Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Gao Mingzhu turned around and saw Huo Huaichuan frowning deeply, so she gave a firm "Mm-hmm."

Huo Huaichuan immediately asked, "Who is it?"

"Who else could it be? The only one capable of cooking the books like this is the former accountant."

Huo Huaichuan thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "Fourth Uncle Lin, Lin Suanshu?"

He had left the village to study at sixteen and rarely returned afterward, so he wasn't familiar with the village affairs.

"Yes, and he's gone." Seeing his focused expression, she adjusted her posture to face him directly, her gaze deep and meaningful. "Last month, they say he fell off a cliff and died."

Huo Huaichuan's face went dark instantly.

He wasn't dumb at all; in fact, he was really sharp.

If Lin Suanshu hadn't been the accountant, maybe nobody would've thought twice about it.

But exactly because he was, it made you wonder.

He stared at Gao Mingzhu, his eyes deep as a bottomless whirlpool. "You mean the real person behind the fake accounts is someone else?"

That person even silenced Lin Suanshu to cover it up?

"I'm just guessing..." Gao Mingzhu met his gaze and asked pointedly, "And don't you think it's suspicious how the Lin family's been bending over backward to stop me from becoming the accountant these past few days? Lin Tianxiong graduated high school, worked a temp job in the county for two years, then got fired and couldn't find work... Is that really what happened?"

That was definitely suspicious!

Huo Huaichuan narrowed his eyes, remembering, "Lin Xiangsong and Lin Suanshu weren't just cousins; they were especially close. I used to see them drinking and playing cards together when I was a kid."

Even though each had their own brothers, these two were the tightest. The villagers even joked they were real brothers, that's how close they were!

After speaking, the couple exchanged a look, both reading the same suspicion in each other's eyes.

Huo Huaichuan dropped his voice. "So, you mean Lin Xiangsong and Lin Suanshu cooked the books together? And Lin Suanshu's death might be tied to Lin Xiangsong?"

Gao Mingzhu couldn't help but admire how quick he was; he'd pieced it together so fast.

"Exactly, that's what I'm thinking." She nodded and added, "And even after I reported for work today, they still tried to test me. The village chief, who was pissed at us yesterday, was surprisingly nice to me today. And that Lin Tianxiong kept coming over to butter me up and chat me up... No!"

Gao Mingzhu suddenly realized she'd let something slip. She quickly shut her mouth and looked at Huo Huaichuan in a panic, trying to explain herself.

But Huo Huaichuan had already looked over, his face instantly darkening, looking menacing. "Lin Tianxiong's been harassing you?"

Gao Mingzhu: "...Stupid mouth, why'd you have to say it so fast? Use your brain!"

Seeing her hesitate, Huo Huaichuan thought she was about to make up an excuse like she did with his mom's matter. He grabbed her wrist. "How'd he harass you? Don't you dare lie!"

Gao Mingzhu felt a bit helpless, but since he was so sharp and she'd already slipped up, any excuse now would only make him more uneasy. "Alright, alright, don't get worked up. I'll tell you everything, okay? Ease up a bit, you're hurting my hand."

Huo Huaichuan realized he was holding too tight, but he still didn't let go. Instead, he loosened his grip and gently rubbed the spot he'd bruised, both apologizing and urging her to speak quickly.

Gao Mingzhu told him about Lin Tianxiong trying to harass her that day.

The more she spoke, the darker Huo Huaichuan's face got. By the time she finished, his expression was as dark as the sky before a storm.

Gao Mingzhu had no doubt that if his legs could walk, he'd have already stormed off to the Lin family to confront Lin Tianxiong.

Sure enough, the next second, he looked down at his legs, a flash of deep disgust crossing his face.

Gao Mingzhu felt a pang in her heart and quickly reassured him, "Oh, I already shut him down. He didn't get anything out of me today. Don't worry, I'll be careful from now on."

Huo Huaichuan looked up at her, his expression serious. "A petty man is hard to protect against!"

