Political Commissar Wang had just taken a sip of hot water when he heard this, so he put down his cup and said, "Go on."
“We were just talking about the criminal investigation expert in the village. Do you think the murderer would be scared if he were still in the village? Although Er Laizi’s father’s body was burned, we didn’t let the villagers come over to see it after we carried it out. Nobody knows if it was completely burned black. The murderer certainly doesn’t know either.”
Xu Xinghe's eyes lit up as she spoke; she truly thought it was a good idea.
As the old saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry!
"Wouldn't the murderer also be worried about leaving behind any evidence? If he wasn't worried, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of setting a fire. Why don't we just leave the body unattended today and pretend no one is guarding it? If the murderer is really afraid of leaving any clues, he might come back and try to destroy the evidence again!"
Commissar Wang tapped his fingers on the edge of the table, his eyes showing agreement. "You're right. The smarter and more cautious a person is, the more likely they are to overthink things. Maybe he really will show up. Even if the murderer doesn't come, we can still give it a try."
This method is not difficult, and it doesn't require any investment. There's no harm in trying it.
What if it works?
Not only were the murderers afraid of the worst, but they were too!
Moreover, having more opportunities now increases the chances of uncovering the truth and clearing Jiang Linchuan's name.
On the other side, the villagers dispersed in twos and threes.
Feng Qiushi looked grim, wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter, and hurried home.
She hurriedly bolted the door, then turned and rushed into the inner room, shouting, "Chen An, something's happened!"
Xu Mingli was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) flipping through a book when he heard this. He looked up and asked, "What happened? Did Erlaizi's father not get buried?"
To avoid being seen by Xu Xinghe, he hasn't left the house recently, and even his stand-in has been staying in the small house.
Since students aren't attending classes now, it's normal for him not to go out either.
The teacher from the south was physically weak and couldn't stand the cold wind, so no one could say anything about it.
Feng Qiushi was extremely panicked. "It's not just that! Not only did Erlaizi's father not get buried, but that Political Commissar Wang also said he's going to find some criminal investigation expert from the capital! That's an expert from the capital, he must be very capable. What if he discovers something?"
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her fingertips grew cold.
For the past few days, her heart has been heavy.
Every time I see people from the military, I want to take a detour.
They looked just like mice in the sight of a cat.
However, she and Xu Mingli are indeed rats now, just well hidden.
Upon hearing this, Xu Mingli felt a little flustered. After all, he had personally killed Er Laizi's father and had even staged the fire to cover up the wounds on the body.
Even if the village chief didn't knock over the oil lamp as he expected, he still had a backup plan to ensure it would catch fire.
I originally thought that once the person was burned, there would be no evidence left.
However, he didn't see how badly the person was burned; he only heard that they were charred black.
What if... what if it's not fully heated and leaves a flaw that experts can spot?
He's a forensic doctor from the capital, unlike those barefoot doctors in the village who only know a little bit. If he really figured it out, he'd be finished.
The best course of action right now is to go to the mourning hall again and completely destroy the evidence.
But there are definitely military personnel watching around the mourning hall now. If he goes there rashly and gets caught, how will he explain it?
Xu Mingli rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling a splitting headache.
If I don't go, a weight will always be on my mind.
If I go, I'm afraid I'll fall into a trap set by the military.
He then realized that killing someone was a difficult thing, and the fear and constant vigilance that followed were much more difficult than the killing itself!
Because the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin.
"Shen An, say something!" Feng Qiushi grabbed his arm; she desperately needed some comfort.
Xu Mingli was extremely annoyed and slapped her hand away. "What did I say? Let me think about it! Don't worry, I didn't do anything, they definitely won't find anything."
That might fool outsiders, but how could Feng Qiushi possibly believe it?
Words can lie, but expressions don't lie.
He's not the murderer, so why is he worrying about this?
Xu Mingli lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), tossing and turning, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of the experts.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly sat up.
No, I have to go!
Even at the risk, I have to see with my own eyes how badly the body was burned and whether any inappropriate traces were left behind.
He could breathe a sigh of relief if everything was alright.
