Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

Could it be that this damn scoundrel knows the musk pouch is priceless and has become greedy?

Did they intend to keep it a secret from me, secretly sell the goods, and pocket all the money?

Upon realizing this, a cold sweat broke out on Fatty Chen's back.

broken!

This is terrible!

Lai Mazi, that kind of street thug, is audacious, ruthless, and greedy; he's absolutely capable of double-crossing others!

The most fatal flaw is that Lai Mazi has no connections or channels, so he can only rummage around in the black market, making it extremely easy for him to leave clues and expose his weaknesses!

Once he's caught and the trail leads back to him, Fatty Chen, as the mastermind and strategist behind it all, will definitely be dragged down with him!

He won't get a single penny from the stolen goods, but he'll be the one who gets all the blame and crimes!

The more Chen Pangzi thought about it, the more panicked and uneasy he became, and he could no longer sit still.

No!

We can't just sit here and wait to die!

I must find that damn Lai Mazi right now!

He immediately got up, intending to call the other people in the commune compound to come and watch the shop temporarily, while he went out to find someone.

But just as he stood up, before he even stepped out of the supply and marketing cooperative counter, a sudden commotion came from outside the courtyard gate.

Outside, there was a great commotion, with villagers gathered in groups, discussing and arguing.

"Huh? Why are there so many police officers?"

"Why are the security team members here at our Peace Brigade?"

"Look! Zhao Lei came all the way here too!"

"This is a major incident!"

The cacophony of voices assaulted my ears.

Fatty Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his heart sank, and his whole body went cold instantly!

He thought to himself, "Oh no!!"

Fatty Chen turned his head stiffly and looked out through the glass window of the supply and marketing cooperative.

At the entrance of the commune compound, a group of police officers marched in unison, their expressions serious, and pushed the door open to enter.

Li Mingjie, dressed in uniform, walked at the front, his sharp eyes heading straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.

Zhao Lei followed closely behind, his cold gaze fixed on Fatty Chen behind the counter.

This is bad.

My suspicions have been completely confirmed!

Lai Mazi has been arrested! And he's implicated them!

At that moment, all the villagers who were working in the fields outside the supply and marketing cooperative put down their hoes and carrying poles and swarmed over.

The courtyard gate was packed with people, and more and more people were gathering to watch the spectacle.

The sounds of discussion and speculation rose and fell, dense and numerous.

"My God! Has something happened to Fatty Chen?"

"How could cadres from the supply and marketing cooperative attract the attention of the police and get arrested?"

"I'd heard before that Zhao Lei's family had valuables stolen, and they'd been investigating for days!"

"Could it be that the theft is related to Fatty Chen?"

"I never would have guessed! He always seems so cheerful, how could he dare to do something illegal?"

"It must be him! Otherwise, why would the police go straight to the supply and marketing cooperative to arrest him!"

"As a commune cadre, he actually colluded with outsiders to steal things and engage in shady dealings! He's utterly heartless!"

"No wonder Zhao Lei couldn't find the source after investigating for so long; it turns out it was an inside job!"

All eyes were fixed on Fatty Chen.

People were pointing and gossiping.

Fatty Chen's face turned deathly pale, his scalp tingled, and his hands and feet went cold.

But while he maintained a calm facade, he was inwardly panicking and completely breaking down.

In the blink of an eye, Li Mingjie led the police officers through the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Li Mingjie stared sharply at Fatty Chen and spoke loudly:

"Chen Fugui! Suspected of colluding with idle individuals to break into a house and steal valuable and rare medicinal herbs! Come with us to the police station now for investigation!"

The evidence is irrefutable, time to make the arrests!

Chen Pangzi lost his temper and exploded instantly. He struggled frantically on the spot, arguing his case and desperately trying to shift the blame and deny everything!

He slammed his hand on the counter, widened his eyes, and shouted that he was innocent:

"Why are you arresting me?! I didn't! I don't know!"

