Chapter 31
Tang Qingqing jogged along the way, stopping from time to time to observe, and then started running again after a while.
Zhai Hongyi, Qin Sa and the security guard said nothing and followed in pursuit.
Tang Qingqing ran a long way, but later she couldn't run anymore, so she changed to brisk walking.
The four of them walked for at least two hours. The security guard couldn't help but ask Qin Sa:
"Comrade Qin, do you think you can find it?"
After walking such a long way, Qin Sa remained calm and composed: "Just follow me and you will know."
After walking and stopping for more than two hours, Tang Qingqing stood by the roadside without moving.
After walking for such a long time, Tang Qingqing's face was slightly flushed.
Qin Sa: "Are you tired? You need to take a rest after walking for so long. There is no need to rush."
Tang Qingqing shook her head. Her physical condition was not as bad as before.
"Look, the footprints are right here. The thief is in this village."
Tang Qingqing pointed to the village next to them. It was a big village with rows of houses that could be seen from a distance.
Qin Sa took a look and said, "This is the Huangzipo Brigade."
The security guard said, "There are quite a few people in this brigade. We can't search every house, right?"
"There were two thieves, both men. One of them was wearing rubber-soled shoes and was short, only as tall as Sister Sa, about 1.723 meters, about 20 years old. The other one was wearing cloth-soled shoes, was stronger, about 1.8 meters tall, about 25 years old."
Security guard: "There are probably quite a few people who meet these conditions."
Qin Sa rolled his eyes at him in anger: "The scope has been reduced so much, and we still can't find it. What else do you want to do? Do you really have to catch the person in front of you?"
The security guard scratched his head in embarrassment: "That's not what I meant. I just thought it was too amazing, as if I had seen a criminal."
"It's good to have these. At least we have locked them here. When we enter the village, we will investigate every household with the brigade officers. I don't believe we can't catch them."
It's not easy to steal so much stuff quietly.
Tang Qingqing spoke again: "If the criminal was in front of me, I could recognize him."
The security guard took a step forward, but stopped when he heard this.
"Can you recognize it? How?"
Tang Qingqing nodded affirmatively: "Everyone's walking posture and shape will affect their footprints. As long as I can see them, I can know who they are."
Qin Sa paused and waved at them.
"Let's go into the village first."
Qin Sa led a few people into the Huangzipo Brigade. Qin Sa was wearing casual clothes, but the security guards were wearing uniforms.
As soon as he entered the village, children playing outside gathered around him.
"Public security, public security!"
The children's eyes were full of envy and yearning, and they looked up at the security guard's big hat.
The security guard found the oldest child and asked, "Kids, where is your captain's home?"
"I know, I know!"
A group of children jumped up and down, all wanting to be the leader.
The child who was asked for directions was even more excited, "Uncle, follow me, I know where it is!"
Along the way, the children kept asking, "Uncle, are you here to investigate a case?"
"Uncle, are you here to catch the disobedient child?"
"Uncle, are you a relative of the captain?"
A group of children were making a lot of noise, and they also had the ability to gather other children. Not long after they entered the village, a group of children surrounded the security guard.
The child attracted the attention of the adults in the family again. A villager came up to ask what happened and why he came here during the New Year.
Qin Sa, Zhai Hongyi and Tang Qingqing, the three of them unkindly fell behind, with no intention of sharing the burden at all.
Tang Qingqing looked around, watching every young man who came out to join in the fun.
As soon as they arrived at the captain's house, the news of their entry into the village had spread everywhere.
This is how it is in the countryside. Once someone comes from another village, he will be known to others very quickly.
Tang Qingqing couldn't help but say to Qin Sa, "The criminals won't just run away after hearing the news, right?"
"It's just right that he ran away. I caught him every time."
Tang Qingqing thought about it and agreed that this was tantamount to confessing one's guilt.
Zhai Hongyi: "I'm afraid they'll hide everything and there won't be any evidence."
