Chapter 71

Upon receiving the report, the county public security bureau immediately set out for Liujiawa Production Team.

Liujiawa Production Team was a large village with around two hundred households, where people had lived for generations in the countryside, belonging to the same clan.

The old farmer’s former son-in-law was named Liu Chengchun. He had three brothers, and the Liu family had no enemies in Liujiawa. Hearing that the police were coming to investigate, the villagers gathered to see what was happening.

The Liu family’s home was a typical rural setting with thatched-roof houses and a mud courtyard. The vegetable garden was poorly maintained, with drooping, yellowing plants, mirroring the lifelessness of the Liu family members.

There were two thatched sheds in the Liu family’s yard: one stacked high with firewood and the other serving as a livestock pen for raising chickens, ducks, and geese.

The police issued a certificate and dug three feet deep under the newly built thatched shed, but found nothing.

The old lady of the Liu family jumped up in indignation, accusing, “What! Our family is innocent! You’re wrongly accusing us! We deserve… compensation!”

“Yes, the police shouldn’t bully ordinary people!”

“Don’t think you can leave without compensation!”

The Liu family’s daughters-in-law joined in the clamor, and Liu Chengchun’s brothers even tried to push the old farmer who reported the case.

The old farmer’s family had four strong sons, who pushed back against the Liu family’s sneaky attempts. The Liu brothers, being weaker and more disreputable, retreated.

The Liu family’s yard was in an uproar, while Liu Chengchun stood aside, clearly uneasy.

The recently widowed woman, having just given birth, used the excuse that rural women were unsophisticated and did not show her face.

The reporting old farmer insisted that his daughter’s disappearance was connected to the Liu family. Xu Xiangqian, along with several officers, came to the village to investigate and took statements from each household.

Gu Shi’an observed the Liu family’s yard. The Liu family members were bold in confronting other police officers but avoided Gu Shi’an, who was known to be formidable. When the Liu family’s third son tried to bully the old farmer’s granddaughter, Gu Shi’an’s single punch had the third son gasping in pain.

The Liu family was visibly scared, huddled together as they watched the police come and go in their yard.

The Liu family’s yard was shabby, with only the new thatched shed and a newly dug cellar standing out.

In the 1950s and 1960s, almost every rural household had a cellar for storing grain. The red cellar was deeply dug underground, covered with thick wooden beams, and had an opening shaped like a square. It was protected by a fence made of sorghum stalks. The cellar remained warm in winter and was used for storing sweet potatoes, cabbage, and potatoes.

Now, during the famine years, the Liu family’s cellar had no grain.

What was odd was that other families’ cellars were sufficient for grain storage, but the Liu family cellar was unusually deep and large. When opened, it revealed a dark, intimidating hole.

Even more puzzling was the stack of old timber in a corner of the cellar.

Old Man Liu explained that these were good pieces of wood saved for when his eldest grandson got married to make furniture.

Xu Xiangqian smiled wryly, “Your family is quite peculiar. Good wood isn’t stored in a damp cellar but kept in a cool place. It’s fine in winter, but in spring and summer, the cellar is damp and will cause the wood to rot.”

A police officer added, “Isn’t it also at risk of being gnawed by rats in the cellar?”

Old Man Liu, sweating, nodded and said, “You’re right. We’ll move it out in a couple of days.”

As Gu Shi’an reviewed the statements, he suddenly stood up and said, “No need. We’ll help you move it.”

Old Man Liu nearly fell to his knees in shock.

The Liu family was also terrified.

As they considered intervening, five or six police officers had already emerged, untied the ropes of the cellar, and jumped down to start digging.

The old farmer’s family surrounded the cellar entrance.

Twenty minutes later, a voice came from the cellar.

“We’ve found it. Deputy Director Gu, there is a female skeleton inside.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the members of the Liu family slumped like wilted eggplants. Liu Chengchun attempted to escape by jumping over the fence, but was quickly pinned to the ground by the police officers who had been keeping an eye on him.

A female skeleton, covered with a white cloth, was carried out of the cellar. Upon seeing the copper bracelet exposed on the right hand bone, the old farmer burst into tears.

“Daughter, Father has finally found you! Daughter, look at your father!”

“Sister!”

“Auntie!”

The old farmer’s family cried together, the four brothers weeping like children. The eldest of the old farmer family caught sight of Liu Chengchun not far away and roared, “You bastard!”

Clenching his fists, he rushed over and punched Liu Chengchun twice, causing blood to gush from his nose.

The old woman of the Liu family wailed loudly, “Murder! Murder!”

The eldest daughter-in-law of the old farmer gritted her teeth, rushed over, took off her shoe, and slapped the old woman several times.

“How dare you cry out murder when you’re the murderers! Your family killed my sister-in-law, just wait to be shot!”

The old woman of the Liu family immediately fell silent.

