Chapter 551

The research in Suxi Town achieved very good results. Almost everyone was skeptical about the policies we were promoting; in their view, the agricultural tax that had continued for thousands of years wouldn't just disappear so easily. I understood people's fear, because this tax, which had lasted for thousands of years, had never been exempted, even during the three years of natural disasters.

As soon as our group entered the territory of Hengyue City, Wan Xiao's people were already waiting for us by the side of the road.

This time, it was a different batch of people, all unfamiliar faces.

This time, we weren't staying at the Linyin Hotel, but instead checked into the Hengyue Hotel. The Municipal Committee Reception Office told us that the Hengyue Hotel was one of the reception venues for Hengyue City, with good conditions and solid hardware and software. The key was that the hotel had rich experience in reception and could help us solve many problems.

We followed the local customs; when on someone else's turf, the best way is to follow the arrangements.

After getting settled, I greeted Gan Lu and drove straight home.

My mother had already been discharged from the hospital, and Xi Meizhu was at home taking care of the old lady. Seeing me return, my mother's eyes filled with tears, and she held my hand, refusing to let go.

Xi Meizhu kept me company as we talked, but I was restless in my speech, my eyes wandering everywhere.

She probably saw through my thoughts and said softly, "Sister-in-law has gone back to her parents' home."

I gave an 'oh', stood up, and returned to my own room.

The room was bright and clean, without a speck of dust. The quilt on the bed was folded neatly, and opening the wardrobe, the clothes inside were also arranged tidily. But the room seemed devoid of life, heavy and inexplicably oppressive.

On the contrary, a pot of narcissus on the desk was a heart-stirring green. There was a faint power of life, an undercurrent surging in every corner of the room.

I don't keep flowers, and Huang Weiwei doesn't either. There were almost no green plants in our home, except for this pot of narcissus that someone gave us when we got married; I couldn't find any other plant in my house. I remembered that when the narcissus was brought back, it was placed on the balcony; I had no idea when it had been moved into my bedroom.

After Xi Meizhu settled my mother, she quietly came in and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

I turned my head in astonishment and saw her leaning against the door, her eyes lowered as if she had done something very wrong to me, her expression as panicked as a frightened little rabbit.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked suspiciously, turning and walking to her side, reaching out to put my arm around her shoulders.

She trembled slightly, fidgeting as she tried to avoid my embrace.

In my heart, I was actually very clear: the current Xi Meizhu was no longer just a girl in my eyes and heart; she had another identity—she was my sister.

Once human affection transcends romantic love, familial affection rushes in. In the face of familial affection, one no longer has evil thoughts!

For example, right now, with Xi Meizhu in my arms, all my feelings were purely familial, nothing else.

"I shouldn't have left Mother." Xi Meizhu looked like she was about to cry, her appearance pitiful.

I suddenly felt a pang of heartache. She was a woman with no blood relation to me, yet she had wholeheartedly treated my home as her own. She didn't even have any desires, taking care of my mother with all her heart—this was something ordinary people simply couldn't do.

What was she after? She didn't seem to need anything.

I sighed and said, "It's not your fault! You've already made me feel ashamed."

Hearing this, she burst into a laugh and said, "Brother, what are you ashamed of?"

I had a belly full of words, but now I couldn't say a single one.

Yes, what was I ashamed of? Ashamed of not marrying her? Ashamed of being selfish, letting a girl in the prime of her youth spend her days revolving around a family that had nothing to do with her?

"I'm going to see your sister-in-law." After saying this, I opened the door and went out.

From my house to Bureau Chief Chen Yazhi's house, it was only a ten-minute drive if there was no traffic.

Today, it was strange; as soon as the car left the residential quarter, it was blocked tightly in the middle of the road, unable to move at all.

The cars in front and behind me started honking impatiently, and I joined in the fun, honking along with them. Thus, the sound of horns rising and falling along the entire road gathered into a sonata, making one feel increasingly annoyed, yet inexplicably excited.

Some people had already gotten out of their cars to inquire about the situation, but I sat in the car without moving. Seeing the gridlocked situation ahead, I simply turned off the engine and leaned back in the seat to doze off.

I don't know how much time passed before my car window was tapped rhythmically. I opened my eyes and saw a traffic policeman standing outside, tapping on my window while peering hard inside.

I looked ahead and realized that the cars in front had disappeared, and looking behind, it was just as empty.

It turned out that the traffic had been cleared while I was asleep. I smiled apologetically, preparing to drive away.

The traffic policeman gestured for me to roll down the window; I hesitated for a moment, but still rolled it down.

"Were you asleep?" he asked, his tone pleasant.

I nodded and asked him, "Why was there a traffic jam?"

"There was a traffic accident ahead," he said. "Let me see your driver's license and vehicle registration."

