The river shimmered under the sunlight, the air filled with the fresh scent of earth mingled with grass.
Shen Nanchu stood on the hillside, arms crossed, squinting as she gazed toward the hollow overgrown with wood sorrel.
Her eyelashes caught a faint golden hue in the morning light, her eyes reflecting the distant sparkling river—calm and sharp.
“Right there.”
She raised her hand, pointing toward a dense patch of grass by the riverbend. Her fingers looked especially fair in the dawn light, like delicately carved jade.
“For the next three days, send two sharp-eyed people to keep watch behind the bushes.”
Wang Jianguo followed her finger’s direction. That hollow was indeed well concealed—surrounded on three sides by water.
The only entrance was blocked by a few crooked willows, their drooping branches forming a natural barrier.
His rough fingers absentmindedly caressed the dry tobacco pipe hanging at his waist, brows furrowed.
“So, Nanchu, you suspect...?”
“Shh—”
Shen Nanchu raised her index finger to her lips, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of her mouth, a sly glint flashing in her eyes.
“See through it, but don’t say a word.”
“In that case, I’ll personally keep an eye on it.”
Zheng Tongwei had a strong intuition that this place would bring him a big surprise.
After all, if it were him, he would come here to harvest the wood sorrel too.
This location was just too advantageous.
“All right, this matter is in your hands.”
...
At dawn the next day, just as the sky began to pale like fish belly white, Zheng Tongwei arrived at the designated spot with two young men to lie in ambush.
Other patches of wood sorrel around the village were also guarded, thanks to Wang Jianguo’s orders.
It was still early; the sun had only just peeked over the horizon.
The weather was cool.
The three of them crouched in the grass, hiding comfortably enough.
Yet their eyes never blinked as they fixed on the wood sorrel patch, afraid to miss even the slightest movement.
“Comrade Zheng, do you really think anyone will come?”
The young man’s voice carried a hint of weariness and doubt.
“That depends on whether those two have any brains,” Zheng replied.
His words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly pressed a hand on his companion’s shoulder, his gaze sharpening.
In the morning light, two slender figures were stealthily making their way toward the riverbank, their footsteps so light they seemed afraid to disturb anything.
They recognized them immediately—Li Mei and Fang Jie from the youth work station.
The two young women were acting unusually today.
Usually fond of wearing dacron shirts, they now had on coarse cloth garments, their heads wrapped in the blue headscarves common among rural women, as if deliberately hiding their identities.
Fang Jie glanced back nervously as she walked, eyes alert, while Li Mei nervously clutched the edge of her clothes, her knuckles turning white—obviously hiding something.
“Look!”
The young man whispered excitedly, nearly jumping out of the bushes.
They saw the two squat down in the wood sorrel patch, swiftly cutting the plants.
Li Mei pulled a pair of scissors from her pocket, snipping the stems with quick, fierce motions, as if venting anger.
Fang Jie skillfully bundled the cut wood sorrel into small bunches, stuffing them into the cloth pouch she carried, occasionally looking up to check if they had been spotted.
The morning breeze carried their low conversation, tinged with pride and malice.
“Let’s see how they’ll raise rabbits now!”
Li Mei’s voice was tinged with suppressed excitement, the scissors gleaming coldly in the morning light.
“I specifically asked my cousin at the agricultural tech station. This kind of weed? If rabbits eat it, they’ll definitely get diarrhea. They won’t die, but it’ll make them miserable for days!”
Fang Jie covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, pride shining in the corners of her eyes and brows.
“Exactly! Last time when they picked the caretakers, they didn’t even choose us.”
She tore off a stem of wood sorrel viciously, her voice dripping with bitter resentment.
“Serves them right! Let that stinky girl Shen Nanchu have her moment of glory!”
A young guy shifted his body, about to rush forward and catch Li Mei and Fang Jie red-handed, but Zheng Tongwei stopped him with a firm hand.
At this moment, sure, they could catch Li Mei and Fang Jie.
