“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?” Zhao Zhijie asked. “I’ve been here for a long time, and Cui Dongming has a pretty good reputation. I haven’t heard any negative feedback about him.”
“If that’s the case...” Lu Linjiang looked at him with a meaningful gaze. “If there’s no negative news, then the business with the house is even stranger. If debt collectors were at your door and an uncle you weren't close with stepped in, demanding you put up the only house your parents left you as collateral to pay back a debt—if it were you...” Lu Linjiang looked at Lao Liu. “Would you find someone to consult with?”
Lao Liu, suddenly put on the spot, thought for a moment and nodded hesitantly.
“Then who do you think would be the most appropriate person to ask?”
Lao Liu didn’t need to answer; everyone knew. Based on the traditional concept of clan importance, Cui Bin, who was still a student at the time, couldn’t possibly have avoided consulting Cui Dongming.
“And for a ‘nice guy’ to ignore village affairs just because his mother-in-law had an accident...” Lu Linjiang shook his head slightly. “The possibility exists, but it’s far too low.”
“Lao Liu, how long ago was the house transfer?”
Lao Liu recalled, “About eight or nine years.”
“Zhao Zhijie, Lao Liu, you’re familiar with this area. Go and check what exactly happened to Cui Dongming’s mother-in-law eight or nine years ago.”
Lu Linjiang stood in place for a moment, then went to interrogate Cui Bin again.
When Cui Bin saw Lu Linjiang, he asked urgently, “How is Xiaoye?”
“I went to see her this afternoon; she hasn't woken up yet. I have something to ask you.” Lu Linjiang sat down. “How exactly did your phone break?”
“My phone?” Cui Bin repeated blankly. “It fell and broke.”
“How did it fall? Did you drop it yourself?”
Cui Bin shook his head. “No. I went to take a shower that night and left the phone on the bed to charge. A rat got into the room and chewed through the charger, and the phone fell to the floor.”
After hearing this, Lu Linjiang asked, “Did you see the rat?”
“No.” Cui Bin likely found Lu Linjiang’s question strange. “A creature like a rat runs away the moment it hears human footsteps. Why would it wait around for you to see it?”
The clues in Lu Linjiang’s mind slowly began to take shape, and a certain link finally clicked into place. “When you were about to transfer the house back then, did you ever think about talking to Cui Dongming?”
The jump in his questions was so large that Cui Bin had to think for a while before saying, “Of course I did.” A hint of melancholy appeared on his face. “The village chief was very busy back then and was rarely in the village. I finally managed to find him once at the pasture. When he heard about it, he only said that Cui Shihai was my uncle after all, and that no elder would harm their junior.”
“Wait, the pasture?” Lu Linjiang asked doubtfully. “Wasn't the pasture built after the resort was developed?”
Cui Bin shook his head. “No, the pasture was built when I was a child.”
“You’re a fishing village. Why would you build a pasture instead of a fishery?”
Cui Bin had clearly never considered this question. He tilted his head and thought for a while. “I don't know.”
Lu Linjiang took a trip to the pasture during the night. It only housed a few old horses, some sheep, and some poultry. It was about the size of a football field and served as a leisure spot on Liucheng Island. In Lu Linjiang’s view, the entire setup was barely more than a half-hearted effort.
He had instinctively assumed it was built as a supporting facility after the development of Liucheng Island. But if it wasn't—if a fishing village had insisted on building a pasture years ago when they weren't even wealthy—it was a matter very much worth investigating.
When Lu Linjiang walked out of the interrogation room, Jiang Cheng was sitting alone in the office, holding his phone and looking at something. Just as Lu Linjiang was about to call out to him, a group of people came rushing in. “Where’s Officer Zhao? Where’s Xiao Zhao?”
Hearing the commotion, Zhao Zhijie came out of another office. “What’s wrong? Oh, Auntie Ding Guihua, what happened?”
The woman named Ding Guihua was holding a rabbit in her arms. “I’m telling you, a pervert has come to the island.”
“A pervert?” Zhao Zhijie asked in surprise. “What kind of pervert?”
“Look! My daughter Cui Min saw someone grabbing our rabbit and drawing its blood this afternoon, and then he just ran off!” Ding Guihua grabbed the rabbit’s ears to show Zhao Zhijie. “Tell me, if he’s not a pervert, who would draw a rabbit’s blood! We looked for him all afternoon and couldn't find him, so we thought we’d tell you first. Keep an eye out lately!”
“Rabbit... drawing blood...” Zhao Zhijie’s head slowly turned toward Jiang Cheng. Hearing the noise, Jiang Cheng covered half of his face with one hand and slightly turned his body away.
A half-grown girl clutching Ding Guihua jumped up. “Mom, it’s him! I recognize his clothes!”
