Nianzi Mountain Village. The Li Family Ancestral Home!
Just as Tang Xue hurried out of the house, Long Zhanjun and Li Gang had already gotten out of the jeep.
Looking at the small village before him, with its mud-brick houses scattered everywhere, Long Zhanjun was completely stunned. He simply couldn’t believe this was the place where Li Yi had grown up.
Even more unimaginable was that this low, dilapidated courtyard was Li Yi’s home.
Back when Li Yi had paid for his mother and sister’s medical treatment, he hadn’t hesitated for a moment—he’d pulled out ten thousand yuan without a second thought.
That’s why Long Zhanjun had always assumed Li Yi was some wealthy young heir from a high-ranking official’s family.
But the scene before him shattered that image of Li Yi in his mind completely!
Yet, the more he saw this, the more grateful Long Zhanjun felt toward Li Yi.
After all, if someone with 10,000 yuan helps you with 100 yuan, they might be doing it out of pity or simply because they want to help.
But when someone has only 100 yuan and gives you 99 of it, that shows they truly treat you like a brother.
Clearly, Li Yi was the latter.
With that thought, Long Zhanjun’s resolve grew even stronger—he was determined to stick with Li Yi from now on.
Just as his thoughts were racing, a woman suddenly emerged from the courtyard. He looked closely—it was none other than Li Yi’s wife!
At that moment, Tang Xue also recognized Li Gang and Long Zhanjun. Although she was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t Li Yi who had returned, she still quickened her pace and opened the courtyard gate.
“Brother Long, what brings you here?”
Then Tang Xue glanced at Li Gang standing beside her and asked in surprise, “Captain Li, how do you know Brother Long? And why did you bring him here?”
Long Zhanjun replied immediately, “I arrived in the county this afternoon and happened to meet Captain Li. When he found out I was looking for you, he kindly drove me over!”
Li Gang smiled and said, “Comrade Long Zhanjun has only just arrived in the county, yet he’s already helped us crack a theft case and turned the suspect over to the county bureau. To show my gratitude, I brought him over!”
Just then, Li Na came out as well. Although she didn’t know Long Zhanjun, she recognized Li Gang, and immediately said, “Xiao Xue, please invite them both inside to talk!”
Tang Xue caught on immediately and said with a smile, “I was so caught up in talking that I forgot to invite you inside. Come on, let’s go inside first!”
After that, the group went inside together.
Since Tang Xue had difficulty moving, Li Na immediately poured water for Li Gang and Long Zhanjun. She glanced at Long Zhanjun and asked, “Are you a friend from Xiao Xue’s hometown?”
“Yes, my name is Long Zhanjun!”
“My name is Li Na, Li Yi’s third older sister!”
Li Na continued, “So you’re Long Zhanjun. Yi’s mentioned you before—he said you’re quite the fighter!”
“No, no one can fight as well as Brother Yi!”
Long Zhanjun had witnessed Li Yi’s fighting prowess firsthand—he was practically a human Tyrannosaurus rex.
If he were fighting for his life, he might be able to beat him, but in a fair fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Li Na took this as mere modesty and smiled, saying, “You two chat while I cook dinner for you!”
For villagers, the most important thing when guests arrive is to cook a meal, and Li Na was no exception.
“No… no, we’ll wait a bit and eat back in the county town. Don’t go to the trouble!” Long Zhanjun and Li Gang said in unison.
Of course, Li Na wasn’t going to listen to them. She immediately went into the kitchen and got to work.
While Li Na was cooking, Long Zhanjun struck up a conversation with Tang Xue.
“Sis-in-law, I heard Yi-ge went to Beijing?”
Although Li Yi was six or seven years younger than Long Zhanjun, Long Zhanjun was happy to call him “Brother,” so naturally he had to address Tang Xue as “Sister-in-law.”
At first, Tang Xue found it a bit odd, but since Li Yi didn’t object, she gradually got used to it.
“Yeah, he’s been gone for about twenty days now!” Tang Xue replied.
“Do you know his address in Beijing?”
“No, I don’t. When he left, he just said he was going to Beijing to see if there were any opportunities; he didn’t have a specific place to stay!”
“Hasn’t he written home in all this time?”
