Chapter 37
This is a thatched hut with only three rooms. The owner is an elderly man who has no children. His wife passed away a few years ago, and he lives alone in this house, which is a bit lonely.
When the refugees arrived, the old man took the initiative to find the village chief and offered to give his house to the refugees to stay in.
But his kindness was not rewarded, because Liu Yinxue's youngest son, Liu Cheng, had been eating his food for free, stealing the vegetables he had worked so hard to grow, and sleeping under his good quilts ever since he moved in, without ever saying thank you.
The old man regretted it and asked the village if Liu Cheng could be sent away, but the Liu family had a terrible reputation and no one was willing to take him in.
The families who initially took them in felt wronged and were quite angry. To appease their anger, the villagers each contributed some money to compensate these families, and they gritted their teeth and swallowed their bitterness.
Yesterday, Mo Daowan first gathered the Liu family together and then took them into a room for questioning. Today, they came directly to the house where Liu Cheng lives. As soon as the old man saw them in their official uniforms, he begged them to get Liu Cheng away as soon as possible.
"Grandpa, don't worry, whether the person can be taken away depends on the outcome of the interrogation."
"Please step back for a moment while we handle the case properly."
Mo Dao said a few words of comfort to the old man, which was a subtle hint to the neighborhood chief to keep the people calm and not delay their business.
After the village chief took the old man away, the able-bodied men who had gathered in the village quietly surrounded Liu Cheng's residence.
The most important thing in interrogation is to have a strong presence. The constable, who had been supported by Mo Daowan the whole way because of his back injury, shook his head and refused to be supported anymore.
The door to Liu Cheng's room, which he lived in alone, was tightly closed. Mo Daowan called out to him a few times before Liu Cheng opened the door, yawning.
"Oh, it's you again?"
Liu Cheng, unlike the shifty look in his eyes when Mo Daowan questioned him yesterday, greeted Mo Daowan in a nonchalant manner.
Even the most oblivious person would notice something was wrong with this change in attitude, but Mo Daowan couldn't figure out what he was up to and could only frown slightly.
The experienced yamen runners had a thousand ways to interrogate their subjects. Chief Fang casually nudged Liu Cheng's shoulder and entered the room.
Inside the room were tables and chairs, and the quilt on the bed was a thick cotton quilt used in winter. According to the old man, these were all moved by Liu Cheng from other rooms in his house.
"Oh!"
Liu Cheng raised his eyelids disdainfully to look at the old constable who had bumped into him, gave a cold smile, and said to Mo Daowan, "So you've brought a new old fellow along?"
Hearing these words, Mo Daowan felt a surge of anger for Fang Dutou, but he had learned something from his seniors and understood that sometimes prisoners just wanted to provoke you and make you lose your temper.
Once you lose your temper, the other party can control your emotions, and you will no longer have the upper hand in the subsequent interrogation.
Liu Cheng, that guy, I didn't even realize he knew this trick of provocation yesterday.
But even if you know it, it won't make a difference.
Mo Daowan thought: I came here with the head constable today, so I might as well go with the flow and pretend to be angered by Liu Cheng. That way, I can cooperate with the head constable to interrogate him later.
Thinking this through, Mo Daowan grabbed Liu Cheng by the collar, deliberately exaggerating her anger, and said without any calmness, "Watch your mouth! Don't spew out all this nonsense!"
A smug glint flashed in Liu Cheng's eyes. "What? Why are you yelling?"
"Are you going to hit me?! Go ahead and hit me, if you dare!"
"Help! Someone is bullying innocent civilians! Government officials are harassing people!"
Fang Dutou, whose full name is Fang Wei, sat down unhurriedly after surveying the situation in the room. Just as Mo Daowan showed signs of being completely enraged and about to punch someone, he stopped him from doing so.
"Mo Daowan, is this how you usually do things?"
The two had silently reached an agreement, and Liu Cheng was overjoyed, thinking that his words had caused the two constables to fight amongst themselves.
As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall. From this moment on, Liu Cheng was destined to be the fish on the chopping block in this interrogation.
"sit."
Fang Wei raised his hand, gesturing for Liu Cheng to sit opposite him.
Liu Cheng, as proud as a peacock, snorted at Mo Daowan and swaggered down.
