Qi Yang had planned to host a banquet after the new year, but it was postponed due to some matters concerning Xu Boyan's family.
Afterward, Xu Boyan made a trip to the countryside to bring back the remains of his father and elder brother and sister-in-law.
Upon his return, he brought back astonishing news.
It turned out that Grandpa Xu, his eldest son, and daughter-in-law had all died in accidents.
One accident might be a coincidence, but three accidents happening at different times inevitably led to speculation.
"Moreover, he found another skeleton in the dilapidated house where the Xu family lived, and they haven't confirmed who it belongs to yet."
Cheng You listened to Qi Yang's account as if it were a story.
"Did you report it to the police?"
Qi Yang nodded, "Yes, but they haven't figured anything out yet."
With three consecutive accidental deaths in the Xu family, the local police hadn't considered investigating the three incidents together.
It was only when a fourth body appeared that they began to take it seriously.
"Where were they sent down to?" Cheng You asked.
Qi Yang pondered for a moment, "It was called Linshui County."
Cheng You raised an eyebrow, "Is that also in Yongcheng?"
She had been hearing about Linshui County quite frequently lately.
Qi Yang suddenly recalled, "I just remembered, you're from Yongcheng too, aren't you?"
Cheng You nodded, "Linshui County is next to ours. I haven't been there before."
She hadn't actually been to many places; she had only heard of many places in Yongcheng without visiting them.
Sister Jin's hometown was also in Linshui County. Had she heard of this place there?
With so many things happening recently, Cheng You couldn't quite recall.
So, she went home and told Cheng Xuyan about it, hoping he could help her think.
Cheng Xuyan's mind was sharper than hers, and he quickly said, "Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen are also from Linshui County."
"Oh, right!" Cheng You slapped her forehead, "I don't know why, but my mind has been feeling a bit sluggish lately."
Cheng Xuyan smiled, stroked her head, and pulled her into his arms, massaging her tense muscles.
"It must be the medicinal herb garden that's been too tiring."
Cheng You leaned against him, her eyes half-closed.
"It is a bit tiring. We planted a batch of medicinal herbs in the spring, and there's also the wood xi grass to tend to."
The main issue was that the medicinal herb garden was quite far away, making travel inconvenient.
Cheng Xuyan's car was fine for occasional use, but not for frequent use.
The two were sitting in the courtyard, the gate ajar.
They had only been quiet for a moment when they saw the gate being pushed open.
"Cheng You!"
Sister Jin saw them leaning against each other and froze for a moment, unsure whether to enter or retreat.
Despite her age and having seen a lot, she still felt awkward.
Cheng You smiled and asked, "Sister Jin, what's the matter? You seem in such a hurry."
Sister Jin's sluggish mind finally remembered what she had come to say.
"Someone came to the quad today to cause trouble. I came specifically to tell you."
Cheng You sat up straight and quickly asked, "Are Uncle Li and his family alright?"
"They're fine, they're fine. I didn't let anyone in and chased them away. Isn't it a coincidence? The people who came were my fellow villagers, Yuan Yongguo, and his wife, Li Fen."
Cheng You: "..." What a coincidence indeed.
"But how did they know the location of the quad?" she asked, her senses sharp.
"Xu Nanxi. I saw them with Xu Nanxi. It's likely he brought the Yuan Yongguo couple there."
Since they were both people Sister Jin knew, she came directly to Cheng You.
Cheng You pondered, Xu Nanxi again.
The last time Yuan Yongguo caused trouble outside the school gate, Xu Nanxi was also there.
Did they know each other?
But as far as Cheng You knew, although they were both from Linshui County, the place where the Xu family was sent down was not in the same commune as Sister Jin's hometown.
The Xu family was in Hongfu Commune, while Yuan Yongguo's family was in Zheshui Commune.
Sister Jin sat down and started chatting with Cheng You.
"I heard Li Fen lost both her sons. I wonder if it's retribution."
Cheng You asked curiously, "Sister Jin, what are you talking about?"
"Those two, they are ungrateful scoundrels! Have you ever seen elderly parents with five sons and daughters-in-law, a full house of descendants, who starve to death? Yuan Yongguo's parents starved to death!"
In those years, everyone was struggling to get enough to eat.
But with five sons, couldn't they spare enough food for two elderly parents?
To put it bluntly, they just didn't want to support them.
Sister Jin shook her head as she spoke. This was also why she didn't want to return to her hometown, too much trouble.
Something flashed through Cheng You's mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
She felt like she was overlooking something.
"Sister Jin, you should go back now. Absolutely do not let Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen in. If they come to cause trouble again, report them to the police."
As for the relationship between Xu Nanxi and Yuan Yongguo's family, it would probably require further investigation.
After Sister Jin left, Cheng You suddenly thought of something and ran to ask Qi Yang.
As expected, she discovered that the places where the Xu family had accidents were all in Zheshui Commune.
Qi Yang, however, said, "This isn't surprising. Because the Xu family was sent down from the city, they weren't very good at farm work, so they were assigned the job of hauling manure."
Every few days, they had to go to Zheshui Commune to haul manure. Over time, it wasn't strange for them to get to know people from the Yuan family.
Cheng You still felt something was off. It sounded reasonable, but in her heart, she felt something didn't add up.
"Also, Boyan mentioned that Xu Nanxi and Yuan Yongguo's second son were very close, like brothers."
But later, Yuan Yongguo's second son drowned under mysterious circumstances, and his body was never recovered.
Cheng Xuyan's gaze suddenly sharpened, "His body was never recovered? Didn't Brother Boyan find a skeleton in the place where the Xu family lived?"
Qi Yang's eyes lit up with realization. He clapped his hands.
"Yes, you're right! I didn't even think of that... No, wait! But Yuan's second son drowned. How could his body be in the house where the Xu family lived?"
Cheng Xuyan shook his head, his expression thoughtful.
This still needed to be investigated.
Guessing here was useless.
If that skeleton was indeed Yuan's second son, then his death was definitely not an accident.
Otherwise, why would they hide the body?
The place where the Xu family lived was dilapidated and no one would go there usually.
Hiding it there was likely to avoid discovery.
Qi Yang relayed Cheng Xuyan's words to Xu Boyan, at least giving him a direction for his investigation.
The Xu family's affairs would be put aside for now. Cheng You still had to figure out how to deal with Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen. It was a nuisance that they had found them even in Yancheng.
After class that day, Cheng You originally intended to go look for Xu Nanxi.
Before she could pack her bag, she saw Cheng Tao running out.
She had no interest in studying, and the teachers were used to it.
"Cheng You, the teacher has something to tell you. Please stay for a few minutes," Su Jinwen called out.
Cheng You nodded, "Okay."
So, she grabbed her schoolbag and went with Su Jinwen to the office.
After sitting down, Su Jinwen said, "Our department is holding a Traditional Chinese Medicine competition. You should pick a few people to form a team and sign up."
Cheng You instinctively asked, "How much is the prize money?"
Su Jinwen shot her a look, "Winning is an honor, more important than money."
Cheng You smiled playfully and winked, "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"