I had my documents, so I wasn't panicked.

As I handed them to him, I asked another question: "What kind of accident?"

"Quite serious. Three people were injured, one of them quite severely; it's estimated they won't make it," the traffic policeman said, handing the documents back to me and looking at my car. "Were you playing mahjong last night?"

I smiled awkwardly, took the documents, and said, "Do I look like someone who plays mahjong?"

The traffic policeman glanced at me and gestured for me to leave.

I asked one more question: "What kind of car was in the accident?"

The traffic policeman was clearly getting impatient, his voice raised as he said, "A small car with provincial plates collided with a scrapped vehicle. What, are you interested?"

Chen Meng suddenly popped into my mind, so I took out a small notebook, waved it, and said, "I'm a reporter, of course I'm interested."

As soon as the traffic policeman heard I was a reporter, his attitude did a 180-degree turn. He immediately stood straight and told me in clear, articulate terms, "If you want to conduct an interview, please go to the Fuyi Yiyuan."

I thanked him and started the car to move forward.

I don't know why, but as soon as I heard him say it was a car with provincial plates, my heart felt like it had been tugged by someone, and an inexplicable sense of worry surrounded me, thick and dense.

Provincial plates? Three people injured? I muttered to myself, beginning to feel restless.

When the car reached the building where Bureau Chief Chen Yazhi lived, I cast aside all distractions and prepared to get out.

Just as my feet touched the ground, my phone rang.

I took out my phone and asked, "Who is this?"

"It's me, Duanmu!" The voice on the phone sounded very heavy, giving one a suffocating feeling.

"Division Chief Duanmu!" I greeted him warmly, "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Fuyi Yiyuan in your Hengyue City." Before his words had even finished, my heart began to race.

"Was it you guys who were in the car accident just now?" I felt as if a giant rock were pressing on my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe. Duanmu getting into a car accident in Hengyue City—although it seemed to have nothing to do with me, the fact that he took the initiative to call me meant there must be a problem.

Sure enough, Duanmu told me in a low voice, "Meng Da is injured, along with Principal Peng's daughter and Teacher Xue Bing."

Everything went black before my eyes, and I could barely stand.

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously. In fact, my subtext was: how could you all be together? And to get into a car accident together—doesn't that seem a bit strange?

"I don't want to explain," Duanmu said. "And don't you go spreading this around. Get to the hospital immediately; I'm waiting for you."

I had no choice but to sit in the car, start the engine, and shift gears, only to find I had no strength at all; my foot on the brake felt soft and powerless.

After calming down, I shifted gears and started driving straight to the Fuyi Yiyuan.

Duanmu was standing under a tree smoking. Seeing me arrive, he threw away the cigarette in his hand and hurried over.

Just as I was about to speak, he made a 'shut up' gesture and pulled me toward the side.

His actions left me feeling like I was lost in the clouds, but I didn't resist. I followed him to a secluded spot and asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Duanmu's face was gloomy; he rubbed his cheek and said, "Someone wants Meng Da dead."

I was so frightened by his words that my mouth hung open, and it took me a long time to recover before saying, "Division Chief Duanmu, aren't you overthinking this?"

Duanmu shook his head seriously and said, "Now you need to use all your connections to ensure the car accident isn't reported. This matter must be kept secret for now."

"Secret?" I asked suspiciously, "What needs to be kept secret? Isn't it just an ordinary car accident?"

"It's a car accident, yes, but it's not ordinary," Duanmu said through gritted teeth. "Meng Da is still in emergency surgery; Xiao Peng and Teacher Xue aren't seriously injured and should be fine with simple bandaging. I need to rush back to the province now; everything here is left to you to handle."

"Me?" I asked suspiciously, "What can I handle?"

"You can handle anything," Duanmu said, handing me a bag. "This is Meng Da's; give it to him when he wakes up. If he doesn't wake up, you decide whether to open it or not—it's up to you."

He had me terrified; Duanmu's seriousness and gloom made me feel he wasn't joking. But when had Xue Bing been with Xu Mengda, and in the same car back to Hengyue City? This set my imagination running wild.

Duanmu seemed to see through my thoughts, patted my shoulder, and said, "Chen Feng, some things, you'll understand later."

I nodded, lost in thought.

I couldn't go to Huang Weiwei's parents' home now; I couldn't see my wife, whom I hadn't seen for months, and I felt a fire burning in my heart, yet I was helpless.

So I took out my phone and called Huang Weiwei, telling her that a leader from the province had been in a car accident and I had to go help handle some things. I even told her that it was Duanmu and Xu Mengda who were in the accident, but I deliberately avoided mentioning Xue Bing; I didn't tell her that Xue Bing was also in the same car and had also been in the accident.