That year the flowers bloomed 1981

Chapter 1682 You old fool, you've schemed against me again.
"Uncle, your chance to advance further has arrived."

"What did you say? Go further? Ono, what do you mean by this?"

Li Ye's casual remark stirred Zhao Yuanchao's heart.

Which man in China doesn't have ambition? Even those lazybones who lie at home dream of becoming high-ranking officials, let alone a hard-working man like Zhao Yuanchao who has climbed up from the bottom through hard work.

For a deputy director to advance further is not just a simple promotion of one rank; it represents a comprehensive leap in status, power, and so on.

Li Ye whispered, "Uncle, tell me the truth, was Guan Dasheng one of the other two people who hit Lao Song with their car?"

Zhao Yuanchao glanced at Li Ye and nodded silently.

They have case-handling discipline, and in principle they shouldn't reveal case details to outsiders like Li Ye. However, when Liu Ke questioned Li Ye earlier, he repeatedly mentioned Guan Dasheng, so Li Ye guessed the truth himself, which doesn't count as a violation of regulations.

Li Ye then said, "Alright, now go and interrogate Guan Dasheng. Tell him that the Japanese man he killed eight years ago has been dug up by the villagers. If he still doesn't confess honestly..."

Before Li Ye could finish speaking, Zhao Yuanchao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What? Guan Dasheng killed a Japanese person nine years ago? How do you know?"

"Old Song told me!"

Li Ye said smugly, "Didn't Old Song just say that those two guys were going to dig a hole at the west end of the village and bury them?"

A series of images flashed through Zhao Yuanchao's mind, and then he said with a serious expression, "Old Song did say a few words just now, but why are you so sure they killed the Japanese? Ono, you wouldn't... be involved with these people, would you?"

"I do have some entanglements."

Li Ye calmly said, "Before I graduated, the police in Beijing contacted me because a Japanese guy who graduated from Peking University had gone missing. We had some kind of grudge against that Japanese guy."

Before that Japanese man disappeared, he had seen both me and Old Song, so we were both questioned. Grandpa knew about this.

Zhao Yuanchao shook his head and said very seriously, "I've heard about this matter too, but how can you be so sure it's related to Guan Dasheng? Just based on a couple of casual remarks from Lao Song?"

Ono, it's not that your uncle doesn't trust you, it's just that this case is a joint investigation. If we don't handle it well and it arouses suspicion from Lao Liu and the others, it will cause you trouble."

"I'm not afraid of trouble."

Li Ye smiled faintly and then said, "The Japanese man who disappeared nine years ago was named Nakamura Naoto, and his grandfather was Nakamura Kenju. My set of Ming Dynasty official kiln polychrome flower and bird teapots was originally coveted by Nakamura Naoto."
You said Guan Dasheng changed his name, so why did he change it? And why is he relentlessly pursuing Lao Song and Nakamura Kensuke? Are ordinary antique dealers really that ruthless? With so many suspicious points, Uncle, can't you get them to talk?

"."

Zhao Yuanchao was stunned for a moment, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Li Ye's words were extremely uncivilized.

Old Song is an overseas Chinese who returned to China to invest. His feigned madness naturally had some effect, but Guan Dasheng and his accomplices have no connections or background. Can they withstand the "Great Memory Restoration Technique"?

But what does it mean to "pry open their mouths"? Can you just say something like that so casually?
However, Zhao Yuanchao also admitted that Li Ye's words made sense, so he asked carefully, "What did you just say that Japanese guy's name was? Nakamura Naoto?"

Li Ye nodded and said, "Yes, Nakamura Naoto. His secretary also disappeared with him, I think her name was Inoue."

Zhao Yuanchao asked again in surprise, "What? Li Ye, you said two Japanese died nine years ago?"

Li Ye nodded and held up two fingers: "At least two."

"Okay, I'll go check right away, but if anyone asks you, just say you don't know anything!"

"Of course, it's all thanks to my uncle."

"What credit do you have? I was just worried you'd get harassed by Lao Liu and his gang."

Zhao Yuanchao became excited. If he could solve such a major murder case and cold case, then Li Ye's statement of "taking it a step further" would be too modest, right? He would have to take at least two more steps forward.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

While Zhao Yuanchao was handling the case, Li Ye did not immediately return to the capital. Instead, he planned to stay in Qingshui County for two days to "deepen his relationship" with his adoptive father, Li Kaijian.

In fact, Li Kaijian has been the "loneliest" member of the Li family over the years. His grandparents live in Beijing with Li Ye, and his son and daughter are also in Beijing. Only Han Chunmei often comes back to stay for a while to keep her husband company, making Li Kaijian seem like an outsider in the Li family.

However, when Li Ye arrived at Li Kaijian's house, he found that his younger sister Li Ying had also returned. Upon asking, he learned that Li Ying had come back to "reconcile accounts at the end of the year" with Sang Xiaoling.

