Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 526 Northwest: Case Closed (A long chapter of 20,000 words, bonus chapter for the Alliance Leader, please vote with monthly tickets)

July 31st, the last day of July.

For students, summer vacation is already halfway over.

The former Beixian County has returned to its usual tranquility, and the police at all the intersections were nowhere to be seen yesterday.

But Xipinggou, this small place, has become the subject of much gossip and controversy.

Last night, in the men's restroom on the third floor of the county hospital's inpatient building, Zhou Xiangdong successfully apprehended Miao Dongfang, the main culprit in the Xipinggou case.

Zhou Yi guessed correctly. Miao Dongfang, whom Li Linglong couldn't find anywhere in the world, had been hit by a car and was lying in the hospital.

The incident of Zhou Xiangdong arresting Miao Dongfang was also quite bizarre.

Zhou Xiangdong was smoking by the toilet window when he went in; Miao Dongfang was already inside.

But he wasn't running away; he was vomiting in the toilet.

The sound of vomiting made Zhou Xiangdong feel uncomfortable, so he asked him if he was alright and if he needed him to call a doctor.

Zhou Xiangdong said that Miao Dongfang ignored him and got up to rinse his mouth at the sink.

As he drank water from the tap, he glanced at Zhou Xiangdong through the mirror.

Zhou Xiangdong also saw that glance. It was that one glance that gave Zhou Xiangdong a feeling that the man's eyes were not normal and that he didn't seem like a good person.

So I instinctively asked him his name, but to my surprise, he turned around and was about to leave.

Zhou Xiangdong's fiery temper, coupled with his veteran detective instincts, caused him to throw away his cigarette and, ignoring the cast on his leg, immediately rush over and start fighting with the other person.

Then Zhou Yi ran over, recognized Miao Dongfang's identity, and arrested him on the spot.

Li Linglong listened to the entire live broadcast on the other end of the phone.

Yang Chuan rushed back, handcuffed the man, and then took him back to the station.

Zhou Xiangdong was initially quite happy, after all, he had proven that he was still as capable as ever and that he still had to rely on himself.

But when he turned his head, he found his daughter with a dark expression, and he was immediately stunned.

However, after returning to the county bureau, they were unable to interrogate Miao Dongfang immediately because he kept complaining of dizziness and vomiting, although nothing came out.

Yang Chuan scolded him for pretending to be dead, but Zhou Yi, judging from his appearance and the nurse's words, knew that this was caused by Miao Dongfang's concussion.

After all, I had only recently recovered from a concussion, so I knew what that felt like.

In other words, Miao Dongfang had indeed just woken up and then went to the toilet to vomit, where he happened to run into Zhou Xiangdong.

However, even if he hadn't run into Zhou Xiangdong, he wouldn't have been able to leave the hospital in his condition, and even if he had, he wouldn't have gone far.

It's only a matter of time before they get caught.

Actually, even if it weren't for the accident of him being hit by a car, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape it anyway.

Because Zhou Yi and the others quickly realized he had escaped, they left him with very little time.

This is probably what they mean by "the net of heaven is vast, its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes it."

Because Miao Dongfang kept complaining of dizziness, Li Linglong had someone go to the county hospital to fetch a doctor. However, after the examination, the doctor's conclusion was similar to Zhou Yi's judgment: there was nothing wrong, it was just a normal reaction to a concussion, and all he needed to do was lie down and rest.

Yang Chuan immediately asked, "Then can you die?"

The doctor shook his head: "Normally, if there are no other problems, a concussion is not fatal."

Yang Chuan nodded: "As long as he doesn't die."

Li Linglong knew that he was planning to forcibly drag the person away for interrogation, since the doctor had said that he wouldn't die.

This is also Zhou Xiangdong's style. As long as you don't die, I don't care if you're sick or not. You have to tell me the truth.

But Li Linglong wouldn't do that. He told Miao Dongfang to rest for the night and continue the trial tomorrow, so as not to cause any deaths.

