"Zhao Sihai..." Zheng Ying murmured the name twice in a low voice. "Now that you mention it, when I was performing in the countryside with the troupe, there was a guy who ran a small grocery store with the same name. It wasn't too far from here. I just don't know if it's the same person."
The couple pondered for a while. Since it was already very late, they couldn't go out in the middle of the night to look for this Zhao Sihai. They muttered a few more words and then went to sleep.
However, Ji Chengxuan, who was sleeping on the small bed on the floor, heard every word clearly and secretly memorized it in his heart.
Meanwhile, at Liu Kui's home.
"Brother Liu, I've done everything just as my uncle told me. What happens next depends on you."
Liu Kui smiled, his fleshy face bunching up.
"Don't worry. I've got my ears to the ground."
The man looked at Liu Kui worriedly. "But the Yun family is full of tricks, and now they're in cahoots with the Ji family. I'm afraid things will get tricky later on."
Liu Kui pretended not to understand what the man meant and replied with a smile.
"What are you afraid of? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts. Let me tell you, your uncle was really screwed over by them back then. You're his only nephew. It's only right for you to stand up for him. You're not going to shirk your filial duty, are you?"
"Of course not." The man grinned and rubbed his hands. "It's just that traveling back and forth costs money. The money you gave me last time just isn't enough. Brother Liu, considering how hard I've been running around for you and my uncle, could you give me some more travel expenses?"
Liu Kui had seen this coming but didn't want to address it. He didn't expect the man to be so thick - skinned. Since he'd brought it up directly, Liu Kui had no choice but to play along.
"Brother, it's not that I don't want to give you the travel expenses. I'm just doing this for your uncle. He only gave me this much as a deposit. I've also been giving you some tips from time to time. I really don't have much left."
Liu Kui looked at the man with a pained expression. "How about this? Tomorrow, you go talk to your uncle first. If that doesn't work, I'll go and ask for you. If he still refuses, even if I have to sell a pig, I'll make sure to give you the travel expenses. I won't let you suffer."
Liu Kui's words sounded great, but the man could tell that Liu Kui just didn't want to deal with this.
He couldn't really force Liu Kui to sell a pig if he couldn't get the money. Even if he did lose his dignity and confront Liu Kui, the latter was so sly that he'd surely drag things out and refuse to pay.
There was nothing the man could do. He had to drop the idea for now and agreed with a smile in front of Liu Kui.
But as soon as he stepped out of the door, his face darkened, and he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it! Who's he trying to impress? My uncle is also to blame. If he'd just given me the money directly instead of going through this guy, it would've shown he trusted me!"
The man was extremely unhappy, but he endured it for the sake of the money he'd get once the job was done.
*
The next day, Ji Chengxuan got up early and rushed to tell Yun Que'er what Zheng Ying and Old Doctor Ji had murmured about last night.
"He's from our hometown?"
"Yes. My mom said she'd really met someone with that name before. I just don't know if it's the same person."
There were quite a few people with the surname Zhao. Decades ago, their hometown was called Zhao Family Village. Go back even further, and everyone there was related.
As for the name Sihai, it was quite common. There were many people with the same name, so it was hard to be sure.
Most importantly, Yun Jianzhou had followed the man several times before and had always seen him take a vehicle towards Linghe City.
Linghe City was a prefecture - level city under Guanhai City. All the towns, townships, and villages below, including Yuhe Village, were under Linghe City's jurisdiction.
It seemed that the man was from Linghe City, not from their hometown.
After hearing Yun Que'er's account, Ji Chengxuan thought things might not be as simple as they seemed.
"Let's assume that this man is the Zhao Sihai from our hometown." Ji Chengxuan said. "If he doesn't go back to our hometown after finishing his business but instead goes to Linghe City, there are probably only two possibilities."
Yun Que'er noticed the strange glint in Ji Chengxuan's eyes and suddenly understood.
It meant that either he was afraid of being discovered by Yun Que'er and the others. He was worried that there might be someone waiting in the wings, so he deliberately threw out a red herring.
Or, he really had something to do in the city.
"I've got a good idea." Ji Chengxuan said. "If someone is deliberately hiding their whereabouts, following them every day won't do any good. But what if we catch them off - guard? And since we can't show up for this, finding the right person to do it is the key."
Ji Chengxuan leaned close to Yun Que'er's ear and whispered something to her.
Yun Que'er's eyes lit up. "Great! Let's do it like this!"
Three days later, the secretary paid a special visit to the old clinic.
"Zheng Ying, you've really worked hard this time. The higher - ups had planned to promote the anti - illiteracy campaign in our countryside, but it never really took off. People either didn't seem to care about the promotion or said they were too busy in the fields to come. It was your idea that was so great. Having the art troupe come to perform not only entertained everyone but also took the opportunity to popularize the benefits of reading and writing."
The secretary spared no effort in praising Zheng Ying and was beaming with joy.
The higher - up leaders had been worrying about what to do. The secretary had submitted the plan Zheng Ying had told him during a meeting.
Sure enough, the higher - up leaders agreed and praised the secretary, saying that he was a good official who really did practical things for the people.
Although it wasn't explicitly said, after the anti - illiteracy campaign in the countryside was over, the secretary would surely take on the additional role of the village head.
This was like a promotion in disguise, and the secretary couldn't be happier.
"You're so well - informed. If you hadn't told me, I'd never have come up with such a good idea."
Zheng Ying responded with a smile and then glanced at Ji Chengxuan.
In fact, she hadn't really thought that much. It was Ji Chengxuan who'd said that if they wanted to find out more about Liu Kui and that man, they could take a roundabout approach.
It was normal for them to go and watch the show in the countryside. No one could question why they'd suddenly show up, so as not to tip off the enemy.
Of course, they didn't sit around idly during the waiting period.
The two families took turns going out to look for the forest farms, and Yun Jianzhou continued to secretly keep an eye on Liu Kui's movements.
Sure enough, within a couple of days, they heard that the man beside Liu Kui had visited every forest farm and used the same excuse: he'd pay in full on the day of the purchase and then leave behind a contract full of loopholes.
It seemed that they had something evil up their sleeves.
But Yun Que'er noticed another suspicious point.