Guan Wenjun never expected Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong to pull a stunt like this.
Offending Liu Zhengxing by showing up in the middle of the night to search his house had already left him feeling a bit unsure.
He had been worried that Liu Weidong didn't have much stock or hadn't hidden the goods at home, meaning this raid might turn up empty.
But now, seeing Sun Qiaofen acting like this, his confidence surged.
Liu Zhengxing and his wife were definitely hiding something; otherwise, why would they put on such a show?
Guan Wenjun sized up Sun Qiaofen and said to Liu Zhengxing, "Section Chief Liu, this is uncalled for. Having your wife and daughter pull this stunt—are you resisting our search?"
Liu Zhengxing naturally wouldn't admit to that. Knowing Guan Wenjun wouldn't dare lay a hand on his wife and daughter, he relaxed.
Smiling, he said, "Director Guan, don't go throwing false accusations around. I'm not refusing to cooperate with the Revolutionary Committee. Look at you, barging into my house with your men in the dead of night, tearing the place apart without a word—and haven't I just let you search as you please?"
Sun Qiaofen sneered and chimed in, "Director Guan, if you're so capable, go ahead and search, be my guest! But if you don't find anything, just wait for me to file a complaint against you! Don't think that just because you're the director of the Revolutionary Committee, you can run roughshod over everyone!"
With that, Sun Qiaofen grabbed her daughter Liu Weihong's arm and said, "Weihong, let's go!"
Guan Wenjun frowned and blocked their path. "Hold on, where do you think you're going?"
Sun Qiaofen said angrily, "A bunch of men are tearing my house apart, so I'm taking my daughter outside to get out of the way. What, do you actually want to strip-search me and my daughter?"
To be honest, Guan Wenjun really didn't dare.
If he so much as touched them and they started screaming that he was acting like a hooligan or accused him of rape, even as the director of the Revolutionary Committee, he wouldn't be able to handle the fallout.
Unsure of what to do for a moment, Guan Wenjun pointed at Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong, saying, "The Revolutionary Committee is conducting a search. None of you are allowed to leave."
As soon as he said that, Sun Qiaofen ripped open her padded jacket and thrust her chest toward Guan Wenjun. "Fine, fine, fine! If you want to search, do it right now! Hurry up! I'll take off my clothes for you to search, will that satisfy you?"
This was the first time Liu Weihong had seen her mother act like this, and she was utterly stunned.
Seeing Sun Qiaofen pulling at her jacket and repeatedly rubbing herself against Guan Wenjun, he was frightened into backing away continuously.
Guan Wenjun crossed his arms over his chest, retreating several steps in a row, and pointed at Sun Qiaofen. "Stop right there! Stay there! If you rub against me again, I'll report you for rape!"
Guan Wenjun had never seen a woman as shameless as Sun Qiaofen.
It was truly terrifying.
He even suspected that Sun Qiaofen was taking advantage of him.
After all, he was so young, handsome, suave, and exceptionally talented...
...
Inside the house, it was noisy and chaotic. Qin Yuanzheng and a subordinate had originally been keeping watch from across the street. Seeing the argument break out inside, Qin Yuanzheng brought his subordinate over to crouch by the main gate of Liu Zhengxing's house to listen to the commotion.
It was pitch dark at this hour, with no streetlights nearby, and the weather was freezing.
Qin Yuanzheng missed his sweet, soft little wife at home and was already growing impatient.
He felt that Guan Wenjun was too slow in getting things done. If a single shrew like Sun Qiaofen could intimidate him, what else could he be expected to accomplish?
Qin Yuanzheng turned his head and whispered a few words into his subordinate's ear.
The subordinate crouching beside him immediately nodded. "Understood, Commander. I'll go right now."
Qin Yuanzheng added in a low voice, "Take my car."
The subordinate nodded and quickly ran off.
Longcheng wasn't large, so going to the suburbs wasn't too far.
Driving from here to the mining area would only take about ten minutes.
All Guan Wenjun had to do was stall Sun Qiaofen inside the house.