This also allows everyone to catch their breath, after all, they've been working non-stop for several days.

Zhou Yi felt that Li Linglong's decision was correct. The person had already been brought back, so there was no need to rush. Besides, if problems were to arise, it would be the local public security department that would suffer.

So Zhou Yi stayed at the county bureau for another night.

Li Linglong had someone buy boxed lunches to treat everyone.

Because of the large quantity, the owner personally delivered it by tricycle.

Zhou Yi then saw the true face of the owner of this delicious boxed lunch: a simple middle-aged woman and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, a mother and daughter.

Zhou Yi also learned the story behind the lunchbox from Yang Chuan.

It used to be a husband-and-wife shop. A couple of years ago, the owner tried to save an elderly person who had fallen into the water, but he himself didn't make it back up.

The nearby government agencies, seeing how pitiful the orphan and widow were, often patronized their business.

Later, Director Li even went so far as to close down the county bureau's canteen, so that boxed lunch shop became practically the county bureau's "new canteen".

“Some people say the boss is foolish, abandoning his wife and children to save an elderly person who won’t live for more than a few years, it’s not worth it,” Yang Chuan said with emotion. “But if everyone calculated so clearly, how could our society be any better?”

Zhou Yi was deeply moved by Yang Chuan's words. He was moved by the restaurant owner's kindness and selflessness, by Li Linglong's silent support for the orphan and widow without hurting their self-esteem, and by the mother and daughter's strength and hard work in making a living.

Although Zhou Yi was exposed to all kinds of evil every day, every page of the unsolved case files he had read in his previous life was filled with blood and sin.

However, as a reborn person who has seen the future society, he knows that these evils are ultimately just isolated cases, and he only comes into contact with them every day because of his job.

Like survivorship bias, he is a criminal investigator, so he sees all sorts of evil and darkness.

But our society is ultimately a society of the general public, a society made up of the majority of kind and silent ordinary people.

Everyone is striving to live their lives, shining like fireflies.

But when hundreds of millions of fireflies come together, the light they create illuminates an era.

Evil is nothing more than a worm huddled in a corner.

The little girl, carrying a basket, walked up to Zhou Yi and asked, "Brother, what do you want to eat? This is braised pork, this is Kung Pao chicken, and this is..."

Looking at the little girl's earnest expression, Zhou Yi smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid of getting dark while helping your mother with chores so late?"

The little girl smiled sweetly and said, "Don't be afraid. Uncle Zhou said that if anyone dares to bully us, he will be the first to object."

……

On the morning of July 31st, the county bureau returned to the scene it had been on Zhou Yi's first day, with everyone working as usual.

Zhou Yi, Li Linglong, and Yang Chuan arrived at the door of the detention cell where Miao Dongfang was being held, and saw Miao Dongfang lying motionless through the iron bars.

"Miao Dongfang, how are you today? Are you still dizzy?" Li Linglong asked.

Miao Dongfang answered with just one word: "Dizzy".

Yang Chuan was furious: "Hey, don't push your luck."

Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Director Li, how about this? Since he's still unconscious, we'll go in and interrogate him. He can lie down while we sit. Anyway, it's just a concussion, and I'm fine, so it won't affect our conversation. This also shows that our police are enforcing the law in a civilized and humane way."

“Okay, ‘civilized law enforcement’ is a good term.” Li Linglong nodded immediately. “Zhou Yi, why don’t you take the lead in the trial?”

"Me?" Zhou Yi said in surprise, "No, no, Director Li, with you here, how could it be appropriate for me to preside over the trial?"

Li Linglong patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Without you, who knows what would have happened to this case? Don't be modest, you've seen it through to the end."

Yang Chuan chimed in, "That's right, we're all brothers. Just think of it as interrogating on behalf of Captain Zhou. Captain Zhou said you're all from the Zhou family."

"Then I would be disrespectful."