Before the few people entered the captain's house, the captain had already received the news and walked out to greet them.
The captain recognized Qin Sa and was startled: "Public Security Qin, why are you here during the Chinese New Year?"
Qin Sa often went to the village to conduct investigations. She was a rare female police officer on field duty, so almost all the brigade chiefs in the commune knew her.
Qin Sa glanced at the onlookers, and the captain understood what was going on, and quickly drove those villagers away.
"What are you all doing here? Go back to your work."
Then, he led the group into his main hall.
When the captain saw Tang Qingqing, he was a little surprised. He didn't understand why she brought such a girl with her. Was she not here to investigate a case?
Qin Sa did not beat around the bush and went straight to the topic of the theft of the supply and marketing cooperative.
"We have now tracked down your team and need your cooperation."
The captain was incredible: "That's impossible. Everyone in our team is honest. No one has the habit of stealing."
"We have tracked you down so far. We have already told you the situation. We now need the team leaders to cooperate with us."
"I will definitely cooperate."
The captain said this repeatedly, but he couldn't help muttering in his heart, who has done such an immoral thing that makes people uneasy during the New Year!
The team leader immediately called together the team leaders and asked them to gather all the members to the sun-drying field for a meeting.
The brigade officers took gongs and drums and started beating them, notifying every household.
Except for children, the elderly and women, everyone else has to go to the sunbathing ground.
"Emergency notice, every household has received it, all the masters put down their work and go to the threshing ground."
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month this year, it was a busy time. When the people of the Huangzipo Brigade heard the brigade cadres shouting, they couldn't help complaining.
"Really? How can there be so much going on during the Chinese New Year? Meetings every day. Can't we just have a peaceful New Year?"
"That's right. It's freezing cold out here. We can't wait until after the New Year to talk about anything."
"You probably didn't hear that the police just came into our village."
"Public security? What are they doing here?"
"Who knows? Anyway, not long after we arrived, we gathered everyone together, and we all went to look for the big bosses."
"Could it be that someone has committed a crime?"
Everyone was guessing what had happened, and although they were unhappy, they did not dare to remain silent.
Some people even dropped what they were doing and ran over to join in the fun, wanting to know what was going on and why there was such a big fuss.
When Tang Qingqing was sitting on the kang and almost dozed off, the captain came into the room to inform everyone that they were all there.
She then walked out of the house, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, letting her clothes wrap her tightly.
Tang Qingqing went there without saying anything. People who didn't know thought she was the younger sister following Zhai Hongyi, and didn't know that she was the protagonist today.
This was something Qin Sa had discussed with her in advance. She was too young and would easily arouse everyone's distrust.
If people knew that she was the one who identified the criminal, many would definitely be dissatisfied and cause unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, being able to hide Tang Qingqing behind him is also a way to protect her.
Tang Qingqing had no objection, and even changed the address from "Brother Yi" to "Brother", acting as if she was here to play with her brother.
Although Zhai Hongyi has a young face, his height and demeanor make everyone think he is also a public security officer.
Although I was curious why he was bringing a little girl with him, I didn't think much about it.
The captain and officers quickly gathered everyone together and divided them into groups according to age.
One group for those under 18, one group for those over 35, and one group for the rest.
Dividing the groups into groups was a hassle. A villager who was watching the show couldn't help but ask:
"Captain, what are you doing?"
The security guard stepped forward and shouted:
"Comrades, fellow villagers, I am sorry to bother you today. Please cooperate with us."
An old woman shouted, "What kind of cooperation do you want? What happened in our brigade? It's Chinese New Year, can't we wait until after the New Year to discuss it? We are all busy."
They had a good harvest this year and were able to have a good year. Who knew that they would encounter these things at the end of the year? It always feels unlucky.
The captain snorted coldly: "If you want to blame someone, blame those crooked people. Don't think that you have done such a big thing and others don't know it. Be honest and stand up yourself. We can still deal with it leniently. Otherwise, hmph, we will deal with it severely!"
