The two of them chatted and laughed, and in about two minutes they arrived outside Baihe Village.
Baihe Village is called a village, but in fact it is more like a gathering place for fishing boat shanties. At a glance, the whole village is filled with shanties and fishing boats. These houses are connected together and there is no end in sight.
The fish from Baihe River were not only sent to several nearby counties, but also to Yanjing via Daliang. Most of the fish and shrimps eaten by the people of Yanjing came from here.
Because of this, there are many fishermen living on fishing near Baihe River. From the hundreds of people in the early days, there are now six or seven hundred people.
Wanping even specially set up a patrol station here, and the county government also appointed a village chief to govern the people.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi were both wearing official uniforms. As soon as they arrived at Baihe Village, the patrol officers spotted them and immediately sent someone to call the village chief.
The village chief's house was right at the entrance of the village, and the sound of horse hooves could be heard from a long distance away. When the constable shouted at him, he immediately rolled and crawled to the entrance of the village to greet the two superiors.
The village chief is not even a clerk. He is only chosen to temporarily handle the affairs of Baihe Village so that the county magistrate does not have to do everything himself.
Therefore, the village chief of Baihe Village is just a middle-aged man in his forties. He has read a few books and can recognize a few words. He makes a living by fishing when he has nothing to do on weekdays. He looks simple and honest.
Jiang Lingyao took a close look at his dark and rough skin, and immediately thought of the young man who died yesterday.
Although the deceased was a young girl, her skin was much darker than that of an average lady. Her face was a little rough and her hands and feet were shackled. Her identity was self-evident.
Jiang Lingyao thought that there was a 60 to 70 percent chance that she was the fisherwoman from Baihe Village.
The village chief stood obediently in front of the two men. Seeing that they were both staring at him, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked. Sweat dripped from his head and his dark face soon turned red.
He was really a little scared.
Duan Nanqi stared at him for a few seconds, and when he saw that he was beginning to panic and get scared, he slowly took out the folded portrait from his sleeve and opened it to show him: "Does the village chief know this person?"
This portrait was painted by Zheng Sanji, who was very good at painting the faces of the dead. This portrait outlines the face of the deceased to about 70% of its original appearance, especially the big, round eyes and the small mole at the corner of the lips, which were all specially outlined.
The middle-aged village chief squinted his eyes and looked at her for a long time before he racked his brains and said, "Sir, I don't know this girl. There are so many people in our village, and I don't see everyone every day."
Baihe Village has a population of about 600 to 700 people, including men, women, young and old. There are probably about a hundred girls of this age. This girl did not have a striking face, was not particularly beautiful, and had nothing special about her, so the village chief naturally did not remember her.
Jiang Lingyao asked: "Village chief, no villagers have reported anyone missing in recent days? This person has probably been missing for some time."
The village chief shook his head and said, "Sir, that's not the case. If someone is missing, we have to report it to the authorities. If someone in the village is missing, we will definitely come to look for the chief of police. I can't make the decision myself."
Jiang Lingyao looked at the constable waiting nearby, and the constable said, "Sir, no one has reported him missing in the past few months."
This is a difficult problem.
As the two walked to one side, Duan Nanqi lowered his head and said in a low voice: "If no one reported her missing, then the deceased may not be from Baihe Village, or she may be an orphan with no family and is not familiar with other villagers, so no one reported her. If it is the second possibility, we need to ask every household."
But there are hundreds of households in Baihe Village. If they really want to ask every household, they will have to dispatch two more teams of Jinyiwei to do the job.
This is not a big deal, Duan Nanqi said: "It will take some time. It is already afternoon today, and the fishermen in Baihe Village seem to be taking a nap. Most of them go out after five o'clock, so few people are walking around at this moment."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said, "If you want to ask, we have to wait until tomorrow morning when they return from fishing. It will be best to ask them at the dock with the portrait in hand."
The two were discussing tomorrow's tasks when they heard the village chief shout, "Sir, Sir."
They both turned around and saw the village chief leading a woman in her thirties walking towards them quickly.
The woman was wearing a coarse linen dress and a headscarf. She was clean from head to toe and looked like a capable person.
When the two of them got closer, Jiang Lingyao realized that the woman was actually very pretty, but her skin was slightly dark and her face was weathered by wind and rain.
She must also be a fisherman.
The village chief said cautiously, "This is Xinghua from our village. She is a kind-hearted person. She helps take care of the women, children, and the elderly in the village who have no one to take care of them. Maybe she recognizes this girl."
The village chief was very concerned. After the two thanked him, he ran away in a hurry. Jiang Lingyao turned around and looked at Aunt Xinghua.
Aunt Xinghua had a polite smile on her face. She asked, "Uncle Fu didn't say what it was just now. Do you two officials have anything to ask?"
Jiang Lingyao saw that she was not afraid of meeting the official. Even the village chief was not as neat and steady as her.
She said, "Auntie, look at this picture. Do you recognize the girl in the picture?"
When Aunt Xinghua heard this, she couldn't help but purse the corners of her lips slightly, but she always maintained a decent appearance and didn't panic at all.
After receiving the portrait, Auntie Xinghua took a closer look and found that the pair of scarred hands suddenly began to tremble.
The smile on her face disappeared completely, and now she was filled with only fear.
"Sir, why are you looking for this girl?"
When Jiang Lingyao saw her like this, she knew that she knew the deceased. She and Duan Nanqi looked at each other, and both saw joy in each other's eyes.
I never thought that the identity of the third victim could be found out so quickly.
Seeing that Auntie Xinghua was quite excited, Jiang Lingyao thought for a moment and said, "Auntie, why don't we go to your house and sit for a while? I need to explain the case to you in detail."
