The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 119 The Red String [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

“Mine,” Lin Jianshan replied.

Lu Chengjing looked at him with considerable surprise.

The blue outer garment looks brand new. How many new clothes can a villager make in a year?

Clothes that have been used to cover the dead are certainly not given to the living, yet Lin Jianshan was willing to use new clothes to cover a dead person.

Lin Jianshan said, "The person is dead, let's leave them some dignity."

Lu Chengjing neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead suggested that Village Chief Lin report the case to the authorities as soon as possible, so that the government could send people to investigate the case, examine the body, and catch the murderer.

Village Chief Lin said, "I've already sent someone there."

Therefore, apart from protecting the scene, there is not much else that people can do.

After discussing the matter, Village Chief Lin and the others sent several able-bodied men to cordon off the area and protect the crime scene, lest the body be eaten by some wild animal.

Everyone else should go home and not stay here to cause trouble.

When Ma Jieyong and his two companions arrived, the villagers had all dispersed, and they could only ask Shi Tou for some details.

Lu Chengjing and a few others were discussing the matter of sealing off the village.

Until the murderer is found, entry into the village is restricted to the village only, to prevent the murderer from escaping.

Although so much time has passed since the murder, the murderer may have already escaped. But what if the murderer, taking advantage of the fact that no one saw it, is still on the run?

Yuan Musheng examined the body and found that Gui had been dead for about two hours.

Lu Chengjing suggested: "We can organize people to go door-to-door to ask where everyone was when the murder occurred, and write down all those who do not have an alibi."

Village Chief Lin immediately organized people to handle it.

Lu Chengjing, being in a wheelchair, had difficulty getting around, so he did not join the questioning team.

The group returned home.

Shang Wan opened her palm, and a red string appeared before everyone's eyes.

Two small, round ceramic pendants hung from the red string. Some parts of the pendant were a darker color, and if you smelled it up close, you could detect a faint smell of blood.

"Sister, where did this red string come from?"

“It was hidden under the body’s hair,” Shang Wan said. “I thought it might be related to the murderer, so I took it back.”

Xiao Huan: ?
When did her sister get close to the body? How come she didn't see it?
Lu Chengjing took the red string and examined it closely. The more he looked at the two small ceramic pendants, the more familiar they seemed, as if he had seen similar ones somewhere before.

He frowned in thought.

"Huh?" Gao Yan stared at the pendant on the red string. "Isn't this the red string used for praying for marriage at the Temple of the Old Man Under the Moon?"

"You've seen him before?" Everyone turned to look at him.

Gao Yan nodded. "I have one more, I'll go get it."

He ran to the shed to rummage through his luggage, found his red rope, and showed it to everyone.

“Look, even the pendants on them are exactly the same, one depicts a golden boy and the other a jade maiden.”

Lu Chengjing placed the red rope in his hand next to Gao Yan's red rope. Everyone compared them and found that the length, thickness, and pendants were all exactly the same.

Compared to Gao Yan's, the one Shang Wan found looked newer, as if it had just been obtained.

"So, the murderer recently went to the Temple of the Matchmaker to pray for a good marriage," Shang Wan murmured. "Could the murderer be a single dog?"

Everyone: Why is being single considered being a "dog"?
Lu Chengjing said, "This might be a clue. We can hand it over to the officials to investigate when they arrive."

……

The officials arrived quite quickly.

Upon learning of the murder in the village, the newly appointed county magistrate did not delay for a moment and hurriedly sent people to investigate.

The leader was still Shan Dajun, accompanied by four constables, and the one carrying the wooden box was the coroner. After learning that the village had protected the crime scene and that the body had not been disturbed, Shan Dajun breathed a sigh of relief.

The biggest fear is that villagers will disturb the body without permission, which will turn any clues into none.

Without even taking a sip of water, the group headed straight for the reed marshes.

While the coroner examined the body, Shan Dajun led four other constables to survey the surrounding area for any clues.

The condition of the body clearly indicated homicide. After examination, the coroner discovered that the deceased had engaged in sexual intercourse with someone before his death, raising the possibility that it was a crime of passion.

Village Chief Lin had been by her side the whole time, and upon hearing the coroner's conclusion, he hurriedly told her about Gui's affair.

"Can we find out who the adulterer is?"

Village Chief Lin shook his head. "She wouldn't talk. We were going to arrest her and hand her over to the authorities, but she escaped. I never imagined that she would die here just a few days later."

Dan Dajun frowned and asked, "Where are the deceased's family members?"

"Still at home."

"You two, carry the body to the old elm tree first. Mr. Xu, please examine it carefully again." Shan Dajun began to assign tasks, "You two, notify the villagers to assemble at the old elm tree."

The constables obeyed in unison, and the coroner, Xu, helped them carry the body.

Shan Dajun then looked at Village Chief Lin and said, "Lead the way to the Gao family's house."

The Gao family closed their doors and windows, so Village Chief Lin went up and knocked on the door.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing that it hadn't been closed.

The two exchanged a glance, and Shan Dajun stepped forward, pushed open the wooden door, and went inside.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~" A large, golden-feathered rooster flapped its wings and ran across the yard, leaving behind a pile of fresh chicken droppings.

Village Chief Lin shouted into the village, "Grandma Gao! Gao Qi! The officials are here! Come out quickly!"

After waiting for a few moments, there was neither a response nor anyone coming out.

A heavy thud came from a room. Shan Dajun strode over, pushed open the door, and saw an old woman lying on the ground, making weak groans, as if she had fallen off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Oh dear, how did you fall down?" Village Chief Lin stepped forward to help her up, but he only had one hand to use, and Old Lady Gao couldn't exert any strength. In the end, it was Shan Dajun who helped Old Lady Gao back onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Old Mrs. Gao's eyes were tightly closed, and her wrinkled face showed a pale, ashen look. She was panting heavily, and occasionally let out a few weak groans of pain.

Dan Dajun poured water from the kettle, brought it over, and fed it to the old lady.

Village Chief Lin explained the purpose of their visit: they wanted to find out from Gui's family which people in the village Gui usually associated with.

After catching her breath, Old Madam Gao opened her eyes wearily and stared at the two of them for a long time. She let out a heavy groan through her nose and said in a hoarse voice, "I have already divorced her on behalf of my son. She is no longer a member of the Gao family."

Village Chief Lin thought to himself, "Who's going to argue with you about this?" He repeated the question, "Who does Gui usually associate with?"

"You," Old Lady Gao said, glancing at him sideways.

Dan Dajun's suspicious gaze immediately swept over, and Village Chief Lin's face turned green instantly. He quickly offered an explanation.

"No, I only asked my husband to take care of them because they are a widow and her children and they are having a hard time. I had no other intentions."

Seeing that Old Lady Gao did not refute him, Shan Dajun temporarily believed what Village Chief Lin said.

The old lady was in poor spirits and spoke weakly, so he chose to ask her a different question.

Gao Qi lay on his back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, ignoring the village chief Lin's incessant chatter beside him.

Dan Dajun only learned on the way here that the young man on the bed had become an old man because of the wild boar's evil influence, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He looked around the room and noticed a splash of vibrant color in the corner of the otherwise drab space.

He walked over quickly and picked up the items.

(End of this chapter)