When everyone heard this, they became even more confused.
"Whose family committed a crime, and what crime did they commit?"
There was a particularly fierce old lady who yelled, "Whoever did this, come out now! My son has been feeling unwell these past few days, and he will definitely get sick if he continues to be exposed to the wind like this."
"Old lady, your stone is so hollow."
"You're such a weakling, can't you have a headache or a fever if you're working hard?"
"If you confess, you will be treated leniently; if you resist, you will be treated severely. If someone else's family commits a crime, don't cover up for your family. If you get caught, your whole family will be disgraced."
"Yes, if you kill your relatives for the sake of justice, you will be looked upon with respect and your family will not be affected. But if your family members help to keep it a secret, they may also be imprisoned."
The brigade cadres kept doing ideological work among the masses, but no one stood up.
"What on earth did you do wrong?"
The captain glanced at Qin Sa, and Qin Sa did not hide anything. He stood on a high place and scanned the people below.
"What happened last night, if any of you know which house sneaked someone out last night, please come out and tell me. If you think it's inconvenient, you can secretly find someone to pass a message to me later."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone started discussing again, and the scene became quite lively.
Qin Sa just scanned everyone's expressions, his eyes were sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts.
Soon, she noticed that someone's expression was not right.
Qin Sa just smiled at the man and didn't say anything.
Some who couldn't bear it found an excuse and left.
Some people just continued to stand there, not taking it seriously.
Qin Sa's gaze shifted to another direction and he continued speaking.
"During the New Year, everyone wants to have a good year, wear new clothes, eat well, and give gifts to the in-laws. But you can't just go to the supply and marketing cooperative and get things for free. Everyone, don't you think this makes sense?"
When the members heard this, they were all shocked.
"Someone actually stole from the supply and marketing cooperative!"
"Oh my god, this is too bold!"
Qin Sa raised his hand again to signal everyone to be quiet. "Not only did he satisfy his own selfish desires, he also injured the person on duty. He is now lying in the hospital. If no one comes forward to surrender before we catch this person, then the situation will be very serious and he will be imprisoned for life. The people who shielded him will also be punished."
"If you surrender yourself and hand over the stolen property, you can avoid implicating your family and receive a lighter sentence."
This made the whole situation even more outrageous. Not only did he steal things, but he also hurt people. This was really serious.
"Who did this immoral thing? This person has ruined the reputation of our brigade."
"Don't keep silent just to protect your own child, or you'll be embarrassed later."
"What are you talking about? Why don't you say it might be yours?"
"There is definitely no such person in my family."
"Then there is such a person in my family!"
The group of people were arguing loudly, and their eyes were full of suspicion when they looked at each other.
Tang Qingqing signaled to Zhai Hongyi to let the people from the younger and older groups walk in front of her one by one.
Zhai Hongyi made a request to the team leader, who picked up the loud speaker and asked everyone to be quiet and let the older group of people pass in front of the few people first.
"Come one by one, don't be in a hurry, just walk back and forth as usual."
No one understood why, but they did it anyway.
"Old Zhang, what's wrong with your legs? They were fine yesterday, why are you limping today?"
"Old Zhang, why are you so nervous? Are you the thief?"
Old Zhang was already nervous, and his composure immediately broke down when he heard these words.
"You bastard, you're just walking like this for no reason. Can't I be nervous?"
"You didn't steal anything, why are you so nervous?"
"If you have the guts, come over here and walk around like this. Don't make me feel uncomfortable."
After all that cursing, Old Zhang actually relaxed a bit and stopped limping.
Soon everyone's attention was no longer on him, because soon some people were so nervous that they were trembling with fear and tied themselves up.
The villagers who were watching burst into laughter.
Qin Sa looked at it and frowned worriedly:
She leaned towards Tang Qingqing calmly, "Will this affect you?"