The questioning officially began, and Fang Wei and Mo Daowan were like gunpowder, constantly clashing with each other. Sometimes, when Fang Wei asked a question, Mo Daowan would pick up the answer before Liu Cheng could even say a word.
Like this: "Liu Cheng, I'm asking you, when did your family return to the village after receiving your grain on the 24th?"
Mo Daowan immediately retorted sarcastically, "Chief, your memory isn't what it used to be, is it? I told you yesterday that their family returned to the village at noon."
"Shut up! Do you need to say anything more?!"
Fang Wei had reprimanded Mo Daowan without any mercy, but when he turned to Liu Cheng, he spoke gently, "His words don't count. You tell me, when exactly did you return to the village?"
Liu Cheng smiled smugly. He felt that he and Fang Wei were on the same side, with only Mo Daowan as his opponent. So, when Fang Wei asked in a low voice, he subconsciously answered with the real time that he should have tried to forget: "The end of Wei Shi (1-3 PM)!"
Silence, a long, long silence.
Realizing what he had said, Liu Cheng's face turned ashen.
But something completely unexpected happened!
Fang Wei, who was sitting on the same level as him, suddenly sprang up, pinning Mo Daowan's hands behind his back with one hand and grabbing Mo Daowan's throat with the other.
Fang Wei grinned maliciously, "You're in charge of this case. You don't respect me at all. I'd like to see how the magistrate will deal with you if you can't find the real culprit."
Mo Daowan was stunned at first, then looked more wronged than Dou E, struggling and helplessly shouting: "When have I ever disrespected you?! I spoke up for you just now, but you didn't appreciate it!"
"Enough with the nonsense!"
Fang Wei kicked Mo Daowan hard behind the knee, causing him to groan and fall to his knees uncontrollably.
Faced with Liu Cheng's surprised and uncertain gaze, Fang Wei dragged Mo Daowan back a little, making way for the doorway.
"You should leave and lay low for a while. The magistrate has given you ten days. If you can't solve this case within ten days, he will behead the yamen runner in charge of the case to appease his anger."
"Come back in a while, and all the drama will have died down."
Liu Cheng tentatively walked to the door, and Fang Wei did not stop him at all.
Liu Cheng eagerly opened the door. Outside, the snow was white and there was no one else in sight.
Hahahaha!!!
He turned around and burst into laughter, pointing at Mo Daowan: "Unbelievable... Hahahaha! Unbelievable!"
"You were pretty cocky yesterday, weren't you?! You've got a taste for interrogating me?! You dare to come back today?"
He laughed heartily at times, clapped his hands at others, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Stop acting so arrogantly. There are more than just the two of us yamen runners investigating the villages today. If you get caught on the way, I won't help you anymore." Fang Wei said rudely, but his hands still held Mo Daowan firmly, even though Mo Daowan kept twisting and struggling.
Liu Cheng had never been so proud in his life. People from the government protecting bandits? Even plays never depicted this.
He paid no heed to Fang Wei's advice, saying, "I'm in the same boat as you now. If you don't protect me, who will you protect?"
"You!" Fang Wei, frustrated and exasperated, finally retorted, "Liu Cheng! Are you the only one in your family involved in this case? Didn't you need to call them when you ran away?"
“I’m too old to hold this kid off for long.”
Liu Cheng thought about it and realized that it would take time to notify his father and brothers, who lived scattered throughout the village. So he stopped showing off.
Without looking back, he turned around and ran across the threshold.
but--
With a whooshing sound, a dagger pierced his shoulder.
Before the pain could be felt, the previously quiet outside was filled with the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow.
People gathered from all directions.
These are all faces from the village.
He knew them, no, he had seen them all.
These people, carrying sickles, machetes, hoes, and other weapons, slowly approached him, forcing him to return to the house.
Turning his head, he saw the two scoundrels who had just started fighting looking at him mockingly.
The pain I had just felt suddenly disappeared.
He was angry, indignant, and resentful!
Mo Daowan let him rush over, and only calmly dodged when he was almost upon her.
He showed no mercy to this scoundrel, grabbing the hilt of the dagger behind Liu Cheng's back and twisting it violently.
The pig-like screams soon rose in waves.
Liu Cheng confessed everything.
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Author's Note: Although it's late at night, it's not past midnight yet! So I can still wish everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! [Sprinkling flowers]
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