Stop! She didn't steal it!

“Stop!” A clear voice rang out from the crowd, and a handsome, upright young man stepped forward.

The broom in Manager Jiang’s hand froze mid-air, as if bound by a spell.

Following the voice, Manager Jiang squinted and saw that it was Zhao Liang from the village’s charity house. He said, “Zhao Liang, today’s matter has nothing to do with you. Don’t meddle!”

Zhao Liang was fifteen or sixteen, tall and straight, with eyes bright as shooting stars. Though his clothes were patched in places, nothing could hide the heroic spirit emanating from him—a true youth who would cry out at injustice.

The protagonist made a dazzling entrance—surely blinding the eyes of those present, wouldn’t you say?

Zhao Liang stepped up to Manager Jiang, cupped his hands, and bowed. “Manager Jiang, I believe you have misunderstood Widow Tian and her daughter.”

Manager Jiang rolled his eyes. “A child shouldn’t speak nonsense. How do you know I’ve misunderstood them?”

“May I ask them a few questions?”

“Fine, but be quick about it. Don’t delay me from taking them to the authorities,” Manager Jiang replied impatiently.

Zhao Liang went over to help Widow Tian up. “Aunt Tian, please get up. I have a few questions—answer me truthfully.”

“Liang, ask away. I’ll only speak the truth.” Widow Tian’s eyes were brimming with tears as she struggled to her feet. Having knelt too long, her legs gave way and she nearly fell again, but Zhao Liang caught her just in time.

Once she had steadied herself, Zhao Liang asked, “Aunt Tian, do you have enough grain at home lately?”

The question startled both Widow Tian and the onlookers. They had expected Zhao Liang to ask about the missing money, not this. Widow Tian replied, “We have enough! Last year’s harvest was good, and after paying the taxes, we still had several bushels left over. Though this is a lean season, there’s still enough for the two of us to scrape by.”

Zhao Liang nodded slightly and continued, “Has there been any emergency lately, such as a relative falling seriously ill?”

“None at all! Little Red’s father died of consumption eight years ago—it’s just the two of us now. Both of us are well, no illness at all!” Widow Tian was even more bewildered by this question, unable to guess Zhao Liang’s intent.

When she finished speaking, Zhao Liang turned to Manager Jiang. “Manager Jiang, I believe you’ve wronged Widow Tian and her daughter.”

“Oh? And why do you think so?” Manager Jiang, hearing Zhao Liang’s decisive tone, couldn’t help but ask.

Facing the crowd, Zhao Liang spoke in a clear voice, “Anyone who commits a crime does so for a reason. There are three main motives for theft: First, to steal out of hunger and cold, desperate for food. Second, to save a gravely ill loved one. Third, out of habit—those addicted to stealing who feel uneasy if they go a day without it.”

He continued, “Aunt Tian just said she’s not short of grain, nor is anyone ill. Has anyone ever heard of them stealing before? That’s why I say they’ve been wronged.”

Most of the villagers had already felt that Widow Tian and her daughter were innocent, but aside from declaring her innocence, Widow Tian hadn’t been able to prove her case.

Now, listening to Zhao Liang’s calm and logical reasoning, everyone nodded quietly in agreement—even the two swordsmen watching nearby inclined their heads, thinking his analysis sound.

Manager Jiang, though mostly convinced, still protested, “Even if they didn’t steal it, they lost it. That’s still their fault, and they should see the authorities, both by reason and by law.”

Zhao Liang replied, “Manager Jiang, in my view, we should first get to the bottom of this. We might even catch the real thief and save you a journey of dozens of miles.”

Hearing this, Manager Jiang was pleased and asked, “Zhao Liang, do you have a plan?”

Zhao Liang didn’t answer directly. “First, explain everything clearly to me. Then I’ll consider how to catch the thief.”

“This morning, I sent Little Red to the tailor’s shop with oil. When she returned, she told me she’d put the money in the oil jar. But when I poured it out, only egg-sized stones came out. I was furious!” Manager Jiang vented, still fuming.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Liang turned to the shivering Little Red. “Little Red, don’t be afraid. Tell me—when you went to deliver oil and on your way back, where did you go?”

Trembling and stammering, Little Red answered, “I… I carried the oil jar to the tailor’s. After he gave me the money, I put it in the jar. On the way back, I saw Ergou and the others playing, so I left the oil jar under a tree and played with them for a while.”

She choked up and began to sob, “But when I came back, the money had turned into stones… I’ll never be greedy for play again…”

Zhao Liang quickly comforted her. “There, there, don’t cry. I understand now.”

Turning to Manager Jiang, he said, “Clearly, the money was stolen while Little Red was playing. The thief must have feared she’d notice right away, so he put stones in the jar to cover it up.”

“That’s true, but where do we find the thief?” Manager Jiang agreed with Zhao Liang’s reasoning, but was troubled by how to catch the culprit.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Liang addressed the crowd. “Villagers, you’ve all seen what happened today. Manager Jiang’s money was stolen, and I’ve thought of a way to catch the thief—but I’ll need your help.”

“Just say the word! We’ll all help as long as we can catch the thief,” the villagers responded eagerly.

“I’ve thought it over. No one saw the thief, so finding him will be difficult. As things stand, we’ll have to ask the City God at the temple on the east end of the village to help us catch the thief.” Zhao Liang grinned at the crowd.

A true protagonist always thinks outside the box. Is his aura so strong that, like the Monkey King, he’s about to pull out a golden cudgel and summon the City God straight from the earth?

Oh my, I was mistaken—that’s the Earth God, not the City God. My apologies to the audience.

All right, all right, no need to throw eggs. Let’s keep reading to see what happens next.