Chapter 122 Village
Feng Xiaoyu's boyfriend is named Ye Rong. He was born in Hongfeng Village, Qingshi Town, Yao City. His mother died early, and his father remarried when he was six years old. His stepmother gave birth to a son and a daughter.
As the saying goes, if you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather. The family was originally poor, and became even more stretched after the stepmother gave birth to the child. Ye Rong had never had enough food or warm clothes since he was a child, and he suffered all kinds of grievances. Fortunately, Ye Rong was quite hardworking and had excellent academic performance. He relied on the support and scholarships from kind-hearted people to go through junior high and high school. He was admitted to the taxation major at Hunan University. After graduating from university, he was assigned to the Hui City Taxation Bureau.
Ye Rong cherishes everything he has now. He works hard, is willing to study hard, unites with colleagues, and respects his leaders. In addition, he has outstanding appearance and is well-mannered. He quickly integrated into the workplace and was highly regarded by his leaders. This time, the person who introduced Ye Rong to someone was an enthusiastic lady from the labor union of his unit, who stepped forward to arrange the match because she saw that Ye Rong was quite old.
Ye Rong had little money, came from a rural background, and had no background, but the young man was sincere and simple, with a sunny and handsome face. Feng Xiaoyu took a liking to him at first sight during a blind date, and the two began dating.
The more they interacted, the more Feng Xiaoyu felt sorry for Ye Rong.
Ye Rong has a heavy family burden and sends money home every month as soon as he gets his salary. He has not saved much money after working for so many years. Even so, during their relationship, he would rather save money and give Feng Xiaoyu the best, whether it was food or clothing, he never let Feng Xiaoyu down.
At this point, Feng Xiaoyu said to Xia Mufan, "It may be a professional habit. Ye Rong is a cautious person. Even if a week's personal leave is not enough due to an accident at home, he will definitely find a way to contact the unit leader and go through the leave extension procedures. Now that the vacation is over, he still hasn't come back to cancel the leave. It is considered as leaving the post without permission and he will be punished. Doesn't he know the consequences? So, I am worried that something has happened to him."
After listening to Feng Xiaoyu's words, Xia Mufan also felt something was wrong.
Ye Rong is an adult male holding a public office, so there is no possibility that he has been abducted. But now he is out of contact and has no relatives in Hui City. It is okay for Feng Xiaoyu, as his girlfriend, to report his disappearance to the police.
Xia Mufan said, "Then, call the police. We'll take the coal ash and go to that village."
Feng Xiaoyu had exactly this intention. She and Xia Mufan worked in the same group and had been close like sisters for a long time. She didn't bother with any false politeness and nodded, "Okay! Call the others and we'll go find him."
Just like that, the vacation plan of the Serious Crime Unit 7 was ruined again.
Yao City police are very familiar with Xia Mufan because he helped solve the murder case of Liao Yingqiu.
As soon as Tang Rui, the leader of the serious crime team, received a call from Xia Mufan, he immediately made arrangements and asked the director of Qingshi Town Police Station to personally receive Xia Mufan and his party.
It's September now and the weather is getting cooler.
Yao City is mountainous, and the forests are all colored as far as the eye can see. The leaves have an autumn feel, and the large expanses of green are interspersed with dots of orange and light red.
The mountain road was winding and the air was fresh. Coal Ash would occasionally poke his head out and meow excitedly.
[It’s finally my turn to go on a business trip!] 】
[Xia Xia keeps her word. Xue Gao and I take turns to handle the case. 】
[Xia Xia is so nice, I like you the most.] 】
Hearing Meihui's confession, Xia Mufan couldn't help but smile and rubbed Meihui's little head: "Be good, don't run around, or you'll be taken away by a wolf."
Coal Ash blew his beard and straightened his back proudly.
[Don't worry, I promise to be obedient.] 】
[I will do whatever Xia Xia asks me to do and will never run around. 】
[If Ice Cream wants to be a police dog, I also want to be a police cat! 】
Seeing Qingshi Town right in front of them, Feng Xiaoyu felt a little relieved. She said to everyone a little embarrassedly, "I'm sorry that you guys can't take a vacation because of my incident."
Yu Jingmin, who was driving, smiled innocently: "If I were to take a vacation, I wouldn't know what to do. I might as well go out for a walk with everyone."
Sun Xianbing looked out the window: "This can be considered a vacation, look how beautiful the scenery is."
Only Gong Weiguo sighed.
He was getting married in November and had just finished a one-month business trip. He planned to accompany his girlfriend to buy all the items for the wedding, but he ended up going on another business trip. The night before he left, he was scolded by his girlfriend, Teacher Qiao, so badly that he couldn't even raise his head.
Hearing this sigh, Feng Xiaoyu felt even more guilty: "Weiguo..."
