Chapter 191 The Murderer
Su Tong took it and looked at it. Inside was a diary in a plastic cover. The three words "Yu Fengzhi" were written in the corner of the title page. But when he turned the page, it was all blank. There was not a single word written on it. There were only traces of torn paper on the back.
Su Tong looked up at Jing Mei, but before she could ask, Jing Mei grabbed the corner of her clothes and said:
"Two years ago, two of our comrades from other counties got lost along the way. Baogen helped to look for them. He searched for almost a month, and it was he who later found a satchel that revealed that the two comrades had fallen into a stream."
"Is this notebook in that bag?" Su Tong asked.
Jing Mei's voice got lower and lower. "Yes, I didn't know at first. He hid it. I saw it by accident and he told me about it. Bao Gen said that the police wanted to take the bag back as evidence. He thought this book was good-looking, so he secretly took it back."
After that, Jing Mei explained in a panic:
"Baogen, he said that this notebook is not worth much, and the police won't, won't pursue it."
"Did you only take this notebook? You didn't take anything else."
"There was also a pen! Later, Baogen fell ill, and my aunt took the pen away!"
"Jingmei, can you read?"
Qin Yi, who had been silent nearby, asked.
It is unlikely that a girl who has never left the mountains and got married at the age of sixteen can read and write in this village. Data shows that there are no more than twenty people who can read and write among the hundreds of people in the village.
As expected, Sister Jing waved her hands and said, "No, I don't know her!"
Qin Yi pointed at the notebook and asked, "How do you know those three words are Yu Fengzhi? Did Bao Gen tell you?"
“Yes, yes!”
Jing Mei answered timidly, "I asked Baogen... Baogen was very angry and yelled at me, saying that this was the name of that lesbian and told me to keep it to myself. I, I didn't dare to ask later."
At this time, several women's voices were heard outside the door.
"Jingmei! How are you doing? Grandpa asked us to help!"
"Sister Jing, I brought some cornmeal and pickles to make dry food for you!"
Before he finished speaking, two or three women came in carrying baskets. They seemed to have not expected that there was anyone in the room and had surprised looks on their faces.
Jing Mei seemed relieved and quickly stood up to greet them.
Then he looked at Su Tong and Qin Yi embarrassedly, and his intention to send them away was obvious.
It was inappropriate to ask anything more at this time. Su Tong and Qin Yi stood up to say goodbye. Jing Mei saw them out, but still asked nervously:
"Doctor Alan, my Baogen..."
Su Tong glanced at her and said:
“All I can say is, I’ll try my best!”
Qin Yi stared at Jing Mei and asked again:
"Was Baogen alone when he found the satchel?"
"ah?"
Jing Mei's emotions, which had just calmed down a little, immediately became nervous again. She seemed to recall for a while before she answered hesitantly:
"No, it's not! He and Sanniu found it together."
Coming out of Jing Mei's house, Su Tong looked at Qin Yi and said:
"Although there is no direct evidence, I think Sanniu and Baogen must be hiding something from the village. We should go to his house again..."
Qin Yi looked at her deeply and said:
"What a coincidence. I just came out of Sanniu's house before coming to Jingmei's place. You are right. Sanniu and Baogen should have seen Yu Fengzhi."
Su Tong was a little surprised.
Qin Yi continued, "I went to Sanniu's home and saw Sanniu's mother. She was traumatized by Sanniu's death and was a little mentally disturbed. She kept talking nonsense."
"Everyone in the village believes that Sanniu and Baogen are being punished for eating wild boar meat offered as sacrifices, but I heard Sanniu's mother clearly muttering, 'Those two people are back to take my life!' She clearly said 'two people' and not some ancestors... The rest of the villagers either really don't know, or they are collectively hiding it!"
"Combined with what Sister Jing said just now, we can be sure that Sanniu and Baogen not only met Yu Fengzhi and Yang Huilin, but they should also be related to their disappearance..."
Qin Yi turned around and looked at the mountains in the distance. He exhaled a long breath and said slowly and clearly:
"Or, the disappearance of the two people was caused by them."
Su Tong just felt a chill down his spine.
——————
When the two returned to Aunt Ge's house, Cheng Gang and Zhou Jin had already returned and were waiting outside the yard with Lin Li. Some were squatting, some were standing, and they were chatting with a villager next door who was stacking firewood.
The clothing styles of these people are very different, mainly a combination of Chinese and Western styles. They have lazy postures and the image of ruffians. There is no trace of soldiers at all.
Chen Yunfeng is not here. He must have gone to Baogen again.
Seeing Su Tong and Qin Yi coming back, they exchanged glances with each other and walked into the room one after another.
Aunt Ge seemed to have gone out. There was no one inside or outside the house, and Mao Ya was nowhere to be found.
After everyone sat down, Qin Yi signaled them to report their respective situations.
Zhou Jin looked a little depressed and said:
"I walked around the village for a long time, whether passing by or coming here on purpose, but I didn't hear anyone who had seen 'Auntie Feng'. When I asked about Yu Fengzhi, only a very few people had heard of her name..."
"However, I did hear some other news. The witch was Ge Baogen's great aunt, the younger sister of Baogen's grandmother. She offered the pen during the ritual, so she must know something."
The witch is the aunt?
Cheng Gang had the same expression. "I found Hu Zi's home, but his door was locked. The neighbors said Hu Zi had gone to visit relatives. I was worried that they were not telling the truth, so I walked around the village, but I didn't see any teenage boys. I thought I could ask Mao Ya about Hu Zi's whereabouts when I came back, but unexpectedly, the neighbors just said... Mao Ya had gone out as well."
"Mao Ya is out too?"
Su Tong was very surprised. He had seen Mao Ya in the morning and hadn't heard that they were going out.
Qin Yi said: "Maybe we aroused their vigilance when we inquired about the news this morning, so they are on guard now."
It was rare for outsiders to come into this village, so even if they did nothing, they were still the focus of the villagers. Moreover, they were wandering around the village, so it was difficult for them not to attract attention.
Qin Yi informed several people of the information they had discovered, and then said:
"Now, based on the clues we have collected so far, we can boldly assume that two years ago, two comrades from the county government, Yu Fengzhi and Yang Huilin, met Baogen and Sanniu on their way to Wushanao or when they first entered the village. We don't know what happened between them, maybe it was a human conflict or maybe it was an accident. In short, the two comrades disappeared before they could successfully enter the village."
"Two years later, they stole wild boar meat during the Ghost Festival and ate the undercooked meat, which caused them to contract brain cysticercosis. In addition to the physical symptoms of headaches and diarrhea, this disease also causes hallucinations, which magnify the secrets they have hidden in their hearts."
"Based on the information Sanniu and Baogen revealed when they were unconscious due to a high fever, it is very likely that Yu Fengzhi and Yang Huilin are no longer alive. Sanniu and Baogen either knew about it but did not report it, or they are the murderers themselves."
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