Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

After Jia Dongming finished asking, Xie Jian thought for a moment and then explained to him: "Deputy Captain Jia, Yang Nan, the accountant of the thermos factory, was thirty-seven years old when she went missing. She had parents, husband and two children at home."

Our investigation revealed that Yang Nan is always conscientious and responsible at work, so I personally believe it's unlikely she would abandon her family for 10,000 yuan.

After listening to the report, Jia Dongming asked seriously, "Xie Jian, have you considered the possibility that Yang Nan might have been robbed?"

Xie Jian immediately shook his head and replied, "Deputy Captain Jia, we also considered this issue before."

However, the route from the bank to the thermos factory is through busy streets, and a robbery would certainly attract the attention of passersby, so we ruled out the possibility of a robbery.

Jia Dongming's expression turned grave, and he immediately retorted, "Xie Jian, during your investigation, did you examine Yang Nan's social connections? Didn't you consider the possibility that it might have been an inside job?"

"Was it committed by someone you know?"

Xie Jian was taken aback, his face showing confusion. "Deputy Captain Jia, what do you mean...?"

Seeing Xie Jian's puzzled expression, Jia Dongming analyzed seriously: "Xie Jian, judging from the case file, Yang Nan is an extremely responsible person at work."

Barring unforeseen circumstances, she would definitely return to the factory on time to distribute wages as usual.

"But this is the kind of person who disappeared with over ten thousand yuan. Don't you think that's highly illogical?"

"Therefore, I speculate that someone familiar with Yang Nan knew that she regularly went to the bank to withdraw money every month, so they waited near the bank in advance, and then used Yang Nan's family affairs as an excuse to lure her to a secluded place to commit robbery."

At this point, Jia Dongming got up from behind his desk and, as he walked out, instructed, "Xie Jian, take a few men with you, we're going to Yang Nan's house now."

After hearing the analysis, Xie Jian stood there stunned for a moment, and only hurriedly followed after seeing Jia Dongming walk out of the office.

Twenty minutes later, Jia Dongming led the police officers from the Second Brigade to Yang Nan's house.

Upon seeing the group, Yang Nan's husband shouted angrily, "What are you doing in my house? Haven't you caused our family enough harm?"

Sensing the anger of the other party and seeing the children's thin clothes, Jia Dongming knew the hardships this family had endured over the past three years. He said gently, "Lin Xiong, we understand your pain over the past few years, but we have never given up on the investigation of this case."

"We've received some new leads today, so we've come to you specifically to verify the information."

If you are unwilling to cooperate, we can leave now.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiong was initially incredulous, but then hope flickered in his eyes, and he quickly asked, "Officer, is what you're saying true? Can you really prove that Yang Nan is innocent?"

Seeing Lin Xiong's expectant eyes and thinking of what this family had suffered over the years, Jia Dongming felt apologetic and said sincerely, "Lin Xiong, although three years have passed since the case, we have never stopped investigating."

"We've now gathered some new leads, which is why we've come to your house to learn more."

If you hope that Yang Nan's injustice can be redressed, please cooperate with our work.

Upon hearing that the case had taken a turn for the better, Lin Xiong hurriedly asked, "Officer, is what you said true? Is there really a new lead in my wife's case?"

Jia Dongming nodded and replied, "Comrade Lin Xiong, we have been investigating this case for the past three years."

There's been a new development, which is why I'm contacting you to verify the situation.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiong recalled the grievances he had suffered over the past three years, and tears streamed down his face. He choked out, "Comrades, why didn't you find the clues sooner? Do you know that because of Yang Nan's disappearance, I lost my job, my two children were expelled from school, and my family was barely surviving under the scorn of our neighbors..."

Jia Dongming was well aware of some of the circumstances of that era.

Looking at Lin Xiong's excited expression and then at the two children's thin figures, he nodded solemnly and said, "Comrade Lin Xiong, if we had given up on this case, we wouldn't be here today."

