23 Grudges
◎Two figures seemed to flash by in the darkness.◎
A secret affair? Where did this secret affair come from?
Honghua immediately recalled how, when her sister was still alive, this Constable Lu had tried to strike up a conversation with her several times. But Aunt Huang had covered her mouth, and no matter how hard she tried, she could only make "mmm" sounds.
But she couldn't speak, while the others could. The villagers had seen Du Zhijin and Lu Ping return from catching chickens together in the back hills; all the children had gotten a taste that day. "Oh, I remember now! That carpenter girl!"
"What carpenter girl?" Someone was unaware of Du Zhijin's existence, and a villager immediately explained, "She's the carpenter girl who stayed at Doctor Ying's house before. One morning, Old Huang shouted 'Catch the thief!' When he opened the door, he found..." "Oh, it was her! Doctor Ying chased after her for quite a distance after she left, but unexpectedly..."
The tense atmosphere was immediately diluted by gossip. Not only the villagers of Wuling Village, but even the constables that Lu Ping brought with him began to exchange knowing glances.
One of them was quite bold, even leaning close to Lu Ping's ear to ask, "Brother Lu, is this the person we met on the street...?" His voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either; at least the villagers who were listening heard him and immediately started shouting, "The carpenter's daughter is already gone, so what are you doing here now, Officer Lu? And you've even tied up her savior! How can you do this!"
Lu Ping felt his temples throbbing. He never expected that Ying Jianhua's words would steer the conversation towards Miss Mu. What did this have to do with her? He was acting on orders; he wasn't the kind of person who would settle personal scores.
Moreover, even if we take a step back, the friction between him and Ying Jianhua was negligible, and he didn't take it to heart at all.
But clearly, others don't think that way. The matter has become ambiguous, and people always like to talk about things in a vague and ambiguous way.
He belatedly realized that he had been tricked.
Just as Lu Ping was having a headache and the others were making a ruckus, Ying Jianhua uttered her third sentence since being tied up.
"When officials handle cases, I dare not disobey, but I also do not wish to lose my innocence because of a few unfounded accusations. May I ask, Officer Lu, what is the basis for your conviction?"
Ying Jianhua's tone was neither too fast nor too slow, but very powerful, and everyone present, regardless of age or gender, could understand him clearly.
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of eyes turned to Lu Ping. They didn't say a word, but it was as if they had said everything.
Yes, where is the evidence? Who are the witnesses? Can the officials just convict people arbitrarily? They finally managed to outlive Prince Chengduan, are they about to face another mountain called "Captain Lu"?
Lu Ping and his men sensed the sudden change in the villagers' eyes—a look of resentment and coldness. He pressed down on his men's knives, signaling them not to make any rash moves.
Wuling Village was remote, and their group of four had no chance against dozens of villagers. These villagers might not be willing to risk their lives for Ying Jianhua, but the boy's words were extremely persuasive, and he could easily sway people's hearts with just a few words.
I underestimated him.
Lu Ping remained silent. A constable beside him cleared his throat, glanced around at the villagers watching, and asked, "Is there a man named Ding Lao in your village?"
"Ding Lao?" Upon hearing this somewhat unfamiliar name, no one immediately recognized him. It was Village Chief Zhao who stroked his beard and replied, "Is he the one who lives on the west side of the village?"
West of the village.
Even with her mother holding her hand and covering her mouth, it didn't stop Honghua from instantly conjuring up a map of Wuling Village in her mind.
To the east is a river, to the south is the back mountain, and to the west is a big tree. Sister Ding hanged herself on that tree all those years ago.
...Old Ding's house is located on the west side of the village.
In a short while, many people realized what was happening and started chattering: "Old Ding? What has he done now?" "I knew it! How could Doctor Ying have gotten himself into such a terrible mess? He must be the one gossiping behind our backs!" "Sir, you mustn't take Ding Lao's words seriously! He's a scoundrel!"
No matter how noisy the crowd was, Lu Ping's gaze never left Ying Jianhua.
