The third day of framing
Wang Qi specifically told them the locations of Wang Ge's old house and Granny Zhao at the end of the alley. Back at the hotel that evening, they decided to split into two teams to follow the leads. Qin Ming and Kong Yue continued to contact the three Wang brothers—Wang Shao, Wang Bo, and Wang Yu—keeping an eye on their movements. Lin Chaoying, Jiang Chuangu, and Qian Fei, on the other hand, would investigate the truth behind the Xiao Mei incident to find Wang Ge's next target or his exact location.
On the morning of the third day, everyone ate some bread casually. Qin Ming reminded them to communicate promptly if any situation arose, and then they split up to take action.
Compared to the commercial streets near the River God Festival, the residential area of Taoyuan Village is very quiet. Old bicycles are parked in the narrow alleys, and bamboo poles are strung between the roof beams for villagers to dry their clothes.
Jiang Chuangu, carrying bags of snacks and daily necessities such as rice, flour, and cooking oil, followed Lin Chaoying and Qian Fei to Zhang Dai's house.
After hearing a child crying, Zhang Dai opened the door. Seeing strangers, he instinctively tried to close it, but Qian Fei blocked it with his foot. Lin Chaoying said, "We are Xiao Mei and Wang Ge's friends. We've come to visit your family today..."
Zhang Ge silently opened the door. "Come in."
White cloth strips were already hung in the courtyard. The little girl, her face red from crying, stood beside the water vat, calling for her mother. Wang Ge picked her up and led the group into the room. On the table opposite the door was a black and white photograph. Below the photograph was a brazier burning paper money, the smoke making it hard to open one's eyes.
Jiangchuan Gu had just put down what he was holding when his eyes started stinging and watering uncontrollably.
Qian Fei covered his nose and said, "It's not safe to burn things inside the house. How about I put them in the yard for you?"
Zhang Dai's face was sallow, with dark circles under his eyes. He nodded calmly, tacitly agreeing to her suggestion.
Lin Chaoying lifted the curtain and opened the window inside the room. After ventilating, the room was finally safe to stay in. They exchanged a glance, silently conveying to each other that they had almost choked to death.
Zhang Dai sat on the sofa holding the child, not speaking, his eyes like still water, staring at the black and white photo on the table.
The eerie silence was irritating to Qian Fei, who couldn't help but say, "I know it's not the right time to ask, but as friends of Xiao Mei and Wang Ge, we still hope to find out what exactly happened between them back then."
Lin Chaoying continued emotionally, "We can't let the villagers forever condemn Xiao Mei and Qiu Chen with foul language. What will happen to your children in the future?"
Zhang Dai said calmly, "What do you want to know?"
Seeing that she reacted, Qian Fei quickly encouraged Lin Chaoying to continue.
Lin Chaoying: "Yesterday you said that the two of them were innocent. I want to know what Qiu Chen said to you? As Xiao Mei's friend, I'm sure she's not a fickle person and wouldn't do such a thing. There must have been a misunderstanding back then, right?"
Zhang Dai carried the child into the bedroom, each step heavy, forcing a smile as he found toys for the child. Then, he sighed and returned to the living room, saying, "Qiu Chen was an outsider, and when he first opened the tavern, he was harassed every day. Xiao Mei had just returned to the village with Wang Ge and encountered some troublemakers a few times, and she even helped him out. Apart from that, the two of them haven't been in contact."
Qian Fei was bewildered by her confident tone. "How can you be so sure?"
Zhang Dai: "During that time, I was dating him. I remember it very well. My home is in the county town. He would close his shop early every day and come to the county town to have dinner with me under the cover of dawn. We talked a lot. He mentioned to me that the village chief's youngest son's family was very righteous. Wang Ge and Xiao Mei were not like the people in the village committee who rejected outsiders."
Lin Chaoying asked, "Why didn't he come with you to the county town?"
Zhang Dai: "He has no relatives left, and all he has is the money he has earned from working over the years. He can't afford to live in the city because of the high cost of living, so he traveled to many small villages and found that Taoyuan Village has the most deeply rooted river god culture among all the nearby villages. He said that this kind of village is currently underdeveloped, but it will definitely be able to develop tourism in the future by relying on its unique characteristics."
Lin Chaoying: "After you married into the family, did you learn about the rumors the villagers were spreading?"
“Of course.” Zhang Dai stared blankly at the photo and said, “But the villagers said the time of catching them in the act was around eight or nine o’clock at night. Qiu Chen and I were clearly in the county town at that time. Later, I talked to him about it, and he confessed that the village chief had contacted him privately and promised to waive the rent for the tavern. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that moment. I originally wanted to make a comeback and start over in a different place…”
"But the word 'courage' doesn't exist in the lives of the poor."
Lin Chaoying asked, "Eight or nine o'clock in the evening? Do you remember which day exactly?"
Zhang Dai shook his head and said, "I forgot. I remember my first reaction when I heard it was that I knew it was absolutely impossible. Qiu Chen would arrive in the county town at five o'clock every day, and we would go on dates until ten or eleven o'clock every day before going home. So I knew that the two of us must have been the subject of rumors. As time went on, people stopped mentioning it. I always believe that the truth will prevail, and I gradually forgot about it."