Ding Guihua immediately rushed over with the rabbit. Lu Linjiang quickly stepped in front of her. Ding Guihua relentlessly tried to bypass Lu Linjiang. “So you’re the pervert! Why did you draw my rabbit’s blood! Speak! Where are you from! What are you trying to do!”
Lu Linjiang tried his best to avoid physical contact between the two parties as he explained, “This is a misunderstanding.”
Ding Guihua scanned Lu Linjiang warily. “And who are you? Are you with the pervert?”
Lu Linjiang felt his temper rising as she called them "pervert" over and over, but Jiang Cheng stepped out from behind him first. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry this afternoon, so I grabbed your rabbit and drew some blood. It was my fault.”
He had lowered his hand by now. When the originally furious Ding Guihua saw Jiang Cheng’s face clearly, her face suddenly turned red. Her mouth hung half-open, and it took her a long while to find her voice, her momentum cut in half. “You... you... what were you doing drawing rabbit blood?”
“Oh, I was collecting a sample.”
“A sample? What kind of sample?”
“A medical sample.” Jiang Cheng gave her an apologetic smile. “This was my mistake. I should have told you. The rabbit was right by the fence, and I was in a hurry and didn't see anyone, so I acted prematurely. I’m sorry.”
Jiang Cheng gave Ding Guihua a slight bow. Ding Guihua instinctively took a step back, her face red as she waved her hands repeatedly. “No need, no need. It’s not like I wouldn't have allowed it if you’d asked beforehand. It’s just that when the kid came back and told me, I got a fright. So you’re a doctor! No wonder my daughter said she saw you draw the blood very quickly and then run off. I thought this pervert must be a serial offender.”
The “serial offender” coughed. “I really should apologize.” Jiang Cheng looked at Cui Min. “I gave the little sister a scare.”
the “little sister” wasn't doing much better than her mother; the moment her eyes met Jiang Cheng’s, she hid directly behind Ding Guihua.
“Alright, alright, Auntie Ding, it’s all a misunderstanding,” Zhao Zhijie stepped in to smooth things over. “Are you all here for this? If so, you can head back. We’re busy here.”
“Wait!” Lu Linjiang called out to Zhao Zhijie. “I have a question for everyone.” Lu Linjiang waited until everyone was looking at him. “Do you know why that pasture next to the village was built in the first place?”
The crowd looked at each other. Ding Guihua thought for a while and said, “I remember it was built right around the time I got married. It must have been fourteen or fifteen years ago. At the time, they said they wanted to expand resources. If the village relied entirely on fishing, the production was too one-dimensional, so they built this pasture.”
“And who funded it?”
“That, I don't know. Do you guys know?” Ding Guihua asked the few people who had come with her.
A man who looked to be in his forties said, “I think it was the production brigade. They said it was a collective investment back then. Cashmere was selling well in those years, so the village chief said we could raise sheep to sell wool, and the mutton could be sold too. It was some extra income. I think they even distributed mutton to everyone at the end of the year.”
The more Lu Linjiang heard, the more interesting he found it. “Did the pasture make a profit?”
The crowd went quiet again. After a short while, whispers broke out. Ding Guihua exchanged opinions with those around her before saying, “They always said the returns weren't good, but it just dragged on, neither dead nor alive. They kept saying it would close, but it never did. Later, when tourism was developed on the island, they found that tourists quite liked going there to ride horses and see the sheep, so we never heard about it closing again.”
Lu Linjiang nodded politely to her. “Thank you. I was just curious. Sorry to bother you all.”
Seeing that nothing else was happening, the crowd turned to leave. Ding Guihua took two steps, then turned back. “Little doctor, I’ll just give this rabbit to you. Don't go drawing blood randomly next time; it’s quite scary.”
Before Jiang Cheng could react, Ding Guihua shoved the rabbit into his arms and turned to run. The rabbit struggled in his arms, trying to jump away. Jiang Cheng very naturally grabbed the rabbit’s ears with one hand and its hind legs with the other.
“Why did she give me the rabbit?” Jiang Cheng asked, puzzled.
Lu Linjiang: “...”
Zhao Zhijie was about to tease him, saying it was probably because he was handsome. But Jiang Cheng had a look of sudden realization. “Oh, is she afraid I did something to the rabbit and gave it to me just to save herself the trouble?”
Zhao Zhijie: “...”
“What do you plan to do with it?” Lu Linjiang looked at the rabbit, finding it unexpectedly an eyesore.
Jiang Cheng lifted it to take a look. “Eat it... I guess? There’s no use in keeping it.” His slender fingers brushed over the rabbit’s body. “But this rabbit doesn't have much meat.”
Yang Bo: “...” His ex-husband was truly a remarkable person.
***
