Chapter Seventeen: Officer Chen Has an Idea

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Hearing Wang Dahua’s curses, Officer Chen frowned and instinctively glanced at Li Yaoyao. He saw her face pale with fright as she stepped back, nearly falling. Officer Chen’s heart clenched painfully, and fury surged uncontrollably through him.

“Enough!” he shouted.

Without thinking, he swung his arm in a wide arc and struck Wang Dahua squarely in the face.

“Ah!” Wang Dahua screamed, rolling her eyes before collapsing unconscious.

“Chen! What are you doing?!” Wang Hongjun was startled by Chen’s sudden action.

Chen Yan, having snapped out of his rage, avoided looking at Li Yaoyao and could only awkwardly explain, “Director Wang, she was cursing terribly!”

“But you must maintain your composure!” Wang Hongjun shook his head, thinking how Chen usually seemed so gentle, yet could be so fierce when provoked.

Nearby, Village Chief Yang quickly spoke up in Chen’s defense. Amid the commotion, they reached the great locust tree.

The group lifted Wang Dahua toward the police car, preparing to place her inside.

“Wait!” Wang Hongjun raised his hand as he opened the car door and noticed a problem.

“The tires are punctured?” he said.

Officer Chen on the other side confirmed, “This side’s punctured too!”

“That can’t be right! We came from the county town. Although the road was mountainous, all four tires can’t be flat!”

“No idea! We were all chasing Wang Dahua when it happened!”

The villagers stared at the disabled police car in bewilderment, while Yang Dazhang, the village head, nervously paced around the vehicle several times.

“Officer, no one was around just now. How did the tires get punctured?”

At that moment, Wang Dahua, still handcuffed, regained consciousness and groggily asked, “Where’s my husband? Wait, where is my husband?”

Yang Haigou?!

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Village Chief Yang’s expression changed.

“I saw Wang Haigou lingering nearby earlier. Maybe he’s the one who slashed the tires!”

A villager exclaimed, and everyone immediately scanned the area—there was no sign of Yang Haigou.

Wang Hongjun, more experienced, crouched to inspect the tires. The puncture marks were identical and all located on the outer sidewalls, where one would need to apply force.

“Judging by these marks, they were definitely cut with a knife!”

Before he finished, Officer Chen also growled, “He’s the prime suspect!”

“If he dares to attack a police car today, he won’t hesitate to harm Li Zhiqing tomorrow. We must capture him!”

Village Chief Yang quickly organized the villagers to search for Yang Haigou throughout the village. Then, he turned to Wang Hongjun.

“Director Wang, with the car damaged, you won’t be able to leave today. Why don’t you stay at the village committee office tonight?”

Wang Hongjun sighed and nodded. “I suppose that’s the only option. Please arrange two rooms for us—one to hold the suspect Wang Dahua, and the two of us will stay in the other.”

“All right!”

Yang led the group back to the village committee office. The Yangjia Village committee building was modest, consisting of just two rooms, rumored to have once been an ancestral hall.

The back room, now a storage space for government supplies, was repurposed to detain Wang Dahua.

The front room served as the office, where a few tables were pushed together to make a makeshift bed.

Resources were scarce in the village, and extra beds were unavailable. Fortunately, some villagers had spare quilts, which Yang arranged to collect.

Watching the bustling Village Chief leave, Wang Hongjun pulled Chen Yan to sit in the courtyard outside the committee office.

The courtyard was small with hard-packed earth and a large poplar tree at its center.

It was autumn; the leaves had yellowed and drifted across the yard in the breeze, creating a lonely and desolate atmosphere.

“Chen, your conduct today was poor,” Wang Hongjun said, lighting a cigarette. “No matter how hateful Wang Dahua was, you can’t just hit her like that!”

“Director, I know!” Chen Yan muttered, scratching the ground with a dry twig. “I learned in the police academy not to take matters into my own hands…”

“Knowing that but still losing control?” Wang exhaled smoke through his nostrils in frustration. “You usually seem so mild-mannered, but today you were off.”

“Off? How?” Chen mumbled, breaking the twig in his hand.

Wang Hongjun chuckled, patting Chen’s shoulder. “It’s because of Li Zhiqing, isn’t it?”

“No, no!” Chen’s eyes darted nervously.

“Heh, shy now!” Wang grinned. “Listen, young comrade, I’m a veteran. It’s obvious you’ve taken a liking to her!”

He clicked his tongue, sighing, “You’ve had plenty of chances at work to meet someone, yet you refused. But a trip to Yangjia Village has opened your eyes?”

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Chen’s face flushed deep red, and he quietly poked the dirt with the broken twig, saying nothing.

“But don’t worry, Li Zhiqing seems kind-hearted and handsome, and I support you!”

He was about to laugh when Village Chief Yang returned hastily, carrying quilts.

“Director Wang! I borrowed these from the villagers. It’s autumn now—warm during the day but cold at night!”

He peeked out from behind the quilts, his honest face falling when he saw Wang Hongjun smoking and Chen squatting in the dirt.

“I say, Director Wang, when Chen hit Wang Dahua just now, he showed courage. Don’t scold him anymore!”

“Oh, Old Yang, I wasn’t scolding him!” Wang stood, stubbed out his cigarette, and helped Yang with the quilts. “You misunderstood me!”

“Misunderstood? I saw you lecturing him as soon as I walked in!”

He spoke as they entered the room, turning back to encourage Chen. “Young comrade, you’ve got integrity. Keep it up!”

Once inside, they spread out the bedding. Wang Hongjun casually asked, “Where is your Li Zhiqing from?”

“The provincial capital!” Yang said proudly. “Her father was a veteran who fought guerrilla warfare in this area. Li Zhiqing could’ve been assigned to a state enterprise but insisted on coming to Yangjia Village to help with poverty alleviation!”

“Oh?”

Wang Hongjun’s expression brightened.

“Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Looking to set her up?” Yang chuckled, handing over a homemade cigarette. “I don’t know if she has one, but she has a friend in the city who’s well connected.”

He lit the cigarette for Wang Hongjun and leaned in to whisper, “The instant noodles in our village? Those were sent by her city friend! They’re rare—apparently only available abroad!”

Growing more excited, he went on to describe the solar panels he saw earlier that day at Li Zhiqing’s place.

Chen Yan, unbeknownst to him, had entered and was now listening intently to Village Chief Yang’s enthusiastic tales.

“Can you believe it? Solar power turning sunlight into electricity! I don’t understand it, but it amazed me!”

“And that flashlight—bright! It can flash and even be used as a desk lamp! Isn’t that incredible? Seven or eight functions in one flashlight—I saw it with my own eyes!”

Yang switched between imitating film directors, leaving Wang Hongjun and Chen Yan utterly stunned.