He Zifeng said, "My house burned down, and my elder brother brought over twenty taels of silver early on."
Wan Hai went to Liangzi's mother just now, intending to have someone attack him. Wan Hai wasn't going to leave him any way out, so he didn't need to be polite.
The old town mayor seemed to be deep in thought.
Wan Hai felt inexplicably nervous facing the old town mayor. He felt as if his little tricks would be seen through by this wise old man at a glance.
He said angrily, "He Zifeng, what do you mean? Is it wrong to care about brotherly affection? You really can't be a good person these days." Wan Hai used to be considered an outstanding young man in the village, and he naturally exuded an air of authority.
Most people would be easily silenced by his sharp rebukes.
He Zifeng, however, remained fearless: "I didn't say anything to you, why are you so guilty? Or are you saying that you killed Liangzi?" As soon as he said this, Wan Hai's forehead was covered in sweat.
The whole village gathered around, but the family quietly sent the children away. The body was already rotting and covered in blood, so they didn't want to frighten the children.
The coroner brought by the old town mayor was also interfered with. Liangzi's mother was determined to extort money from He Zifeng's family for their unfinished new house and refused to let the coroner examine the body.
The old town mayor said, "This is to seek justice for your son. If you don't allow an autopsy, this case will be closed, and you'll have to accept that your son is dead."
Liangzi's mother was a shrew who wouldn't listen to the old town head at all, and even told them to leave immediately. At this moment, Liangzi's brother, Da Liang, stepped forward: "Town head, village chiefs, my mother is too upset, I hope you won't hold it against her." After saying that, he grabbed his mother and said, "I agree, you can do the tests if you need to!"
Taking advantage of this moment, the coroner pulled out all his tools and began working. Liangzi's mother had already made her plans, but her eldest son stopped her, and now her eyes were bloodshot with rage: "How can your brother rest in peace after doing this?"
Da Liang said, "The mayor has brought people here to deal with Liangzi's matter. We can't hire him even if we spend money! What are you still talking nonsense about? Liangzi is my brother. He died so mysteriously. We must find the murderer."
These words made the whole village look at Da Liang with new respect. Da Liang was a man of few words in the village. With such a younger brother and mother, he wasn't well-liked. Some villagers didn't want to associate with him. But today, he could say such things, so it seemed that there were still some sensible people in his family.
But Liangzi's mother was blinded by the promise of twenty taels for a newly built house. She said, "This matter is inextricably linked to He Zifeng. Why did Liangzi have to choose his house instead of someone else's? It takes two to tango."
Qiu Yu said, "Put your face out here and see if I can clap my hands together." Qiu Yu was gentle by nature and rarely got into direct conflict with anyone. In addition, he was good-looking, so if someone thought he was kind and took advantage of him, they would be mistaken. Qiu Yu's father was a hunter, so he also had a fierce side.
He Zifeng said, "Why did he order my house when we've only met a few times? Could it be that someone instructed him to do this?"
Upon hearing this, Wan Hai's heart skipped a beat, and he could feel many people looking at him. They suspected that He Zifeng might know something. But after thinking about it, he felt that He Zifeng probably didn't know, otherwise, given He Zifeng's impulsive personality, he would definitely have caused a huge uproar.
Thump, thump, thump, Wan Hai couldn't control the wild beating in his heart.
The old town mayor said, "Wan Hai, come here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wan Hai's hands and feet turned ice cold, and his feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Even those who were just joining in the fun noticed something amiss.
The old mayor, seemingly oblivious, said, "This is a capable young man from Chishui Village. When Village Chief Xu was still in office, he recommended him to me many times. At the time, I felt it was a waste for such a talented young man to stay in the village, and I wanted to find him a better place to settle down." He had never said this to anyone else.
However, the village chiefs around him looked at Wan Hai with some envy.
The old town mayor was highly respected and admired by everyone because he genuinely cared for the young people under his command. Many of the officials in the county were recommended by him.
He doesn't say things like that casually; if he said it, then it must be true.
When He Zifeng heard the old town mayor say this, he remembered that there really was such a good thing in his previous life. Wan Hai became a yamen runner, but for a farmer, this was equivalent to having a government job. Moreover, the connections that a yamen runner could make were different.
Unfortunately, before he could even enjoy this auspicious fortune, Wan Hai was suspected of being involved in a murder case.
The old town mayor, despite his advanced age, possessed a keen eye for character. In his eyes, Wan Hai was far inferior to He Zifeng, who stood out for his composure and uprightness. Though robust, He Zifeng exuded an air of integrity, which accentuated his tall stature and piercing eyes. He had seen several such individuals before, and each one was destined for great success.
It's just that it's still in the village right now, so it's not obvious yet.
It's pitiful to say that He Zifeng is capable and filial, but he was stuck with an awful father who couldn't tolerate him at home. Just when things were finally getting a little better, he became a suspect in a murder case. It seems that God was trying to test him.
Village Chief Bai said, "Since the two have no connection in the village, why did they burn down the house?"
"Was it arson hired to commit murder?"
"You can't just say anything without evidence." Once it's confirmed that it was arson, the He family is the most suspicious.
