Zhou Cheng kept Tang Fujun’s family in Beijing—essentially detaining them there as witnesses.

That evening, he approached Ma Zhenxing: “Officer Ma, I’m afraid I really need your help with something!”

Ma Zhenxing was even more surprised than Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan.

“You found a lead?”

Zhou Cheng explained his suspicions, and Ma Zhenxing felt somewhat sympathetic toward Tang Hongen. Could things have happened that way? A sister-in-law selling her husband’s sister.

“This case was my uncle’s regret. I can detain the suspects for investigation first—Lu Datou and the still-living Shi Surong.”

“Officer Ma, thank you!”

Ma Zhenxing replied seriously: “Even if I didn’t know you, I would have to handle this case once I learned about it. The police may not catch every criminal, but when we discover one, we certainly won’t let them escape!”

The case procedures were quite informal at that time—if someone was suspected, they could be brought to the station for questioning. If the suspect had no special status, the police didn’t need any formal procedures to take them in. If they got the wrong person, they would simply release them. How else would they know who was good or bad without investigation?

Ma Zhenxing didn’t care that it was late at night. He led his team straight to the countryside, planning to arrest Lu Datou first, then bring in Shi Surong. They would arrest them separately and keep them in separate cells to prevent any chance of collusion.

Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan’s planned fancy dinner was forgotten—who could think about eating at a time like this? Zhou Cheng had acted decisively by directly requesting Officer Ma to make the arrests.

“When should we tell Uncle Tang?” Xia Xiaolan asked. Shouldn’t they inform Tang Hongen before making the arrests?

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t omniscient, and in this aspect, her thinking wasn’t as thorough as Zhou Cheng’s.

“Of course, we should wait until after the arrests to tell Uncle Tang. If he knows beforehand, it could become a constraint. If he’s unaware when they’re brought to the police station, even if it turns out to be a misunderstanding, it won’t involve Uncle Tang!”

Well, Xia Xiaolan wasn’t skilled at these official matters—she’d better stick to business.

Tang Fujun’s family of three was arranged to stay at a guesthouse. That night, they were destined for a sleepless night. They feared they might be wrongly accusing Shi Surong. If the investigation showed Tang Youru’s “disappearance” had nothing to do with Shi Surong, not only would Tang Fujun’s family gain nothing, but they would have seriously offended her!

Shi Surong wasn’t just hot-tempered—she was also Tang Hongen’s sister-in-law. If the two sides reconciled, Shi Surong would surely seek revenge against Tang Fujun’s family. Even without Tang Hongen’s influence, Shi Surong had three sons and a daughter. Her eldest son was a city dweller, and her youngest daughter seemed promising too. Dealing with Tang Fujun’s family of pure farmers wouldn’t be too difficult… How could Tang Fujun not be worried?

At this point, Tang Fujun’s wife had lost her initial fear: “Even if it means offending Shi Surong, I’ve spoken out about this matter. It feels like a heavy stone has been lifted from my shoulders.”

Even without any benefit, she would no longer feel that subtle guilt whenever she thought about it.

No one knew if Shi Surong had dreamed of Tang Youru, but Tang Fujun’s wife had dreamed of her several times. A fair-skinned little girl, looking back while perched on Tang Xianzhong’s shoulders, smiling at her with dimples flashing on her cheeks.

Tang Fujun’s wife suddenly covered her face and sobbed: “Fujun, I should have spoken up… should have spoken earlier. When Old Lady Tang was buried, I already sensed something was wrong. Why didn’t I say anything? If I had spoken up, their little Youru might have been found…”

Tang Fujun and Tang Shengli remained silent. The atmosphere in the room was extremely oppressive for the family of three.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhenxing led his team to the countryside, targeting Lu Datou first. Lu Datou was just a nickname—the man was small and thin with a skinny neck, though his head was noticeably larger than average. Now in his fifties with grandchildren, when Ma Zhenxing’s team caught him, they casually threatened: “Lu Datou, your secret’s out!”

This was a common police tactic to frighten suspects. Those with nothing to hide would typically be nervous but confused. Lu Datou, however, stumbled and immediately started shouting about being wrongly accused.

Based on years of professional experience, Ma Zhenxing was practically certain this man was guilty of something. If not Tang Youru’s case, then at least something else…

“Take him back to the station!”

After Lu Datou, they would arrest Shi Surong. Police work wasn’t so particular about procedures back then, and news couldn’t spread easily—even landline phones were rare, making it impossible for someone to warn their accomplices after being arrested.

Lu Datou was taken away with only the village dogs barking intensely.

They reached the neighboring village to arrest Shi Surong around three in the morning. Shi Surong wasn’t asleep. First her husband’s death, then having to bow to her brother-in-law for her children’s future, followed by her son trying to curry favor with his uncle by bringing up events from twenty or thirty years ago. Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s countryside visit had left her vaguely uneasy.

That night, she was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. When she heard the dog barking, Shi Surong jumped up: “Thief! Catch the thief!”

No wonder people said this woman wasn’t one to cross—she wasn’t afraid of thieves; thieves should be afraid of her.

Tang Chunlei worked in the city, and Tang Ruojia returned to the city with him. Besides Shi Surong, only her third son, who farmed in their hometown, was at home.

Hearing his mother’s call, Tang Third grabbed a stick and rushed out, only to find several police officers in the courtyard.

“We’re from the police station. Where’s Shi Surong? She needs to come with us!”

“You… you—” Tang Third blocked the doorway. “Why are you arresting my mother?”

Ah, young man, do the police need to explain themselves to everyone they meet?

Ma Zhenxing waved his hand, and despite Shi Surong’s screams, they pulled her from her bed and took her away. In the cold winter, no one in the countryside would sleep completely undressed, and at Shi Surong’s age, who would take advantage of her? They simply let her wrap her coat around herself before pushing her into the vehicle.

Tang Third chased the police van for a while until the village chief reminded him: “What did your mother do? Quickly notify your eldest brother, let him handle this!”

In the middle of the night, Tang Chunlei was called to the reception room to take a phone call.

“What?! Mother was taken to the police station?”

What was going on? Why would the police suddenly arrest his mother?

Tang Chunlei was very anxious. Then he suddenly realized this was a good opportunity—hadn’t he been wondering how to contact Second Uncle? This was the perfect excuse!

Ma Zhenxing brought Lu Datou and Shi Surong back to the station and had them interrogated separately. Lu Datou proved quite cunning, and Shi Surong showed remarkable psychological fortitude… When asked to confess, she didn’t even know which incident they were investigating. After all, Tang Hongen wasn’t the only person she and Tang Xianzhong had criticized during the Cultural Revolution.

Neither had met face to face, so naturally, they didn’t know this was about Tang Youru’s “disappearance” 29 years ago. But that was fine—Station Chief Ma would help them remember.

Interrogation requires skill. Ma Zhenxing felt somewhat excited—this was a case that had troubled his uncle, Old Police Officer Chen, for many years!