Chapter 356 - 350_1
What was going on, Lin Yue wondered. Erhu and Aniu had stood watch outside the workshop all night and hadn’t discovered anything. Not a single red sweet potato from the thirty or forty pounds was missing. Could they just vanish into thin air? It wasn’t like those detective shows on TV. Yet, here she was, stumbling onto such a strange occurrence. A flicker of interest sparked within Lin Yue, and she was eager to find out how the thief had stolen the sweet potatoes. She looked closely around the room where the potatoes were stored, searching for clues.
After a thorough search inside and out, no evidence came to light. The lock on the door was intact, without a single sign of being tampered with. This room was specifically designed for storage, and apart from a small ventilation hole high up on the wall, which not even a child’s head could fit through, there was no other way in or out except for the locked door.
Li Xiaomei, watching Lin Yue inspect the area without making a sound, could no longer hold her patience. "Second sister-in-law, what are you looking at? Say something. What on earth is going on? Do we need to call over Second Brother to ask if it was his oversight that let the thief in?"
"I know what kind of person Erhu is, and Older Brother Liu is responsible too. The sweet potatoes could have been stolen with both of them on guard only if something else went wrong," Lin Yue said, her gaze sweeping the storage room. Where could the problem be? As her eyes moved around the room, they passed over the corner where dustpans, bamboo baskets, and other miscellaneous items were piled up, on top of a wooden board. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She strode over, moved the items off the board, and lifted it, revealing a tunnel underneath large enough for a person to pass through.
This was indeed astonishing. Someone had dared to dig a tunnel into her workshop—an audacious move. But the thief was clever, and if she hadn’t watched too many detective dramas, she might never have suspected such an inconspicuous hole in the corner under a pile of clutter. Digging the hole was a simple, direct, and effective method. At the dead of night, the thief could crawl through unnoticed.
Li Xiaomei, upon seeing Lin Yue uncover the tunnel among the clutter, couldn’t stop exclaiming in shock. "Oh my goodness, who would do such a thing, it’s so immoral! They actually dug a tunnel into your house. No wonder the sweet potatoes went missing. Second sister-in-law, what should we do?"
After examining the tunnel, Lin Yue covered the hole with the wooden board, restoring it to its original state. Looking at the direction of the tunnel, she could roughly guess where it led and was planning to confirm it. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Xiaomei watching her curiously.
"Xiaomei, the workers will be here soon. Don’t stay here; go about your normal business and don’t arouse suspicion," Lin Yue instructed.
Li Xiaomei, following Lin Yue out, nodded, "Got it, second sister-in-law. Where are you off to? Are you going to check where this tunnel leads, or are you going to report to Second Brother?" Originally, Xiaomei had been tempted to crawl into the tunnel to see where it led, but she gave up on the idea after Erhu cautioned her not to get dirty.
"That’s none of your concern. Just do your job and make sure you don’t give anything away in front of the others," Lin Yue said, well aware of Xiaomei’s gossip-prone nature. If she answered one question, a dozen more would follow. It was better to keep her in the dark; she would find out everything in time.
Lin Yue walked to the back of the workshop and, as expected, found a tunnel behind the wall, also concealed with various items. This spot was located behind the workshop, in the opposite direction of the main gate, which explained why Erhu hadn’t noticed anything.