Huo's fourth uncle explained, "When Li Gennian first joined the mining bureau, he had less than three years of work experience and was still considered an apprentice."
"According to the policies at the time, he wasn’t eligible for the company’s medical benefits, so half of his surgery costs were covered by the workplace, while the other half was reimbursed through his father’s records."
"When we investigated, we only found his father’s reimbursement documents."
"Moreover, his father’s reimbursement wasn’t processed through the Capital City Mining Bureau’s accounts but through a subsidiary coal mine."
"That coal mine was located in Sanhe City, Hebei Province. At the time, our team was primarily focused on investigating cases within the Capital City area..."
It could only be said that this man was truly hard to kill!
If Father Huo hadn’t called him last night, just screening the list of people who had undergone nasal bone surgeries in Capital City would have taken two months.
As for why he committed murder—
Huo's fourth uncle also gave a concise explanation.
On one hand, Li Gennian was indeed dissatisfied with the death compensation offered by the company.
But his dissatisfaction didn’t matter, because workplace death compensations were strictly regulated at the time.
Apart from funeral expenses, the company would provide monthly pensions to immediate family members.
The recipients were children under 18 and parents over 60 without a stable income.
If there were three or more eligible family members, they could receive 50% of the deceased’s monthly salary.
The reason those people had protested was precisely because of this.
The Li family didn’t have enough eligible members to receive the pension, so resentment naturally festered.
On the other hand, Li Gennian had always been introverted and plain-looking.
After the accident, his nose was severely damaged, making it even harder for him to find a partner.
Before the incident, he had repeatedly approached the victim’s father, demanding either a transfer back to Capital City or help from the company in resolving his personal issues.
Transferring work assignments wasn’t a simple matter in those days, so the victim’s father naturally refused.
The two sides had clashed bitterly over this.
Coincidentally, the victim returned at that moment and, seeing Li Gennian speak disrespectfully to her father, scolded him harshly.
What happened next was already known to everyone.
Though the killer had been caught, the price paid was far too heavy.
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, the children exchanged glances.
Finally, led by the eldest, they hesitantly raised their cups in a toast.
Children’s emotions were simpler—joy and sorrow could shift in an instant.
To them, catching the bad guy was a reason to celebrate.
Why shouldn’t they be happy?
"Grandpa, don’t be sad. When I grow up, I’ll help you catch bad guys too," one of them said.
The others quickly chimed in: "Then I’ll be like Grandma and become a forensic doctor, so I can help you catch them!"
"Me too! I’ll learn to paint like Third Aunt and draw all the bad guys so you can find them!"
Oh no, all the good roles were taken.
The younger ones panicked, one declaring he’d learn shooting, another insisting he’d drive a tank.
The last one, left with no options, simply clapped his hands loudly.
Yang Meina, seeing her youngest son’s palms reddening from the force, asked in bewilderment, "What are you doing? Your brothers all said what they want to be—don’t you have any dreams?"
"Of course! I’ll be the cheerleader!"
"Mom, listen—aren’t my claps super loud?"
Yang Meina: "..."
How had she ended up with such a goofball?
Then she glanced at Second Brother Huo, who was laughing heartily beside her.
Ah. He took after his father.
The children’s antics finally brought smiles back to everyone’s faces.
After the lively family dinner, with Little Ding’s help, they all gathered for a family photo.
As it grew late, Huo's fourth uncle stood up. "Dad, we’ll head out now. We’ll visit again when we have time."
"Go on, drive safely."
"Oh, and Third Brother’s wedding banquet is on New Year’s Day—make sure to arrange your schedules."
Since it was already late, Jiang Si and the others decided against driving back to the Western Hills compound that night and left early the next morning instead.
Before they left, Mother Huo stuffed a large bag of supplies into the jeep’s trunk.
Huo Tingzhou rubbed his temples helplessly. "Mom, we really don’t need all this."
"Who said it’s for you?"
Huo Tingzhou’s face clearly showed disbelief. The night before, he’d drunk a cup of tea Mother Huo handed him before bed.
The moment he lay down, he started sweating profusely. He had to take three cold showers just to calm the restless heat in his body.
Only that morning did he find out—
Mother Huo hadn’t just brewed tea. She’d added several slices of deer antler to it.
But he couldn’t confront her directly, so he’d tactfully mentioned it to Father Huo instead.
That was how Mother Huo learned the newlyweds still hadn’t consummated their marriage.
No wonder her son had looked so haggard lately.
He was pent up!
Now that she knew, she wouldn’t dare give him any more tonics.
"Alright, alright, your father already told me. I get it now."
"Anyway, these are for Jiang Si. Last time Second Brother went on a business trip to Ha City, he bought a lot of snow frog oil. And your eldest brother mailed over some red dates—I packed some for you."
She lowered her voice for the next part. "Jiang Si likes bird’s nest, so I asked a friend to get some. Make her some sweet soup with it in the mornings and evenings."
Hearing it was for his wife, Huo Tingzhou stopped protesting.
Mother Huo ignored him, smiling warmly at Jiang Si in the driver’s seat. "Jiang Si, drive carefully, alright?"
"Got it, Mom~"
Ah, daughters-in-law were truly the best—so sweet and considerate.
Mother Huo’s heart ached with fondness. "Listen, you have one week at most."
"Next week, you better bring my daughter-in-law back to me. Understood?"
Huo Tingzhou paused as he opened the car door. Never had he imagined his greatest rival would be his own mother.
Nor had he expected that while he was away on missions, they’d taken his wife on a grand tour of every major attraction in Capital City.
Not just that—they’d watched every newly released movie and puppet show in the past two months.
They’d left him no room to maneuver.
"Come on, where we go doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we’re together, right?"
Jiang Si found his sulking amusing.
Seeing the nice weather, she made a turn up ahead.
With her temporary work pass, she was practically an unofficial staff member. After finishing their business, they could stroll around her alma mater.
Near the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Jiang Si parked the car and followed the address President Zhou had given her last time.
Soon, they stopped in front of a two-story gray-brick building.
A small, forty-square-meter courtyard lay beyond the iron gate, offering a peaceful retreat amid the bustling city.
Seeing the wooden plaque labeled "Capital City Artists Association" on the gate, Jiang Si stepped forward and knocked.
After waiting for a long time with no answer, she guessed, "They must all be out working. Let’s go check out the Central Academy of Fine Arts first."
Huo Tingzhou gave a quiet hum of agreement. Just as the two turned to leave,
a woman’s voice suddenly called out from behind them.
"Who are you looking for—?"
