Chapter 36**

  "According to Comrade Ma’s account, Liu Tiezhu likely has a hideout in Xiaoqing Mountain Commune. After committing another crime, there’s a high chance he’ll return there. Therefore, we need to head to Xiaoqing Mountain Commune tonight and coordinate with the local police to locate Liu Tiezhu’s hiding pce as soon as possible," the deputy director of the county bureau said to the criminal police team.

  "Understood. We’ll set off immediately," Yunting responded promptly.

  "Yunting, that Ma Shun is your niece, right? Thank her on my behalf ter."

  "It’s what she should do. No need to thank her. Director, we’re heading out now," Yunting said as he walked out.

  "That Yunting is really resolute and decisive," the director remarked.

  "Just like his father," the office director said, gathering the files on the table.

  "By the way, isn’t Yunting’s family from Xiaoqing Mountain?" the director asked.

  "Yes, from the Ma Family Vilge behind Xiaoqing Mountain Commune. The Ma family has lived there for generations."

  * * *

  "What did they say? Seventh Uncle." Daniu asked as Yunting came out of the meeting room.

  "We’re heading to the commune. If your information was correct, he should have a hideout there. You can ride with us."

  Daniu nodded. "Good, that saves me from taking the bus tomorrow."

  The bureau didn’t have many vehicles, just an old jeep. With four people going, plus Daniu, the car was full. There was no air conditioning, and the inside was freezing.

  It took two and a half hours to reach the commune because the road was bad and it was pitch dark. The commune was mostly made up of single-story houses, and many families kept dogs. The night was so quiet that their car would make too much noise if they drove in, so Yunting decided to park the car some distance away, and they walked into the commune.

  Daniu led them to the commune police station, where only two officers were on duty. They were surprised to see the group. When they heard they were there to catch a fugitive, one young officer ran out. The commune wasn’t rge, and soon three officers wrapped in coats came running over.

  "Yunting!" A police officer in his te thirties greeted Yunting with a punch on the shoulder.

  "Yang Hui, you’ve been transferred here?" Yunting recognized his childhood friend. They became police officers at the same time, but Yunting stayed in the county while Yang Hui was assigned to the countryside.

  "Yeah, just a year ago," Yang Hui said. "How can we assist?" He got straight to business.

  Yunting quickly expined the case to the local officers. "That’s the situation."

  "So you’re not sure where he’s hiding," Yang Hui frowned.

  "That’s the tricky part."

  "Then we’ll have to rely on everyone to comb through the area bit by bit," Yang Hui said.

  "Won’t that alert him?" Yun Ting asked.

  * * *

  Daniu didn’t go to the police station. Instead, she went to Fourth Grandpa’s house. It was too te to go home, so she decided to stay there for the night.

  "Who is it?" Ma Yun Jie came out, wrapped in a padded coat. He opened the door and saw Daniu. "Daniu, it’s so te. Did you just get back from the county?" His father had mentioned earlier that Daniu had gone to see someone off.

  "Yes, Ninth Uncle. It’s too te, so I’ll stay the night and head back tomorrow," Daniu said, not mentioning how she had returned.

  "Alright, you can stay in Shu Fen’s room. Your grandpa’s already asleep. We’ll talk in the morning," Ninth Uncle said, directing her to the backyard.

  The front of the house had five rooms that used to be shops but were now closed off. The family lived on both sides, with Fourth Grandpa in the middle. Passing through the main hall and crossing the courtyard, there were another five rooms at the back. The two eastern rooms were occupied by Ma Tianlin, while the three western rooms were for the sisters. Daniu walked through the courtyard and knocked on the door. The light in the western room turned on with a soft click. The commune was different—they had electricity.

  "Sis, why are you here this te? Come inside quickly." Ma Shufen came to open the door with a cotton-padded jacket.

  Daniu entered the house, "I came back te; I'll stay here for the night and go back tomorrow."

  "Come in quickly. Have you eaten?" Shufen ushered Daniu into the house while closing the door securely again.

  Daniu and Shufen went inside, and Shufen quickly nudged Shuxiang, who was at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), "Move over a bit, sis is here."

  Shuxiang drowsily opened her eyes, but upon seeing Daniu, she immediately woke up and sat up. "Sis," she said, then quickly moved aside, "Sis, come up on the kang; it's cold."

  "You get back under the covers; don't catch a cold. I'll stay at the foot of the kang."

  Beside them, Shuyun also woke up, moved the mattress and quilt towards the foot of the kang, then got up and fetched a new quilt and mattress from the kang cabinet and id them at the head of the kang, "Sis, these are newly made, just for you."

  Shufen brought in a basin of hot water from outside. "Sis, wash up first; I have some snow cream here; you can apply some ter; your face is all dried out."

  "Don't worry, go up on the kang, or you'll catch a cold." Daniu took off her outer fur coat and washed her face with the hot water; the hot towel felt really comfortable on her face.

