Liu Ruyue stood at the front, speaking without the slightest hesitation: "You think you have merit? Jiang Mei was perfectly fine last year. Why has she become mentally unstable this year, and why is her belly growing? Does her home look like anyone's been taking care of her?"
"Leader, Jiang Mei is like this because her man was arrested, and her lover got her pregnant and then ran off. She was too agitated, you need to investigate this clearly," a man with a face full of fleshy rolls attempted to explain.
Liu Ruyue sneered, "Yes, empty words. Do you think that just because the child is in her belly, we don't know who the father is? This is very easy to handle. We'll immediately ask the hospital for a DNA match. All the men present, every single one of you, will be matched. I don't believe we won't find this person."
A commotion erupted in the crowd. Whose child was in her belly? They didn't know either. Most of them had participated. If they really matched, wouldn't they have to bear all the blame themselves? So they became even more agitated.
"Brothers, no matter what they say today, we can't let them take Jiang Mei away," the man with the fleshy face waved his arms, stirring up the crowd.
Liu Ruyue and the two police officers realized they had spoken too harshly and couldn't take Jiang Mei away directly. And Sun Zhewen was gone.
Hiding in the house, Sun Zhewen secretly called Li Qian: "Li Qian, quickly bring more people to Wangshan Village. Jiang Mei's belly is big, and she's become mentally unstable. These people won't let us take her away. Remember to bring more people, or we won't be able to leave today."
The people outside had already rushed into the courtyard and surrounded the few of them. Some people ran into the house and saw Sun Zhewen. Fortunately, he had already finished his phone call, and he was pushed out by them. The atmosphere in the village suddenly became tense. The villagers glared at them one by one, as if they wanted to devour them.
The first person who spoke up said, "Leaders, as you can see, our villagers are not comfortable with you taking Jiang Mei away. How about this! Why don't you go back first? I'll discuss this with them again."
Liu Ruyue "hmph"ed, ready to speak. Her brows were furrowed, and a hint of impatience showed in her eyes. However, Sun Zhewen pulled her hand, stopping her. He then asked the man, "What is your position here?"
"I am the Village Secretary of Wangshan Village." The man puffed out his chest, seemingly trying to display his identity and authority.
"Since you are the Village Secretary, you should be someone who understands the situation and knows the policies. What is your intention in inciting the villagers to stand against us?" Sun Zhewen said, his face stern.
The Village Secretary chuckled, a look of innocence on his face. "What intention could I possibly have? I'm just petitioning for the people. Everyone feels sympathy for Jiang Mei, but you're accusing her of being a rapist. Who can accept that?"
"Comrade, we haven't accused anyone of being a rapist. We only said we'd take Jiang Mei back for investigation and DNA matching. Are you feeling guilty? If you haven't done anything wrong, why would you be nervous?" Sun Zhewen said angrily.
The Village Secretary's face slightly changed upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. "Guilty? We are completely innocent. But you, you suddenly come to our village to arrest someone, and you even say she's mentally unstable and pregnant. This doesn't sound like a normal investigation."
Sun Zhewen smiled coldly. "Then tell us, what's going on with Jiang Mei's belly? Did it fall from the sky?"
The Village Secretary's face darkened further. He turned to the villagers around him, seemingly seeking support. An older villager stepped forward, his voice booming, "Jiang Mei is one of us. We'll handle her situation ourselves. What right do you outsiders have to interfere?"
Liu Ruyue finally couldn't hold back. She said coldly, "Handle? How are you handling it? By keeping her locked up, or letting her fend for herself? Is that your way of handling things?"
The Village Secretary was speechless, his face flushing red and then white. His eyes darted around, as if searching for a suitable excuse to respond to Sun Zhewen's questioning. However, his lips moved, but no sound came out. He could only stand there silently, like a child whose lies had been exposed.
Seeing this, Sun Zhewen seized the opportunity and said, "We are just following procedure. If you truly care about Jiang Mei, you should cooperate with us, not obstruct our work."
His voice was firm and resolute, like a sharp sword piercing the heart. The surrounding villagers began to whisper among themselves, some murmuring quietly, others nodding silently. Sun Zhewen continued, "Everyone is well aware of Jiang Mei's suffering. She was abused by her husband during their marriage and had a hand chopped off, becoming disabled. Have you all lost your basic human decency? Not only are you not helping a disabled woman, but you are also bullying her. Is this what you call caring for her?"
His words were like a heavy hammer, slamming into everyone's hearts. Complex expressions appeared on the villagers' faces; some lowered their heads in silence, while others seemed uneasy. Sun Zhewen pointed at the dilapidated house and continued, "Look at this house. I was here last year. It shouldn't be that old, right? Now look at it. Does it still look like it was built only a few years ago? Where did the windows go? Where did the door go? Don't tell me Jiang Mei sold them herself. And where did the 50,000 yuan her husband left go? It's only been a year. Hasn't she suffered enough? And you still treat her like this? Are you even human?"
Each of Sun Zhewen's words was like tearing open a wound, leaving no place to hide. Some in the crowd were discussing money, others were gossiping about who the child's father was. Some were guilty, some were curious, and some were sympathetic. Seeing that he couldn't argue with Sun Zhewen, the Village Secretary said fiercely, "No matter what you say today, you won't be taking her away."
Sun Zhewen sneered and replied, "You're so confident? You think you can stop us?"
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air. Time ticked by, and the crowd's agitation grew. An hour later, the outside crowd suddenly erupted. Li Qian arrived with over a dozen police officers. Seeing the scene surrounded by layers of people, they were also at a loss.
Li Qian used a megaphone and, along with the officers, dispersed the crowd and forced their way in. Seeing the atmosphere in the yard, he quietly asked Sun Zhewen, "What's going on?"
Sun Zhewen sighed, "We're trying to take her, but they're obstructing us."
Li Qian frowned, asking, "You have to take her?"
Sun Zhewen nodded, whispering, "We must. The Provincial Women's Federation Chair is coming to inspect, and Jiang Mei is one of the reasons."
Li Qian's expression turned serious. He knew this was no small matter and had to be resolved quickly. He picked up the megaphone and addressed the villagers, "Folks, please cooperate with us. We're here to help Jiang Mei, not to cause trouble. Please clear a path so we can take Jiang Mei away."
Hearing this, some villagers began to waver, and they started to clear a path. The Village Secretary's face grew even uglier. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "You can't take Jiang Mei! She's one of us. We have the right to protect her!"