"It's raining outside, let's go after the rain stops," Li Xiulan said, watching the rain fall in threads from the eaves, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Mom, it's not raining heavily. It's a good time to rest. Otherwise, when the weather clears tomorrow, the production team will start working. It will be difficult to take leave then, with so many eyes watching. To save trouble, I'll go now."
Li Xiulan thought about it and agreed. She went back into the house and took out the only raincoat they had. "Why don't I have Fourth go with you?"
Chen Lishu took the raincoat and shook her head. "It's rare to have a day off, don't bother Fourth brother."
The work in the production team was tiring for women, and even more so for men. It was a rare chance to rest and sleep in. Seeing her persistence, Li Xiulan had no choice but to agree.
"Be careful on your way." Li Xiulan walked her to the door and watched her walk away before turning back. Suddenly, she saw Widow Liu from next door emerge from her yard, wrapped in a straw cape.
Her direction of travel was the same as Chen Lishu's. Li Xiulan's eyelids suddenly twitched heavily.
On such a rainy day, what could be so urgent that she had to go to town? And it was such a coincidence that Widow Liu also went out as soon as Lishu did?
"This damned Widow Liu, she's restless if she doesn't stir up trouble for a day." Muttering a curse, she went back inside to call her youngest son. "Fourth, hurry up and get up, something bad is going to happen!"
Chen Lishu was walking forward, lost in her own thoughts, when she suddenly heard someone call her name. Turning her head, the first person she saw was Widow Liu, hastily hiding behind a tree.
Her heart sank.
Why was she following her? Thinking about the purpose of her trip to town, if it weren't for Gu Xingye calling her, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Chen Lishu stopped and looked at Gu Xingye as he approached. "Fourth brother, why are you here?"
"Mom saw Widow Liu coming out with you and knew something was wrong, so she specifically asked me to call you back."
Gu Xingye felt a surge of fear when he saw Widow Liu. If his mother hadn't noticed, this matter wouldn't have been resolved so easily.
Fortunately, he had caught up.
Chen Lishu glanced at Widow Liu, who was still hiding behind the tree, and shook her head at Gu Xingye.
"Fourth brother, I'm not going back. I can't just stop doing my business because of her. Besides, going back now would clearly make me look guilty."
"But..." Widow Liu following her indicated ill intentions. Going to town now would be walking into a trap.
Chen Lishu's mind raced with strategies, and she quickly came up with an idea.
"Don't worry, Fourth brother. This trip to town, I'll give her a memory she'll never forget."
Gu Xingye was startled by the cold look in her eyes. "Third sister-in-law, what are you going to do? Murder is against the law."
Chen Lishu couldn't help but laugh at his words. "What's the big deal that I would kill her? Don't worry, I have my own arrangements."
Gu Xingye was still worried, but he ended up accompanying her to town. At the same time, he was also a little curious about how his third sister-in-law planned to deal with Widow Liu.
Widow Liu watched the uncle and sister-in-law walk away and then patted her chest as she emerged from behind the tree. She secretly rejoiced, thinking how fortunate it was that she had hidden quickly and thoroughly, otherwise she would have been discovered.
She no longer dared to get too close, trailing them from a distance, all the way to town.
When they reached town, the persistent drizzle gradually stopped. Bright sunshine emerged from behind the clouds, and a rainbow even appeared in the sky.
Chen Lishu had been to town several times to deliver goods and was very familiar with the area. Seeing a Public Security Bureau ahead, she turned to Gu Xingye. "Fourth brother, take the goods and hide in the alleyway next to us. I'll find you after I shake off Widow Liu."
Gu Xingye nodded and quickly ducked into an alley.
Chen Lishu pretended to casually scan the streets on both sides. Her peripheral vision caught sight of Widow Liu still there. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she walked into the Public Security Bureau.
Once inside, she quickly adopted a flustered demeanor. "Comrade Public Security, someone is following me. I suspect her intentions are impure."
To have someone attempt an act of crime in broad daylight, right under their noses, was outrageous! Immediately, two public security officers came out and accompanied her outside.
Widow Liu saw Chen Lishu go in and thought she had finally caught her red-handed. She hurried forward to follow, but when she looked up, she saw two uniformed officers coming out and was instantly stunned.
"Comrades Public Security, it's her! She's been following me for a long time. I seriously suspect she harbors some unspeakable intentions and wants to harm me."
When they came out, the two officers had seen clearly that this person was acting sneakily from the opposite side, and when she saw the two of them emerge, she looked panicked and tried to flee. They immediately classified her as an attempted offender.
It wasn't entirely Widow Liu's fault for trying to run. Initially, she couldn't read and was eager to catch someone, so she hadn't paid close attention to where Chen Lishu had entered. Later, seeing people in uniform, as a rural woman who had seen little of the world, she had an innate fear of them.
"Why are you running?"
Widow Liu turned to flee, but in a blink of an eye, she was controlled by the two public security officers. Her legs went weak with fear, and she let out a cry, about to collapse to the ground.
"I, I, Comrades Public Security, don't listen to that little slut Chen. We're from the same village. I haven't done anything."
Seeing what she said, the two public security officers turned to look at Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu looked at the two public security officers with fear in her eyes. "Comrades Public Security, I just wanted to take advantage of the rainy day when the team was off work to write a letter to my husband and mail it. My husband is a soldier. But she kept following me, and I was very scared. What if she's some enemy agent trying to steal intelligence..."
A soldier's wife?
Then this matter was no longer simple.
The two public security officers' expressions became more solemn, and they directly escorted Widow Liu to the interrogation room.
"Comrades Public Security, can I leave now?" Chen Lishu asked softly, watching them take the woman away.
One of the public security officers nodded and even praised her commendably. "It's not easy being a military spouse. Especially for a comrade like you, to maintain such a high level of vigilance at all times, you are commendable."
Gu Xingye peeked towards the entrance of the Public Security Bureau again. Seeing Chen Lishu emerge safely, his worried heart finally relaxed.
"Third sister-in-law, what did you go to the Public Security Bureau for? Why did they arrest Widow Liu?"
Chen Lishu briefly explained.
Gu Xingye was stunned after listening. He never expected that his usually gentle third sister-in-law was actually so ruthless.
After Chen Lishu finished speaking, she took him to the supply and marketing cooperative where she had previously delivered goods.
Shopkeeper Li at the cooperative was quite surprised to see her enter. "Comrade Chen, why have you come on such a rainy day?"
Chen Lishu saw that there was no one else in the shop and said with a smile, "I just took advantage of the team's rest to bring the goods over."
Shopkeeper Li blinked. "Didn't your family just deliver a batch a few days ago?"
Just delivered? Chen Lishu shook her head. "The production team has been working overtime recently, and I haven't been able to come."