Lin Chaoying remembered what Wang Qi had said yesterday: Xiao Mei would go to Qiu Chen's tavern to buy wine at noon. If it really was just one day? What happened to Xiao Mei during those blank hours? From excitedly preparing gifts for family and friends at noon, to being suddenly framed for cheating in the evening, and then the so-called "adulterer" being bribed by the village chief Wang Shao?
What exactly did Xiao Mei go through?
As the three left Zhang Dai's house, she thanked them for the gifts. Qian Fei added her contact information, saying that they could contact her if they needed any help.
Qian Fei crossed his arms. "So the village chief knows that Xiao Mei and Qiu Chen are innocent?"
Jiang Chuan Gu was surprised: "Has the matter come full circle back to Wang Shao?"
Lin Chaoying was still thinking about what Xiao Mei might encounter during the four hours from four or five in the afternoon to eight or nine in the evening.
"Sister?" A weak voice came from not far away. They turned around in the direction of the voice and saw Wang Fei standing at the entrance of the alley.
"What are you doing here?" Lin Chaoying asked.
Wang Fei said, "I heard today that Brother Qiu Chen is going to be buried, so I came to see Sister-in-law Zhang Dai."
The little girl, who had just lost her mother, still had the heart to comfort others. Qian Fei felt a pang of sympathy and put his arm around her shoulder.
Wang Fei took out her phone, looked at Lin Chaoying, and said, "Sister, can I add you on WeChat?"
Lin Chaoying: "Of course!" Remembering what Wang Qi had said yesterday about Zhuang Huan going crazy because of her child's illness, she asked, "When we were chatting with others yesterday, we heard that you had a serious illness eight years ago?"
Wang Fei nodded obediently, "Yes, when I was ten years old, my mother said I almost died, and the river god saved me."
This village is doomed. Qian Fei, standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes. At that moment, she desperately wanted to tear down the river god temple!
Lin Chaoying countered, "Do you believe that the river god saved you?"
Suddenly, Wang Fei leaned close to Lin Chaoying's ear, covered her mouth with her hand, and said something. For several seconds, Qian Fei and Jiang Chuangu looked at each other in confusion.
Wang Fei lowered her hand, looked at Lin Chaoying firmly, and said, "Sister, will you believe me?"
Lin Chaoying changed her kind and gentle tone and said seriously, "No matter what the outcome of this matter is, you must keep it to yourself and remember that it has nothing to do with you, understand?"
Wang Fei shook her head, disagreeing with her words, and retorted, "Sister, I am the beneficiary, and the outcome, whether good or bad, will eventually come to me."
Lin Chaoying wiped the sweat from her forehead somewhat awkwardly, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "Okay, come to me immediately if anything happens, understand?"
Wang Fei finally smiled and said, "Okay."
After she entered Zhang Dai's house, the three of them left. Qian Fei, curious and itching to know what she was saying, asked, "What did she whisper to you?"
"This isn't the place to talk," Lin Chaoying said, eager to leave. "Let's go to the old house first!"
According to Wang Qidi's directions yesterday, Wang Ge's old house was actually where his parents and grandfather used to live. It was located two streets away from the village committee and in a relatively central location in the residential area.
Because of long-term neglect, the gate to the courtyard was dilapidated, and the iron lock was rusty. With a gentle push, it creaked open, revealing the entire courtyard.
It's clear that no one lives in or manages this house, yet its location is so peculiar, like a piece of rotting flesh in the heart of Peach Blossom Village.
Qian Fei continued to mutter, "Last time we met, Wang Fei's eyes were glued to Jiang Chuangu, but now they're all on Lin Chaoying. She can't see Jiang Chuangu at all."
Jiangchuan Valley shrugged, indicating that he didn't care.
In any case, his attention was entirely on Lin Chaoying.
Lin Chaoying didn't hear what she was saying; her mind was filled with what Wang Fei had just whispered in her ear. She buried herself in the dilapidated house and began searching.
The rooms on the left side of the courtyard were the kitchen and storage room, both empty. On the right was a small house, which, although dusty, looked like it had been cleaned up a long time ago; any drawer you opened was empty.
Stepping into the room directly opposite the main entrance, it was spotless, almost too clean. The cabinets and drawers were still empty, without a single item.
Lin Chaoying looked around and asked, "If you've lived in your house for over ten years, which spot would you neglect to clean?"
Qian Fei thought for a moment and said directly, "The back of the refrigerator? The back of the cabinet? We'll clean all the other exposed areas, or maybe the deeper places under the bed?"
Lin Chaoying called Jiang Chuangu, lifted the bed, and checked under it. There was nothing there except for the dust that rushed towards them.
She ran back to the small room and observed that the foot of the bed was against the wall. The three of them moved the bed again. The room was even dustier, almost shaped like dirt. Lin Chaoying dug through the accumulated dust with both hands and finally found a stone in the corner.
Lin Chaoying picked it up and wiped the dirt off with her clothes, revealing the character "眉" (eyebrow).
Jiang Chuan Gu asked in surprise, "Xiao Mei? Is it Xiao Mei's?"
Qian Fei covered his nose and asked, "What exactly did Wang Fei say to you?"
Lin Chaoying: "She said that Xiao Mei had contacted her before..."
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