Upon hearing this, Guan Feng pointed to the security camera at the door and asked, "Was all of this captured on camera?"
The middle-aged man said nervously, "I... I think I took some pictures, right?"
Guan Feng then looked at Zhao Yang and instructed, "Check the surveillance footage and see if that's the case! Zhang Yongsheng, this is a matter of life and death. It's not that we don't believe you, but your testimony doesn't stand up to scrutiny. A normal person would think twice about why they bought food at such a low price, right? You just think it was electrocution?"
The middle-aged man sighed and said, "I... I was just too honest. I never thought that fellow villagers would cheat each other. My wife has scolded me for this several times."
Guan Feng looked at the other party's honest and unassuming appearance, sighed inwardly, and then waved to Zhao Yang.
Zhao Yang and Huang Lili immediately went forward to retrieve the surveillance footage.
Guan Feng asked, "When exactly did your fellow villager arrive?"
The middle-aged man said, "It must have been the night before last. After arriving, they brought the cow over, around 9 p.m.
Guan Feng instructed Zhao Yang to retrieve the surveillance footage according to the relevant timeframe.
A moment later.
The relevant surveillance footage was played.
A figure appeared in the surveillance footage, standing at the store entrance, whose height and appearance vaguely resembled Zhang Yongsheng.
Zhang Yongsheng pointed to the figure and said, "That's my fellow villager! Zhang Yongqiang! He raises a lot of cattle and is a big cattle dealer in the village! He's the one who sold the cattle to me."
While watching the video, Guan Feng asked, "Does anyone say this cow is his? Or was it acquired?"
Zhang Yongsheng shook his head and said, "Then I didn't ask!"
Guan Feng frowned and said, "You're in this business, these things are just a matter of asking questions. You don't ask this or that. Don't you know how to protect yourself at all?"
Zhang Yongsheng looked ashamed and said, "Yes, it's my fault."
Seeing this, Guan Feng felt sorry for their misfortune and angry at their lack of self-control. He waved his hand and said, "The best thing to do now is to make sure that you have all of this recorded on your surveillance cameras. Otherwise, we'll have a lot of arguments about whose fault it is!"
Zhang Yongsheng also realized the seriousness of the problem and watched the video along with him.
The two people in the video begin to talk.
Zhang Yongqiang told Zhang Yongsheng that the cow had been electrocuted and wouldn't fetch a good price even if transported to Shanghai, plus the cost of shipping, so he might as well sell it to Zhang Yongsheng at a discounted price.
Zhang Yongsheng didn't want it.
He had no idea what was wrong with the cow.
However, Zhang Yongqiang used their shared hometown ties to pressure them, brought up their kinship, and even patted his chest to guarantee that there would be no problem.
Zhang Yongsheng had no choice but to agree to let Zhang Yongqiang see the cow first, but Zhang Yongqiang immediately arranged for people to unload it. Zhang Yongsheng could only feel helpless and powerless.
He stepped forward, cut a piece of meat, and handed it to his dog.
Guan Feng could see clearly that Zhang Yongqiang's expression changed upon seeing this scene, as if he was feeling uneasy, but he quickly returned to normal.
Because after the dog finished eating, it still swaggered around, licking its face, looking at Zhang Yongsheng, as if hoping its owner would give it some more.
Guan Feng frowned and said, "Stop!" After the scene paused, he looked at Zhang Yongsheng and asked, "This meat is poisonous. Logically, eating it should make you sick, but how come the dog is fine after eating it?"
Zhang Yongsheng asked, "Are you sure it's a problem with this meat?"
Guan Feng nodded and said, "That's right! Our people have already tested it, and the toxin is in this beef."
Zhang Yongsheng said, "That's probably because they gave the cow a stomach wash."
Guan Feng asked, "How do I wash it?"
Zhang Yongsheng said, "In the past, if a cow was poisoned, we would force-feed it water, sometimes dozens of kilograms at a time! After the cow choked to death, we would slaughter it and drain the water. This way, the water would flush out the poison through the blood vessels, reducing its toxicity. Most people would be fine after eating it, and dogs, with their good digestion, would be even less affected."
Guan Feng nodded and said, "There's such a method? Then it seems that's how it is!"
Zhang Yongsheng said, "I never expected Yongqiang to lie to me! What do I do now? I really didn't mean to?"
Guan Feng said, "Your suspicion hasn't been cleared yet!"
He then looked at Zhao Yang and said, "Keep playing!"
Zhao Yang continued playing the video.
In the video, Zhang Yongsheng and Zhang Yongqiang begin discussing prices.
Zhang Yongqiang offered 25 yuan per jin and even encouraged Zhang Yongsheng to sell it at the normal price of 40 yuan per jin or more, but Zhang Yongsheng directly rejected the offer, saying, "I don't feel at ease making this money. I'll just keep making the same as before, 3 yuan per jin. I'll make it clear to them."
Zhang Yongqiang laughed and said that Zhang Yongsheng was silly.
Zhang Yongsheng said in a simple and honest manner, "I'm just doing business with my regular customers. I can't do this kind of thing, selling inferior goods as superior ones. I'll help you this time, but I can't do it next time. It's not easy for my small shop to survive. Don't come here next time."
Zhang Yongqiang said confidently, "Don't worry, this will only happen once! There won't be a next time."
Zhang Yongsheng then weighed the food and paid.
......
Having read this far, Guan Feng was basically able to rule out Zhang Yongsheng as a suspect. Whether it was the initial leniency or the later sale at the normal price, it was clear that Zhang Yongsheng was not a bad person at heart, was unaware of these matters, and was also operating his business honestly.
However, this situation does not mean that he bears no responsibility.
Negligently causing someone to be poisoned is also a crime!
Of course, it depends on Zhang Yongsheng's situation. If the other party knowingly committed the crime and deliberately framed him, then ordinary people may not have the awareness to guard against it. From this point of view, there is a possibility that he may be innocent.
Guan Feng said, "Zhang Yongsheng, I need to remind you of something now! The beef sold from your shop has caused more than 100 people to be poisoned. This is an extremely serious mass poisoning incident, and if the responsibility is investigated, it will be very serious."
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