Chapter 48

Seeing Xu Damao admit his mistake but still looking for the chicken.

Li Xuewu nodded, lit a cigarette, and said to everyone in the courtyard: “We’ve got dozens living here—no one can guarantee no one saw you take that chicken. I hope the person will step forward and admit it. I promise: if you swear not to repeat the mistake, this matter will be dropped. I’ll give everyone the time it takes to smoke one cigarette.”

Hearing Li Xuewu’s words, everyone in the courtyard exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, speculating who had taken the chicken.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the Jia household were the most uneasy, sitting as if on pins and needles.

As if everyone was talking about their own family stealing it.

Qin Huaiju looked at Li Xuewu standing in the center smoking, ready to take responsibility—but Jia Zhangshi grabbed her daughter-in-law’s arm and whispered: “Stay put. He won’t find out.”

Qin Huaiju couldn’t resist her mother-in-law and sat back down.

Watching the subtle movements of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

After waiting three or four minutes, no one admitted anything.

Li Xuewu chuckled, extinguished the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, amid the mocking glances of Erdaye and Sandaye.

“Fine, no one admits it? Then let’s analyze.”

Li Xuewu turned to Xu Damao and Lou Xiaoe and asked: “When was the last time you saw Xu Damao’s chicken?”

The couple found Li Xuewu’s question odd, but Xu Damao replied: “In the morning! When I left for work, my chicken was still there.”

Lou Xiaoe corrected him: “No, it was noon. When I got up to cook lunch, it was still there—I even fed it. In the afternoon I had a headache and lay down for a bit. When Damao came home in the evening, the chicken was gone.”

Li Xuewu looked at everyone and said: “So the chicken went missing in the afternoon. Now let’s confirm one more thing: how did it go missing? Xu Damao, was your chicken coop broken?”

Xu Damao shook his head: “Impossible. There were two chickens—if the coop was broken, both would’ve escaped. Someone deliberately stole it.”

Hearing this, Qin Huaiju’s heart sank—Banggeng had lied. How could such a young child learn to lie?

This woman’s thinking was peculiar—her first thought was about lying.

Xu Damao’s intelligence was still functioning. Li Xuewu waved him off and said: “Since we’ve confirmed it was a deliberate theft, let’s determine who was in the courtyard this afternoon.”

Daye stood up and said: “Our courtyard is secure—outsiders wouldn’t dare enter alone, especially since Damao lives in the back courtyard. Today, everyone was at work; only the elderly and children were home.”

He pointed to the residents: “From back to front: the deaf old lady, Erdaya, your Daya, Jia’s Zhang Dama and her kids, Sandaya, and your old lady and Liu Yin.”

The Golden Unbreakable Village Chief

Why didn’t he mention Liu Guangfu’s children? Because they were all in higher grades and had afternoon classes—they couldn’t have returned to steal the chicken.

Li Xuewu nodded: “So our suspects are greatly reduced. Let’s start from the front courtyard: you all know our family’s situation—ha, we still have pork. No reason to sneak to the back courtyard.”

Sandaya said: “That’s right. Today Yu Li wasn’t feeling well—we went to Li’s place to get her medicine and stayed there all afternoon.”

Housewives in those days loved visiting neighbors—once they sat down, they’d stay half the day.

“Ha,” Li Xuewu knew what was going on—it was all because Yu Li still hadn’t conceived after half a year of marriage.

Daye nodded: “Li’s household can be ruled out. Sandaya and Yu Li are cleared too. The hall residents are all at work; only children are home.”

Li Xuewu glanced at Qin Huaiju: “Middle courtyard: Daya is alone. Let’s not even consider whether Daya would steal a chicken—Daye gives rice and grain to struggling households every month, more than one chicken’s worth. Would she steal back what she herself gave away? Ha—I don’t believe Daya would do that.”

Hearing Li Xuewu’s words, Daye nodded silently; Daya, a quiet and honest woman, sat quietly beside him.

Yet everyone who had ever received Daye’s help spoke in unison: “It couldn’t be Daye’s family.”

“Exactly.”

Just as Li Xuewu was about to speak, Jia Zhangshi coldly asked: “Are you talking about our family? I didn’t go to the back courtyard this afternoon.”

Li Xuewu chuckled: “That’s self-incrimination. Your family: you’re home, Banggeng and the two kids are home. Let’s not talk about your family yet—let’s talk about the back courtyard.”

Seeing Li Xuewu didn’t accuse her directly, Qin Huaiju’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, eased slightly—but she still watched him nervously.

Since you didn’t admit it earlier, don’t think you can admit it now. If I don’t pin you to the wall and shame you, you’ll think you can do whatever you want in this courtyard.

Li Xuewu pointed to the middle courtyard: “Besides Daye’s and Jia’s, the only ones left are He Yushui, who rarely comes home, and He Yuzhu, who’s temporarily cleared.”

Seeing Shazhu look confused, he added: “I say temporarily cleared because you wouldn’t steal a chicken to eat after already having one—just a remote possibility.”

Seeing Shazhu understood, he continued: “Back courtyard: the deaf old lady… ha, she’s weaker than a chicken—she can’t even eat without Daya bringing her food. Directly ruled out. Now, let’s talk about Erdaye’s family.”

Hearing his own family mentioned, Liu Haizhong sat up straight, terrified Li Xuewu would falsely accuse him, ready to jump up and defend himself.

Li Xuewu pointed at Erdaye: “Erdaya is, by all logic, the most likely to have stolen the chicken.”

Erdaye flew into a rage: “Li Xuewu, you’re slandering me!”

Daye grabbed his arm and interrupted: “Erdaye, sit down. Let Li Xuewu finish. Why the rush?”

Seeing Daye intervene, Erdaye didn’t sit, but stood there glaring at Li Xuewu, saying nothing more.

Li Xuewu smiled: “Erdaye is a Grade 7 machinist, earning 84.5 yuan a month, supporting only his wife and two sons. He’s been drinking constantly. If Erdaya wanted chicken, she wouldn’t wait until today to steal one.”

At that moment, Lou Xiaoe added: “Exactly. Whenever Damao brings back local specialties, he gives them to Erdaye’s family—they never accept. Only Sandaye rushes to take them.”

Sandaye stared blankly at Lou Xiaoe, who looked down on him. He wanted to retort but couldn’t speak—having been rebuked twice, he sat there, miserable, gulping water from his cup.

Erdaye’s expression shifted from gloomy to bright, almost radiant. He raised his head and nodded at Li Xuewu.

“When I heard Li Guzhang was assigned to the Public Security Division, I knew it was right. Leadership never puts incapable people in charge. Whoever says Li Guzhang isn’t fit—I’ll fight them.”

Qin Huaiju silently cursed: “Wasn’t that exactly what you said this afternoon?”

In truth, Erdaye’s family didn’t refuse Xu Damao’s local specialties because they didn’t want them—they simply didn’t get along. Xu Damao, emboldened by his wife’s wealth and his own rural connections, carried himself with arrogance, subtly showing off when giving gifts.

Erdaye, on the other hand, was a man who valued face and couldn’t tolerate being pushed around—he looked down on Lou Xiaoe’s bourgeois upbringing and felt superior as a worker. Though both lived in the back courtyard, the two families held mutual disdain.