On the way here, they had pretty much figured out all the twists and turns of the matter.
For a man, being saddled with a wife who constantly bails out her natal family is truly like having run out of luck for eight lifetimes.
By law, they had to handle the case impartially.
By sentiment, they genuinely felt sympathy for him.
Their monthly salary was only a little over twenty yuan, two hundred and more, which was an entire year’s wages, squandered by a spendthrift woman who declared she’d take it away just like that, especially when it was at the cost of neglecting their own children... If it were their wives, they would have been beaten to death hundreds of times over.
"What, what arrest!" As soon as Liao Zhaoji heard she might be arrested, she panicked, her eyes began to drift, and she stubbornly clung to her point, "I’m his wife, I have a share of that money!"
"You do have a share, but your family members don’t," another police officer who had remained silent until then said, looking at Liao Xinmin, "You’re the head of this household, right? Give the money back quickly, or come to the station with me."
"Heavens be damned! You’re after our very lives. Where would we get that money?" The Li Family began to cry out loud, "That money was given to us, it’s ours, why should we return it? We won’t return it! Won’t return it! If you want to arrest us, then go ahead, I’d like to see who can move me!" With that, she turned and grasped the pillar on their own doorstep, striking a defiant pose as if to say, what can you do to me?
"Jiandang, do you really want to treat us ?" Liao Zhaoji said, her eyes red and filled with sorrow as she looked at Ruan Jiandang and asked.
"I have nothing to say to you. Bring the money back and then we can get a divorce, and be done with each other," Ruan Jiandang said.
"The money has already been spent on a car by Laifu, there’s no money left!" Liao Zhaoji cried out, her emotions teetering on the edge of collapse. She had never expected Ruan Jiandang to betray her over some money and meat, to call the police to arrest her—she felt her heart was shattering.
"Then return the car!" Ruan Jiandang demanded.
"No way! That’s our Laifu’s car. Who dares to touch it!" The Li Family flared up upon hearing this, and from her initial pretense of clinging to the pillar, she suddenly rushed in front of Ruan Jiandang and swung at him with her claw-like hand.
Ruan Jiandang, his leg still not healed and leaning on crutches, was unable to dodge in time and was viciously scratched, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the pain.
The two police officers hadn’t expected the old lady to be so unreasonable, and they were too late to stop her.
"What are you doing? Hitting someone right in front of us?" the tall, skinny police officer stepped in front of Ruan Jiandang, glared with wide eyes, which frightened the Li Family, whose swagger quickly deflated. She shrank back two steps and hid behind her husband and daughter.
Even so, she still shouted defiantly, "The money has already been spent on the car, it’s gone, can’t be returned!"
This showed that they were resolved to be stubborn to the end.
Both police officers had many years of experience and were not surprised. They had plenty of methods for dealing with such deadbeats.
"If you won’t give it back, then the car and the meat will have to compensate," the officer said as he walked inside.
Liao Laifu had ridden the car out, but those several tens of pounds of meat were still hanging on the kitchen stove. The Li Family once again rushed out to block their entry, but before she could reach the officers, she was frightened into retreating two steps.
The tall, skinny officer looked at her, swinging the handcuffs in his hand, and asked, "Old lady, you touch me, and that’s assault on an officer, huh? You want to go to prison, you sure?"
However fierce the Li Family might be, she wouldn’t dare assault an officer.
Frightened, she retreated again and again, while the officer looked at her with irony and walked inside.