He had been a constable for three years, and it was precisely because of his meticulous skills that he surpassed many veterans and was promoted to head constable. No one who committed crimes could escape his eyes.
Some were secretly pleased, some regretful, some fearful, and some feigning composure. Only Ying Jianhua never revealed the slightest emotion. If one had to pinpoint a single expression on his face from beginning to end, it would be one of detachment.
Thinking of this, Lu Ping's heart wavered for the first time.
If it was truly Ying Jianhua's doing, how could he remain so calm? Could they have arrested the wrong person?
After all, Ying Jianhua had not previously shown any malice towards Prince Chengduan, and as the villagers said, he had never left Jinxi City. Even his medical skills, as far as he knew, were only mediocre. How could such a simple person possibly kill the prince and the heir apparent?
Outsiders were talking about Doctor Mo in incredible terms. Although Lu Ping didn't believe it, he did admit one thing: Doctor Mo was definitely no ordinary person.
How did the unknown young doctor, who had no one to teach him, learn such "sorcery"?
"...Your Honor, you are unaware of this, but Ding Lao is a cunning and treacherous man, even going so far as to sell his daughter for personal gain. He is certainly not a good citizen. Regardless of what he has said, Your Honor, please reconsider! Cough, cough, cough!" With that, Village Chief Zhao coughed violently a few times, as if he were about to collapse. His son, Uncle Zhao, rushed forward to support him, shouting, "My old man is dying! Get a doctor! A doctor!"
A doctor? Where would you find a doctor here besides Yingjianhua?
The constables looked at each other, unsure whether to stop him or not. Just as they were hesitating, Ying Jianhua was pulled away by the villagers to have Village Chief Zhao take her pulse.
His subordinates secretly glanced at Lu Ping's expression and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he did not object.
After all, they also felt that it was impossible for a country doctor to be the murderer of the prince. The idea that it was the work of demons was more convincing.
Village Chief Zhao had been unconscious for a long time and seemed likely to remain so. Lu Ping, not wanting to get entangled with them, said directly, "I'd appreciate it if you could take us there, Village Chief. We need to question Ding Lao to see if he's trustworthy."
Sensing that he was about to relent, Village Chief Zhao immediately calmed down. Since he still needed to maintain his public image, he pointed to his son, Uncle Zhao, to lead the way.
Before leaving, Lu Ping caught a glimpse of the Huang family mother and daughter, and suddenly pointed: "They're coming too."
"This, this won't do..." Uncle Huang was about to plead when Aunt Huang shook her head at him.
She clutched the red flower tightly and followed behind the crowd.
————
There used to be several families living on the west side of the village, but after Ding's daughter hanged herself, strange things happened to those families one after another, and they moved away. Gradually, only Ding Lao was left living there.
The lush canopy blocked out the sun, and the moment you stepped inside, early summer turned into the dead of winter. Uncle Zhao walked ahead and introduced, "This is Ding Lao's home."
The tree was so tall that Lu Ping spotted it at a glance.
But what attracted him was not just its "tall" size.
Seeing his gaze fall on the tree, Uncle Zhao explained in a low voice, "That is where the Ding family's daughter hanged herself."
The mere mention of "hanging" made the already shady place even more eerie, sending chills down one's spine. A young constable couldn't help but shudder, his voice trembling: "Has someone...has died here?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping frowned as well: "Why not report it to the authorities?"
Uncle Zhao sighed and said as he walked, "It's a family matter, how can outsiders interfere? Ding Lao said he found a good family for his daughter to marry into, can we stop him?"
After hearing this, the young constable muttered, "If she were truly from a good family, why would her daughter take her own life?" This immediately drew Lu Ping's attention. He dared not say anything more, but the indignant expression on his face still showed his grievance for the deceased Miss Ding.
Ding Lao's house was also a thatched hut, but unlike the other houses in Wuling Village, which were clean and tidy, it was covered in dust and had a nauseating smell of mildew and foul odor.
Honghua couldn't take it anymore and ran outside to vomit, pulling away from her mother's hand.
Ying Jianhua noticed and took out a pill from her sleeve, handing it to Lu Ping.
