Work must continue, no matter how difficult.
A police officer accompanied Tian Jing, while two others canvassed villagers house by house.
This investigation revealed that difficulty had no limit.
Because their questions, if carrying even a hint of certainty, were accused by the villagers of being prejudiced.
They said the officers weren't there to find the missing Chen Yao Shi, but to frame their village leader, Tian.
They also refused to answer questions, claiming the questions contained traps and that they had the right to refuse.
Even when questioning a small child, the child could leave them speechless.
As they were at a loss, reinforcements arrived.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the leader of the three nodded repeatedly into his phone.
Excellent, someone from the capital was coming, and they were demoted from lead investigators to assistants.
Their joy was short-lived, as the moment the people from the capital arrived, the villagers filed counter-complaints against them.
Accusations of infringement on personal freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of marriage.
In short, they were accused of depriving the villagers of various freedoms.
Freedom of marriage?
Did they have it? Did they dare?
Yuan Man stepped forward from the crowd. "Why not? Yesterday was the twenty-second day of the first lunar month, the day I was supposed to get engaged."
"I didn't even dare to mention it, for fear you wouldn't allow it. Even more, I feared you would say unpleasant things, casting a shadow over my engagement banquet."
"In reality, my heart was already clouded by a shadow. Because I quietly told my fiancé that we had to change the date."
"She thought I had gone back on my word, and it took a lot of my time and effort to appease her."
"Never mind my situation, all the villagers have been overshadowed by your tough attitude."
"We request that your right to assist in the investigation be revoked, and we refuse to answer your questions."
"Just seeing you makes us nervous, including the children."
The villagers echoed this sentiment.
"Yes, yes, their attitude was not friendly, and they tried to trick us into talking. Lying is a crime, so we can't just say anything."
"Exactly, they not only tried to trick us but also the children."
"That's right, we have the right to refuse to answer their questions, it's our freedom."
Wan Zhong Shan and the others exchanged glances. These villagers were not simple.
"Alright, we agree to your request, but a debriefing is still necessary, wouldn't you agree?"
The villagers nodded, indicating understanding.
After the debriefing, Wan Zhong Shan understood why the provincial police were ostracized by the villagers.
Their methods were indeed too heavy-handed.
How could they control suspects without evidence?
Furthermore, the suspects had been under surveillance for over twenty-four hours.
The police scratched their heads. It was precisely because of the time limit that they intended to take them in for questioning.
Who knew that in this remote mountain village, there lived a group of people who understood how to use the law to protect their rights?
Wan Zhong Shan sent them back and called for several local police officers from the county town to assist.
Local police officers?
The villagers were very cooperative with the investigation.
Wan Zhong Shan understood that after the provincial police's firm stance, the villagers had become instinctively xenophobic.
Therefore, they learned their lesson and first had local police conduct the inquiries, while they sauntered around observing the differences in this village.
From seedling cultivation to greenhouse farms, they asked about livelihood issues.
Regarding their old profession, the villagers developed a different perception of these people from the capital. They answered every question and even offered information that wasn't solicited.
Tian Jing and Li Zheng Guo observed the actions of the people from the capital.
That night, in bed, Tian Jing quietly asked, "Are these people sent by your military commander?"
"I don't know."
Li Zheng Guo shook his head. "Perhaps the province felt they couldn't handle such a major incident and reported it to the capital?"
"We just need to cooperate earnestly and not overthink it. So much time has passed, and there are no traces left inside."
"Sigh..." Tian Jing sighed. "I'm not worried about that place. Even if they could open it, with that destructive rule, whoever enters will be unlucky."
"I'm worried about the Xiao family. From my observations, Xiao Xue Qi is more cunning than his father."
"I don't know where he'll cause trouble for me. And I'm sure he won't choose a time when I'm idle."
Li Zheng Guo patted his wife's back to comfort her. "We'll face whatever comes our way."
As it turned out, Tian Jing's worries were not unfounded.
A few days later, she received a call from Du Hong Juan saying that the capital was preparing to hand over the land on the side of Hou Yi Zi Hutong to foreign developers.
After days of interrogation, Tian Jing's suspicion had not been cleared, and her freedom of movement outside the village was restricted.
Let alone going to the capital.
"Give up the acquisition, hold onto all the courtyards. I'll send Da Mai over to have the remaining property deeds in your hands transferred to Da Mai's name first."
Du Hong Juan replied, "Yes."
...
Yuan Man heard that Da Mai was being sent to the capital to handle matters and busied himself packing his luggage to follow.
"I haven't been to the capital in over twenty years, I want to go back and see it."
Li Zheng Guo agreed, "You need to be careful of someone named Wang Shou Ren. I suspect he knows about the heirloom passed down in your family. He might have opened a private cuisine restaurant called 'Private Imperial Kitchen'."
Wang surname?
Yuan Man narrowed his eyes. Wasn't this his family's ancestral nemesis?
"How did Uncle Li know?"
Uncle Li pointed to the east of the village. "When I invited Ah Feng to be our cook, I investigated her, and of course, I learned of Wang Shou Ren's intention to invite her as a chef."
"However, Ah Feng might not know, as Wang Shou Ren hadn't had a chance to approach her yet."
"I understand."
Yuan Man nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Li. When we return, we'll choose another date for the engagement."
"Alright."
Da Mai and Yuan Man's departure was not hindered by Wan Zhong Shan and the others.
The villagers were not suspects, and they had no right to restrict them.
However, they made a call back, asking the other side to pay attention to the actions of the two individuals.
Wan Zhong Shan made this call in front of Li Zheng Guo.
Li Zheng Guo smiled and asked the leader, who was clearly from the capital.
"By doing this, you are proving your integrity. When you find out what Da Mai and Yuan Man are going to do for my wife, you will understand how much you have affected my wife's affairs."
"Not only are your work processes slow, but even your cooperating teammates are slow."
"Afterward, can we appeal for compensation for the losses caused by your delay?"
After compiling all the transcripts, Wan Zhong Shan learned that the Chen family's private vault was shrouded by a formation.
He could only apply to his superiors for someone who understood formations.
Several days had passed, and the person had not yet arrived, which also caused dissatisfaction for Wan Zhong Shan.
The daily expenses for the few of them staying in the village were not small.
"I cannot answer this question. Afterward, if you have any grievances, you can appeal to higher authorities."
"As for the outcome, we have no way of knowing."
Li Zheng Guo asked with curiosity, "For a so-called ancestral instruction legend, not only did a person go missing, but a large-scale operation was launched, causing great expense and effort."
"I've actually become curious about this private vault."
Since Li Zheng Guo brought it up, Wan Zhong Shan took the opportunity to ask again, "Did you really not see Chen Yao Shi?"
"No."
Li Zheng Guo shook his head and repeated what he had been questioned about, though not verbatim, as if reciting a script.
"It was the busy farming season then. I heard Ouyang Mei Hua tell me that my wife's uncle had arrived, and only then did I know Chen Yao Shi was here."
"Although I was confident in my wife's skills, I still went to the back mountain to search."
"In the dense forest, I encountered my wife returning, so we went to Laoyingzui together..."
"However, have you investigated where he got his gun from?"
Wan Zhong Shan countered, "Don't you know his identity?"
"I do."
Li Zheng Guo nodded. "Isn't he the elusive leader of the Fu Han Gang? I even participated in dismantling the Fu Han Gang."
"The list of gang members was a condition proposed by my wife when Chen Yao Shi asked for ancestral items."
"I'm asking if the Fu Han Gang had any armories? After all, the Chen family was fond of setting up this vault, that vault, and so on."