Following Lin Taichu's instructions, Wang Xiaohu changed into plain clothes that afternoon and headed straight out of the city.
He first went to Li Family Village and found the tavern at the village entrance that Li Laoshi had mentioned. The tavern was small, with only one storefront. Its owner was a man in his fifties. When he saw Wang Xiaohu enter, he hurried over to greet him.
Wang Xiaohu did not question him directly. He first ordered a bowl of noodles, then chatted with the owner as he ate.
"Boss, these noodles taste pretty good. Most of your customers are villagers, right?" Wang Xiaohu asked. The owner smiled. "They're all local folks. Occasionally, passing merchants stop by too."
"Did a man named Li Laoshi eat noodles here yesterday and then get a stomachache?" The owner's expression changed slightly before quickly returning to normal. "I think there was someone like that. Maybe he ate something else that upset his stomach. It had nothing to do with my noodles."
Wang Xiaohu noticed that something was off about his expression and had a good idea of what was going on. He then casually asked about the owner's son.
The owner said his son had gone into the city to visit relatives a few days ago and had not returned yet. Wang Xiaohu did not ask any further questions. After paying, he left Li Family Village and went to Zhang Family Village. The tavern in Zhang Family Village was laid out much like the one in Li Family Village, though its owner was a young man in his thirties.
Using the same method to inquire around, Wang Xiaohu discovered that the tavern owner's younger brother had also suddenly left recently.
More importantly, while making inquiries in Zhang Family Village, Wang Xiaohu encountered two more