On the way down the mountain, Chen Hao looked at Zhang Gong'an, who was walking ahead with his head down, and couldn't help but ask, "This matter... you really don't plan to pursue it any further?"
Zhang Gong'an shrugged helplessly and said, "If we can't find any evidence, what's the point of pursuing it?"
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, stopped, turned around and reached out to Chen Hao, asking, "Where's the pen cap you found in the cellar?"
Chen Hao took a pen cap out of his pocket and handed it over.
Zhang Gong'an took it, turned around and threw it forcefully into the woods that were gradually being shrouded in darkness.
Chen Hao: "??!!"
Zhang Gong'an said expressionlessly, "I am a coward. I didn't dare to stop a bunch of bastards from bullying the elderly and children. But I couldn't do something so disgusting as to send a perfectly healthy person to be shot for some beast. Actually, I'm quite happy and grateful that when I knocked on the door, I saw that they were all alive and well, instead of already being splattered with blood."
"So, when you go back, how are you going to explain things?" Chen Hao asked.
Zhang Gong'an shrugged and said, "We just couldn't find the person. What else can we explain? The only regret is that we can't follow the clues from Chen Dachuan and catch his other accomplices. But, to be pessimistic, with Chen Dachuan's stubbornness, even if we manage to catch the person alive this time, the chances of getting anything out of him are slim."
“However, if you are unwilling to cover it up for me and want to go back and report me, I will not have any complaints,” Officer Zhang said, looking at Chen Hao.
Chen Hao raised an eyebrow and said, "Report you? Why? It's best for me that Chen Dachuan can disappear so quietly. Besides, I can also collect favors from Xing Zhaozhao's brother and her husband. It's all beneficial and harmless."
Police Officer Zhang: "..." As soon as Chen Dachuan got into trouble, this relative of his rushed over immediately, acting as if he knew the ropes well. It was clear that he had helped Chen Dachuan resolve things more than once or twice. He had followed him all this way today and had even started to think more highly of him, but it turned out he had been too optimistic about him.
Chen Hao grinned at Zhang Gong'an: "Brother Zhang, you won't report me, will you?"
Zhang Gong'an: "..." That "brother" is quite something, we're all in the same boat now.
As night fell, at Xing Zhaozhao's house halfway up the mountain, a pot of rich and fragrant bone broth was finally ready. The aroma filled the house, making all the pups, whether dogs or people, drool.
"Dinner's ready," Fu Lan called out, carrying a large bowl of bone broth to the table.
Actually, she didn't even need to call them. Hongfei and Hongyu had already pulled Grandma Qin to sit down at the dining table. Little Hongling was sitting in Grandma Qin's lap, drooling. Black General was also moved out of the house. Although it was injured, it still tried its best to raise its head and stick out its tongue, looking forward to its dinner.
"Huh?" Only then did Grandma Qin notice Fu Lan's hand wrapped with a handkerchief, and asked curiously, "Xiao Lan, what happened to your hand?"
Fu Lan flicked her hand dismissively and said, "It's nothing. I accidentally cut myself with scissors while doing needlework earlier."
When Grandma Qin saw the bloodstains still on the handkerchief, she frowned with worry and said, "When did this happen? I hadn't noticed before, but it looks like the injury is quite serious."
"It was nothing before, just a small cut," Fu Lan said casually.
Xing Zhaozhao had just finished stir-frying some greens and was serving them when she heard this. She said, "It's too late today. Let's go to the clinic to see Dr. Ding tomorrow."
Hongyu was drooling over the meat bones in the bone broth when he heard this, and quickly said, "General Hei wants to join us too."
Xing Zhaozhao chuckled and said, "Alright, General Hei will come too. However, Dr. Ding only treats people; it's hard to say whether he can cure General Hei."
"It will definitely work." Hongyu had an inexplicable trust in Dr. Ding, who could deliver calves.
"Yes, it will definitely work." Grandma Qin smiled and agreed, giving each of the two little ones a bone to gnaw on, and also giving General Black a piece of meat to eat. The injured and listless puppy looked quite pitiful.
"However, Xiao Lan surprised me quite a bit today; I didn't expect her to be so sarcastic," Grandma Qin said with a smile, looking at Fu Lan.
Fu Lan blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed: "Sister Xing isn't home, and I don't know what those two are planning. If we don't stand up for them, we might suffer losses."
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Fu Lan approvingly and said, "It's good to have a bit of a prickly side. Don't believe in the saying that suffering a loss is a blessing. People will only think you're soft and easy to bully." Just like she was in her previous life.
Fu Lan nodded seriously and took note.
After dinner, it was already quite late. Xing Zhaozhao poured the remaining bone broth into two large porcelain jars, covered them, tied them tightly with a cloth, and carried them home to Old Mrs. Qin.
It was getting late, and fearing the roads would be difficult to navigate at night, she specially asked Gao Dahan to drive her back in his tractor. She personally escorted Old Mrs. Qin back to her home on Dacheng Street, and then went to check on the old principal to make sure he wasn't seriously injured before returning home with peace of mind.
Grandma Qin hadn't come home all day, and the old and young in the family were worried about her. They hadn't eaten properly all day, and their stomachs started growling as soon as they smelled the bone broth she brought back.
Grandma Qin simply used bone broth to stew a pot of meat porridge for them, which they slurped down before finally going to bed comfortably.
Grandma Qin lay in bed, thinking about what had happened during the day. Details she hadn't noticed before suddenly came to mind, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She was so frightened that she couldn't sleep.
She shook the old headmaster awake and told him everything she had noticed at Xing Zhaozhao's place during the day: "...The more I think about it, the more something seems wrong. Are we too late? Has something already happened to Zhaozhao?"
Just by listening to what Grandma Qin said, the old principal realized something was wrong, and his heart pounded wildly.
"As long as Zhaozhao, the three children, and Xiaolan are all alright, you don't need to worry about anything else," the old principal comforted Grandma Qin.
"But I still feel uneasy thinking about it now. Only Xiao Hongling is unharmed at home. Both children have bruises on their necks, Zhao Zhao has one on her wrist, and Xiao Lan is also injured. That beast didn't even spare the puppies." Old Mrs. Qin clutched her chest and said sadly, "If only I had left earlier this morning, I could have at least reminded Zhao Zhao."
"Oh, right, and there's also Officer Zhang and Chen Hao." Old Mrs. Qin was extremely flustered. "They've been loitering around Zhao Zhao's house for a long time. I wonder if they've figured anything out? If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have brought them there. What will happen to the three children if they really take Zhao Zhao away?"
The old headmaster pondered for a moment and said, "Since they left without saying anything, they probably didn't find anything. Even if they did find something and Zhaozhao was taken away, I have a few old friends in Beijing. Asking them to bail her out shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry."
Grandma Qin's chaotic heart finally calmed down a little: "No, I have to go to Zhaozhao's place again tomorrow."
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