Ling Xiao looked worried and haggard. He was rowing a small boat on the Qingxi River, holding a long bamboo pole and relentlessly poking at the bottom of the river, trying to find his mischievous child who might be hiding in any nook or cranny.
Fei Ge and Sun Liang rowed the boat and quickly approached.
"Ling Xiao?" Fei Ge called out.
Ling Xiao stared at Fei Ge with bloodshot eyes: "Who are you?"
"My name is Wang Dafei," Fei Ge said.
Ling Xiao frowned, vaguely feeling that the name was somewhat familiar: "You're from Lanyuan Town?"
Fei nodded.
"What do you want? I don't have time to talk to you right now." Ling Xiao said, pulling out the long bamboo pole that had been poked in the air and changing direction to continue.
"Sister Xing asked me to come and give you a message," Fei Ge said.
"Sister Xing?" Ling Xiao paused, turning to look at Fei Ge. "You mean Xing Zhaozhao?"
“That’s right,” Fei Ge said.
"What did you say?" Ling Xiao asked.
"She said your son is with her and you should go pick him up right away," Fei Ge said.
Ling Xiao paused, his hand holding the bamboo pole still. He abruptly turned and glared at Fei Ge, grinding his teeth as he asked, "What did you say?"
“Your son is fine. He secretly went to Xiaogaozhuang to see Sister Xing,” Fei Ge repeated.
Ling Xiao remained silent for a moment, his face dark, then threw the bamboo pole into the river and cursed, "Damn it~@#￥%%, that brat*&……%￥"
Fei Ge: "..." That's so vulgar. It's the first time I've ever heard someone use such vulgar language.
After venting his anger, Ling Xiao felt much better, and the anxiety that had been weighing on his mind finally subsided.
He looked at Fei Ge gratefully and said, "Thank you for coming all the way to tell me. I'll go to Xiaogaozhuang to pick them up right away."
When we pick up that brat, if we don't beat him to a pulp on the spot, he'll take our surname. How dare he play this kind of joke on him! Damn it!
Ling Xiao couldn't help but secretly grind his teeth.
As Ling Xiao prepared to return to shore, he realized that he hadn't brought his oar. The bamboo pole he had been using as an oar had also been thrown away and was now too far away to reach.
He simply jumped onto Fei Ge's small boat and said, "I've lost my oars, could you please give me a ride back? Thank you."
Fei Ge gestured for Sun Liang to row the boat, then looked at Ling Xiao and said, "We actually have another matter we want to discuss with you today."
"What is it?" Ling Xiao asked. Knowing that his son was alright, he was relieved and had the leisure to talk about things.
Fei Ge pointed at Sun Liang: "Half a month ago, this kid got a batch of goods from me to sell in Qingxi Town, but your men confiscated them."
Ling Xiao frowned: "Half a month ago? That's impossible, I haven't heard of it. What kind of goods are you talking about?"
“A radio and a watch,” Sun Liang said timidly.
Ling Xiao's expression darkened. He knew immediately that it was extremely valuable, and he truly knew nothing about it. He always kept his subordinates in check, and he never expected that someone would be doing such a thing behind his back.
"Who received your goods?" Ling Xiao asked Sun Liang.
“Brother Zeng and Brother Li,” Sun Liang said honestly.
“Zeng Shou and Li Xiang?” Ling Xiao immediately guessed who they were. He frowned and said, “They have always worked for another person who works for me. Once we’re ashore, I’ll take you there to ask what happened. If it’s true, I will definitely give you an explanation.”
"That would be perfect," Fei said.
Ling Xiao, along with Fei Ge and Sun Liang, first went to the town's black market, but they couldn't find anyone.
"Brother Zeng and Brother Li have already gone back," said the person who stayed behind.
Zeng Shou and Li Xiang are from the same village, not far from Lingjiazhuang.
Ling Xiao, along with Fei Ge and Sun Liang, went to their house again, but still couldn't find them.
"They went to Lingjiazhuang to drink with Brother De," both families said.
"Who is this Brother De?" Fei asked, looking at Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao sensed something was wrong, his expression turned somewhat grim, and he said in a deep voice, "One of my trusted confidants is named Ling Yongde."
"I don't think your trusted confidant is very trustworthy," Fei said warily.
Ling Xiao remained silent, his face grim, and walked straight towards Ling Family Village. There were increasing signs that Ling Yongde, whom he had always trusted, might indeed be problematic, but he still wanted to confirm it himself.
When the three of them arrived at Lingjiazhuang, it was already dark. Most of the houses had their doors closed, and the residents had already finished dinner and were preparing to rest, or, having nothing to do, were doing what they could in bed.
Ling Xiao led Fei Ge and Sun Liang through the entire village, heading towards the end of the village, away from the other houses, and towards a solitary house at the foot of the mountain.
That was Ling Yongde's home. When he separated from his family, he specifically chose this plot of land near the foot of the mountain, saying that it was close to the mountain, making it easier to collect firewood, and that the land was large enough to build two more rooms. In the future, if his parents were not comfortable living with his older brother, they could come and live with him. It sounded like he was a very filial son.
However, at this moment, Ling Xiao felt that he might have had other ulterior motives for choosing this place. Being far from the village, it would not attract attention if anyone came and went on the mountain.
Ling Xiao stared at the house that was now almost within reach, his face dark and grim. He hadn't known before, nor had he paid much attention, but now, with a closer look, he realized that there were flaws everywhere, yet he hadn't noticed them at all before.
Soon, they arrived at Ling Yongde's house.
Ling Xiao raised his hand to knock on the door, but suddenly realized that the door was ajar and not closed properly.
He hesitated for a moment, then quietly pushed the door open and went inside.
Fei followed closely behind.
Sun Liang followed at the back. He was timid, and this sneaky behavior made his heart race with nervousness. After entering the courtyard, he quietly moved to the shadows where he was less likely to be noticed, trying to minimize his presence.
After entering the main gate and passing through the courtyard, you will reach the main hall.
The door to the main room was half open, and bright light poured out from inside. Ling Yongde was drinking with his group of men, and the sounds of clinking glasses could be heard from inside from time to time.
Just as Ling Xiao was hesitating whether to push the door open and go in, he suddenly heard someone shouting inside. Judging from the voice, it should be Zeng Shou: "Brother De, when exactly are you planning to make your move? Give us a straight answer. The brothers are all waiting for your order."
Ling Yongde said quietly, "No rush, wait two more days."
A hint of surprise flashed across Ling Xiao's face, hidden in the darkness. Ling Yongde had always been respectful and dutiful in front of him. He had never known that Ling Yongde had another face in private, a deep and scheming man who seemed to have everything under control.
"What are we waiting for?" Li Xiang couldn't contain his temper and slammed his fist on the table. "He's just floating alone on the Qingxi River right now. There are so many of us. We can just go over there, pin him down, and throw him into the river. Nobody will know. People will just think he was exhausted from looking for his son and accidentally fell into the river and drowned."
Ling Xiao's pupils contracted, his face turned ashen, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his whole body trembled slightly involuntarily. He was furious, never expecting that they had such a plan.
Fei, who was following behind, was also shocked, looking at Ling Xiao with pity. These days, if you want to harm someone, you might just report them to the authorities and have them paraded through the streets with placards hanging around their necks. I never expected anyone to actually take someone's life. What kind of deep-seated hatred is this?
Sun Liang had already huddled up in a ball to the side.
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