68: Does anyone here know Xiao Niannian? We suspect she has something going on.

Xiao Dong explained everything clearly.

“We weren't home at the time. It was only after a few days, when we saw my mother raising this wretched girl, that we learned about this matter...”

These people recorded everything, then took Xiao Dong to Xiao Family Village to ask Village Head Xiao and the others for information.

Village Head Xiao heard people from the Municipal Revolutionary Committee asking about Xiao Niannian.

He and his sons naturally spoke highly of Xiao Niannian.

“Didn't you ever doubt Xiao Niannian's origins back then?”

Hearing what these people said, Village Head Xiao immediately grew suspicious.

They were asking about Niannian's origins and even said they suspected Xiao Niannian's background? What was going on?

“comrade, in recent years, many families haven't had enough to eat, and there are many families who abandon children. How could we possibly be suspicious...”

Hearing Village Head Xiao say this, the comrades from the Revolutionary Committee looked grim.

“In recent years, which families has Xiao Niannian associated with?”

Hearing this, Village Head Xiao felt even more strongly that these people were trouble.

“Niannian usually plays with the children in the village and also helps the elderly with some tasks...”

“We heard she learned her Gongfu from the old soldiers in the village?”

Hearing these people's words, Village Head Xiao nodded.

“I taught her too, and my son Xiao Shu taught her, as well as Old Man Zhao who passed away...”

In previous years, he had indeed taught his son and Grandson these things, and Xiao Niannian had been practicing alongside them. Although he didn't know why these people were asking, Village Head Xiao decided to admit it.

Xiao Xiaoshu heard this and immediately nodded as well.

“comrade, I taught my Niece, she is very clever.”

Hearing these words, everyone exchanged glances. They had investigated so much, yet found absolutely no issues.

“If you dare to conceal anything, we will immediately arrest you for reform. Not a single member of your family will be spared...”

Hearing this, Village Head Xiao's family members were somewhat frightened, but they understood that they couldn't make up things that weren't true. Moreover, Sixth Grandma Xiao and Xiao Niannian had always been very good to their family.

Xiao Niannian used to take the children fishing and collect Wild Chicken and duck eggs. She would also dig for bamboo shoots, and when mushrooms appeared, she would quietly pick some for their family.

Xiao Dong's expression turned ugly listening to these words. He still remembered the day Xiao Niannian hit him. He had previously thought about waiting until Xiao Niannian couldn't stay in Yangcheng anymore and then dealing with her when she returned. Now that someone else was looking for trouble with Xiao Niannian, it was even better that he didn't have to act.

“comrade, Xiao Niannian used to like going to the Back Mountain and associating with the people in the Cattle Pen. Maybe she is the one with the issues...”

Village Head Xiao and his family didn't expect Xiao Dong to be so vicious.

“Xiao Dong, are you crazy? What nonsense are you talking about?” Village Head Xiao scolded.

Relying on the backing of the Revolutionary Committee members, Xiao Dong didn't pay any attention to Village Head Xiao at the moment.

“Tenth Uncle, did I say something wrong? I've seen her talking to the people in the Cattle Pen several times before.”

“And that Back Mountain, she was always going up there to pick mushrooms and gather wild fruits. The Back Mountain is so vast, maybe she was secretly contacting someone there...”

“Xiao Dong, you're a bastard.”

Grandma Xiao had previously said she would reveal that Xiao Dong was adopted. Although many people in the village knew about it, so many years had passed, and many of the older people had died. Now, very few people actually knew.

“Is that so? The Cattle Pen? The Back Mountain?”

“Let's go, take them to the Cattle Pen for questioning.”

There are still more than twenty people in the Cattle Pen in Xiao Family Village, many of them elderly people in their fifties and sixties, some even in their seventies. Usually, Village Head Xiao and the others arrange work for them, such as raising cattle and pigs for the village.

“This is bad, people from the Revolutionary Committee are here, be careful...”

When the people from the Revolutionary Committee arrived, Village Head Xiao sent his Grandson to notify the people in the Cattle Pen.

Everyone hid some items in the Back Mountain, in ditches, and other places; some even hid things in the grass near the graves.

After the people from the Revolutionary Committee arrived, they immediately called these people out.

“Search.”

After these people rushed inside, they searched wildly, turning everything upside down.

After searching around, they found that the food consisted of some staple grain and potatoes, along with some coarse grains, and the portions were extremely small. The clothes of these people were full of large holes.

The vegetables were also pitifully scarce.

This rice and other food probably wouldn't even last them through the winter.

Finding no issues, the leader asked.

“That Xiao Niannian, who among you knows her?”

When they heard the question about Xiao Niannian, everyone immediately shook their heads.

“The Xiao Niannian who often comes here and brings you things...”

“If you confess, we can let you off. If you dare to lie to us, you won't even be able to stay in the Cattle Pen.”

But no matter how these people questioned them, they never admitted to knowing Xiao Niannian.

“Take them to the Drying Ground and hold a mass meeting.”

The villagers of Xiao Family Village heard the broadcast and immediately rushed to the Drying Ground. Watching the people from the Cattle Pen being escorted over, everyone was filled with confusion.

Aside from when superiors usually came down, their village generally didn't bring these people out to harass them. Why were they being brought out and harassed at a time like this?

“Who among you knows Xiao Niannian? We suspect she has issues. If you have any leads, there will be a reward for reporting her...”

Hearing about the reward, some people were immediately tempted.

“comrade, what is the reward?”

“If a lead is investigated and confirmed to be true, the reward will be ten yuan.”

Hearing about the ten yuan reward, the people below immediately started discussing.

“Heavens, ten yuan! That's too much.”

“What major crime did Xiao Niannian commit?”

“But I heard Xiao Niannian was taken to the Military Unit by Sixth Aunt.”

“Could it be that she committed a crime in the Military Unit?”

The investigators smiled as they listened to the chatter below. Ten yuan was a huge amount of money for these villagers.

Ten yuan could buy over twenty catties of meat, or a hundred catties of rice.

“comrade, I saw Xiao Niannian enter the Back Mountain to pick mushrooms before. She was taking advantage of the state.”

“That's right, that's right, I saw it too. She even caught Wild Chicken and rabbits in the mountains.”

“She also took the village children to collect wild eggs and catch fish. This is all seizing state property.”

Once someone took the lead, several others immediately chimed in.

This was ten yuan; how could they resist?

“Are you trying to kill Niannian?”

“Don't forget, Niannian's father saved all of your families.”

“You truly have rotten consciences.”

The investigators hadn't expected that after all their searching, the only thing they could confirm was that Xiao Niannian went into the Back Mountain.