Siheyuan: I am Banggeng's uncle

Chapter 777 The Truth About the Fire!
Upon hearing Zheng Haifeng's question and seeing the fear on Zheng Haifeng's face, Peng Xinnian replied with a very serious expression: "Zheng Haifeng! As long as the clues you provide are helpful for us to solve this case, we will report your performance to the court."

Upon hearing Peng Xinnian's promise, Zheng Haifeng quickly nodded and replied, "Captain Peng! I will cooperate. I will definitely cooperate with your work and tell you everything I know."

Upon hearing Zheng Haifeng's answer, Peng Xinnian's expression turned serious as he asked Zheng Haifeng, "Zheng Haifeng! Then tell me properly, what exactly happened in that fire back then? And who asked you to give false testimony and frame Guo Yongkang and the others?"

When Peng Xinnian asked about the fire from back then, Zheng Haifeng began to carefully recall what had happened. With a guilty expression, he explained to Peng Xinnian, "Captain Peng! All those bottles, jars, and paintings? We stored them all in the warehouse in the factory that caught fire, and we even arranged for someone to guard them."

"Two months before the fire, Song Guangzhong and Wang Donghai spent most of the day in the warehouse. Later, they directly dispatched a truck from the convoy to transport a load of things from the warehouse, saying they were going to take them to the suburbs for destruction. At that time, it was a few of us on duty who helped load the truck."

“At first, we didn’t suspect anything. On the day of the fire, I was on duty and responsible for guarding the warehouse. Section Chief Song suddenly invited a few of us to dinner. I thought it was a leader inviting us to dinner, and there were people on duty at the factory gate, so I went to dinner with him. But when we were halfway through our meal, someone suddenly said that the warehouse was on fire.”

"Upon learning of the warehouse fire, we rushed there immediately. We saw Guo Yongkang and the others carrying brooms, running into the warehouse to put out the fire. The fire was very intense. When we reached the warehouse entrance with our hoses, we saw Guo Yongkang and Liu Zhijun, who had rushed into the warehouse to fight the fire, being hit by a burning beam from the warehouse."

“At the time, I was thinking of rushing into the warehouse to save people, but the fire inside the warehouse was too big, and we couldn’t get close to Guo Yongkang and the others at all. By the time we used water to put out the fire in the area around the warehouse door and then put out the fire on the beams, Guo Yongkang and Liu Zhijun had already been burned to death by the fire.”

“After the fire was extinguished, I recalled what I saw when I ran to the warehouse. It was my shift that day. When I went to the canteen for lunch, I was worried that someone would enter the warehouse to steal things, so I locked the warehouse door. But when we went to put out the fire, I remember that the warehouse door was open and the key was hanging on the warehouse door intact. So I suspected that the fire was arson, so I reported this situation to our section chief.”

"When Section Chief Song heard about my situation, he asked me if I had mentioned this matter to anyone else. After I told Section Chief Song that I hadn't, he told me not to mention it to anyone. The next morning, Factory Director Wang called me to his office and asked me to give false testimony, saying that Guo Yongkang and the others were smoking in the warehouse while they were slacking off, which caused the warehouse to catch fire. He also promised that as long as I did what he said, he would promote me to the position of deputy section chief of the security department."

After listening to Zheng Haifeng's account, Peng Xinnian asked him with a serious expression, "Zheng Haifeng! You just said that Song Guangzhong and Wang Donghai took a truckload of bottles, jars, and calligraphy and paintings from the warehouse. Who are these people you mentioned?"

Upon hearing Peng Xinnian's question, Zheng Haifeng immediately introduced them to Peng Xinnian: "Captain Peng! These people are Wang Donghai, Song Guangzhong, and Zhou..." "When those things were being handled, I told them that after the fire, the district sent people to the factory to investigate. I was surprised to hear from a member of the investigation team that the higher authorities had just issued an order requiring the factory to hand over those bottles and cans, and then our factory's warehouse caught fire. This is too much of a coincidence. Only then did I understand why Section Chief Song suddenly invited us to dinner on the night of the fire."

After hearing Zheng Haifeng's explanation, Peng Xinnian vaguely understood that the fire back then was probably caused by Wang Donghai and his group. Knowing that their superiors were coming to remove those things, they were worried that their actions would be completely exposed, so they decided to go all out and start a fire.

With this thought in mind, Peng Xinnian recalled the things they had found in the secret underground room of Song Guangzhong's house. Peng Xinnian immediately asked Zheng Haifeng, "Zheng Haifeng! You just said that Wang Donghai and his group once transported a truckload of bottles and jars from the warehouse. Who was the driver at the time? Also, you just said that you participated in loading the truck. If you saw the things that were transported back then again, would you be able to recognize them?"

Upon hearing Peng Xinnian's question, Zheng Haifeng showed a surprised expression and replied, "Captain Peng! The things that were taken away back then were almost all bottles, jars, and paintings. Since the paintings were rolled up, I don't know what was inside, but I can still recognize some of the bottles and jars."

Upon hearing Zheng Haifeng's answer, and recalling the items they had brought back that day, Peng Xinnian immediately instructed his subordinates who were in charge of recording, "Xiao Liu! Xiao Zhong! You two take Zheng Haifeng to the warehouse and see if the items we brought back today are the same ones that were taken away back then."

"Captain Peng! I have told you everything I know. I admit that I did give false testimony back then, causing Guo Yongkang and the others to be wronged. If possible, I am willing to provide some financial compensation to these two families. I hope the organization can give me a chance to make amends." Zheng Haifeng heard Peng Xinnian's words and, recalling the mistakes he made back then in order to get promoted, couldn't help but speak to Peng Xinnian.

Upon hearing Zheng Haifeng's request, Peng Xinnian said to Zheng Haifeng with a very serious expression, "Zheng Haifeng! We will verify everything you just said. If it is ultimately determined that you only committed perjury back then, then your actions will not constitute a criminal offense for the time being. However, how the higher authorities will handle your actions will depend on the decision of the leadership."

Zheng Haifeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that he would not be sentenced for perjury, and quickly asked Peng Xinnian, "Captain Peng! Can I go back to the hospital now?"

Upon hearing Zheng Haifeng's question, Peng Xinnian, considering the other's injuries, solemnly instructed Zheng Haifeng: "Zheng Haifeng! I can let you go back to the hospital to continue your treatment, but you must not tell anyone about why we came to see you tonight."

(End of this chapter)