With everyone else speaking, they, as subordinates, had no objections. Thus, several people disappeared from the interrogation room, leaving only Li Zheming, along with Zhang Wan'er and Qin Tai.
Zhang Wan'er tilted her head, looking at Li Zheming with a naive expression, and asked cautiously, "Brother Zheming, if we let him go, he might still have the idea to bully others. Could you let me have a good chat with him? You go out first, and I'll try to enlighten this prisoner. Maybe I can gain something!"
Li Zheming glanced at Qin Tai. A man with almost all his teeth fallen out posed no threat. Since that was the case, he saw no need to stay. So, he readily agreed, "Then be careful. If anything happens, remember to call my name. I'll be waiting outside."
Watching Li Zheming's retreating back, the naive smile on Zhang Wan'er's face gradually faded. She then looked at Qin Tai with a serious expression and said, "You also know that you can leave this place because of me, right? After you get out, you must live a good life and don't come back here a second time for such matters. Otherwise, I won't be able to plead for you the next time!
Also, you absolutely must not hold a grudge against Chen Lishu. I know you're older, and it's embarrassing to be in this place, but she was just doing her job. You must not 'retaliate' against her. Also, after you leave, she might give you some trouble. I hope you can understand her actions; she likes to speak up for the weak and innocent!"
As Zhang Wan'er spoke, she checked the watch on her wrist. Seeing that it was almost time for Chen Lishu and the others to come to work, she stepped forward, unfastened Qin Tai's handcuffs, and said, "Alright, you can go back. It's really my fault for making you run around at your age."
Qin Tai looked at the young girl in front of him, rubbing his cuffed hands, and said, "I owe you a favor. If there's a chance in the future, I will definitely repay this favor! Don't worry, I always keep my word."
Zhang Wan'er didn't reply to Qin Tai's words. She merely curled her lips, smiled at him, and then waved him away, saying, "Alright, I've unlocked your handcuffs. You can leave now. Someone should be waiting for you outside the police station, right? If not, I'll call you a taxi to take you back."
"You, this little girl, are much more thoughtful! But I already have someone coming to pick me up, so you don't need to worry about me. I'm leaving!" With that, Qin Tai arrogantly walked out of the police station.
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong were approaching, chatting and laughing. Seeing Qin Tai emerge from the police station, Chen Lishu frowned deeply. Then, she stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, questioning him sternly, "Why are you outside? Goodness, you even dare to escape the police station so openly now!"
The commotion here quickly drew the attention of other junior officers. One of them ran out and whispered into Chen Lishu's ear, "Miss Chen, this person is old and cannot stay in our police station. If anything were to happen, it would surely cause public panic, so we had no choice but to let him go!"
Hearing this explanation, Chen Lishu's eyes widened, and she then reprimanded sternly, "Let him go? Just because he's old and you're afraid something might happen? If that's the case, then as long as criminals say they are old or have some minor health issues, you won't dare to act against them? Do you know what profession you're in? Are you worthy of the uniform you're wearing?"
"We weren't afraid before, but isn't this a critical period? We were worried that if something happened to him and it was blamed on our police station, wouldn't our deterrence in the public's eyes be diminished? Then no one would trust us!
Besides, we didn't release him without any penalty; we confiscated 30,000 yuan from him. This money will be used to purchase supplies and help more people. And this decision wasn't made by us; it was an order from higher up, and we were just following it!"
Just then, Qin Tai, who was being suppressed by Chen Lishu, suddenly cried out in pain, "Did you hear that? It was your higher-ups who said to let me go!
Oh, my old bones are about to be completely taken apart by you. To lay hands on me, an old man! Is this what you soldiers call serving the people?
I think that foolish young man gave you benefits, which is why you've been targeting me repeatedly. Let me tell you, once I'm out, I won't let you off easily!"
"You dare to threaten me?" Chen Lishu tightened her grip on his shoulder, applying more pressure.
Seeing this, others' lips twitched slightly. They quickly stepped forward to intervene, "Hold on, my dear little ancestor, please don't get involved in this matter. Everyone knows Qin Tai is a scoundrel in Modu. If you get entangled with him, it might not be good for you!
Don't worry, I assure you here that this kind of thing will never happen again. If it truly happens a second time, you don't even need to say it, and we will deal with it strictly!"
As Chen Lishu and Qin Tai were confronting each other, Gu Xingdong came up to her and said, "Qin Tai being released might mean that behind-the-scenes person has started to make a move again. Leave this matter to me; you don't need to worry."
Upon hearing the words "behind-the-scenes person," the frown on Chen Lishu's brow slowly eased. Finally, she pushed Qin Tai away and said, "You can go."
Qin Tai glared fiercely at Chen Lishu, gritting his teeth and threatening, "I will get back every humiliation I've suffered today!" With that, he dejectedly left the place.
Over the next two days, the task of distributing supplies was completed excellently, with essentially no unusual incidents.
It wasn't until the third day, when the artificial rain project began, that everyone went to help. Chen Lishu saw that the area was crowded and she couldn't squeeze in, so she gave up. She found a place that could shelter her from the rain and waited for them to finish the rain-making and leave Modu.
With a few booming sounds, the people at the scene became excited and thrilled.
"The drought is finally over, and we're saved again!"
"But what good is the rain? Those crops have long since died or are ruined. Won't we still starve for a long time to come?"
"You can't say that, brother. At least we haven't starved to death during this time. Everything can start anew, right? Being alive now is enough!"
"..."
Listening to the discussions of these people, Chen Lishu opened her mouth, about to say something, when suddenly several people appeared behind her and surrounded her.
...