Transmigration: On the Gossip Front-Chapter 966 - 967 Countryside Orphan Girl 11

When the two returned home, they found a crowd gathered around their door.

Zhang Yu’s first thought was that something had gone wrong. She rushed inside and found the house in utter disarray.

She quickly stopped Li Cui, who was about to enter. "I’ll pay you one yuan, help me file a report."

By midday, everyone knew that Zhang Yu and Li Cui, the grandmother-granddaughter duo, had gone to the machinery factory, leading to Liu Family members who worked there being detained.

Enraged to the point of spitting blood, Wang Pandi and Zhou Xia brought Liu Li and stormed into Zhang Yu’s home, smashing everything to pieces.

They claimed this was punishment for Li Cui and her family. No one dared intervene—though it was just three women, the scene was so intimidating that no one could muster the courage to step forward.

Originally, people thought Zhang Yu and her family would be dumbfounded upon returning, but unexpectedly, Zhang Yu reacted decisively, immediately declaring she would call the police.

After wrecking Zhang Yu’s home, Wang Pandi felt a partial release of her pent-up anger but was still fuming, waiting for Zhang Yu’s return.

When she heard commotion from across the street and realized the grandmother-granddaughter duo had arrived, her mood improved greatly. "Let’s go see how miserable they look now."

Before they could step out the door, they heard Zhang Yu mention calling the police. Upon hearing this, Zhou Xia and Liu Li panicked. Their actions at Zhang Yu’s home had been witnessed by many and couldn’t be denied.

In the past, such behavior wouldn’t have mattered to them; Zhang Yu wasn’t perceived as someone who could retaliate.

But after the events of this morning, Wang Pandi and her group knew that Zhang Yu wasn’t someone to cross lightly.

"No one is allowed to call the police! Let’s see who dares!" Wang Pandi instantly rushed out.

However, someone had already left with money to notify the authorities. The Liu Family had long been unpopular in the courtyard; people tolerated them only because of their numbers.

Now, it was clear to everyone that the Liu Family was courting disaster. Zhang Yu and Li Cui wouldn’t let them off, and neither would others miss this chance to kick them while they were down.

The police responded quickly to the report, arriving at the scene where they discovered it was Zhang Yu’s home.

"Xiao Zhang, did something happen at your house?" The responding officer was Ma Xudong, the same person who had helped Zhang Yu with paperwork earlier.

He hadn’t expected to see Zhang Yu again so soon after their last encounter.

The middle-aged officer Feng Jun, who accompanied Ma Xudong, was surprised to see Ma Xudong recognize Zhang Yu.

"This is Xiao Zhang, who just joined our station as an administrative officer," Ma Xudong briefly explained.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jun introduced himself, "Hi, I’m Feng Jun."

"Hello, Brother Feng." Zhang Yu knew she was the youngest person at the police station, so she always addressed others as ’Brother’ or ’Sister.’

The onlookers were astonished to learn that Zhang Yu knew people from the police station. What surprised them even more was the revelation that Zhang Yu was going to work there.

"Xiao Zhang, are you going to work at the police station?" Everyone knew Zhang Yu had gone to seek justice at the machinery factory; it wasn’t expected she’d end up working for the police.

"Yes, I was supposed to work at the machinery factory, but since the Liu Family is there, I worried about being schemed against."

"So the factory arranged for me to work at the police station instead." Zhang Yu explained briefly. "It turns out this was the right choice; otherwise..."

"Brother Ma, Brother Feng, the neighbors say it was Wang Pandi and her group who wrecked the house."

"When we returned home, we found the place in disarray. We didn’t enter; we immediately called to report it." Zhang Yu provided a concise explanation.

"Got it." While Ma Xudong and Feng Jun already suspected the culprits, they still needed to investigate, given the number of people watching.

Soon, they completed their examination and documentation. "Now go check how much was lost."

Zhang Yu and Li Cui entered and quickly assessed the damages. "We lost 368 yuan in cash."

"And 30 pounds of food coupons..." Li Cui straightforwardly read from a ledger.

Although Ma Xudong had handled many cases before, this was the first time he saw someone report losses so systematically.

"We didn’t take any money or tickets!" Wang Pandi protested in desperation, outright denying the accusations.

She realized that if they had truly taken so much, there wouldn’t be any way to evade the consequences.

"Besides, you’re holding a ledger—who knows when those records were made?" Wang Pandi quickly tried to find an excuse.

The bystanders nodded in agreement; the argument seemed reasonable.

Li Cui remained composed. "I work in finance on the local street committee, so keeping records is a habit of mine."

"As everyone knows, I always keep detailed accounts."

The crowd nodded again. It was true; Li Cui’s meticulousness was well-known, with some even calling her calculating in the past.

"Moreover, every time I receive cash, I mark it with the words ’Li Cui.’"

"If you check, you can easily verify this." Li Cui said calmly.

Upon hearing this, neither Wang Pandi nor Zhou Xia nor Liu Li could stay composed. They began to panic.

During the rampage at Zhang Yu’s house, they had taken quite a few things.

Liu Li turned to go home, knowing that if those items were traced back, it wouldn’t bode well for her family.

Seeing Liu Li’s reaction, Wang Pandi and Zhou Xia also began preparing to flee back home.

Feng Jun, noticing their flustered behavior, immediately intervened, "Stop! Don’t run!"

Ma Xudong, now more decisive, took out rope and bound the three women. "Speak. Where did you hide the stolen items?"

"We didn’t take anything!" Wang Pandi firmly denied it.

"If you hand it over now, this will be treated as turning yourself in. But if we have to find it ourselves, you’ll be in serious trouble." Ma Xudong gave them one last chance.

"We didn’t take anything!" Holding their ground, they steadfastly denied the accusations.

Seeing their refusal, Ma Xudong didn’t hesitate. "Alright, let’s go search your houses."

Soon, Ma Xudong and Feng Jun uncovered piles of items bearing Li Cui’s name, including cash and tickets, matching the reported damages precisely.

The onlookers drew sharp breaths. Even as housewives themselves, they couldn’t compare to Li Cui’s meticulousness. Some even considered asking her for tips.

"These items will be taken back as evidence. Once the case is resolved, they’ll be returned." Ma Xudong was resolute as he prepared to bring the three women to the station. With damages totaling at least 500 yuan, this was no minor case.

Now, all traces of Wang Pandi’s earlier arrogance were gone. "Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu, we’ll return the money! Just drop the charges!"

"I don’t want to go to the station!" Wang Pandi recalled how her neighbor had been detained for a few days and emerged emaciated, reputation ruined. She couldn’t bear that thought.

Panicked, Zhou Xia pleaded as well. "Zhang Yu, I’m begging you on behalf of your aunt—let me go!"

Liu Yuanchao’s marriage had already faced difficulties. Previously, as an intern, he didn’t have a marital home, and after the wedding, he had to squeeze into a small room with his brothers, which no girl found appealing.

Now, Liu Yuanchao’s situation had improved. Though he still didn’t have a marital home, his formal employment had made him desirable to several young women.

Zhou Xia raised her standards, especially after Liu Jianshe had started working at the machinery factory. Her demands only grew.

If Zhou Xia ended up at the police station, any prospects for her son would be subject to scrutiny. Combined with Liu Jianshe lacking stable employment and housing, securing a future seemed improbable.

All in all, she couldn’t afford to be detained.

Liu Li also panicked. If she were detained, her dossier would carry a blemish. Could she still find work after that?

Even her prospects for marriage would worsen—good candidates would surely pass her over. At this moment, she regretted joining in the chaos.