When Auntie Xinghua heard the word "case details", tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffed, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and said, "My lords, please come this way."
Her house was also very close to the entrance of the village. It was no different from the huts of other people around it, except that there were more fishing nets in the house, filling up the yard.
Aunt Xinghua was in a low mood and was trying hard to maintain her dignity. She brought bamboo stools for the two of them, and the three of them sat down in the yard.
As Duan Nanqi said, at this time Baihe Village was as quiet as late at night, every household was asleep with their doors closed, and there were few people walking around in the village.
Jiang Lingyao couldn't tell Auntie Xinghua all the details of the case. She thought for a moment, whispered a few words to Duan Nanqi, and then said to Auntie Xinghua: "Auntie, there was such a big commotion in Jingye Garden last night, but no one in the village talked about it?"
Auntie Xinghua's face became stiff. She asked with trembling lips, "We only heard that someone died in Jingye Garden, but we don't know who died. Could it be that..."
The hand that was holding the portrait began to tremble again, and the tears as big as beans could no longer be held back, rolling down her sorrowful face.
Jiang Lingyao felt sorry for her, so she took out a handkerchief and gave it to her, but Aunt Xinghua did not take it.
"Your hands are dirty. Don't dirty the master's handkerchief." She choked.
"Can you tell me, sir, if the deceased is Xiaozhen?"
Jiang Lingyao sighed, nodded, and said, "The deceased is the woman in the portrait. You said her name is Xiaozhen?"
Auntie Xinghua cried after hearing this. She cried for a long time before she choked up and said, "Yes, her name is Xiaozhen. She was an orphan who wandered here two or three years ago. She was almost starving to death at the time and happened to faint in the reeds by the river. My husband was still alive at the time and he passed by the river while fishing and rescued her."
Auntie Xinghua said, "Xiaozhen is a good girl. It's not easy for her to be where she is today. Oh, God...how could he be so evil?"
As she spoke, tears began to flow again.
Jiang Lingyao was extremely sad. She was moved by Aunt Xinghua's crying and her eyes turned red. She reached out and gently patted Aunt Xinghua's hand.
Her hands were rough and covered with scratches from fishing lines, evidence of the exhaustion with which she lived.
Jiang Lingyao knew that she should ask rationally, but when she heard the sobbing and complaining cry, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable too.
Duan Nanqi saw that her eyes were red and she was looking at Aunt Xinghua with a sad face, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He thought Jiang Lingyao had developed a heart of steel, but he never expected that she still had a kind heart.
Duan Nanqi did not interrupt Aunt Xinghua's crying. He just gently pulled Jiang Lingyao's sleeve and handed her his handkerchief.
Jiang Lingyao looked back at him with red eyes, and all she saw was the handkerchief placed in front of her.
Duan Nanqi's handkerchief was extremely clean, and a leisurely scent of sunken water filled her face. Jiang Lingyao grabbed the handkerchief and wiped her eyes with it.
Seeing her childish temper, Duan Nanqi couldn't help but curl his lips and whispered to comfort her: "The dead cannot be resurrected. What we can do now is to seek justice for her and let her rest in peace."
He spoke not only to Jiang Lingyao, but also to Aunt Xinghua.
Auntie Xinghua's body trembled slightly. She raised her head and rubbed her face vigorously with her sleeve to wipe away the traces of sad tears on her face. Then she said in a hoarse voice: "This adult is right."
Auntie Xinghua looked at Jiang Lingyao and choked up as she said, "Xiaozhen was only thirteen or fourteen when she came to Baihe Village. Her parents and relatives all died in the disaster, leaving her alone to beg and wander around, coming to Baihe Village to look for her relatives."
"After my husband rescued her, she stayed at my house for a few days. My husband and I helped her find her relatives, but she didn't even know her cousin's name, only her last name. After searching for half a month, we still couldn't find her, so she stayed in Baihe Village."
"Xiaozhen was very hardworking and worked hard at my house. Later, she learned how to make a net to catch fish, so she moved out and found a small sailboat that no one wanted near the village to live alone."
The deceased was not a native of Baihe Village, so it is understandable that the village chief did not know him.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi did not speak, but just listened quietly to Aunt Xinghua.
Auntie Xinghua said, "Xiaozhen is really a very good girl. She is hardworking and brave. She has made a living on her own for so many years and has never asked for help from others. Later, when my husband passed away, she helped me a lot. Only when I went through that period with my daughter did she come to our house less often."
Auntie Xinghua couldn't hold back her tears as she spoke: "Even so, I was still worried about her living alone, so I told her to come over every ten days or so to talk. The last time she came was... eight days ago. She was very happy that day and told me that she had made a new friend and she wouldn't be lonely anymore."
Jiang Lingyao was taking notes on the file. When she heard this, she asked, "Auntie Xinghua, are you sure it was eight days ago?"
Auntie Xinghua nodded: "Of course, that day happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival, and I specially invited her family to celebrate the festival, so I won't remember it wrong."
Jiang Lingyao's heart was pounding. She asked, "Did she tell me who that new friend is?"
Aunt Xinghua shook her head. She covered her face in annoyance, and couldn't help but burst out in grief: "I didn't ask. I just knew that it should be a girl, and told her to be careful and not be fooled. It's all my fault..."
Her sobbing voice made people feel depressed.
"It's all my fault. I should have cared more about her. If I hadn't only cared about myself, how could she have died?"
Having said this, Aunt Xinghua burst into tears.
Before she finished crying, Jiang Lingyao's voice rang out again: "Auntie Xinghua, killing someone to pay for his life is against the will of heaven and earth. All the mistakes are the sins of the murderer and have nothing to do with you."
"Once we catch the murderer, we will make him pay for his crime," Duan Nanqi said in a deep and powerful voice. "I promise you."
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