Divorced woman with child travels through time

Feeling Wu Liang's intense gaze behind him, Ma Liu walked away at a normal pace, unhurriedly. Turning the corner, he immediately pressed himself against the wall and, sure enough, saw Wu Liang peeking left and right, as if afraid of being watched. Ma Liu, with his two years of experience on the job, was certain this man was suspicious.

Fang Qian and Wu Qi cautiously peeked out of the closed door of the nursing home, then leaned closer to Ma Liuqian and asked, "Sixth Brother, what's wrong?"

Ma Liudao said, "Don't you guys think there's something wrong with this Wu Liang?"

Fang Qian looked at Wu Qi, then at Ma Liudao, "The way the door closed just now was a bit strange."

Wu Qi said, "That's right. Who would be peeking around with the door closed, as if they're afraid someone will see something?"

Ma Liudao said, "That's the first point. Secondly, someone mentioned earlier that there wasn't a single leaf in the yard, which is very strange. It's autumn now, and the yard is planted with mulberry and peach trees, which shed their leaves in autumn. Even if they don't all fall with a gust of wind, at least some will fall. It's not even winter yet, and the leaves on the trees haven't all fallen yet, so they can't all be swept away at once. Therefore, there must be something fishy going on here?"

Wu Qi asked, "Is there something fishy going on?"

Fang Qian looked at him and asked, "Under what circumstances would it be possible for the yard to be completely free of fallen leaves?"

Wu Qi replied matter-of-factly, "Of course it must be cleaned frequently. But that's not right. In a normal household, who cleans frequently? Cleaning once a day is already considered good."

Ma Liudao said, “Yes, normal households don’t clean often. To have not a single leaf left, it must be cleaned constantly. Besides, that Mrs. Wu’s hands are incredibly white and delicate; she doesn’t look like someone who cleans regularly. Last time, I suspected that the old man’s death was not normal. He died suddenly less than a month after entering the nursing home. When the official reported it, I was already suspicious. That old man looked healthier than these two. Wu Liang must be doing something shady? Or is he abusing the elderly? Now, besides the two elderly people we brought, there are three other elderly people on the register. If Wu Liang is really abusing the elderly, those elderly people are in great danger. This matter must be investigated as soon as possible.”

After a pause, Ma Liu said, "These past few days, you two will take turns keeping a close watch on this Dean Wu. If you can get inside to investigate, I'll find someone to check the old man's cause of death and his past to see if there are any problems." Ma Liu waved the death certificate in his hand and said, "I'm afraid there's someone in the county government colluding with him. If there are any unexpected developments, arrest them first." Ma Liu thought to himself, "The magistrate loves the people like his own children; he shouldn't blame me for acting first and reporting later."

Fang Qian clasped his hands with Wu Qi and said, "Yes."

When Ma Liu returned to the county government office, he first went to the archives to check on the elderly people who had died in the nursing home in recent years. The results were shocking. Almost none of the elderly people who were taken in lived for more than three months. The longest-lived one only lived for six months. Moreover, the causes of death were extremely similar. Most of them died suddenly, and a few died from illness or accidents. More than twenty elderly people had died in the past three years.

Ma Liu went to Ah Li and explained his concerns about what he had seen at the nursing home. Ah Li agreed, saying, "Get two more of your brothers who are good at fighting to take over from those two. They can eavesdrop on the roof at night. Couples talk about anything at night. It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to elder abuse. It's more reassuring to investigate. The authorities won't tolerate such filth under their rule."

Ma Liu clasped his hands and said, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys." Confirming that his superiors believed him and supported the investigation, Ma Liu took out the death certificate given to him by Wu Liang from his chest and handed it to Ah Li, saying, "Yesterday, due to my doubts, Wu Liang sent this book again, so I went to the archives to check the information of the elderly who died in the nursing home in recent years, and the result..." Ma Liu was somewhat overwhelmed and could not speak.

Ah Li pressed on eagerly, "What was the result?"

Ma Liudao said, "If the guess is true, this Wu Liang is worse than a pig or a dog. Why don't you come with me to the archives to see the records for yourself, and you will understand."

Ah Li flicked her sleeve and said, "Let's go!"

The two went to the cabinet together. Ma Liu handed the documents he had been reading to Ah Li. As Ah Li read more and more, his fists clenched tighter and tighter. "What a beast!" Ah Li slammed his fist on the cabinet to vent his anger. He stood up and said, "Go and find out which of our yamen's officers stamped the autopsy certificate for Wu Liang. See if there are any other people connected to this man. Don't tell anyone about this. Go and investigate secretly. I'll report to the magistrate right now. Also, tell those brothers not to make a fuss. Make sure to keep a close eye on Wu Liang and don't let him get away."

Ma Liudao said "Yes" and turned to leave.

Ah Li hurried to the county magistrate's office and explained the situation to Ouyang Junyan. Ouyang Junyan was so angry that his beard trembled. "Investigate! You must investigate thoroughly and find out who has the audacity to do such a beastly and cruel thing. They must not be let off the hook. You go in person. I'm afraid that if word gets out to the magistrate, some people will become too bold and let them escape."

Ah Li gritted his teeth and said, "Your subordinate obeys. We will not let a guilty person escape." How could they bully the elderly and weak? They are truly beasts!

Ah Li quickly arranged for manpower, sending two people to the nursing home, and personally checked the time of death and the burial graves of the deceased elderly one by one.