The entire Liu family was handcuffed and taken back to the county public security bureau.

In the interrogation room, the family tried to shift the blame, claiming they were innocent. They insisted that their daughter-in-law had disappeared two years ago, so how could the skeleton suddenly appear in their home?

The old man of the Liu family was tight-lipped, shaking his head and saying he knew nothing whenever asked.

The old woman of the Liu family, with foul language, adamantly insisted that her daughter-in-law had been promiscuous, had found a lover, and was killed by him before being hidden in their cellar.

The rest of the Liu family echoed this story.

Xu Xiangqian ground his teeth in anger, recognizing that this was clearly a coordinated story from the entire family!

In the interrogation room, Liu Chengchun sobbed uncontrollably: “My wife had a hard life. She didn’t enjoy many good days after marrying me, and then she disappeared after visiting her family. We searched for her for two years! How could she end up buried in our cellar? Officers, someone is framing us! They’ve brought great harm to our family—who is trying to ruin us?”

The officers at the public security bureau had never encountered such shameless people.

However, the evidence they had was not sufficient to convict the Liu family.

Gu Shi’an, after a moment of reflection, picked up the Liu family’s files and reviewed them again. He decided to start with the weakest member of the Liu family, the third son. After a round of psychological tactics, the third son’s defenses crumbled, and he confessed the entire story.

It turned out that Liu Chengchun had started an affair with a widow two and a half years ago.

At that time, both were married and had decent family lives, so they hadn’t considered divorce and remarriage.

Things changed when the victim discovered their affair. During the ensuing argument, the victim’s head hit the wall, and she stopped breathing.

It was late at night when the incident occurred. Hearing the commotion, the Liu family went outside and saw their daughter-in-law lying motionless on the ground.

The old man decided to cover up the crime for his son. The family cleaned up the scene and moved the victim to a remote area for burial, falsely claiming that she had gone missing while visiting her family.

The body remained buried for a year and a half until six months ago, when the family, fearing discovery due to the development of terraced fields in the back hills, hastily relocated the skeleton back to their home.

The victim’s father, sensing something was wrong, reported the case, which eventually led to the truth being revealed.

The case was solved, and the Liu family would face legal punishment.

But unfortunately, a vibrant and beautiful life had been lost and could never be returned.

When the public security bureau’s officers finished work that day, their mood was heavy. There was no playful banter as they pushed their bicycles out of the station.

Father Xu said, “What’s with the long faces? Cases like this happen all the time! Our duty is to protect the country and the people, and to fight criminals! Get your spirits up, or you’ll be in for a scolding tomorrow!”

The young men responded in unison before Father Xu allowed them to leave.

Xu Xiangqian composed himself, patted Deputy Director Gu on the shoulder, and said, “Old Gu, give us a smile. Don’t keep that cold face, or you’ll scare Yao Yao when you get home.”

“……”

The warm April evening in the countryside was glowing with the colors of the sunset, and Gu Shidong stood under the big banyan tree, eagerly looking down the path.

As soon as he spotted his brother in the distance, the boy dashed over.

“Brother, you’re finally back. While you were away, Sister-in-law missed you so much.”

She missed you so much that she fell asleep.

Gu Shi’an’s heart softened, and he smiled, “Where is your sister-in-law?”

“She’s sleeping at home.”

Sleeping?

Wasn’t she supposed to be eagerly missing him?

Gu Shi’an paused, tightened his grip on the bicycle handle, and Dongzi scratched his head with a silly grin. “Hehe, Sister-in-law said she was dreaming about you.”

Gu Shi’an: “……”

The brothers returned home one after the other.

Deputy Director Gu, stubborn as he was, washed his hands and went inside to take a look.

Sure enough, the evening’s sunset bathed the courtyard in a warm glow. The bed had been freshly aired a few days ago, still soft and carrying the scent of sunshine. Lin Yao was hugging a pillow, sleeping soundly, while Daju nestled in its little bed, its round belly rising and falling with each breath.

In the courtyard, a few new mint plants had been transplanted. The mint leaves were versatile; they could be dried and brewed as tea, or their juice could be applied to the skin to cool down and repel mosquitoes.

Seeing that his brother had washed his hands, Dongzi followed his sister-in-law’s instructions, pointed to the fish in the basin, and handed his brother a filleting knife, urging him to quickly prepare the fish, scrape the meat, and make fish balls.

With his little wife’s request, Gu Shi’an had no choice but to kill the fat fish in the basin, scale them, remove the innards, and clean out the black membrane from the abdomen. He carefully scraped the tender fish meat into a bowl for later use.

Dongzi, gripping a large knife in his small hands, put all his strength into chopping the fish meat.

By the time Lin Yao woke up from her nap, the two brothers had already prepared the fish, chopped the garlic, ginger, and onions—everything was ready except for the final cooking.