But would it do any good?
What if the two stubbornly denied everything?
Claiming they came to cut the grass on their own, and that it had nothing to do with the rabbits?
Zheng Tongwei’s thoughts ran much deeper.
If they were to make arrests, it had to be with irrefutable evidence.
……
In the village committee office,
Shen Nanchu listened quietly as Zheng Tongwei finished his report, lightly twirling the pen in her hand. Sunlight filtered through the office window, casting mottled shadows across her delicate profile.
Her fingertips tapped gently on the desk, slow and steady, as if she was pondering something.
“You were right not to make a fuss.”
Shen Nanchu suddenly stopped spinning the pen, the tip pressing a small ink dot onto the paper. Her eyes were deep and intense.
“Pile the freshly cut grass at the east end of the drying yard.”
“And tell everyone outside that it’s just extra grass we cut, saving it for tomorrow’s feed.”
Wang Jianguo wrung his rough hands anxiously, the coarse skin rubbing together with a dry rustle.
“Miss Chu, but isn’t that just—”
“Uncle Wang.”
Shen Nanchu looked up at him. Her amber eyes were almost translucent in the light, radiating an unyielding calm.
“Fishing requires patience.”
Wang Jianguo fell silent.
Zheng Tongwei fully agreed with Shen Nanchu’s plan.
“The fact that the grass we cut today didn’t contain any wood sorrel means they’re already on guard.”
“We have to catch them red-handed to pin it on them.”
“Exactly.”
Shen Nanchu nodded in agreement.
……
The drying yard was eerily quiet at dusk, the last rays of the setting sun stretching the shadow of the grass pile long and thin.
A few sparrows hopped on the grass heap, pecking at seeds and chirping softly.
Shen Nanchu sat on the large terrace of her home.
She leisurely peeled an orange, the sweet fragrance filling the air, her fingertips faintly scented with citrus.
The system had already set up 360-degree, no-blind-spot surveillance.
After quietly waiting for two hours with no sign of movement,
Shen Nanchu stretched lazily and went to bed.
After all, with Zheng Tongwei and the system watching, there was little to worry about.
For several days in a row, Li Mei and Fang Jie made no move.
Wang Jianguo was so anxious he was practically foaming at the mouth.
Zheng Tongwei was growing impatient too.
Only Shen Nanchu remained calm and composed.
“Miss Chu, do you think they’ve figured out we set a trap for them and won’t come back?”
Wang Jianguo couldn’t rest until this was resolved.
“No.”
Shen Nanchu was confident.
“They’re not that magnanimous.”
If they had any decency, they wouldn’t have mixed oxalis into the grass meant for feeding the rabbits.
But they lacked the patience; it wouldn’t be long before they took action.
...
As dusk fully blanketed the village, two dark figures indeed appeared at the edge of the drying yard.
Li Mei and Fang Jie looked around nervously like startled rabbits. Fang Jie even pretended to tie her shoelace, crouching down to observe the surroundings, terrified of being discovered.
“No one’s here,” Li Mei’s voice trembled, stretched tight like a drawn bow. “Quick!”
The two rushed to the haystack, fumbling as they pulled oxalis from their sleeves.
Though this was their third time doing it, their hearts were still pounding.
Under the moonlight, Li Mei’s fingers shook violently, failing several times to push the grass deep into the haystack. Beads of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Fang Jie wasn’t more careful; a blade of grass accidentally cut her hand, the pain making her gasp sharply. She dared not make a sound, biting her lip to endure.
Soon, a large amount of oxalis was mixed into the cat’s tail grass.
At a glance, the two grasses looked remarkably similar, but oxalis was the culprit that would make the rabbits sick.
Before long, the oxalis was all set.
Li Mei and Fang Jie finally exhaled, their hearts no longer suspended in suspense.
Relieved, the two turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, just as they turned to run,
A dozen flashlights suddenly lit up from all directions, illuminating the entire drying yard brightly.