Gong Weiguo turned his head from the co-pilot seat and winked at Feng Xiaoyu: "A wife is like clothes, and a brother is like a sibling. For Xiaoyu's happiness, a few scoldings from Teacher Qiao are nothing!"
Feng Xiaoyu burst out laughing at his amusement.
Sun Xianbing punched him and exposed him mercilessly: "Come on, there are many things to worry about when getting married, you just want to be lazy."
We chatted and laughed all the way and soon arrived at Qingshi Town.
Chief Liang of Qingshi Town Police Station had received the news long ago and received them warmly.
After communicating with the comrades from the police station, Xia Mufan learned that Hongfeng Village had no telephone and was far away from Qingshi Town. The mountain road was narrow and rugged, and cars could not drive in at all. It was only possible to walk, and it would take about five or six hours to get there.
Seeing that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, we could only rest in Qingshi Town for one night and go there early the next morning.
When I walked out of the police station, it started to rain lightly.
The town is paved with bluestone slabs, and the drizzle has washed the slabs until they are shiny.
The shops on both sides are quite old and look ancient. Tailor shops, umbrella shops, clothing stores... In front of each shop there are farmers selling vegetables and fruits and shouting, creating an atmosphere full of life.
Arriving at the Qingshi Town Post Office, Feng Xiaoyu took out the telegram he found in Ye Rong's dormitory and asked the post office staff.
When the staff saw the telegram, they nodded and said, "Yes, it was taken here."
Feng Xiaoyu asked: "Do you remember who sent the telegram?"
Telephones are now more common, and fewer people are handling telegraph business. The staff recalled for a moment and remembered: "It was an old man from the countryside, with wrinkles all over his face, thin, hunched over, and pounding his lower back from time to time."
Old man?
Feng Xiaoyu took out a family photo of Ye Rong and asked the staff to identify him. The staff pointed at one of them and said, "Yes, it's this old man, but he looks younger in the photo."
Xia Mufan frowned.
Didn’t the telegram say that Ye Rong’s father Ye Changfu was seriously ill? How come it was him who walked for five or six hours along the mountain road to get to the town and send the telegram?
Feng Xiaoyu's expression also became serious.
Ye Rong's family tricked him back under the pretext that his father was seriously ill. What was their plan? Is it because of money? Is it because they failed to achieve their goal that they detained Ye Rong?
The small mountain village has inconvenient transportation and lacks information. Ye Changfu probably never thought that detaining his son at home is also considered imprisonment, which is illegal, right?
The next day, police officer Zhu Qiang from the police station sent them to the small mountain village.
Because it had rained the day before, walking on the road was very difficult. The mountain road was steep and muddy. Some dangerous sections had no railings at all. If you slipped, you might roll down. Zhu Qiang reminded everyone to watch their feet as he walked.
Xia Mufan and others walked very carefully, supporting each other along the way.
Think about it, when Ye Rong was a child, he studied in the town and couldn’t live in the school. He had to set out before dawn every day and walk such a long mountain road. It was really not easy. Even with such difficult conditions, Ye Rong was able to study all the way here and finally get admitted to university. This shows that he not only has high intelligence but also strong perseverance.
Whether in appearance, conversation, or abilities in all aspects, Ye Rong is indeed outstanding. Even the leaders of the Tax Bureau praised Ye Rong highly when they mentioned him, and trained him as their successor.
As he walked and listened to Feng Xiaoyu talking about Ye Rong, Xia Mufan's mind gradually formed the image of a hardworking and determined young man who finally got out of the small mountain village through his own efforts.
Setting off at seven in the morning, the group walked along the mountain road for five or six hours and finally reached the small mountain village at noon.
All six of them were wearing police uniforms and looked mighty and stylish. As soon as they arrived at Hongfeng Village, they attracted the attention of the villagers.
Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu are beautiful, youthful and healthy, and they make people unable to take their eyes off them at first sight. Several men were squatting on both sides of the dirt road in the village, staring at them with eyes like hungry wolves. If Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu weren't in uniform, they would have pounced on them directly.
Gong Weiguo, Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing looked at each other, then took a few steps to both sides with fierce faces, surrounding Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu in the middle, blocking the villagers' hungry gaze.
Zhu Qiang was the police officer in charge of this area. He knew that these villagers would not give in to persuasion, so he shouted, "What are you looking at? Go get your village committee director."
Seeing the fierce look on the policemen's faces, the villagers started shouting and flying like birds and beasts.
Zhu Qiang brought Xia Mufan and others to the village committee.
It was called a village committee, but in fact it was just two shabby thatched houses with no one working inside. After a while, the village committee director Ye Jinggui got the news and hurried over.
Zhu Qiang introduced Xia Mufan and others to Ye Jinggui: "These are criminal police from the city. The director of our police station personally gave me the task and asked me to send them to Hongfeng Village. Please treat them well, Director Ye."
