In a bright study, Ye Xingchang sat at a large wooden table, flipping through the materials he had gathered from his visits and investigations over the past few days, his brows furrowed slightly.
The investigation into the missing treasure case has been going on for so long, yet there is still no progress; it's as if the treasure simply vanished into thin air.
Kuroko, who was standing to the side, moved his lips, but hesitated to speak.
After Ye Xingchang noticed this, he told him to speak frankly.
"I remembered someone, they're on the list," Kuroko said, stopping short of revealing his identity.
Upon hearing this, Ye Xingchang pulled out the list Zhao Honghui had given him, scanned it from top to bottom, and was finally drawn to the name "Xie Yuyao" ranked second.
Thinking of her large amount of food and supplies, the doubts that had been lingering for days finally cleared up.
He clicked his tongue, stood up, looked out the window, and fell into deep thought.
During the chase that night, Hei Zi reported that he clearly sensed Xie Yuyao's unusual behavior. Besides knowing the sniper's position in advance, there was also her pistol, her sudden appearance and disappearance, and the unique bullets.
If Xie Yuyao really did it, Zhao Honghui must have already known and covered for her. But Zhao Honghui didn't intend to completely hide it; he included both of their names on the list, which could be considered a subtle hint.
Zhao Honghui did this for two reasons: first, it was out of brotherly affection between the two, and second, he knew Ye Xingchang well enough to know that even if Ye Xingchang wasn't on the list, he would eventually find out about Xie Yuyao.
So, how did Xie Yuyao make the treasure disappear into thin air?
Ye Xingchang closed his eyes and let his mind wander, his mind filled with all sorts of bizarre rumors from ancient times to the present. Suddenly, he opened his sharp, eagle-like eyes and said, "Hei Zi, keep your guesses to yourself and never tell a second person."
"yes!"
"Let's go to the Red Flag Commune."
Ye Xingchang put all the documents into the drawer and strode out of the study.
*
At the same time, Xie Yuyao took fever-reducing medicine and a cup of spiritual spring water into the inner room of the clinic and asked Zhao Guangliang to help the little boy lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) to take the medicine.
After Yang Shumei returned home, Xie Yuyao went to the clinic in the morning and made braised meat at home in the afternoon, while Zhao Jianbin was still in charge of purchasing supplies.
Today, a special patient came to the clinic.
The boy's name is Xiao Qi. He is eight years old and is wearing tattered clothes. His cheeks are red from the cold, and his skin is cracked and scabbed.
Just now, he collapsed at the entrance of the clinic. Xie Yuyao heard the noise and went out. When she saw the child lying on the ground, she quickly carried him into the clinic's inner room and, with the help of Zhao Guangliang and Zhao Hongqin, laid him on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Xie Yuyao touched his forehead; it was burning hot, and she wondered how he had gotten here from home.
After taking the child's temperature and conducting a diagnosis, Xie Yuyao went out to get medicine, while Zhao Guangliang and Zhao Hongqin each used warm water to cool the child down and applied Xie Yuyao's homemade frostbite ointment to treat the frostbite.
Besides his face, Xiao Qi's hands and feet were also covered with chilblains, and several places were cracked open.
After taking the medicine, Xiao Qi drifted off to sleep.
Even when he was unconscious, the irritation from the medication when treating his frostbite made him tremble slightly.
Zhao Hongqin tucked the blanket around Xiao Qi and started talking to Xie Yuyao about his family affairs.
It turns out that Xiao Qi's mother passed away two years ago, and his father remarried a woman with a five-year-old son. With a stepmother comes a stepfather, and Xiao Qi's life is certainly going to be tough.
I heard that Xiao Qi's father's love for his son was entirely focused on the child that the woman brought with him. He not only didn't care about the woman mistreating his own son, but he was also once manipulated into telling Xiao Qi not to go to elementary school and to cut grass to earn work points.
If Xiao Qi hadn't begged his grandfather to intervene and reprimand his father, he would have dropped out of school early and become a child laborer.
But his grandfather ate with his uncle, and his aunt was very powerful, so he could only secretly help Xiao Qi, though he was willing but unable to do so.
Xie Yuyao was speechless upon hearing this, wondering if her father had lost his mind.
If it were his father's younger brother born to his stepmother, and he favored the younger one, that would be one thing. But this isn't his own son, and he doesn't rely on a woman to support the family, so why treat his own son like a weed?
As time went by, beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Qi's forehead, and his high fever finally subsided.
He opened his blurry eyes and saw Xie Yuyao and the other two, knowing that he was finally saved.
"Xiao Qi, how are you feeling? Are you in pain?" Zhao Hongqin walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), touched his forehead, and asked softly.
Xiao Qi propped himself up and said weakly, "Sister Hongqin, I feel a little dizzy."
"You have a high fever, lie down and rest for a while. Where are the adults at home?" Zhao Hongqin helped him lean against the pillows.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi burst into tears, large drops streaming down her cheeks. "They went to the commune to buy things, leaving me all alone."
Xie Yuyao took out a tissue and handed it to the child, saying, "Don't cry, your tears will cause frostbite on your face and hurt."
"Thank you!" Xiao Qi took the tissue and hastily wiped away his tears. "Sister Yao Yao, did you carry me in?"
He fell to the ground, and as he was losing consciousness, he saw Xie Yuyao running towards him.
Xie Yuyao nodded and poured him another cup of spiritual spring water: "Next time this happens, ask your neighbor to call us. We'll come to your door to treat you. It would be dangerous if you collapsed on the way and no one found you."
"I have no money..." Xiao Qi lowered his head and murmured.
Xie Yuyao told him to finish his water, then asked, "How long have you been feeling unwell?"
"I've had a runny nose and sore throat for four or five days now. This morning I felt very dizzy, so I asked my dad to get me some medicine. But my mom said that medicine is three parts poison and that I should just drink more water."
"And then they just left you alone at home? What kind of people are they!" Zhao Guangliang was furious. "No way, I'm going to find the brigade leader to stand up for you."
Xiao Qi quickly stopped him: "Don't go! Brother Guangliang, my dad didn't expect me to have a high fever, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the commune."
"Even so, you've had this cold for so long, and he hasn't gotten you any medicine..."
Xie Yuyao looked at Xiao Qi, who was silently shedding tears, and comforted him, "Xiao Qi, you should rest well on the kang and take your medicine on time."
"But the cost of the medicine..."
Xie Yuyao said, "You don't need to worry about this, little one. If you feel unwell again in the future, just come to us directly. Don't let it get to a serious stage."
Looking at Xie Yuyao's determined gaze, Xiao Qi nodded emphatically: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Seeing Xiao Qi, she felt a pang of sympathy. One was adrift alone in a foreign world, while the other had lost his mother at a young age, and having a father was practically the same as not having one, making him not much different from an orphan.
Since she's caught him in the act, she'll help if she can, but the important thing is for him to stand up for himself. But then again, he's only eight years old, just a child, and as outsiders, there's really not much they can do.
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