Crossing into New Year’s, 1983 became 1984. Communication methods hadn’t improved much in these few months – there weren’t public phone booths everywhere, let alone mobile phones. News still primarily spread through people running messages. It took about two hours from the fight to people being taken to the police station before Secretary Hou received the news – it was a disaster of the highest order, with the leader’s charges getting into trouble on their first day in Shangdu.

Secretary Hou knew Shao Rongyong – while he couldn’t be called a model of the Five Stresses and Four Beauties campaign, he wasn’t an overbearing privileged young master either. Officials’ children were generally modest in those days, not shouting “My father is XX” before fights. Though Shao Rongyong changed girlfriends frequently, he wasn’t one to actively cause trouble.

Even if Shao Rongyong had caused trouble, Secretary Hou couldn’t favor relationships over principles.

The driver was a veteran soldier and had been the leader’s trusted man for several years. Secretary Hou wasn’t worried about Shao Rongyong getting hurt in the fight; he feared Shao Rongyong and Kang Wei would suffer at the police station.

While the leader was in a meeting, Secretary Hou told himself to stay calm and rushed to the police station with the messenger.

The police wouldn’t let the driver make phone calls, so he sent messages from the door. He’d told someone to find Secretary Hou at a certain place and gave them all his money. The police had remained relatively polite because the driver had a Shanghai-licensed car.

Could ordinary people drive cars in those days?

Cars were allocated to work units – not even all leaders could drive them.

Private car ownership wasn’t common among individual businesspeople in Shangdu, though some wealthy business owners in coastal cities had private vehicles.

Before going to the police station, Secretary Hou first contacted the station’s leadership. You couldn’t just show up at a police station claiming to be someone’s secretary – would basic-level police officers know you? Secretary Hou wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake of showing off only to be embarrassed.

Meanwhile, the Zhu family had also received news.

Xia Xiaolan’s people had beaten the Joint Defense Team members into the hospital.

Ding Aizhen could hardly believe it, then found it ridiculously amusing:

“Indeed just uncouth country folk.”

She didn’t even need to handle it anymore – those Joint Defense Team members wouldn’t talk nonsense, and Xia Xialan might face prison time. Originally meant to give her some trouble and make her leave Shangdu, imprisonment would be a permanent solution.

Even if Zhu Fang fought with his family, there was nothing they could do – the law was the law, what did it have to do with the Zhu family?

Ding Aizhen couldn’t help calling her husband, “She’s really stupid. Fortunately, we didn’t agree to let her in.”

Besides being beautiful, what other qualities did she have?

They said she was good at business but wasn’t that just using her looks to make men spend money?

Ding Aizhen felt elated. If Xia Xiaolan hadn’t rented the storefront at 45 Erqi Road, the factory wouldn’t have mysteriously received 10 housing allocation quotas. Those quotas caused unhappiness, leading to the Zheng Zhongfu family incident. Ding Aizhen had heard rumors blaming her for Zheng Zhongfu’s son’s disability… but how was it her fault? It was clearly because Zheng Zhongfu’s son hadn’t followed operational procedures and got his hand caught in the machine.

Anyway, Xia Xiaolan was just bad luck.

Zhu Fang’s father pondered for a while, “Remember to have Zhu Fang study more. Don’t go too far – one or two years in prison would be lesson enough.”

The couple spoke carelessly.

If Xia Xiaolan went to prison for a year or two, with a criminal record, university would be impossible. For someone as beautiful as her, prison would destroy her even faster!

The Joint Defense Team members insisted they were inspecting Xia Xiaolan’s stall, and they had evidence – a beige sweater with an entire sleeve fallen off.

There was even a victim, a woman with shifty eyes.

Xia Xiaolan remembered her – a customer who came early in the morning to buy a sweater. The beige didn’t suit her skin tone, and Xia Xiaolan had suggested another color, but the customer had been unusually generous, buying the sweater without even haggling.

Li Fengmei had said it was a good omen, predicting good business for the day.

Some omen it was – no wonder she didn’t haggle, she was a hired plant!

Zhuo Weiping carefully examined the sweater and believed it wasn’t naturally damaged – it looked like someone had cut the yarn under the arm, leaving evenly broken threads.

“Tell the truth, what happened!”

The woman saw Zhuo Weiping was young and smirked:

“Officer, I bought damaged clothes. This woman cheats people’s money – you must not let her off!”

Zhuo Weiping remained unmoved, just asking for the woman’s personal information, from name to address and family relationships. After finishing, Zhuo Weiping slammed her notebook on the table:

“You’re Guo Hao’s relative!”

Guo Hao was one of the Joint Defense Team members who had troubled Xia Xiaolan. The woman became slightly nervous:

“Anyway, I spent money on damaged goods. My nephew happens to work in the Joint Defense Team, so I mentioned it to him, not wanting others to be cheated. Who knew this woman would be so fierce and beat up the team members? Officer, you must arrest her!”

Zhuo Weiping saw this as a farce.

No forensic techniques were needed – basic thinking showed this was a frame-up, typical of hooligans’ scam tactics, surprisingly used by the Joint Defense Team against a rural woman like Xia Xiaolan.

It was pure bullying.

Zhuo Weiping understood the situation and knew how to report it.

She was about to arrest the woman when an old colleague beckoned from the window:

“Xiao Zhuo, come here a moment.”

Zhuo Weiping slammed the table hard, “Sit still and think about how you’ll explain yourself!”

The woman shrank back but straightened up upon seeing someone outside the window.

Zhuo Weiping ran out.

Xia Xiaolan suddenly spoke:

“Do you know Ding Aizhen or Zhu Chengchun? Or other Zhu family members… Do you know that framing others means prison time?”

The woman was unfazed.

But she wasn’t stupid enough to say who sent her. She just stared at Xia Xiaolan with a smile:

“Worry about yourself first. Will those who fought for you go to prison for you?”

Hot-tempered Kang Wei stood up cursing, but police officers held him back, pressing him down with batons.

The woman spat forcefully:

“Immoral men and women, lock you all up in prison!”

“Xiao Zhuo, come meet Captain Guo from the Joint Defense Team.”

Newly transferred to Shangdu, Zhuo Weiping was junior and handled all the errands. Being humble and eager to learn, she respected senior colleagues, and everyone called her Xiao Zhuo. Some took advantage of their seniority, acting like they could be her superior.

They were all of the same rank, like this colleague trying to mediate.

“Captain Guo?”

He looked somewhat similar to troublemaker Guo Hao – likely a direct relative.

Zhuo Weiping felt disgusted and refused to shake Captain Guo’s hand. Her colleague pulled her aside:

“Xiao Zhuo, you’re very capable with great prospects. You surely won’t stay at the basic level forever, and working in the police system doesn’t mean being alone. More friends mean more opportunities. You should know how to handle this case. Look at me rambling – it’s an evidence-based case, just handle it impartially.”

Zhuo Weiping was suspicious – a Joint Defense Team captain might intimidate ordinary citizens, but why would a colleague be so enthusiastic?

But regardless of who was behind this, as a woman herself, Xia Xiaolan’s situation made Zhuo Weiping feel vulnerable.

“I will handle this impartially!”

Zhuo Weiping turned and left without saving face. Captain Guo’s expression darkened:

“Young officers lack experience – perhaps we should assign someone else to the case.”