CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 101: CHERRY VALLEY

"A traffic accident? A car flying off the mountain top? Do you think this is a Hollywood movie? Were there any casualties? What’s the direct economic loss?" Early in the morning, Mei Nian was informed that although the Mei Family’s rose farm was hidden at the foot of the mountain, it was still hit by a severe traffic accident, a rare occurrence in a decade, causing several acres of roses to be directly affected.

Despite cursing, Mei Nian, who was far away in the city, still hurried to Cherry Valley, hoping to figure out what caused that damned accident before the police arrived.

Cherry Valley is a rare relaxing haven in the Beijing suburbs. The Mei Family purchased the lands around Cherry Valley since the late Qing Dynasty, and hired a large number of tenant farmers to cultivate the barren lands, planting cherries for consumption by the nobles and wealthy people in Beijing at that time.

Before and after the liberation, domestic policies abolished the old tenant farming system. Flower farmers, who had lived by planting for the Mei Family for many years, did not want to leave and voluntarily chose to stay to continue planting for the Mei Family.

Back then, it was Mei Xiang who was in charge of the household, considering that the Mei Family had always embraced a philosophy of starting well and finishing well, with a strong bond between master and servants, letting go was not easy.

Mei Xiang then relied on some connections to lease the area around Meijia Village from the government, which was in dire need of funds for economic development.

The families of those flower and fruit farmers settled down in this area, and over the decades, a small village called Meijia Village formed.

The residents of Meijia Village still retain the customs of the Republic of China and the late Qing Dynasty, except for having electricity, their grains and vegetables are completely self-sufficient.

Their few outings each year are for selling cherries or during the rose harvesting season. It can be said that Meijia Village is a peaceful place, and Mei Nian became the head of the household for this generation of Meijia Village after Mei Xiang left.

When Mei Nian arrived, she encountered a traffic jam. Several district police had already come to gather evidence. The police were blocked at the gate by the villagers, and both groups were involved in a fierce argument.

"Miss, you’re here." Seeing Mei Nian’s arrival, Uncle Gu, the village chief of Meijia Village, hurriedly came forward and summarized the events, which matched what Mei Nian had heard over the phone. Coincidentally, the car crashed exactly where the "Rose Heart" rose that Mei Nian personally transplanted from Bulgaria the year before last was located.

This type of rose grows only leaves in the first year and produces only one flower per plant in the second year, adding one more flower each subsequent year, making it the most delicate variety in all the fields.

The conflict between the villagers and the police arose because the police ignored the villagers’ advice and trampled the flower seedlings recklessly.

Meijia Village rarely interacts with the outside world, and the villagers are simple-minded. They were almost ready to start a physical fight over a few words.

"Everyone calm down," Mei Nian glanced at the district police with a fierce expression, "I am a local here, and the lands here are legally leased and are personal private properties. Without a report to the police, how did you come here?"

All mountains and rivers in China belong to the state, but the Mei Family made significant contributions to the state at the beginning of Beijing’s establishment. The mayor of Beijing at that time allowed the Mei Family to lease over a thousand acres of land within the Cherry Valley area and promised that unless there were natural disasters or catastrophes, the land would not be requisitioned arbitrarily during the century-long lease.

Meijia Village has very good public security; occurrences of fights and theft among villagers are rare, and it has been many years since they last called the police.

"This is not just any civil damage case, the car accident resulted in a fatality, making it a criminal case. If it were solely a matter from Meijia Village, we police would certainly not interfere. However, last night there was an illegal street race on the mountain, which resulted in multiple injuries and one person falling to death. A death case is a matter of public prosecution. Also, the young man who died was not just anybody; he was the grandson of Xu Changfu, a representative of the Guangdong Political Consultative Conference." The police in this area are part of Mentougou District Police Station and have long been aware of such illegal racing events. In previous years with no serious incidents, they would normally turn a blind eye and make only a routine investigation and let it pass.

However, this time, the downhill race not only resulted in multiple injuries but also a death. The amount involved in the race was also substantial, and it was rumored that several foreign bookmakers were involved.

The Xu family from Guangdong directly contacted the chief of the district police station, which then passed it down through the ranks to Beijing’s district police station, turning it into a strict directive to thoroughly investigate this serious accident.