As evening fell, the number of pedestrians on the street not only didn't decrease but actually grew.
"Did you hear? Li Quan actually turned himself in!"
"I heard. And he apologized to everyone he had previously beaten and those who had taken money from him."
"I heard too. Li Quan not only apologized but also returned the house to Village Chief Li."
"..."
People gathered in small groups, all discussing the day's events. Naturally, the topic was Li Quan's voluntary surrender to the police station.
Li Xuan, standing amidst the crowd, listened to their chatter. He smiled faintly and then slowly walked towards Li Weiye's home.
After Li Quan left, Li Xuan's divine sense had been following him. Seeing that Li Quan had indeed done as he had said, Li Xuan withdrew his divine sense and found a teahouse to wait.
At this moment, Li Xuan couldn't return to Li Weiye's house first. Otherwise, if Li Quan saw him, it would inevitably lead to more trouble.
"Uncle, I'm back." Li Xuan called out to Li Weiye, who was chatting with the neighbors at the entrance, carrying a gift box of fruit and some daily necessities he had purchased.
Clearly, after Li Quan returned the house, Li Weiye's neighbors had all come over. After all, this incident was too bizarre. Li Quan, who had been overbearing for so many years, voluntarily returning the house was truly baffling to everyone.
"Li Xuan, you're back. Li Xuan, come here quickly." Li Weiye, who was still chatting with the neighbors, felt as if everything that had happened today was a dream. Hearing Li Xuan's voice, he waved enthusiastically and called out to him.
"Village Chief, is this Li Xuan? After so many years, he's grown so tall," a middle-aged woman said with a smile, looking at Li Xuan.
"I said yesterday that this young man looked familiar. So it's Li Xuan! Village Chief Li, since you have a guest, we won't bother you any longer. We'll come back tomorrow. Getting the house back is a great joyous occasion; we must celebrate properly," the woman Li Xuan had seen earlier said, realizing who he was.
"Yes, yes, certainly. Please do come, everyone. Let's have a lively celebration," Li Weiye replied with a smile.
Although Li Weiye had told Li Xuan that the matter of the house was over, it was still his house, Li Xuan's house. If Li Weiye hadn't been incapable of getting it back, would he have compromised so easily? He claimed not to care, but deep down, he harbored regret.
Now that the house was back, albeit inexplicably, it was officially documented.
"Uncle, did Li Quan give you back the house?" Li Xuan asked with a smile after the neighbors had dispersed, putting down his things.
"Fan'er, you already know? It's strange, Li Quan actually came to our home to apologize to me, even producing the house deed and agreement on the spot for me to sign. If I hadn't suspected that Li Quan might be trying to trick me, I wouldn't have signed," Li Weiye said, nodding with a smile. "Oh, right, your house is back too. All these regrets in my heart have finally been resolved."
"Uncle, you can keep an eye on the house. I just came back to see you and the development of our hometown. I have no attachment to this house. I'll be going abroad in a while," Li Xuan said with a smile.
"Going abroad? Xuan'er, it seems you've become successful over the years you've been away. Uncle has heard that foreigners have colorful appearances, unlike us Chinese. But can you, Xuan'er, adapt to being alone in a foreign country? If you miss home in the future, traveling back and forth will take a lot of time, won't it?" Li Weiye asked.
"Uncle, China's economy now ranks among the top globally, and its technology is advancing rapidly. Returning home will be as simple as taking a super high-speed train; it will only take a few hours. Don't worry, if I miss you or this place, I can come back anytime," Li Xuan explained with a smile.
The reason Li Xuan mentioned his plan to go abroad was merely an excuse.
"I didn't expect our China to have developed so well. But what is this super high-speed train you're talking about, Fan'er?" Li Weiye nodded with pride, then frowned slightly in curiosity.
"This super high-speed train is even faster than an airplane. This year, China will..."
...
East District, General Bureau Office Building.
"This is Liu Zhen." As soon as Liu Zhen, the Director of the East District General Bureau, arrived at his office, the phone on his desk rang. Liu Zhen glanced at it and then answered.
"Since 2019, China has been carrying out operations to combat organized crime and eliminate evil. Have the leaders of China been implemented in the East District under your jurisdiction?" a voice slowly came from the other end of the line.
"My East District resolutely cracks down on any illegal activity, eradicates evil completely, and shows no mercy! Who are you?" Liu Zhen stood up and said righteously.
"Your strong confidence, Director Liu, is indeed admirable. However, I just heard that many things have happened within the jurisdiction of the East District."
"Although the parties involved have voluntarily surrendered themselves, this undeniably indicates a lack of effective governance by Director Liu. Although it's a small area, the legal promotion and enforcement efforts are somewhat lacking. I'm calling to remind Director Liu. One should govern with responsibility for their position."
"What small area?" Liu Zhen's expression turned serious. If the situation were indeed true, he had indeed failed in his duties. This criticism, while not major, was not insignificant either.
"Dongyi Town, Dongyang Township. Director Liu, this is my first call to you. But I hope it will be the last."
"Beep, beep, beep..."
As the call ended, Liu Zhen's hand holding the phone remained motionless. After a moment of thought, Liu Zhen made another call. "Check for me where this call just came from."
"A public phone?" Three minutes later, Liu Zhen looked at the report in his hand with surprise.
"Return to the General Bureau. After investigation, the call that just came into your office was indeed from a public phone. The location is Dongyang Township. However, we cannot retrieve the surveillance footage, nor can we identify who made the call," a man standing in the room replied, nodding.
"Someone who knows my office phone number, and can even call me as soon as I arrive at my office, is likely not as simple as they seem. And what they said is most likely true."
"I never expected that within my jurisdiction, Liu Zhen, such matters would exist. Prepare yourself, we're going to visit Dongyang Township," Liu Zhen said to the man after a slight pause.
Three days later, Dongyang Township rapidly organized legal promotion activities.
Furthermore, the former township chief of Dongyang Township was legally arrested for bribery and harboring criminal activities. The town chief of Dongyi Town was removed from his position and is subject to organizational investigation for mismanagement.
Not only that, but townships near Dongyang Township were also heavily rectified. Director Liu Zhen of the East District General Bureau attended a speech in Dongyang Township and bowed in apology to all the residents of Dongyang Township at the meeting. This act further intensified the efforts to combat organized crime.
"It seems Liu Zhen is a qualified public servant."
Walking on the street, Li Xuan saw banners displayed by the residents, and everyone's faces were filled with smiles of happiness. Li Xuan smiled faintly and slowly walked away into the distance.