When did this happen?
Officer Li asked.
"Around 7 p.m. last night."
The old man wiped away his tears.
"My family made some chive dumplings, and I thought I'd take some to my cousin who just moved back home and lives alone. But she never came back!"
At this moment, several villagers also gathered around and chimed in with their own comments.
"The Zhao family girl is very sensible; she wouldn't run off without saying goodbye."
"We searched everywhere in and around the village, even checking the ditches."
"Grandma Zhang said she didn't see anyone at all!"
Su Jianguo stood aside and keenly caught the key information.
He stepped forward and asked.
"Grandma, which road does your daughter take to get to Grandma Zhang's house? Is there any chance she might run into anyone along the way?"
The old man then noticed Su Jianguo and looked at Officer Li with a puzzled expression.
"This is Comrade Su, he's working with us on this case."
Officer Li gave a brief introduction.
The old man nodded and replied.
"There's only one main road from my house to Grandma Zhang's place; it goes right through the village. The road passes through a small grove of trees, but people usually walk on it, so nothing bad will happen."
Su Jianguo and Officer Li exchanged a glance.
Su Jianguo lowered his voice.
"Could it be the four Zhang brothers? They disappeared yesterday..."
The old man's ears were unusually sharp; upon hearing this, he suddenly grabbed Su Jianguo's arm.
"Comrade, what did you say, four brothers?"
Police officer Li explained.
"We're here again to find Old Mrs. Zhang's four nephews. Didn't you say yesterday that they hadn't returned to the village?"
The old man's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he suddenly slapped his thigh hard.
"It must be those four beasts! It must be them!"
He turned to the villagers and shouted in a trembling voice.
"Quick! Go to Grandma Zhang's house! Xiaoyan must be there!"
The crowd immediately stirred; some grabbed hoes, while others picked up stones from the ground.
Upon seeing this, Officer Li immediately shouted to stop them.
"Everyone calm down! Let the police handle this!"
But the angry villagers didn't care about anything else; led by Old Zhao,
They surged into the village in a mighty procession.
Su Jianguo and Officer Li had no choice but to hurry up and catch up.
After turning a few corners, we arrived at Grandma Zhang's house.
A large number of villagers had gathered around the house, some shouting and cursing, and others throwing stones into the yard.
"This is it!"
Old Zhao, panting, pointed to the dilapidated house.
"My cousin's house!"
No matter how much the villagers banged and shouted, no one came out to open the door.
Seeing this, Officer Li stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Listen up, you inside! We're the police! Open the door!"
There was no response.
Officer Wang pulled out his pistol and gave Officer Li a wink.
Officer Li nodded, took two steps back, and then kicked the door hard.
"Bang!"
The old wooden door groaned under its strain, but it didn't open. Officer Li kicked it twice more, and the door began to loosen.
Just then, Old Mrs. Zhang's angry curses suddenly came from the courtyard.
"That damn bastard, kicking down my old lady's door so early in the morning!!"
Accompanied by the increasingly close sound of a cane.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing Old Mrs. Zhang's mean face through the crack.
She looked much older than she had in the city; her gray hair was tied messily behind her head, and her triangular eyes were full of vigilance and anger.
This appearance immediately aroused Su Jianguo's suspicion.
You know, when she lived in the city, this old lady was very agile; when she moved, she could carry big bags and small packages on her back.
Returning to the village, he walked directly back from Beijing.
That doesn't make sense. He's only been back in the village for two days, and he's already using crutches.
"Officers, what are you doing?"
Grandma Zhang leaned on her cane, her body slightly leaning forward, but her voice was full of energy.
"I'm an old woman living alone at home. Are you going to ransack my house or something?"
Officer Li said solemnly.
"Grandma Zhang, we received a report that Zhao Xiaoyan went missing last night. Someone saw her heading in this direction, and we need to go inside to check."
"fart!"
Grandma Zhang suddenly raised her voice and slammed her cane heavily on the ground.
"What does the disappearance of that Zhao family girl have to do with me? This is slander! You're bullying an old, lonely woman like me!"
Her gaze swept over the villagers watching, and she suddenly pointed at one of the middle-aged women and cursed.
"Wang Cuihua, was it you who spread this gossip? I knew you were no good!"
Then he turned to another old man.
"And you, Li Laoshuan, weren't you the one who wanted to date me back then, and I didn't agree? Is it really necessary to frame me like this?"
The villagers retreated as she cursed them.
However, no one left; instead, more and more people gathered.
Zhao Xiaoyan's father, Zhao Dashan, with red eyes, rushed into the yard before the police could speak and began searching everywhere.
"Good heavens! This is outrageous!"
Grandma Zhang waved her cane, trying to stop them, but was stopped by Officer Li.
She turned and screamed as she saw Zhao Dashan's back.
"Zhao Dashan! I'm your sister! How could you believe these outsiders and doubt your own sister?!"
Su Jianguo noticed that Old Mrs. Zhang's attention was entirely on Zhao Dashan.
He approached silently, then suddenly reached out and snatched the cane from his hand.
Caught off guard, Old Mrs. Zhang swayed and let out a scream.
That's when I saw Su Jianguo.
"So, you beast, you actually came to my house, Su Jianguo! Give me back my crutch!"
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