Chapter 328

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Song Qingshan, hearing Liu Zhanggui put it that way, also widened his eyes.

But there was no way.

He racked his brains until they nearly broke, yet couldn't find out who did it.

Song Qingshan did suspect this was definitely done by someone who didn't get along with him, but as for specifically who, there were far too many suspects.

Song Qingshan: After all, I'm a small official too, aren't I? The people I've offended number not one thousand but eight hundred.

So, Song Qingshan basically had absolutely no leads now.

This loss couldn't be avoided; having swallowed it, it felt just like eating shit — unbearable.

People are sometimes like this: when their social status differs, their identity differs, their thinking changes too.

Simply put, it's jumping from one well mouth into another well mouth.

More specifically, people are all a bunch of frogs sitting at the bottom of a well watching the sky, without exception, each with their own limitations, never able to do or achieve experiencing the most real world; even if they transcend from this worldview to the next, they've merely switched to another well.

The well is forever there.

Song Qingshan was no exception; although he wasn't a common villager, he had the Accountant title attached, he still couldn't keep joy, anger, sorrow, and joy from showing on his face.

"Old Liu, you think I don't want to find out who did it? Can't find them, not a single method." Song Qingshan vented bitterly: "If I knew who did it, I'd go finish them off right now, problem is I don't know."

Liu Zhanggui took out cigarettes, handed one to Song Qingshan, then said: "Why not... report to the police..."

Song Qingshan sighed, took a drag: "Reporting to the police is useless, this thing no one can figure out. Middle of the night, not a single person around, no one saw anything; even if we reported it, they'd have no leads either. Isn't that just giving them trouble? It's not like it's a huge amount of money's worth of stuff, making a big fuss, what for."

Liu Zhanggui shook his head: "Not a single clue?"

"None." Song Qingshan said.

Liu Zhanggui saw Chai Youqing still working on the side, so he called to Chai Youqing: "Come come come, Youqing, stop busyworking, it's just plastering a bit of ash, it'll be done in a bit. Sit and chat a while."

Chai Youqing put down the ash bucket, wiped the clay mud on his hands on his trouser legs, walked over, took the cigarette and lighter Liu Zhanggui handed over and lit it: "Village Chief..."

"Youqing, heard you stared at the back courtyard for a good while, spot any clues?" Liu Zhanggui flicked ash, pursed his lips toward the direction of the Song Family Granary's back wall, "Heard the footprints are pretty messy?"

"Ah... yeah, pretty messy... up on the wall top... several patches of mud skin rubbed off... footprints... some big some small... looks like... looks like rubber shoe soles..." He swallowed saliva, glanced quickly at Chai Xiu standing nearby with ears perked, "Just... just what Xiu'er said, definitely climbed over the wall..."

Chai Xiu was holding Old Third, fingers playing with Old Third's soft hair, hearing this didn't even lift her head, just hmphed.

"This isn't nonsense! That definitely wasn't flown out." Liu Zhanggui hadn't spoken yet when Song Qingshan said irritably: "Rubber shoe soles? Just now my shoe soles don't have tread either, everyone in our Sanjiacun who goes down to the fields to work, who doesn't wear rubber shoes? This damn thing has what fart use! I just want to know which scoundrel ate bear heart leopard gall!"

Chai Youqing smoked, sighed: "Problem is, nothing else is known. Just this bit of info, still has some use."

"Alright Old Song, what use is just yelling." Liu Zhanggui waved his hand, turned to Chai Youqing, tone softened a bit. "If we really know nothing, reporting to the police is indeed useless."

Song Qingshan spat: "Better not report to the police. Not only is it useless, not to mention giving them extra workload, it's damn embarrassing too."

Song Qingshan also counted as a person with face and standing in the village; this bit of thing he can't settle and then reports to the police, that'd be too embarrassing.

Besides, originally it wasn't anything honorable either; once reported to the police everyone knows, instead the impact is very bad.

Liu Zhanggui saw Song Qingshan was truly pent up yet helpless, sighed: "Alright then, as long as you have a count in your heart. But this can't just be left at that, too bullying. Later I'll have Da Zhi and them pay more attention, walk around the village, see whose family suddenly stewed chicken and ate meat these two days. Twenty chickens, they can't possibly eat them all themselves, they'd have to divide the loot, right?"

Meng Shi came over from the side, she was carrying a teapot, had just brewed tea, hearing Liu Zhanggui say this, she also complained: "Who's this shameless, you say stealing three or two to eat would be fine, this guy, stole them all. Not afraid of choking to death."

"Stolen goods eaten in the mouth are fragrant." Liu Zhanggui smoked, poured himself a cup of tea, then poured for Song Qingshan and Chai Youqing too.

