"I never imagined Zhao Deshan was this kind of person! He usually seemed so kind, yet he did such a heinous thing!" Aunt Li's face turned red with anger. "Wanqiu, don't worry, we will definitely help you investigate! We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything happening in the village!"
“Yes,” Aunt Wang chimed in, “Zhao Jianjun is no good either. He tried to bully you before, and now he’s doing bad things with his dad. We can’t let them succeed! I’ll talk to the old ladies in the village more often; maybe I can hear some useful information.”
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and quickly thanked them, "Thank you, Aunt Li, Aunt Wang. With your help, I feel much more at ease."
In the days that followed, everyone sprang into action. Shen Tingzhou often used the excuse of going to the county to contact business to secretly follow Zhao Jianjun and observe his whereabouts; Lin Wanqiu chatted with the villagers in the village, collecting stories about Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun's past deeds; Aunt Li and Aunt Wang were not idle either, asking the villagers for information every day, and immediately telling Lin Wanqiu any clues they had.
That day, Aunt Li hurriedly found Lin Wanqiu and said in a low voice, "Wanqiu, I heard that Zhao Jianjun went to a grain store in the county yesterday and talked to a strange man for a long time. He even gave the man a cloth bag. I don't know what's in it."
Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Where is that grain store? Do you know who that man is?"
“The grain store is located at the east end of the county town, and it’s called ‘Xingsheng Grain Store’.” Aunt Li thought for a moment. “As for that man, I heard from Old Zhang, who goes to the county market, that he’s a businessman who was involved with the smuggling gang before, and his name is Liu San.”
"Liu San?" Lin Wanqiu immediately thought of the businessman Shen Tingzhou had mentioned earlier. "Aunt Li, thank you! I'll go tell Tingzhou right away!"
Lin Wanqiu found Shen Tingzhou and told him what Aunt Li had said. Shen Tingzhou's eyes instantly sharpened: "It seems that Zhao Jianjun and Liu San are indeed colluding. We need to go to the county town quickly and see if we can find evidence of their transaction."
After a quick packing, the two rode their bicycles towards the county town. On the way, Shen Tingzhou held Lin Wanqiu's hand tightly: "Wanqiu, this trip to the county town might be dangerous. You must stay by my side and not act alone."
"I know, don't worry." Lin Wanqiu nodded, feeling a little nervous but mostly expectant—they were finally getting closer to the truth.
At the entrance of "Xingsheng Grain Store" on the east side of the county town, people came and went. Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu pretended to be customers buying grain and entered the store. The store was filled with the fresh aroma of grain, and several clerks were busy weighing grain for customers. Shen Tingzhou's gaze swept across the people in the store and quickly spotted a man in a black jacket sitting in a corner talking to the grain store owner. That man was Liu San, whom Aunt Li had mentioned.
Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu exchanged a glance, then walked calmly to the grain rack, pretending to select grains, while carefully listening to the conversation between Liu San and the shopkeeper.
"Things are getting tense lately, so be careful when you do business with Zhao Jianjun. Don't let anyone find out," the grain store owner said in a low voice.
Liu San sneered: "Don't worry, that old bastard Zhao Deshan has already paved the way. Who can trace it back to us? Besides, that kid Zhao Jianjun is in a hurry for money. As long as you give him enough benefits, he's willing to do anything."
“That’s true,” the grain store owner nodded. “However, you should still be careful. I heard that Shen Tingzhou has been investigating what happened three years ago. Don’t let him trace it back to us.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tingzhou and Lin Wanqiu's hearts skipped a beat—it turned out that Liu San not only had a deal with Zhao Jianjun, but also knew that Shen Tingzhou was investigating the events of three years ago! This meant that they had long regarded Shen Tingzhou as a threat, and might even try to harm him.
Shen Tingzhou tugged at Lin Wanqiu's hand, signaling her it was time to leave. The two pretended they hadn't found suitable grain and turned to walk out of the grain store.
"Tingzhou, what do we do now?" Lin Wanqiu asked in a low voice. "They already know you're investigating, so they'll definitely be more careful, and they might even try to harm us."
Shen Tingzhou's eyes hardened: "Don't worry, the more nervous they are, the more guilty they are. We already know the location of their transaction. All we need to do is find evidence of their transaction to bring them all to justice. Moreover, I've already spoken to Secretary Zhao, and he will secretly send people to assist us. As long as we find the evidence, we can bring them to justice immediately."
Lin Wanqiu nodded, feeling somewhat at ease. She knew that although the road ahead was fraught with danger, as long as she and her husband worked together, with the help of Secretary Zhao and the villagers, they would surely overcome the difficulties, bring Zhao Deshan, Zhao Jianjun, and Liu San, these bad guys, to justice, seek justice for their fallen teammates, and allow the villagers of Hongqi Production Brigade to live a peaceful life.
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