Even if his immediate goal was simply to send Xiao Yujun to prison, obtaining the report materials from Gu Peijun alone would never be enough.

Most of the evidence Gu Peijun had gathered came from nearly a year of quiet investigation, carried out in his spare time.

So far, Gu Peijun had only uncovered that several businesses secretly controlled by Xiao Yujun had clear—sometimes subtle—financial ties to Nanting Lake Juice Factory. But because of various limitations, much of it was still hearsay and conjecture. Hard proof was scarce.

That had been one of the key reasons in Xiao Liang’s previous life why Gu Peijun’s public whistleblowing, after Xiao Liang was framed, ultimately failed to bring Xiao Yujun down.

There *was* direct evidence, of course.

The procurement and sales records for raw materials, production lines, and fruit beverages at Nanting Lake Juice Factory. The warehouse logs tracking goods entering and leaving. The financial ledgers detailing money flowing in and out. And the financial audit materials Xiao Liang himself had compiled over the past three months.

Combined with Gu Peijun’s report, those documents would form a powerful accusation that Xiao Yujun had embezzled and misappropriated the collective assets of Nanting Village.

Unfortunately, they could no longer access the factory’s original records. And the audit materials Xiao Liang had prepared were almost certainly already in Xiao Yujun’s hands.

Since Xiao Liang had decided to drag Gu Xiong and Gu Peijun into the fight to help him, he had no intention of discouraging them now. Even without mentioning the Provincial No.14 Retired Cadres Sanatorium, he spoke calmly, projecting confidence.

“The night before last, it was Deputy Captain Yuan Wenhai from the county criminal investigation team who escorted me from Yunshe to the county bureau. Chen Shen from the town police station and Du Jiang were also in the vehicle. When the crash happened, Du Jiang was thrown out of the car. Captain Yuan, Chen Shen, and another officer were trapped inside the burning police car. I pulled them out before I left the scene.”

He shrugged lightly.

“When I first called home, Officer Sui happened to be there. I told her on the phone that I was in Yunshe and would turn myself in when she arrived. I lied to lure her here. But instead of being angry about being tricked, she started investigating the inconsistencies in the case. That surprised me. It means she’s an upright person.”

He paused before continuing.

“But if I bring the materials to her, she’ll arrest me immediately and take both me and the evidence back to the county bureau. After that… who knows whether the bureau will still let her handle the case.”

“You saved Captain Yuan and Director Chen?” Gu Peijun stared at him, astonished. Then he cursed angrily. “Damn that bastard Fan Chunjiang! What kind of deal does he have with Xiao Yujun to bite down on you like this?”

Xiao Liang spread his hands helplessly.

If Fan Chunjiang was so determined to help Xiao Yujun hunt him down, how deep their collusion ran hardly needed explaining.

Which meant one thing.

Gu Xiong and Gu Peijun could not retreat from this now.

Once the truth surfaced, Xiao Yujun’s retaliation would be merciless. If Gu Xiong had feared him before, he should understand that better than anyone.

Turning to Gu Peijun, Xiao Liang asked, “Secretary Gu, do you have spare copies of the report materials? If not, make a few. Let’s wait two days and see how things develop. If we really have no other choice, I’ll take them to Officer Sui.”

Then he looked toward Gu Xiong, whose brows were drawn even tighter.

“What do you think, Station Chief Gu?”

Caught off guard, Gu Xiong couldn’t think that far ahead. For the moment, he was simply relieved Xiao Liang remained calm and wasn’t acting rashly.

“I’ll go to the county and make copies,” Gu Peijun said.

Photocopiers were still rare in 1994; he would have to make a special trip.

After a moment he asked, “Once I have them, how do I contact you?”

“I’ll call the store periodically,” Xiao Liang replied.

Neither he nor Gu Peijun owned a pager yet. But Xiao Liang still refused to reveal where he was staying.

The wholesale shop had a landline. Calling Gu Xiong from time to time would be enough to stay informed.

He made no effort to hide his lingering distrust of Gu Xiong.

Taking out a pen and paper, Xiao Liang wrote down an address and handed it to Gu Peijun.

“Lin Xuetong is working here in Shishan. A few others from Nanting Village are with him. When you go to the county, run into them ‘by chance.’ Mention what’s happened in Yunshe these past two days and see how Lin Xuetong reacts.”

“You think he might already suspect something between He Hong and Xiao Yujun?” Gu Peijun asked thoughtfully. “Even if he believes you were framed, he probably won’t come forward to testify.”

In those days, even if a man knew his wife was having an affair, getting him to publicly admit it was another matter entirely.

“And even if he did,” Gu Peijun added, “what real help would that be for your case?”

“Who knows?” Xiao Liang replied vaguely. “It’s another option. Besides, something this big has happened to He Hong. If Lin Xuetong doesn’t come forward himself, Officer Sui will probably go looking for him anyway.”

