The couple went to the town to ask for directions and first went to a guesthouse of a local forest farm in the town. This was what Meng Zhehan said. The Meng family had sent someone to scout ahead and arranged a place for them to stay. A man named Guo Yi was waiting for them there.

Guo Yi was very happy to see Shen Yu coming. Shen Yu briefly told him what happened on the road and told him that Meng Zhehan was still in the woods twenty miles away.

The Meng family kept Guo Yi here naturally because of his ability to get things done and his familiarity with all the relationships here, so it would be more appropriate for him to handle the follow-up matters.

After listening to Shen Yu, Guo Yi's face became serious. He asked Shen Yu if he needed his help to send the injured to the hospital. Shen Yu said no, so Guo Yi called the waiter to give him some instructions, told Shen Yu and Meng Tao to find the waiter if they had any problems, and then left immediately.

Shen Yu and Meng Tao also drove away. They couldn't rest yet as they had to send Liu Jicheng to the health center.

The couple picked the streets and alleys that were passable, and even walked around unknown factory areas. Although it was difficult to see clearly at night, they still had a preliminary impression of Hongsong Town. On the other hand, they wanted to delay time as much as possible so that Liu Jianli could lie in the space for a while longer. In that era, the commune-level health centers might not even have all the medicines, and they could not expect to have high-level doctors. Sending him there would just be for show.

More than an hour later, Meng Zhehan and Xu Yuting came to the health center and looked at Liu Jianli lying on the hospital bed. They saw a thick circle of white gauze wrapped around his neck and a square piece of gauze on his bruised cheek. Although he was still unconscious, his face looked normal and his breathing was even and steady. They listened to Shen Yu repeating what the doctor said, saying that the situation was not too serious and there was no danger to his life. He needed some time to recover slowly, and he would be a lively young man again without any sequelae.

Meng Zhehan and Xu Yuting were both relieved. It would be best if his life was safe and there were no sequelae.

Especially Xu Yuting, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly: he and Liu Jianli grew up together and were inseparable, closer than brothers. If something unexpected happened, what would he do? It was unimaginable.

The conditions in the health center are naturally not as good as those in the big hospitals in the city. Meng Zhehan and Xu Yuting also know that the medicines that Shen Yumengtao carried with them were much better than those in the health center. They came here just to find an experienced doctor to check out their muscle and bone injuries. After understanding the diagnosis results and treating the external injuries, there was no need to be hospitalized. They directly lifted Liu Jianli into the car and took him back to the guesthouse.

This makes it convenient to administer medicine. Meng Tao feeds him some spiritual spring water from time to time, and can also put him in the space to recuperate at night.

After a night's rest, Liu Jicheng woke up the next morning. He didn't dare to move and just lay there. Several people surrounded him and said a few words to him, and then he fell asleep again.

After breakfast, Guo Yi came over with two plainclothes police officers and said something to Meng Zhehan and Shen Yu in the room. Shen Yu came out and told Meng Tao that he had to go out for a while. Meng Tao knew that it was related to the case of Mu Wenxin last night. She said that she didn't want to go with them and wanted to stay in the guesthouse to look after Liu Jianli.

Shen Yu and Meng Zhehan were worried. After all, Mu Wenxin appeared too suddenly last night. Who could guarantee that something strange wouldn't happen again? If they were not around, it would be too late for Meng Tao to regret if something unexpected happened.

Meng Tao assured them and told them to go and come back quickly without worry, and that she would be fine. Finally, Meng Zhehan asked Xu Yuting to stay as well and asked them not to go out. Xu Yuting was very happy and he was willing to stay with Xiao Huahua.

During lunch, Shen Yu and Meng Zhehan came back. They told Meng Tao and Xu Yuting about the case last night and asked for their opinions. If they had no objection, they would call the provincial capital to book a flight ticket for tomorrow. They would leave Hongsong Town around six o'clock tonight, arrive in the provincial capital at dawn tomorrow, and catch the flight back to Beijing.

Meng Tao and Xu Yuting of course nodded in agreement.

I had originally planned to visit He Lian’s hometown in the nearby village, but given the current situation, I decided not to go and will wait until next time.

As the saying goes, plans cannot keep up with changes. Liu Jicheng was injured. Although he has woken up, he cannot walk and has to lie flat on the bed. Others don’t know that Meng Tao has spiritual springs and medicines for him to use. She must be thinking of sending him back to a big hospital for treatment. Besides, Shen Yu, Meng Zhehan, Xu Yuting and others have all exceeded their leave after being out for so many days. If they go to He Lian’s hometown again and their relatives persuade them to stay for one night or two days, it will waste time.

In the afternoon, Xu Yuting relied on his childhood memories and acted as a temporary guide, leading Shen Yumengtao and Meng Zhehan to wander around Hongsong Town for half a day. They visited the places where their predecessors had lived and the venues where they played games in their childhood. Most of them had been rebuilt and were no longer what they used to be. However, it also helped Liu Yongsheng and other elders fulfill their wish to revisit their old place, and they would have something to talk about with them when they return.

The group then went to Deng Qiuping's grave, and Shen Yu and Meng Zhehan guessed it right: Mu Wenxin and her gang had destroyed Deng Qiuping's grave. Fortunately, Meng Zhehan remembered to tell Guo Yi last night, and he had someone check and repair it early this morning.

After paying tribute to Deng Qiuping, it was already past five in the afternoon.

After returning to the guesthouse and having dinner, I packed up and prepared to leave.

There is a train station in Hongsong Town. Everyone initially considered taking the train, as it would be safe and would be beneficial to Liu Jili. However, this train mostly transports goods such as wood. It only has two or three passenger carriages without berths, and it does not go directly to the provincial capital. So they had to give up and take the road.

Guo Yi found a new twelve-seater van, modified the seats, made two beds, and put more quilts on them so that Liu Jicheng could lie down safely. Meng Tao also had a bed so she could lie down when she was tired. Everyone was in one car. As for the two jeeps that came from the provincial capital, they were handed over to Guo Yi to deal with. He would not leave because there was still some finishing work to be done on the Mu Wenxin incident, so he had to stay in Hongsong Town for a few days.

The van was equipped with a driver. Shen Yu, Meng Zhehan and Xu Yuting also took turns driving along the way. Except for getting off the car and refueling, there was no need to stop. Liu Jicheng slept soundly, and Meng Tao was sitting in a sleeper car without feeling any discomfort. They arrived at the provincial capital smoothly at dawn.

(End of this chapter)