Don't be fooled by the fact that Song Shutian is of a higher rank than Song Zhi. When this man gets angry, he doesn't care where Song Shutian comes from. He's just bullying people like this. Who did his niece offend? You can use her as you please, without any regard for the child's safety.
Song Shutian was in the wrong. Of course he knew Jiang Qiao's age and understood the girl's situation.
"Old Song, Old Song, don't get angry. Listen to this first. Jiang Qiao isn't as weak as you think. We've been through thick and thin together. Would I harm her? There are some things that would be much easier for Jiang Qiao to handle with her people than for us to do."
After venting his anger, Song Zhi calmed down. He figured Jiang Qiao must have set conditions for taking on this job. He didn't believe his niece was the type to be easily manipulated. If she wasn't willing, he felt that most people couldn't force Jiang Qiao.
With a sigh, he said, "Since you two have a life-or-death bond, you should know that this child has had a hard life. It's really not easy for her to grow up to this age. To be honest, that girl doesn't feel very secure and always likes to solve all her problems on her own. That's why we should cherish her even more."
Song Shutian nodded. "I know. You are friends with Jiang Qiao's father, and I am friends with the little girl. Although we have different starting points, we have the same goal. I also want to protect her."
"Don't worry, Jiang Qiao always acts with discretion; otherwise, I wouldn't dare take this risk."
As they were talking, Zhao Jian knocked on the door and came in. "Chief, a little beggar outside brought a message, specifically asking you to receive it."
Song Zhi was stunned. He had no dealings with beggars, so why did the beggar know his name and specifically ask for it?
On second thought, Song Zhi could roughly guess why.
He gave a wry smile, opened the note, and was immediately stunned by what he saw.
He casually handed the note to Song Shutian, then turned to Zhao Jian and asked, "I remember Dai Chunping is a colleague from the Evidence Section, right?"
Zhao Jian nodded. "They're from the Evidence Department. What's wrong?"
Song Zhi snorted, "That Ugly Narcissus actually invited Dai Chunping to dinner, and Ugly Narcissus's brother-in-law, Ma Jinwu, actually went to the library to look up information today. Tell me, what kind of information could someone like him possibly need to look up himself?"
After reading the contents of the note, Song Shutian remained silent for a while, then looked at Song Zhi with a serious expression.
"Old Song, get Dai Chunping here right now. Also, I remember the woman who died in the woods had a watch in your forensic department, right? I need to see that watch now."
Song Zhi looked at Song Shutian with a puzzled expression. "A watch? What's the use of that thing? We've all seen it. It's just an ordinary watch that keeps normal time."
Song Shutian didn't offer much explanation, "I want to see it now, go quickly."
Zhao Jian quickly went down to find people and bring evidence. Dai Chunping was soon found. When he saw Song Shutian and Song Zhi, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Anyone could see his nervousness.
Zhao Jian handed the watch to Song Shutian. "Do you know where I found this watch? Dai Chunping, should we tell you, or should we?"
Dai Chunping immediately knelt down in front of the two men. "Director, I... I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. It was that ugly narcissus who set me up. I fell for her honey trap. She made me switch this watch."
Song Zhi felt that this subordinate was too shameful. A married man couldn't even control his own belt.
With a cold expression, she asked, "What else did she ask you to do?"
"No, no, she just asked me to find out what's been going on at the bureau lately."
Song Zhi waved his hand impatiently, "Take him away and interrogate him properly. Handle him according to the regulations."
"Chief, Chief, please let me go. Please forgive me this time, considering it's my first offense."
Looking at his former subordinate groveling at his feet, Song Zhi said with a grim face, "You still have the nerve to ask me to spare you? If you take this watch out of here, what kind of place is our Public Security Bureau? Take him away!"
Song Shutian had no time to deal with this scoundrel; all his attention was on the watch. It looked like an old object, but it was in very good condition, suggesting that the owner didn't wear it often.
Song Zhi turned to Song Shutian and asked, "So, have you figured out what the problem is?"
Song Shutian shook his head. "I'll take this back first and have someone take a look to see if there's anything wrong with it. We laymen can't understand it. Something that people are interested in must have its purpose. It's just a watch, it's not worth them taking such a big risk. If you say there's nothing fishy about it, even I don't believe it. Your subordinate is really bold, daring to switch physical evidence."
"But I really have to thank the person who delivered the note for today's incident. Alright, I'm leaving now. You guys keep a close eye on things here, but don't do anything to them for now, so as not to alert them and cause trouble for Jiang Qiao. If the enemy gets desperate, the little girl will be under a lot of pressure."
After saying that, Song Shutian got up and left without any hesitation.
Song Zhi, however, was lost in thought. The handwriting on the note was flowing and elegant. If he wasn't mistaken, it should have been written by the fourth son's father. He couldn't understand why the old man was involved in this matter. He was worried about the old man and hoped that something might happen to him.
Gu Hanting and the others really didn't have anything to do. They dressed up as beggars with Qiao Jie and went around begging for food with the children, while also gathering information. At noon, they would summarize the information together. They had learned about the news in the morning, so they quickly wrote it down and had Mengzi bring it over.
"Grandpa, now that things are done, do you want to go back?"
The two old men shook their heads. "No need. We'll stay here for lunch. Didn't Qiao'er bring us some food? Let's all eat together."
Jiang Qiao sneezed a few times while driving, and Hou Diankui teased from behind, "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold too?"
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "How could that be? Don't forget, I'm a semi-doctor. It would be unreasonable for me not to take good care of my own health. I guess someone has been talking about me."
Chunming was bored in the car. The initial novelty and excitement had worn off over time.
Looking at the snow-covered landscape outside, I suddenly remarked, "It's snowed several times this year, does that mean we'll have a good harvest?"
Hou Diankui patted his young apprentice on the shoulder and said, "Kid, what you see isn't necessarily the truth. This is just the beginning. Until the grain is stored in the granary, everything is uncertain. I think it's a bit far-fetched."
Chunming turned to Hou Diankui with a worried look on his face. "Ah? Another poor harvest? No way, every year there's a poor harvest, we can't even afford to eat, what are we going to do?"
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