Several people studied for half a day, result nothing studied out.

If we say guess who did it, Song Qingshan could list out a hundred eighty people...

So, several rotten leatherworkers truly couldn't find out who it was.

By noon, that bit of lime on the wall was brushed done.

The big fellows also had no heart to eat, just each returned to their own homes.

Returned home, Chai Youqing also felt blocked in his chest; this thing on the surface was aimed at Song Qingshan, actually wasn't it aimed at Chai Mi and Song Qiushui.

But, he also had no ideas or thoughts.

Just kept at the Kang head mumbling and guessing this one and that one.

When Chai Mi returned, she put down things.

Hearing the cow moo moo calling, instantly brows furrowed, heart dissatisfied: This noon still haven't fed the cow?

So Chai Mi blocked with anger, fed the cattle and sheep.

Then entered the room seeing Chai Youqing still by himself there muttering.

Chai Mi rolled a white eye: "Okay okay okay, you stop dawdling. Dawdling all day on this bit of plaything you think you can find out who did it huh?"

Chai Youqing silent.

"Go do something proper. Make me a few large-size rabbit snares." Chai Mi ordered.

Chai Youqing puzzled, asked: "This autumn what snare rabbits for?"

"You ask so many what for? Told you do what you go do what." Chai Mi said dissatisfied: "Told you feed cattle you don't feed either. Really, hurry up tight, go make rabbit snares, big ones. Less pull useless."

Chai Youqing scolded by Chai Mi stunned, then went down to the fields to work.

Chai Xiu on the side holding Old Third, rolling white eyes, tsked once.

"Ai ya, what you mean?" Chai Mi frowned: "You sitting there tsking what?"

"Sister, didn't you say Dad not easy? Shouldn't always scold him..." Chai Xiu said softly.

Chai Mi stunned a moment, then sighed, just now indeed her own mood not smooth, a bit forgot this matter.

Tone indeed not too good.

Of course, Chai Youqing lazed around at home without doing any work, and still nagged, which was very annoying.

"My mood wasn't great just now, so my words were a bit heavy." Chai Mi said, taking the tea leaves to brew a cup of tea, calming her mind.

Recently, she had indeed possibly paid too much attention to those messy things; her own mindset seemed to have developed a bit of a problem.

After calming her mindset, Chai Mi simply washed some vegetables, then made scrambled eggs with chives, bitter melon fried eggs, and afterwards also scrambled eggs and casually tossed in some sauce tomato strips.

The staple food was rice.

While eating, the few of them started chatting again about the matter of the stolen chickens.

Su Wan didn't speak much; at this moment she was holding the child, and her complexion wasn't good either. She hadn't gone out today, just feeling that Chai Mi had finally managed to do a bit of business, yet the chickens were stolen, so she felt a bit upset inside; while eating she was also a bit absent-minded.

Chai Youqing also kept his head down without speaking.

The usually silent Chai Youqing was still alright.

Once he spoke, it became difficult.

As everyone knows, Chai Youqing is actually a bit useless.

Normally in this situation, he as the father should show more anger to be a normal person. For instance, Song Qingshan was very angry today, shouting loudly.

But Chai Youqing, as always, said a few sentences of nonsense, and then nothing else.

He was anxious too, but didn't have many meaningful actions, nor any meaningful words.

Chai Xiu frowned, picked up a small bite of egg, tasted it, then ate a bite of bitter melon, instantly finding it bitter, and hurriedly drank water: "Sister, didn't peel the skin."

Bitter melon fried eggs are like this; only after peeling the skin does it taste a bit better.

But regardless of whether the skin is peeled or not, this dish is very hard to eat.

The main reason this dish could become popular is actually because bitter melon has a certain effect of lowering blood sugar. It belongs to a kind of Chinese medicine. In the food category of lowering blood lipids, blood sugar, and blood pressure, bitter melon is top-tier.

But as a food ingredient.

This thing, is hard to eat.

Especially without peeling the skin, it's even harder to eat.

Chai Xiu muttered that Chai Mi's dishes today all seemed to have eggs; she's really gone all in on eggs.

Although Chai Mi isn't raising chickens now, she earned some money, so the family's meals are definitely good.

She glanced sideways at Chai Xiu: "Eat more vegetables; who told you to be idle with nothing to do and eat eggs all the time."

Chai Xiu pursed her mouth and went to eat the chives.

"Chai Mi, tell me, who exactly stole those chicken meats? So much chicken meat lost, it's as painful as losing a whole cow." Su Wan sighed somewhat helplessly.

