From a distance, the village chief saw Li Zhaoye standing at the doorway with Hanhan and Luoluo beside him. He immediately smiled and walked over.
“Comrade Li, this is the one hundred yuan Gao Jinniu sent over.”
Li Zhaoye directly handed the money to Hanhan.
Hanhan was surprised. He had actually been entrusted with such a large sum of money. His brother-in-law trusted him!
At the same time, Li Zhaoye took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
He was disciplined and never smoked himself, but when traveling and dealing with people, it was inevitable to maintain certain social connections and give appropriate gifts.
The village chief’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly accepted the cigarettes with both hands. When he saw that they were the most popular filtered cigarettes of the time, his heart filled with even greater delight.
It seemed that the incident that morning had been put behind them.
“Village Chief, I have something I’d like to ask you about.”
“If there’s anything you need to know, Comrade Li, just ask. I’ll cooperate with you fully.”
“All right, then I’ll get straight to the point.
“The people who came with me yesterday were from the county’s political and legal department. You also know that I came here on a special assignment. Now that Jing Shuning is missing, I have to report back to my superiors.”
His tone became heavier.
“A major case involving five deaths is not something that can simply be covered up with a few rumors in the village.
“If the investigation reveals that someone deliberately concealed information, failed to report what they knew, or even shielded and tolerated those involved… this won’t be something that can be dismissed as simple negligence. I imagine both the military and the government will hold the responsible parties accountable.”
The village chief’s heart jolted.
He understood the implication behind Li Zhaoye’s words.
He began weighing the pros and cons. After thinking it over several times, he ultimately didn’t dare take any more chances.
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything exactly as it happened!”
Inside the house, after having the ointment applied, Lin Jingwan was also thinking things over.
A single written statement might silence the gossip for a while, but it couldn’t overturn an established murder case.
She opened the door, intending to find Li Zhaoye and discuss her plans with him, when she heard the village chief and Li Zhaoye talking.
When Li Zhaoye saw her, he immediately said,
“Perfect timing. Comrade Lin isn’t an outsider. Village Chief, come inside and talk.”
“All right.”
Lin Jingwan was slightly startled. She immediately realized what he meant.
She then looked at the two children.
“Hanhan, Luoluo, do you remember what I just told you to do?”
“Remember!”
“Go do it.”
Hanhan handed the money to Lin Jingwan.
“Big Sister, this is the compensation money from the Gao family.”
Lin Jingwan reached out to take it, then rummaged around in her pocket.
Damn! My pocket is cleaner than my face!
“Li Zhaoye, do you have any money?”
Li Zhaoye nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
He immediately took out a stack of one-yuan bills and handed them to her.
Lin Jingwan turned around and stuffed the money into Hanhan’s hands.
“Take it. Go!”
Hanhan’s lips curled into a smile.
Both Big Sister and Brother-in-law trust me!
Watching Li Zhaoye so readily take out money, the village chief secretly sighed.
This Lin Jingwan really has some skills! How did she manage to win him over in such a short time?
“All right. Let’s go inside and talk.”
The three of them went inside and sat down.
The village chief looked at Lin Jingwan and sighed.
“Jingwan, this is a long story.”
“It’s all right. Take your time and tell me.”
“You know that the current Old Madam Lin isn’t your biological grandmother. After your grandfather passed away, the family split up, and two mud-brick walls separated the three households.
“Your father was the eldest son. He lived separately with his own family, while Old Madam Lin lived next door with your second and third uncles.
“After the family split up, everyone lived their own lives and rarely interacted. Your mother was kindhearted, though. Whenever she cooked something good, she would always remember to send a portion over to Old Madam Lin next door.
“On the day of the incident, some villagers hurriedly called me over. The moment I stepped into your second uncle’s courtyard, I was completely stunned.
“The entire family of five was dead. Even the watchdog in the courtyard had lost its life.
“At the time, Old Madam Lin was sitting beside the bodies, beating her thighs and wailing. She insisted that your mother had viciously killed the entire family of your second uncle.
“Your mother was also in the courtyard. She was disheveled and covered in dirt, her face deathly pale. She kept shaking her head and explaining that she had never harmed anyone.”
The village chief paused before continuing.
“On the day of the incident, your father had taken you and your two siblings up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs. There was no one in the village who could testify on your mother’s behalf. She was the only outsider present in that large courtyard, so naturally, all the blame was immediately placed on her.”
Lin Jingwan’s expression darkened.
Seeing this, the village chief quickly continued.
“Old Madam Lin wouldn’t listen to any explanation. She shouted in front of everyone that she would report your mother to the police and have her paraded through the streets for public criticism.
“She also claimed that your mother had a problematic class background and that Hanhan and Luoluo were illegitimate children she had secretly brought home from somewhere else.”
