Hello, My 1979

Chapter 15 The City Police Arrive

Upon leaving Zhangshu Town, Su He saw a bridge.

Crossing this bridge led to Shanlan Village.

Shanlan Village had benefited significantly from this bridge.

Before business activities were banned, Shanlan Village made a lot of money from the traffic passing over the bridge from surrounding villages to the town. They earned quite a bit from it.

In recent years, with the country's ban on private business and the reliance on planned production, Shanlan Village's prosperity had declined. However, it was still relatively wealthier compared to other villages.

With the town nearby, there were many benefits.

After passing this area and walking another ten miles, Su He finally arrived home.

Before he could even set down his water bucket, his elder sister, Su Mei, came out and said, "He'er, a police officer from the city has arrived. Grandfather wants you to go to the team office."

The implication was clear: with the arrival of a police officer and the request for him to go, Su He might be in trouble if he had done something wrong.

But if he had done nothing wrong, there was no need to fear a visit from the police.

Su He asked, "What happened? Why is there a police officer from the city?"

Su Mei replied, "It seems that all the cows in the village have been stolen!"

What?

Su He was startled. His first thought was of Ye San Shou!

It had to be him!

Not to mention that he had overheard Ye San Shou conspiring with a stranger, but also that someone had tried to steal Black Star last night, and Ye San Shou had been hit with a stick!

Su He knew it had to be someone familiar.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so knowledgeable about the area!

The only thing unclear was whether the person who got hit was Ye San Shou.

Stealing the entire village's cows was a big deal; it couldn't be done by just one or two people.

Buffaloes tend to fight among themselves if they're bunched together! Unless they are mother and calf!

So, to steal cows, at least one person per cow was needed, otherwise, multiple trips would be required.

However, stealing cows was dangerous, and thieves would be reluctant to make multiple trips.

Therefore, it was a gang operation with an insider leading the way!

"Alright, I'll lock up Black Star and put away the bucket, then go!"

Even though he understood the situation, Su He didn't rush.

It wasn't worth hurrying!

Su Mei offered, "I'll help you take the bucket inside. Just lock up Black Star and go."

Su He nodded and let Black Star walk into the barn by himself.

On the way, Su He noticed some blood on the ground.

It seemed to be from last night.

Su He had hit the thief with a stick; perhaps he had injured him.

It could also be from Blackie's bite.

"Black Star, stay calm. I'll bring you some food tonight!"

Black Star responded with a loud "moo!"

Su He patted Black Star's head, not bothering to tie him up—there was no need.

Afterward, Su He headed towards the village center to the team office.

Many villagers were there, including Su He's grandfather, Ye Zhenhan.

Hearing the sound of cows, he said to the police officer, "That should be my grandson returning!"

The police officer raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you know?"

Ye Zhenhan explained, "All the cows in the village have been stolen except for my grandson's. He rode his cow to the town this morning. If he's back now, it must be his cow."

The police officer nodded, though he was thinking to himself: Could it be the young man I met on the road?

Su He arrived at the village center and saw the jeep parked under the banyan tree. He thought, "I didn't expect the owner of the car I helped fix on the way to be a police officer!"

"Third Aunt, still mending shoes?"

After greeting Third Aunt, Su He turned and went into the team office next door.

Inside, several people were seated.

The village head, Ye Dage, and the brigade secretary, Ye Zhenbin, who was Third Aunt's husband, were present, along with a few other team officials. Su He's grandfather, Ye Zhenhan, was also there as the accountant for Nanzhu Village.

The only unfamiliar face was the police officer, who was indeed the owner of the jeep.

Before Su He could speak, Ye Zhenhan said, "He'er, come over. This is the city police officer. You can call him Officer He."

Turning to Officer He, he continued, "This is my grandson. You can call him He'er. Last night, the thief also tried to steal my grandson's cow, but his cow managed to fight off the thief. We came out when we heard the noise."

Officer He smiled, "A familiar face. Hello, He'er!"

Su He nodded, "Hello, Officer."

Grandfather asked curiously, "Officer He, have you met my grandson before?"

Su He felt anxious, not knowing how to respond.

Officer He explained, "Yes. On the way here, my car broke down, and your grandson helped fix it!"

Grandfather was surprised, "He'er, when did you learn to fix cars?"

Su He quickly thought of an answer, "When Uncle Zhicheng came back, I saw him fix cars a few times. I asked him some questions and learned a bit."

Grandfather scolded with a smile, "You, He'er, don't know much but still dare to meddle. If you had made a mistake and broke it, we'd be in trouble!"

Su He laughed a bit but didn't say much.

Grandfather's words were meant to protect him. If something went wrong, it would be a problem.

Though Su He was confident in his mechanical skills. He was certainly better than most people at that time.

Officer He said with a smile, "It's fine. If it weren't for He'er, I wouldn't have arrived so quickly."

After chatting for a bit, Officer He began to ask, "By the way, even though you helped me fix the car, I still need to ask about the thief. I heard you hit the thief with a stick?"

Su He didn't know who had mentioned it, but he nodded and said, "Yes. Last night, I heard Black Star—oh, Black Star is my cow—calling out several times. Then my dog, Blackie, ran out and bit the thief a few times! When I came out, I grabbed a stick and, seeing the thief running towards me, instinctively hit him with it!"

Officer He waved his hand, saying, "It's alright. Even if you injured him, you were dealing with a thief. It's fine. Don't worry! Do you have any evidence for what you've said?"

Su He shook his head but remembered the bloodstains outside the barn and said, "Well, there are bloodstains outside my barn from where the thief was bitten by Blackie."

Officer He immediately wanted to go check it out. Su He had no objections and led Officer He back to his place.

After inspecting the area, Officer He didn't find any clues.

Su He thought for a moment. If he directly said Ye San Shou was the thief, he didn't have evidence and couldn't say much.

It was also difficult to mention that he had overheard Ye San Shou's conspiracy.

Su He turned to his grandfather and asked, "Grandfather, did all the cows in our village get stolen?"