Chapter 76 Suspect: Teacher Jiang, what do you think?
Seeing Lei Xiao frowning in thought, Jiang Ling realized there was a problem.
Previously, when she talked about the "three-pronged approach to investigation," she started by determining the nature of the crime, that is, analyzing the criminal motive. Because she knew who the criminal was, the target was clear, and therefore the criminal motive could be quickly identified.
But Lei Xiao was different. He didn't know who the poisoner was, so he could only list all the possible motives before proceeding. This made the clues quite complicated, and it was difficult to pinpoint the main point.
Jiang Ling had heard of this case in her previous life.
No wonder she thought the old man who was arguing with Officer Wang from the neighborhood office looked familiar, because she had seen him on TV expressing his indignant opinions to reporters.
The mass poisoning incident involving soy milk immediately sparked a huge public outcry.
Such a large-scale poisoning case occurred right under the nose of the Public Security Bureau, in a well-known residential community for families of law enforcement officials, which has led the public to question the authority of the entire law enforcement system.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Some say it was a criminal who had been arrested by the police. After being released from prison, he deliberately sought revenge on the retired police officer who had arrested him. Unexpectedly, the retired police officer was sick at home on the day of the poisoning and did not drink soy milk, thus escaping the disaster.
Some say the couple selling soy milk are spies, infiltrating the residential compound of families within the political and legal system, and have been slowly poisoning the soy milk for a year. Anyone who drinks it will suffer from incessant coughing until they vomit blood and die. If they hadn't accidentally released too much this time, they would never have been discovered.
Others say that in that turbulent era, mismanagement and insufficient police force led to many wrongful convictions. Those who were wrongfully imprisoned deliberately chose to poison the police station across the street to vent their anger and take revenge on all the corrupt police officers who disregarded human life.
Because the news was so sensational, reporters from radio, television, newspapers, and all sorts of other media flocked to Pinganli Community to conduct investigations and interviews.
Jiang Ling had a habit of watching the evening news in Yan City, and it was during that time that she saw Grandpa Xu on the screen.
Jiang Ling couldn't remember exactly what Grandpa Xu said, only vaguely recalling that the old man was in high spirits and led the reporter through every corner of the community, cursing everything from the municipal government to the power supply bureau, water bureau, neighborhood committee... basically, he cursed every unit related to the community's infrastructure.
Jiang Ling was unaware of the final outcome of the case.
In any case, she didn't see any criminals related to the poisoning case in the criminal files.
It is possible that this case will ultimately remain unsolved.
It is possible that the murderer was not imprisoned in the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital.
Another possibility is that although the poisoner was found, the case was so egregious that the city pressured the media to forbid public reporting or revealing any details to the public. Therefore, even Jiang Ling, who worked in the public security system, received no information.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling felt heavy-hearted.
Although he didn't know the answer, Jiang Ling was someone who had lived through a lifetime, so he was able to see the big picture from a small part and deduce the cause from the result.
First, a heinous poisoning case that occurred right under the noses of the Public Security Bureau would have plenty of clues and could not possibly remain unsolved. Therefore, in my previous life, this case must have been solved.
Secondly, the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital houses criminals convicted of serious crimes. The perpetrator of the poisoning case should, in principle, be imprisoned in the Ninth Prison after sentencing, unless he dies or is transferred to a higher-level prison. Either way, it indicates that this case is not simple.
Third, the fact that no one within the public security system, including Jiang Ling, heard anything about this case suggests that it may have touched a nerve at the higher levels, which is why subsequent news reports were blocked.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling looked up at the three motives Lei Xiao had written on the blackboard, her eyes flickering slightly. The poisoner wouldn't have simply targeted a specific person or stall; revenge against society was the most likely explanation.
Lei Xiao noticed a hint of understanding in Jiang Ling's eyes and immediately asked excitedly, "Jiang Ling, what do you think?"
When Jiang Ling was called upon, she stood up, walked to the blackboard, and drew a line under each of the three criminal motives: "I think all three criminal motives are possible, but we can prioritize them based on the characteristics of the case."
Lei Xiao happily stepped aside: "Okay, then you can divide it up."
Jiang Ling drew three stars next to the "retaliation against society" category: "In this case, the poisoning point was precise and clear, the poisoning targets were indiscriminate, and it was located right across from the Public Security Bureau and in the old family quarters of the political and legal system. The location has a strong provocative meaning. Therefore, the possibility of retaliation against society is the highest. Priority: three stars."
Fan Wei smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd, looking quite pleased with himself: "Yes, that's exactly what I think!"