If you want Yang Nan's injustice to be redressed, please cooperate with our investigation.

Lin Xiong wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly: "Officer, as long as you can help clear my wife's name, I will definitely cooperate."

Feel free to ask me any questions, and I will answer them truthfully.

Upon seeing this, Jia Dongming immediately asked, "Lin Xiong, before your wife disappeared, who was she closest to? Did she have any frequent contact with anyone?"

Faced with Jia Dongming's question, Lin Xiong searched his memory for a moment before answering: "Officer, before my wife went missing, she had a very regular life, going to work and coming home on time every day."

If I had to name who she spends most of her time with, it would probably be my cousin and his wife; they live right next door to me.

With a serious expression, Jia Dongming pressed further, "Lin Xiong, besides your cousin and his wife, who else does Yang Nan frequently associate with?"

Lin Xiong thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Comrade, Yang Nan is rather introverted and doesn't like making friends much. Apart from my cousin and his family, she hardly has any other friends."

Hearing this, Jia Dongming's heart skipped a beat, and he continued to ask seriously, "Lin Xiong, you just said that Yang Nan's cousin lives next door. Are they still living there now?"

Lin Xiong paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "No, my cousin moved to his mother-in-law's house two years ago, and the house was handed over to the neighborhood committee for rent."

Jia Dongming's eyes narrowed, and as he recalled an old case he had handled in the past, he felt somewhat confident.

He turned to Xie Jian and the others and said, "Let's go take a look at the neighboring yard."

The group soon arrived at the gate of the neighboring courtyard.

Jia Dongming raised his hand and knocked on the door, calling out, "Is anyone home? We're from the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau, please open the door."

The door opened quickly, and a middle-aged woman leaned out. Seeing the police officers standing outside, she looked somewhat nervous: "Officers, what...is there for you?"

Jia Dongming glanced at her, then quietly activated his Eagle Eye skill, quickly scanning the entire courtyard.

When his gaze swept over the jujube tree on the left, his eyes froze—there was a skeleton buried under the tree.

This discovery almost confirmed to Jia Dongming that Lin Xiong's cousin was involved in Yang Nan's disappearance.

But he didn't make a fuss. He simply said to the middle-aged woman who opened the door, "Hello, comrade. We are from the Dongcheng Branch and are investigating a case. We need your cooperation."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's face immediately changed, and she quickly said, "Comrade, we are all honest and law-abiding people, we never do anything illegal, you must have made a mistake?"

Jia Dongming replied in a calm tone, "Don't be nervous, it's just a routine inquiry."

As he spoke, he led his men into the courtyard, looking around as he asked the middle-aged woman, "Comrade, what's your name? How long have you been living here?"

The middle-aged woman answered nervously, "My name is Wang Danni, and I rented this house through the neighborhood committee."

My wife drives for the Fisheries Bureau, and we've lived here for almost three years.

Jia Dongming walked around the yard, then stopped and asked Xie Jian beside him, "Xie Jian, do you feel like there's something wrong with this yard?"

Xie Jian looked around but couldn't see anything unusual. He shook his head in confusion, "Deputy Captain Jia, this is just an ordinary courtyard, nothing special."

Jia Dongming's gaze fell on the two jujube trees in the yard, then he glanced at his colleague beside him and said meaningfully, "Take a closer look, for example, these two jujube trees."

Xie Jian then began to seriously examine the jujube tree.

After looking at them for a while, he still couldn't figure it out. Puzzled, he asked, "Deputy Captain Jia, these two are just ordinary jujube trees. One is just growing a little more vigorously. What... does that prove?"

Jia Dongming said with a serious expression, "Two jujube trees planted at the same time in the same yard, one growing exceptionally lush while the other is ordinary—this in itself is unusual."

Xie Jian didn't react at first, then subconsciously replied, "Perhaps the owner gave this tree too much fertilizer, so it..."

