Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 540 Small Matters in the Countryside
Back in the village, several curious villagers from Lijia Village were indeed waiting outside the ancestral hall under the old tree stump.

Hearing that the aunt had no objections, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then dispersed as they had their own things to do. Only one shrine maiden remained, carrying a notebook and pen, to discuss with Li Siyu the details of the money to be spent in the next two days.

Recognizing one's ancestral roots is a simple matter, but getting all the villagers to accept her requires spending a lot of money.

Lin Ge didn't know how much money Li Siyu had saved, but just looking at the bills—from firecrackers and fireworks to banquets, gifts for various families, and red envelopes for elders—20,000 yuan had vanished in the blink of an eye. The aunt even felt the event wasn't grand enough, believing it should be more lavish to enhance Li Changgen's family's prestige. Ideally, the firecrackers should resound throughout the sky, and the feast should be unlimited, inviting people from the surrounding villages and towns to eat, so that everyone in the village would know that Li Changgen's lineage had returned. Only after the grave was moved would they know who was buried beneath the tombstone, and even if Li Siyu didn't return, someone would still help burn paper money and add incense during the New Year and Qingming Festival, and say a few auspicious words of blessing for future generations…

It seemed that they were a bit strapped for cash, and Li Siyu was initially hesitant. But when she heard the last sentence, she immediately said that it was no problem at all, and that she would do her best to get this done no matter the cost.

Then, she made an excuse to leave and secretly went to make a phone call.

Lin Ge quietly leaned over and overheard that Li Siyu was asking Jiang Yiyi for money. It was her own business, and she didn't intend to trouble Li Yiduo. Her good friend Sun Chang, like herself, was a newcomer with little savings, so she could only ask Jiang Yiyi for help.

After hearing Li Siyu's words, Jiang Yiyi nodded in agreement without hesitation, saying that she would transfer 20,000 yuan first, and would call her anytime if she needed more.

Li Siyu quickly thanked him, her eyes reddening.

The money spent quickly and effectively brought life to the entire Li Family Village. People were busy buying supplies, setting up tents, sending invitations to neighbors, and even circling the ancestral hall, the village, and the ancestral graves with large red firecrackers. Everywhere was bustling with activity. The ancestral hall caretaker, carrying a black bag, would give cigarettes to anyone helping out, and even a couple to passersby, gradually spreading the news of Li Siyu's return home.

Is this money well spent?
In Lingo's opinion, it was definitely worth it.

Although everything under her nose cost a fortune, as long as things got done, the money was a small matter. Li Siyu only had three days of vacation, and today was already the second day. In other words, the entire process, which would take several days, couldn't be completed by her alone and would have to be handed over to the villagers. It was only natural for her to contribute money while her neighbors provided the labor. As long as her parents could be moved from that sorrowful place and their descendants could be cared for, nothing else mattered.

In the afternoon, a group of Li family members led Li Siyu to the ancestral graves to kowtow to their ancestors, while firecrackers went off non-stop, seemingly without any expense involved.

Lin Ge was completely driven to the brink of madness, his ears filled with a constant crackling and buzzing sound. Even when he hid in his room and huddled under the covers, the explosive noise was unbearable, driving him to the brink of utter annoyance.

The village was filled with a lively atmosphere, which terrified all the dogs and cats, who all slipped out of the village long ago and disappeared without a trace. Only Lin Ge was still worried about Li Siyu; how could he just abandon her and leave?

When she comes back, I'll definitely comfort her as soon as possible.

So Lin Ge could only suppress his irritation and press his ears down in the room, trying to distract himself. Suddenly, he noticed that the strips of paper stuffed into the cord of the pendant hanging around his neck seemed unusual. At first, he thought it was his imagination, but after closer inspection, Lin Ge deduced that the paper in the tube appeared to be cut from a black and white piece of paper with a national emblem, cut into strips and then stuffed inside. Because the strips were so thin, Lin Ge hadn't noticed what was inside at first. It was only when he was genuinely bored that he noticed this very suspicious detail.

Growing increasingly curious, and also pondering why the Taoist nun had given him this thing, Lin Ge disregarded the noise outside and began to examine the pendant rope.

He quickly found the knot in the plastic rope and tugged at it, discovering it was very tight. But this was no challenge for a nimble and strong cat like Lingo. He extended his curved claws, pierced the knot, and slowly pulled, soon untying the most troublesome knot. Then, he pulled out each strand in turn, quickly separating the plastic pendant, worth at most five cents, from the rope containing the secret. Straightening the knotted plastic rope, Lingo then slowly poured out all the thin strips of paper inside.

Each strip of paper was only about two millimeters wide, and the cuts were somewhat rough, with some even accidentally torn. But even so, seventy or eighty thin strips of paper still filled the bed completely.

Lin Ge touched the paper; it was slightly soft. Considering it was probably from decades ago, it was quite remarkable that the ink hadn't smudged. Then, with the strips of paper laid out before him, Lin Ge only needed to pick up four or five and compare them to determine what the paper originally was.

This is a household registration book from an old era!

