90 Do you suspect Sun Ning?
I shouldn't cry for him.
The so-called giant pit was not as big as Ye Yunzhao had imagined. She and Liu Mazi squatted at the edge of the pit and looked down. Black and red blood had seeped into the sharpened wood, and the cold mountain breeze was mixed with a faint fishy smell.
Ye Yunzhao covered his nose and said, "Didn't you say that hunters like to use sharpened bamboo as weapons? Why is there wood here?"
Hearing this, Liu Mazi was stunned for a moment, then realized belatedly, "Right! This... this... what's going on..."
Bamboo is the hunter's preferred material. The bamboo forests behind Xixiang's hills are dense, and the bamboo is crisp and easy to sharpen without much effort, making it incredibly useful. Ordinary people, unfamiliar with the hunter's craft, naturally lack an understanding of the complexities involved.
"It's most likely not a hunter..." Ye Yunzhao stood up, looking a little melancholy.
In this place without surveillance, it is extremely difficult to find the perpetrator from the vast crowd.
Seeing her turn around and go down the mountain, Liu Mazi hurriedly followed her.
Ye Yunzhao paused: "Do you know who Sun Da has an enemy with?"
"Hmm..." Liu Mazi said speechlessly, "He's always been shameless and arrogant. He has so many people who are grudges against him! Old Li from Dongxiang had a fight with him last year over wheat harvesting, and Uncle Zhao from Xixiang also had a big fight with him because of Sun Da's dirty talk..."
Speaking of Sun Da's enemies, Liu Mazi was talking endlessly. He was talking excitedly when he heard Ye Yunzhao ask, "Sun Ning also has a grudge against him..."
Liu Mazi was stunned: "County Magistrate Ye, do you suspect Sun Ning?"
"Don't forget what Sun Ning does." Although Ye Yunzhao did not answer directly, the hint was already clear.
Liu Mazi waved his hands and said in disapproval, "Although Sun Ning has a grudge against him and has tools for cutting wood, she's only a woman after all. How could she have such great strength? I just looked carefully. The wood at the bottom of the pit was sharpened with only three or four cuts. There's no sign of friction. The person wielding the knife must have been extremely strong."
His analysis is very reasonable. If this is true, it cannot be Sun Ning.
"You have a point." Ye Yunzhao murmured, "Maybe I guessed wrong."
Liu Mazi scratched his head and said casually, "I just don't know why a lazy man like Sun Da would go into the mountains when the snow is so heavy. It doesn't seem like his usual sneaky and cunning behavior."
Ye Yunzhao suddenly remembered the conversation she heard outside Sun Ning's house that day, and felt a little uneasy. She just said, "I'll leave this matter to you to investigate. Interrogate the suspect. I'll go back and see if the coroner has any information."
The two parted ways in Xixiang, and Ye Yunzhao hurried to the county government office.
When she arrived at the county government office, County Magistrate Han had already learned about the incident and was pacing back and forth beside the coroner with a worried look on his face.
Suddenly spotting Ye Yunzhao, he immediately stepped forward, anxiously asking, "How could something like this happen in broad daylight? What happened? I heard you and yamen runner Liu went to Xixiang to investigate. Did you find anything? Where's he? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Ye Yunzhao shook his head and asked, "What did the coroner say?"
Before County Magistrate Han could speak, the coroner beside him heard and said, "There's nothing wrong with the body. It was definitely caused by a fall."
Han County Magistrate said worriedly, "I think this must be the case..."
Ye Yunzhao frowned slightly: "No signs of pushing or shoving?"
The coroner said, "No."
Seeing her like this, County Magistrate Han waved his hand to dismiss the coroner and gestured for Ye Yunzhao to speak aside: "From what I see, you seem to suspect that there is something else behind Sun Da's death..."
Ye Yunzhao nodded. "The wood at the bottom of the pit is very special. Liu Yayi has confirmed that it was not made by hunters. Moreover, the mountain is snowed in. Why would Sun Da go so deep into the mountains..."
But before she could finish her words, County Magistrate Han quickly waved his hand, with a hint of rebuke in his tone:
"Perhaps he was trying to pick something, or gather some firewood. In any case, the coroner has carefully examined the area and found no signs of shoving or pushing. He could only have slipped and fallen alone. Could someone have ordered him to jump in?
Now that the year is almost over, if we continue to hold on to this matter, firstly, it will cause panic among the people, and secondly..."
Han Xiancheng's tone stagnated, and he lowered his voice: "Secondly, it will affect our achievements!"
Ye Yunzhao was stunned. Although she knew that he was somewhat obsessed with power, she never thought it would go to this extent.
She knew that with human power and the current situation, it was highly unlikely that she would find anything, but she still spoke to him:
"It's not that I'm holding on to it. If a thorough investigation reveals that it was all a slip and fall, then forget it. We absolutely cannot afford to ignore any suspicion. If a thief steals and harms people in the territory under our jurisdiction, how can we sleep peacefully? If a disaster were to occur, then..."
This made sense. County Magistrate Han seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke, "You've always been in charge of the cultivation of the woven mushrooms in Xixiang. It seems something has happened in Yuezhou City these past two days. Why don't you follow up on it? Leave Sun Da's matter to me. I will definitely handle it without hesitation."
Ye Yunzhao paused, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Something happened? What happened? Aren't woven mushrooms selling extremely well in Yuezhou City? Why haven't I heard anyone mention it?"
County Magistrate Han sighed. "Well—there are a few useless ones. I listened to your advice and agreed on a price. But these past two days, I heard that a few of them secretly lowered their prices, causing others to smash their phones with their weaving fungi. I'm afraid that more people will be willing to lower their prices. If this goes on, all your previous research assistance to them must have been in vain! What nonsense! These children are incorrigible!"
This matter is both big and small, but it does go against Ye Yunzhao's original intention. He decided to grow the weaving mushrooms so that everyone could make more money. How could there be such a fool...
Ye Yunzhao sighed and agreed.
*
The winter snow falls, and the cold is biting.
Sun Ning was sitting in front of the main room door carving wood. The sharp tip of the knife scraped across the soft wood, making a "clubbing" sound.
Her face was as calm as usual, but her heart had never been as happy as it was at that moment. Her beastly brother was dead, and she was free.
Sun Ning looked up at the gray sky. Snowflakes fell into the corners of her eyes, turning into warm tears that rolled down. She wiped away her tears in surprise and bewilderment.
I shouldn't cry for him, it's not worth it...
She subconsciously exerted force, and slashed the already formed wood with the knife as if to vent her anger, making a heavy cut. The formed little man looked as if his heart and abdomen were cut open, which was horrible.
The blade was sharp and accidentally cut his fingertip, and blood dripped onto the wooden figurine. Sun Ning saw that the figurine he had carefully carved for two days was dirty, so he immediately stood up and scooped a bucket of clean water to wash it.
Winter is unlike summer; it gets dark earlier each day. It's only the twilight hour, but already the night is warm. Sun Ning lit an oil lamp and sat in her usual spot, gazing up at the sky. The winter night was lonely; from now on, she would have no family.
Just as she was feeling melancholy, a faint rustling sound came from outside the courtyard gate. She stood up suddenly and was about to speak -
But she saw a man with a burly build and a slim waist climbing over the wall. The man raised his eyes and looked at her. Sun Ning then recognized that this man was the one she met on the mountain that day.
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