Chapter 26: Unfair

The first stop for Chen Fan and his party was Xia Village, the largest settlement under the county’s jurisdiction. The village had a population of over 800, yet 76 women had gone missing—all of them young.

Chen Fan and Li Xing instructed the village head to gather all the current residents in the village square. Once everyone had been assembled, Chen Fan turned to Li Xing. "Have them count how many men, women, and children are present."

"Let us three handle the counting!" Li Xing replied, and he set off with two colleagues to perform the tally. Shortly thereafter, they returned to Chen Fan to report.

"Brother Chen, I counted 88 young men, 204 middle-aged and elderly men, and 7 young women! There are 414 middle-aged and elderly women, 93 young girls, and 53 young boys."

"Brother Chen, my count is the same; there is very little discrepancy," the other colleague added.

Chen Fan glanced at Li Xing, who nodded slowly. He did some quick mental arithmetic in his notebook: including the missing women, the total came to 847. This was only a difference of 21 people compared to the household registers they had reviewed at the county office. He surmised that these were likely children born who had not yet been reported to the county. However, he suspected those unreported children were likely girls, as any boys would have long since been taken to the county by the villagers to claim the birth bounty.

*These figures are quite telling,* Chen Fan thought. *With so many women missing, this must be the work of a large syndicate. It seems anyone who frequently drank with Xia Ya is now a suspect.*

Chen Fan stepped before the villagers to deliver the speech he had prepared.

"People of Xia Village! You have all worked very hard! This year, Magistrate Cao promoted agriculture, and your village provided the most manpower. The Magistrate is deeply grateful for your support! He had already planned to send people to reward you. He intended to send furniture and household goods to every family after the autumn harvest, as your remote location makes it difficult to procure such daily necessities.

"But! To think that before you could receive your reward, you were targeted by villains! They used despicable means to abduct your wives, daughters-in-law, mothers, and daughters! Upon hearing this, the Magistrate was heartbroken and intended to come personally to resolve your plight. However, he was summoned to the commandery and, unable to leave, sent us in his stead. We have brought along the finest cooks and ingredients from the best tavern in the county. Let everyone eat! Every one of you is invited to the table! We have also brought six of the county’s finest constables—men with the potential to become Silver-Badge Constables! If you have any leads, report them directly to these men!"

Chen Fan paused, letting the words sink in.

"Until we solve this case, at least five constables will remain stationed in Xia Village to continue the investigation and ensure the safety of your village. I hope everyone will actively cooperate with our work; with officials and citizens united, we shall solve this case soon! If anyone has questions, ask me directly, and I will answer them one by one!"

As Chen Fan finished, the crowd in the square began to whisper. They were moved by his sincere words. They felt acknowledged, for truly, not a single soul in the village had been idle lately. They had been toiling in the fields from dawn until dusk, and life had indeed been bitter.

Chen Fan had not told Li Xing his full objective, fearing it might affect the natural performance of his team. He would not spring his trap until he was certain of catching the mastermind. Chen Fan suspected that the timing of the autumn harvest and the disappearances was no coincidence. It was a strategy to kill two birds with one stone: disrupting Magistrate Cao’s harvest plans, profiting from the abductions, and testing the movements of the local government. If his theory held, the person behind this must be wealthy or powerful. It was impossible for the likes of Liu Jia to abduct so many women on their own, and the potential profit would have been immense. Still, these were only suspicions; Chen Fan dared not be certain and chose to remain still, planning carefully before taking action.

The village head led several elders to kneel before Chen Fan, weeping bitterly. "My Lord! We are eternally grateful! Magistrate Cao is truly a righteous official!"

Chen Fan helped the eldest among them to his feet. "Please, elders, rise! This is merely our duty!"

The elders were reluctant to rise, so Chen Fan and Li Xing had to help them up one by one. Even after standing, they continued to wipe away tears. The younger men, however, seemed indifferent; they only hoped the Magistrate would grant them new wives, otherwise, they would be forced to do all the labor themselves. The women were somewhat moved, feeling that they were at least valued by the county, though they suspected the authorities only cared about their labor.

Seeing the elders’ emotions spiraling, Chen Fan sought to divert their attention. "Village head, could you arrange a kitchen for us? Let us prepare a meal to comfort everyone."

The village head readily agreed and led Chen Fan’s party to the kitchens. As the village lacked a large communal kitchen, he assigned twenty or thirty women to assist the tavern cooks in their own homes.

Chen Fan remained in the square to chat with the men, while Li Xing and his team did the same, subtly gathering information. "My friends! You must find time to visit the Kai-Xin Tavern in the county! The food there is delicious! We brought the tavern's cooks today so you can have a taste; I’m sure you’ll be full of praise!"

The men showed little reaction, barely listening. Chen Fan felt a bit awkward, realizing he needed to talk about something that truly resonated with them.

"Ah! What a pity! What a great pity!" Chen Fan slumped down, acting as if he were crying.

The men were intrigued by his sudden, inexplicable behavior. One man curiously asked, "My Lord, what is the matter? Why are you crying?"

Chen Fan played hard to get, remaining silent while letting out a few more sobs. The men began to console him. "My Lord, do not be sad! If there is a difficulty, speak it out; we will do our best to help!"

Seeing their full attention fixed on him, Chen Fan spoke. "Alas! I feel it is so unfair for you brothers! Unlike the men in the county who do nothing, you toil away at physical labor every day! How many men nowadays would help their wives with their work? You all possess the integrity of noble men! And yet, you have lost your wives! To think that such fine men as yourselves are destined to labor in hardship for a lifetime—I feel this is so unjust! Why should those lazy, gluttonous men enjoy a life of ease, while you must suffer and toil here?"

"Waaah—"

Hearing Chen Fan’s words, the men felt a deep sense of grievance. Some even began to weep along with him. Chen Fan looked up and wiped his eyes, using the motion to observe their reactions. He was setting a trap, preparing to make them willing to help him with the autumn harvest. He was, in essence, manipulating them.