Tang Qingqing shook her head.
Although some people walk differently from their usual posture due to nervousness, it is still impossible to change it fundamentally.
And after everyone walked two laps, they were almost back to normal.
The younger and older groups finished quickly and were all sent back home.
The onlookers were confused and didn't understand what was going on.
"Two laps and you're done? Why don't you walk a little longer? What if someone slips through the net?"
"Yeah, that's too hasty."
The security guard had never heard of such a request. "If you want your children and parents to walk more laps, just wait on the side."
When everyone heard this, they immediately started to laugh again.
"No, that's not the case. Isn't this actively cooperating with the public security comrades?"
"Everyone in our team is very sensible. Except for a few people, we all do whatever the organization says."
"That's right, so the shameless villain, if you know what's best for you, come out and turn yourself in!"
The remaining group consists of about thirty people.
Everyone clearly felt that the requirements for this group of people were much higher than before.
Some people had to walk back and forth several times before being asked to wait aside, while others were let go on the spot.
"What's that guy doing? What is he looking at?"
"I don't know. Does this mean that we can catch thieves just by walking around?"
Zhai Hongyi did not hide himself at all and continued to command:
Then, stand and walk again.
He was tall and half of Tang Qingqing was hidden by him, so no one noticed Tang Qingqing.
Tang Qingqing also remained silent, but secretly pulled his sleeve to convey the message.
The two of them had a very good understanding and cooperated with each other. Not only the onlookers, but even Captain Huang Zipo and the officers did not know that all this was related to Tang Qingqing.
Everyone thought that this little girl was just joining in the fun and no one took her seriously.
After more than an hour, twenty people were eliminated and only twelve were left.
Some of the onlookers got bored watching it, and it was freezing outside in the middle of winter, so they went home.
But more people stood there and refused to leave, wanting to know what was going on.
Not long after, Tang Qingqing locked the man up.
The person who was locked up was called Meng Jinming, the short one.
Meng Jinming was pulled out and was stunned for a moment, then he shouted loudly:
"What are you doing? I didn't do anything. Why are you arresting me?"
Qin Sa narrowed his eyes: "You still don't tell the truth!"
"You said I stole something, where is the evidence?"
"The footprints you left at the scene are the evidence!"
Meng Jinming felt extremely wronged: "I did go to the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday, but I went there in broad daylight. What? Does going to the supply and marketing cooperative make me a thief?"
The onlookers couldn't help but ask after hearing this: "Yes, Public Security Comrade, Meng Jin did go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things yesterday. Did he make a mistake?"
"Meng Jinming is an honest child. We have watched him grow up. He would not do such a thing."
"That's right, they're not so poor that they can't even afford to eat, so there's no need for them to steal."
Although everyone seemed to suspect each other before, once the thief was caught, the villagers became united again.
Qin Sa: "Don't worry, we won't wrongly accuse a good person, nor will we let a bad person go."
Meng Jinming cried, "Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, you can't wrongly accuse a good person. I really didn't do anything. If you don't believe me, go to my house and look for it. If you find the stolen goods, I will hit my head against the door and die!"
The tone of these words was firm, and Qin Sa's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.
"Don't worry, we will investigate."
Meng Jinming was complaining to the people around him: "If I had known that I would encounter these things, I would not have gone to the supply and marketing cooperative. Supply and marketing cooperatives are the favorite places for thieves. If you go there, you will be treated as a thief. It's too unfair."
"Isn't it?"
"Comrade Public Security, you can't just arrest people without evidence during the New Year. If you take them back for interrogation, you won't be able to celebrate this New Year. Even if you release them later, it will be unlucky!"
Not only did the crowd say so, even some brigade cadres spoke up to support Meng Jinming.
"Comrade Public Security, are you mistaken? Meng Jinming is a good comrade."
"We will continue to investigate whether he is a good comrade."
