Chapter 42: The Calligraphy and Paintings Are Stolen

“Young fellow, how did you know that person’s name was Dai Xiaohua then?”

Although the old policeman believed Feng Kuang’s statement, he wasn’t willing to let Ye Tian off the hook. A professional instinct made him feel this child seemed a bit odd.

“Grandpa Policeman, at the Cinema that day, I heard someone call that bearded man Dai Xiaohua. The name was so strange that I remembered it.”

Ye Tian put on an innocent look. Since he was three or four years old, he had used this trick to win sympathy from villagers. If any family made good food that day, they would probably end up carrying little Ye Tian over.

“Is that so? Alright, comrade Feng Kuang, please sign the statement, confirming that everything you said is true…”

After thinking for a moment, the old policeman didn’t press further. No matter what, Ye Tian was just a child of about ten. He believed he might have been mistaken earlier.

After Feng Kuang signed, the old policeman said to Ye Dongping, “Comrade Ye, we already have leads on this case. At the latest, within the next couple of days, there will be a result. Then we’ll need Xiao Feng to come to the Police Station to identify the person…”

Hearing that the case had clues, Ye Dongping couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful. He asked, “Comrade Policeman, can you tell us who that Dai Xiaohua is? Over a few arguments, was it necessary to beat someone up so badly?”

“This… it’s not really clear at the moment…”

The old policeman hesitated briefly before continuing, “We still need to gather more information. Please wait for updates.”

Ye Dongping had no choice but to accept the old policeman’s words. He had no relatives in this small County Town and could only reluctantly escort the old policeman out of the Hospital.

When Ye Dongping returned to the emergency area, the nurses had already arranged a hospital bed for Feng Kuang and helped him to the ward.

“Ye Tian, what really happened?”

Once the nurse left, Ye Dongping glanced around, closed the ward door, and grabbed his son. He had sensed something was off earlier but hadn’t asked because the old policeman was present.

“Dad, I could only deduce that the person was named Dai Xiaohua, age twenty-three. I don’t know anything else.”

Ye Tian was telling the truth. After midnight passed, he performed a divination for Feng Kuang and found that the Divinatory Symbol actually vaguely matched one from a few days earlier. It turned out Feng Kuang’s earlier Blood Disaster had manifested today.

Perhaps because Ye Tian had altered the outcome last time, Feng Kuang’s injuries this time were much more severe than those initially deduced. Ye Tian was helpless against such inexplicable changes in the Divinatory Symbol.

Feng Kuang had now gathered his wits and said through gritted teeth, “Ye Tian, it was those people from the Cinema that day. I won’t let them off…”

The surname Feng was prominent in Feng Family Village. With over twenty close cousins alone, no one in the village dared provoke them. Who would have thought that not long after arriving in the County Town, Feng Kuang’s head got bashed? He couldn’t swallow this anger.

Feng Kuang thought of returning to the countryside tomorrow, gathering a few tractor-loads of people, and storming the perpetrators’ place. He didn’t believe city folks with delicate skin could fight better than country folks.

Ye Dongping glanced at Feng Kuang and said, “Alright, Feng Zi, don’t think about stirring up trouble. This isn’t the countryside. Let’s wait for the police to reach a conclusion first…”

As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot overpower the local snake. If country folks make trouble in the city, no matter the outcome, they’ll suffer eventually. Ye Dongping didn’t want Feng Kuang to start down the wrong path at a young age, something he might regret for a lifetime.

“Uncle Ye, if this gets out, I won’t have the face to go back.”

Feng Kuang stiffened his neck, this time even ignoring Ye Dongping’s advice. While feeling aggrieved was one thing, more importantly, he had been humiliated in front of Wang Ying today. If he didn’t redeem himself, he feared Wang Ying would laugh at him.

Ye Dongping, having been through similar situations, guessed part of Feng Kuang’s thoughts from his evasive gaze. He smiled and said, “Kid, don’t show off. Otherwise, that girl who came today definitely won’t pay you any more attention.”

Young people often think girls like men who can fight, are daring, and responsible. Actually, that’s not the case; most girls prefer steady boys. However, very few men Feng Kuang’s age could comprehend this.

After hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Feng Kuang asked hesitantly, “Uncle Ye, are you serious? Then… did I get beaten up for nothing?”

“How could it be for nothing? What are the police for? Okay, you rest well. Tian and I will stay with you here today…”

Ye Dongping waved his hand, cutting Feng Kuang off. He and Ye Tian didn’t have bicycles and couldn’t return so late. Besides, Feng Kuang’s condition genuinely required care, so they might as well squeeze onto the adjacent bed for the night.

Early the next morning, Ye Dongping went out to buy steamed buns and fried dough sticks for his son and Feng Kuang, then went to handle the discharge procedures. This was Feng Kuang’s own request; staying in the Hospital full of disinfectant smell made him feel utterly uncomfortable.

Feng Kuang’s bicycle had been stolen during the beating yesterday. Ye Dongping had to spend one yuan to hire a Handcart to pull Feng Kuang back to the Recycling Station.

“What… what happened here?”

Before even entering the Recycling Station’s gate, Ye Dongping sensed something was wrong. The iron-barred yard gate he had locked from the outside yesterday was now open, and the sorted scrap inside the yard was scattered messily everywhere.

Ye Tian ran into the yard, looked around, and quickly turned back to shout, “Dad, the house door has been opened too.”

“We were robbed?”

Ye Dongping couldn’t mind Feng Kuang now. He rushed into the house and saw that the room, tidied just yesterday, was back in disarray. Everything had been rummaged through; there wasn’t even space to step.

“Thank goodness I took all the money with me yesterday.”

Ye Dongping always did things carefully. Before leaving yesterday, he had taken all the money. Otherwise, those two hundred-plus yuan might have been stolen by thieves too.

“Dad, it wasn’t just a robbery. Our place… it was trashed.”

Ye Tian’s words stunned both Feng Kuang and Ye Dongping. Looking again at the situation inside the house and yard, they understood immediately.

The pots, pans, bowls, and ladles collected in the yard were almost all smashed. Inside the house, the only table and the two beds also showed signs of being smashed. A thief probably wouldn’t do such unskilled work.

“Oh no, that Wen Zhengming painting, and the Calligraphy and Painting our Master entrusted us to keep…”

Ye Dongping suddenly remembered those valuable Calligraphy and Paintings. His face changed dramatically. He rushed into the inner room in a few steps and groaned in dismay at the sight of several empty boxes.