Chapter 45: Could it be that she stole the chicken?

Lu Qiaoge had no time to visit Hongxing Lake.

Early the next morning, she put on her rain boots and headed to her workplace.

There were still many dilapidated houses and buildings located in low-lying areas within the military factory.

Last night's torrential rain had been terrifying.

It was as if the sky had leaked; the rain fell so heavily that the ditches and trenches were overflowing.

Water had even entered the Lu family's kitchen. As soon as the rain stopped, the family rose to drain the courtyard and inspect the storeroom. Fortunately, they had prepared; food and other supplies had been placed on high ground.

The swallows' nest was fine; early in the morning, the naughty Swallow had already flown out to look for insects.

Meng Xia filled out the form with a mix of trepidation and joy. Old Lu carefully tucked it into his bag and rode his bicycle to work.

Walking along the road, Lu Qiaoge saw that the roadside drainage ditches were filled with water, and broken branches from old locust trees, snapped by the wind, drifted aimlessly in the puddles.

The street committee cadres arrived quite early. Director Hu called out to Lu Qiaoge: "You and Shao Le follow Clerk Liu to investigate District 45 West. The chickens and ducks raised by the families there have been stolen. Those bastards—they're simply looting in the midst of chaos; no, no, looting in the midst of the rain! They even pushed an elderly person down; they're all in the hospital now..."

Deputy Director Huang added, "The police station said these are habitual offenders. They must have known there would be a storm tonight, which is why they came out to steal. They are also conducting an investigation; over thirty households lost things last night, though it was mostly chickens and ducks."

Ren Xiaocui said worriedly, "This won't be easy to investigate. Last night's rain was too heavy; it will wash away many traces."

Shao Le asked, "Can't we just look for footprints?"

Clerk Liu replied, "Even if there were footprints, they would have been destroyed long ago."

When the three arrived at District 45 West, they saw many people busy with various tasks.

Some were rushing to work, some were hurrying to drain their courtyards, and others were climbing ladders to check their roofs.

"The comrades from the street committee are here!" someone shouted, and the crowd gathered together automatically parted to make a path.

The investigation had to start from the first house.

Lu Qiaoge pulled a notebook from her shoulder bag and listened to Auntie Wang, who approached them, recount the events of last night.

"The rain was freakish in the middle of the night. I heard something in the chicken coop..." Auntie Wang's withered hands clenched, and she continued, "I felt uneasy, so I quickly went out in my raincoat. Then I saw a figure climbing over my wall with a sack on their back..."

Clerk Liu asked, "Did you see what the person looked like?"

Auntie Wang shook her head. "The heavy rain was accompanied by wind; it was as terrifying as it gets. How could I possibly see what they looked like?"

Stealing only chickens and ducks clearly pointed to local thugs or street drifters.

By now, they might have already stewed them and eaten them up.

As for the aroma of chicken...

They weren't stupid; they wouldn't eat them inside the residential compound, so the place where they fenced the stolen goods wouldn't be far from here.

A resident from a later house ran up and told Clerk Liu, "Go to my house first. My chicken coop collapsed, and three chickens were injured. Oh, and I saw footprints near the coop—could they be from the thief?"

Clerk Liu asked while walking, "Did you lose any chickens?"

"The chickens aren't lost, but a duck is missing."

When Lu Qiaoge and the others reached the backyard, she looked toward the collapsed chicken coop. Three wet, mottled chickens were huddled under broken tiles, their orange beaks opening and closing.

There was no inner voice; not a single whisper could be heard.

Either they were too terrified, or no "inner voice" had developed yet.

At that moment, several police officers walked toward them.

Clerk Liu hurried to meet them.

These were the officers from the Xiangyang Street Police Station.

Officer Li used a measuring tape to examine the footprints. Clerk Liu asked, "Do you have any leads?"

Officer Li said, "The rain washed all the evidence away, and the lady didn't see the face clearly. We have no leads..."

Someone in the following crowd said indignantly, "People with real jobs wouldn't do such petty theft. I bet it's unemployed youths or returning educated youths."

"They wander around all day doing nothing productive. I knew something would happen sooner or later. Look at this—they've stolen over a hundred chickens and ducks! It definitely wasn't just one person; it was a whole gang!"

"I suggest we arrest all the returning educated youths who don't have jobs, regardless of gender. We'll definitely find out what happened that way."

Standing in the crowd, Shen Yun sneered and took a few steps back.

She stared coldly at Lu Qiaoge. She hadn't expected that reporting her wouldn't work, and that this wench had actually managed to pass the exam and get in.

She was in a very passive position now; she didn't even dare to meet Liang Aishu.

Uncle Liang was the Vice Chairman of the Labor Union, and her father was the Logistics Director.

They cared about their reputation, so they were actually managing things more strictly than before.

When Lu Qiaoge was around, they could chat freely, but now that she was gone, why didn't they even dare to speak?

If Lu Qiaoge could show some sentimentality and quietly break off the engagement, how could she and Liang Aishu have ended up in such a passive state?

Today's spectacle hadn't been for nothing; the words of those people had reminded her.

Lu Qiaoling was a sent-down educated youth whose household registration was still in the countryside, and she currently had no job.

According to the regulations, one could not stay in the city without reason.

Shen Yun worked in the factory's Labor and Personnel Department. A few days ago, the section chief had mentioned repatriating some of the educated youths who were staying in the city without cause.

Shen Yun hopped on her bicycle and headed toward her workplace.

She had to go to work today; she was going to have Lu Qiaoling sent back.

*Lu Qiaoge, oh Lu Qiaoge, if you are not kind, do not blame me for being heartless.*

*If I cannot have peace, you won't have a good life either.*

Meanwhile, about a hundred people were gathered, talking all at once in a chaotic mess.

Clerk Liu hurriedly said, "Everyone, please stop arguing. We are starting the registration now."

Surrounded by the crowd, Lu Qiaoge took out her fountain pen and glanced at Shao Le. "Will you record or should I?"

Shao Le replied, "You just handle the registration; I'll take care of the rest."

He had seen it—Lu Qiaoge's handwriting with a fountain pen was beautiful.

He had heard she had practiced it herself.

With her fountain pen calligraphy, she was among the best in the street committee.

As Lu Qiaoge began recording what each household had lost, she noticed some people in the crowd had shifty eyes. She seriously reminded everyone, "We must be truthful and not report false information. With the joint investigation underway, the thieves will be caught very soon. Once the investigation is complete, it will be obvious exactly what you lost. Do not cause trouble for yourselves."

Upon hearing this, several people who had intended to take advantage of the chaos by reporting false losses abandoned their schemes.

Suddenly, Lu Qiaoge heard a fluttering sound above her head as over twenty pigeons were startled into flight from a resident's courtyard.

【The people from the Military Representative Office are marching this way in formation.】

【Is Representative Qin leading them?】

【It's just stolen chickens and ducks; could they have lost something valuable?】

【Did you see that human? The one holding the notebook.】

【What's wrong with her? Could she be the one who stole the chickens?】

Lu Qiaoge glanced at the flock of pigeons still circling overhead, then calmly withdrew her gaze.

Qin Hengzhi had actually come.

【That tabby cat belongs to her house. Let's fly higher; I don't know what it ate, but it actually jumped up to try and catch us.】

(End of Chapter)