Lu Ping asked, puzzled, "What is this?"
He said, "It's just a ball made of mint and licorice. Children can't stand this filthy smell, and Officer Lu is eager to solve the case, but he can't implicate innocent people."
Lu Ping was stunned for a moment. He suddenly realized something and asked, "Officer Lu, are you worried that I hid something in the pill?" "No..." He was about to explain when he saw Ying Jianhua gently squeeze the pill, splitting it in two. The middle was empty, with nothing inside.
Ying Jianhua held up the two halves of the pill and looked at him: "Now, Officer Lu can rest assured?"
“…Give it to her.” Lu Ping didn’t explain, but waved for Aunt Huang to take the pills.
Aunt Huang quickly fed her the safflower. After seeing her slightly worried expression after taking the medicine, the others asked Ying Jianhua for more: "Doctor Ying, is there any more?"
The constables remained silent, but their eager eyes betrayed their true intentions—even though they were constables, they had never smelled such a disgusting odor before!
Ying Jianhua generously gave one to each person, and Lu Ping was no exception. Lu Ping didn't take one, but turned to Zhao Ershu and instructed, "Call the person out."
Uncle Zhao called out from outside, but received no reply, so he pushed the door open. The two thatched huts were completely inside, and there was no one there.
"Well...maybe they went out for drinks again," Uncle Zhao said.
The other villagers were being polite when they said they were drinking; they suspected Ding Lao was probably out stealing chickens and dogs to make money for gambling again. The constables had seen too many people like him, and their impression of Ding Lao grew increasingly negative.
Everyone said it was normal for him not to be home, but Lu Ping sensed something was amiss.
The room was filthy and showed no signs of personal life; it resembled a pigsty. But Lu Ping's intuition told him that something was amiss.
It's as if someone is deliberately hiding something.
But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, so he left it at that and instead asked, "Where else does Ding Lao usually appear? Send someone to look for him and bring him here."
The villagers and constables were mobilized, and an hour later they returned to tell him that they could not find the person.
"Can't find anyone?" Lu Ping didn't believe the villagers of Wuling Village; he was saying this to his men.
Three constables, sweat beading on their foreheads, said, "We've searched everywhere, but we can't find him..."
Lu Ping frowned.
Ding Lao is a conspicuous figure with one eye and one hand; how could he not be found? Besides, when he went to the county government yesterday, he repeatedly said he would come to guide them. They made such a commotion in Wuling Village, yet he didn't show up.
Unless... he escaped.
Or, he/she is dead.
The young constable's analysis was very logical, and everyone agreed with the first statement.
It's not impossible that someone like Ding Lao, who would do anything for money, would frame someone and then flee to avoid punishment.
The matter seemed to have been swept under the rug, all of it was Ding Lao's slander, and Ying Jianhua was innocent and wronged.
Perhaps there was also some personal grudge between superiors, but that's not important anymore.
Under the occasional glances from the others, Lu Ping stood in front of Honghua.
He remembered the child; she was very clever and always chattered beside Miss Mu. He saw her expression change when the constable said Ding Lao might be dead.
Do you know where Ding Lao went?
Aunt Huang looked flustered: "What could the child know? She just..." "Don't speak, let her talk."
The surroundings fell silent because of his sudden deep voice, and everyone's eyes fell on the person in Aunt Huang's arms.
Honghua seemed frightened; her voice trembled, choked with sobs: "I...I was wrong, sob sob sob...I shouldn't have said I hated Doctor Ying, and let you take him away...sob sob sob...I'm willing to write ten more characters every day! Please don't take him away—"
The constables left amidst the child's heart-wrenching cries.
Wuling Village returned to peace, as if nothing had happened.
Aunt Huang thought so too.
That night, firelight ignited the night sky, and thick smoke billowed over the village, making it look like hell. Aunt Huang hurriedly got up and saw that the Ying family next door was engulfed in flames, and the newly replaced straw was turning to ashes bit by bit.
She thought she saw two figures flash by in the darkness, but when she rubbed her eyes and looked again, she saw nothing.
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