The two walked along the village path toward the village chief's house.
He encountered several villagers on the road, who greeted Xu Xinghe warmly when they saw him.
Xu Xinghe responded with a smile, occasionally stopping to ask a few simple questions, but never mentioning her true purpose.
When we arrived at the village chief's house, he was drying corn in the yard.
Upon seeing Xu Xinghe and Lian Xiao, he quickly put down his work and greeted them warmly, "Comrade Xu, what brings you here? Please come in and sit down. I'll get you some water."
“No need to trouble the village chief, we just came to take a look and ask about the recent situation in the village.” Xu Xinghe said with a smile, and sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard with Lian Xiao.
The village chief sat down opposite them. "Things are fine in the village lately. Nothing major has happened. The weather is warm now, much better than in winter. Apart from Erlaizi and his son, no one else has been in trouble."
Xu Xinghe nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
At least for now, no further incidents of injury have occurred in the village.
She pressed on with a few more questions, "Have you heard anything about any strangers coming to the village recently, or any villagers seeing any suspicious people?"
The village chief thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I haven't heard anything about it. The village has always been peaceful. Apart from the occasional peddler coming from door to door, there are hardly any strangers. What's wrong, Comrade Xu? Has something happened?"
"It's nothing, I was just asking." Xu Xinghe smiled and brushed it off, not asking any further questions.
After saying goodbye to the village chief, she and Lian Xiao began visiting each household.
Instead of directly asking if they had seen any strangers or strange people, they would use the pretext of the military understanding the villagers' living conditions to inquire whether the family had encountered any difficulties recently or seen any unusual situations.
The villagers were very cooperative, sharing their own family situations, mostly trivial matters.
Xu Xinghe visited most of the village before finally arriving at Feng Qiushi's home.
The gate to the courtyard was open, and Xu Xinghe immediately saw Feng Qiushi sitting in the courtyard. She was holding an old piece of clothing in her hand, but she wasn't mending it; she was just staring blankly at the ground.
Compared to the last time we met, she had lost a lot of weight, her cheeks were sunken, her eye sockets were deep, and she looked as if something had drained her of her energy. She looked several years older than before, and even her eyes had lost their former sparkle.
Hearing the noise, Feng Qiushi looked up and saw Xu Xinghe and Lian Xiao. His eyes darted away instinctively, and his hands unconsciously clenched the clothes in his hands.
But she quickly forced herself to return to normal, stood up, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Comrade Xu, what brings you here? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"We've come to see Teacher Shen," Xu Xinghe said calmly. "We have some business with the military and would like to ask him about it. We don't know if he's home."
Feng Qiushi was taken aback for a moment, then called out into the house, "Shen An, someone is looking for you!"
Not long after, Shen An came out of the house.
He was wearing a faded shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked as refined as ever.
Xu Xinghe's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds.
His eyebrows and eyes do indeed resemble Xu Mingli's, and even their outlines seem very similar. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that his eyes are gentler and lack Xu Mingli's sinister feeling. Moreover, his face is slightly rounder, clearly indicating that they are not the same person.
"Teacher Shen, I'm sorry to bother you," Xu Xinghe said, asking a few questions about whether there had been any unusual activity recently.
Shen An answered each question seriously, his tone calm and his eyes unwavering, indicating that there was nothing wrong with him.
After asking her questions, Xu Xinghe had a general idea of what was going on. She gave Lian Xiao a wink, then stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation. If you find anything unusual in the future, please remember to contact the military immediately. We have other things to do, so we'll be leaving now."
Feng Qiushi and Shen An nodded, without trying to stop them.
The two turned and walked out of the courtyard, heading towards the village entrance.
After walking a distance, Lian Xiao asked in a low voice, "So? The Xu Mingli that Shen An mentioned isn't the same person, is it?"
“Yes, it’s not just one person.” Xu Xinghe nodded. “But Feng Qiushi’s condition is very strange. How much trouble must a person be carrying to be tormented like that? Do you remember what she looked like before?”
Lian Xiao tried to recall, but found his memory was very vague.
The main problem is that he's completely uninterested in other women.
"I forgot, but now she looks like she's sick."
Xu Xinghe, however, felt that it did not seem like an illness. "Feng Qiushi must be hiding something. Although Shen An looks normal, it is too strange that he looks like Xu Mingli. Especially after I saw him today, I found that they look even more alike. From a distance, you can't tell that they are not the same person."
Not only their faces, but even their height and build are very similar.
"So we can't let our guard down now. Find a few reliable people to keep an eye on their house day and night. Make sure they don't reveal their whereabouts. Record their every move, even if they buy something or meet someone. Tell me immediately if there's anything suspicious."
Lian Xiao nodded, "Don't worry, I'll arrange for someone to come over right away, and I'll make sure they don't find out."
Xu Xinghe rarely asks him for a favor, so he has to do it well!
He was never any less capable than Jiang Linchuan!
The two returned to the jeep and drove back to the military headquarters.
Throughout the journey, Xu Xinghe leaned back in the passenger seat, his mind replaying the images of Feng Qiushi and Shen An.
When we got back to the family compound, it was already getting dark.
Jiang Linchuan finally finished his work and returned home, cooking in the kitchen.
Seeing Xu Xinghe enter, he stopped and turned to look at her, asking, "Where did you go?"
“I went to Hongqi Village.” Xu Xinghe changed her shoes and walked to the kitchen door. “Because I suddenly remembered something, so I went over there to take a look.”
"Hmm." Jiang Linchuan noticed that she didn't seem to be in a good mood, so he didn't ask any further questions to avoid affecting her appetite. "Wash your hands first, the food will be ready soon."
Before long, the food was served.
Two dishes and a soup—simple, yet steaming hot.
Xu Xinghe and Jiang Linchuan had only taken a few bites when footsteps came from the courtyard gate. Lian Xiao pushed the door open and walked in, holding a note in his hand.
As soon as he entered the room, his gaze fell on Xu Xinghe, and he winked at her.
Xu Xinghe's heart skipped a beat. She immediately put down her chopsticks, stood up, and asked, "Is something wrong?"
Lian Xiao quickly walked to her side and said in a low voice, "The people I sent have returned with a message. This afternoon, after lunch, Feng Qiushi suddenly changed her clothes and quietly went to town, taking the back roads. My men followed her the whole time. When they passed the military headquarters, they came back to report. We'll have to wait until tomorrow for more details about what she did in town and who she met."
"They went to town?" Although Feng Qiushi usually went to town, he mostly took the main road. This time, however, he took a side road. There must be something wrong with that.
Jiang Linchuan put down his chopsticks and looked at the two of them. "What happened? What did you find when you went to Hongqi Village this afternoon?"
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