Police uniforms have a natural deterrent effect on the villagers. In addition, Zhu Qiang is in charge of their area, so Ye Jinggui is naturally enthusiastic and nods and responds: "Yes, yes, I will definitely entertain these police comrades well."
Feng Xiaoyu was concerned about Ye Rong and spoke first: "I am Ye Rong's girlfriend. I happened to be doing something nearby this time, so I wanted to come and visit Ye Rong's family."
Hearing the name Ye Rong, Ye Jinggui's eyebrows twitched and he looked Feng Xiaoyu up and down, obviously wondering why this female police officer had to walk five or six hours along the mountain road to come to their small mountain village. But he didn't dare to neglect it and nodded repeatedly: "Ye Rong's house...Okay, I'll take you there."
After coming out of the village committee, Ye Jinggui grabbed a child who was quick on his feet, asked him to run to the front to report the news, and then led six policemen to Ye Rong's house.
Although the village is not big, there are 123 households scattered throughout. Starting from the village committee, there were cornfields everywhere and the mountain roads were muddy, which slowed down everyone's progress.
Feng Xiaoyu asked: "When did Ye Rong return to the village?"
Ye Jinggui said: "I heard that Ye Rong came back, about a week ago."
Feng Xiaoyu's heartbeat began to speed up: "Is he still home?"
Ye Jinggui's face changed, and he said hesitantly: "It seems that he left. I heard from his father that he went back early three days ago. Don't you know?"
Feng Xiaoyu shook her head. "I was on a mission recently and I haven't been able to contact him. But he called me before he went home and agreed to go back to the village with me when I get back."
Ye Jinggui said "Oh", and didn't know what to say next, so he just made small talk, "It must be hard on the road, right? Thank you for your hard work."
Feng Xiaoyu remained silent, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.
She had personally experienced how difficult the mountain road was. She had leaned out at several sections, which made her mouth dry. Could it be that something happened to Ye Rong on the way back?
When Feng Xiaoyu thought about the incident that Xia Mufan's mother Xu Shumei encountered on the way to deliver food, she felt cold all over. She grabbed Xia Mufan's hand and her body began to tremble unconsciously.
At this moment, Xia Mufan also thought of many possibilities.
If what Ye's father said is true, Ye Rong might have encountered danger on his way back to the city. Did he fall off the cliff accidentally, or was he murdered by someone? Or was he kidnapped?
Although men are not abducted to the mountains to be married like women, they may be sold to coal mines to be workers, or sold abroad to be ducks or laborers.
If Ye's father lied, then Ye Rong should still be in the village, but no one knows whether he is dead or alive.
After patting Feng Xiaoyu's hand to calm her down, Xia Mufan quickly entered into an investigation mode and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Ye Jinggui.
"I heard that Ye Rong's father is sick?"
"Yes, he was injured, but that happened several years ago. He sprained his waist when working in the fields. He still can't do heavy physical work. Now his family relies on his wife, son and daughter to do farm work and housework."
"Is his family short of money?"
"Alas, which family in the village doesn't lack money now? Ye Rong's younger brother Ye Hua is not young anymore, and his family wants to find him a wife, but they don't have the money."
"Ye Rong's family asked him to come back just for his brother's wedding?"
"That should be the case. Marrying a wife is a big deal. Ye Rong is a government employee and makes a lot of money in the city. We have to ask him to come back to discuss this."
"Ye Rong himself hasn't even gotten married yet, so why is he arranging his brother's marriage?"
"Well... Ye Rong has a promising future, so he won't have to worry about marriage. It's different in our village. If we don't find a wife for Ye Cong, he will definitely not stay in the village. Who will do the farm work for his family? How will the family live?"
“How much does it cost to marry a wife in the village?”
"The soil in our village is not fertile, and the corn and potatoes we grow can barely feed ourselves. The village is remote, and it takes five or six hours to go to town to buy needles and thread. We are so poor that no girl is willing to marry in the village. If you want to marry a wife, you have to spend at least 2,000 yuan."
"Two thousand for the betrothal gift?"
Ye Jinggui's eyes wandered a little, and he tried to force a smile: "Alas! Girls nowadays have high standards and the bride price is also high. In addition to this, we have to build a new house and buy new furniture. Everything costs money. It's difficult."
Xia Mufan looked at the village committee director thoughtfully: "Are there many bachelors in the village?"
When Ye Jinggui heard this question, his old face frowned and he sighed: "Most of the young people in the village have gone out to work, leaving behind a bunch of lazy, idle and sickly people. Which girl would be willing to marry them? You just saw it, there are many bachelors in our village in their thirties and forties."
When we arrived at Ye Rong's house, his father Ye Changfu came out of the main hall to greet us.
He was very thin and dark. Although he was only fifty years old, he looked like he was sixty, with wrinkles all over his face.
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