Jiang Ling marked two stars for the "retaliatory poisoning of the stall owner" category: "Because of jealousy of the success of their competitors, or because of a past feud with Aunt Liu and her husband, they poisoned the stall owner in retaliation. The direct conflict is obvious, but the method of poisoning is too extreme. The harm to the diners is far less than the harm to Aunt Liu and her husband. Priority: two stars."
The detective who had just raised his hand to state the motive for the crime raised an eyebrow and made a "two" gesture with his hand: "Two stars, not bad."
Jiang Ling finally drew a star next to the "Retaliation against an individual" option: "Poisoning with bean powder cannot guarantee that the target will be poisoned. Although this possibility exists, it is relatively small. Priority: one star."
The moment this star rating was announced, everyone got excited.
“That’s right, after hearing what Jiang Ling said, it feels much clearer.”
"It seemed like a complete mess before, but now it looks like we just need to handle it according to the star rating system."
"I've only ever heard of hotels being rated three, four, or five stars before. I never imagined that our criminal investigation team could come up with a one-star, two-star, or three-star rating for criminal motives at a meeting. That's interesting."
New things always stimulate everyone's senses, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became incredibly lively in an instant.
Lei Xiao clapped his hands: "Quiet!"
With Lei Xiao's shout, all sounds vanished, and the venue fell into complete silence.
Lei Xiao, having taken control of the situation, turned to Jiang Ling and grinned, "You go ahead, continue your analysis."
There are many intricacies to this three-pronged investigation method, and Lei Xiao feels he still has a lot to learn. Anyway, Lao Qin said that young people should be given opportunities and encouraged to innovate, so let Jiang Ling take the lead.
Jiang Ling drew a line to the right of "revenge on society" on the blackboard: "Okay, next we'll define the scope according to priority. First, if the poisoner's intention was to retaliate against society, what should the investigation focus on?"
Fan Wei was very proactive: "As we analyzed earlier, the fact that the poison could be accurately placed in the bean flour bag indicates that the poisoner is a resident of the community who is familiar with Liu Meifeng's breakfast stall's habit of making soy milk. Therefore, we need to try to identify those who are dissatisfied in the community."
Jiang Ling nodded very firmly: "Very good." She wrote the words "In-depth investigation of community discontenters" on the blackboard, and then looked at all the criminal police officers present.
"Please record the key points of the investigation: First, those who have recently experienced major setbacks, such as being laid off, suffering from serious illness, or experiencing family changes; second, long-term residents who have long complained about social injustice and community management; and third, those who are withdrawn or have extreme opinions."
After saying this, Jiang Ling suddenly saw the face of Grandpa Xu, who had been so passionate and eloquent on television.
To be honest, Grandpa Xu fits the characteristics of a dissatisfied person in the community quite well.
Lei Xiao immediately gave the order: "Xiao Liang, you are in charge of this group's investigation and keep good records."
"yes!"
A detective with a baby face immediately responded and quickly took notes in his notebook.
Jiang Ling’s voice was loud and clear: “Officer Liang, please pay close attention to who might be seeking a warning effect, and who might have a deep obsession with the choice of location, such as the spot opposite the police station.”
"yes!"
Officer Liang answered while taking notes. Even a good memory needs a bad pen; what Jiang Ling was saying was all key information that would help with the investigation.
Jiang Ling looked at Lei Xiao: "Let me talk about the scope of the investigation for the second criminal motive."
Lei Xiao immediately pointed to Detective Wei Yang, who had just proposed the motive for the crime: "Xiao Wei, you're in charge of this group."
"yes!"
Wei Yang happily accepted the task, his eyes shining as he listened intently to every word Jiang Ling said.
Jiang Ling began to define the scope of the investigation based on the second motive: "For this direction, the focus of the investigation will be on two categories. The first category is to investigate people who have had a feud with Liu Meifeng and Li Guofu in the past year, to dig deep into the conflicts, whether they have alibis, what caused the disputes, whether they bought rat poison, etc. The second category is the newly opened breakfast stall owners in the vicinity, whether there is any malicious competition, whether there have been any disputes?"
Wei Yang listened and nodded.
“Third, report back to the individuals.” Jiang Ling paused.
Lei Xiao now worked well with her and immediately began calling out names: "Hey, Zheng Yu, you're in charge of the third group's investigation."
Zheng Yu's eyes lit up, and she responded loudly, "Yes!" Finally, she could lead the team to investigate on her own. Although it was only a one-star target, it was a good start.
Jiang Ling looked at Zheng Yu, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. Zheng Yu becoming the leader of the investigation team—that was truly something to be happy about.
