As soon as Jiang Linchuan spoke, Zhang Qiang subconsciously agreed.
That's what he was thinking too.
Those former educated youth had just been punished during the day by being made to do the kind of work only intellectuals were allowed to do in the village, so they must have been harboring resentment, which is why they committed the poisoning.
He couldn't think of a second candidate at all.
Zhang Qiang was extremely annoyed; these people really knew how to cause him trouble!
He usually turns a blind eye to minor mischief or even shady dealings in the forest, but now he dares to use rat poison! That's threatening to kill people!
He took out his pipe from his pocket, then pulled out a match, lit it with a click, and started puffing away.
The smoke quickly filled the air, causing Zhang Qianqian, who was standing next to her, to cough twice.
This was the first time Xu Xinghe had ever seen Zhang Qiang smoke. Before, he was either a gentle and serious captain or a domineering father in front of Zhang Qianqian. She had never seen him so dejected.
She couldn't help but ask Zhang Qianqian in a low voice, "Does Captain Zhang usually smoke? I've never seen him smoke before."
Zhang Qianqian rubbed her nose. "He smokes at home, especially when he's upset. He rarely smokes when he's out. He must be really upset today."
After finishing his pipe, Zhang Qiang tapped the bowl of tobacco on the sole of his shoe, which finally eased his irritability a little.
He raised his head and looked at everyone. "Alright, I know what I'm doing. Go to the village first thing tomorrow morning and call all those former educated youth back to find out who did it."
"This matter absolutely cannot be taken lightly!" Lin Hong suddenly spoke, her tone agitated. "Captain Zhang, we were lucky this time; the senior doctor arrived in time, saving their lives. But if it had been a moment later, or if someone else had poisoned them again, perhaps half of them would have died! You might be able to suppress the death of one person, but can you suppress the death of a group? This matter must be thoroughly investigated, and whoever did it must be given an explanation!"
Zhang Qiang was speechless after Lin Hong's words, and his face darkened again.
She's right.
He took a deep breath and waved his hand, "Okay, okay! Stop rushing me! You guys go back to your rooms and get some sleep, I'll handle things here."
Seeing his resolute attitude, no one said anything more.
Xu Xinghe and Zhao Xiaoyan helped Lin Hong back to her dormitory, and Jiang Linchuan also left, leaving only Zhang Qiang and Zhang Qianqian standing in the courtyard.
"Dad, are you really going to find out who did it?" Zhang Qianqian asked softly, watching her father's retreating figure. "You're not going to abandon them again, are you?"
"Your dad isn't that kind of person. Don't worry, they won't get away this time." Zhang Qiang's tone was ruthless. "Anyone who dares to poison people in my forest will pay the price!"
After he finished speaking, he turned around and shouted twice towards the outside of the courtyard. Soon, two villagers on duty ran over.
Zhang Qiang ordered them, "Go to the village now and bring back all those former educated youths who were just sent there today! Be quick, don't let them escape!"
The villagers didn't dare to delay, so they immediately grabbed their flashlights and ran quickly toward the village.
Zhang Qianqian felt a little scared when she saw her father's serious expression.
This time, Father is really serious.
I don't know how it will end...
About an hour later, the villagers brought the former educated youth back to the forest farm and gathered them in the courtyard of the brigade headquarters.
Zhang Qiang sat on the steps, a pipe in his hand, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Tell me, who poisoned the water tank in the female educated youth dormitory? Admit it now, and I might give you a lighter sentence. If I wait until I find out, you know the consequences!"
The former educated youth looked at each other, heads bowed, and no one spoke.
They really didn't know who had poisoned them.
However, I must say, it was a great play!
It would be better if all those female educated youths died!
Seeing this, Zhang Qiang became even angrier and walked straight up to one of the educated youths, kicking him hard!
He could tell during the day that this kid harbored the most resentment, and that he might be the one who did it.
"You did it, didn't you?" Zhang Qiang's voice was icy. Before anyone could explain, he kicked him in the chest again.
The educated youth screamed and fell heavily to the ground, wincing in pain. He quickly protested, "It wasn't me!"
Zhang Qiang realized he wasn't lying and looked at the second person.
Before the other person could speak, he kicked again, shouting, "Was it you?!"
"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me! Captain, how could I dare to poison someone, and I don't have any rat poison."
Seeing the cowardly look on the other person's face, Zhang Qiang snorted coldly, "You have no guts at all, so it definitely couldn't have been you who did it."
He then looked at the third person.
Before he could even make a move, the other man was so frightened that he sat down on the ground with a thud. "Captain, it wasn't me! Really, I swear, if I did it, may my children be born without an anus!"
"Pfft." Zhang Qiang believed it; after all, the oath was a bit poisonous.
...
After a while, he had already kicked each of them.
Finally, his gaze fell on a bespectacled educated youth. Looking around, he felt the most guilty. "It's you, isn't it? You really have a death wish!"
Zhang Qiang stepped forward, pointed at his nose, and cursed, "You dare to poison people? Aren't you afraid of being arrested and going to jail?"
The educated youth were already feeling guilty, and upon hearing this, they trembled with fear.
Seeing this, Zhang Qiang became even more certain of his guess and kicked out hard.
"ah--!"
The educated youth lay on the ground, feeling the metallic taste of blood in his throat. He knew he couldn't hide it anymore, and tears and snot streamed down his face. He scrambled to his feet, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly. "Captain Zhang, I was wrong! I'll never do it again! I was just confused for a moment, and I was just angry, so I thought I'd teach them a lesson. I didn't mean to really kill anyone! Please forgive me!"
"Spare you?" Zhang Qiang sneered. "Now you know you were wrong? Where were you before? If those female educated youths had died, what do you think would have happened to you?"
He grabbed the educated youth's chin. "I can't protect you this time. I have to report this to the commune and punish you accordingly. Otherwise, those poisoned female educated youths won't let this go, and the people at the forest farm won't respect me. You just wait here until the commune comes to deal with you."
After saying that, Zhang Qiang stopped looking at him and sternly said to the other old educated youth, "You're no better! If you dare to cause trouble in the forest farm again, it won't be as simple as just going to work in the village! Now, get back to where you were!"
The other former educated youth were so frightened that they quickly nodded, helped up the remaining educated youth who were still on the ground, and slunk away from the brigade headquarters courtyard.
Zhang Qiang looked at the only remaining educated youth, kicked him in frustration, and called over the villagers, "Lock him in the woodshed!"
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