A warm feeling instantly welled up in Shen Tingzhou's heart, and all his anxiety and anger dissipated considerably. He stopped the car, walked to Lin Wanqiu's side, and gently patted her shoulder: "I'm back."
Lin Wanqiu turned her head, saw him, and her eyes immediately lit up: "Tingzhou, you're back! How did things go?"
"Let's not talk about that now," Shen Tingzhou smiled and took the soy sauce bottle from her hand. "Let's take the soy sauce inside first, and then we'll talk about it when we get home."
Seeing the couple together, Director Wang jokingly said, "Tingzhou, you are truly blessed to have married such a capable wife as Wanqiu. She not only runs the soy sauce shop successfully but also helps so many villagers get rich."
"I'm so lucky to have married Wanqiu." Shen Tingzhou looked at Lin Wanqiu with tenderness in his eyes. Lin Wanqiu felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly changed the subject: "Director Wang, let's unload the soy sauce first, and you can count it."
After finishing their work at the supply and marketing cooperative, it was almost dark. Shen Tingzhou rode his bicycle, with Lin Wanqiu sitting on the back, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist. A gentle evening breeze carried the scent of wheat from the fields, dispelling the daytime heat.
"Tingzhou, what's wrong?" Lin Wanqiu leaned against his back and asked softly, "I felt you had something on your mind after you came back from the commune."
Shen Tingzhou slowed down the car and lowered his voice: "Wanqiu, I've found a clue about the mission from three years ago. It's related to Zhao Jianjun's father, Zhao Deshan."
Lin Wanqiu was startled and abruptly looked up: "Zhao Deshan? How could it be him? Didn't he retire a long time ago?"
“Hmm,” Shen Tingzhou told Lin Wanqiu all the clues he had obtained from Secretary Zhao. “Now it seems that Zhao Deshan may have colluded with the smuggling gang back then and deliberately leaked our mission information, which led to the sacrifice of his teammates. Moreover, Zhao Jianjun is still in contact with people from that smuggling gang. The father and son must have more secrets.”
Lin Wanqiu was both angry and frightened after hearing this. She knew Zhao Jianjun wasn't a good person, but she never imagined his father was like that! She gripped Shen Tingzhou's clothes tightly, her voice becoming firm: "Tingzhou, don't worry, I'll investigate with you! We can't let Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun get away with it; we must seek justice for our fallen comrades!"
Shen Tingzhou felt a warmth in his heart and took her hand in return: "I know you're worried about me, but this matter is very dangerous. Zhao Deshan has considerable power, and we can't act rashly."
“I’m not afraid of danger,” Lin Wanqiu’s voice was soft but firm. “We are husband and wife, so we should face difficulties together. Besides, Zhao Jianjun has been targeting us in every way before, and now he’s doing bad things with his father. We can’t let them get away with it. You forgot, I still have my space. If we encounter danger, the supplies and medical skills in my space might be of help.”
Shen Tingzhou knew Lin Wanqiu's temperament; once she made up her mind, she wouldn't give up easily. He sighed, but his heart was filled with gratitude: "Alright, then let's investigate together. However, we must proceed cautiously, starting with gathering evidence, and not alerting them."
Back home, Nian'an was already asleep. Lin Wanqiu poured Shen Tingzhou a cup of hot water, sat down beside him, took out paper and pen, and began to sort out the clues: "Zhao Deshan was a liaison officer back then, who deliberately leaked mission information and colluded with smuggling gangs; Zhao Jianjun is now associating with people in smuggling gangs and is even helping his father cover up his crimes. We need to find evidence to prove the crimes of the father and son."
“That’s right,” Shen Tingzhou nodded. “I plan to start with Zhao Jianjun. He’s young and definitely not as cautious as Zhao Deshan. Maybe we can find a breakthrough with him. Besides, he tried to force you to marry him before, and he’s been holding a grudge ever since he was rejected. He’ll definitely look for opportunities to target us. We can take advantage of that and lure him out of his predicament.”
Lin Wanqiu thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "I have an idea. The soy sauce workshop needs to expand and needs to cooperate with the county's supply and marketing cooperative. Zhao Jianjun has been trying to get involved in the soy sauce workshop's business, but we refused. We can deliberately spread the word that we are looking for businessmen in the county to cooperate with. Maybe Zhao Jianjun will take the initiative to come to us. At that time, we can take the opportunity to collect evidence of his dealings with that smuggler."
"That's a great idea!" Shen Tingzhou looked at her approvingly. "Wanqiu, you're so clever. This way, you won't arouse Zhao Deshan's suspicion, and you can lure Zhao Jianjun into the trap."
Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "I learned all this from you. By the way, we can also ask Aunt Li and Aunt Wang for help. They know many people in the village and are well-informed. Maybe they can help us find out more about Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun."
“Yes,” Shen Tingzhou grasped her hand, his eyes resolute. “Tomorrow I will talk to Aunt Li and Aunt Wang and ask them to keep an eye out. If my husband and I work together, we will definitely be able to find out the crimes of Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun, get justice for our fallen teammates, and prevent the villagers from being bullied by them.”
Outside the window, moonlight streamed into the room, bathing everything in a silvery glow. Lin Wanqiu leaned against Shen Tingzhou's chest. Although she knew the road ahead would be difficult, she was fearless as long as he was by her side. She believed that as long as they worked together, with the help of their fellow villagers, they would overcome the difficulties, reveal the truth, and bring the bad guys to justice.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Wanqiu went to the soy sauce shop. Aunt Li and Aunt Wang were already busy there. Seeing her arrive, they quickly greeted her with smiles: "Wanqiu, you're here. Why are you up so early today?"
Lin Wanqiu pulled them aside and whispered about Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun's affair, as well as their plan to collect evidence. Aunt Li and Aunt Wang were both shocked and furious upon hearing this.
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