Chapter 264 – Great Merit
“Ningning, this time you’ve achieved a great merit.”
And now, having captured this man today and seeing what was dissected from the loach, they thought that perhaps they knew.
With this man, as long as they interrogated him properly, they had a chance to dismantle this gang.
Otherwise, if they were allowed to continue developing, the consequences would be unimaginable, just as Xu Jinning had said.
……
Shortly after, the police also arrived to take their statements.
Mainly Xu Jinning’s.
Xu Jinning naturally couldn’t say that she had determined things based on the plot.
She could only repeat the same explanation she had given to Xiao Qi.
“Just because of a few words from that old man, you suspected something? Weren’t you afraid of making a mistake?” After finishing, the police officer asked a question similar to Xiao Qi’s.
Xu Jinning, with a grave and serious expression, replied, “I also said this to Uncle Xiao, because I think—even if there’s only a one percent chance, it’s better to make a mistake than to miss it.”
The police officer looked deeply at Xu Jinning, nodded, and with appreciation in his eyes, said, “Your thinking is correct.”
“Comrade Xu Jinning, thank you, this time you have helped us a lot.”
After saying this, the police officer stood up and saluted Xu Jinning.
Xu Jinning was a bit embarrassed and quickly waved her hand, saying, “No, no need to be so polite, it’s what I should do.”
The police officer’s impression of Xu Jinning improved even more.
Actually, there was nothing that Xu Jinning was obligated to do; it was simply her kindness that drove her actions.
She was a kind and good girl.
Her actions saved countless people who might otherwise have faced the destruction of their families, either now or in the future.
After finishing the statements, there was nothing more for Xu Jinning and Xu Xiangdong to do.
The police also told them they could leave and that they would be informed if there were any updates or outcomes regarding the case.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to a state-run restaurant for dinner.”
“After we eat, I’ll arrange for you to stay at a hotel for the night. You can take another train to the capital city tomorrow morning. How does that sound?”
Xiao Qi saw that it was getting late, and the last train heading to the capital had already passed.
So he made this suggestion.
“That sounds good, but isn’t it a bit much for Uncle Xiao to treat us? Maybe we should…” Xu Xiangdong hesitated, rubbing the back of his head.
“You brat, why are you being so polite with Uncle Xiao? You have no idea how much you’ve helped me this time. What’s a meal compared to that?”
“Come on, don’t dawdle. You can eat whatever you want.”
Since Xiao Qi put it that way, Xu Xiangdong and Xu Jinning couldn’t refuse.
In fact, Xiao Qi wasn’t wrong.
This time, Xu Jinning and Xu Xiangdong had indeed helped him a great deal.
Right under his nose, and he hadn’t noticed anything.
If it had continued without being discovered, if it had gone on…
Thinking of that possibility, Xiao Qi felt a shiver run down his spine.
If he hadn’t discovered it, not only would his position as stationmaster be at risk, but he might also face significant disciplinary action, and perhaps even more severe consequences.
More importantly, countless people might have suffered as a result.
Therefore, capturing this gang now was the best possible outcome.
Xiao Qi couldn’t help but recall what Zhang Changzheng had told him.
He said—
The little girl was his lucky star.
He also said that if Xu Jinning ever needed his help, he must trust her, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.
Finally, he mentioned that perhaps the little girl was his lucky star as well.
Reflecting on the entire event, Xiao Qi had to admit that Zhang Changzheng had incredible foresight; the little girl truly was his lucky star.
Xiao Qi even felt a sudden urge to adopt Xu Jinning as his goddaughter.
…
Meanwhile, Xu Jinning had no idea that she was on the verge of gaining another godfather.
The siblings followed Xiao Qi to a state-run restaurant and had a meal.
Though the restaurant’s chef couldn’t match Zhang Ailian’s culinary skills, it was still quite good, and the portions were generous.
The three of them ate to their heart’s content.
Afterward, under Xiao Qi’s arrangement, they stayed at a hotel.
This was the first time Xu Jinning had spent a night away from home since her transmigration, in an unfamiliar place.
To be honest, the feeling was quite strange and somewhat novel.
Of course, there was also a bit of fear, given the unfamiliar environment.
However, thinking that her big brother Xu Xiangdong was next door, Xu Jinning’s heart settled down.
Lying in bed, she recalled the events of the day.
She realized that, in fact, if she did not intervene, many things in this world would still follow the storyline.
But, this was a world created by an author with a twisted sense of morality, a world where everything could be sacrificed for the sake of the female protagonist.
Just like what happened today. In order to give the female protagonist Lin Wangshu a major achievement, they delayed the discovery for ten years.
Ten years! By then, who knows how powerful that gang would have become?
In those ten years, how many families would have been destroyed because of this?
No wonder the book mentioned that when Lin Wangshu reported the gang and assisted the police in destroying it, she was later awarded a first-class merit by the authorities.
A first-class merit!
That must have been a significant achievement.
It showed how powerful that gang had become.
And with that first-class merit, Lin Wangshu essentially had a protective talisman.
All the groundwork, at the cost of countless lives, was just to give Lin Wangshu an almost invincible shield against any difficulty.
What’s more outrageous was that the book subtly mentioned that during those ten years, Lin Wangshu had actually taken this train several times.
She also encountered the man with the loaches.
There was even one time when she accidentally got hold of the loach, dissected it, and found something inside it.
She had guessed what it was.
But Lin Wangshu didn’t report it.
She waited until ten years later, when the Shen family she married into wanted to further develop on the mainland and needed official support.
Then she took the train again, and only after that did she report the gang and reveal her discovery.
Of course, Lin Wangshu hid her earlier discovery.
She claimed she found out only this time.
But this single revelation gave her a protective talisman and allowed the Shen family to face no obstacles in rapidly expanding on the mainland, becoming an economic giant.
At that time, when Xu Jinning read this part, she was very angry.
Clearly, Lin Wangshu could have reported it the first time she discovered it.
That‘s just very bad writing. Obviously the author would normally let the protagonist discover the smuggling and report it right when this merit/support is necessary. Even if the protagonist should have seen the man with loaches before because she took the train a lot it wouldn’t be described that way. Even with foreshadowing you’d only have her complain about the smell in earlier chapters or see the guy from afar not directly discover the disguise and inspect the loaches just to ignore it then. Is it possible that someone would notice but ignore it and only report it 10 years later when it’s beneficial to them? Yes! Would someone portray their heroine doing that? No. The author just uses the in-world author as an excuse for our MC to know pretty much everything.