Reborn as a Superpower Girl in the 80s
Chapter 631 Someone Set a Fire

Chapter 631: Chapter 631 Someone Set a Fire

A few days later, the case finally had a result, and to everyone’s surprise, it turned out that the person who set the Mao Family’s house on fire was the youngest son of the neighboring Cheng Family.

It turned out that the youngest son of the Cheng Family, Cheng Hongjun, and the third son of the Mao Family, Mao Hongfei, both worked in the textile factory, and they were even in the same workshop. Before the new year, their workshop was selecting a team leader, and initially, both of them were on the list of candidates. However, when the public election came, Cheng Hongjun’s name was inexplicably removed.

This infuriated Cheng Hongjun, who, after inquiring around, heard that Mao Hongfei had badmouthed him to the director. Following an investigation by the director’s people, it was decided that although he was trying to help others, his temperament was too impulsive, and his name was removed from the list.

Indeed, it was Mao Hongfei who had spoken to the director, but he had only recounted what he had seen with his own eyes. However, Cheng Hongjun blamed him for ruining his career path, so he decided to teach the Mao family a slight lesson.

He had noticed that there was some snow a few days before, and even though the snow had been cleared from the rooftops and courtyard, there must still be some moisture. To scare them, he deliberately poured half a bottle of kerosene on the pile of wood stacked up against the Mao family’s wall, which was leftover from when the Mao family had made furniture.

What he didn’t expect was that the wind picked up last night, fuelling the fire, which soon became uncontrollable. Seeing the situation getting out of hand, he hurriedly jumped into the Mao family’s yard to wake everyone up.

Luckily for him, he managed to alert them just in time. Had he been a moment later, the entire Mao family, more than a dozen people, would have perished in the blaze. Although the people were saved, all of their belongings were completely destroyed by the fire.

Cheng Hongjun was quickly taken away by the public security officers, and the cries and screams of the Cheng family were in vain. Cheng Hongjun’s grandmother knelt before the Mao family, begging for their mercy on behalf of Cheng Hongjun, arguing that if not for him alerting them, they all would have died.

No matter how the community office staff tried to persuade her, the old lady stuck to her guns, ranting and raving, infuriating the Mao family and nearly leading to a physical altercation between the two families.

The old matriarch of the Cheng family felt she had to protect her grandson at all costs, but what Cheng Hongjun committed was a legal offense with serious ramifications. Not only did he have to compensate for all of the Mao family’s losses, but he also faced imprisonment.

In the end, Cheng Hongjun was ordered to pay four thousand yuan for the property loss to the Mao Family, and due to the severity of his arson, he was sentenced to six years in prison.

The Cheng family became besieged by troubles due to Cheng Hongjun’s impulsive actions, scrambling to collect enough money to pay the sum.

Shocked by the incident, the Cheng family’s older grandmother fell ill and passed away a few days later, leaving the Cheng family unable to afford even the funeral expenses as they had already borrowed from all the relatives and friends they could.

Luo Qiao was on her way home from school when she encountered Qu Meimei chatting with a neighbor. Qu Meimei stopped her, and it was then that Luo Qiao learned that the Cheng family’s old lady had died and that they couldn’t even afford the funeral.

Luo Qiao felt somewhat distressed upon hearing this and casually said, "If we organize neighbors to donate some money, we should be able to solve this problem quickly."

To her surprise, a nearby auntie said, "That’s a great idea."

That afternoon, kind-hearted neighbors made a donation box and placed it in front of the Cheng family’s main gate, with someone in charge of monitoring it, allowing each household to donate according to their ability. A little help from many people goes a long way.

No matter the era, there are still more good-hearted people than not. It didn’t take long for people to start dropping money into the donation box. Although the amounts weren’t large, it was a manifestation of everyone’s goodwill.

The next day at noon, Luo Qiao heard about the collection, and she slipped ten yuan into the box, curling it up so no one would see—to avoid any trouble.

The Mao family also had a tough time these past few days. Mao Hongfei never imagined that a single complaint could lead to such an outcome; he was now filled with regret. Now, even the position of team leader was out of his reach, and people in the factory looked at him differently.

Many were speaking ill of him behind his back, labeling him a harmful spirit who would do anything to become a team leader. Whoever it had been, they would also have been angry, accusing him of extorting so much money from the Cheng family and being responsible for Cheng Hongjun’s imprisonment, which cost them greatly.

Even the neighbors’ previously warm attitudes towards the Mao family had cooled. Everyone felt that if it hadn’t been for Mao Hongfei’s tattling, Cheng Hongjun wouldn’t have committed the act of arson, and the elderly lady of the Cheng family wouldn’t have died as a result.