When Tang Qingqing saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel uneasy and began to doubt herself.
Will she admit her mistake?
But according to the footprint analysis, it is indeed this person.
In fact, she had recognized him long time ago, but just to be on the safe side, she deliberately asked them to walk a few more times to avoid making a mistake.
But with such a big fuss, if we make another mistake, the pressure will be even greater.
Tang Qingqing was terrified and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
A hand grabbed her wrist, and a low voice sounded in her ear:
"Believe in yourself. Even if you make a mistake, I'll be there for you."
These words were like heavenly music, calming Tang Qingqing down instantly.
She seemed to have a backer and confidence, so she was no longer afraid of risks.
Even if she is wrong, the worst that can happen is that she will stand up and admit it. Even if many people blame her and curse her, there are still people who support her.
After learning this, the fear in my heart disappeared.
Tang Qingqing gave Qin Sa an affirmative look. After receiving it, Qin Sa took Meng Jinming to his home.
Meng Jinming's family members had also received the news. As soon as they saw them coming, the old lady started crying.
"Comrade Public Security, you can't just blame my Jin Ming for not finding the thief! He has been an honest child since he was young. How could he do such a sneaky thing? You must have made a mistake."
"If you take him away, we will go to the commune. We won't take him away and wrongly accuse him."
And the hot-tempered young wife opened the door and said, "Come in and look. If you find a stolen item, our whole family will kowtow to you. If you don't find it, you must apologize to us!"
Meng Jinming also burst into tears: "Grandma, Mom, sister, it's my fault. I just wanted you to have some candy to eat during the New Year, so I went to the supply and marketing cooperative. Who knew that the supply and marketing cooperative was a den of wolves and you couldn't go there!"
The family's behavior made many people feel that there must be something wrong.
"Public security comrades, look at this, this guy doesn't look like a thief at all."
"Their house is so small, there's nowhere to hide things."
Indeed, there are not many members of the Meng family, and the house is small. There is not much in the house, and you can see it clearly once you open the door.
They had probably received the news in advance, so all the cabinets in the house were open, and even the cellar door was opened by them.
Like this, he is open and honest, without a trace of guilt.
Qin Sa couldn't help but frown at this time. A lot of things were lost in the supply and marketing cooperative. If they were hidden at home, they would definitely be seen if they were so open.
If the stolen property cannot be found, it would be impossible to convict based solely on footprints.
Even the suspect could not be taken out of the village.
In this case, either there was a mistake, or Meng Jinming did not take the stolen goods home at all, but hid them somewhere else, or perhaps with another suspect.
But at present, no trace of the other suspect has been found, so it is difficult to judge.
The security guard was even more puzzled, wondering if Tang Qingqing had made a mistake.
After all, Tang Qingqing is still too young. Although she has performed well before, it does not mean that she is always right. It is inevitable that she will make mistakes.
A group of people spoke up for Meng Jinming, and the captain couldn't help but speak up:
"Comrade Qin, are you guys mistaken? It's not that we don't cooperate with your work, but now it's Chinese New Year, and we can't let you take the person away without evidence."
This undoubtedly put Qin Sa in an awkward position. If he was taken back for interrogation, ordinary people would easily reveal their flaws during the interrogation process, thus breaking through the defense and finding out the truth.
But now I can't take it back, so I'm stuck here.
It is more troublesome to arrest people in the village than in the city because everyone is related to each other and if something goes wrong the whole village may come out to protest.
Sometimes, even if the evidence is solid, bringing someone out requires cooperation from all parties, not to mention that there is no actual evidence now.
At this time, Tang Qingqing slipped away from behind Zhai Hongyi and walked to the side of Meng Jinming's sister.
She is getting fairer and fairer, and has a pretty face. It's easy to let people down when looking at such a pretty girl.
"Sister, do you have a sister?"
When Meng Xiaomei saw Tang Qingqing, she nodded without thinking: "Yes, how did you know?"
