As expected, after getting out of the car, the two of them saw Secretary Yan carrying some items and heading straight toward Huashikou Alley.
From a distance, Jiang Si noticed him stopping in front of a small courtyard draped with white mourning banners.
Soon after, the gate opened, and Secretary Yan stepped inside.
However, he stayed for less than five minutes before being shoved and pushed back out by the people inside.
The things he had brought were also unceremoniously thrown into the alley.
"You’ve already killed my son, and now you come here with these things pretending to care—what exactly are you trying to do?"
Mother Tan spat at him. "If you think we’ll forgive you, you’re dreaming!"
"Mom, why waste words on this murderer?"
Eldest Tan spoke while grabbing a carrying pole from the yard and charging forward.
They had long suspected that Second Tan’s death wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
Second Tan had always been honest and principled, never one to gossip or stir trouble.
If someone hadn’t threatened or pressured him, he would never have done such a thing!
And who in their workplace had the power to threaten him? None other than his direct superior, Secretary Yan.
"Eldest, stop this!" Mother Tan was furious, but she still clung to the last shred of reason.
"Mom, don’t stop me! Today, I’m going to beat him to death!"
Eldest Tan had been harboring this resentment for a long time, but the residential compound of the Construction Ministry was tightly guarded, making it impossible for him to get in.
Now that the man had come to them, if he didn’t seek justice for his wronged brother, he would feel unworthy of being called an elder brother.
"I told you to stop! Do you hear me?"
Mother Tan gripped his arm tightly. "Second is already gone. If something happens to you too, how will your father and I go on living?"
Her voice trembled with tears as she spoke.
The neighbors around them murmured among themselves.
"I’m sorry… I…" Since falling seriously ill, Secretary Yan had been physically weak, and now his voice was barely audible.
Without straining to listen, it was hard to make out what he was saying.
He wanted to explain.
But Mother Tan didn’t give him the chance. "Stop pretending to be compassionate! You’ve already killed my son—what’s the point of saying these things now?"
"If you really feel guilty, there’s a river right ahead. Go jump in it!"
A life for a life—if he had the courage to do it, Mother Tan might have respected him as a man of conviction.
But he wasn’t.
If he were, he would have come to apologize the very day it happened.
Not wait until he had no other options before showing up with empty words!
As expected, no sooner had this thought crossed her mind than Secretary Yan said, "I… I can’t die yet…"
"Ha!" Mother Tan let out a scornful laugh.
She turned back into the house, fetched a basin of cold water, and threw it directly into Secretary Yan’s face.
"Get out! Get out of here! The Tan family never wants to see you again!"
With that, she slammed the gate shut.
The door was closed, but the whispers in the alley continued.
Having lived together for decades, the neighbors naturally sided with the Tan family.
Moreover, they had watched Second Tan grow up.
His death had already left them shaken, and after hearing Mother Tan’s words, they were even more convinced that the man before them was responsible for Second Tan’s death.
Still, since it wasn’t their family matter, they couldn’t take direct action.
The adults hesitated, but the children had no such reservations.
No one knew who started it, but soon, fist-sized stones and clumps of dirt began pelting Secretary Yan.
He staggered but didn’t try to dodge.
Amid the howling wind, all he could hear were sharp curses and the children’s jeers.
The world spun before his eyes, the figures around him blurring and distorting.
He felt the last of his strength drain away.
Then his body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
When he woke again, he was lying in a hospital bed.
Breathing in the familiar scent of disinfectant, Secretary Yan looked dazedly at the nurse adjusting his IV.
"How… how did I get here?"
The nurse didn’t know the details, only that he had been brought in by a young woman.
"A… young woman?"
"Yes."
The nurse nodded. "Early twenties, very pretty."
Then she added curiously, "You don’t know her?"
Secretary Yan shook his head.
"That’s strange," the nurse muttered.
Not only had the woman brought him to the hospital, but she had also paid a few yuan for his medical expenses.
These days, people willing to go that far were rare.
The same question puzzled Guard Chen on the way back to the city.
"Comrade Jiang Si, why did you help him earlier?"
But when faced with the question, Jiang Si fell silent.
