I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 576 - 570

Zhao Cheng sighed with relief.

He had hidden it meticulously; how could they possibly know?

Upon looking at the villagers, he noticed fear still etched on some of their faces.

After all, those who had come included the Village Chief and the leader of the county’s armed forces. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

It had been over thirty years. Some of their fathers had passed away, and those who survived became more cowardly by the day.

Yet, there was a saying, the brave die, and the cowardly starve.

And now, turning themselves in would not absolve them of their guilt; it made more sense to deny everything stoutly.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Cheng’s younger cousin whispered anxiously beside him, "Brother, it’s bad news; three more people in uniforms are running this way, and they look like police."

Zhao Cheng’s face darkened—could this issue not be covered up and was about to escalate?

He gave his younger brother a meaningful glance.

For some reason, perhaps instinct, Lu Ye kept his eyes on Zhao Cheng.

He noticed a man speaking to Zhao Cheng, and afterward, Zhao Cheng’s expression changed notably; he walked over and asked with a furrowed brow, "What are you talking about?"

Zhao Cheng’s brother was startled, then pointed toward the entrance of the village, stammering, "It’s... it’s just that three more people have come."

Lu Ye furrowed his brows—three people?

That didn’t seem right; given the timing, Brother Sun and his group couldn’t have arrived yet. Who could it be?

The newcomers approached rapidly.

Xiao Lai and Xiao Jia were experienced comrades who had served life-threatening missions with He Xiuwen and were viewed as brothers. When He Xiuwen transferred to Xichuan, they followed him.

Accustomed to the local environment, they often took on tasks together; occasionally others joined, but it required an adjustment period one couldn’t just integrate seamlessly into.

Lu Ye didn’t recognize Xiao Lai and Xiao Jia, but he knew He Xiuwen.

He didn’t know why He Xiuwen was here, but his presence was definitely a relief.

With brisk steps, Lu Ye walked toward He Xiuwen. Old Xu, too, noticed and certainly knew who he was. Although they were of similar age, they came from different backgrounds, but Old Xu had long admired He Xiuwen and always hoped to meet him.

He Xiuwen was his idol, and being on good terms with him would be beneficial for him.

When the uniformed men stood in the village, the villagers truly become frightened; some even cast resentful glances at Zhao Cheng. If there hadn’t been outsiders around, they undoubtedly would have spoken up, but even so, some people had already started retreating.

A young boy whom Zhao Cheng had previously beaten was squatting by the roadside.

He was genuinely scared.

His father didn’t know what the working team’s young man’s name was, but he remembered that his father had struck the young man on the back of the head following Uncle Three’s urging to "Hit him, hit him quickly!".

Now, he wasn’t sure if that man was alive or dead. What would happen if his father were to be arrested?

Likewise resentful glances were directed at Zhao Cheng. It was all his fault for being an oppressive bully in the village, and now, he had drawn such calamity upon them, keeping those five people.

They should have just let the five leave for good; such timid souls wouldn’t dare speak out once they were gone. Moreover, they weren’t traffickers, just men who had paid for brides. It wasn’t a crime punishable by execution.

But now, things seemed even more serious.

He Xiuwen didn’t exchange pleasantries; his piercing gaze swept through the village, then over the crowd.

Although he couldn’t grasp every detail, he had a good overview of the situation.

He had gathered a rough understanding of the situation; no one had seen the five men enter the village, and the villagers denied their presence. He and his team had indeed found no trace of them after a thorough search.

The village was small, just over a hundred households, and some of the houses were quite small, almost entirely visible at a glance.

Although He Xiuwen couldn’t purely base his judgment on Qingyu’s suspicions and the men returning to the village, there was one thing he could ascertain—he had spotted a woman among the crowd who seemed to have been trafficked here.

Her name was Liang Xiaocui.

She was from the Southern.

Despite Liang Xiaocui’s bruised face, He Xiuwen, who excelled at extracting specific details from a wealth of data to construct a coherent picture, recognized her.

He walked directly forward, passing through the crowd to stand in front of Liang Xiaocui.

Liang Xiaocui’s mind was somewhat murky; during the recent search for the five men, they had all been brought out. Just before coming out, her mother-in-law had whispered a threat in her ear—that if she dared speak of what shouldn’t be spoken, once these people left, she would let all the men in the village...

It was a scenario as horrific as hell itself.

Just the thought chilled Liang Xiaocui to the bone, and her mind fluttered between clarity and confusion, leaving her standing there dazed, like a zombie.

But unexpectedly, a man now stood before her—a handsome man in uniform, his dignity commanding, standing there making everything around suddenly seem less fearful.

He exuded a stabilizing force.

She heard him call out three words, "Liang Xiaocui."

That name hadn’t been called in fifteen years, and in this village, no one knew what she was really called; she never mentioned it.

Everyone simply called her "Chengzi’s wife."

He Xiuwen knew he hadn’t misidentified her by the shock on the woman’s face before him.

This wasn’t his assigned mission, nor the case he was originally handling. She was the sister of a subordinate who had died in the line of duty.

Before dying, he had shown him a photo, saying, "Captain, this is my sister. She’s been missing for ten years. I joined the special forces mainly to look for my sister. I never thought I’d lose my chance. I..."

He had struggled to speak these words.

They were broken, and he never got to finish his sentence; his eyes remained wide open in death.

He had accepted the photograph, placed it in his chest pocket, and closed his subordinate’s eyes, knowing what he had intended to say.

Thus, whenever he was out on missions, whenever there was a chance, he took his team to search for his sister.

His name was Liang Aijun, and his sister was Liang Xiaocui.

He Xiuwen’s cold gaze shifted to the man approaching. He had noticed him from the beginning and had sharply assessed that he was the leader here, as many people’s eyes unconsciously followed him.

Their gazes were complex, and he didn’t have time to analyze, but knowing this was the village’s central figure was enough.

Now, with an anxious expression on his face, the woman in front of him was likely his woman.