Chapter 231: Action

Chapter 231: Operation

Fu Tinghua drove Fu Dajun and Fu Guoqing back.

On the way back, the three of them ran through many scenarios.

"I don’t think Uncle Wu, the freight hauler, seems like that kind of person," Fu Guoqing couldn’t help but say.

"Lao Wu definitely isn’t. He’s been in the freight business for years, and no one in the village has ever said anything bad about him," Fu Dajun replied.

"No point stressing. We’ll know tonight."

Though Fu Tinghua was driving, he had been listening to their conversation the whole time.

"Ting Hua, do you think they’ll come tonight?" Fu Dajun asked.

"They will," Fu Tinghua said flatly.

Seeing his confidence, Fu Dajun and Fu Guoqing felt much more at ease.

Following Su He’s instructions, Fu Tinghua slowly drove into the village down the backroad at the end of the village.

Thankfully, Fu Tinghua’s driving skills were excellent—the road was so narrow that it was a tight squeeze for a single car.

Anyone with poor judgment would’ve landed in a ditch.

By now, it was completely dark. They had set off after 4:30 p.m., and it was already past 7 p.m.

Su He’s house was located at the end of the village, and by this time, most people working in the nearby fields had already gone home, leaving the surroundings dead quiet.

"Dad, big brother, head on in," Fu Tinghua said after parking the car, opening the gate for Fu Dajun and Fu Guoqing to enter.

"Ting Hua, when are we making the climb?" Fu Dajun asked as he followed Fu Tinghua inside and took a seat.

"They won’t come that early. We can go after 11 p.m. Going now would just mean being mosquito bait," Fu Tinghua said calmly.

The three of them sat in Su He’s house while Fu Tinghua returned to the car to grab the snacks Su He had packed for them, handing them to Fu Dajun and Fu Guoqing.

"Oh? Su He prepared this?" Fu Dajun laughed.

"Yeah."

Looking at his son’s stone face, Fu Dajun couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

"You really should lighten up. Su He is a catch—don’t give her the icy treatment. If she ends up disliking you and leaves, you’ll be bawling your eyes out."

Fu Tinghua stayed silent.

Fu Guoqing bit back a grin and said to his father, "Relax, old man. Ting Hua isn’t like this in front of his wife."

"How isn’t he? I was watching today—he didn’t even smile when he saw Su He."

Fu Guoqing shook his head. His father really was getting old.

Or perhaps, old folks wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Though his younger brother’s face didn’t budge, the moment he saw Su He, he couldn’t take his eyes off her—hardly a "cold and indifferent" look.

The three of them sat in Su He’s house, chatting for a while before their talk petered out, and the atmosphere quickly lapsed into silence.

"Maybe Fu Guoqing and I should head back first. It’s so late, doubt anyone’ll notice," Fu Dajun said, unable to sit still. He wanted to go home to see his wife.

"Yeah, Dad and I’ll go back first," Fu Guoqing also wanted to return to see his wife and kids.

"Alright, you two go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later," Fu Tinghua nodded.

"Ting Hua, you should rest at home. We’ve got the stakeout covered tonight."

His son had worked all day and driven for hours, and the old father couldn’t help but feel heartache.

"Nah, I’ll tag along—better safe than sorry. Let me tidy up here first, then I’ll join you."

"Why not just crash there tonight? I’ll have your mom fix up your room," Fu Dajun quickly suggested.

His boy was stuck out here alone, and it pained him.

He never should’ve let Wu Yanhua have her way back then, kicking their youngest son out.

Now, good luck getting them to move back; Su He probably wouldn’t agree.

"Sure, whatever’s convenient. Besides, sleep’s a long shot tonight anyway."

Fu Guoqing thought about it and agreed.

Once we nab ’em tonight, they’d definitely have to take them to the town police station.

By the time everything was settled, it’ll be damn near sunrise.

"I’ll still get your mom to freshen up your room. Su He and the others aren’t here anyway, so you can just stay at our place these next couple of days."

After saying this, Fu Dajun led Fu Guoqing toward the Fu family home.

But they were acting shady as hell.

Fu Tinghua: "......"

Total overkill.

As soon as Fu Dajun and the others returned home, Wu Yanhua and the rest immediately crowded around them.

"Didn’t you say you were staying in the city overnight?"

"No, Ting Hua drove us back," Fu Dajun replied.

"Then where’s Ting Hua? Why isn’t he here?" Fu Yanju asked.

"Ting Hua’s at the old place down the road."

"Why didn’t you call him over? Is Su He with him?" Wu Yanhua looked exasperated at her husband and eldest son.

"How could Su He come? The shop’s slammed—no way she could’ve come. Ting Hua had the weekend free, so he came along to see what’s up."

"Then why did you say you weren’t coming back tonight? You had us running around like chickens! Wasn’t it you, Fu Guoqing, and Ziyao heading up the mountain tonight?" Wu Yanhua pressed urgently.

"Whoa, hold your horses, I was just about to explain our plan."

Fu Dajun and Fu Guoqing didn’t even get to sit down and take a sip of water before the Fu family surrounded them, grilling them with questions.

After the two explained Fu Tinghua and Su He’s plan, the Fu family was downright impressed.

"Su He is so quick-witted," He Fangfang couldn't help but say after hearing her father-in-law and eldest brother's description.

She'd always been a little slow on the uptake, and when faced with someone like Su He, she wished she could just swap brains with Su He.

"Yeah, in no time flat, the two of them came up with a plan. You all really could take a page from Su He's book," Fu Dajun said, looking at his daughters-in-law.

Zhang Xiaohua and Chen Sufen's faces fell upon hearing Fu Dajun's words.

"Dad, I wasn't thinking straight yesterday. From now on, I’ll follow your arrangements," Zhang Xiaohua quickly stepped forward to apologize.

Seeing this, Chen Sufen also immediately stood up to apologize.

"Dad, me too. From now on, I’ll listen to you all as well."

Fu Dajun gave his two daughters-in-law an approving look and said, "You’re both good. I know that."

"Did you tell Su He about our plan to compensate for the loss?" Wu Yanhua also asked.

"No, that wasn't the right time to mention it. We’ll talk about it when it’s time to divide the money. We’ll definitely cover this loss ourselves. Su He kept saying she doesn’t blame us and even comforted us instead."

Hearing Fu Dajun’s words, the three daughters-in-law hung their heads in shame.

"Those of you staying home tonight, get things ready. Ting Hua is certain the person will act tonight. Once we catch them, we’ll need to have some midnight snacks or something."

Their youngest son had been helping them catch the culprit late into the night and had been working hard all day—they couldn’t let him go hungry.

"Got it, don’t worry," Wu Yanhua replied.