Meanwhile, inside, Sun Qiaofen held onto Liu Weihong and tried to leave several times, but Guan Wenjun's men stopped them every time.
Guan Wenjun's men had turned every room upside down but found absolutely nothing.
Liu Weidong's room was especially clean; there was nothing there at all.
Once Guan Wenjun's men finished searching, Liu Zhengxing said to him, "Director Guan, the search is over now. Can you leave?"
Guan Wenjun looked at the half-smile on Liu Zhengxing's face.
He knew he had thoroughly offended him this time.
He decided to be straightforward. "Section Chief Liu, someone reported that your son, Liu Weidong, is selling opium out there. Did you know about this?"
Guan Wenjun stared intently at Liu Zhengxing's expression.
But Liu Zhengxing's face remained unchanged; not even his gaze flickered.
With a dark expression, he said, "Director Guan, I suspect this person is intentionally framing my son. As you know, when my son is out having fun, he offends a lot of people. Those people are jealous of his good life, so they often try to trick him out of his money. He's still young and ignorant, so he often gets framed. That's exactly what's happening this time. The person who reported him did it on purpose. You should arrest the informant and interrogate them properly."
Guan Wenjun was somewhat speechless. "I heard Liu Weidong is already twenty-two. Is that still considered young?"
Liu Zhengxing nodded. "The boy is immature. I've made a fool of myself in front of you."
Guan Wenjun was a bit unwilling to give up; he felt something was definitely off.
His subordinates ran back one by one to report to him, "Director, the search is complete. We haven't found any suspicious items."
Guan Wenjun led his subordinates into Liu Weidong's room. He looked around and asked, "Has everything been searched?"
A subordinate nodded. "The wardrobe, the kang bed—we flipped everything open and checked. We practically dug three feet into the ground."
Guan Wenjun: "..."
Guan Wenjun looked at the floor and stomped his leather boots on the tiles, wanting to see if the floor was solid.
At this moment, Liu Zhengxing, standing outside in the main room, suddenly shot a meaningful glance at Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong.
It was a signal for them to leave quickly.
Sun Qiaofen immediately caught on. She and Liu Weihong exchanged a glance, grabbed each other's hands, and ran out into the courtyard.
Seeing them make it to the courtyard, the heavy weight in Liu Zhengxing's heart finally lifted a little.
However, he soon realized he had relaxed too early.
Just as Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong ran into the courtyard and were about to head out the door, they suddenly heard a chorus of barking.
Before they could react, they suddenly saw three large wolfdogs charge into their courtyard from the darkness, sprinting straight toward them and lunging right at their faces!
Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong shrieked instantly.
Sun Qiaofen's voice was very shrill, and her screams were piercingly loud.
Panicking, Sun Qiaofen screamed, "Wolfdogs! Where did these wolfdogs come from?! Get away!"
Hearing the commotion, Guan Wenjun quickly rushed out with his men. He soon discovered that Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong were in the courtyard. The mother and daughter had just been arguing with him, but taking advantage of his trip to Liu Weidong's room, they had tried to sneak away.
But as luck would have it, three muscular, robust dogs had mysteriously appeared in their courtyard.
The three large dogs lunged at Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong. Sun Qiaofen screamed in terror and turned to run, but before she could take two steps, she was tackled to the ground by the big dogs.
Liu Weihong cried and called for help: "Dad, Dad, save me!"
Standing inside the house, Liu Zhengxing looked at the ferocious dogs in the courtyard. His hand subconsciously rested on the door, and he took a few steps back, actually looking as if he was about to shut the door.
Guan Wenjun's hand instinctively went to his waist, ready to draw his gun. But then, he suddenly realized that these three large wolfhounds looked a bit familiar.
He muttered, "Oh, aren't these..."
Weren't these the military dogs that Qin Yuanzheng kept at the mining area?
Did Qin Yuanzheng send the military dogs over to help?
...
Qin Yuanzheng originally had no intention of using the military dogs, but when he heard Sun Qiaofen making a scene outside, he felt that using them would be more appropriate.