"Regarding the direction of retaliating against individuals, the main focus is on investigating the social relationships of the poisoned individuals, such as whether they have property disputes, emotional disputes, family conflicts, etc., whether they have recently had arguments with others, the perpetrator's high level of familiarity with the stall details, and the availability of time to commit the crime."
Zheng Yu raised her hand.
Jiang Ling gestured for her to speak.
Zheng Yu asked, "Is it possible that the murderer wanted to get revenge on someone, knew that the person often drank soy milk, but that person didn't drink it today for some reason and thus escaped the crime? If this is possible, then we might miss something if we only investigate the social relationships of the poisoned person."
Jiang Ling: "What's your opinion?"
Zheng Yu said, "I want to first investigate Liu Meifeng and the surrounding residents to determine a list of customers who frequently patronize Aunt Liu's breakfast stall, and then conduct an investigation based on the list."
Jiang Ling affirmed her idea: "Very good, then let's do it your way. Although this will broaden the scope of the investigation, it will ensure that no one is missed."
At this point, Jiang Ling decided to stop.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
It's time for everyone to put their brains to work.
Jiang Ling looked at Lei Xiao: "Team Leader Lei, how about we have the leaders of the three investigation teams draw psychological profiles?"
Lei Xiao perked up immediately. "That's right! We need to mobilize everyone's enthusiasm and ensure everyone grasps the essence of the 'Three-Point Investigation Method.' Anyway, Teacher Jiang is right here; she can provide guidance anytime."
"Okay, Xiao Liang, you go first."
Liang Youxun stood up, somewhat hesitant.
Lei Xiao glared at him: "Why are you being so hesitant, young man? Come up here and talk."
Liang Youxun had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand on the stage. He looked at Jiang Ling standing to the side and chuckled, "Um, Teacher Jiang, shall I speak first?"
Jiang Ling nodded and sat back down.
And so, the three groups took turns going on stage, trying to create a profile of the poisoner by considering the direction and scope of the crime. Jiang Ling listened and guided them, and with everyone discussing together, they finally completed the task of "painting the faces" of poisoners with different criminal motives.
A large table was drawn on the blackboard, covering five aspects: identity and background, psychological state, behavioral characteristics, ability to commit crimes, and clues to solve the case.
Looking at the table, a compilation of everyone's wisdom, Lei Xiao's confidence soared. He waved his hand and announced, "Three investigation teams, six people each, will begin a comprehensive door-to-door investigation of the residents of Ping'anli Community. I require a meeting in three days, where each team will submit a list of suspects! Are you confident?"
Liang Youxun, Wei Yang, and Zheng Yu stood tall and proud, their voices loud and clear: "Yes!"
Three investigation teams began a comprehensive door-to-door investigation of Pinganli Community.
They checked each building and each household one by one.
Lei Xiao led a team to the hospital to interview many victims and their families.
Fan Wei was responsible for inspecting Liu Meifeng's breakfast stall, sorting out her social relationships, and communicating with other vendors in the community.
Five teams began a comprehensive investigation. Jiang Ling and Luo Yunchen were assigned to the technical team, responsible for summarizing the data from all the teams and providing further guidance.
The soy milk poisoning incident occurred on June 24th, and the following Saturday and Sunday were the days for the city's high school entrance examinations.
Many families in Pinganli Community have children who are about to take the high school entrance examination, which has increased the difficulty of screening.
I don't know why, but it seems like it always rains during major exams.
It rained for two days straight over the weekend.
Heavy rain caused severe flooding in low-lying areas of Ping'anli residential area, forcing many residents to roll up their trousers and wade through the water to get out.
Jiang Ling thought of Liang Jiushan.
I wonder if his exam went well.
I wonder how well he performed.
However, even though Jiang Ling was concerned about Liang Jiushan's exam results, she didn't have time to inquire. This heavy rain not only caused headaches for the middle school entrance exam candidates but also for the special task force.
Everyone put on raincoats and went door-to-door to investigate. The most common complaints they heard were about the aging infrastructure in the community.
"If the government doesn't spend money to improve this dilapidated neighborhood, we really can't live here anymore."
"Who's dissatisfied with society? Ha, me? I'm extremely dissatisfied! When it rains, the rainwater practically floods the house. How can anyone live like this?"
"Did you see that road surface? It's full of potholes. And this is supposed to be a residential building for families of law enforcement personnel? It's a joke!"
A rain shower brought all the community's problems to light.
This also fueled the discontent among community residents.
In a short time, the investigation team collected too many negative voices, as if all the residents of the community had the motivation to retaliate against society.
At this time, Jiang Ling made a decision: to send Xiao Wenjuan back to Kyoto.