She didn’t know what had come over her.
Just moments ago, she had even wondered if she was being overly compassionate.
Otherwise, why would she feel pity for such a man?
Yet her instincts had told her she had to do it.
The question weighed on Jiang Si’s mind.
Even after arriving at work that afternoon, she was still unsettled.
So much so that she nearly missed a step while climbing the stairs.
"Ah, be careful!" A concerned voice came from behind her.
Jiang Si steadied herself and turned to see Deputy Minister Xu.
Noticing her pale complexion, he asked, "Jiang Si, you haven’t been looking well these past few days. Is the construction schedule too demanding?"
"It’s fine," Jiang Si thanked him before adding, "I was just distracted thinking about work and didn’t watch my step."
"Glad you’re alright. No matter how busy you are, take care of yourself."
"Yes, I will."
For some reason, as she looked at his kind face, Jiang Si suddenly found herself asking,
"Deputy Minister Xu, have you seen Secretary Yan recently?"
Perhaps surprised by the question, Deputy Minister Xu paused briefly.
Then he sighed. "Since retiring due to illness, Old Yan has refused all visitors."
"Even we, his old colleagues, haven’t been able to see him. It’s been a long time."
"Is that so?" Jiang Si said casually. "I saw him at the hospital earlier."
"The hospital?"
"Yes. He seemed to have been beaten—his forehead was covered in blood, and he was unconscious when they brought him in."
Deputy Minister Xu stopped walking, clearly shocked.
"Beaten? By whom?"
"I don’t know. The person who brought him in said they found him near Tuanjie Lake."
"Secretary Yan was lying unconscious by the roadside, so they took him to the hospital."
As if remembering something, Jiang Si added, "By the way, Deputy Minister Xu, doesn’t Secretary Tan’s family live around that area?"
"Maybe? I’m not very familiar with him, so I’m not sure."
"That must have been the Tan family's doing."
Jiang Si's tone remained as calm as ever as she spoke.
"But he had it coming. A life was lost because of him."
"If I were the Tan family, I wouldn’t let him off either!"
"Ah..." Deputy Minister Xu let out another long sigh. "Old Yan really crossed the line this time."
Jiang Si nodded and continued, "He hasn’t even apologized for what he did wrong, and now he’s submitting appeals everywhere, claiming he’s been wronged."
"Deputy Minister Xu, tell me—where does he get the nerve?"
Hearing the displeasure in her voice, Deputy Minister Xu could only offer comfort.
"Alright, don’t get worked up."
"I’m not worked up." Though Jiang Si said this, she rolled her eyes dramatically right in front of Deputy Minister Xu!
He chuckled helplessly.
"Engineer Jiang, you’re finally here!" Just as he was about to say more, Assistant Qi hurried over, clutching a stack of blueprints.
"What’s the matter?"
"Director Yang said these sections might not work and need revisions."
Jiang Si glanced at the blueprints. "Did he say when he needs them?"
"Director Yang said today would be best."
Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Though there was no official holiday, the unit was considerate—after distributing benefits in the morning, they’d let everyone leave in the afternoon.
"Got it. I’ll make the changes right away."
With that, Jiang Si gave Deputy Minister Xu a slight nod. "Deputy Minister Xu, I’ll get back to work then."
"Go ahead. I’ve got my own pile of tasks to handle." Deputy Minister Xu replied cheerfully.
Director Yang was in a hurry for the blueprints, so Jiang Si had no time to dwell on anything else.
Back in her office, she began revising the designs.
The main structure of the building was already halfway complete, and as they say, a small change can affect the whole system.
So, Jiang Si proceeded with extra caution.
She worked for hours without pause.
By the time she’d double-checked every detail, it was already past eight in the evening.
Rubbing her stiff neck, she packed up her things and prepared to head home.
As she stepped out of the office building, the evening breeze brushed against her face, carrying the faint scent of osmanthus.
They say the moon is fullest on the sixteenth day of the lunar month, but the fourteenth night wasn’t bad either.
Jiang Si couldn’t help but pause and gaze up at the sky for a while.
Lost in thought, her mind drifted far away—
Unaware of the shadowy figure slowly approaching from behind.
