Chapter 99: The Show Begins
Night. The moonlight was serene!
After dinner, Li Yi took Tang Xue’s hand and walked her back to the educated youth commune.
Although, in his view, Tang Xue could easily stay at their place, she firmly refused.
That time she was cornered on the kang had become a lifelong nightmare for her.
Although, looking at it now, that incident might not have been such a bad thing—every cloud has a silver lining!
But the incident had left a significant psychological scar, so she didn’t want to spend the night at the Li family’s house again before they were married.
Li Yi didn’t press the issue.
Besides, he thought this arrangement wasn’t bad either; at the very least, he could accompany her on a walk every evening, which would help them grow closer.
On the way, Li Yi recounted to Tang Xue what Li Gang had told him that afternoon.
Earlier, fearing his parents would worry, Li Yi hadn’t mentioned a word after returning home. But since this matter required the female educated youths’ cooperation, he had to discuss it with them in advance.
Upon hearing that male police officers would be sent to infiltrate their dormitory that night and stay there until morning, Tang Xue was completely stunned.
“Don’t they have any female police officers?” Tang Xue asked, frowning.
“Probably not. Otherwise, they wouldn’t send a bunch of big guys to carry out this kind of mission!” Li Yi replied.
“Alright, then!”
Chatting casually along the way, the two soon arrived at the educated youth camp!
This time, Li Yi didn’t leave but followed Tang Xue directly to the female educated youth dormitory.
After making sure no one was eavesdropping, Li Yi briefly recounted today’s events to Feng Qian, Sun Lu, and the others, and asked them to cooperate with the police investigation.
Upon hearing this, the female educated youth all broke out in a cold sweat.
If something had actually happened, Li Yi would certainly have been doomed, and they likely wouldn’t have been able to escape blame either.
It was clear that the poisoner’s target was by no means limited to Li Yi alone; they, too, were all caught up in the other party’s scheme.
The shock was followed by rage.
Seeing that the female educated youth were about to explode, Li Yi immediately told them to stay calm. If they couldn’t hold back and started cursing, the male educated youth in their dorm might sense something was wrong.
Having been framed yet unable to even vent their anger, the female educated youth felt utterly frustrated.
Upon learning that the police wanted their assistance with the investigation, the female educated youth agreed wholeheartedly, pledging to fully cooperate with the police to help bring the culprit to justice.
After giving the female educated youth these instructions, Li Yi walked out of the female dormitory alone!
As he walked out of the female educated youth dormitory, Li Yi distinctly sensed someone watching him, but instead of looking around, he strode purposefully away from the educated youth camp.
After confirming that no one was following him, Li Yi headed straight for the brigade headquarters.
On his way there, Li Yi saw Li Gang and the others eating—steamed buns and plain water.
Li Yi immediately felt a pang of guilt—he’d completely forgotten to prepare dinner for Li Gang and the others. He said right away, “Wait a moment. I’ll go back and cook you something delicious!”
Li Gang replied immediately, “No need. Secretary Feng was going to stew a hen for us, but we turned it down. We’re here on a case, and we came in secret. It wouldn’t be good if anyone noticed anything unusual!”
Li Yi thought about it and realized he was right, so he immediately dismissed the idea.
He then relayed the female educated youth’s suggestion to the group.
Learning that the female educated youth were fully cooperating with them, Li Gang and the others were very pleased and immediately began making arrangements.
Li Yi didn’t get involved in this matter; after all, he was merely the victim who had filed the report. As for how to investigate the case and apprehend the suspects, that was the police’s job.
………
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Li Yi got up early as usual to start making his liangpi!
At six in the morning, as the whistle signaling the start of work for the production brigade sounded, Nianzishan Village—which had been quiet all night—suddenly came to life.
Households sprang into action, grabbing a quick bite to eat before rushing to the village headquarters to assemble and await the production team leader’s assignment of work tasks.
Meanwhile, Li Yi, who was busy making white flatbread at home, paused briefly. He knew that as soon as the work whistle blew, Feng Qian and the others would leave the dormitory.
If Tang Xue were to go to the bathroom or something at that moment, the venomous snake lurking in the shadows might just strike!
Last night, Li Yi had conducted a detailed analysis of the “sitting in wait” strategy Li Gang and the others had proposed. While this method had a high success rate, it also had its flaws.
First, there was the question of whether the culprit would strike again. If the perpetrator stopped in time, all their preparations from last night would have been for nothing.
Second, was the poisoner acting alone or with accomplices? If it was just one person, it wouldn’t be a problem—they could simply arrest him.
But if there are accomplices, catching just one might tip off the rest.
It’s like trying to catch birds with a sieve—if you trap one, the rest will scatter in all directions.
If anyone escapes, might they retaliate against them?
Li Yi wasn’t afraid for himself. With his fighting skills, even if all the scum at the educated youth camp ganged up on him, he’d have a way to take them all down.
But if they took it out on Tang Xue, or the other female educated youths, or even the village kids who’d been picking mushrooms for him—then he’d be truly helpless.
With that in mind, Li Yi decided it was best to play it safe.
He immediately asked Li Na to keep making pancakes at home while he hurried off on his bicycle to Dongzi’s house nearby.
When Li Yi arrived, Dongzi was feeding the family pigs.
Seeing Li Yi, Dongzi asked in surprise, “Brother Yi, what brings you over this early in the morning?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Put down what you’re doing and go get Shitou and the others over here right away. We’ve got something to take care of!”
“Got it!”
Dongzi then handed the household chores over to his younger sister, Xiao Jing, and hurried off to Shitou’s house nearby.
Soon, seven or eight teenage boys had gathered at Li Yi’s house.
Once everyone was there, Li Yi said, “I’ve got a mission for you guys!”
“What’s the mission, Brother Yi? Just tell us—we’ll handle it perfectly!” Dongzi shouted.
The others chimed in one after another, their demeanor evoking the atmosphere of a gang or secret society.
Li Yi nodded and said, “I’ve got a feeling those male educated youths in the village haven’t been behaving themselves lately. You guys head out to the fields and keep an eye on them. If you see them trying to run away, stop them!”
“Got it! Brother Yi, you can count on us—we won’t let those bastards get away!”
“Right, we can’t let them get away!”
“Brother Yi…”
Li Yi motioned for everyone to quiet down, then said, “I’ve got two things to tell you. First, when you’re watching those guys, don’t make it too obvious, and don’t get too close—just keep an eye on them from a distance!”
“Second, if they’re carrying anything when they run, call the adults to catch them, but you guys have to be careful yourselves.”
“Yes, sir!”
Watching the younger men walk away, Li Yi couldn’t help but let a faint smile touch his lips. The show was about to begin!
…….