Unlike the colored household registration booklets of today, the old-fashioned household registration booklets were simply notebooks with a cardboard cover containing various information pages. They had holes punched in the sides so that they could be disassembled to add or remove pages.

The scraps of paper that appeared before Lin Ge were the first and second pages of the household registration booklet. This was based on the fact that the first page bore a red stamp, and the words "Public Security Bureau" could be vaguely pieced together. Other scraps contained what appeared to be personal information, which could also be attributed to the second page or the back of the first page.

Seeing this, Lin Ge was puzzled. What did the old woman mean by handing this thing to him?
Ask him for help in finding your relatives?

Or is it just a coincidence?
What if that old lady just didn't have any other paper to use and simply cut up this probably invalid household registration book and strung it into many pendants? Wouldn't it be pointless for him to continue trying to piece together the puzzle?
Lin Ge was somewhat undecided.

Seeing that things were still as lively as before, and that Li Siyu probably wouldn't be back anytime soon, Lin Ge simply stuffed all the notes into the blanket, made the blanket neatly, and then turned and ran back towards the mountain.

This time it was much faster than before. Lin Ge only spent less than half an hour and arrived at the temple gate again before it got dark.

Surprisingly, there was no one in the temple.

Even the five colorful roosters had disappeared, which really puzzled Lin Ge.

He waited there for more than half an hour, but it got completely dark and he still didn't see the Taoist nun return, so he had no choice but to walk back in frustration. Unexpectedly, in the shed set up at the entrance of the village, Lin Ge suddenly saw the old woman sitting inside eating, surrounded by several older women.

Beside the shed, five large roosters were scattered on the ground pecking at food. Several dogs in the village, who were enduring the smell and the sound of firecrackers, seemed quite afraid of the roosters, cautiously peering into the shed from a distance.

"I thought... she didn't interact with the villagers and never came down the mountain."

Lin Ge was speechless, realizing he had made a wasted trip. The main reason was that the village was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and he hadn't noticed the Taoist nun's scent at the time.

The old woman soon noticed Lin Ge, but she glanced at him and then lowered her eyes, showing no intention of communicating with him.

A young woman next to her brought her a bowl of steaming noodles. The old woman took a bite with her chopsticks, nodded to the young woman, and said a few words. This immediately made the old woman and the person following behind, who was probably the old woman, smile with joy.

Lin Ge looked at it from afar and gave up his plan to get closer and join in the fun.

The main problem was that the five chickens protecting the old woman had spotted him, and they were all eyeing him menacingly as if they were about to attack at any moment.

Got it!
The chickens raised by the Taoist nun are also spiritual; their ability to guard the house is even better than that of dogs.

Lin Ge didn't intend to experience the feeling of being pecked by chickens, so he went around to another place to enter the village and returned to his room.

Upon entering the house, I found that Li Siyu had already returned.

Although her hair was a bit messy, she looked very tired, and her eyes were red, at least she was in pretty good spirits.

When Lin Ge entered, she was piecing together the notes on the bed. Lin Ge didn't know when she'd found them or what had gotten into her. Anyway, by the time Lin Ge jumped onto the bed, the note was almost completely pieced together; it was indeed an old-fashioned household registration booklet. "So the old lady's name is Fang Xiuchan! Hmm… from Jing City?"

Lin Ge was taken aback by the bright red seal of the Jingshi Public Security Bureau. He hadn't expected that this old woman, Granny Fang, had left Jingshi and come to this mountain back then.

Besides, to be honest, Jingzhou isn't that far from Enshi, is it? If Grandma Fang really wants to find her relatives, it's a very simple matter for her! She can go to the Public Security Bureau's Household Registration Office in Jingzhou and usually find clues there.

"It's not that easy!"

Guessing Lin Ge's thoughts, Li Siyu shook her head and said, "I heard Yan Ziming say that Zhangshi, Shashi, and Zhongshi were all under the jurisdiction of Jingshi before. Later, they were split up and assigned to counties and cities, which led to many errors in the old household registration records. If it's someone from the last ten or twenty years, it's not so bad, since there was a national census and an ID card system back then. But before that... it's very difficult to find someone based on just a name and the area of ​​Jingshi. In fact, it was common for a person to have several names back then. Some people even had two or three household registration books, one under their parents, one under their grandparents, and then another one for themselves..."

"So, it's not easy to help Grandma Fang find her relatives with just a name and a city-level address? And to be honest, given her age, there probably aren't many people who would recognize her now, right?"

Lin Ge was a little worried; should he help or not?
“Since the Taoist nun gave this to you, she must still want our help. However, she also knows that the chances are slim, so she didn’t tell me directly, but instead gave it to you to see if there is any fate or opportunity.”

While guessing what Granny Fang was thinking, Li Siyu took out her phone, took a picture of the pieced-together paper, and sent it to Yan Ziming.

As a professional in charge of household registration files at Zhanghe Police Station, only she knew how to handle this kind of situation. If even Yan Ziming couldn't find Grandma Fang's relatives, then no one else could help.

Yan Ziming quickly replied, indicating that the matter was somewhat difficult. Unless Li Siyu could provide more information, there were likely far too many people named Fang Xiuchan in the old Jing City back then.

