After watching Xiao Zhanwu leave, Li Yi fell into deep thought.
Just moments ago, Xiao Zhanwu had briefed him on the details of the case.
First, regarding the money—it had already been turned over to the county bureau. However, if Li Yi and his group wanted to retrieve it, they would have to file a report with the Public Security Bureau and submit a written application before they could possibly get their hands on it.
Secondly, since this case was unlikely to be resolved anytime soon—especially before it was transferred to the procuratorate—Xiao Zhanwu hoped they would not leave Yong County for the time being and would cooperate with the county bureau at any time.
“Xiaoxue, what do you think?” Li Yi asked immediately.
In truth, for Li Yi, three thousand yuan was no small sum, but it wasn’t the end of the world either.
Even if they couldn’t get it back, it wouldn’t matter.
“I—let’s make time to go to the county police station. We have to get that money back!” Tang Xue said earnestly.
“Actually, if you don’t want to go, we don’t have to!” Li Yi said.
“No, we have to get it back. The Tang family has no right to keep that money!” Tang Xue said firmly.
After all, the reason she had given Tang Jizhong and his wife those three thousand yuan back then was purely to repay them for raising her.
But now the investigation had revealed that she wasn’t an abandoned infant whose parents had forsaken her—rather, Tang Jizhong had shamelessly stolen her from her biological mother.
Therefore, she owed the Tang family nothing, and neither Tang Jizhong nor Li Hongmei had done her any favors!
More importantly, Tang Xue knew that Li Yi had worked hard to earn every penny of that money. Although she was his wife, she certainly didn’t squander his money the way Li Yi did.
“All right then, let’s find some time to go to the county police station and file a report!” Li Yi said.
“Okay, as for when we go home, I’ll leave it up to you!” Tang Xue said.
She knew Li Yi wasn’t the good-for-nothing he used to be. Now, almost everyone in Nianzi Mountain Village depended on him for their livelihood, and with the family business having grown so large, Li Yi really had to go back.
However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “There’s no rush on that. Let’s get your background sorted out first—we’ve come all this way, after all!”
After all, the identity of Tang Xue’s biological mother hadn’t been uncovered yet, and even if they went back now, Tang Xue wouldn’t feel at ease.
Besides, his second and third older sisters were keeping an eye on things back home. He just needed to return before the weather turned cold—he still had plenty of time!
“Alright then!”
With that, the two of them headed back to the guesthouse together!
……
Over the next few days, aside from making a trip to the county police station to file a report, the two of them didn’t leave the guesthouse.
Long Zhanjun and Niu Qiu came by a few times, but since there wasn’t much to discuss, Li Yi sent them back each time.
Xiao Zhanwu, however, hadn’t shown up at all, and they had no idea how their investigation was going!
And just like that, a week had flown by!
By now, it was already September, and the weather was no longer as sweltering as before.
Especially in the mornings and evenings, a slight chill was already in the air.
Additionally, Tang Xue was nearly three months pregnant, and her morning sickness had completely disappeared. She, who used to throw up everything she ate, now had an unusually good appetite; her daily food intake was almost on par with Li Yi’s.
Her belly was also starting to show, especially her lower abdomen, which was no longer as flat as before.
To be honest, Li Yi was somewhat surprised. Although he had never been pregnant himself, he knew that at three months, a fetus is only about 9 centimeters long and weighs just around 18 grams.
A baby that size shouldn’t make Tang Xue’s pregnancy show so clearly, which led Li Yi to wonder for a moment if she might be carrying twins!
So Li Yi decided that when they passed through Chang’an on their way back, he would definitely take Tang Xue to a major hospital for a checkup!
During this time, Tang Bing had also come by twice, both times begging Tang Xue not to hold her parents accountable. She even went so far as to kneel before Tang Xue, having long since shed her previous arrogant and domineering demeanor.
That foolish woman thought that if Tang Xue agreed not to press charges, the police would simply let those scum from the Tang family off the hook.
Little did she know that whether it was the baby swap or the arson, both had already violated criminal law.
Even if Tang Xue chose not to press charges, the police would still investigate the matter to the very end!
Therefore, it was a foregone conclusion that Tang Jizhong and his wife, along with Tang Lei and Tang Meiqin, would be sent to prison!
A few days later, Xiao Zhanwu finally showed up, but he didn’t bring any good news.
According to Xiao Zhanwu, over the past few days, with the cooperation of the county personnel department, they had reviewed the relevant personnel files but still couldn’t find Ye Lingwan’s file.
They then tracked down former leaders of the cotton mill and veteran employees from Workshop No. 3, asking them to help recall details about Ye Lingwan.
The conclusion they reached was that Ye Lingwan was likely not a local, and she hadn’t joined the cotton mill through proper channels—instead, she had been parachuted in.
More importantly, the records she left at the cotton mill were likely all fabricated, including the name Ye Lingwan.
Consequently, the county bureau’s investigation into Ye Lingwan’s identity has reached a dead end.
They have now sent an official letter to the provincial personnel department requesting assistance with the investigation, asking them to look into whether this person was transferred from the province.
However, as a small county-level public security bureau with little influence, it remains uncertain whether they will receive a response from the provincial department, or when such a response might arrive.
Consequently, the county bureau leadership has instructed that the relevant case files be organized and transferred to the procuratorate, while the investigation into Ye Lingwan’s identity can proceed at a later pace!
The only piece of good news is that, thanks to Xiao Zhanwu’s efforts, they were able to recover the 3,000 yuan that had previously been handed over to Tang Jizhong.
As for the jade pendant that served as proof of Tang Xue’s identity, it had to be handed over to the procuratorate. After the prosecutors there had examined it, it would be returned to them.
Left with no other choice, Li Yi and Tang Xue could only remain in Yong County to await further updates.
In truth, both Li Yi and Tang Xue knew that, given the current information available, the chances of uncovering Ye Lingwan’s true identity were slim.
Right now, aside from waiting for a response from the provincial personnel department, they had no other options.
It wasn’t that there were absolutely no options—for instance, they could place a missing person’s ad in the newspaper or even issue an appeal on television!
But such methods would only be used as a last resort. After all, the identity of Tang Xue’s biological mother was shrouded in mystery, and considering the chaotic political situation in the country back then, Li Yi wasn’t sure if placing a public notice would be a good or bad idea.
Then again, a woman of Ye Lingwan’s extraordinary poise—suddenly assigned to work at the Yong County Cotton Mill while pregnant, with her husband nowhere to be found—it wasn’t hard to imagine that something had happened to her.
A family tragedy?
Love and hatred?
Power struggles?
But whatever the case, it could potentially disrupt their current peaceful life.
Therefore, Li Yi felt that investigating Ye Lingwan’s background had to be done gradually, taking care not to expose Tang Xue to certain people’s scrutiny too soon.
Even if he were to launch a full-scale investigation, he would have to wait until he had sufficient strength to do so!