For Lin Xiangsong and Lin Tianxiong to be so nervous, the amount involved must be huge.

Mingzhu was investigating them. If they caught wind of it, they might panic and try to take her out, just like Lin Suanshu.

"What should we do?" Gao Mingzhu felt helpless. She'd been reborn; if she didn't step into the game, how could she break it? "Without solid evidence to accuse them of a crime, even if we report it, the commune and the police can't do a thing."

"..." Huo Huaichuan was silent, as if thinking it over. After a long moment, he said, "Get Uncle. Get him now."

"Okay!" Gao Mingzhu stood up to go get him, but Huo Huaichuan pulled her back. "Don't go. Let Tiewei go!"

Now that he knew the Lin father and son might have their eyes on her, he felt like they were lurking everywhere, afraid she'd be harmed if she stepped out.

Especially since it was already dark; he was even more uneasy about her going out alone.

He let go of her hand, turned, and grabbed a piece of paper to write on.

Gao Mingzhu leaned in and saw he was writing a note to Du Shan, simply saying he needed him to come over.

After finishing, he folded it and handed it to Tiewei, who had been sleeping nearby but was now awakened by the tense atmosphere. "Get up. Deliver this message."

Tiewei immediately stood up, took the note from Huo Huaichuan's hand, and perked up his ears waiting for instructions.

"Take this to the Du family and give it to my uncle," Huo Huaichuan ordered.

Tiewei barked with the note in his mouth, dropped it, picked it up again, then turned and ran out.

Gao Mingzhu: "..."

When they had wandered around the village before, they had already introduced all the important people to Tiewei.

Du Shan occasionally came by, so Tiewei naturally recognized him as the uncle.

Gao Mingzhu looked at Huo Huaichuan with admiration. In her panic, she had forgotten about Tiewei. Seeing him still scowling, she tried to cheer him up with a smile. "You're so thorough in your arrangements!"

"..." Huo Huaichuan silently looked at her, not responding.

He was in no mood for jokes right now.

Gao Mingzhu felt a bit awkward. His seriousness made her seem carefree.

...

At the Du household.

It was already pitch dark. To save electricity and oil, the Du family rarely turned on lights. Those still awake gathered in the yard to enjoy the cool evening air.

Du Shan had two sons and a daughter. The daughter was married, and both sons had families of their own, with several grandchildren.

Now the adults were chatting in the yard while the children played and laughed nearby, making the yard lively.

Suddenly, a child shouted, "A dog! There's a dog! Run!"

The children scattered in panic, and the adults were also startled. Looking up in the bright moonlight, they saw a fierce-looking large dog and quickly hurried inside to hide.

Du Shan, sharp-eyed, recognized Tiewei and quickly calmed everyone down: "Don't panic, don't panic. This is Huaichuan and Mingzhu's dog. He's friendly and smart, and he doesn't bite. I'll go check."

With that, he cautiously walked toward Tiewei.

Tiewei didn't lunge at him; instead, he dropped what he was holding in his mouth onto the ground and barked "Woof" at him.

Only then did Du Shan realize Tiewei was looking for him. He approached and asked, "Tiewei, are you here for me?"

"Woof!" Tiewei barked again, nudging the letter on the ground with his paw.

Du Shan finally noticed the letter and quickly picked it up.

The rest of the Du family realized Tiewei was delivering a letter and marveled at how intelligent and almost human the dog was. Someone stepped closer and shone a flashlight to light up the area.

"It's Huaichuan and Mingzhu asking me to come over," Du Shan said after reading the note. He took the flashlight from his son and added, "I'll head over."

"What urgent business at this hour? How about I go with you?" his mother said, a little worried. "Maybe I can help too!"

"No need. The note only asked for me. I'll go and be back soon." Du Shan waved his hand and called out to Tiewei, "Let's go, Tiewei. Let's go back to your owners."

Tiewei barked in response and bounded ahead, leading the way.

Du Shan chuckled and muttered a curse and quickly followed.

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