"Officer Li! You've got the wrong person! I'm a full-time employee of the supply and marketing cooperative! I work lawfully and honestly! I never do anything illegal or disorderly!"

"Theft and receiving stolen goods have nothing to do with me! You can't just arrest people randomly! Someone is deliberately framing me!"

Fatty Chen's face turned red as he desperately tried to defend himself, shouting that he was innocent and refusing to admit guilt. He insisted that he was innocent and that it was all a frame-up by others.

More and more villagers gathered outside the gate, hurling insults and curses, and everyone knew perfectly well what was going on.

This time, Chen Pangzi, the usually respectable and successful head of the supply and marketing cooperative, has completely fallen from grace!

After being taken back to the police station, Fatty Chen initially refused to admit his guilt, stubbornly proclaiming his innocence and trying every possible way to evade responsibility.

But Lai Mazi's complete confession and the evidence of him being caught red-handed.

The entire chain of crimes matched up, and with the two accomplices, Ma Erwa and Wang Gou Dan, testifying one by one, the chain of evidence was complete and irrefutable.

Before long, Fatty Chen completely broke down.

Dejected, he honestly confessed everything about how he met Lai Mazi and how they conspired to frame Zhao Lei.

After the matter was thoroughly investigated, Chen Pangzi's wife, Ma Wanxia, ​​was frantic with worry. She frantically sought help from all sides, trying every possible way to reduce her husband's sentence and get him a lighter punishment.

However, in 1978, the law was strict, and public officials who knowingly broke the law or colluded with others to commit crimes were already subject to severe punishment.

Ultimately, the court, taking into account the severity of the case and the primary and secondary responsibilities, delivered its verdict in accordance with the law:

In the entire case, the main culprit who actually committed burglary, resisted arrest with a knife, and maliciously sold stolen goods was Lai Mazi, who bears the primary criminal responsibility.

Lai Mazi repeatedly refused to mend his ways and was a habitual troublemaker, thief, and harasser. He was also convicted of multiple crimes, including burglary of valuable and rare medicinal herbs, holding hostages at knifepoint, and violently resisting arrest. He was sentenced to five years of labor reform.

Fatty Chen was an accomplice who planned and participated in the distribution of the spoils behind the scenes. He did not directly commit the theft or resist arrest, so his crime was relatively minor.

Ultimately, he was given a lighter sentence in accordance with the law, and was sentenced to three months of administrative detention, a major demerit, and a public reprimand.

In addition, the Heping Brigade Supply and Marketing Cooperative issued a formal notice to completely dismiss Chen Pangzi from all public positions, remove him from his post, and expel him from the party.

He was permanently barred from working in the commune system, thus ending his secure job and future.

Thus, the two troublemakers who had plagued Zhao Lei for so long, Lai Mazi and Chen Pangzi, were both brought to justice.

Lai Mazi, in particular, has been picking fights and causing trouble for Zhao Lei ever since Zhao Lei returned to his hometown, constantly engaging in all sorts of underhanded tactics.

Today, his arrest and imprisonment in a labor camp have truly eliminated any future troubles, ensuring he can never again cause harm to others.

A heavy weight that had been pressing on Zhao Lei's heart for so long was finally lifted off his feet.

The other three top-quality musk pods were intact, without any damage.

Since Su Minggui was family and a seasoned expert in medicinal herbs, Zhao Lei simply offered a cheap price of two thousand yuan and sold all of his herbs to Su Minggui as a friendly gesture.

Su Minggui was extremely happy to have gained such a tangible benefit.

He plans to return to Yunchang County soon, firstly to deal with the medicinal herb supply he has, and secondly to have a good talk with his elder brother, Su Mingtang.

The story clearly recounts Su Wanqing's real life in Qingfeng Town over the past few years, and Zhao Lei's current situation of being a hardworking, reformed prodigal son who supports his family.

Let's try to mediate and ease the three-year-long stalemate between father and daughter, and resolve the long-standing grudge.