Chapter 95: A Happy Marriage
"A bag of...lilies?" Xu Chuchu barely recognized the handwriting. "Why would you send lilies to someone in prison?"
County Magistrate Lin took a look and shook his head, saying, "No, no, this isn't a lily. This is an edible lily, the part of the lily that grows in the soil. Our Guzhu County mainly produces edible lilies, and many families grow them."
Xiao Yu asked again, "Has anyone ever given it to you before? This is the first time, right?"
"That seems to have never happened before." County Magistrate Lin thought for a moment. "The price of lilies is high. Most villagers who grow them themselves are reluctant to eat them. They save them to sell in the county town, not to mention giving them away as gifts."
Then he himself felt that his explanation didn't make sense: "Master Xiao is saying that the problem lies with the lilies? But these lilies are cooked and mixed with the rice. There is no way they could have been mixed with something else."
"It's not a smuggling." Xiao Yu analyzed, "The word 'lily' means 'a happy marriage for a hundred years', and also refers to marriage, which corresponds exactly to the hexagram that Master Xu used."
"From what I see, someone must have deliberately given the lilies to Yan Nan'an to hint to him that his former lover, the dancer, was about to get married, thus inciting him to escape from prison."
Xu Chuchu nodded in understanding.
County Magistrate Lin, however, still found it hard to accept this explanation. "Just a few lilies, how could Yan Nan'an think so far? There are so many lilies in our village. Even if we take a step back... is he really willing to take such a big risk and escape from prison for a woman from a brothel? If he waits another two months before being released, with his reputation and looks, he'll be able to find any woman he wants."
Xiao Yu put the record book aside. "Eliminate all impossibilities. The remaining conclusion, no matter how incredible, will be the truth. Furthermore, we've examined all the people and events Yan Nanan had contact with before his escape. The only thing that defies common sense is the lily that day."
"This..." County Magistrate Lin scratched his head.
"Court Magistrate Lin, please quickly check the identity of the person who sent the lilies that day. This is the only clue we have now." Xiao Yu's tone did not allow for a trace of doubt.
"I understand. Please wait a moment, sir." Although County Magistrate Lin felt that it was unreliable, he could only place all his hopes on Xiao Yu.
"Master Lin, please wait a moment." Xu Chuchu suddenly stood up and said, "I want to ask you something. Has there been any unusual activity recently in the lake at the foot of the mountain west of the town?"
"Master, are you asking about Shuijing Lake?" County Magistrate Lin replied, "A few days ago, I heard from villagers that a ferocious beast was stalking the lake. Several fishermen have been killed. We've posted a notice asking villagers not to go to the lake during this period. Master, why are you asking this? Did you encounter a ferocious beast?"
"I think I saw it, but I'm not sure." Xu Chuchu paused, "When did this start?"
County Magistrate Lin recalled for a moment: "About two or three months ago, maybe even earlier. Someone went missing before, and everyone thought it was an accident in the mountains, so they didn't take it seriously."
Xu Chuchu nodded: "I understand, sir, go and get busy."
County Magistrate Lin left quickly.
As soon as he left, Xiao Yu asked Xu Chuchu, "Why, do you think this has something to do with the water ghosts in the lake?"
"I'm not sure right now." Xu Chuchu never said anything she wasn't sure about. "Actually, when I divined just now, besides asking for Yan Nan'an's reason for escaping prison, I also asked about his escape direction, but the answer only gave a 'reason', not a 'direction'."
"Why is that?" Xiao Yu asked.
Xu Chuchu's expression darkened. "If it goes as expected... there must be an expert trying to stop me from finding Yan Nanan."
Xiao Yu quickly thought, "Could Yan Nan'an also be a physiognomist? So he could have learned about the situation of the brothel dancer while in prison?"
"Everything is possible now." Xu Chuchu whispered, "The only thing that is certain is that our opponent this time should not be underestimated."
Xiao Yu moved his lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
He originally wanted to say that if it was dangerous, Xu Chuchu should stay out of this mess. He didn't want Xu Chuchu to be in danger again because of him.
But thinking about her personality, she would definitely not give up just because of fear of danger. Besides, he was not the kind of person who would back down in the face of danger, so he did not bring it up.
He was talking about all sorts of things, but in reality, he was blaming himself for not being strong enough.
If he could quickly grow up to be able to stand on his own feet and protect her in return, there wouldn't be so many concerns.
…
County Magistrate Lin may not be very smart when it comes to solving cases, but he is very organized in managing his subordinates and keeps comprehensive records.
He soon found out that the person who delivered the lilies that day was an elderly woman from the nearby Wuchang Village.
The woman said her surname was Wu. Like the other villagers who delivered supplies, she said that her family had received favors from Yan Nan'an and she came to repay him. She didn't say anything else.
The age didn't match, and the person who sent the lilies didn't seem to be the brothel dancer, but Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu still believed that this person was suspicious and decided to go to Wu Chang Village to take a look in person.
Of course, before leaving, they also learned about the situation of Yan Nannan and the brothel dancer.
According to the case file, Yan Nannan was 27 years old and the dancer was 16 years old when he was imprisoned. So today, five years later, Yan Nannan is 32 years old and the dancer is 21 years old.
Unlike the famous Yan Nanan, the dancer did not have a name of her own. Records only showed that her surname was Huang and her nickname in the brothel was Lili. She has been missing since she was released from prison four and a half years ago.
This was all the information they could get. After learning about it, Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu set off immediately in the direction of Wuchang Village.
Considering the potential dangerous enemies, they rejected the request of Lin Xiancheng to accompany them, so as to avoid being overwhelmed and having to protect one more person.
…
Wuchang Village is located in the southwest of Guzhu County and is the closest to Shuijing Lake among the villages under Guzhu County.
As County Magistrate Lin said, the closer we got to the village, the more lilies we saw planted along the way.
A while ago, it was the season for lilies to bloom. Although some of them have withered now, the whole place is still full of white flowers. When the wind blows, they rustle, which is very beautiful.
Xiao Yu walked to the side of the road, looked at a few lilies growing on the outside, and then shook his head silently.
"Is there any problem?" Xu Chuchu didn't understand these plants.
Seeing that Xu Chuchu didn't understand, Xiao Yu pulled out one of the plants and pointed to the underground bulb. "Look here, this is the part we eat. It's ripe now and should be harvested and stored in time, otherwise it will rot quickly."
"But look around here, there's not a single villager working." He looked up and around. "They make a living selling lilies, yet they watch them rot in the fields and do nothing."
"Be careful." He became even more alert. "There might be something wrong with this village."
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