Nearing 9:30, the village fell into silence. Except for the old house of Qishe where people were moving in, the rest of the families had gone home.

The village chief returned home and asked his sons to notify the brigade cadres and elders to come over. He sat cross-legged on the kang, and his wife prepared tobacco for him.

"Be alert for the next three days. No one can touch the family of three living in Anhe's house. If anyone does, we will really be dead. Even the director of the commune police station has come to act as a protector!" The village chief didn't know how Qishe would fare outside.

"The children in the village all understand. Although they enjoy some hobbies, life is more important." The village head's wife persuaded, "Our children just heard you say that. I heard my daughter say that she will not go out for the next few days to avoid seeing it but not being able to help."

"We have to take good care of the three sons. Anhe said it will only take three days!" The village chief said immediately.

The village chief's wife nodded hurriedly, knowing in her heart that things would not end well this time and the village's secret line was about to be broken.

"Also, arrange for Uncle Seven to go into the mountains tomorrow and tell the people up there to stay quiet for the time being," the village chief instructed his wife. "The director's presence proves these people are incredibly powerful. I won't stand against them."

On the roof of the village chief's house, another person was lying on the roof. Tianying listened and inquired about the village chief's news.

In the yard of the Qi snake, the Qi snake opened the back door, and its former friends came to the door with some food.

"Hezi, there is not much food at home. I see that your kitchen is not cleaned up yet. You guys should deal with it first!" Three little friends came in from the back door.

Lu Shiyi and Su Jin sat in the backyard. There was some food on the table. Not far away, a temporary stove had been set up.

"There are a lot of people here," Qishe stepped aside. "The chief asked you to come in and tell me about the village. I haven't been back for a few years. Why do I feel so strange when I see the village chief?"

"It's the director's presence that keeps the village chief in good spirits. If you'd driven back by yourself, he definitely wouldn't have left the house!" An Zhuang is An He's neighbor. "In recent years, several people have been eyeing your house. If the village chief hadn't allocated a place, it would have been occupied by someone else long ago."

"Don't listen to Zhuangzi. The village chief is actually afraid of the plaque on your door that reads 'Home of Honor.'" An Yu sneered. "You're the face of our brigade, and one of the people in our commune who can stand up to Songjiang Commune. No one in the other two communes can compare."

"I heard that Songjiang Commune has produced an old general, who is now a big shot in the imperial capital." An Zhuang looked at An He with a sly look.

An He was upset as he asked the question directly to the person involved.

"The leader is going to Songjiang Commune!" Qishe directly told his friend at the suggestion of Lu Shiyi's eyes.

Uh uh uh!

Several people looked at Lu Shiyi awkwardly, his dark cheeks turning red under the light.

"Anhe hasn't been back for a long time. I'll only stay here for three days. I find your village chief to be easy to talk to." Lu Shiyi said kindly.

When Qishe heard Lu Shiyi's words, cold sweat began to appear on his back. He felt that if this problem was not solved well, everyone would suffer.

"Haha!" An Yu sneered and took the peanuts from An He's hand. "It's not that I'm easy to talk to, I just don't want to cause trouble. The village chief is obsessed with power and always wants to use various means to get promoted."

"Are you hunting this winter?" the snake asked. "I just opened the back door and heard some noise up in the hills behind."

"Since the year before last, strangers have been coming to the village every year. When they come, some very beautiful young wives or girls disappear. Even the educated youth can't guarantee their safety." An Zhuang looked at Su Jin. In the eyes of the three of them, Su Jin's appearance was even better than those young wives. "Madam, I suggest you don't go out. If you go out, always follow the leader."

After hearing what his childhood friends said, Qishe felt a little sad. The village was almost becoming a den of bandits. Those abducted young wives or girls must have been sold off.

"Didn't the police station open an investigation in the village?" Qishe became suspicious, "From what you said, Yu Zi, I think quite a few people have disappeared.

"No, the current director was parachuted in. The previous director had a good relationship with several village elders and turned a blind eye to what happened in the village." An Zhuang informed the young men in the village. They were all angry and didn't know how to express it.

"Don't you want to complain?" Lu Shiyi asked.

"Commander, in a small village like ours, even if we report it to the higher authorities, no one would take it seriously." An Zhuang laughed bitterly. "Last year, there was an educated youth whose family was a soldier. He reported it to the armed forces. After his family members investigated layer by layer, he was silenced long ago."

The childhood friends would not do anything evil and were powerless to redeem the educated youth, so they could only watch him jump off the cliff.

"The educated youth jumped off a cliff, and the village chief pushed three elders out to take the blame," An Yu thought of the day when soldiers stood outside every household in the village. "That educated youth was smart. Although he ended his life by jumping off the cliff, at least he didn't suffer a fate worse than death. His family came and arrested the three culprits."

The children of every household in the village were watching, but how many of them would truly take the tragedy to heart? Unless they had a strong background, like the family of three sitting in front of me, they had made thorough preparations the moment they entered the yard.

"Commander, I told you to go find the director first, but you said we should go into the village on our own." Qishe looked at Lu Shiyi helplessly, "If something really happened, I wouldn't be able to get out even if I drove a jeep. There are hundreds of people in the village."

"We're not winter hunting this year, and I haven't been in the mountains much in the past few years, but there are always people coming in and out of the back mountain," An Yu said after finally catching the Qi snake. He expressed his unhappiness, "I saw someone carrying a child into the back mountain, and when they came out, they had money in their hands."

"I saw it too, but it was all girls who went into the back mountains!" An Xing echoed, "Many people in the village favor boys over girls. Under the pressure of some elders, if there are too many daughters, they will be thrown into the mountains."

Su Jin was surprised and asked, "Girls are going to be lost? How do you get married here?"

"Some of them were married in from other villages," An Zhuang told Su Jin, whispering to her, "Apart from that, the wives of the village chief and several others were almost all bought."

What?!

The group looked at Anzhuang in surprise. Qishe felt very nervous. The village chief seemed honest, but he was actually a scheming person.

"Let's talk about it after we see the village chief tomorrow. You can go into the mountains tomorrow evening." Lu Shiyi raised the corner of his mouth. "We won't interfere in the affairs of the village. If you want us to take the news out, we can help!"