Lin Yao tied on her apron, washed her hands, and waddled into the kitchen, her pregnant belly leading the way. Naturally, she left all the heavy work, like cutting and cooking, to others, focusing solely on shaping fish balls.

Making fish balls was similar to making meatballs. She cracked two eggs into the fish mixture, added a spoonful of salt, a handful of flour, and stirred it vigorously until it was well-mixed. Then, she formed the mixture into small round balls with her hands. When she dropped them into the clear, simmering broth, she sprinkled a handful of fresh, green cilantro over the top, filling the entire house with a fragrant aroma.

The family of three sat down to eat, their faces soon glistening with sweat.

Lin Yao took a sip of the fish soup and said, “There are still two fish left at home. When Mom and Dad come back, we’ll let them have a taste, too.”

“Sure,” Gu Shi’an replied, finishing his fish balls in a few quick bites. “I’ll wash the dishes later,” he added as he went out to change the water for the fish in the courtyard.

Lin Yao smiled sweetly and reminded Dongzi to eat more slowly.

The little rascal nearly had his head buried in the bowl, nodding absentmindedly as he responded with an “mm-hmm.”

When Zhang Cuilan and her husband returned that evening, Lin Yao showcased her culinary skills again, preparing fish balls for both of them.

As they ate the fish balls made by their daughter-in-law, the elderly couple couldn’t stop praising them.

“These are delicious! So soft and springy.”

“And this soup is so flavorful! Old man, have some more.”

During this trip back to the city, Mother Xu had managed to get four pork trotters from her family’s nephew, keeping one pair for themselves and giving the other to her in-laws to take home for Lin Yao to make pork trotter and soybean soup.

Meanwhile, Gu Chunmei, who was also heavily pregnant, was at home making clothes for the baby.

Seeing the colorful fabrics spread across the bed, Zhang Cuilan couldn’t help but tell her daughter to be more frugal. Times were tough, and they couldn’t afford to be wasteful. There would be many expenses in the future.

Gu Chunmei, who had been listening to her mother’s nagging since she was a child, was used to it by now.

“Mom, doesn’t Yao Yao make clothes for her baby at home too?”

Comrade Cuilan wanted to lie but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Remembering all the little outfits Lin Yao had made, she sighed and said nothing.

Her daughter and daughter-in-law were both the same, so what was there to say?

While the Gu family was enjoying a harmonious and happy atmosphere, the Sun family in town was experiencing a major conflict because Li Aifeng had secretly eaten all their dumplings.

With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, Father Sun was busy overseeing work at the factory. As the end of the month approached, the light bulb factory became increasingly hectic. Father Sun was like a spinning top, hosting the factory’s end-of-month summary meeting in the morning and inspecting the workshop in the afternoon.

He didn’t get home until nine or ten o’clock at night. Mother Sun, who loved dumpling, had made five or six of them at home, including salted egg yolk dumpling, meat dumpling, and sweet dumpling. She planned to save them for the Dragon Boat Festival, with one for each family member.

Including the pregnant Lin Hongna, there were six people in the Sun family, making one dumpling per person just right.

This time, Mother Sun had been quite fair. She was worried that someone might see the dumplings and report them for living too extravagantly, so she had hidden the dumplings in the small granary, planning to enjoy them during the festival.

Unfortunately, despite all her precautions, she couldn’t prevent Li Aifeng from being a sneaky eater!

It wouldn’t have been a big deal if she had just eaten one, but this sneaky eater went through them like locusts, leaving nothing behind. She devoured all six dumplings on her own!

As soon as Mother Sun stepped into the house after work, she smelled the sweet aroma of glutinous rice and dumplings. Her heart sank, and she rushed to the kitchen with her bag still in hand.

Li Aifeng, her belly bulging from overeating, was lying on the Sun family’s black leather sofa, burping contentedly. When she saw Mother Sun, she got up to greet her.

“Oh, you’re back, dear in-law. I’ve already cleaned the house and washed the clothes. What’s wrong, dear in-law?”

Mother Sun ignored her and frantically searched the kitchen. There were no dumplings in the granary, none in the cupboards, none under the stove, and none in the woodpile—nowhere!

Where had her dumplings gone?!!

Mother Sun, like a madwoman, began tearing the house apart. Li Aifeng, clueless about what was happening, put on her shoes and came over.

“What are you looking for, dear in-law?”

Mother Sun grabbed her by the sleeve. “Where are my dumplings? Have you seen them?”

Mother Sun’s eyes were blazing with fury. Even Li Aifeng, who was usually slow to catch on, realized that she had been caught. She had eaten all the dumplings this woman had made.

Li Aifeng’s eyes darted around as she tried to come up with an excuse to play dumb, but then she let out a burp, and Mother Sun smelled the unmistakable scent.

“So, it was you, you thieving wench, who ate my dumplings!”

Mother Sun’s anger boiled over, and she slapped Li Aifeng hard across the face.