Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

The young man named Mo Wen immediately ran over. He was about twenty years old, wearing a faded work jacket that covered his thin body. He had a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his nose, and his eyes behind the lenses blinked rapidly. He looked refined, but his eyes revealed a cleverness, as if he could see through people's hearts.

After all, he was the director's assistant, so his little brain reacted quickly, and he stood obediently to the side.

"Director Jiang, you wanted to see me?" He stood in front of Jiang Hu, bowing slightly, his tone cautious.

Jiang Hu pointed to He Feng and Ma Xin beside him and said in a deep voice, "This is Director He from the Municipal Bureau, and this is Comrade Ma. You don't need to work today. Just accompany Director He and the others around the construction site. Keep your eyes open and cooperate with whatever they need. Make sure to take good care of the leaders."

Mo Wen quickly adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a few glimmers of light. He nodded vigorously, "Director Jiang, don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle this perfectly. Director He, Comrade Ma, this way please—I'll take you to the foundation pit. It rained lightly last night, and some water has accumulated in the pit. Maybe we can find some clues there."

Mo Wen knew that he was being told to follow them and see what they had been doing.

He Feng watched Jiang Hu turn and leave, his retreating figure revealing a hint of haste, as if deliberately avoiding something. He then glanced at Mo Wen in front of him; although the man smiled politely, a subtle tension lurked deep within his eyes. A thoughtful look flashed in He Feng's eyes, and he quickly gave Ma Xin a wink—a look that contained wariness, a hint, and a tacit understanding of "playing it by ear."

Ma Xin instantly understood He Feng's meaning, nodded slightly, and followed him into the depths of the construction site.

Unlike their cautious approach during their last undercover visit, this time they entered openly and honestly. The guards at the construction site entrance, seeing Mo Wen accompanying them from afar, simply saluted and let them through without even questioning them. Mo Wen led the way, constantly describing the construction progress, pointing out the material storage area and the temporary workers' dormitories, speaking fluently and meticulously, but never mentioning the details of the previous incident.

He Feng knew perfectly well that Mo Wen, despite his youthful appearance, had likely been instructed beforehand and would never genuinely lead them to the crucial clues. Moreover, given the workers' panic and subsequent cleanup of the construction site in the past few days, any traces that remained would likely have been largely destroyed, making it difficult to find evidence.

Reaching an open space piled high with steel bars, He Feng stopped, his gaze falling on Mo Wen. His tone was calm yet imposing: "Xiao Mo, we left in a hurry last time we came, and there were many things we didn't have time to investigate in detail. We came here specifically this time to get a clear picture of the situation. You've been here a long time and deal with the workers a lot, have you heard anything unusual?"

Mo Wen's smile froze for a moment, then relaxed again. He adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Director He, to be honest, I'm just a technician working on the site. I usually only handle blueprints and measurements; I rarely get involved in miscellaneous tasks. That incident last time caused quite a stir. I only heard about it later from others. Apparently, some workers' supplies were lost, but the specifics... I really don't know." He spoke flawlessly, neither offending anyone nor clearing himself of any wrongdoing.

He Feng glanced at Mo Wen and immediately saw through his erratic eyes—the kid wasn't telling the truth; the panic in his eyes couldn't be faked. But he didn't point it out on the spot. Instead, he turned to Ma Xin and said calmly, "Ma Xin, this is the last place the worker was seen before he disappeared. Look carefully for any overlooked traces, even the smallest unusual accumulation of coal slag."

Ma Xin stepped forward at the call, took out gloves from her survey bag, put them on, and squatted down to examine the ground carefully. Her fingers occasionally brushed against the coal dust mixed with gravel, her fingertips grinding over a few suspicious, charred lumps. Her gaze was sharp as an eagle's, not even missing the tiny fibers embedded in the cracks of the rocks. Mo Wen stood to the side, his eyes fixed on Ma Xin's movements, his neck craned like a goose, clearly wanting to know what she could find. His feet unconsciously moved forward, as if he wanted to get closer to Ma Xin's hands to see.

How could He Feng let him succeed? This whole affair was suspicious from the start—who would steal coal and grain? There must be someone behind this, and he couldn't let the coal mine workers interfere with the investigation. Until the case was solved, everyone at the mine was a suspect, including Director Jiang Hu, who had seemed so friendly on the surface but whose eyes betrayed his anxiety. These days, coal and all sorts of supplies were hard currency; they could be easily converted into money on the black market. Who could guarantee that no one would have ulterior motives?

He had already sent Zhao Lei to investigate the black market—if these people dared to sell stolen goods, they would always leave clues, whether it was the time and place of the transaction or the dealers involved; following the trail would eventually lead to the source. But he also knew that if there were insiders involved, they would definitely know how to hide and wouldn't easily show themselves in the short term. They might even use hidden channels like coal car compartments or empty lunch boxes to transport the goods out, making the investigation even more troublesome.

This is no small matter. We are at a crucial time for the nation's vigorous industrial development, and coal mines are essential for factory operations and railway runs. If these materials cannot be supplied on time, it could lead to the shutdown of a small workshop or the paralysis of an entire transportation line, with significant consequences for national construction. In any case, the truth must be thoroughly investigated to provide an explanation to the miners and the units waiting for supplies.

Seeing that Mo Wen's toes were almost touching Ma Xin's heels, He Feng stepped forward, subtly blocking the two of them. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable firmness: "Leave this to Expert Ma. She prefers quiet when she's surveying. Let's go look elsewhere, like the warehouse door locks or the tire tracks of the coal trucks. We might find something new. If we stand here, we might disturb Expert Ma's train of thought and cause problems."

Mo Wen was extremely unwilling, his facial muscles were tense, but He Feng's attitude was firm, and the scrutiny in his eyes made him feel uneasy. He couldn't resist, so he could only reluctantly say "oh" and follow him away slowly, glancing back at Ma Xin's direction every few steps.

“As a member of management,” He Feng said casually as they walked, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of coal piles beside him, “you should know more about things at the mine than others, such as worker shift schedules and material entry and exit records, right?”