On the other side, Xu Xinghe spent the whole afternoon asking around at all the households that Aunt Zhang had pointed out, but he didn't find out a single useful clue.
They all said they hadn't gone out, or that they hadn't noticed anything unusual; they were all very secretive.
The sky gradually darkened, and the wind became cooler than during the day.
Political Commissar Wang glanced at the time on his watch, sighed, and said, "That's enough for today. You few stay in the village and keep an eye on things, especially Er Laizi and his father's bodies. Make sure nothing goes wrong. The rest of you come back to the military headquarters with me."
On the military vehicle.
Xu Xinghe gently grasped Jiang Linchuan's hand, her voice low, "When I was inquiring today, I found out that a new teacher has come to the village, named Shen An, from Su Yang. Do you know him?"
Jiang Linchuan thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't remember. I know people with the surname Chen, but no one with this name."
Xu Xinghe described the man's appearance again: he wore glasses, was refined and fair-skinned, and had a light stubble on his chin. She felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, but she just couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
Jiang Linchuan patted her hand reassuringly, "He came to teach in the countryside, so he shouldn't have any grudge against me. Anyone who would go to such lengths to set up a scheme must either have an old grudge or a conflict of interest."
“That’s true.” Xu Xinghe frowned and pondered, “Could it be Ye Wenshu? Or Lin Wanqiu? It seems like those two are the only ones in the village who have a grudge against you. Lin Wanqiu seems quite clever, maybe she has this idea.”
“Impossible.” Jiang Linchuan denied it outright. “They are both women. It’s impossible for them to kill an adult man and then fake a hanging. Besides, the educated youth lived together in the settlement. If someone is missing, it’s easy to be discovered, and there would be no time to commit the crime.”
Xu Xinghe pouted, even more worried. "Then who else could it be? Did Erlaizi do it himself? But he was making a scene at the military headquarters, so he didn't have a chance. It can't be that his father willingly hanged himself for his son, right?"
That fire was highly suspicious; it clearly looked like they were trying to cover up the crime.
If it were truly suicide, there would be no need for such a fuss.
Therefore, this inference can basically be refuted.
The car bumped along the way until it was completely dark before arriving at the military headquarters.
After getting out of the car, Political Commissar Wang went straight to the office building, turned around and waved, "You guys come with me, we'll have a short meeting."
Lian Xiao followed behind, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Xu Xinghe and Jiang Linchuan.
Under the cover of night, the two held hands tightly.
His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned his gaze away, out of sight, out of mind.
But I still feel a little sad.
But no matter what, with this incident, Jiang Linchuan's marriage plans are definitely off.
Now that he's involved in this mess, there's no way his marriage application will be approved.
It doesn't make sense, either emotionally or logically, that the other person's father just died. Jiang Linchuan went to get a marriage certificate right away.
The military is a place that places great importance on the people.
In the conference room, Political Commissar Wang first went to handle a few urgent documents. When he returned, he was holding a notebook. "Come on, let's sort out today's clues."
He opened his notebook and said clearly, "I asked everyone who passed by Erlaizi's house. Two villagers said they heard crying and shouting inside, but the voices were choked with sobs and were intermittent. They could only vaguely make out what was being said and couldn't be sure if it was his father himself who was saying it."
He paused, his tone becoming serious. "Furthermore, that fire was too suspicious; the intention to destroy the evidence was obvious. The body was burned too badly; unless an autopsy is performed, the true cause of death cannot be determined. I asked Erlaizi, and he absolutely refused to have an autopsy performed."
In the eyes of ordinary people, death is a serious matter, and no one wants their loved one to be disemboweled after death.
Even if an autopsy were performed, it's unlikely that anything would be found.
It's possible to knock someone unconscious and then hang them.
The skin was burned to charcoal, making it impossible to determine the extent of the injury.
The murderer was a smart man; he must have taken this into account to make such a plan.
Jiang Linchuan then added details of the investigation inside the house.
The ashes of cloth gathered at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), the coincidence of the village chief being left-handed and the location of the oil lamp...
Lian Xiao and Zhang Cishu assisted with the investigation throughout, but since they found no additional clues, they remained silent.
Finally, it was Xu Xinghe's turn. "I asked Aunt Zhang in the village, and recently, apart from the new teacher Shen An, there haven't been any other outsiders. I met Shen An today, and he said he went to town last night to contact teachers for the children. This should be able to verify the truth of the matter."
Political Commissar Wang nodded and noted it down. "I will send someone to the town to confirm. Now, everyone, please share your opinions. Do you think the deceased committed suicide or was murdered? Speak your mind, don't hold back."
This concerns the military's reputation, and they are fully capable of investigating it thoroughly without relying on local police.
The meeting room fell silent instantly, with only the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.
Xu Xinghe was the first to speak, her tone resolute, "I think it was murder. Otherwise, there's no way to explain that fire. It's too coincidental; the fire started right after he died. It's clearly an attempt to destroy the evidence."
Lian Xiao immediately chimed in, "I agree. Also, the thing about lifting the bedding doesn't make sense. The deceased didn't go out to work, so there's no need for him to deliberately lift the cloth and sit on the straw. It's too abnormal, as if he wanted to deliberately intensify the fire."
Zhang Cishu nodded in agreement, "I also tend to think it was murder. All the coincidences together make it seem like it was deliberately designed."
Finally, it was Jiang Linchuan's turn. He was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "This matter is related to me. My answer may be somewhat subjective, but I still believe it was murder. From delivering the chicken to the gold, to the dead body, to the fire, it's all connected. This is a setup aimed at me."
“That’s the same idea,” Political Commissar Wang finally decided. “Since everyone agrees, let’s continue the thorough investigation. I have to stay at the military headquarters and can’t go to Hongqi Village often, so the investigation will be handled by you all.”
He first looked at Xu Xinghe, "Comrade Xu, you are well-liked in the village and the people trust you, so you will be in charge of gathering information and keeping an eye out for any unusual activity."
“No problem!” Xu Xinghe immediately agreed.
Next up is Lian Xiao.
"Comrade Lian, given your special status and background, you are responsible for keeping an eye on Er Laizi. If he acts unreasonably and refuses to cooperate, you are allowed to take coercive measures in an emergency."
This meant he was being made the villain, but as long as it helped Xu Xinghe and cleared Jiang Linchuan's name, he wouldn't hesitate for a second. "Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Political Commissar Wang turned his gaze to Zhang Cishu, "You've only been in the military for a short time, so we shouldn't be assigning you heavy tasks. But since you volunteered, consider it a learning experience. You've followed General Zhang for many years, so you must be familiar with relaying orders and coordinating communications. Besides, you look refined, which will make it easier for the people to lower their guard. From now on, you will be responsible for relaying my instructions."
Zhang Cishu nodded in agreement, "Understood."
Finally, Political Commissar Wang looked at Jiang Linchuan and said solemnly, "Linchuan, it's not that I don't want you to participate in this case, but you are a party involved. Once you get involved in the investigation, it's easy for others to find fault with you. The situation is already very critical; we can't make it worse."
The military has strict rules, and anyone involved must recuse themselves from any conflict of interest; even he cannot be an exception.
Jiang Linchuan had expected this, and remained calm. "Political Commissar, I understand."
"Okay, that's settled then. Report any leads to me immediately. Meeting adjourned."
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