Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A Questionable Identity

"What's going on? Why was Han Li arrested?" Old Mrs. Lu asked Lu Ding in confusion when she saw him.

The others watched intently, hoping for inside information, but the village chief shook his head. "I don’t know either. They came abruptly, went straight to the Han family, and didn’t ask me anything."

"This is no small matter!" A man next to the village chief rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "He Ye hasn’t been released yet, and now Han Li is arrested. This couple must be hiding something."

Everyone’s expressions changed at these words, thinking the guess was probably right.

"What could they be hiding? They’ve always kept to themselves and followed the rules. What issue could they possibly have?"

This was the part that puzzled everyone.

"Han Li has been in our village for almost thirty years, hasn’t he?" Old Mrs. Lu interjected.

Lu Ding nodded, his eyes filled with contemplation.

At that moment, Han Li, who had just gotten up and hadn’t even eaten, was being hauled out. Han Yan followed closely behind, calling out in fear, "Why are you taking my dad? He hasn’t done anything wrong..."

No one answered her. The men took Han Li away, but Han Yan stood in their way.

"Village Chief, Old Mrs. Lu, please help me! My dad hasn’t done anything. They can't take him without cause!" she pleaded, her eyes red with tears.

Some villagers, whose hearts went out to her, thought it pitiful that Han Yan would be left alone if both her parents were arrested, so they spoke up in her defense.

"Do you think they'd arrest him without proof?" Lu Ding questioned those who spoke up.

This immediately silenced anyone trying to help.

Whether there was proof or not, no one dared to respond to that.

Seeing the village chief cut off anyone trying to help, Han Yan seethed with anger but didn’t dare show it. She feared her parents’ situation might implicate her, especially since her father had panicked and tried to flee when arrested—which looked mighty suspicious. If she were dragged into this, she might not even be able to stay in the village. So she didn’t dare make trouble now, standing there weeping quietly, looking utterly pitiful.

After his arrest, Han Li seemed completely broken, as if resigned to his fate.

His demeanor made Lin Nannan especially curious. Wondering how He Ye had managed to implicate Han Li, she asked the men holding him, "What exactly did he do?"

All the villagers waited for this answer, all eyes trained on the scene.

"His identity is problematic!" Out of respect for Lu Hang, the officer kindly provided this much but revealed nothing further.

"A collective gasp!" The brief statement made everyone inhale sharply, especially with the recent political tensions barely settled, leaving them all wary.

Even Han Yan was stunned.

She'd never imagined her mother's trouble would snowball like this.

Han Li was taken away, and the villagers whispered theories—wondering who he really was, why he had hidden in their village, and what he had been plotting...

"Since your parents’ situation hasn’t been clarified yet, you shouldn’t go out unnecessarily," Lu Ding warned Han Yan. "If you wander around at this critical moment and people suspect you’re involved, no amount of explaining would clear you. Our village won’t tolerate you either."

It was both a reminder and a warning. Han Yan shuddered, not daring to argue.

She truly knew nothing, but who would believe her?

Lin Nannan, hidden in the crowd, was taking in all the excitement. After getting the gist of it, she went back to discuss it with Lu Hang...

"What kind of person do you think Han Li is?"