Li Ye asked curiously, "Doesn't Sang Xiaoling often go to the capital? Why did you have to come all the way to Qingshui County to reconcile accounts?"

Li Ying said with a grin, "My factory with Sang Xiaoling has been expanded, and I haven't been back to take a look since, so I took this opportunity to come back and visit!"

"Wow, our Xiaoying owns a factory now! That's amazing!"

"Hehe, it's all thanks to my older brother's excellent teaching."

"Hey, Xiaoying, you're being too modest. Jade needs to be carved to become a gem, but if you weren't jade to begin with, no matter how much I teach you, it'll all be in vain!"

"No, no, no, you're being modest, brother. As long as you're willing to teach, even mud can be turned into a useful tool."

The brother and sister were bragging to each other, which made Li Kaijian, who was standing next to them, unable to stand it anymore: "You two stop talking nonsense, Li Ye. Your uncle said you went to see Old Song. What exactly happened?"

"We still don't know the specifics of what happened!"

Li Ye said solemnly, "Old Song said it was a simple case of murder for money, but when the investigation team questioned me, it seemed to be related to the disappearance of those two Japanese men nine years ago."

Li Ye didn't hide much from Li Kaijian and simply recounted the events.

Li Kaijian immediately cursed, "How old is that old geezer Song? Why can't he just stay put? I should have never sent him to the capital back then, to save you trouble."

Back when Lao Song went to Beijing to find Li Ye, it was Li Kaijian who gave him the letter of introduction and also took him to the station on his motorcycle. At that time, Li Kaijian warned Lao Song not to cause trouble for Li Ye, but who knew that he would still manage to bring Li Ye all the way from Beijing.

Li Ye could understand Li Kaijian's volatile temper; it was simply a father's concern for his son.

That's how fathers in China are; no matter the reason, they can't let it affect their son's future.

Li Ye could only try to persuade Li Kaijian: "Dad, you can't always judge people through the lens of the past. Old Song is now a patriotic businessman who has returned to his hometown to invest. He's poured real money into his hometown, and he shouldn't be wronged for no reason."

Li Kaijian said disdainfully, "Old Song would be wronged? I've known that guy for forty years, he's full of bad intentions."
Besides, who isn't contributing to the country these days? How come he thinks he's superior just because he went abroad for a few days and came back? Everyone knows who's really who.

Li Ye said helplessly, "You can't judge people based on biased perspectives."

Li Ying, who was standing nearby, quickly explained, "Brother, you've misunderstood. Dad doesn't have a problem with Lao Song; it's... another person who returned from abroad."

A thought struck Li Ye, and he said calmly, "Another person who returned to China? Who else has come back from overseas to invest?"

Qingshui County is just a small county town; only a handful of people from such a tiny place go abroad. Seeing Li Ying's hesitant manner, Li Ye already guessed most of what was going on. Li Ying stuck out her tongue and could only say, "Sang Xiaoling wanted to expand her factory. Our dad had already chosen a location for us, but in the end, that guy surnamed Lu took the land. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't be so bad, but it's infuriating!"

"Isn't this something you shouldn't get angry about?"

Li Ye frowned slightly, then turned to Li Kaijian and asked, "How did she take the land? Was it arranged by people from the county?"

"It's in the city."

Li Kaijian said with a sullen face, "Didn't I convert Qingshui Chemical into a joint-stock company? During the restructuring process, some people who didn't know their own limitations wanted to invest, but I didn't agree. Those people can't achieve anything great; they can only do these kinds of shady things to annoy people."

Li Ye understood what was going on as soon as he heard it.

These days, there are tons of companies undergoing restructuring, and all sorts of powerful figures want to show off their skills. However, since Qingshui Chemical was expanded by Wen Leyu Investment, the small local tycoon naturally doesn't dare to confront it head-on. He can only try to trip it up to save face.

“They really don’t know their own limitations,” Li Ye said coldly. “You can spread the word that if there’s a next time, we’ll move the Qingshuihe Food Company to Beijing as well.”

Qingshui County now has several pillar industries, the most famous of which is Qingshuihe instant noodles. My grandfather, Li Zhongfa, noticed various clues and that's why he set up a production base in Beijing.

There are several production bases for instant noodles in Qingshuihe nowadays, and the one that remains in Qingshui County is only one of them. If some people really don't have the foresight, they can just shut it down.

As for how to arrange the tens of thousands of workers, that's a matter for the all-powerful local deity.

But Li Kaijian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about things in the local area. Your grandfather and I are more sensible than you. You should go back to the capital as soon as possible!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stay for two days at most and then go back to the capital, okay?"

"You should go back to the capital tomorrow."

"I'm going to visit Principal Chang tomorrow! I heard his health isn't very good, and maybe this is the last time I'll get to see him."

. . . . . . . .

According to Li Ye's estimation, if Guan Dasheng is indeed a murderer, the next two days would be the easiest time to break through his conviction.

