Clearly, they couldn't wait for news and came to us on their own initiative.
Shen Huaichuan ushered the man into the house, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to explaining the thick stack of testimonies and their current predicament:
"...That's the situation. There are no new leads from Jin Daya's side. The testimonies are inconsistent, making the investigation too difficult."
His voice was low and apologetic, but he couldn't bear to make the two of them feel too bad, so he quickly added.
"However, Captain Li has already entrusted all his informants to notify us immediately if a couple with similar characteristics and L province accents appear. But right now... it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
The light in Zhou Shuhua's eyes went out instantly. She swayed and was caught by Political Commissar Lei.
Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only let out a heavy sigh:
"Thank you so much, Huaichuan. Thank you so much for your help. Please let us know if you have any news."
She seemed to have all her strength drained away, and even standing up straight was difficult for her.
Political Commissar Lei, his face also grave, supported his wife, saying, "Huaichuan, you've worked so hard. We'll be going now..."
After saying that, he prepared to help Zhou Shuhua, who was almost collapsing, away.
Just then, the door to Zhou Qiqi's room creaked open.
"etc!"
Zhou Qiqi walked out holding a piece of paper she had just finished drawing on, her expression indescribably complicated.
Shen Huaichuan immediately went to greet her and asked in a low voice, "Qiqi? What's wrong?"
He glanced instinctively at his master and mistress, who were in terrible condition, and felt a pang of unease.
Zhou Qiqi took a deep breath, handed the paper to Shen Huaichuan, and lowered her voice:
"Perhaps I know who these two people are."
"real?"
Shen Huaichuan was taken aback, his brows furrowed even more, and his voice lowered.
"How do you know? You've never met those two people, and you've never been to that place."
Before he could finish speaking, he glanced in Zhou Shuhua's direction, his meaning clear: his teacher's wife couldn't handle any more stimulation right now, and he couldn't let her get her hopes up for nothing.
Zhou Qiqi's lips curled into a bitter smile, tinged with helplessness and resignation:
"I wish I didn't know, but I do know these two people."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Shuhua and Political Commissar Lei, who had momentarily held their breath.
“Not only me, but you also know me, and you’ve probably met Master and Mistress as well.”
As if struck by lightning, Zhou Shuhua abruptly broke free from Political Commissar Lei's support, rushed forward, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who? Who is it?"
She practically snatched the drawing paper from Zhou Qiqi's hand.
Under the light, the portrait that Zhouzhou pieced together from the chaotic description had a strangely distorted combination of facial features, but for some reason, the contradictory lines vaguely outlined the contours of a somewhat familiar face.
Shen Huaichuan leaned closer for a closer look, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he blurted out, "This is... Xu Shu's mother?"
"That's right, it's Li Guixiang."
Zhou Qiqi nodded affirmatively.
"Judging by the timeline, the Xu family arrived in the city about a month ago. They're from L province, so the time and place match up, and there are all these conflicting descriptions of their physical characteristics..."
She pointed to the harsh, triangular eyes and slightly sunken nose in the portrait.
"Piecing them together, they resemble them at least seven or eight parts."
She had been wondering where the Xu family got the money to put on such a decent wedding for Lin Yao.
Now that she has this jade pendant, she understands everything.
Zhou Shuhua gripped the thin piece of paper tightly in both hands. She had only seen these two people in the auditorium and had only a vague impression of them.
"It really is them? Are you sure? Qiqi, are you sure?!"
She suddenly looked up, grabbing Zhou Qiqi's arm tightly as if it were a lifeline, her voice trembling with emotion.
"They are your adoptive parents! Do you know them? Do you know where they got this jade pendant? Do you recognize my brother Zhou Jianbang?! Have you ever met him?!"
The stinging pain in her arm made Zhou Qiqi frown slightly.
"Madam! Please don't get agitated!"
Shen Huaichuan immediately stepped forward, pried open Zhou Shuhua's tightly clenched hands, and shielded Zhou Qiqi behind him, saying, "Tell me slowly, tell me slowly."
Zhou Qiqi rubbed her arm, which had been pinched so hard, and met the anxious gaze with a gentle shake of her head, her tone calm:
"I've never seen this jade pendant before. I don't know where they got it. As for the name Zhou Jianbang... I only learned about it from Huaichuan that day."
The fire in Zhou Shuhua's eyes dimmed instantly, and her body swayed.
But the next second, she turned sharply to Political Commissar Lei, even more agitated:
"It's alright, Lao Lei, let's go to Xujia Village and find them right away! They sold the jade pendant, so they must know where my brother is! Let's go back and pack now! Tomorrow! We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning! We'll take the earliest bus!"
She was incoherent and pushed aside the stool blocking her way, trying to rush out.
"Shuhua! Calm down!"
Political Commissar Lei quickly chased after him.
Shen Huaichuan and Zhou Qiqi looked in the direction the two had left, exchanged a glance, and both shook their heads.
Zhou Qiqi sighed softly and murmured, "I didn't want to have anything to do with Zhou Shuhua in the car, but in the end, it all came full circle..."
She paused, looked up at Shen Huaichuan's taut jawline, and then said:
"Go to your master's house later and tell them that we'd like to go to Xu Family Village with them too."
Shen Huaichuan tightened his grip on her shoulder, his brows furrowing deeply: "Qiqi, you don't need to force yourself. Your teacher's wife..."
"It wasn't for her,"
Zhou Qiqi interrupted him softly.
“My parents’ graves are still in the village. I’ve gotten married and haven’t gone back to offer incense yet… No matter what, I should go and offer them some incense.”
She silently added in her mind: The most important thing is to offer incense to the original owner of this body.
In addition, she had a vague idea that she could only find the answer by returning to Xujia Village.
Hopefully... it's not what she thinks.
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