Xiao Wenjuan was unwilling to go back, especially now that the entire neighborhood was under police investigation, she was even more reluctant to leave her daughter.
But Jiang Ling's attitude was very firm this time.
“Mom, do you know how panicked I was when the ambulance drove into the community? Just thinking about you being home alone, and what if something happened to you and I didn’t even know? It made me so uneasy. Now my work is on track, I can eat all three meals at the company cafeteria, and I go home to rest at night, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Xiao Wenjuan was still reluctant to let her go: "But you're so busy, you don't have time to take good care of yourself. Besides, the cafeteria food at work isn't as nutritious and hygienic as mine. If I stay, I can talk to you and cook for you, so you won't be lonely, right?"
Jiang Ling clung to her mother's arm, her eyes bright: "Mom, before I found you, I was doing very well on my own and took good care of myself. There's no reason why, after finding you, I should become a hothouse flower that needs to be pampered by my parents, right?"
Xiao Wenjuan sighed and remained silent.
Jiang Ling knew her mother's worries, so she softened her tone: "Isn't Nianxiao about to start summer vacation? Here's what we'll do, Mom, you go back first, and after I finish this case, you can bring your sister over to stay for a while. That way, when I'm not home, your sister will be there to keep you company, and I'll feel more at ease."
After thinking it over carefully, Xiao Wenjuan also felt that her daughter's words made sense.
After returning from abroad, she came directly to Yan City, spending so much time with Jiang Ling that she neglected her youngest daughter, Nianxiao.
The soy milk poisoning case is like a dark cloud hanging over the community. Every resident is trembling with fear. Now, almost no one is at any of the breakfast stalls, because everyone is afraid that the food outside will be poisoned.
Xiao Wenjuan wanted to stay and spend time with her daughter, but she didn't want to be a burden to Jiang Ling, so she nodded: "Okay, then I'll go home and check on things first, and I'll bring Nianxiao over when she's on summer vacation. Remember, don't eat out, eat at the company cafeteria if you want to eat."
After the mother and daughter discussed it, Xiao Wenjuan left by car on Sunday.
The soybean milk poisoning case also saw its second meeting.
After summarizing the information from each group, a total of seven suspects were identified.
The first person to stand up and report was Wei Yang from the second group. He wrote two names on the blackboard: Zhang Li and Zhao Meijuan, and then began his report.
"Zhang Li, 45 years old, known as Butcher Zhang, runs a butcher shop in the neighborhood. After closing, he often drinks nearby, which gives him time to commit crimes. His butcher shop is only three meters away from Liu Meifeng's breakfast stall, sharing a drainage ditch. He is familiar with Liu Meifeng's process of making soy milk and knows that she has a habit of adding soy powder to the soy milk bucket."
Zhang Li complained that Liu Meifeng's frying of dough sticks produced too much smoke, while Liu Meifeng retorted that Zhang Li's meat stall attracted flies, leading to frequent arguments between the two. Zhang the butcher repeatedly splashed water on his meat stall, deliberately splashing dirty water onto Aunt Wang's stall, nearly soiling her soy milk bucket. The two exchanged insults in the street three times. Liu Meifeng once whispered to a regular customer that Zhang's meat prices were suspiciously low, and after this got out, Zhang the butcher smashed his stall with a cleaver, resulting in his three-day detention by the police. From then on, the two families harbored a deep-seated grudge.
Wei Yang took out Zhang Li's photo and pasted it next to his name, adding, "Zhang Li has a volatile temper, and his motive for revenge is obvious. He used to sell rat poison and has access to it, so our team has listed him as the prime suspect."
As Jiang Ling listened to his report, the image of Liu Meifeng's smiling face when she did business flashed before her eyes. She had originally thought she was a gentle and kind businesswoman, but she never expected that she would also slander the butcher shop next door in private and have a grudge against Zhang Li.
Wei Yang took out Zhao Meijuan's photo and pasted it next to her name, then began to introduce the second suspect.
"Zhao Meijuan, 38 years old, was a former female worker in a state-owned textile factory. After being laid off, she became an unemployed person. She permed her hair in a curly style and liked to wear floral dresses. She would complain to anyone she met about the enterprise restructuring. The reason she became enemies with Liu Meifeng was because Zhao Meijuan's son, Xiaoyong, had diarrhea after eating fried dough sticks at Liu Meifeng's breakfast stall. Zhao Meijuan insisted that it was caused by gutter oil poisoning and demanded 500 yuan in compensation with her medical records, which Liu Meifeng refused to pay. After that, whenever Zhao Meijuan passed by the breakfast stall, she would sarcastically say that her family's place was a black-hearted shop that ate people to death."
