Reborn in 1981, starting by smashing my iron rice bowl.

Chapter 215 The Tablet of the Virgin Mary

Upon seeing the police arrive, Sun Libing, who had been feigning death, suddenly perked up and began to wail loudly: "Officer, you must help me! These people want to kill me!"

This guy doesn't understand the relationship between Liu Weidong and Zhao Zheng, which is why he's shouting and yelling here, completely unaware that it's utterly useless.

"Shut up, I wasn't asking you!" Zhao Zheng immediately warned Sun Libing in a deep voice, which scared the guy into silence.

"Director Zhao, you've finally arrived. Here's what happened..." Liu Weidong knew that this senior colleague always upheld the law impartially, so he didn't try to get close to him and directly explained what had happened.

After hearing Liu Weidong's explanation, Zhao Zheng immediately frowned and asked Sun Libing, "Is that so?"

Now that he's been caught red-handed, Sun Libing can't deny the facts. He just protests, "This grove belongs to the village. What's wrong with me coming in to pick some matsutake mushrooms? I did nothing wrong!"

Hao Qiang quickly said, "Chief Zhao, that's not how it is. This forest has already been allocated to Liu Weidong's family, and these matsutake mushrooms were planted by him. The village has reminded everyone many times, even the children know not to play in this forest. Sun Libing knowingly violated this rule; he came to steal the matsutake mushrooms!"

Zhao Zheng nodded slightly and said, "When I entered the woods, I did see the warning signs and fences outside, as well as the elderly people from the village patrolling. Your preventative measures are indeed in place."

Hao Qiang quickly replied, "That's right! Wei Dong spent a lot of money to ensure the safety of the forest. Even so, Sun Libing still managed to sneak into the woods to steal things. It's outrageous!"

A young police officer who had just been transferred to the police station was unaware of the relationship between Liu Weidong and Zhao Zheng. Looking at Sun Libing, whose leg had been broken by a trap, he frowned and said to Liu Weidong, "Even if this forest is yours, why did you put traps in there? These things are dangerous. What if someone gets caught like this?"

The moment the policeman uttered those words, everyone else looked at him as if he were an idiot. Wasn't it obvious why he needed an animal trap? Otherwise, Sun Libing would have stolen all the matsutake mushrooms in this forest.

It's perfectly reasonable for Liu Weidong to use some means to protect his property. This young man, a policeman, doesn't condemn Sun Libing for stealing; instead, he blames Liu Weidong for setting animal traps. I really don't know what he's thinking.

Even Zhao Zheng couldn't help but frown, feeling that this subordinate wasn't quite right in the head.

The facts of the case are clear: Sun Libing was caught stealing matsutake mushrooms from the woods; it's clearly a theft. Instead of condemning the criminal, the police blame the victim for setting a trap to protect their property—that's incredibly biased.

On the contrary, Sun Libing was greatly encouraged and immediately shouted, "This young comrade is right. Liu Weidong deliberately set animal traps in the woods. I am the victim. Arrest him quickly!"

The young policeman really thought he was upholding justice, and he pressed Liu Weidong relentlessly, saying, "The animal trap you set has already caused serious consequences. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

Looking at the earnest young policeman, Liu Weidong was so angry he laughed. He had hated this kind of hypocrite in his previous life, and he never expected to encounter such a person again after being reborn. Of course, he wouldn't let him off easily.

Seeing that Zhao Zheng was about to stop his subordinate from talking nonsense, Liu Weidong quickly waved his hand and said, "Director Zhao, since this young comrade asked, I'll explain things clearly to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Knowing that his junior brother was no ordinary person, Zhao Zheng didn't rush to express his opinion. He nodded slightly and said, "Okay, you go ahead. Li Bin, you take notes!"

"Yes, sir!" another policeman answered loudly, opening his notebook and preparing for action.

“Officer, this grove of trees was allocated to me by the village. I planted matsutake mushrooms in it, so these mushrooms are naturally my property. You don’t have any objections to that, do you?” Liu Weidong first established ownership of the matsutake mushrooms, then calmly said, “Ask anyone in the countryside, and they'll know that matsutake mushrooms are a favorite food of wild boars. To prevent wild boars from ruining my crops, I set some animal traps in the grove to protect my property. Tell me, what’s wrong with that? You immediately take the criminal’s side and blame me, the victim. What’s going on here?!”

Unlike later generations, the protection of wild animals was almost obsessive, with wild boars becoming rampant. Back then, even having enough to eat was a luxury, and there was no mercy shown to wild animals that ravaged crops.

Since wild boars are going to ruin matsutake mushrooms, setting a few animal traps in the forest is perfectly normal practice, and no one can find fault with it!

Hearing Liu Weidong's words, Hao Qiang and the others nodded in agreement. Hao Jianjun even shouted, "That's right! What's wrong with setting a few animal traps in the forest to keep wild boars out? Are we just going to stand by and watch wild animals destroy our crops? What are we farmers supposed to eat then?"

The young policeman was stumped by Liu Weidong's question. After a long pause, he stammered, "But...but now someone has been injured, how do you explain this?"

"You still have to ask me this? Shouldn't you be asking the criminal?" Liu Weidong found the young policeman increasingly amusing. Pointing at Sun Libing on the ground, he said, "I put up so many warning signs outside the woods and had people patrolling the area. I've taken all the necessary security measures. But someone still sneaked in to steal things. Now that he's injured, are you going to blame me?"

Liu Weidong grew increasingly angry as he spoke, then turned to Zhao Zhengdao and said, "Chief Zhao, I have a question. If a thief breaks into my house, am I not allowed to resist? Am I supposed to treat him with utmost care and ensure he is not harmed in the slightest? After all, according to this comrade, if a thief steals from my property and gets injured, I am responsible. What kind of logic is that?"

“What I mean is…” the young policeman tried to explain, but the others had already become impatient.

"Hu Xiaodong, have you said enough?" Zhao Zheng interrupted the young policeman loudly, frowning and saying coldly, "You must always remember that you are a people's policeman! The duty of the people's policeman is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people, not to speak for criminals!"

The young policeman was clearly confused and persisted, saying, "But this person is already injured..."

“Even if someone is injured, they are still a criminal. We can’t let their illegal actions go unpunished just because of that, and we certainly can’t blame other law-abiding citizens!” Zhao Zheng was even angrier now. He waved impatiently at the young policeman and said, “Go back to the station now. You don’t need to worry about this case! When I get back, I’ll call Director Li and ask him to transfer you back to the county bureau. My little station can’t accommodate a big shot like you!”

Upon hearing Zhao Zheng's words, the young policeman turned deathly pale.