People have a threshold for tolerance and resistance. If the other person is a tough guy with a clenched jaw, you'll get used to it after a couple of days.

However, as it turns out, there are very few tough guys in this world. In just one night, Zhao Yuanchao managed to get Guan Dasheng to talk.

"Guan Dasheng is indeed a murderer, or rather, an accomplice. It was mainly his cousin Guan Dacheng who did the dirty work. Don't let that kid's dull and seemingly stupid appearance fool you; he's a ruthless character. He single-handedly took down three people with just a shovel."

"Three people?"

"Yes, Guan Dasheng personally implicated his cousin, even revealing where the body was buried. Besides Nakamura Naoto and Inoue Koji, whom you mentioned, there's also Ai Qiming, who is also an overseas Chinese."

"The Guan brothers' father was active in Dongshan Provincial Capital during the war. He said he buried a batch of things in the mountains south of the provincial capital, but he didn't specify the exact location. So the Guan brothers came to Dongshan Provincial Capital from the capital and have been searching for those things for years."
This time, Old Song brought Nakamura Kensuke to the Guan brothers, which led to the discovery of Nakamura Naoto's affair, and the Guan brothers wanted to kill him to silence him.
This case is a major case registered in the ministry; this time, your uncle is really going to make a name for himself.”

Seeing his uncle's excited face, Li Ye frowned: "Uncle, with such a big case, won't people from the capital come to investigate too? What about Old Song?"

“Don’t worry,” Zhao Yuanchao said in a low voice, “The more complicated the case, the more we need to end it quickly. Old Song will be released today, but you’d better tell him that nobody wants any more trouble, so he’d better keep his mouth shut.”

"Okay, I'll give him some instructions."

Li Ye agreed to Zhao Yuanchao's request and went to the development zone in Qingshui County to find Lao Song.

When Li Ye left the county town and entered the development zone, he found that he had only been away for a little over a year, and the place had changed completely.

Not only are many of the factories newly built, but even in the dead of winter, there are still many construction sites underway, giving it a bit of the feel of a mini-Shenzhen in Jiangbei.

The industrial park’s core industries are almost all related to Li Ye.

Hao Jian's garment factory, Jin Peng's textile factory and metal smelting plant, Lao Li's water treatment chemical and food factory, and many other enterprises are supporting these large factories.

No wonder Li Kaijian was so arrogant as to say that those people didn't know their own limitations!

It can be said that Li Ye alone has driven the entire industrial park and the economy of the entire county. When Li Kaijian coughs lightly, countless people sneeze in response.

When Li Ye found Lao Song's factory, he discovered that the old guy had built a small building in the factory, complete with hot springs and all sorts of amenities. In some people's words, "That damn landlord is back."

However, at this moment, Old Song did not look like a wealthy landlord, but rather like a pitiful disabled old man.

He sat in a wheelchair, being pushed out by Kazuko to greet Li Ye, who grinned, revealing that he was missing several teeth.

Li Ye sighed and said, "You're not short of money, why don't you get your tooth fixed?"

Old Song chuckled and said, "We just removed the last few, so we haven't had time to replace them yet!"

Li Ye was speechless and couldn't help but say, "Don't you know how old you are? The two Guan brothers are young and strong, don't you know to keep your distance? Haven't you always been bragging about how fast you can run away?"

Hehehehe~

Old Song chuckled, then waved his hand, signaling Hezi to go out and close the door.

Then Old Song narrowed his eyes like a fox that had stolen a chicken: "It wasn't those two boys from the Guan family who beat me up, it was that old bastard Nakamura who made me kowtow."

Li Ye was startled, realizing that his guess had come true. Colonel Nakamura's death was probably directly related to Lao Song.

Old Song squinted, saying smugly, "At the time, I used the seatbelt to tighten around his neck, and the old bastard couldn't twist his body, so he could only punch me in the face."

The old man was still very strong, but unfortunately, he couldn't turn around in the car because I was pushing him against it, so he had nowhere to use his strength. Watching him struggle and thrash about, until his tongue was even sticking out from under my gag, I felt that even dying would be worth it.”

Old Song rambled on and on, tears and snot streaming down his face, but his face and eyes were full of smug smiles.

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. If someone hears you, no one can save you."

Li Ye cursed at Lao Song, then couldn't help but ask, "Why did you tell me this?"

Old Song wiped his snot and grinned, saying, "Because the top scholar is so righteous, you came all the way from afar to save me, how could I not tell you the truth?"

"Shut the hell up! You damn fool, you're plotting against me again!"

Old Song told Li Ye about his secrets, which seemed like giving Li Ye leverage, but in reality, he was showing his loyalty and trying to tie himself to Li Ye.

If it were anyone else, Li Ye would have slapped them long ago, but since Lao Song killed Colonel Nakamura, Li Ye felt it didn't matter that he had been tricked by him.

(End of this chapter)