Chapter Investigating the Mastermind

The three of them enjoyed the New Year's Eve, the atmosphere of family reunion, and the rare delicacies, all feeling very happy.

Perhaps their measures were effective, or everyone was busy celebrating the Spring Festival on New Year's Eve, as no one disturbed them during this period.

The next day, the first day of the Spring Festival, the morning sun shone on the windowsill, and in the light, many tiny particles were slowly moving, full of visual beauty.

"Harmonizing with the light and dust?"

Zhao Dongchuan opened his eyes, looked at the scene before him, and suddenly uttered this phrase.

Today was the first day of the Spring Festival, and he had slept in. He had been on night watch yesterday, and when he woke up, he saw such a scene.

His father, Zhao Zhengguo, had already gone to work, and Guo Ping was also absent, he did not know if she had gone to buy groceries or what.

Zhao Dongchuan lay lazily for a while before getting up and getting dressed.

He ate a few bowls of rice porridge with the leftover New Year's Eve dinner.

Yesterday's dishes were very plentiful, and with the cold weather, there was no fear of them spoiling.

Zhao Dongchuan picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth. Because the fish was wrapped in a layer of fish oil resembling jelly, it was exceptionally smooth and refreshing to eat.

After slurping down his porridge, Zhao Dongchuan wiped his mouth and prepared to go out.

He hadn't had time to properly explore the capital since arriving. Zhao Dongchuan tore off a piece of paper, wrote a note, and left.

At this time, the cold wind in the capital was sharp, cutting at people's faces like knives. Having stayed in Huangyuan for a year, Zhao Dongchuan quickly adapted to the unique dry cold of the north.

People on the road wore thick cotton padded jackets or military overcoats, and young women also wore several layers of clothing, with colorful scarves wrapped around their faces.

There were many bicycles in the capital, but even more pedestrians coming and going.

Since the economy had not yet developed, there were not many tall buildings at this time, mostly single-story houses. Only some government agencies were tall buildings. Every household had Spring Festival couplets pasted, but there was not a very festive atmosphere on the streets. It was likely that due to certain reasons, this year's Spring Festival was not as lively as in previous years.

Zhao Dongchuan strolled along the road, constantly comparing the capital of 1976 with the future. He couldn't recognize it at all; there were no landmarks to reference.

Only the names of the roads were similar, as were the ancient ruins. He did want to climb the Great Wall.

In his original world, he had a business trip to Beijing. It happened to be a weekend, so he made an appointment to meet an online friend from the capital and stayed for two extra days. However, due to limited time, they only visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Memorial Hall, with no time to climb the Great Wall.

Walking through the low-lying alleys, looking at the pedestrians on the road, and feeling the weight of history, Zhao Dongchuan silently marveled at the system's power in his heart, that it could bring him into this real world and make him a "time traveler."

Recalling those thoughts, Zhao Dongchuan found a corner, put on his system glasses, and changed his identity. His main purpose for coming out today was to do one thing.

He wanted to find out how the original owner was arranged to go to Huangyuan for rustication.

Rustication policies had been greatly relaxed in the late 1970s. Only children could be exempt, but he was specifically arranged.

This was very strange, and coupled with his parents' evasiveness, he clearly felt that someone was behind it.

...

Zhao Dongchuan slowly walked towards the sub-district office, following his memory.

The sub-district office must have known about his situation, but whether they had played a malicious role in it was unknown, and he needed to investigate.

Today was the first day of the Spring Festival. Although it was not a holiday, everyone in the office was relatively lazy, just casually flipping through newspapers.

Zhao Dongchuan activated his Breath Concealment Technique and Lightness Skill, directly scaling the wall and entering the corridor of the sub-district office. Before he could even check, he heard two people talking and laughing coming around the corner.

At this moment, there was no escape in the empty corridor, so Zhao Dongchuan had no choice but to use his Breath Concealment Technique, conceal his aura, and squat in the corner.

He felt a little nervous at this moment. Usually, such actions were done at night, and with his Breath Concealment Technique, no one could detect him. But in broad daylight, facing this situation, he did not know if it would work.

Fortunately, the system's Breath Concealment Technique was indeed very powerful. He remained motionless, squatting in the corner, and was not discovered.

【Skill: Breath Concealment Technique (As long as you don't make a sound, you won't be discovered)】

Zhao Dongchuan's mind settled, and after turning a corner, he saw the Director's office.

He walked straight over, quickly opened the door, and slipped inside.

Time was short, and Zhao Dongchuan didn't have time to track and lock on, so he had to do it roughly.

As soon as he entered, he saw an old man with a slicked-back hairstyle, a big belly, and graying hair, looking down at a newspaper, not caring who had entered.

Zhao Dongchuan quietly locked the door!

"Didn't I say to knock before entering? Why are you still so ill-mannered!" Director Li of the sub-district office chuckled, looking at the newspaper and speaking in a lecturing tone.

After a while, hearing no response, he looked up in surprise.

Before he could clearly see who the visitor was, he felt a bell-like object pressed against his head, and his body instantly stiffened, unable to move.

This was, of course, the "Hypnotism" prop produced by the system.

Zhao Dongchuan had only used this item once, on Huang Laosan. It was very effective, but it was indeed a bit unfair.

Moreover, this kind of hypnotic control went against his principles. He still preferred to act according to normal rules and was not too keen on using such supernatural powers to cause trouble. Using it too much could lead to dependence, which might result in a backlash.

But this time, time was limited, and he needed to act quickly, so he could only proceed in this manner.

Zhao Dongchuan infused his Inner Energy, activating the Hypnotism. After a while, as the low hum weakened, Director Li's eyes became vacant, staring blankly at him.

Releasing his senses and realizing that no one was eavesdropping, Zhao Dongchuan began to interrogate him.

"Name?"

"Li Deshun!"

"Hometown?"

"Local to the capital."

"How many wives do you have?"

"One wife, two mistresses!"

"How much money do you have?"

"I have 3,000 yuan and two houses..."

"..."

Zhao Dongchuan did not directly ask about his own affairs but kept throwing out questions to test. After his questioning, he confirmed that the Hypnotism was successful.

After all, this Director had even spilled all the bad things he had done.

"Have you ever processed rustication procedures for a person named Zhao Dongchuan?"

"Yes, that was the son of a resident from No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard! I helped him with the rustication!" Director Li paused for a moment before speaking.

"Wasn't his family an only child? Why did he still need to be arranged for rustication in Huangyuan?"

"He offended someone. Someone came to me and asked me to arrange it for him, so I used my position to swap his quota!" Director Li said blankly, his eyes empty.

"Then do you know who was causing trouble?" Zhao Dongchuan asked, his eyes sharp.

"It was a young master from a large compound, named Li Zhou. I'm not very clear on the specifics, but I just heard him say that this Zhao Dongchuan seemed to have touched a woman he shouldn't have and had thoughts he shouldn't have." Director Li said blankly, his eyes vacant.