Even if those things aren't worth a whole cow, they're at least worth two sheep.

You have to know, this fried chicken business itself doesn't earn much. The cost is huge; this is equivalent to from the first two days until now, the fried chicken not only didn't make money, but lost money.

Moreover, because of this she even built a warehouse, spending two thousand yuan.

Inside and out, calculated together.

A bloody loss.

And originally as a side business to selling dumplings, now the dumpling business is still booming, but that's ultimately too singular; people will eventually get tired of eating it one day.

So, the fried chicken as a second side business done well is actually quite important to Chai Mi.

Chai Mi looked at the food, ate a few bites, felt her appetite was just average today, and also a bit tired: "Don't know who did it, but we'll know tonight. Mom, don't be so upset; this kind of thing might happen again in the future. Nothing goes smoothly all the time. People can't only think about success and such topics; actually, there are more times of losing money. Me setting up a stall to earn a bit of money is actually all kinds of good things happening to come together."

"Of course, what I make is delicious..."

Faced with such a humblebrag, even the usually inarticulate Su Wan froze: "Uh..."

Her own daughter saying her cooking is delicious, and the stall making money, is a good thing.

"Then... how will you know who it is tonight?"

"This actually isn't hard. Mom, this isn't stealing one chicken; if one was lost, maybe everyone wouldn't care, even if three or five were lost, it wouldn't matter. The key is they were all stolen; that's when trouble happened." Chai Mi said lightly.

"Under normal circumstances, I initially fell into a misconception too. I felt this thief stealing things was after the meat. But later I thought again, and it seemed right but also not right."

"Huh? What's right but also not right?" Su Wan was a bit confused listening.

"Right means this person stealing things, stealing chickens, indeed is also for a bite to eat. So, from this angle, it's right. But, he's more thinking of causing trouble, deliberately making things difficult for people. If it were a normal thief, from the psychology of me stealing things, I'd definitely be afraid of being caught, right?" Chai Mi said.

"Mm." Chai Xiu and the others also nodded, feeling Chai Mi was right.

If a thief isn't afraid of being caught, they might as well just rob.

"If I were this thief, I might when there are many people, casually take a plastic bag, take advantage of inattention, steal some chicken meat, or steal something else. It can even be said, steal something sneakily when I can't see, I definitely wouldn't know. But, he didn't do it that way. He deliberately went to steal. This is the key." Chai Mi narrowed her eyes, analyzing: "Deliberately stealing is the key. This is definitely an acquaintance committing the crime. They definitely know our family's and Song Qiushui's family's work and rest habits. Even, it's possible they heard Song Qiushui come to our house last night, then made up their mind to go steal."

With Chai Mi saying this, the few people instantly became much more clear-headed.

"Right, how didn't I think of this angle?" Chai Youqing slapped his thigh.

As if he could have thought of it.

Chai Xiu was also a bit surprised that her sister seemed much stronger than her, who only talks theory.

"Because it could only be Song Qiushui coming to our house; their family only had Song Qingshan and Meng Clan, and the eighty-plus-year-old second great-uncle left. At this time, without thinking twice, they could just go. After all, with Song Qiushui's second great-uncle there, Song Qiushui's dog would definitely bark at everything. A stranger comes, the dog barks, then the movements outside can't be distinguished. At this time, it can even be said, perhaps that thief stole before Song Qingshan and Meng Clan had fallen asleep."

"This is extremely possible." Chai Mi continued: "Because this second great-uncle does nothing but cause trouble, making everyone annoyed. When people are annoyed, they're in a bad mood, and their brains don't want to think of anything else. Presumably last night Song Qingshan and Meng Clan were in this state, definitely thinking in their hearts: quickly serve this old codger second great-uncle well, let him fall asleep quickly, so everyone can sleep. At this time, if there was movement in the courtyard, maybe Song Qingshan and Meng Clan didn't hear it, or even if they heard it they didn't pay attention, so the theft happened. Then, the people who could do this thing are really few and far between. I already know in my heart who it is, but I'm not too sure."

Su Wan asked Chai Mi doubtfully: "Could it be the Old Man? The Old Man indeed has this possibility, but her arm is broken and hasn't healed, and besides, her physique isn't too suitable for climbing walls. But if it's not the Old Man, could it be Chai Youde who did it?"

"Impossible to be Chai Lao San." Chai Mi directly denied: "Chai Lao San besides drinking is sleeping; Chai Lao San indeed isn't a good person, but he basically doesn't have many sober moments, drinking all day, in a daze. Besides, Chai Lao San doesn't need to steal chickens; him stealing Che Lianyun's money for alcohol is faster than stealing chickens."