Erlaizi went mad, pushed open the car door and jumped out, staggering towards the charred mud-brick house.
Where the eaves should have been, only a few blackened wooden beams remained. The walls were charred black by smoke and fire, and the air still carried the lingering smell of burning.
"How did my house end up like this?" Erlaizi collapsed to the half-collapsed door frame, staring at the furniture inside, burned down to its frames, his voice trembling. "Where's my dad? Where's my dad's body?"
The village chief quickly stepped forward and pulled him back, his face full of guilt. "Er Laizi, don't get agitated, let me explain..."
"Explain my ass!" Erlaizi abruptly shook off his hand, his eyes bloodshot. "How could my house catch fire? My dad's still inside!"
"It's my fault, it's all my fault." The village chief hung his head and forced himself to admit it. "I heard that your father had an accident, so I thought I would go into the house to check the situation. I didn't expect to accidentally knock over the oil lamp by the bed, and the fire started all at once... I immediately called for help, but your family didn't have any water stored. By the time we brought the water back, the fire had already grown too big, and your father... he couldn't get out."
With the fire so intense, they only dared to pour water in from the outside; no one dared to go inside.
If there were a living person, perhaps someone would be willing to risk it, but it's just a corpse; it's not worth risking your life for a dead person.
Erlaizi was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't reacted yet. After a long while, he roared, "You old bastard! My father is dead, and you still burned his body? You owe me my father!"
As he spoke, he lunged at the village chief.
"Don't be impulsive!" A villager nearby quickly pulled him back. "The village chief didn't mean it; he was just trying to be kind!"
The village chief sighed. He admitted that he had been dishonest. "Erlaizi, don't worry. I'll take the lead in rebuilding your house, and I guarantee it will be even sturdier than before! I'll also take care of your father's funeral arrangements. I won't let you suffer any injustice."
Erlaizi struggled for a long time but couldn't break free. Looking at his home, which was burned beyond recognition, and thinking that even his father's remains hadn't been preserved, he suddenly sat down on the ground, covered his face, and started sobbing.
His cries grew louder and louder, but he shed very few tears.
The more grief they show, the more confident they will be when it comes to demanding compensation later.
The village chief said he wanted to build houses? That's not enough!
Both the military and the village chief have to give him a sum of money!
Thinking of this, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard. "Village chief, don't talk nonsense about building houses! Even if you build me a big brick house, my father's remains will be gone! How can we bury him in this state? What if he becomes a wandering ghost and can't be reincarnated? Can you bear that responsibility?"
The village chief was speechless and could only squat on the ground, puffing on his pipe until the pipe was almost deformed from being squeezed.
The villagers watching sighed. If it were them, and their father had ended up like this, they would probably have made an even bigger scene than Erlaizi. After all, death is a serious matter, and some things cannot be bought back with money.
Political Commissar Wang stepped forward, his tone calm, "Don't panic. You put out the fire in time, so the body might not be completely destroyed. Er Laizi, according to regulations, the military needs to enter the house to investigate. We cannot yet confirm whether your father committed suicide."
"Rules, rules, you've already said it, how can I argue?" Erlaizi couldn't help but roll his eyes and said irritably, "But I'm telling you this, no matter what you find out, Jiang Linchuan is the murderer who killed my father, and he won't get away with it!"
He didn't think the military could find anything out; the man was dead, and his house was burned down.
As long as he doesn't say anything, and Shen An doesn't say anything, then no third person will know.
Political Commissar Wang ignored him and waved his hand, leading Jiang Linchuan and the others toward the charred house.
Xu Xinghe wanted to follow, but Jiang Linchuan gently pressed her shoulder down, saying, "Let's just go in."
"I'm not afraid."
"I know you're not afraid, but you'd better wait outside for a bit."
They are soldiers with special status. Although Xu Xinghe has made meritorious contributions, she has not yet officially become a military dependent. If she rashly gets involved in an investigation involving human lives, she could easily be implicated if something goes wrong.
This was the safest protection he could think of.
If the mastermind is indeed targeting him, then there are likely other hidden plans.
If he really couldn't get away, he had to at least ensure that Xu Xinghe was innocent, so that even without him, she could live a peaceful life.
Xu Xinghe understood the concern in his eyes and obediently nodded.
The March sun was already warm. She stood at the door, looking at the blackened room, feeling somewhat worried.
The room was dimly lit.
This mud-brick house was a temporary repair after the snow disaster. To keep it warm, the windows were small and high, making it dark even during the day. So Erlaizi's father had to use an oil lamp even in broad daylight.
Political Commissar Wang turned on his flashlight, the beam sweeping across the charred stove. After looking around, he went into the inner room.
The door to the inner room was burned down to just a frame, and the corpses on the ground could be seen without even going inside.
The rope used for hanging had long since burned through, and the body was half-leaning against the wall and between the collapsed table frame, its body charred black and its skin carbonized, barely revealing a human outline.
“This is too much of a coincidence.” Political Commissar Wang carefully stepped around the ashes on the ground, his tone grave. “A person’s death could be considered an accident, but for it to catch fire at this critical juncture seems too deliberate, as if they were trying to cover up the crime.”
Lian Xiao covered his nose. The acrid smell mixed with a faint aroma of roasted meat made his stomach churn, but he still forced himself to say, "I also feel something's wrong, but the fire was caused by the village chief. He can't possibly be helping Er Laizi deal with Jiang Linchuan, can he?"
Even though he was prejudiced against Jiang Linchuan, he could still distinguish right from wrong.
He despised such underhanded tricks of framing and slander.
Political Commissar Wang shook his head. "You don't know this. Some things aren't about who did it and who's the murderer. Any accident, if planned well, can become inevitable."
Jiang Linchuan squatted down expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over every detail of the corpse.
His mind raced with images of potential enemies who might harm him, especially since he was about to get his marriage certificate.
Although Lian Xiao liked Xu Xinghe and was in competition with her, he wouldn't resort to such insidious methods.
Zhao Feng was also an opponent, but he was always upright and honest, and he still had the bottom line as a soldier...
Who else could it be?
"It's burned to a crisp, there's no clue to be found at all." Political Commissar Wang watched Jiang Linchuan put on gloves and examine the body, then sighed. "As for an autopsy, forget about it, Er Laizi will definitely not agree."
Let alone Erlaizi, I doubt anyone else would agree to this. Death is a serious matter, and no one wants their loved one to be dissected after death.
This is not superstition, but rather a rule that has been passed down from ancient times.
Jiang Linchuan withdrew his hand and took off the gloves that were covered in black ash. "If this is really a setup aimed at me, Er Laizi definitely knows about it. He is the key. In addition, judging from the position of the corpse hanging and the position of the oil lamp, this is most likely a deliberate arrangement."
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