Chen Baozhu lowered his head and whispered a few words in her ear, and Old Mrs. Chen couldn't help but curl her dry lips into a smile of approval.
...
"All the clothes we brought have been sold. It's past eleven, why don't we go home and have some lunch? It's too hot. We can look around other places in the afternoon." After selling the last piece of clothing they brought, Chen Lishu looked at her watch and suggested.
"I'll listen to you, third sister-in-law." Thinking about the clothes she had sold, Gu Xingping was still in a state of excitement, her round eyes shining brighter than usual.
As the two turned to go home, they didn't realize they were being followed.
After returning home, Gu Xingping went to cook, while Chen Lishu went to the fence to pick vegetables.
Soon, the meal was ready. Just as the two picked up their chopsticks to eat, the courtyard gate was suddenly and loudly pounded.
"Who is it?" Chen Lishu put down her chopsticks and walked towards the courtyard gate.
Perhaps due to the habit of living in the city, Chen Lishu subconsciously closed the courtyard gate every time she entered. If the gate was left open, she felt that anyone passing by on the street could see clearly into the courtyard.
"We are from the Municipal Management Committee. Someone reported that you are speculators. Open the door quickly, we need to inspect!"
Chen Lishu's hand paused as she reached for the door.
The Municipal Management Committee? Thinking of the two large bags of clothes still in the house, her crimes would be great if discovered by the Municipal Management Committee. Moreover, these were all her life savings, bought with great effort from the provincial capital.
The people from the Municipal Management Committee were not to be trifled with. This was her first day selling clothes, and she had already attracted these people. "Open the door quickly! If you don't open it, we'll be impolite!"
During her hesitation, the other party pounded the door several more times with force, and their tone was extremely impatient.
"Third sister-in-law..." Gu Xingping came out of the house at some point, her small face pale with fear.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Chen Lishu whispered, comforting her as well as herself. She clenched her fists and her mind raced to find a solution.
"If you don't open the door, we're going to kick it down. All consequences will be yours to bear!"
"Third sister-in-law, they're going to kick the door down. What do we do?"
The threatening voice from outside sounded, and Gu Xingping looked at Chen Lishu, about to cry with anxiety.
"Quick, little sister, let's pack all the clothes."
Chen Lishu pulled her and ran into the house quickly. Without a second thought, she stuffed all the previously sorted clothes into woven bags and then dragged the bags into the courtyard.
Gu Xingping, seeing Chen Lishu's actions, had no idea what she was doing. She could only mechanically follow Chen Lishu, her mind completely shut down.
"Little sister, I'll support you, and you step on my shoulders to throw these two bags of clothes into the neighbor's yard."
Chen Lishu pulled the bags to the foot of the wall, glanced at the courtyard wall which was much higher than her, and said to Gu Xingping.
At this moment, the only option was to 'destroy the evidence.' It was daytime, and everyone was at work. The neighbor's house would surely be empty. She would find a way to send the people away and then climb over the wall to retrieve the items, all without anyone knowing.
"Okay." Gu Xingping reacted. Hearing the sound of the door being kicked down from outside, she dared not delay. She stepped on Chen Lishu's body and threw the two bags into the neighbor's yard one after another.
Seeing that the items had been moved, Chen Lishu tidied her clothes and went to the door. As soon as she opened it, a comrade from the Municipal Management Committee, unable to stop himself, almost kicked Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu, having anticipated this, quickly dodged. The person stumbled and knelt in the courtyard due to excessive force.
"What's wrong with you? We've been knocking on the door for so long, why did you only come to open it now?" A female comrade, with her chin raised high, pushed Chen Lishu aside and strode into the courtyard.
Chen Lishu also saw Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Baozhu among the group.
"There are only two girls in our courtyard, and one is unmarried. It's inevitable that we wear less at home. You have male comrades here, shouldn't you be properly dressed before opening the door? No matter who comes, there's no reason to do this." Chen Lishu explained.
As she spoke, several people's gazes fell on Gu Xingping standing in the courtyard. Seeing the obvious fear on her face, if they didn't catch any evidence and instead scared the young girl, it wouldn't be good. One of the male comrades' attitude softened considerably.
"Little comrade, don't be afraid. We are just conducting routine checks. We came to see because someone reported you."
"Your way of checking is quite special." Chen Lishu sneered. "See whatever you want to see quickly, and then leave."
"What's your attitude? Believe it or not, I can have you arrested right now." The leading woman's chin seemed to be raised to the sky, and her gaze towards Chen Lishu was as if she were looking at an ant that could be crushed with just one finger.
Chen Lishu smiled lightly at her. "You dare to arrest someone without any evidence? What department are you from? Even law enforcement departments need a warrant for arrest, don't they?"
Everyone they encountered was respectful, but Chen Lishu dared to disregard them. The woman, enraged, pointed at Chen Lishu. "You!"
"Forget it, let's focus on the main business." One of the male comrades stopped her before she could say more.
Soon, two people went in to inspect and came out shaking their heads.
"Impossible! My grandson and I saw it with our own eyes. She was carrying a big bag out early this morning. There must be something in the house. Comrades, she must have hidden it. This cunning girl is very sly, don't be fooled by her." Old Mrs. Chen became anxious when she heard that nothing was found, and glared at Chen Lishu with hatred.
Chen Lishu looked back innocently. "Grandma, my elder uncle was sent to a study class for speculation and profiteering, and it had nothing to do with me. He violated policies and regulations by disregarding collective interests. You can't hold a grudge against me and slander me because of that incident, can you?"
"You know each other?"
A male comrade from the Municipal Management Committee was surprised to hear Chen Lishu call Old Mrs. Chen "Grandma." When the grandmother and grandson approached them earlier, they appeared righteous. It turned out they were family, and they wanted to use them to settle personal grievances.
Chen Lishu looked up with a wronged expression. "They are my grandmother and my cousin from my elder uncle's family. Because my elder uncle went to the study class some time ago, they have had some misunderstandings about me."
"You're talking nonsense! You shameless good-for-nothing, you didn't even let your own elder uncle off. Are you even human?"
Old Mrs. Chen, seeing that everyone was looking at her differently, anxiously explained, "Comrades, I really saw them carrying things out of the house with my own eyes. And at the entrance of the department store, they are speculators, selling things in private."