At this point, Lin Jingwan realized that her mother must have been afraid that revealing her true identity would affect the children.
The village chief continued,
“Your mother was so furious that her whole body trembled. She kept crying while trying to explain in broken sentences that the family was already dead when she arrived and that she truly hadn’t done it.
“But Old Madam Lin was absolutely vicious. She rushed forward, knocked your mother to the ground, and slapped her twice.
“And because of those blows, your mother began bleeding heavily…”
The instant those words fell, Lin Jingwan’s fingers clenched tightly.
For crying out loud! Her mother had suffered a miscarriage!
Old Madam Lin!
At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to tear the old woman apart with her own hands.
She kept reminding herself:
This is a peaceful society. Murder is against the law! It’s against the law!
Li Zhaoye noticed every sign of her emotional breakdown. He raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder.
Feeling the steady weight of his hand, Lin Jingwan took a deep breath and suppressed the murderous rage inside her.
“Village Chief, please continue.”
“Your mother watched helplessly as her entire home was looted. On top of that, your grandmother kept shouting that she wanted five hundred yuan in compensation. Completely devastated, your mother ran away and jumped straight into the river.
“After that, Old Madam Lin hastily buried your second uncle’s family of five. She also told me that, for the sake of protecting the village’s reputation, she wouldn’t report the matter to the police.
“And then, later on, you children came back.”
Lin Jingwan felt a sharp ache in her chest.
Her mother had suffered a miscarriage, been falsely accused, had her entire home looted, and had even been burdened with an outrageous compensation claim.
They had practically driven her to the brink of death!
Old Madam Lin… you’re really something!
Li Zhaoye’s gaze turned cold.
“Thank you, Village Chief, for being willing to tell us the truth. I have one last question. Did you personally examine the victims’ bodies? Did you notice anything unusual?”
The village chief stammered.
“I… I didn’t dare. I didn’t look closely.”
A layer of frost immediately appeared in Li Zhaoye’s eyes.
This case is full of holes. It’s utterly absurd.
There was no clear motive, no corroborating witnesses, and yet they accused someone of murder based solely on one person’s word.
Sloppy. Far too sloppy!
The imposing aura radiating from Li Zhaoye sent chills down the village chief’s back. He didn’t dare stay another second.
“Well, I’ve told you everything I know. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
With that, he hurriedly fled the room.
An oppressive silence descended.
Lin Jingwan raised her eyes and looked at the man beside her.
“What do you think?”
“Absurd. Ridiculous. And infuriating.”
“Exactly. Five people died, and from beginning to end, my mother was declared a murderer solely on Old Madam Lin’s unsupported accusations. It destroyed our entire family.
“Li Zhaoye, can you help me with something?”
Looking at the woman whose eyes had reddened, Li Zhaoye’s heart softened.
“Tell me.”
“Help me dig up a grave first!”
Li Zhaoye immediately understood.
“All right.
“But I want to follow the proper procedure. We should also find a forensic doctor.”
Lin Jingwan felt warmth spread through her heart.
I really chose the right partner. This man understands me!
“All right. Go ahead.”
Meanwhile, Hanhan and Luoluo quickly found Gao Erniu.
Gao Erniu was Gao Jinniu’s younger son, Gao Daniu’s younger brother, and also Luoluo’s playmate.
“Brother Erniu!” Luoluo called out brightly.
Gao Erniu immediately turned around, a silly grin spreading across his face.
“Luoluo! What are you two looking for me for?”
“Brother Erniu, thank you for helping us hide Wang Chunhua at your house! What happened after we left? Did she go home?”
“She did. My dad came back and saw her at our house. He got furious and immediately found a wheelbarrow and took her home.
“Oh, and my grandma and my big brother both have high fevers. My dad just took them to the commune hospital to see a doctor. I’m the only one at home now.”
“Oh, I see. Brother Erniu, I’m hungry. I haven’t had meat in ages. Why don’t we steal a chicken and eat it?”
“Sure! Tell me, whose chicken do you have your eye on?”
“My step-grandmother’s!”
“All right! Let’s go!”
He loved playing with Luoluo the most!
Normally, they would catch fish, raid birds’ nests, climb trees, and catch shrimp. But stealing a chicken today sounded even more fun!
At the same time, after Li Zhaoye left, Lin Jingwan also went out and headed straight for Gao Jinniu’s house.
Sure enough, no one was home.
It seemed Luoluo and Hanhan had successfully lured everyone away.
She went straight into Gao Jinniu’s room.
As the only veterinarian in the village, Gao Jinniu kept quite a few medicines there.
Trichlorfon, a veterinary fertility drug, and oxytetracycline!
The Three-Step-Down poison! That’s the one!
Without hesitation, Lin Jingwan took all the bottles of the Three-Step-Down poison and put them away. Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted the veterinary fertility drug and croton beans nearby and took those as well.