He paused mid-sentence, an expression of disbelief gradually appearing on his face, his voice lowering: "Unless... there are some special nutrients under this tree, its growth wouldn't be this different."

The other police officers present understood Jia Dongming's meaning upon hearing this, and they all showed expressions of shock, their eyes turning to the lush jujube tree.

Jia Dongming immediately ordered, "Xie Jian, what are we waiting for? Find the tools, dig up this tree, and see what's hidden underneath."

Upon hearing this, the police officers were invigorated—a missing person case that had been unsolved for three years was likely about to be solved.

They immediately found shovels and pickaxes and started digging around the jujube tree.

Lin Xiong, who had come along, watched the police dig up the trees. Suddenly remembering when the two jujube trees had been planted, his face turned pale, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Officer... could it be that my Yang Nan... was killed by my cousin?"

As Lin Xiong asked the question, Jia Dongming stared at his pale face and solemnly replied, "Comrade Lin Xiong, this is just speculation at the moment. As for whether the situation is as you say, we need to dig up the soil under the jujube tree to confirm."

"Captain! Deputy Chief Jia! There's something going on here!"

About ten minutes later, a policeman forcefully plunged a shovel into the ground, scooped up a piece of cloth that looked like workwear material, and then loudly reported to Xie Jian and Jia Dongming.

Upon hearing the sound, Jia Dongming quickly stepped forward and, seeing the pieces of cloth turned up in the soil, immediately instructed: "Keep digging, but be very careful."

"That's my Yang Nan's bag!"

Soon, a tattered cloth bag was unearthed. Lin Xiong recognized it at a glance and shouted out excitedly.

As the excavation deepened, the smell of rotting corpses rose from the ground.

Jia Dongming covered his mouth and nose and ordered Xie Jian, who was also covering his mouth and nose, "Xie Jian, go back to the branch office immediately and ask the forensic doctor to come over. At the same time, send a team to Lin Xiong's cousin's mother-in-law's house and arrest his cousin and his wife."

Xie Jian never expected that the thermos factory accountant who disappeared three years ago would be buried in the neighboring yard.

He immediately accepted the order: "Deputy Chief Jia, I'll go back to the branch office and get the forensic doctor right away."

After saying that, Xie Jian turned around, rushed out of the courtyard, got on his bicycle, and sped off towards the branch office.

A little over ten minutes later, Xie Jian rushed back to the branch office, ran all the way to the forensic department, and shouted inside, "Section Chief Sun! Please send someone with me to the scene immediately!"

Upon hearing the shout, Section Chief Sun recalled the events of the past two days and replied sarcastically, "Oh, Captain Xie? Our forensic department dares not touch cases from your Second Brigade. You'd better find someone else."

Xie Jian understood the implication in Section Chief Sun's words, his face darkened, and he replied coldly, "We just solved the case of the disappearance of the female accountant from the thermos factory three years ago."

Since the forensic department was unwilling to go to the scene, I had no choice but to contact the city police's forensic department for assistance.

"What! You solved the accountant's disappearance case from three years ago? Captain Xie, is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Section Chief Sun looked incredulous and hurriedly grabbed Xie Jian's arm to ask further questions.

Xie Jian shook off Section Chief Sun's hand and replied irritably, "Whether it's true or false, you'll know for sure once the murderer is apprehended."

Section Chief Sun immediately smiled apologetically: "Captain Xie, I was just joking. Why did you take it seriously? Where is the scene? I'll lead the team there myself."

Seeing the change in the other party's attitude, Xie Jian immediately replied, "The scene is in Guangming Lane, in the courtyard next to Yang Nan's house."

Deputy Chief Jia is still waiting there.

"Old Xie! I heard that Deputy Chief Jia solved the case of the missing accountant at the thermos factory, is that true?"

Upon receiving a report from his subordinates, Lin Minghua, the captain of the first brigade, rushed to the office of the second brigade. He happened to meet Xie Jian leading several fully equipped team members about to leave, and hurriedly went up to inquire.