After listening to the two men, Ding Youliang clicked his tongue and remained silent for a long time.
At that moment, his mind was racing.
Su Tie committed murder, and there are two eyewitnesses, Su Qiaoqiao and Ding Xiuping; he can't escape the consequences.
But Su Tie is Su Ruyi's older brother, and Su Ruyi is a favorite of General Shen.
He was able to become the captain of the brigade entirely thanks to General Shen's promotion.
I can't possibly repay kindness with enmity, can I?
Thinking of this, he hurriedly called to his two closest nephews: "Go, set up the village oxcart, let's take Su Tie to the Sanhe County Public Security Bureau!"
One of the militiamen who had just intervened, who was also his distant nephew, was stunned and said, "Third Uncle, shouldn't you have called Sanhe County to come and bring people in? This isn't following procedure!"
"Procedure my ass!" Ding Youliang slapped him hard, without holding back at all. His distant nephew staggered from the blow and dared not utter another word.
Ding Youliang continued cursing, "This is a murderer! Every minute he stays in the village increases the risk to our village! What are you two standing there for? Get the oxcart ready!"
The two bewildered nephews immediately took off running.
As Ding Xiuping watched all this, she felt that something was inexplicably wrong.
Su Qiaoqiao, on the other hand, looked smug. She couldn't wait to see Su Ruyi's expression after she found out that her brother had become a murderer.
In less than five minutes, the oxcart arrived at Jin Dachun's courtyard gate with a "moo".
Ding Youliang directed his two nephews to load Su Tie onto the oxcart: "Alright, I'll personally take him to the Sanhe County Public Security Bureau! You two go about your business! Don't think you can slack off just because the harvest is over!"
The distant nephew said again, "Third Uncle, let me go with you. This man is very fierce and has killed many people. I'm afraid he'll kill you on the way!"
Ding Youliang was so angry he nearly fell over: "You've tied him up like a dumpling, do you think he can throw knives from his eyes? Could he really kill me?! Go away, get lost! You militiaman, you can forget about being a militiaman! You're a complete idiot!"
The distant nephew, who had been scolded and dismissed from his post, was completely bewildered. He wiped away his tears and turned to go home to cry to his mother.
As they spoke, Ding Youliang skillfully set up the oxcart, carrying Su Tie, who was bound hand and foot, and drove out of the village amidst a cloud of dust.
He hadn't gone ten miles when he saw General Shen's jeep coming from afar, raising a cloud of dust along the way.
He quickly stopped the oxcart, stood in the middle of the road, took off his clothes, and waved them vigorously.
It was Xiao Fang who brought Su Ruyi back.
He slammed on the brakes, stuck his head out, and yelled, "Are you looking to die?"
Su Ruyi had already seen that it was Ding Youliang who had stopped the car.
From early morning that day, her red mole had been throbbing, and her heart would occasionally skip a beat or two.
Seeing Ding Youliang's strange behavior, her heart skipped a beat.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Su Ruyi jumped out: "Uncle Ding, what happened?"
When Ding Youliang saw that it was Su Ruyi who came down, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Su Tie killed Doctor Jin, what do we do now?!"
Su Ruyi felt her legs go weak: "What did you say?! My master... was killed??? It was my fifth brother who did it???"
"Oh dear! Your fifth brother acted impulsively and stabbed Doctor Jin to death! He's completely dead! The worst part is that two young girls witnessed it. There's plenty of evidence, and I don't know how to save him now! I reckon only the general has a solution!" Ding Youliang said meaningfully.
Su Ruyi then realized that she hadn't misheard.
But isn't this just too outrageous?
Fifth Brother killed someone?!
Who did he kill, his own master?!
Although it's unbelievable, it really happened.
Her first thought was that Fifth Brother had been framed!
She heard her own voice trembling: "Where is my fifth brother?"
Ding Youliang pointed to the oxcart with the canopy over it: "He's tied up inside! But he's already been knocked unconscious by my two good-for-nothing cousins!"
Su Ruyi hurriedly ran to the oxcart and jumped on.
Inside the carriage, Cycas was bound like a mummy, his eyes closed and two large bumps on his forehead.
Su Ruyi quickly checked his carotid artery—thankfully, it was still pulsating strongly.
He then gripped his wrist with three fingers—fortunately, it was just a moment of anger that clouded his judgment.
Su Ruyi had just taken out the golden needles when a thought suddenly struck her, and she put them back.
Fifth Brother is too stubborn. She should send him to General Shen first!
Besides, judging from his injuries, she figured that Fifth Brother might wake up on his own once they got there!
With that thought, she lifted her fifth brother onto her shoulder and ran to the back seat of the jeep.
Xiao Fang was very perceptive; she didn't ask any questions but quietly opened the door for her.
Su Ruyi secured Su Tie to the back seat, then bowed deeply to Ding Youliang: "Uncle Ding, our whole family owes you our lives!"
Ding Youliang sighed, "No need to talk about that, hurry and go find the general!"
Su Ruyi took out paper and pen from her bag, wrote down the gist of the matter on a note, and handed it to Xiao Fang: "Take my fifth brother to find the general, but don't let anyone see him! Oh, and give this to the general!"
Xiao Fang asked curiously, "Aren't you going?"
Su Ruyi's eyes were already blurry with tears: "I'll be there soon. Have the general send another carriage to wait for me at the village entrance. I... I'll go see my master first!"
By this time, Ding Youliang had hardened his heart and driven the oxcart off the cornfield. The old ox, pulling the cart, overturned to the ground, letting out a long, incredulous moo.
Looking back at Ding Youliang, it was as if he were saying, "Are you stupid? You're just driving me into the fields?"
Ding Youliang, without bothering to comfort the old ox, jumped down himself.
He twisted his ankle, and a sharp pain shot through him, causing him to cry out in agony.
Su Ruyi saw all of this and bowed deeply to him again.
Ding Youliang hissed and gasped for breath, instructing, "Don't call anyone to save me! Let my wife worry for a bit, and wait for someone else to come looking for me—don't let the act be exposed!"
Su Ruyi nodded with tears in her eyes and strode towards the village.
When Su Ruyi returned to Jin Dachun's courtyard, almost everyone from the educated youth compound gathered there.
Zhong Misu sat on the stool by the stone table, biting her lip tightly, without saying a word.
Hu Zhenbo and Li Wang stood behind him like two guardian deities.
The women formed another circle, chattering away.
Surrounded by the group of women, Su Qiaoqiao said excitedly, "Of course I saw it with my own eyes! That murderer, Su Tie, stabbed Old Man Jin in the stomach with one knife! The old man's blood splattered all over him!"
Ignoring her, Su Ruyi hurried towards Zhong Misu and the other two, asking, "Where is my master...where is my master?"
Zhong Misu hurriedly said, "The body... is in his bedroom."
Su Ruyi forced herself to walk toward Jin Dachun's bedroom.
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