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Indeed, it was quite unusual.
For those households with people present at night but absent during the day due to visiting relatives, the thieves must have felt somewhat anxious. Even if they left, there was always a chance they might return suddenly due to various reasons, risking getting caught red-handed.
Contrastingly, at the residence where Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun lived, the locks on the main gate gleamed conspicuously. It was evident that they had returned to their hometown for the Lunar New Year and were not present.
Such a residence would unlikely see anyone returning unexpectedly, making it seemingly an easier target for thieves.
“Could it be that they assumed since the occupants had gone home for the New Year, there wouldn’t be any money here?” Li Zhongan pondered. “However, there are discrepancies. While some stolen homes had hidden money left untouched, valuables and other items were still lost.”
“Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun’s home contains valuable decorations, paintings, and even some valuable herbs and fabrics. The thieves didn’t even spare the less exquisite porcelain jars from other homes, so logically, they shouldn’t have overlooked these items,” Li Zhongan continued.
Jiang Mixia nodded, “It is indeed rather peculiar.”
However, she found herself unable to fully comprehend the reasons behind these occurrences.
As Jiang Mixia pondered over the situation, he noticed Song Jingyun busy in the flowerbed with a small shovel he usually used for tending to plants.
“What are you doing, dear?” Jiang Mixia inquired.
“I was thinking that the thief chose to steal from others’ homes but spared ours. There might be a reason for this,” Song Jingyun replied.
Jiang Mixia remained silent, surprised that Song Jingyun had already figured it out.
“So, I believe there could be two reasons for this thief’s actions. Firstly, they might have thought that as a scholar with connections to the county magistrate, I could cause trouble for them,” Song Jingyun continued.
“And secondly, perhaps they believed there was no significant amount of money here.”
“Are you saying…” Li Zhongan’s expression became alert.
Just as they spoke, the shovel made a ‘ding’ sound, prompting Song Jingyun to dig further and unearth an oil-paper package. Inside the package were scattered silver coins, silver hairpins, bracelets, and other items.
Li Zhongan quickly called the yamen runners to identify the items.
“This bracelet has the words ‘wealth and peace’ engraved on it, with a slight dent that matches the description of the item reported missing from the Qu Liangzhe household,” one of the runners mentioned.
“This hairpin is set with a pearl, similar to the bridal hairpin mentioned by Mrs. Guo Dashu,” another runner added.
“This silver bowl belongs to the Hao Chengsi family…”
Clearly, these items were what the thief had stolen from various homes and buried here.
Not only did the thief avoid stealing from Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun’s home, but they also deliberately buried the stolen items in the flowerbed in their courtyard…
The motive behind this was becoming quite apparent.
Li Zhongan rubbed his chin, then furrowed his brow. “The malice in this person’s intentions is despicable.”
Jiang Mixia nodded in agreement.
Truly despicable.
To bury the stolen items in their yard, making it appear as if she and Song Jingyun had been the thieves in the eyes of others.
Even though Li Zhongan investigated and confirmed that Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun were at the Jiang family village with witnesses when the thefts occurred, people still murmured.
They wondered why their home wasn’t targeted and why the thief chose to bury the stolen items there, leading to suspicions about their involvement with the thief.
Gossip can be dangerous.
If left unchecked, such rumors, even if baseless, could disrupt their lives over time.
The thief’s intention seemed clear – to cause trouble for Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun.
“Do you want to catch this thief, sir?” Song Jingyun inquired.
“Naturally,” Li Zhongan replied, “Although we have found the stolen goods, identifying the thief will require thorough investigation and time.”
“I have a plan that could help you catch the thief faster,” Song Jingyun said with a smile.
“Oh?” Li Zhongan raised an eyebrow.
As Li Zhongan left with the runners, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun began to prepare to depart as well.
Observing this, neighbors and passersby gathered around to see what was happening.
“What did you lose from your home?”
“We lost two paintings, three ancient books, and some medicinal herbs that were gifts from others. Those herbs were from Master Zheng Yuanhe, quite valuable,” Jiang Mixia sighed, grinding her teeth in frustration. “This thief is truly despicable, not only stealing but being selective about what to steal. It’s infuriating.”
“Exactly! That’s why they’re called thieves. It’s maddening. In my home, they took the most valuable items too. This thief knows exactly what to target!” a neighbor chimed in.
“If they catch this thief, they should be punished severely. It’s outrageous!”
“The question is when they will catch this despicable thief…”
Due to the shared grievances about this detestable thief, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun lingered for a while before leaving. As they departed, their faces were filled with anger.
Later that evening, news spread from the county yamen.
It was reported that the thief responsible for the thefts had been apprehended and was under interrogation.
The thief reportedly came from the west, seeking refuge with relatives in the town after facing misfortunes at home. However, unable to find his relatives and having exhausted his funds, he resorted to theft out of desperation.
After lurking around the neighborhood for a while and taking advantage of the Lunar New Year when many people were away during the day, the thief scaled walls and conducted widespread theft, using the stolen money for indulgence.
As this news spread, all the households that had been victims of theft became even more enraged.
The fact that the thief sought refuge due to misfortune indicated that there was likely no assets left to repay the losses. The money stolen was squandered on luxuries, making its recovery unlikely even if the thief was punished severely.
Such actions were truly despicable!
The thought of hard-earned money, saved for necessities or precious jewelry, being spent recklessly by someone else, caused a wave of anger and disgust among the victims.
Throughout the early hours of the night, the entire lane echoed with curses and complaints.
Some individuals paced anxiously inside their homes, their brows furrowed in worry.
Approaching midnight, with the moon nearly full, the clear night sky illuminated the earth with a radiant glow, casting a serene and bright atmosphere over the surroundings.
As the moon sank in the western sky in the late night, a figure stealthily emerged from their own yard and wandered through the lane. Finding the night quiet and devoid of any other figures, the shadow scaled the wall and jumped into the courtyard of Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun’s home.
Upon entering, instead of hurriedly searching for items, the figure took out a small shovel from their waist and began digging in the flowerbed.
After digging for a while, it seemed they couldn’t find what they were looking for.
Puzzled, the shadow moved to another spot to search, yet still found nothing.
After several attempts, they gritted their teeth, retrieved an oil-paper package from their waist, and buried it in the freshly dug soil.