Chapter 100: Transformation

Qin Huaiju thought of Li Xuewu’s words from last night and saw his behavior today, knowing she must never let Banggeng provoke him again.

The front courtyard instantly emptied, leaving only He Yuzhu pacing outside.

Qin Huaiju called out: “He Yuzhu, are you still worried about Xu Damao?”

He Yushui also wanted to persuade her brother not to interfere, but seeing that He Yuzhu was ignoring Qin Huaiju, she knew he wouldn’t listen to her either, so she said nothing and turned away to go back inside.

He Yuzhu wanted to explain but couldn’t speak, so he ignored Qin Huaiju and kept waiting for Li Xuewu to return.

Seeing He Yuzhu wouldn’t respond, Qin Huaiju stopped talking and led the children home.

Li Xuewu supervised Second Elder carrying Xu Damao into the steel rolling mill and handed him over to the detention room, then summoned the on-duty medical staff from the factory clinic to treat Xu Damao’s wounds.

The transfer documentation also noted that Xu Damao’s wounds were self-inflicted during arrest, and Second Elder signed to confirm.

He assigned Second Elder and Officer Wei Tong to record the resolution of the courtyard’s collective decision, sent Liu Fusheng to the police station to obtain a summons, and personally escorted Xu Damao into the renovated detention room.

After seeing the detention room that resembled a hotel last time, Li Xuewu had ordered the few on duty to renovate it during his absence.

The windows were made tiny and blocked with cardboard; without lights on, no light could enter.

The factory welders had welded iron bars from floor to ceiling, dividing the room in half—one side for detaining prisoners, the other for interrogation; on the detention side, a low brick bed was built, with only a few tattered quilts on it—the iron bed had been removed.

On the interrogation side, they welded a modern-style interrogation chair out of steel—fully iron, with the sitter’s feet off the ground, legs pinned by a cover plate, hands cuffed to the plate; sitting for even a short while became unbearable.

Opposite the interrogation chair stood a table with two chairs, giving it the look of a police interrogation room from the future.

They locked Xu Damao inside the detention room.

Li Xuewu barked at Xu Damao, who was leaning against the iron window: “Today I’m off duty, no time for you. Tomorrow when I’m on shift, I hope you’ll confess honestly. Many who confess get reduced sentences; otherwise, you’ll be waiting for a bullet.”

Behind him, Liu Fusheng silently marveled at the squad leader’s cleverness—anyone spending a night in this detention room would be terrified; who wouldn’t confess?

The Arrival of Tian’a

As for Li Xuewu’s words, he didn’t believe a single one—last time the squad leader had said the same thing to Hu Jinbu, and now he’d heard Hu was to be executed by firing squad.

Liu Fusheng kept up a facade of deep agreement, cooperating with the squad leader.

After the two left, they turned off the lights.

This tactic was similar to solitary confinement—first, apply psychological pressure.

“Don’t let the bed’s heat die tonight—steam him.”

“Yes.”

Liu Fusheng was afraid of Li Xuewu—this tactic was too...; hunger was bearable, but thirst wouldn’t last long.

After finishing the detention procedures, Li Xuewu found Officer Wei Tong had completed the statement.

Second Elder walked home with Li Xuewu, not daring to speak, afraid of provoking him.

Seeing Second Elder’s demeanor, Li Xuewu thought: “Good. Scaring him is even better—prevents him from being blinded by greed. He’s a seventh-grade worker, already a senior technician; why must he meddle in cadre affairs?”

Giving him a proper understanding of authority is beneficial—prevents him from recklessly harming neighbors. Second Elder is the most active in the courtyard, pretending to be learned despite his ignorance, making a fool of himself.

Second Elder is merely obsessed with power, lacking the courage to commit crimes or harm others—just greedy, a villain of his era. Scare him, then regularly instill positive values—don’t let him act recklessly just because he’s illiterate and ignorant of the law.

When Li Xuewu arrived home, he saw Master Dou and Big Grandma facing each other in the back house. He was about to enter and speak to Master Dou when He Yuzhu grabbed him and pulled him to the gatehouse entrance.

Li Xuewu feigned ignorance: “Brother Zhu, what are you doing? I’m busy.”

He Yuzhu hurriedly said: “Xuewu, how’s Xu Damao?”

Li Xuewu looked at He Yuzhu: “I’ll tell you this: public duty is public duty, personal matters are personal matters. If you want revenge, now isn’t the time.”

He Yuzhu grew agitated: “Am I that kind of person? I just want to know how he is—we live in the same courtyard...”

Li Xuewu said: “I’m off today, family matters, I don’t care about him. We’ll talk tomorrow. But this kid has a bad reputation—stay away from him.”

He Yuzhu nodded: “I know, I know, but is it really necessary? Aren’t you pushing him to death? What if it’s all false?”

Li Xuewu glared at He Yuzhu: “He Yuzhu, false is false—there’s no ‘what if.’ Can you bear the responsibility of a ‘what if’? Do you understand what law is? Rape is illegal, adultery is illegal, slander is illegal—dare you claim your words are false? I’m carrying out official duties—how is this ‘pushing him to death’?”

Seeing Li Xuewu furious, He Yuzhu quickly apologized: “I’m wrong, I’m wrong, slip of the tongue—but we’re all neighbors. Can’t you make him give a guarantee and let him go?”

At that moment, First Elder and Third Elder approached upon seeing Li Xuewu return, heard He Yuzhu’s words, and stared at him.

Li Xuewu grabbed He Yuzhu by the collar and shoved him between First Elder and Third Elder: “Remember—before filing a report, courtyard matters are neighborhood disputes. After filing a report, it becomes state law.”

“You can play small tricks in the courtyard, settle neighborhood disputes—you can decide those. But can you decide state law? Don’t waste my time with nonsense—stand aside.”

He then led Master Dou and Big Grandma, who had gathered, back inside.

First Elder, Third Elder, and He Yuzhu exchanged glances.

Li Xuewu has a dog’s face—when not talking about official duties, he’s as gentle as a lamb, smiling; once official duties come up, he turns into a wolf ready to devour—suddenly unrecognizable.

No one had ever treated them so disrespectfully before. All three felt deeply wounded, yet dared not argue or provoke Li Xuewu, each retreating sullenly to their rooms.

Li Xuewu invited Master Dou to sit at the eight-legged table and poured him a cup of water.

Master Dou produced a revised blueprint, marked with dimensions, materials, construction sequence, and post-construction effects.

It matched his own design closely—just added electrical wiring, plumbing, heating lines, and sewage drainage.

House renovation is a large, labor-intensive project—must be entrusted to professional builders.

Seeing Li Xuewu nod, Master Dou pulled out the design for the west courtyard.

Simple: build five brick-and-stone warehouses along the north side, one basement level, one above ground.

On the east and west walls, build rows of simple warehouses—brick pillars, brick-and-mud walls, wooden beams with bamboo mats and reed thatch roofs, covered with lake mud tiles—single-sided entrance.

Since it’s only one story, no need to consider warmth—just protect against sun, wind, rain, and dampness.

Rebuild the former back house, but remove the outer wall and turn it into a front-facing shopfront, since all scrap collection now happens in the business office.

Li Xuewu planned to temporarily use two front-facing rooms as the acquisition hall—plain white walls, cement counter built of brick, install a small scale inside, hang some slogans—just follow the era’s style: whatever others have, I’ll have too—no novelty.

The north house becomes the warm storage, east and west wings become ordinary storage, the central yard becomes an open-air stacking area.

Keep it as simple as possible.