Zhao Meijuan?
Jiang Ling had seen her before; she was the "Meijuan" who had once queued up at Liu Meifeng's fried dough stick stall and complained that she fried dough sticks too slowly.
If she called Liu Meifeng's shop a heartless place that preys on people, why did she continue to buy her fried dough sticks? Wasn't that contradicting herself?
Wei Yang said, "It cannot be ruled out that Zhao Meijuan was angry with others because she was laid off. During the investigation, we found that Zhao Meijuan cursed Liu Meifeng as a self-employed individual who made a fortune by taking advantage of policy loopholes. She said that she had dedicated her youth to the factory but was abandoned, while these bloodsuckers who run small businesses are living more and more comfortably."
Similarly, Zhao Meijuan was also a long-time resident of Ping'anli and knew Liu Meifeng's secret recipe for bean flour. Her husband's workplace had previously distributed rat poison, making it possible she obtained the poison. She lived in the same building as the breakfast stall, close by, making her actions late at night or in the early morning unlikely to attract attention. She claimed to be sleeping at home during the time of the incident, and with no one to corroborate this, she had ample time to commit the crime. Therefore, our team listed her as suspect number two.
After finishing his report, Wei Yang looked at Jiang Ling and asked, "Teacher Jiang, what do you think?"
Jiang Ling asked, "Zhang Li was detained for wielding a knife to attack a stall, and I saw Zhao Meijuan queuing to buy fried dough sticks on the morning of the 21st. Is the intensity of their motive for retaliation sufficient? Is there any direct evidence? Have they exhibited any unusual behavior after the incident, such as deliberately avoiding people or actively seeking information?"
Wei Yang was a little confused by Jiang Ling's series of questions. After thinking about it carefully, he replied, "Well, although Zhang Li and Zhao Meijuan both have a grudge against Liu Meifeng, their motives are not strong enough. There is no direct evidence at the moment. During the investigation, their attitude was very normal. How should I put it, they were a little gloating. They both said it was Liu Meifeng's retribution."
Although they had personal grudges, it wasn't to the point of being irreconcilable; at most, they would exchange a few curses or hit each other a few times.
Zhang Li, for example, once smashed Liu Meifeng's stall when he lost his temper; Zhao Meijuan often spoke ill of Liu Meifeng out of jealousy, but to say that the two of them poisoned people and harmed so many innocent neighbors? The motive is not strong enough.
After Wei Yang sat down, Lei Xiao turned his gaze to Zheng Yu: "How many suspects did your three groups identify?"
Zheng Yu stood up: "Two. One is called Li Qiang, nicknamed Little Sichuan, and the other is called Du Peisheng, nicknamed Du the Cripple."
Lei Xiao gestured for her to come forward: "Come on, tell everyone the basic situation."
Zheng Yu was not intimidated and walked confidently onto the stage, writing the two names on the blackboard.
Li Qiang, a 25-year-old construction worker from Sichuan, lives in an illegally constructed coal shed and speaks with a strong Sichuan accent. The person he hates most is Zhou Daming, the contractor who lives in Building 3 of the East District. Zhou Daming owes Li Qiang and other Sichuan workers about 2,000 yuan in wages for three months. When Li Qiang tried to demand his wages, two of Zhou Daming's teeth were knocked out, and he was threatened, "If you cause any more trouble, we'll kill you."
Zhou Daming is a regular customer at Aunt Wang's stall, drinking two bowls of soy milk every day.
Du the Cripple, 60 years old, a watch repairman, lost his right leg in a beating during the Cultural Revolution. He lives on the first floor of Building 6 in the East District, where his windowsill is covered with cacti. His old grudge is against Grandpa Liu, who was the most severely poisoned this time, because Grandpa Liu's grandson was learning the violin, and the sound of his daily evening practice could be heard through the walls.
Du the Cripple banged on the door twice. Grandpa Liu, however, was good-natured and explained that the child needed more practice and asked him to be more understanding. But Du the Cripple went around cursing, saying that Grandpa Liu was letting his grandson commit violence and was trying to kill him with the noise.
Du the Cripple knew that Grandpa Liu was a regular at the breakfast stall, drinking a bowl of soy milk and eating two fried dough sticks every day.
After introducing the two suspects, Zheng Yu said, "Zhou Daming escaped because he had diarrhea this morning and left home late. Grandpa Liu was more seriously poisoned and is currently in critical condition. He is quite old and his condition is not good."
Zheng Yu paused for a moment and scanned the room: "Li Qiang left the community early on the morning of the 24th and has not been seen since. He is highly suspicious."
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