The workers in the factory all wore white dust-proof suits, with their hair completely covered by hats, and their eyes, mouths, and hands hidden behind masks and gloves. Everyone was diligently focused on their tasks. Everything in the factory was up to standard; the aroma was just too enticing! The scent of five-spice marinated eggs filled the air.
“Gululu~”
They kept their eyes straight ahead, ignoring any noises that didn’t concern them. This time, the objective was to investigate the factory’s hygiene! As two newly appointed honorable people’s police, they had to always remember their core mission of serving the public, not taking a single thread from the people.
A few seconds later.
“So delicious!”
“No wonder it can be sold at the supply and marketing cooperative; it’s just better than others!”
The two police officers, munching on the marinated eggs, embarrassedly said, “Comrade, we have completed our inspection, and there are no issues.”
After leaving the factory, Ye Qiu spotted the sneaky Ye Xia hiding in the crowd. He was as clear as a mirror in his heart, “Comrade police, our factory is actively responding to policies to help develop the village, which is a good thing, yet something like this has happened. If we don’t resolve this today, I will be very anxious.”
Leading the village to become prosperous!
Ye Qiu’s image suddenly grew in stature. Everyone began to voice their discontent, lamenting that after just a few good days, such troublesome events had unfolded.
“Who has such a malicious heart? Seeing us do well, they report us!”
“Our village factory has always been the cleanest and most hygienic; even going out to sell requires passing a hygiene inspection.”
“Right, during our education period, Ye Qiu would deliver food to us every week, and he even pooled money with the team leader to help us ride ox carts; he wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Old Lady Liu in the village was struggling, and now with the factory, she can eat well and send her grandson to elementary school.”
“Isn’t this to be expected? We are all in the same village; when there’s an opportunity, we must guide the village towards a better direction.”
Ye Qiu bowed deeply to everyone and then hesitated, “Our village factory has just opened for a short time; alas, I can only…”
Hidden in the corner, Ye Xia was snickering as she realized the situation was not as she had imagined; she jumped out immediately, “You guys are only flattering him because you’ve made some money; if he’s so kind-hearted, why doesn’t he just make the formula public so everyone can get rich together? He talks so nicely, yet everyone still has to go buy things from him every day. I think he just wants to make all the money himself!”
The factory had only recently started operating, and those who came to the village to collaborate with Ye Qiu had to ask the villagers for information.
The one who wrote the complaint was a villager!
Everyone began to suspect.
“Ye Second, could it be you?”
“Yeah, he was caught selling expired food before; aside from him, who would know such underhanded tricks!”
“Isn’t it just him? We’ve all made money thanks to the factory; only his family hasn’t benefited, so he’s jealous.”
The educated youth remembered what the police had said when they arrived and brightened up, “Comrade police, can you show us the complaint letter?”
If they could find out who wrote the letter, wouldn’t that solve the problem?
The police officer took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “Although I don’t know who wrote the letter, the handwriting is quite neat, and it should be from a girl; the script is somewhat blocky and round.”
“Did you hear that? The police comrade said it was written by a girl, which must mean your things are unclean and made the customers ill, so you were reported.” Ye Xia boasted arrogantly.
The educated youths’ expressions changed dramatically upon seeing the letter.
That handwriting looked so familiar.
When the narrator saw his suspicious expression, he leaned over and exclaimed, “This… this is Zhou Yan’s handwriting!”
A wave of shock rippled through the crowd.
Ye Xia gloatingly declared, “See? You were kind enough to give them food to help them study, and the first thing they did after getting into university was to report you!”
“No, it wasn’t me!” Zhou Yan hurried to explain.
“I haven’t left the village for the past week or month, except for the college entrance examination; how could I possibly do such a thing?”
Ye Er’s wife recalled her unpleasant memories upon seeing the female educated youth, sneering, “Don’t say it wasn’t you; who else would do something like this? It’s clear to everyone that it’s your handwriting, and you’re still not admitting it!”
“I believe Zhou Qizhen wouldn’t do such a thing!” Ji Chen supported Zhou Yan.
“Oh come on, you’re all city folks; isn’t it just you defending each other? The evidence is in the police’s hands, yet you still dare to lie.”
Ji Chen took the letter and analyzed it, “No, this letter was definitely not written by Zhou Yan. There are obvious ink smudges on the handwriting, which indicates the writer was anxious. However, a normal person wouldn’t have this problem writing with their right hand, which means the writer is left-handed; Zhou Yan is not left-handed.”
“According to the information provided by the police comrade, the letter was tossed into the police station this morning, which means the person delivering it must be familiar with the surroundings, in other words, they are very familiar with the area near the police station.”
“Stop talking nonsense. You just want to say it was either me or Ye Xia who sent the letter.” Ye Second’s wife scoffed, not noticing Ye Xia’s trembling legs beside her.
“Moreover…”
Ji Chen frowned, not responding, leaning closer to the paper, catching a faint whiff of smoke.
“There’s a smell of smoke on the paper; it’s the kind of cigarette sold only at the supply and marketing cooperative. Villagers usually prefer to smoke dry tobacco; only those with some money would choose the cigarettes from the cooperative.”
Cigarettes from the cooperative?
As Ji Chen said, almost no one from the village went to the cooperative to buy cigarettes, except for one person, Ye Xia!
Ye Xia, who prided himself on being the only worker in the village with status, loved the idea of showing off the cigarettes he purchased.
Ye Xia noticed the gazes converging on him, “H-how is that possible? Ye Qiu and I are family; how could we do something like this? Moreover, my handwriting is not that nice!”
“You might not know, Li Hui was just taken away; before she went crazy, she said everything, including why the writing looks just like Zhou Yan’s.” Ye Qiu softly said while looking at Ye Xia’s indifferent expression under duress.
Ye Second’s wife exploded in anger upon hearing Ye Qiu’s words, “What Li Hui? Did you go see that woman again?”