After delivering the letter, Niu Dajun returned to the county town to retrieve new letters and packages. Around noon, his stomach growled with hunger, so he rode his bicycle to the restaurant where his cousin worked.
They really are a family. Niu Lili asked the chef in the kitchen to make Niu Dajun a bowl of noodles. It contained not only vegetables but also a lot of diced beef and noodles. It was a big bowl, enough to fill Niu Dajun up.
Niu Dajun ate a big bowl of hot beef noodles. Sweat appeared on his forehead, his stomach was no longer hungry, and his body felt warm.
Niu Dajun gave Niu Lili three liang of grain coupons and two mao.
Niu Lili didn't stand on ceremony with her cousin. The restaurant wasn't hers, but she could decide to give her cousin a little more money, but she couldn't refuse to accept payment!
Just as Niu Dajun was about to leave, Niu Lili pulled her cousin aside. It wasn't mealtime and there was no one else around, so she cautiously said, "Brother Dajun, I remember you used to bring a girl named He Tiantian to eat here, didn't you?"
Although they only met once, Niu Lili was very capable and had an amazing memory. She remembered that Niu Dajun had brought He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan over for dinner.
"Yeah, why are you asking the whole thing?" Niu Dajun asked, puzzled as to why his cousin was asking this. "I happened to run into the company commander's sister that time, so I invited her, Qi Xiaoyan, and He Tiantian, to have dinner together."
Niu Lili nodded, becoming even more certain that what she had overheard was related to He Tiantian.
“Since we know each other, I’ll tell you,” Niu Lili whispered. “Yesterday, a young man of about twenty years old invited Zhou Sihai from the commune to dinner. He mentioned Qijia Village, He Tiantian, some overseas connections, Nanshi…”
Overseas connections?
Niu Dajun was shocked. These days, people with overseas connections don't live peacefully. He heard that many traitors have been arrested.
"Could you tell me more about it?" Niu Dajun asked hurriedly. He Tiantian was Qi Xiaoyan's good friend, and after spending time with her several times, he found that He Tiantian was a good person, very well-mannered, and diligent in her work in Qijia Village. It would be a pity if she were persecuted because of this.
Niu Dajun often came to the county town and had heard of Zhou Sihai, a ruthless man whose methods were so cruel that few of those who fell into his hands survived, let alone a young girl like He Tiantian.
Niu Lili shook her head and sighed, "I wish I could hear more clearly, but I had to serve food to others, so I barely managed to catch what I heard. Based on my experience, that young man is very familiar with Qijia Village; he must be from Qijia Village. He informed Zhou Sihai that this matter is related to He Tiantian. Since you're a friend, you should hurry to Qijia Village and inform He Tiantian. She knows more about her family's affairs and might understand what it means."
Niu Dajun thought about it and agreed with his sister. He nodded and said, "Lili, you did the right thing. They are our friends. Although we can't be of much help, we might be able to help a little by passing on the information. Getting the news sooner will help us find a solution."
Niu Lili warned, "Be careful, don't give yourself away. If Zhou Sihai or that snitch from Qijia Village finds out, you'll be in trouble too."
Helping others is fine, but Niu Lili doesn't want her cousin to get himself involved.
"I understand, Lili. The company commander just delivered a letter; I'll take it to Uncle Qi." Niu Dajun agreed, then suddenly paused. "Lili, do you remember what that person looked like?"
Niu Lili thought for a moment, and then said, "That person's hair was a bit longer than average, and he was wearing a hat. I couldn't see his eyes, but his chin was a bit pointed, his lips were thin, and his skin was quite fair."
"Can you identify the sound?" Niu Dajun asked again. Two reports have been filed against Qijia Village in succession. Could it be the work of the same person?
Last time it was aimed at Secretary Qi, why is it being targeted at He Tiantian this time?
He Tiantian is a hardworking girl. She hasn't offended anyone in Qijia Village.
Niu Lili shook her head with difficulty: "I can't figure it out. There were a lot of people eating that day, and it was noisy. I only vaguely heard those words. Plus, Zhou Sihai isn't a good person, so I felt that something was wrong."
"I understand. If anything happens in the future, be sure to tell me. I'll go ask first and we'll talk later." After saying that, Niu Dajun rode his bicycle towards Qijia Village.
Niu Dajun traveled non-stop until he arrived at Qijia Village.
Niu Dajun delivered the letter to the village branch, and Secretary Qi took the letter and invited Niu Dajun to his home for a meal.
Qi Xiaoyan was also at home. Niu Dajun asked Qi Xiaoyan to call He Tiantian over, saying he had something to say to He Tiantian.
"Dajun, you look pale. Has something happened in the county?" Secretary Qi, being an experienced man, could tell at a glance that Niu Dajun was panicked.
Niu Dajun wiped his sweat and said, "Uncle Qi, my cousin works at the Commune Restaurant. She saw a young man in his early twenties reporting to Zhou Sihai that He Tiantian's family in Nanshi has overseas connections. I was just about to deliver a letter to you, so I came to let you know. I suspect this young man might be the one who reported you last time."
Secretary Qi was taken aback, puffing on his pipe as he pondered Niu Dajun's words.
After a long while, Secretary Qi finally raised his head and said, "You're right. Perhaps that person is the one who reported me last time. This time, that person reported He Tiantian, but even we don't know anything about He Tiantian's family situation. How did that young man know?"
Niu Dajun shook his head and said, "We'll have to wait for Xiao Yan to bring He Tiantian over and ask her carefully to see if she has told anyone else about these things!"
A short while later, Qi Xiaoyan arrived with He Tiantian.
When Tian Tian heard that Niu Dajun looked familiar, she narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, saying, "I think I know who reported me!"
"Who?" Secretary Qi, Niu Dajun, and Qi Xiaoyan asked simultaneously.
Everyone believes that the person who reported He Tiantian and Secretary Qi is probably the same person.
"Qi Jianguo!" He Tiantian exclaimed angrily, "That despicable man!"
Secretary Qi was taken aback again and asked, "How do you know it's Qi Jianguo? Could it be someone else?"
He Tiantian bit her lip and said with her head down, "Do you remember the two letters that Qi Shuli hid from me before? Actually, those two letters were not hidden by Qi Shuli, but by Qi Jianguo."
"Ah!" Qi Xiaoyan exclaimed in shock, "So, after you rejected him, Qi Jianguo wanted to report you and frame you?"
Secretary Qi looked at He Tiantian with a meaningful gaze; this girl is no ordinary person!
Not wanting Secretary Qi to misunderstand, He Tiantian said, "Qi Jianguo has blocked my way on the road several times and confessed his feelings to me, but I have a childhood sweetheart back home, and I have clearly rejected him. That may have made him angry. That's one reason. Secondly, Qi Shuli said the letter was at the village branch and asked us to go there first. Actually, the letter wasn't at the village branch, but with Qi Jianguo. I once secretly saw Qi Shuli rushing to Qi Jianguo's house to get the letter."
At this point, Qi Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise, "So that man was Accountant Qi! He said he had a stomachache and needed to go to the outhouse, but it turns out he was going to Qi Jianguo's house to pick up a letter!" (To be continued.)
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