Li Mei and Fang Jie froze on the spot, their faces pale as death, pupils dilated with terror.
Zheng Tongwei and Wang Jianguo emerged unhurriedly from the shadows of the warehouse, their shoes crunching crisply on the dry earth—each step feeling like it was pressing down on the two girls’ hearts.
“Li Mei, Fang Jie, what are you two doing out here so late at night?”
Wang Jianguo’s eyes were sharp, like swords piercing straight into their hearts.
Li Mei let out a short, startled scream. Fang Jie collapsed onto the ground, lips trembling, unable to speak, tears welling up in her eyes.
The flashlight beams illuminated their ghastly pale faces, their foreheads slick with fine cold sweat, as if they’d just been pulled from water.
---
In the end, Li Mei and Fang Jie were taken to the village committee office.
About ten minutes later, Shen Nanchu arrived.
“Well, well, working so late, you’re quite diligent!”
Her voice carried a hint of amusement, but her eyes were as cold as ice. The slight upward curve of her lips gave no warmth at all.
The kerosene lamp’s flame flickered nervously, casting the three shadows onto the mottled wall—distorted and eerie.
Li Mei’s nails dug deeply into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped red marks. Fang Jie’s tears had soaked a large patch of her blouse; the cheap face cream had been washed away by her tears, leaving streaks of white on her face, making her look utterly disheveled.
Shen Nanchu sat opposite them, tapping the table rhythmically with one hand. The steady “tap tap” sounded like a death knell, tightening the tension around them.
Since Shen Nanchu’s arrival, Wang Jianguo and Zheng Tongwei had washed their hands of it.
They simply sat aside, watching Shen Nanchu interrogate these two miserable women.
It was all because of them that Wang Jianguo and Zheng Tongwei hadn’t slept a full night in days.
“We... we just couldn’t stand it...”
Li Mei was the first to speak, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, eyes darting nervously, avoiding Shen Nanchu’s gaze.
“The last time they chose the feeder...”
Suddenly, Fang Jie broke down, her cries sharp and grating.
“Why did they pick Wang Erniu instead of me? She didn’t even finish middle school!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing with cheap makeup powder, making her look almost ridiculous.
Shen Nanchu abruptly stopped pounding the table.
The room fell into an eerie silence; even the “hiss” of the kerosene lamp burning was clearly audible.
“Who taught you to use wood sorrel?”
She asked softly, her voice gentle as if chatting about the weather, yet it sent a shiver down Li Mei and Fang Jie’s spines.
Both young women froze instantly.
Li Mei’s pupils contracted sharply; Fang Jie’s sobs cut off as if someone had clamped their hands over her throat.
“That’s a clever idea.”
Shen Nanchu stood up, the hem of her clothes brushing the table’s edge, stirring a faint breeze.
“It won’t poison the rabbits, but it can cause trouble...”
Leaning in close to them, her voice was soft but carried an undeniable weight of authority.
“Such a clever plan doesn’t seem like something you two could come up with.”
Cold sweat trickled down Li Mei’s temple, dripping onto the table with a soft “plop.”
Fang Jie’s lips trembled, her eyes flickering nervously, on the verge of breaking down again.
“Confess and you’ll be treated leniently; resist and the consequences will be severe.”
“You don’t want to be stuck in Wangjiacun forever, do you?”
Strike the snake at its head.
Shen Nanchu knew exactly what they feared.
Sure enough,
The next second,
“It was... it was Jiang Shuyi...”
Li Mei finally broke down, her voice hoarse with tears.
“She said this was the safest way... said you wouldn’t find out...”
Shen Nanchu straightened, moonlight streaming through the window illuminating her icy, sharp features.
A flicker of coldness flashed in her eyes.
She already knew that even if Jiang Shuyi was gone, she wouldn’t leave without a fight.
Sure enough, the woman had left behind a trap for her.
Ha~
Heh heh~
Just you wait.
