The deceased excavated from the grave, as per forensic examination, was aged between 35-39, died around November 2021, and was 172 cm tall.

Based on the information provided by the coroner, Li Xiang and Secretary Li thoroughly reviewed the residential situation of all 500 households in Li Family Village.

However, after investigation, they did not find anyone who matched the criteria.

"If it's not working, I'll help you ask the neighboring villages to see if they have any leads."

Secretary Li, being acquainted with the secretaries from neighboring villages, volunteered to help with this task.

"That would be great."

With Secretary Li's coordination, Li Xiang and the team got in touch with the secretaries of several nearby villages, and they inquired in detail about the local population.

After some discussions, they also stated that there were no cases in their village where someone lived alone and went missing without a report.

Generally, with just a few hundred households, villagers know about each other's situations. If there's no match, it's likely to rule out local residents.

"Then who could it be? Did the processing plant hire out-of-towners?"

Li Xiang was baffled, but as of now, this seemed like the only explanation.

"It seems we still have to start with that clothing piece."

After circling back, Li Xiang and the team returned to the starting point.

They had to start with that piece of clothing again since it was one of the few clues the police had.

On the way to the processing plant, Li Xiang suddenly received a call from Secretary Li. The secretary from Wujia Dai called Secretary Li, saying he suddenly thought of someone but was not sure.

Upon receiving this information, Li Xiang and Mao Ji immediately turned the car around and headed to the home of the village secretary of Wujia Dai to understand the situation.

"I suddenly thought of someone, but I'm not very sure."

"Uncle Wu, it's okay. Any clue you have, you can share with us, and we'll verify the specifics when we return." The purpose of visiting was precisely to encounter all sorts of small clues; their job was to verify these clues for any relevance to the case.

"The fourth house on the west end of the village belongs to Wu Guihua. They originally had five children, but due to poor family conditions, they sent away the youngest son. Three years ago, this youngest son returned but supposedly went back to his adoptive parents after a while, so I didn't take it seriously. Thinking back, his age and height do match what you mentioned, but I'm unsure if it's him."

After learning, it turns out Wu Guihua had three sons and two daughters. The poorer you are, the more children you have. Later, due to an inability to raise them, they sent away the youngest son, who took the surname of his adoptive father: named Gu Hongye.

Once Li Xiang received this information, he immediately went to the fourth house on the west end of the village, Wu Guihua's home.

Upon arriving at the doorstep, the environment inside could undeniably be described as destitute.

While other homes had a cement coat on their outer walls, theirs was plainly red bricks with no adornments. The main door was covered in rust.

Li Xiang knocked on the door, and it wasn't long before an elderly, frail-looking man opened it.

"Hello, is this Wu Guihua's house? We are from the Jinghai City Public Security Bureau."

"Yes, is there something you need?"

"It's about this, do you know Gu Hongye?"

Upon hearing the name Gu Hongye, the expression on Wu Guihua's face visibly dropped: "Are you here looking for him? He has returned to his own home."

"We're not here to find him but to understand his situation. Would it be convenient to have a brief chat with you?"

Wu Guihua hesitated for a moment but eventually allowed Li Xiang and the team inside.

As they entered, the word "poor" summed it up.

There were hardly any decent household appliances, the only thing close being an electric light.

"Is it just you at home?"

"Yes, the wife went to her second daughter's place."

"Why not join them for some comfort?"

"I'm old now, don't want to be a burden to the children, being an eyesore." Wu Guihua's tone held no complaints, just the indifference of old age understanding human nature.

"There aren't any clean chairs at home. Please, go ahead and ask whatever you need."

Wu Guihua sat on the bed, though the bed and blanket were quite filthy, but with a solitary old man at home, much cleanliness wasn't expected.

"When did Gu Hongye return?"

"In 2020, I can't recall the exact time."

"And when did he leave?"

"Possibly in 2021, the exact time escapes me."

"Where do his adoptive parents live?"

"In the neighboring Jishi Town, his adoptive father is named Gu Dahai."

Li Xiang and the team focused on understanding Gu Hongye's situation, including his adoptive parents'. Through conversation, they didn't notice anything unusual about Wu Guihua, except for some grumbles when talking about Gu Hongye, claiming he was lazy, which is why he was sent back.

"Alright then, Uncle Wu, you carry on, we'll head back now."

Saying goodbye to Wu Guihua, Li Xiang and the team hurried to the neighboring Jishi Town to verify the situation with Gu Dahai.

If Gu Hongye had really just returned to his adoptive parents, then this lead would end, and they would need to restart tracing from the clothes.

Using the address provided by Wu Guihua, Li Xiang and the team successfully found Gu Dahai's home, and upon inquiry, they learned that after returning to his biological parents, Gu Hongye never went back.

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