The conspiracy of the courtyard

Chapter 189 In-depth Investigation

Boss Lou probably doesn't smoke often, or doesn't smoke ordinary cigarettes often. He smoked four cigarettes while coughing, and put out the last one hard into the ashtray.

Looking at the world map on the wall, I sighed:

"You are right. I chose to study abroad because I wanted to develop the country through industry. Although I am no longer young and passionate, my patriotic heart will never change. The country needs our support, and I should do my best to support it. I am narrow-minded.

But I need to give my family a guarantee, and you must give me a promise to let us leave safely when the government doesn’t need me anymore.”

Old Chen was about to agree, but suddenly he thought of something, hesitated, thought for a while, and agreed through gritted teeth.

"Okay. If there is any resistance, we will shoulder it all and ensure your safety. When I return from my business trip, I will go to the old leader to ask for the most appropriate way to make a promise. We still have to catch the train, so we won't stay any longer. You don't need to see me off."

After leaving Lou's house, the two hurriedly packed their simple luggage and boarded a train heading south.

"This is my first business trip since I was transferred from Urban Construction to Discipline Inspection. If I had known that you were Lao Tong's apprentice, I would never have asked your superiors for an exploration expert. How could they have the heart to let a child like you participate in such dangerous things?

I finally understand why you just barely pass the exams. Your mind is not on the textbooks at all. You only think about these crooked ways. I wonder how your mother will frame me. "

As soon as Old Chen got on the car, he started complaining.

Lu Zixuan immediately refuted:

"That's not right. I don't want to do well in the exam because I'm afraid of too much trouble. Can you imagine how other children would view a child who doesn't even go to school to do well in the exam? Even if the teacher praises me as a genius and I move up one level at a time, will I still have time to learn other things?

Don't worry, I know what's going on. Old Tong is a jerk at surveying. He can only use some shady tricks. He has never even seen that half of the book, let alone written by him. I got it from somewhere else just to trick him. I have basically learned everything in it, except for practicing it."

Old Chen stared at Lu Zixuan with eyes wide open in disbelief for a long while before speaking:

"Forget it. You can say whatever you want. Let's go to Qing County first. A group of investigators disappeared in this place last year. I don't believe that a few living people can disappear out of thin air. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Lu Zixuan thought about it carefully and replied:

"I suggest that we get off at the next county and ask if there's anything unusual there before making any plans. What do you think?"

Lao Chen agreed and introduced the task. After a day and a night of wandering, they finally arrived at the destination. Lu Zixuan suggested eating first, getting a good sleep, and resting up before going to inquire.

"Auntie, your noodles are authentic. They should be the best in our county, right? They are better than those made in big restaurants. Is it a family recipe?"

After taking two bites of noodles, Lu Zixuan started chatting with the lady who was making the noodles.

The lady also joined in the conversation.

"Well, that's because you're hungry. It's just ordinary noodles. But you're right. Our noodle shop is an old shop with a history of hundreds of years. If it weren't for Manager Gong Fang managing the shop, I would have given you a dish just because you know the goods so well.

Are you from out of town? Are you here to visit relatives or friends?"

Seeing that the old lady was so cheerful, Lu Zixuan brought the conversation back to the point.

"I'm just passing by. My uncle went to Qing County to visit his relatives a few years ago. He hasn't replied since then. We are worried and came to see him."

The old lady looked around and pulled Lu Zixuan aside and warned him quietly:

"Little boy, are you going to the next county? Be careful. I heard from people who have been there that it is very poor and people are so hungry that they have started to eat each other. You are so sensible. Listen to my advice. Don't go there and go home quickly."

Although Lu Zixuan didn't believe it, he still felt that the other person had given him a kind reminder.

"Okay, I understand. I will persuade Grandpa to go back later. Can you tell me more about it, Aunt? I'm afraid Grandpa won't believe it."

The lady said cautiously:

"I'm not sure about the details, but many people say that few outsiders who went there in the past two years came out alive..."

Lu Zixuan obtained some useful information by acting cute and flattering others.

The geographical location of Qing County is quite special, surrounded by two rivers. There is not much arable land in the jurisdiction and no industrial support. The people can barely make ends meet. Locals have been relying on carrying people across the river and catching river fish and shrimp to supplement their lives all year round. However, since the drought, the river water has dropped to almost the bottom, and this income has disappeared.

Families that already had little grain in stock were forced to hand over surplus grain from subordinate communes as public grain because of the county officials' eagerness for quick success and profit. This exacerbated the famine.

Last year, for unknown reasons and no one knew who started it, people from several communes closest to the county picked up carrying poles and hoes, stormed the county government, and started looting and smashing. As a result, an advanced team leader who was giving a work report was beaten to death.

Only three days after the incident, the province sent an investigation team. Then the county magistrate was dismissed on the spot for his vanity and fraud. The provincial officials who came to investigate did nothing else and just went back.

"Well, apart from those cannibalistic lies, it's pretty much what we know. Last year, we received a report that county officials were taking people's lives lightly. The captain was beaten to death by county officials, so we sent someone down to investigate, but he disappeared.

Later, we sent two more groups of people to investigate and learned the details. However, we received another report a few years ago. Our superiors were worried that the investigators would collude with the county to falsify information, so they asked us to conduct an undercover investigation.

This unannounced visit has three purposes: first, to understand the actual drought situation in the area; second, to investigate the cause of death of the captain; and third, to find the missing investigators. Tomorrow we will quietly go into the county to investigate."

After learning the information Lu Zixuan asked, Lao Xiao made arrangements.

After discussing it, several people determined that the letters of denunciation were written by relatives of the captain of the Xiangyang Brigade. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, they did not notify the county and went directly to the Chaoyang Brigade.

Because they needed to collect information on the drought and find out the cause of death, Lu Zixuan and his companions did not choose to go in a straight line, but split into two routes and took a detour through other nearby villages.

After ten days of peripheral investigation, the two teams reunited at the county guesthouse to exchange information as planned. The results of the two inquiries were basically the same. The drought was indeed serious and the nearby rivers and streams were almost dried up.

We also heard that the deceased captain was a righteous man and had no enemies, but he had never implemented the big pot system according to the county regulations. But it was obviously impossible to kill him based on this alone.

Besides, he was commended by the county and recognized as an advanced worker because no one in the village starved to death. The county had even less reason to put him to death.

As for the missing persons, nothing was found.

Lao Chen immediately decided to go straight to the point and go into the village to meet his family and find out the details.