"This village is far from being as simple as it seems."

Hattori Heiji concluded his reasoning:

"They are not poor at all, on the contrary they are very rich."

Hearing this, everyone, including Sakaki Makoto, nodded in agreement.

Only Domon Yasuki asked:

"Can you infer the true identity of Hirai Village from a bottle of orange juice?"

"What is the reasoning?"

Hattori Heiji shrugged and said disapprovingly:

"Using details to discover the truth behind them is reasoning. I wonder if you noticed, Mr. Domon, that when you took out the Black Dragon Daiginjo, Mr. Hirai was very surprised."

"I found out. Uncle has no other hobbies except drinking. He will definitely be happy to see Black Dragon Daiginjo."

“That’s the problem!”

Seizing the opportunity, Conan took over the conversation and continued:

"After receiving the Black Dragon Daiginjo, Uncle Hirai did not rub it in his hands like a wine lover would. Instead, he threw it aside. This shows that he does not care about the value of the wine. He is simply happy that you, Mr. Domon, still remember that he loves to drink!"

There is an essential difference between the two. Domon Yasuki's pupils shrank and his heart sank.

He lived in the village for a month 20 years ago. During that time, he often drank with Uncle Hirai. Every time he drank too much, Uncle Hirai always said that he wanted to drink the famous sake "Dragon" brewed by Kuroryu Brewery. At that time, this sake was the most expensive sake. It used wine brewing technology and was very famous.

A true wine lover would definitely love it when seeing it, but Uncle Hirai did not do so. He did not even praise it during dinner.

Why?

Yasuki Domon didn't think much about it at first until Conan and others revealed the secret.

The reason is very simple. People who are used to drinking Moutai will not praise it when they see Moutai. They will just think it is natural.

It was a very small detail, but Sakaki Makoto and the others noticed it. This is the difference between detectives and ordinary people.

Hirai Village is definitely not rich enough to drink Kuroryu Daiginjo for every meal.

money...

Where are you from?

"I'm going to the kitchen."

Thinking of this, Yasuaki Domon suddenly stood up and prepared to go to the kitchen to find out what was going on.

Sakaki Makoto followed him out of the room and came to the kitchen at the end of the corridor. There were candles lit on the stove and Aunt Hirai was washing dishes by candlelight.

Seeing Domon Yasuki, Aunt Hirai immediately stood up and asked with a smile:

"What's wrong?"

"Drank too much and felt thirsty..."

Domon Yasuki licked his lips, looked around, and saw the old refrigerator standing in the corner:

"Is there any water?"

“Yes, yes, yes…”

When Aunt Hirai heard this, she thought it was a big deal, but it turned out that she was thirsty. Without saying anything, she opened the refrigerator, took out two bottles of mineral water, and stuffed them into Domon Yasuki's hands:

"Take it and drink it. Tell me if it's not enough!"

"Thanks."

Looking at the bottle of mineral water in his hand, Yasuki Domon smiled silently and turned back to the room.

His face was as cloudy as the weather outside. He sat down, squeezing the mineral water bottle until it creaked, and his breathing became a little rapid.

Mineral water is at room temperature.

There is a high possibility that there is a second refrigerator in Uncle Hirai's house.

The convenience store in the village is not far from Uncle Hirai's home, only 7 or 8 minutes' walk away. Even so, Uncle Hirai still keeps orange juice and mineral water at home...

Combined with the modern furniture of the uncle next door, I can imagine...

I'm afraid the truth is just as Sakaki Makoto and others said, Hirai Village is not poor at all, but very wealthy.

and...

The source of funds is estimated to be improper.

Gritting his teeth, Yasuaki Domon felt heavy-hearted.

He wanted Pingjing Village to live a good life more than anyone else, but he didn't want them to break the law for money.

"Ah Qing's death..."

After a long silence, Domon Yasuki asked in a hoarse voice:

“Does it have anything to do with money?”

"It depends on his character."

With a click, the fire flickered, and Sakaki lit a cigarette with a deep look in his eyes:

"What kind of person is Qing?"

"He is kind, cheerful, and likes the forest. He is the type of person who is a good guy but can stick to his bottom line at critical moments."

Domon Yasuki grinned and smiled:

"Every time he went up the mountain, he would bring a hunting rifle, but I never saw him kill any animals. When he encountered danger, he would just fire his gun into the air to scare them away with the sound of the gun."

"He and I got along very well. He was the youngest in the family, but he was not well-liked by his three brothers. We agreed that he would go to Tokyo with me after I recovered from my injury. But it was my father who came to the village that day. He had a tough attitude. I didn't want Qing to see his face, so I got on the car alone and planned to come back in a few days, but I didn't expect..."

"After returning to Tokyo, my father immediately sent me to the Self-Defense Forces for training, so my agreement with Qing was delayed again and again."

Sakaki Makoto and the others looked at each other. After hearing this, they roughly guessed what was going on.

If a good guy is murdered, there is usually only one reason.

Boom boom boom...

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard in the corridor, heading straight to the next room.

Sakaki Makoto and his companions curiously walked out of the room and came to the next door. They saw Hirai Takami, who looked flustered and said quickly:

"Dad, something happened on the mountain!"

The village chief, who had just finished drinking and was taking a nap on the quilt, suddenly opened his eyes when he heard this:

"What happened?"

"The heavy rain washed away the mountain and broke the barbed wire fence of the hunting ground!"

"What?!"

The village chief glared and asked sternly:

"There's a black bear in the hunting grounds! Have you contacted the town yet?!"

"We contacted them, but the rain is so heavy that they can't get here in a while!"

“It’s broken, it’s broken…”

The village chief was so anxious that he paced back and forth in the room, sweating profusely.

The hunting ground on the mountain is related to the economic lifeline of the village. Once a problem occurs, the consequences will be disastrous!

"Quick, go and call the others. We can't wait for the rain to stop!"

"knew!"

Takao Hirai put on a raincoat and rushed into the pouring rain without looking back.

"Uncle?"

Domon Yasuki, who heard the conversation between the two, asked in confusion:

"It's just a hole in the barbed wire. Is there any danger?"

"You don't know the inside story..."

The village chief shook his head and sighed, his expression serious:

"The hunting ground is a place where people control the ecology, and no large animals can be allowed in. Now there's a hole in the wire fence, and black bears preparing to hibernate will definitely take advantage of the situation and sneak in. The hunting ground is like a buffet to them! If all the animals are eaten, who will come to hunt? The village will have no source of funds!"

"so..."

Domon Yasuaki looked back:

"Gui Nan and the others are going into the mountains now?"

"Yes, the town can't send anyone right away. The only people left are the village rangers, more than a dozen of them. If they act quickly, they can patch up the hole before the black bear enters the hunting ground!"