In those days, people, especially women, often used only a few characters when naming their children, such as Xiu, Zhi, Yan, Hui, Fen, and Shu. Fang is a common surname in China, and there are countless people with the same given name. Finding someone based solely on their name is almost impossible.

"What if we knew his age? Or could I help him ask for a rough address?"

Li Siyu asked again.

"Then we can give it a try."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Li Siyu went out to find the Taoist nun. At first, she was a little embarrassed to approach, but Granny Fang quickly noticed her and waved for Li Siyu to come closer.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Li Siyu cautiously began to ask where her great-aunt was from.

"I don't remember! I've completely forgotten everything from before. Hehe... You can ask Old Man Li, all the old folks in the village know that when I first came here, I was an idiot, and they called me 'Silly Girl.' Then the Li family in the village were kind enough to try and find me a husband to take care of me, but somehow it didn't work out. So I settled down on the mountain, and gradually I started to understand things better, but unfortunately, I still can't remember anything from the past!"

Grandma Fang spoke with a smile, appearing very carefree, and even joked about how she was a fool back then.

However, Li Siyu could tell that the Taoist nun still had some reservations about her past. It's said that fallen leaves return to their roots; did she also miss home? Why would she rather live in the mountains than integrate into Li Family Village? Was it because this wasn't her home?

At her age, she's probably thinking about where to be buried after she dies and whether anyone will burn paper money for her in the future.

Lin Ge looked up and exchanged a glance with Li Siyu, then nodded to each other silently.

Yan Ziming was on duty tonight, and Li Siyu took advantage of her nap time to discuss the search with her. It was still a troublesome matter, but Yan Ziming agreed to help find a solution, since it was originally the responsibility of the household registration police.

Today is the third day, and also the last half-day that Li Siyu can stay in Lijia Village.

The villagers and those they hired worked through the night, and the feast was completely set up. By this time, people from several nearby villages had also heard the news and came early in the morning to eat at the feast, offering a few kind words to welcome Li Siyu back to her ancestral home. They didn't need to bring anything; just lighting 20,000, 50,000, or even 100,000 firecrackers at the village entrance, the crackling sound signifying another family's acceptance of Li Siyu's family.

Li Siyu was incredibly busy at the village entrance, greeting guests and even her smile seemed a little stiff. But Lin Ge could tell she was genuinely happy, because in just a few short days she had gained so many kind relatives.

Moreover, compared to her unreliable uncles and relatives, the people here were much kinder and friendlier to her, and they didn't have as many ulterior motives. Although there were more rules here, and she had spent a lot of money these past few days, Li Siyu was still very happy that she would no longer be like a rootless duckweed. She even started to daydream, thinking that at least when she got married in the future, her maternal family would have so many people to see her off, instead of her being all alone.

Lin Ge was also happy for Li Siyu. In the end, the trip went smoothly without any unexpected problems or upsetting events.

Although the bad woman's promises of travel and scenery were all lies, and they hadn't actually gone anywhere to play during the past three days except for the hardship, Lin Ge still decided to forgive her considering Li Siyu's situation.

Around 1 p.m., even though she was reluctant to leave, Li Siyu had to return to Zhangzhou City.

The villagers knew the girl was a policewoman working for the country, so they didn't try to keep her. They just filled the three-wheeled vehicle with all sorts of gifts and local specialties, so much so that even Lin Ge didn't have a place to sit and had to squat on a large cotton quilt.

To be honest, this thing isn't worth much! It takes several transfers to get back to Zhangzhou from here, and carrying several large cotton quilts is indeed a hassle.

But since it was the villagers' good intentions, and the aunt who delivered the cotton quilt smiled and said it was for 'making the bed for the wedding,' Li Siyu could only accept it with a blush.

There was also a bag of dried peanuts, a bag of glutinous rice cakes made during the Lunar New Year, and two pairs of handmade cloth shoes—all gifts from the community. Even the Taoist nun sent Li Siyu a jujube wood plaque that had been enshrined in front of a Buddha statue for over ten years, with a pictographic character for "Li" carved on it, which Li Siyu treasured and wore around her neck. Then, a member of the Li family, who drove a tricycle, spent nearly two hours taking Li Siyu to the Anshi bus station, saving her the trouble of transferring buses.

His cousin helped him stuff the things into the luggage compartment of the long-distance bus before saying goodbye to Li Siyu and leaving. He still had to drive back for another two hours to get home, making the round trip quite difficult.

Sitting on the bus, Li Siyu finally felt much more relaxed. Reflecting on the hardships and experiences of the past three days, Li Siyu hugged Lin Ge and stroked him while waiting for the bus to depart, her face adorned with a beautiful smile that drew attention.

"That's great! Isn't it?"

"Ow!"

After chatting for a while, both Li Siyu and the cat felt exhausted. Li Siyu checked her phone; there was still more than half an hour before departure. But Li Siyu was too tired to move, so she told Lin Ge to wander around the area but not go outside.

At that moment, a child who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a dirty school uniform, boarded the bus.

(End of this chapter)