If there's any flaw, he'll risk his life to completely destroy that trace!
Feng Qiushi was startled by his sudden movement. "Why did you get up? You scared me."
"It's nothing, I'm just hungry." Xu Mingli suppressed his thoughts and tried to sound natural. "Go and make me a bowl of noodles, white flour noodles, I don't want cornbread today."
White flour keeps you full, but if you really need to go to check on corpses at night, you need to have the physical strength to deal with unexpected situations.
"Okay, I'll go cook right away." Feng Qiushi didn't think much of it and walked towards the kitchen in his cotton slippers.
As soon as she stepped out the door, Xu Mingli immediately got up, walked quickly to the cabinet against the wall, and pulled open the bottom drawer.
Even if you're going, you have to be fully prepared!
He had to make sure that if he were discovered, he would have a way to escape.
Only if he doesn't get caught will his identity remain unexposed, and all his previous plans won't have been in vain!
Night fell.
The temperature dropped several degrees compared to the evening.
The cold wind howled as it swept through the bare treetops.
Feng Qiushi, wrapped in a thick quilt, was fast asleep with his back to Xu Mingli.
Xu Mingli sat up and gently nudged her shoulder.
She opened her eyes groggily, her voice still sleepy, "What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep in the middle of the night?"
"Wake up, I'm going out for a bit." Xu Mingli's voice was very low. "You wait at home. Open the door immediately when I knock. And don't light the oil lamp, just leave the room in the dark, understand?"
Feng Qiushi's sleepiness vanished instantly, and his heart leaped into his throat. "You...you're going to the mourning hall?"
"Don't ask too many questions." Xu Mingli interrupted her, his tone turning colder. "Keep your mouth shut and don't say anything out of line."
After saying that, he picked up the old cotton-padded jacket he had worn when he went to town from the side of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Its grayish color makes it difficult to see at night.
Both the style and the patches on it look like something an ordinary villager would wear.
Moreover, he has never worn it since he came to the village.
Xu Mingli put on a thick cotton hat, pulled the brim down to cover most of his face, wrapped a scarf around his neck twice, leaving only his eyes exposed, and then quietly pulled open the door latch and slipped into the night.
The village was quiet at this moment, and every household had turned off their lights.
Xu Mingli tiptoed, deliberately choosing to walk along the base of walls and in places with dense tree shadows, taking a longer route to the mourning hall.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and took out a piece of hemp rope from the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat.
He looked around and quickly tied both ends of the rope to the trunks of two old trees by the roadside, at a height that reached just to a person's ankles.
Then, he took out a few iron nails from his pocket and scattered them on the ground near the rope.
Only after confirming that the trap was in place did he continue forward.
The mourning hall was set up in the house that had been burned down earlier.
The place was so badly burned down that even the sheds were gone, which made it a good place for ventilation.
Xu Mingli hid behind a house not far away, squinted and observed for a moment, then picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground and threw it violently towards the direction of the mourning hall.
"Bang!"
The sound from the stone wall was particularly jarring in the quiet night.
The next second, two soldiers guarding the mourning hall rushed out, their flashlight beams sweeping around.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Xu Mingli's hiding place was not well concealed to begin with, and his heart tightened. Without daring to linger, he turned and ran.
There are people over there!
"Chase them! They might be the murderer!"
The two of them took off after him.
Xu Mingli ran very fast. Just as he was about to reach the ambush site, he took a big step and easily jumped over the rope.
The soldiers behind them, unaware of the ambush, were only focused on chasing forward. As soon as the two ran past, their ankles were tripped by a rope, causing them to fall forward uncontrollably, their hands landing squarely on iron nails in the snow.
The sharp nail pierced their palms instantly, causing them to gasp in pain.
Hearing the sound behind him, Xu Mingli turned around and glanced back. Seeing that both of them were lying on the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he was cautious enough and prepared in advance, otherwise he would have really been in trouble tonight.
The soldier lay on the ground, wincing in pain. Seeing that the dark figure was about to escape, he desperately pulled out his sidearm.
"Bang--!"
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