He had a subordinate go to the mining area to fetch the military dogs, and then went to the Revolutionary Committee to let the dogs sniff the scent of Liu Weidong and that drug addict.
Then he hurriedly brought them over.
As soon as the military dogs arrived, they saw Sun Qiaofen pulling Liu Weihong and rushing out the door.
Judging by the dogs' reactions, Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong definitely had something on them. At the very least, they must have had a similar scent, otherwise the dogs wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
Both Liu Weihong and Sun Qiaofen were pinned to the ground. They screamed and cried in panic, kicking their legs. "Get lost, get lost! Stay away!"
Liu Weihong was still calling out to Liu Zhengxing: "Dad! Come save me, hurry up and chase these dogs away!"
Liu Zhengxing was getting anxious. He had wanted to wait for Guan Wenjun to make a move, but Guan Wenjun was taking his time.
On the contrary, after recognizing the familiar military dogs, Guan Wenjun pulled his hand back.
His subordinate asked in a low voice, "Director, aren't we going to help?"
Liu Zhengxing was also starting to panic now. He walked up to Guan Wenjun and said, "Director Guan, hurry up and tell your men to help. My wife and daughter are going to be bitten to death!"
Guan Wenjun said with a smile, "Section Chief Liu, your wife just said that it's inappropriate for a group of grown men like us to touch them. What if they accuse us of being hooligans? We can't bear that responsibility."
Liu Zhengxing: "..."
Liu Zhengxing darkened his face, suppressing all his displeasure and unease.
He whispered to Guan Wenjun, "Director Guan, please do me this favor. Consider it a debt I, Liu Zhengxing, owe you."
Liu Zhengxing knew that Guan Wenjun carried a gun. If he just pulled out his piece, there would be no need to fear those dogs.
Moreover, although those dogs looked vicious and had tackled Sun Qiaofen to the ground, they were not actually biting anyone.
Instead, they kept tearing at Sun Qiaofen's clothes.
Liu Zhengxing had already sensed that something was wrong.
Now he lowered his head, trying to trade a favor for Guan Wenjun's help.
He knew what Guan Wenjun wanted, so right now, he was also making a deal with him.
He thought Guan Wenjun would agree.
However, Guan Wenjun kept his hands in his pockets, looking like he was enjoying a good show. He said, "Section Chief Liu, don't be nervous. Look, the dogs aren't biting at all. Your wife and daughter aren't hurt in the slightest."
Liu Zhengxing: "..."
In the courtyard, the three wolfhounds were still tearing at Sun Qiaofen's and Liu Weihong's padded jackets.
After tearing at them for a while, they moved on to tear at Sun Qiaofen's and Liu Weihong's padded trousers.
Before Sun Qiaofen could pull her pants up, they were ripped off by the military dogs. Along with the pants, small yellow boxes spilled out and scattered all over the ground.
It was the same situation for Liu Weihong. After her padded pants were torn open, the boxes hidden inside could no longer be concealed and scattered across the ground.
Liu Zhengxing was an old fox.
Under such urgent circumstances, he had still managed to come up with the idea of having his wife and daughter find the items and hide them close to their bodies.
And they had indeed almost managed to bluff their way through using this method.
Guan Wenjun stood there, watching the disheveled Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong in the courtyard.
He realized that since they had hidden the items so closely to their bodies, even if he had stripped off their padded pants and jackets, he wouldn't have found anything.
Because after stripping off the padded clothing, he would have had to strip off a layer of woolen sweaters and pants to see them.
He stared at Sun Qiaofen with lingering fear and said, "You are too sinister. I was almost tricked by you!"
With that, Guan Wenjun waved his hand angrily, "Tie them both up and take them back!"
Liu Weihong instantly grew terrified. She cried, "This has nothing to do with me! They made me do it. I don't even know what these things are."
Sun Qiaofen was already nervous and scared. Hearing Liu Weihong say this, she also stammered, "Yes, I... I don't know what this is either..."
Guan Wenjun couldn't be bothered to waste words on them!
Now that the items had been found, this whole family was going to jail!
Guan Wenjun immediately ordered his men to arrest Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong and take them back.
