"Who else could it be but you? You just can't stand us, so you deliberately resorted to dirty tricks!"
When Liao Hongmei heard that Shu Aiguo was going to build a house, she went even more crazy.
"Officers, you must arrest him and interrogate him severely! Our nice house was burned down, this damned bastard should at least be locked up for a few years!"
The police always felt that Shu Aiguo was not an arsonist, perhaps stemming from their intuition accumulated over many years of handling cases.
However, the necessary procedures still had to be followed, and Shu Aiguo would definitely have to go to the police station.
In the crowd, a tall man wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket suddenly stood up and blocked the police's way.
Police Officer Lu frowned and stared at the man, asking:
"Do you have something to say?"
The man looked unfamiliar, and Chu Yu asked in a low voice, "Mom, who is this?"
“His name is Zhou Dong, and he lives in Bashang. He used to live with his seriously ill mother, but she died last year, so he started doing odd jobs. Because his family is poor, he's 25 this year and still hasn't gotten married. He says he wants to earn some money to build a house and then find a proper wife,” Shu Hui said.
Chu Yu didn't know Zhou Dong and didn't understand why Zhou Dong had stepped forward.
Zhou Dong was tall and strong. He glanced at Lu Gong'an and said bluntly, "It wasn't him who set the fire, it was Shu Jiandang."
Shu Jiandang's eyes widened suddenly. "What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I set fire to my own house?"
Lu Gong'an frowned and said in a deep voice, "Tell me again in detail and make yourself clear."
“A distant relative of mine in Zhoujia Village had her house collapse under the weight of the snow. I’ve been helping out at her house for the past few days. Last night, when the house was finished, they invited me to stay for dinner and drinks. I drank a bottle of wine and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already past midnight. As a grown man, I couldn’t sleep at someone’s house, so I returned home in the middle of the night. On my way back, I passed by the Shu family’s house and saw a man coming out of Shu Jiandang’s house and setting fire to Shu Aiguo’s haystack.”
What? Shu Jiandang set fire to Shu Aiguo's house? Then why did he burn his own house down too?
The villagers were completely confused.
Battalion Commander Huang Xingwang stepped forward, wearing a cotton-padded coat. "Zhou Dong, explain yourself clearly."
Zhou Dong looked at Chu Yu, and their eyes met.
Chu Yu remained calm and composed, showing no sign of fear.
Zhou Dong looked away. "Uncle, Shu Jiandang wanted to set fire to Uncle Aiguo's house, but a strange wind blew last night, and somehow it blew the flames towards Shu Jiandang's house. I was far away, and by the time I got here, the fire had already grown big, and Shu Jiandang's family had just escaped from the house."
Huang Xingwang finally understood the situation. He took a puff of his pipe, looked at the anxious-looking Shu Jiandang, and asked in a deep voice:
“Jian Dang, Zhou Dong has no grudge against your two families. He was the one who went door to door calling for help to put out the fire in your house. He has no reason to wrong you.”
Zhou Dong's character is evident to all. There was a widowed aunt in the village who was targeted by a leper from another village. It was Zhou Dong who beat the leper so badly that he ran away and saved the widowed aunt.
Whenever villagers are bullied by people from other villages, he is always the first to rush to their aid.
The people of Shanguan Village believed Zhou Dong's words.
Shu Jiandang was stunned by Huang Xingwang's question. He wasn't a born arsonist, and his mental fortitude wasn't high. In addition, Liao Hongmei had a criminal record with the police, so when the police interrogated him, his expression changed.
The villagers had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
With a stern face, Lu Gong'an said, "Shu Jiandang, Liao Hongmei, right? You two come with me."
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