wronged. Thus, the leadership sent someone to bring me back," Shen Yunfang explained with a smile.
"That’s good, that’s good," he replied.
"Yunfang, are you hungry? I’ve made food at home, so you won’t need to cook. I’ll bring you some in a bit," said Wang Dama.
"Ah, thank you so much, Wang Dama," expressed Shen Yunfang gratefully.
Shen Yunfang could see that even though many people had come, they all stood aside, afraid to come closer, as if worried she might still carry some kind of taint that would affect them. Shen Yunfang didn’t blame them; everyone has the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. Besides, they weren’t very close, and it was kind of them just to come see her.
The comrade who drove the car came out to see the crowd and was momentarily taken aback. Then he straightened his clothes, stepped beside the car, and declared loudly, "Fellow villagers, I am here on behalf of the revolutionary committee leaders to bring Comrade Shen Yunfang home and to explain to everyone that it was because of someone’s complaint letter that the revolutionary committee invited Comrade Shen Yunfang to assist with the investigation. The matter has been thoroughly investigated, and the contents of the letter are false, someone intending to frame Comrade Shen Yunfang. Comrade Shen Yunfang, as a military spouse and part of the military community, cooperated actively with our investigation, allowing us to proceed with our work smoothly. On behalf of all the staff of the revolutionary committee, I wish to thank Comrade Shen Yunfang for her understanding." After finishing, he bowed deeply to Shen Yunfang. "Also, I assure all the villagers that we will conduct a careful investigation and absolutely will not wrong a good person or let a bad one go."
Elder Shen led the way with a round of applause.
After the driver gave his impassioned speech, he left in a cool manner.