Liu Zhengxing firmly claimed ignorance. He had stayed out of it from beginning to end, so at this moment, Guan Wenjun couldn't arrest him.
So they just arrested Sun Qiaofen and Liu Weihong first.
After the three military dogs completed their mission, a whistle blew outside. The three dogs grinned, tongues lolling, and ran out joyfully.
They had charged in like a gust of wind, and now they ran out like one.
They left behind a courtyard in complete disarray and opium scattered all over the ground.
Liu Zhengxing closed his eyes briefly, watching Guan Wenjun take his wife and daughter away, and watching the Revolutionary Committee members collect all the boxes from the ground to take with them.
He knew in his heart that his son, Liu Weidong, was probably in grave danger this time.
This wasn't something that could be resolved with a simple stint in a labor camp.
He might face the firing squad.
No, he had to think of a way to save Liu Weidong.
...
Out on the pitch-black street, Qin Yuanzheng leaned against his car, petting the military dogs' heads one by one. He told them, "You performed very well tonight. Tomorrow I'll reward you with meat."
Xiao Yang brought a subordinate over to meet him and asked, "Commander, are you heading back to the mining area?"
Qin Yuanzheng shook his head. "No, it's getting late. I need to go home."
After all, someone was waiting for him at home.
He said to Xiao Yang, "Keep a close eye on Liu Zhengxing recently. He'll probably make a move."
Xiao Yang nodded. "Don't worry, Commander, I know what to do."
Qin Yuanzheng nodded and got into his car, not caring how Guan Wenjun would handle the case or conduct the interrogations.
He drove straight home.
By the time he returned, it was already very late.
He thought Qiao Lanshu would already be asleep.
Tonight's farce had truly been chaotic enough.
Qin Yuanzheng carefully opened the door to his house, only to find a small oil lamp sitting on the table inside.
Qiao Lanshu was sitting on the sofa wrapped in a small blanket, learning to knit a sweater with needles while listening to the late-night radio broadcast.
Qin Yuanzheng said, somewhat surprised, "Wife, it's so late, why haven't you gone to bed yet?"
Qiao Lanshu immediately put down what she was holding, threw off the blanket, and was about to get up from the sofa. "Brother Zheng, you're finally back. How did things go?"
Qin Yuanzheng smiled and said, "Everything went smoothly. Liu Weidong probably won't be able to escape this time."
Qiao Lanshu lowered her voice and asked, "Is he really selling opium?"
Qin Yuanzheng's expression darkened again, and he nodded. "I really didn't expect that in this day and age, there would still be people selling this kind of thing."
Thinking of this, Qin Yuanzheng felt that Liu Weidong was completely courting death.
No one could save him.
Qiao Lanshu thought of the Liu Weidong from her previous life; his future position had not been low at all.
If he was already selling opium now, how did he climb to such a high position?
With such a cadre in the city, the kind of shady deals going on behind the scenes was truly something one didn't dare to think about too deeply.
Qin Yuanzheng took off his shirt and trousers, then went to wash his hands and face.
When he returned, he pulled Qiao Lanshu into his arms, asking in a low voice, "Why are you knitting a sweater? Do you know how to knit?"
Qiao Lanshu said, feeling a little embarrassed, "I didn't know how to at first. I've been learning from Sister Ling next door recently, but I haven't quite mastered it yet."
Living in a northern city, it simply wouldn't do not to know how to knit sweaters.
After all, the supply and marketing cooperatives had very few ready-made clothes; you could say they basically didn't sell them at all.
She was about to become a mother soon, and she would need to knit sweaters for her own child in the future.
Qin Yuanzheng turned off the radio and carried Qiao Lanshu back to the bedroom. "It's getting late, let's go to sleep. We still have to work tomorrow."
It was a pity. With the whole evening delayed, his intimate time with his wife was gone once again.
If he wanted any, he could only wait until tomorrow night.
Qin Yuanzheng sighed and muttered, "I hope I can come back earlier tomorrow night. Let's hope nothing else happens."
Lately, one incident after another had been happening in the city, leaving everyone completely exhausted.
