Chapter 75: Surely Not, Surely Not—Could It Really Be This Strange?

Huzi’s mother thought that by now, barring any mishaps, the news must have reached the Wang family. She imagined the tigress of the Wang household would be ranting for days on end.

She took Xu Lin’s hand and comforted her, saying, “If you hear someone from the village running over to the commune and cursing, don’t take it to heart. They’re not cursing you—they’re cursing Comrade Su and Comrade Qin.”

“Yes, yes, Wang’s wife is a real tigress. Comrade Su and Comrade Qin are trying to snatch her ‘iron rice bowl’—of course she’ll curse them.” Erwa’s mother chimed in, echoing the sentiment. It was precisely because of this that they had come to speak with Xu Lin so much. At the very least, they wanted Xu Lin to understand why Wang’s wife was so angry, and to see that Comrade Su and Comrade Qin had really gone too far.

If Qin Fang were a doctor, with a proper medical license, it would be one thing; she’d have reason to replace Wang’s job as the health worker. But what is Comrade Qin? Nothing at all. Just someone whose family has a head nurse—not even a doctor—and yet wants to compete with a trained barefoot doctor for the post. Let alone Wang and his family, even the villagers wouldn’t agree. Who would dare let Comrade Qin treat them? They’re afraid a minor illness would turn major. Worst of all, the treatment might fail, and their lives would be forfeit.

Laughing and chatting, the group returned to the commune courtyard. Xu Lin paid no mind to Su Liang and Qin Fang; she had plenty of chances to deal with them later. No rush!

At noon, Xu Lin decided to make braised pork. The meat had come from Brother Hu’s warehouse—a good five or six pounds, enough for several meals. Soon, the scent of cooking meat wafted from Xu Lin’s room, making many mouths water.

Good heavens, is Comrade Xu truly an orphan with no family or ties? Her meals are too sumptuous. It made the others want to become Comrade Xu’s second. Alas, Comrade Xu wouldn’t share her meals with them; they couldn’t even hope for a scrap.

After a satisfying lunch, Xu Lin entered her space to continue opening blind boxes. There were so many crates, and she had plenty to open. This time, she was opening treasures found in the Xu family’s mountain cave. Rows and rows of pearls, agates, jade, and gemstones made Xu Lin click her tongue in wonder, and her curiosity about the Xu family grew.

Meanwhile, in the woods, Asong, who had been lurking for half a day, seized the chance while everyone was home for lunch to quietly enter the secret chamber and investigate. The moment he looked, Asong was so furious he spat blood. He hadn’t expected that after guarding so long, the treasures had still been taken away.

Who could have done this? And how did they escape? With so many crates of treasure, it would take at least thirty or forty people working together to move it all quickly—pushing and pulling, it couldn’t have happened without a trace.

Seething, Asong found Zhang San, who was napping at home. Seeing Asong’s wrath, Zhang San broke out in a cold sweat—something must have happened. Could it be? Could things really be this bad?

“Brother Song,” Zhang San stammered, his voice trembling, “Brother Song, what brings you here? Did something happen?”

The other two thugs who had been guarding the treasure with Zhang San were so frightened they shivered, kneeling on the kang without daring to speak.

“What happened? You have the nerve to ask me what happened? I told you to stay in the village and keep watch—keep watch! What did you watch over? Is this how you guard things for me?”

Brother Song looked at the warm kang, nearly losing his mind in fury. He’d spent half a day in the freezing wind, while they’d been napping in comfort. Who was the real boss here?

Thinking of the hard-won treasures now lost, Asong’s reason nearly snapped. He took several deep breaths to suppress his urge to kill Zhang San and his accomplices.

Zhang San was a villager, and if he needed to investigate, he’d still have to rely on him. He couldn’t kill Zhang San—at least not yet.

When the three heard their charge had been stolen, their faces were a spectacle. The treasures lost, and so quickly—this!

“What are you waiting for? Go investigate at once! I suspect the treasures are still in the village. If you don’t find out where they are, just wait for me. You know what I’m capable of.” Asong threatened.

The three shivered in unison. Brother Song’s methods were notorious—utterly ruthless. If they fell into his hands, their lives would be forfeit.

Desperate to save their skins, the three sprang into action, and Asong was busy investigating as well.

Even Qingshan County was under lockdown; the captain of the committee’s brigade had been abducted and killed. If they didn’t catch the culprit, what face would Qingshan have left?

Through the investigators, one shocking event after another came to light. News spread quickly among the higher-ups, especially those in the committee. When they learned that Wu Chengguang’s hidden treasures had all vanished, they were beside themselves with anxiety.

Some even risked exposure to go check their own stashes in broad daylight. One look—good heavens, their treasures were gone too.

Damn it! Who was the bastard who cleaned out their hoards?

Though the news couldn’t be made public, the sour faces were enough to clue many in. More and more people quietly checked their hidden treasures, and the more they checked, the more alarmed they became.

By noon, even the committee’s directors couldn’t sit still, all finding excuses to check their own treasures—and were left chilled to the bone.

The result of their despair was to heap all the blame onto Asong. Even past friendships couldn’t survive; they say cutting off someone’s fortune is like killing their parents, and it was no lie.

Asong hadn’t even returned to the city when his underling came running, breathless, with news: the county was on lockdown, a net was cast for his capture.

Asong was dumbfounded. Why were they after him? Oh, right—he’d killed someone, a committee man. He’d emptied the committee director’s treasure vault, but hadn’t managed to keep the loot.

“Brother Song, you can’t go back to the city. If you do, you’re a dead man. Those committee bastards have pinned everything on you.”

“Why? Is there something I don’t know?” Asong asked.

The underling nodded, reporting everything he’d learned through many connections. When Asong heard that so many people’s hoards had been cleaned out, he felt as if he’d fallen into a bottomless pit.

A pit so deep, he might never climb out.

He realized that all the lost treasure addresses had been revealed by Wu Chengguang’s confession. Asong’s gaze grew dark.

During Wu Chengguang’s interrogation, only three people were in the dungeon: himself, Liuzi, and his subordinate Xiao Dong. After their escape that day, Xiao Dong had stuck close, never leaving his side—he shouldn’t have had a chance to leak information. But Liuzi had been gone for quite some time, and when they later escorted the treasures to Zhangjia Village, Asong, worried Liuzi might cause trouble, left him in the city.

Between these two, there had to be a traitor. But who? Or perhaps both were at fault!

Whoever it was, betrayal meant death!