The Magnificent Son-in-law

In the early morning, the golden sunlight spilled into the courtyard.

The rare diligent little girl was cleaning the courtyard with a broom.

The sunlight on her body made her look like a lively and spirited girl from a manga, full of vitality.

However, the next moment, a knock on the door broke the tranquility.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The little girl who heard the knock went to open the door, only to see a silver-gray business van parked outside.

Before long, a person ran out from the car's rear, holding a heap of gifts in his arms, ready to enter the courtyard.

"Stop!" the little girl shouted, "Why is it you again?"

Outside the door, Zhang Lang, holding bundles in his arms with only his head showing, squeezed out a smile and explained, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't come to fight today."

"You can't come in; you're not welcome here," the girl opened her arms to block the door.

She saw Zhang Lang's sneaky tricks clearly last night and detested him from the bottom of her heart; there's no way she'd let him in.

Just then, the automatic door of the van opened, and Gu Wenhui stepped down. But unlike last night, there was no red carpet treatment.

A middle-aged man in a black suit got off after her. His hair was slicked back, half black and half white, and his eyes were sharp, giving him a strong presence.

"Nice to see you again, little girl," Gu Wenhui greeted the little girl with a smile.

Seeing Gu Wenhui, the girl's expression softened a lot, "Oh, it's sister! Who's this uncle next to you?"

The middle-aged man's smile froze instantly; did he really look that old?

Gu Wenhui chuckled and introduced, "He's my husband and Junxiong's father, Di Xuedong."

"Oh, then come in, please," the little girl moved aside to let Gu Wenhui and Di Xuedong walk inside.

But after taking just a couple of steps, she stopped and turned to point at Zhang Lang, "You, you're not allowed in, or don't blame us for bullying you."

Zhang Lang was distressed, "But these gifts..."

Gu Wenhui exchanged a glance with Di Jiadong and took the items from Zhang Lang, carrying them inside personally.

Given their status, it had been a long time since they had brought gifts personally, but now they couldn't afford to put on airs.

After meeting them, Di Jiadong was very polite to Xiao Feng. After some small talk, they moved to the main topic.

"I heard you're investigating the unfinished construction project. I've brought the person in charge at that time; you can ask him directly."

Xiao Feng replied calmly, "Let him in."

Di Jiadong nodded and called Zhang Lang at the door, "Bring him in."

Shortly, a man limping walked in.

The man was not tall, with dark skin that looked like it was coated in olive oil. But anyone who worked long hours on construction sites would know that this was due to prolonged sun exposure.

Di Jiadong pointed at Xiao Feng and said, "Xu Chun, whatever my brother asks later, you must answer truthfully. Understand?"

"Got it, got it," Xu Chun nodded repeatedly, looking very anxious.

"Two years ago, you contracted a school construction project in Jiuyou Town, right?" Xiao Feng asked.

"Yes, when it was nearly completed, the investor absconded, and the workers hounded me for pay. I lost everything. Did you catch the investor?" Xu Chun looked at Xiao Feng hopefully.

Xiao Feng shook his head, "I wanted to ask if there were any strange occurrences during construction, like ground collapses or large pits appearing."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Chun suddenly became agitated, slapping his thigh, "Ground collapse? You mentioning this enrages me; this leg got messed up because of that two years ago."

"Tell me more," Xiao Feng probed.

Xu Chun explained excitedly, "Soon after starting construction, I had a temporary toilet set up in an empty area, but days later, it collapsed, falling entirely underground.

Thinking about it, it infuriates me..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Xiao Feng interrupted, "What does that have to do with your leg? Don't tell me..."

Xu Chun looked embarrassed and said bitterly, "Yes, when the toilet collapsed, I was inside, and a big stone hit my leg. It's pretty much useless; I can walk, but as you saw, the way I walk is,"

"I was incredibly unlucky, hospitalized for two months right after starting. Soon after being discharged, the investor ran off, and workers kept chasing me for pay; how could I find money for them..."

Seeing Xu Chun crying, Xiao Feng and the others couldn't help but feel sympathy, but imagining the latrine collapsing with him inside made them want to laugh.

"Don't rush to cry; besides this incident, is there anything else?" Xiao Feng forced down a smile and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

"There's plenty," Xu Chun, still crying, replied, "I'll skip the troubles during my absence; let me tell you about when I was back.

First were gangs causing trouble every few days, then having to guard against teens stealing steel bars in the night, and once the cook forgot to lock up, the kitchen was ransacked; even the knives were stolen..."

Xiao Feng couldn't hesitate anymore and interrupted again, "I'm not asking about your misfortunes; I'm asking if you noticed anything strange, like the toilet collapsing."

"Aren't you still asking about my misfortunes?" Xu Chun chuckled bitterly, "My leg broke because of the toilet collapse."

Zhao Guo'an and others couldn't help but laugh; the sharp-tongued Xiao Feng met his match this time.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Feng asked again, "Let me narrow it down for you, anything related to the ground, like if a certain area dries quicker when watered or feels different when stepped on."

"Construction took place in summer; water dried fast, nobody paying attention to specific areas drying quicker," Xu Chun mocked.

Seeing he wouldn't get more answers, Xiao Feng asked, "After the toilet collapsed, how was it handled?"

Xu Chun thought and replied, "I remember we just filled it with some soil using a bulldozer and set up a new toilet elsewhere."

"If you went back now, could you pinpoint the collapsed toilet's location?"

"I can, but I don't want to; it reminds me of my leg injury and the workers seeking pay..."

At this, everyone understood Xu Chun's implied meaning.

Di Xuedong said directly, "Find the spot, and you'll get a thousand yuan as a reward."

Xu Chun, grinning widely, readily agreed, "No problem, I'll find it, or I'd be letting down this leg."