Yang Sen picked up the stone kettle that was being heated on the stone slab, then looked at Lu Chuan with surprise.

"Lu, I wonder how your mind works, thinking of a case while drinking tea."

Lu Chuan scratched his head. "I just saw the stone slab heating the kettle and suddenly thought of that stone statue."

Liu Guodong, listening nearby, pondered for a moment and agreed with Lu Chuan’s viewpoint.

"If the murderer heated the corpse inside the stone statue, it would be feasible, as the stone wouldn’t leave traces after being wiped once heated by fire."

"Of course, the exact method still requires further study."

Lu Chuan’s guess was just a possibility; after all, the specific method may need the murderer to explain it himself.

In Qin Yong’s office, he was answering a call from Zhang Hui.

"Captain Qin, I’m planning to go to Xinjian Town myself to take a look."

"Based on the information provided by Zhao Shengli, it seems that the stonemason who carved the statue is very likely the suspect."

"Additionally, Zhao Shengli is also being investigated. Apart from the stonemason doing temporary work, the person most capable of tampering with the statue is Zhao Shengli himself."

Qin Yong agreed with Zhang Hui’s judgment.

"I basically agree with your assessment. You go personally to look into the stonemason, and I’ll have Sun Jun assist in investigating Zhao Shengli’s relationships."

After hanging up, Zhang Hui headed straight for Xinjian Town.

Yellow Springs City is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Haizhou City, located to its northwest. It used to be just a small county town. In recent years, due to rapid economic development, a large population influx occurred, and five years ago, it was upgraded to a county-level city.

Xinjian Town is located in the northeast of Yellow Springs City, near Yellow Springs Mountain.

Yellow Springs Mountain is the largest stone material production area around Haizhou City, with many stonemasons coming from Xinjian Town located at its foot.

Zhang Hui’s destination was a Natural Village in Yumin Village, which is under Xinjian Town’s jurisdiction.

After investigation, it was confirmed that the stonemason who worked for Zhao Shengli came from this village.

"Welcome, welcome, leader!"

Director Wang Jianjun of the Xinjian Town police station, a local who worked there all his life, was tall and thin with a rugged face.

"Director Wang, we’re going to trouble you this time."

"Captain Zhang, it’s nothing, it’s our duty to assist the Criminal Investigation Team from above. We’ll do our best."

"Now, it’s noon already. Let me arrange some farm-style dining, and after lunch, we’ll move?"

Although Xinjian Town is remote, it has its own advantages.

The local farm-raised chicken is famous, especially the chicken stewed with mushrooms, which is well-known even in all of Yellow Springs Mountain and Yellow Springs City.

On the way here, Zhang Hui heard from a colleague that there used to be leaders who loved to come here just for the chicken stewed with mushrooms.

"You’re too kind, Director Wang, but let’s skip the meal for now. We’ll first go to Yumin Village to check the stonemason’s house and understand the situation before eating."

Wang Jianjun, being the director of a grassroots police station for over ten or twenty years, wasn’t incompetent.

"Alright, the case is important. Let’s handle business first. I’ve already called the Yumin Village secretary. We can head over right now."

"Okay!"

Yumin Village is only three to four kilometers from the town, less than a fifteen-minute drive.

At the village entrance, a black Jetta was parked. Wang Jianjun parked his car at the side, and Zhang Hui got out.

"Captain Zhang, this is the village secretary of Yumin Village, Yang Jie."

"Secretary Yang, this is Captain Zhang from Haizhou City’s Criminal Investigation Team."

"Captain Zhang, nice to meet you. I’m Yang Jie, the village secretary of Yumin Village."

Zhang Hui shook hands without correcting whether he was a captain or not.

Actually, everyone knew he wasn’t a captain, but calling him a team leader wasn’t appropriate.

Moreover, calling someone from a higher authority captain wouldn’t be wrong.

"Secretary Yang, where does Sun Baojun live in this village?"

Yang Jie nodded. "Sun Baojun’s house is the second one at the west end of the village, but he seems to have been working outside for the past two years."

After exchanging greetings and introductions, Yang Jie explained the basic situation of the stonemason’s home.

Earlier on the road, Zhang Hui and Wang Jianjun discussed the basic situation of Yumin Village.

The village isn’t large, with ten Natural Villages spread over a 20-kilometer radius. Each village has 40 to 50 households at the minimum and more than a hundred at the maximum.

The total population is less than two thousand.

In fact, this population number already makes Yumin Village one of the larger ones among the surrounding villages.

Over the years, the rural population around Haizhou City has been decreasing every year, with people going out for studies or work and no one coming in.

They rely only on newborns to fill the gap, not able to make up for the natural deaths.

Yang Jie continued introducing the village’s details: "Most of the people from our village who go out to work are in stone carving. During the busy farming season, they farm at home and go out to work when free, during summer and winter."

"Sun Baojun’s family is just like that."

"Has Sun Baojun not returned for the past two years?"

Zhang Hui was particularly interested in this point.

"I’m not exactly sure. Although people don’t move often in the village, nobody reports to us whether they go out for work or not. We only have an approximate count."

"Also, Sun Baojun’s family situation is a bit special. He never married, his mother died early, and only his ailing father is at home."

"In previous years, their family was quite poor, listed as a poverty-stricken household in the village. But in these past two years, he earned some money from working outside, and conditions have improved."

"Look, that brick house up ahead is Sun Baojun’s family home."

As they spoke, they had already walked to the west end of the village, seeing Sun Baojun’s house.

Though not big, the house was new. The yard was newly paved with cement, clean and tidy.

"The house was built three years ago with partial village funding and some of their own money, considered an affordable housing scheme."

Yang Jie explained, instructing a squad leader from the village to open the gate, and entered the yard directly.

Sun Baojun’s father, Sun Aiguo, was digging potatoes in the vegetable garden when they arrived.

"Old Sun, these are officers from above, looking for Sun Baojun."

The squad leader seemed familiar with old Sun, explaining the situation. The man stood trembling with age.

"Did Baojun...commit a crime?"

...

The Sun family living room.

"Baojun hasn’t been back for more than two years. I called him, and he said he was busy with a well-paying job outside."

"At first, I thought he might be in trouble outside, but he sends home more money every month, which reassured me."

More than two years without returning?