“No, he doesn’t seem to have the habit of writing letters. But come to think of it, he should be coming back soon—after all, my eldest sister is almost due!” Tang Xue said.
Hearing this, Long Zhanjun immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good. Then I’ll head into town to wait for him!”
Just then, Li Na, who had been busy in the main room, suddenly said, “Why go into town? That’ll cost a fortune. Just wait for him here at home!”
Long Zhanjun hurriedly replied, “No need to be so polite—I’ll go to town anyway!”
Looking at these two or three mud-brick huts, he felt it might be a bit inconvenient.
“It’s fine. You can stay in the new house when the time comes. It’ll just be you, so it won’t be inconvenient at all!”
Long Zhanjun felt that Li Yi’s older sister was being far too hospitable, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
Tang Xue also noticed Long Zhanjun’s awkwardness and immediately changed the subject: “By the way, Brother Long, has the case been closed?”
Long Zhanjun naturally knew exactly what Tang Xue was asking about and replied immediately, “It’s already been resolved!”
“So what about them…?”
“Tang Jizhong was sentenced to 20 years for multiple offenses; Li Hongmei got 8 years; Tang Lei got 7 years; and Tang Meiqin got 18 years!” Long Zhanjun said.
Hearing this outcome, Tang Xue fell silent.
Although this was indeed the outcome she had hoped for, when the verdict was actually handed down, she wasn’t as happy as she had imagined; instead, she felt a sense of sadness and sorrow.
It took Tang Xue quite a while to compose herself, and then she asked, “What about the others?”
“Who are you asking about?”
“Tang Bing and the rest of the Tang family!”
Long Zhanjun continued, “Under pressure from her grandparents, Tang Bing married Liu Ermaozi, but her life hasn’t been easy—she gets beaten every day!”
“And after Tang Bing was beaten, she’d go back and cause a scene with her grandparents. She even pushed the old lady to the ground, sending her to the hospital. Life for the rest of the Tang family hasn’t changed much, but because of this incident, the Tang family’s reputation in the county has been completely ruined, and none of them are doing very well!”
“Also, Tang Lei’s fiancée married someone else, and Tan Cheng lost his job, so he’s not doing well either.”
Actually, there was something else Long Zhanjun hadn’t mentioned: the fact that the Tang family’s reputation had spread so quickly throughout Yong County was largely thanks to him.
There were also some matters Li Yi had instructed him to keep confidential; he hadn’t mentioned them to Tang Xue, as those required a separate report to Li Yi.
After hearing about these people’s current situations, Tang Xue nodded and said nothing more.
Learning that none of them were faring well put her mind at ease.
Ever since discovering her true origins, she had completely regarded these people as strangers… no, as enemies.
After a long silence, Tang Xue asked again, “Is there any news about my biological mother?”
“No!”
Long Zhanjun continued, “Old Xiao went to the provincial personnel department earlier to try to access Ye Lingwan’s file, but they replied that no such person exists!”
Hearing this, Tang Xue said with a hint of disappointment, “Perhaps they’re no longer with us…”
Before she could finish, Long Zhanjun cut in, “I don’t think so!”
“Huh?”
“Old Xiao went back to the provincial office a while ago and, citing a major case, requested that higher authorities intervene. When they arrived at the personnel department with the municipal bureau’s request for assistance, the other side still refused to cooperate—but this time, their excuse was that they had no authority to access the records!” Long Zhanjun explained.
At that moment, Li Gang, who was standing nearby, suddenly interjected, “If even the Municipal Bureau doesn’t have the authority to access personnel files, that really does raise some questions.”
“Captain Li, what’s really going on here?” Tang Xue asked immediately.
“There are generally two scenarios here. The first is that the person under investigation holds a special status—for example, a high-ranking state official or someone in a sensitive position,”
Li Gang continued, “The second scenario is that her family members are extraordinary—for instance, her husband or father holds a privileged position. But regardless of which one it is, your mother’s background is likely far from simple!”
Hearing this, Tang Xue was completely stunned!
She had never imagined that her biological mother’s identity would be so difficult to investigate, much less that her mother might be someone of such exceptional standing.
For a moment, her mind was in turmoil!