The villagers were now curious. He Donglai was usually loud and boisterous, always bossing everyone around. Now, no one admitted to having seen Liangzi; they had only found the clue that Liangzi had set the fire.
The two suspects are both related to his family: his biological son He Zifeng and his adopted son Wan Hai, who was pampered from childhood.
He fell silent at that moment.
But he didn't speak. Someone approached him and asked, "Who do you think did it?" Everyone knew he disliked He Zifeng, and they figured he might accuse He Zifeng again this time.
But this time, it surprised everyone. He said irritably, "How would I know? If I had that ability, I'd be the town mayor."
The neighbors, who had been scolded for no reason, were somewhat unhappy and said, "Don't you know who's good and who's bad?"
"Get lost, get lost! I'm annoyed, don't come here and make things worse." He Dong said and then chased the man away.
At first, everyone was talking, but as time went on, the atmosphere became increasingly tense, and this silence was tormenting Wan Hai.
Soon, the coroner's apprentice came over and whispered a few words to the old town mayor, who then frowned.
Everyone tensed up, a sudden tension rising within them; there must be a result.
The old mayor said, “We already know who did it. The corpse can talk. It told us who the murderer is. The murderer is among you. If you step forward now and confess your crime, I will definitely be lenient with you.”
His words sounded somewhat familiar; the village chief of Liuzi Village had used the same phrase before, but he hadn't quite grasped its essence. The old town chief's aura was intimidating; even those who hadn't done anything before dared not meet his eyes.
He Zifeng said, "Let me state my position on this matter: it wasn't me! I'm grateful to the mayor for his consideration in allowing me to separate from the family. Life is so much better now than before. Why would I choose to kill someone when I have such a good life to live?"
The villagers understood his words. After all, they had all witnessed He Zifeng's life. A few days ago, they thought the tempting aroma in his dream was just a dream until He Zifeng asked someone to clean the pig offal and they realized that the aroma was coming from someone else.
He sent his son to school, which was indeed unnecessary! But if that's the case, Wan Hai was equally unnecessary. He said more than once that he hoped his son would achieve academic success after the exams.
The villagers subconsciously ruled out Wan Hai as a suspect, so this remains an unsolved case.
However, everyone remembered what the old mayor had just said.
At this moment, he started to come alive again: "How can a dead person talk?"
"What did he say? I didn't hear him clearly."
"Why don't we find a fortune teller and have them perform a ritual to ask?"
The villagers had all sorts of opinions, but the old town mayor looked at Wan Hai with a clear meaning: He Zifeng had already expressed his opinion, and now it was just Wan Hai's turn!
Wan Hai said, "I didn't do this." He didn't say another word.
The village chief of Liuzi Village also urged the old town chief to stop keeping him in suspense and tell everyone what happened.
The old town mayor nodded to the coroner.
The coroner said, "The deceased was struck on the head with a stone before being dragged to the location of his death and struck twice more. But at that time, the deceased was only unconscious; he was not dead yet. He was only unconscious, but the wild animals in the forest smelled the blood on him and bit him a few times. This was the fatal wound."
The villagers got goosebumps when they heard this; the thought of people being bitten to death by wild animals was terrifying.
Upon hearing this, Wan Hai felt relieved. He realized that he hadn't killed the person, which cleansed his conscience of guilt.
The old town mayor said, "But Liangzi still has a piece of the perpetrator's cloth." He then showed it to everyone. It was a blue garment. It was typical fine cotton cloth. Although not unique, most of the villagers were men, and those who could afford fine cotton cloth must have some money, or at least be respectable people!
Wan Hai was so nervous that he didn't even notice Liangzi tearing a small piece of his clothes.
The old town mayor had always suspected Wan Hai, and when he presented the evidence earlier, he was also watching Wan Hai. Seeing his reaction, his initial 60-70% certainty turned into 90%. He said, "Search Wan Hai first."
Then, the village chief of Liuzi Village led two men to search the area first.
They were moving too fast; by the time Wan Hai tried to stop them, he was already surrounded.
Although the villagers did not believe that Wan Hai was responsible, they were sure that the old town mayor had his reasons for saying so.
After a while, someone actually found a piece of clothing, with a few faint drops of blood on the cuffs.
The old town mayor threw the things in front of Wan Hai and said, "What else do you have to say?"
“I didn’t do this,” Wan Hai said. “I lost this garment; maybe someone is framing me.” He then glared at He Zifeng with resentment.
He Zifeng said, "I set up my stall early in the morning and work late at night. I don't have time for such petty tricks. If you're a man, take responsibility!"
Just then, a fourteen-year-old boy named Lu Zi in the crowd said, "On the day of the incident, I saw Liangzi and Wan Hai walking up the mountain."
The village chief, Liu Zi, was furious: "Why didn't you tell us about something so important?" He asked repeatedly, like a headless fly. No one spoke.
Lu Zi said, "I, I dare not! Besides, even if I told you, you might not believe me, and I would offend people." He only spoke up because he saw that the evidence was conclusive and he couldn't go against his conscience.
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