Chapter 345: Intercept Them!
The next morning!
Li Yi got up early, quickly washed his face, and hurried back to the old Dxmbang residence without even eating breakfast.
He then hitched up the bright red mule cart and headed straight for the county seat!
Li Yi knew that Jiang Shiying was about to head south to Guangdong Province, so he had to notify him as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if he actually headed south, this matter would be delayed for another while.
Setting out in a mule cart in the dead of winter was truly a hardship.
Even though he was wearing a thick cotton coat, had his father’s big leather coat over it, and had hemp straw and cotton curtains padded under his seat, he was still shivering from the cold.
The main problem was that the winter winds in the northern frontier were simply too biting; when the northwest wind blew, even without whipping up sand, snow, or sleet, it still stung my face like fire.
To be honest, if it weren’t for the matter concerning his wife’s background, Li Yi really wouldn’t have wanted to leave his warm bed.
With the wind at his back, he made much faster progress than expected and arrived at the county seat just past eight o’clock.
Of course, this also meant the return trip would be against the wind—and it would be tough!
Although his stomach was growling with hunger, Li Yi didn’t stop for a meal; instead, he headed straight for the county police bureau!
In the conference room of the county bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, Li Gang was assigning tasks to his team members.
It wasn’t that any major case had occurred in the county, but with the end of the year fast approaching, the squad still had a mountain of paperwork to complete regarding Party building, social stability, and spiritual civilization.
While these tasks weren’t particularly difficult, they were tedious—and absolutely essential.
Since they hadn’t been done before, what were they to do?
They had no choice but to forge them one by one, just as they had done with the records from previous years.
In short, these files had to be produced before the county inspection team arrived.
Just as he was busy with this, someone from below told him that someone was looking for him, so Li Gang immediately stepped out of the conference room.
When he saw it was Li Yi, Li Gang said with some surprise, “Why are you here so early? I heard from Zhang yesterday that you’d returned, and I was just planning to stop by your place this afternoon.”
“I have an urgent matter. Can I borrow your office phone for a moment?” Li Yi asked.
“Sure!”
Li Gang, knowing better than to pry, didn’t ask what the matter was and simply led Li Yi to the communications room.
Li Yi immediately dialed the number for Jiang Longcheng’s office!
“Ring… ring…”
After a few rings, a woman’s voice came over the line: “Cotton Mill. Who’s calling?”
“Please put me through to Director Jiang. I’m his friend, Li Yi!”
The person who answered on the other end was Jiang Longcheng’s secretary, Wang Mani. She naturally knew who Li Yi was and hurriedly said, “Our director is currently in the production workshop. Please hold on a moment; I’ll go get him!”
“Alright, have him call Li Gang as soon as he gets back!”
“Got it!”
Seeing that Li Yi had hung up, Li Gang immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, is that all you needed to do after that call?”
“What, do you have something to do?”
“Since you’re here anyway, why don’t we grab Brother Liang for lunch?” Li Gang suggested.
“Sure, but first, get me something to eat. I’m starving!” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“Sure!”
With that, Li Gang headed toward the cafeteria in the back!
Just as they were waiting for Li Gang to bring the food, the phone in the communications room suddenly rang.
But Li Yi didn’t answer it. After all, this was the county bureau—it might be work-related, and he couldn’t just pick up the phone without permission.
A staff member at the county bureau picked up the phone, exchanged a few words, and then handed it to Li Yi.
No sooner had he picked up the receiver than Jiang Longcheng’s boisterous voice rang out from the other end: “Brother Li Yi, you’ve just gotten back and you’re already calling me here. Have you been missing me or something?”
“Stop fooling around. I need to talk to you about something urgent!” Li Yi said.
Hearing the seriousness in Li Yi’s tone, Jiang Longcheng dropped his playful demeanor and asked immediately, “What’s up?”
“Is your third uncle still in Beijing?”
“Um… I think so, but I’m not sure!”
Jiang Longcheng then asked, “What’s up? Do you need something from him?”
“Yes. You need to remember every word I’m about to say. After we hang up, call your third uncle and tell him to come immediately to Nianzishan Village, Hongqi Commune, in Qingshan County!” Li Yi said sternly.
“Isn’t that your home? Why are you asking my third uncle to go there?” Jiang Longcheng asked in confusion.
“It’s about whether your aunt’s illness can be completely cured!”
Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng naturally didn’t dare to delay—he knew just how much his third uncle cared about his third aunt.
“Alright, hold on a moment. I’ll call my third uncle right now!”
“Okay…”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of “beeps” filled the receiver—clearly, the other end had already hung up!
Li Yi shook his head with a wry smile. The guy really was impatient; even at twenty-eight, he wasn’t the least bit steady.
No sooner had he hung up than he saw Li Gang walking over with a lunchbox.
“All that was left at the cafeteria was a bowl of congee and two potato-filled buns. Just have a bite to tide you over—I’ll treat you to a proper meal at lunchtime!” Li Gang said.
“Haha, I’m just glad there’s something to eat—I wouldn’t dare ask for more!”
With that, Li Yi took the lunch box and immediately began eating heartily!
But after just a few bites, the phone in the communications room rang again, and the colleague from the county bureau’s communications room asked Li Yi to take the call once more.
“How’s it going?”
“I just called the old family home. My grandfather’s secretary said my third uncle just left for the airport—he’s heading back to Guangdong Province today!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“When did your third uncle leave home?”
“Twenty minutes ago!”
“So that means he hasn’t boarded the plane yet?” Li Yi asked.
“What do you want to do?”
“Drive to the airport right now, intercept him, and bring him straight to my place!” Li Yi said.
“Um… it’s so urgent—can’t we wait a bit?” Jiang Longcheng asked.
“No!”
Then Li Yi added, “By the way, could you pass a message to your third uncle for me?”
“What message? Tell me.”
“Tell him to use his connections to investigate three people: Tang Jizhong from the Yongxian Steel Plant and his wife Li Hongmei, and their daughter Tang Xue!” Li Yi said.
“Isn’t Tang Xue your wife? Why investigate her?”
The Jiang family had specifically investigated Li Yi’s background and knew his wife’s name was Tang Xue.
However, since the investigation had primarily focused on Li Yi, they hadn’t looked into Tang Xue in great detail—they hadn’t even taken a photo of her back with them.
Otherwise, given the Jiang family’s capabilities, they would have discovered Tang Xue’s existence long ago.
“Don’t ask any more questions. Just pass my message on to your third uncle, then bring him to my house!” Li Yi said.
“Got it!”
“Give me a call before you leave. If I’m still in the county seat, I’ll wait for you!” Li Yi said.
“Got it!”
With that, Jiang Longcheng hung up the phone!