Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wu Jun happily had Xiao Tong help bring the dishes to the table.
Looking at the two meat dishes and one vegetable, Li Gong quickly said, “We’ve known each other for years. There was no need to make such a lavish meal for a simple visit.”
Grandpa Wu replied heartily, “You rarely come by, and we don’t have anything fancy to offer. Xiao Gong, it’s been years since we last saw each other. I never expected you to end up working in the county. How’s the family?”
Li Gong wasn’t one to be overly modest. Smiling, he gave an update on how his family was doing.
Meanwhile, poor Xiao Tong, who had been waiting eagerly for a duck leg, could only smell the food but not eat it.
Noticing the child’s eager movements, Li Gong smiled and said to Grandpa Wu, “Grandpa Wu, let’s eat first. We can continue chatting later, or the food will get cold.”
Hearing this, Xiao Tong happily glanced at the old man. Once Grandpa Wu picked up his chopsticks, Xiao Tong unceremoniously grabbed a duck leg and put it in his own bowl to eat.
Ever since a child had come into the house, it was filled with joy. Grandpa Wu and Grandma Wu looked at the adorable little boy with affectionate eyes.
Li Gong was curious about why there was suddenly a child in Wu Jun’s home and decided to ask about it later.
After the meal, the adults shooed the child outside to play. Then they sat on the heated kang bed to start their conversation.
“Xiao Gong, how did this matter end up catching the county magistrate’s attention?” Grandpa Wu voiced the question that had been on his mind.
“When the village filed the report, the county magistrate and I happened to be at the public security bureau reviewing some old files. The magistrate had just been transferred here, so encountering such an incident naturally made him pay extra attention. When I saw that the incident took place in the Red Star Brigade, I mentioned it to him and offered to come take a look myself.” Li Gong briefly explained the chain of events.
“Does the county magistrate know about this? Will the county handle this case as a special priority?” Wu Jun thought about how, in later generations, whenever a case caught a leader’s attention, it was usually solved very quickly. His only worry was that forensic technology in this era wasn’t advanced, making it difficult to identify the perpetrator.
“Actually, Captain Chen should already have a good idea about today’s situation. Once he finishes investigating Widow Li’s background, the case will probably be closed,” Li Gong said calmly.
“I never imagined Widow Li was like that. Sure, she’s never been particularly friendly to us old folks, but I never thought she could be so ruthless. Poor Tiedan,” Grandma Wu murmured.
“People in the village might squabble now and then, at worst stealing a chicken or two. In decades, nothing like this has ever happened. Shengli is going to have a hard time reporting this to the commune,” Grandpa Wu said.
“I wonder what Er Laizi and San Pangzi did that led to someone losing their life. Uncle Tiedan was most likely killed by Er Laizi. And then Er Laizi himself was killed by San Pangzi—what goes around comes around.” Wu Jun thought about the remains he had seen that day and sighed.
Hearing this, Li Gong looked mysterious and said, “Things aren’t always as simple as they seem on the surface.”
The other three turned to look at him, but Li Gong refused to say more, citing that the case hadn’t been solved yet and he couldn’t reveal too much.
Seeing that the time was about right, Grandpa Wu asked directly, “Xiao Gong, are you heading back to the county today? If not, you can stay here.”
Grandma Wu nodded and was about to check if there were enough blankets, since Xiao Tong now lived with them.
“Grandma Wu, don’t go to any trouble. I have to get back today to report to the county magistrate on the case. I’ll come visit you both again when I get the chance.” Li Gong would have liked to stay, but official duties came first.
“Jun, walk Xiao Gong out. Head back early—the roads get rough late.”
Seeing how eager his grandparents were, Wu Jun felt a little jealous. “I know, Grandpa, Grandma. With how big Gong Ge is, it’s not like he’s going to get lost.” With that, he gave Li Gong a dissatisfied look, picked up Gray Wolf, and stood up first.
Watching Wu Jun act like a child, Li Gong smiled affectionately and said goodbye to the elderly couple.
Petting the fuzzy head of Gray Wolf, Wu Jun asked, “What did you mean earlier when you said things aren’t as simple as they seem? Could there be something more to this case?”
Copying Wu Jun’s gesture, Li Gong ruffled his hair and smiled. “Don’t ask. I’ll tell you when there’s news in a few days. Actually, I came today to talk to you about something. Do you still remember what happened last time when Li Xue left the state-owned restaurant?”
Wu Jun nodded, not understanding why Li Xue was being brought up again since he thought the matter had already been resolved.
“I really underestimated her. After she fell out with Hong Mingliang, she left the county. I was going to look into where she went, but it turns out she latched onto an official in the city’s Revolutionary Committee and has now gone to work there.”
Seeing Wu Jun’s eyes widen in surprise, Li Gong continued, “If I hadn’t gone home for the New Year and seen her myself, I wouldn’t have known just how capable she is. There’s something strange about that woman—every man she latches onto is more powerful than the last.”
He glanced at Wu Jun and went on, “It’s hard to say whether this move to the city is lucky or unlucky for her. I know quite a few people in the city, so I’ve already had someone keep an eye on her. If anything unusual happens, they’ll let me know.”
Wu Jun knew this woman wouldn’t disappear from the picture so easily—after all, she was the female lead. But as long as she had left the county, he could probably avoid running into her, since he rarely went to the city anyway.
…
Three days later, the brigade captain returned from the county and rang the big bell.
As the villagers gradually gathered at the brigade headquarters, they saw the captain standing sternly on the platform without a word. The other village cadres beside him were also silent.
“Everyone, quiet down, quiet down. I’ve called you here today mainly to talk about what happened a few days ago.”
The brigade captain scanned the crowd, taking in every villager, then continued, “The county has gotten to the bottom of things. Tiedan found out that his wife was having an affair with Er Laizi. He went to confront Er Laizi, and Er Laizi pushed him off a cliff to his death…”
Before he could finish, the village erupted in an excited uproar.
Lin Pandi said proudly, “I told you Er Laizi and Widow Li were having an affair, but none of you believed me. See now? That vile woman deserves to be taken away by the police.”
Aunt Dazhu, usually the biggest gossip, said angrily, “And here I thought of her as a good sister. That wretch killed Brother Tiedan.”
Seeing the villagers’ righteous indignation, the brigade captain sighed and raised his voice, “Quiet down, I’m not finished yet. The remains found a few days ago belong to San Pangzi, not Er Laizi. San Pangzi found out that Er Laizi had killed Tiedan and tried to blackmail him. Er Laizi, having gone that far already, decided to kill him too and bury him in the ditch.”
Wu Ergou looked utterly incredulous. “How is that possible? I couldn’t have been mistaken!”
The brigade captain continued, “Captain Chen has already found Er Laizi at the Yangjia Commune, and he has confessed to everything.”
Hearing this, Wu Jun truly admired what Li Gong had said the other day. He and Captain Chen must have already realized something was off.
“Although Widow Li didn’t participate in the killings, it’s a fact that she was having an affair with Er Laizi. After her trial, she will be sent to a labor camp for reeducation. This matter is now closed. Everyone should stop discussing it. After all, it happened in our village and it’s nothing to be proud of. Also, there’s one more thing: educated youths will be arriving in our village the day after tomorrow. When they get here, keep your distance and don’t cause any trouble.” With that, the brigade captain dismissed the crowd.
The villagers gathered in small groups, continuing to discuss the case. No doubt this complex murder case would be the talk of the surrounding villages for a long time to come.