  After washing up, she quickly got into the bed. "The kang is really warm." Shuxiang immediately leaned over. "Sis, we installed a warm wall at home this year; it's much warmer."

  "Yes, I should get one next year too; my room gets cold sometimes," Daniu said.

  "The old house should also be repaired; it hasn't changed much since I can remember," said Ma Shuyun.

  "Yeah, I'll think about how to fix it when I get back. I'll do it after the educated youths move out. I'll fix the lower room too, for Dayong and Dazhi to live in."

  "Hey sis, do those three educated youths in your yard have a thing for Brother Dakui?" Ma Shuyun gossiped.

  "Don't talk nonsense; brother Dakui has a girlfriend. He might get married when he goes back this time. I'm turning off the light." Daniu said, pulling the light cord down with a click, and the room plunged into darkness. After a while, the moonlight shone through the light-colored curtains, and because of the snow outside reflecting light, the room was still somewhat bright.

  "I'm not talking nonsense; I saw it twice during the New Year. That female educated youth named Zhang Xiaoran stopped brother Dakui to talk, but brother Dakui didn't pay her any attention," Shuyun said.

  "I saw it too, that Zhang Xiaoran specifically looked out the window to see brother Dakui enter the yard, then ran out," Ma Shuxiang added.

  "You two better not go outside and gossip, or else she stuck to brother Dakui," Shufen warned her sisters.

  "We won't gossip outside," Shuyun said.

  "It's okay, Brother Dakui has already left; they can't do anything. Let's sleep; it's getting te." Daniu didn't want to talk about those educated youths either, as she didn't have much interaction with them. But she still needed to talk to Uncle Song to quickly find a pce for the educated youths; it's not good for them to always stay at her house; there's still her older brother at home, although he only comes back once a week from work; who knows if something might happen.

  The next morning, Daniu got up early, ate, and prepared to go back. "Wait a bit; the Zhou family next door has a horse cart going to Shuangmiao vilge. You can go with the cart," Uncle Jiu said.

  "What should I go to Shuangmiao vilge for? I'll just walk back. It's not far," Da Niu said.

  "Their daughter is going to visit her partner's house; their daughter and the Liang family's son are seeing each other. Today they're going to visit the family; if it goes well, they'll prepare the betrothal gifts and get married."

  Da Niu heard about the Liang family in Shuangmiao vilge. "The Liang family in Shuangmiao vilge, the family that the second aunt of the Zheng family married into?"

  "Yes, that family, their daughter-in-w is the second daughter of the old Zheng family. How did you know?" Uncle Jiu was quite surprised.

  "I met them once before; I just mentioned it casually and got it right." Daniu didn't say how she knew them.

  Ma Yunjie didn't ask but instead talked about the retionship between the two families: "The daughter of the Zhou family next door and the son of the daughter of the Zheng family studied together at No. 2 Middle School; they might have had feelings for each other back then, but since neither of them went to high school, they didn't keep in touch. The other day, during the big market day, the Zhou family's daughter went to sell homemade shoe pads, and they ran into each other. That's how they hit it off. The Zhou family thought since the kids liked each other, they might as well let the Liang family's son find a matchmaker to propose."

  "I'm not sure it'll work out. The second aunt of the Zheng family doesn't look very pleasing.," said Fifth Auntie, putting on her cotton-padded jacket, ready to go to work, overhearing the conversation.

  "That will not happen. Since they've already come to propose, how can it not work out? The Zhou family's conditions are good, and the girl is skillful. I think it'll work," Uncle Jiu thought highly of the Zheng family's daughter.

  "If you think their daughter is good, why didn't you think about reserving her for your son?" Auntie Jiu shot him a look.

  "Hey, it's not that I don't want to. Old Zhou and I have a good retionship. Didn't you say it's not good to arrange marriages too close to home because it's easy to fight after marriage?" Uncle Jiu argued.

  "I just said we should look around more," Ninth Aunt patted him. "Move aside; don't block the way." With that, she went out.

  Ninth Uncle pointed at his wife, who had just left, "Look, she wasn't happy about it before, and now she regrets it."

  Da Niu didn't expect there was such a story behind it. "But Ninth Aunt is right; if the two families are too close, it can easily lead to friction."

  "She is not serious. The main thing is Tianlin is already twenty-one and still single. He always dodges the subject when it comes to marriage; who knows what kind of girl he likes?"

  "You said he's only twenty-one; what's the rush?" Fourth, Grandpa came out from the east room. "He is a boy; what are you afraid of? Afraid he won't find a wife? You should pay more attention to Shufen and see if there are any good young men around; she's already eighteen, start looking early, there is no rush to marry, observe more. Pick a few and choose the right one." The old man was concerned about his eldest granddaughter.

  "Got it, Dad. You've said it many times," Uncle Jiu responded, then turned around and made a face at Da Niu.

  Daniu was amused.