When Lu Qingqing said she wanted to take the three children out, Committee Member Sun showed a troubled expression.
“I’m afraid that won’t work. They were all arrested under Deputy Director Zhang’s orders. We don’t have the authority to interfere.”
Seeing that the money had already been taken, Sun explained further, “If you want to get them out, you’ll have to go to Deputy Director Zhang. As long as he nods, everything becomes easy. Otherwise, if we act on our own, we’ll offend people.”
Lu Qingqing understood. Internal struggles within the Revolutionary Committee were also quite intense—and of course, it also had to do with her not paying enough.
But if she did pay enough, she would expose the fact that she knew about the Lu family’s hidden treasure. That could lead to complications.
If Zhang Shan decided the Lu family had no further use and sent them to a remote labor camp deep in the mountains, that would be unacceptable.
Lu Qingqing clenched her fists. She had to bring Zhang Shan down before her family was sent away.
“Qingqing, don’t come here anymore. People might misunderstand you. Just make sure you protect yourself,” Old Master Lu advised.
“Grandpa, I know. I’ll take care of myself,” she replied—but she didn’t truly take it to heart.
Her parents and grandmother could see that clearly and wanted to say more, but the timing was wrong, especially with a committee member watching nearby.
Some words couldn’t be spoken, so they could only exchange meaningful glances.
Lu Qingqing avoided their eyes and handed her sister-in-law a kettle. “This is hot water I prepared for the children.”
“Mm, I know,” Lin Na said softly, taking it. She thanked her quietly and stepped back to the children. Once she opened it, she immediately sensed something was off.
This wasn’t just hot water—it had milk powder mixed in. Qingqing had prepared it to keep the children from going hungry.
Afraid the committee member would smell the milk, Lin Na let the children take a quick sip, then quickly closed the lid, planning to feed them later when no outsiders were around.
Committee Member Sun sniffed lightly, his gaze briefly passing over the kettle, but he said nothing. Since he had taken the money, he knew the rules.
After parting with her family, Lu Qingqing went home, changed her appearance, and slipped out through the back courtyard.
Zhang Shan wasn’t at the Revolutionary Committee. What was he doing right now? Lu Qingqing was curious—she needed to see.
After a busy morning, Zhang Shan finally dismissed the public security officers, dark circles under his eyes, and collapsed weakly to the ground.
Looking at the empty courtyard, killing intent surged in his heart. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt—he had clearly been targeted.
But who could it be?
Who had such power to steal his goods, take Zhang Cheng’s money, and even strip his home bare?
It would take a whole group of people to pull something like this off.
Staring at the empty house, Zhang Shan finally believed Zhang Cheng’s words. He realized deeply that someone had set him up.
After years in the Revolutionary Committee, he knew many people wanted him dead—but none had the capability to act on it.
Who exactly was it?
Before he could figure it out, his stomach growled. He had worked all night and hadn’t eaten breakfast—he was starving.
He felt in his pocket—luckily there was still some money. He decided to eat first, then go question Huang Ergou.
The goods had been fine before loading, so the problem must have happened in transit. As the escort, Huang Ergou was highly suspicious.
Maybe even his injuries were faked to mislead him.
Yes, that must be it. After eating, he would deal with business properly. Huang Ergou was no longer trustworthy.
As he left and reached to close the gate, he froze.
The house was already empty—what was there to lock?
With a frustrated flick of his hand, he rode away, leaving the gate wide open.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingqing had just arrived at the perfect time—she saw Zhang Shan leaving.
Instead of following closely, she kept a distance, even changing her coat and hat.
When she saw him enter a restaurant, she hid nearby and waited for him to finish eating.
Just as she expected, after his meal, Zhang Shan rode his bicycle to an illegal clinic.
The clinic was hidden deep in an alley. The doctor was an old man.
His washed-out clothes were faded white, his face deeply lined, and his expression carried a sense of suffering—anyone would think he was just a pitiful, unlucky old man.
“Old Zhang, how is Huang Ergou?” Zhang Shan asked while parking his bicycle.
“Brother Shan, Huang Ergou has already woken up. No vital organs were injured, just lost too much blood. He needs proper recovery,” the old man replied from the doorway.
He didn’t move from the entrance, his eyes constantly glancing toward the alley exit.
Zhang Shan snorted coldly and walked inside toward the ward.
At that moment, Lu Qingqing rode past the alley entrance on her bicycle. She glanced at Old Zhang but did not stop, continuing forward as if she were just passing by.
In a quiet spot, she stored the bicycle into her space, took out a handful of melon seeds, and casually walked toward a big tree at the entrance of the alley.
Several older women were sitting there chatting and laughing.
As soon as she approached, she immediately caught their attention. Before they could even ask who she was, she handed them the melon seeds.
“Aunties, I’d like to ask you something,” Lu Qingqing said openly. “I heard there’s a young man in your alley who works at a food factory…”
“Oh, you mean him? Why are you asking about him?” one woman asked cautiously.
“Oh, what else? It’s for my daughter,” Lu Qingqing replied with a knowing look.
The women exchanged glances—they understood immediately. Someone was here to check on a potential match.
As long as there wasn’t a deep grudge, few people would interfere with marriages.
The aunties immediately began praising the young man endlessly, as if he were unmatched in the world.
Lu Qingqing smiled in satisfaction, looking pleased.
Seeing her expression, the women felt reassured—this was practically settled. The marriage was guaranteed!
What none of them asked was the man’s name or address. It didn’t matter—there was a bachelor in the alley of marrying age, so praising him was enough.
With that settled, the conversation naturally shifted to marriage and family matters.
Using this opportunity, Lu Qingqing gathered nearly all the information about the alley, including the house deep inside.
When they mentioned that house, the aunties shook their heads, saying Old Zhang was a dangerous man with suspicious connections.
They had seen people covered in blood entering his home more than once.
Complaints had been made before—but that night, dead rats were thrown into their courtyards.
Some children were even kidnapped and bagged while playing outside.
After such incidents happened repeatedly, everyone understood: Old Zhang was not someone to mess with.