“Fair enough,” Gu Peijun said. “Since I’m going to the county anyway, it’s not much trouble.”

—

When Xiao Liang stepped out of the wholesale store, the commotion across the road had already settled down.

Villagers were still buzzing with excitement, animatedly describing how the female officer had overpowered the two hooligans and hauled them off to the town police station.

How many people in their lives had ever seen a policewoman so beautiful—and so fierce?

A Santana sedan was parked by the roadside. The midday sun glared off its windows, making it impossible to see inside.

In 1994, a Santana was still a luxury most families could only dream of. But in townships close to the city, it wasn’t particularly rare. The license plate revealed nothing special.

Maybe the driver had simply stopped to watch the earlier commotion.

Just then another bus arrived from Yunshe. Xiao Liang strode across the road and boarded.

Through the window, he noticed a man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight stepping out of the Santana’s passenger seat and heading toward the wholesale shop.

The man looked sharp and capable. A white shirt and black trousers—simple, clean, but strangely out of place in a rural town in 1994.

Two villagers were hurrying to catch the bus behind Xiao Liang. The conductor leaned out the window, tapping the side of the bus with his ticket clipboard to urge them on. The driver waited patiently.

The day was already warm. The city buses had no air-conditioning, so every window was open.

After buying his ticket, Xiao Liang sat near the rear window and glanced again at the Santana.

The white-shirted man soon emerged from the shop with a pack of cigarettes and passed it through the rolled-down back window.

Only then did Xiao Liang see the passenger seated on the right side of the back seat—a middle-aged man in a jacket, with thick, distinctive eyebrows.

As the man accepted the cigarettes, he happened to glance toward the bus.

Xiao Liang smiled slightly in greeting.

The white-shirted man climbed back into the passenger seat, then turned around.

“Secretary Tang, what were you looking at?”

“That young fellow,” the middle-aged man said thoughtfully. “Quite spirited. There was such a commotion outside just now, yet he never came out to watch. Interesting.”

He chuckled.

“And when he boarded the bus, he didn’t look nervous at all. Even nodded at me.”

Behind the driver sat a thin elderly man with graying hair. He had been staring intently at the departing bus, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.

“Should we follow him?” the younger man asked hesitantly. “This trip turned out more complicated than expected. If he was hiding inside the shop the whole time, maybe he’s connected to those two thugs.”

“Without evidence, what would we gain from chasing him?” the old man finally said, snapping out of his thoughts and stopping him.

The middle-aged man made no move to order the driver forward.

Even if the young man really had been connected to the hooligans, what would they do by catching up to him? Show off the authority of a county party secretary?

After all, even Officer Sui wouldn’t be able to do much with those two troublemakers she had just arrested. They might even accuse her of excessive force.

The only reason things hadn’t escalated earlier was probably because of her appearance.

If any other officer had beaten up two thugs in public without solid evidence, the villagers would have surrounded them shouting, *The police are beating people!*

The middle-aged man turned to the elderly gentleman and said sincerely,

“I’ve only been working in Shishan for three or four months. I really don’t understand the grassroots situation well yet. Meetings keep me tied up every day, and many things haven’t been properly investigated. That’s my failing.”

He paused.

“Should we go to the town now?”

The old man chuckled.

“No. If we go now and Xiao Jing sees this old man sneaking into Shishan—spraining his ankle climbing a hill, no less—she’ll laugh at me for being useless.”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Besides, that girl has been stubborn since childhood. She hates interference. If I show up claiming she’s my granddaughter and no one is allowed to bully her, then when she fails to toughen up later, she’ll blame me.”

“My trip to Shishan is just a sentimental visit. I’m not here to point fingers. The problems at the grassroots level aren’t something a retired old man can solve by giving a few lectures.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“The case may look simple, but Officer Sui ran into interference as soon as she began investigating. There must be more to it. Since we’ve already seen this, it doesn’t feel right to ignore it entirely. Should I call the Public Security Bureau?”

The old man remained calm.

“No need to interfere yet. Let’s see how far this young calf that fears no tiger can push the case.”

He smiled faintly.

“It’ll also give you a chance to see just how much resistance exists in the townships. And a little hardship will do Xiao Jing good. That’s exactly why we didn’t keep her in the provincial office in the first place.”

The younger aide hesitated.

“Secretary Tang… should we return to the county?”

“I understand what Elder Sui means,” the middle-aged man said. “We’ll head back for now. I’ll keep an eye on Yunshe. As long as nothing blows up beyond control, we won’t intervene.”

Then he turned back to the old man.

“How long do you plan to stay in Shishan?”

“At least until Xiao Jing reaches a preliminary conclusion on this case,” the old man replied with a laugh. “I can’t leave without seeing my granddaughter.”

He looked out the window thoughtfully.

“Shishan is quite interesting. Worth staying a few days.”

Then he added casually,

“But don’t worry about me. And whatever you do, don’t inform the city authorities. I’d like a little peace and quiet.”