"Did she marry into the Zhoujia Village Brigade?"
"No, are you mistaken? My eldest sister married into the Goutoushan Brigade."
"Ah? Didn't she marry a tall man who was about the same height as him, or even stronger than him?"
"He looks just like you described, but he is definitely not from Zhoujia Village Brigade. My brother-in-law came here yesterday, but he left early this morning."
Zhai Hongyi had been paying attention to Tang Qingqing. When he heard this, he said loudly:
"Did you have any guests over yesterday? Where are they now?"
Before the Meng family could reply, the enthusiastic onlookers responded for them:
"Their eldest son-in-law just left this morning. Otherwise, it would be said that the eldest daughter of the Meng family married well. The son-in-law is so filial that he often goes to his father-in-law's house to help out. He even came over before the New Year."
When he heard this, Meng Jinming's frank expression cracked a little, but soon recovered.
Qin Sa narrowed his eyes slightly, "What's the son-in-law's name? Where does he live?"
"The son-in-law is from the Goutoushan Brigade. His name is Zhang Guangyi."
"Zhang Guangyi?" Qin Sa couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. "An old acquaintance."
Zhang Guangyi likes to steal and has been caught several times.
After he got married, he behaved himself a lot and didn't get into trouble again, but Qin Sa still heard of his name.
The Meng family members looked unhappy. Old Lady Meng said:
"That was all in the past. Ever since my eldest daughter gave him a big fat boy, he has stopped doing those dirty things and has been living an honest and upright life."
"You are such a dishonest person. Let's investigate first. I'll make it clear in advance that if the person confesses first and reports his accomplice, he will be dealt with leniently, but the other person will be dealt with severely.
If it's really not your fault, then that's fine. If you are involved, then you have to consider whether Zhang Guangyi is the kind of person who is strict and doesn't like to throw the blame onto others."
Qin Sa thought of something and smiled immediately.
"There are so many things, and the stolen money must be worth a lot of money. The guy has connections, and I don't know if he can deal with it. He ran away by himself. He has done this before. It was only because we recovered the stolen goods that he didn't run away."
After these words were spoken, Meng Jinming's expression became even more tense, and both Mrs. Meng and her mother looked a little strange.
Qin Sa had been observing them. When she was at the drying field, she had already noticed that something was wrong with Meng Mu's expression.
She had just seen how resolute the Meng family was, and she had been shaken, but she trusted her own judgment more.
But when she was still thinking about how to break the impasse, Tang Qingqing had already stepped forward.
Qin Sa seemed to be chatting with the security guard casually, discussing with him how many years of imprisonment he would receive if he voluntarily confessed and if he was reported by someone.
Every word he said made the Meng family members break out in sweat.
The captain could see the problem, and while he was frustrated and angry, he cooperated with Qin Sa's work and went to find Mrs. Meng to do ideological work.
"Auntie, your family only has Jin Ming as a laborer. If he is locked up for more than ten years, it will be the end. If he just stole something, it would be fine. If he turns himself in, it won't be a big deal.
But if it's too late, your son-in-law will blame your son for the death, and then everything will be ruined. This is murder!"
Mrs. Meng, who had been relatively calm, shuddered when she heard this.
Although stealing is a serious matter, it is at most just a dirty act.
But it's different if someone kills someone. That person is a bad person and there is no hope for him.
"You, what nonsense are you talking about? Our Jin Ming didn't kill anyone!"
When the captain heard this, his eyes flashed.
"He didn't kill anyone, but he stole something, so he's not innocent of this matter! It's not easy for the police to arrest Jin Ming during the New Year, but Zhang Guangyi is different. He can be taken away because he has a criminal record. Are you sure he's a tight-lipped person?"
Mother Meng couldn't hold it in any longer and started crying:
"It really wasn't our Jin Ming who did it. This has nothing to do with our Jin Ming. It was all that Zhang Guangyi who instigated it!"
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