Over there, Shen Ai Qiu saw that it was already dark and she didn't see Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan. She knew that the two had left long ago, and the people who had accompanied her to watch the excitement at the beginning also dispersed early.

She was the only one in such a big environment. She felt stupid and left angrily.

When Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan arrived home, they found several men sitting in Aunt Li's yard. When they looked closely, they found that they knew these men.

"Officer Pei, Aunt Li, why are you still awake so late? Is the case difficult?"

They did not go back to their own homes immediately, but parked their bikes in front of Aunt Li's house. Shen Zhizhu thought that there had been no progress in the case in the past few days, or that some difficulties had been encountered, so they were still here so late.

Aunt Li happily came to the door to greet them, took off the canvas bag that Shen Zhizhu was carrying, and hung it on her shoulder very naturally.

As for Xu Haonan's, she took a look at it, smiled at him, and did not take it.

"Officer Pei and his team just arrived. They said that since you guys finished your exams today, they would want to know what happened next, so they came over specially. But when they found out that you guys hadn't returned yet, they came to Auntie's place to wait for you."

Xu Haonan hurried forward to apologize to Officer Pei and others.

"I'm really sorry, I was delayed on the way, so I played a little on the way back. Is there any progress in the arson case?"

When talking about business, Shen Zhizhu also sat down at the table and listened carefully to what Officer Pei said.

"The clues you provided earlier have almost locked up several people. The method Comrade Shen Zhizhu told the villagers was very useful. The suspect did come back to the scene afterwards. However, we did not act immediately. Instead, we continued to observe and found that Shen Xiaojie often went to the home of your village chief Du Zaide. Once, the two of them parted unhappily. In a place where few people walked, Shen Xiaojie took out some money from his pocket, counted it, and muttered, 'Don't think you can get rid of me this time. Next time I have no money, I will come to you again. Who told you that you and I are the same people?'"

Shen Zhizhu raised his eyebrows, Du Zaide?

Haven't these two always disliked each other? When did their relationship become so close?

"Did they have some private deal, or did Du Zaide have some leverage over him that Shen Xiaojie had?"

Officer Pei stroked his chin and continued to talk about their findings.

"After you left that day, we found a set of footprints behind your house. They were a bit messy, probably left behind after you fled in a panic. Although the rain was heavy and fast, there was a shed behind your house, so some footprints were preserved. We took them home and compared them with Shen Xiaojie's shoes, and found that they matched."

However, Xu Haonan felt that this matter might not be simple.

"Are there any other clues that indicate that the arson was not committed by Shen Xiaojie alone?"

Officer Pei nodded. They did find a lot of clues. The clues pointed out that there were three people involved in the arson.

"You guessed right. Shen Xiaojie has been confirmed as a suspect. According to the clues provided by the villagers, Du Zaide is also involved. But there is still one person for whom we have not found any clues. We are worried that if we arrest them rashly, the third person may hide deeper and it will be inconvenient to catch them all at once. If we are on guard, your safety will always be on the edge of a knife and in danger in the future."

When Aunt Li heard this, her hands started shaking with fear.

"Comrade police, you must find the murderer. Xiaozhu and Haonan are such good kids, nothing can happen to them. They just finished their exams. I have seen how hard they worked. With their abilities, they will definitely have a bright future, but they must not be harmed, comrade police."

Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan were both orphans in the village and had to take care of themselves. After having been together for so long, Aunt Li had already regarded them as her own children. Now she was crying, holding Officer Pei's hands tightly, begging bitterly.

There is even a tendency to kneel down.

Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan were moved and quickly stood up to help her. Officer Pei was also frightened and stood up suddenly, still holding Aunt Li's arm with his hand.

"Comrade, you can't do this. You can't do this. It's our duty to protect your safety and find people who endanger public security. You don't have to do this. Hurry up, hurry up."

Shen Zhizhu was also there to persuade him.

"Yes, Aunt Li, Officer Pei and his men have already figured out a direction. It's only a matter of time before they catch us. Besides, we all think we did well in the exam. Once the results come out and we've confirmed our college choices, we'll move out. Even if we don't find the thief, they won't dare to do anything in the near future if they get wind of the situation. So we'll be fine."

Xu Haonan was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say, so he could only use strength in his hands to lift Aunt Li up.

"Auntie, since someone as smart as Ah Zhu said so, just believe her and Officer Pei."

Aunt Li was helped to sit up and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"These two are rare good kids. They can't be harmed by evil people, Officer Pei."

Officer Pei sighed. He had handled cases for Shen Zhizhu three times in a row. Naturally, he had investigated the situation here and knew that it was not easy for Shen Zhizhu to grow up this big.

"Don't worry, we have already figured out what's going on here. We just thought they might come back today, so we came here to warn them. We're afraid they'll let down their guard and get hurt again by the people hiding in the dark. Our presence here is also a deterrent, so they won't dare to act rashly."

Only then did Aunt Li feel relieved and nodded vigorously in agreement.

Xu Haonan suddenly felt that there was another possibility, and he tentatively told Officer Pei what he was thinking.

"Officer Pei, is it possible that this third person didn't know the whole story at first, or maybe he wasn't someone in the village who hated my husband and me?"

This is a possibility they have never thought of, but who says that those who get involved must be people in the village who have a grudge against Shen Zhizhu.

Officer Pei suddenly understood and stood up, and along with him, all the people who followed him stood up as well.

"That's a good idea. It's getting late, so we'll go back first. If there's any new progress, we'll send someone to notify you. If there's anything that requires your cooperation, please cooperate actively."

Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, just tell us what you need, we will definitely cooperate."

After seeing off Officer Pei, Aunt Li invited the two of them to have dinner.

"Auntie cooked a lot today. She even fried some meat and Xiaozhu's favorite fish to welcome you. You are not allowed to refuse."