Li Linglong gestured for Yang Chuan to open the door, and then he had someone bring in a few more stools.

The door opened, and Zhou Yi was the first to walk in.

Miao Dongfang lay motionless on the hard single bed.

On the ground beside him were some dried stains, which must have been the bitter water he had vomited last night.

Li Linglong and Yang Chuan walked in, and the two of them were taken aback.

They were startled by the way Miao Dongfang looked lying there.

He was emaciated, like a withered tree about to die.

But when he was arrested yesterday, he looked like an ordinary old man in his fifties.

Overnight, he seemed to have dried up completely, utterly devoid of energy.

Zhou Yi scrutinized the suspect before him. If he wasn't mistaken, the reason Miao Dongfang had changed so drastically overnight was probably that his body hadn't died, but his mind had.

“Miao Dongfang, I’m warning you now, don’t make any more futile struggles. Miao Tiejun, Miao Genhua, Miao Zhuang, and others have already confessed to all the crimes you committed. We’ve also dug up Shi Jian’s body from under your bed. With witnesses and physical evidence, the evidence against you for the murders of Shi Jian and Ma Weichang is irrefutable,” Zhou Yi said sternly.

But his tone immediately softened, and he said earnestly, "The reason we made you lie down during the interrogation is because the law respects and cares for you. We hope you can also have the most basic respect for yourself as a human being!"

Zhou Yi's suggestion to have Miao Dongfang lie down during interrogation was a combination of leniency and coercion.

It's because Miao Dongfang is already nearing the end of his life.

What he fears now is not the law, but the disease.

According to the nurse, there was a large shadow on his liver, indicating that it was already late-stage liver cancer, and even a miracle worker couldn't save him.

For a criminal suspect who will die before sentencing, threats and promises of leniency for confession are meaningless and have no effect on him.

So what Zhou Yi is giving him now is his final respect and dignity.

The rest is up to him.

Miao Dongfang, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them weakly upon hearing Zhou Yi's words and glanced at them.

Then it slowly closed again.

Just as Yang Chuan thought he was being disrespectful, he heard Miao Dongfang suddenly let out a slow and long sigh.

Then he opened his eyes again, looked at Zhou Yi, and his gray eyes held a hint of gratitude.

"I lost, I lost completely, I lost to fate. God has been unfair to me."

“I said, whatever you want to know, I will tell you.”

At this moment, three stools were brought in, and after the three of them sat down, Zhou Yi said, "Let's begin."

……

The story goes back to 1963, when Miao Dongfang had just turned twenty.

Because of his good looks, he was a standout among the younger generation in Xipinggou. Many young men were willing to be his underlings, and many young women in the village secretly liked him.

He enjoys the feeling of being a leader.

Back then, transportation was far less convenient than it is now. Forget about cars, the whole village couldn't even gather a single bicycle.

The farthest place he had ever been before was a town. Let alone the city, even the county was as far away as the journey to the West.

Xipinggou was very poor, and the surrounding villages were also very poor. In such a living environment, his handsome appearance and the fact that he had attended school for a few years as a child and could read made him a well-known young talent in the village, which gave him a great sense of superiority.

But in the winter of 1963, a truck suddenly arrived from the county, bringing five unfamiliar young men.

Almost the entire village came to see them out of curiosity. They learned from the old village chief that the five people were educated youth who had come to Xipinggou to settle down. Among them was his future wife, Jin Cuiping.

The arrival of this group of educated youth had little impact on Xipinggou, because the educated youth were sent to the countryside to participate in labor.

So every day they worked alongside the villagers, clearing land and doing farm work.

The villagers laughed at them for using porcelain hammers, saying they didn't look like they were doing any work, that they couldn't even swing a hoe properly, that they didn't know anything about the crops, and that a little girl had been frightened to tears by a snake.

In the eyes of almost all the villagers, these educated youths from the city were useless, incapable of doing anything, and far inferior to the rural kids.

But the person who was truly affected was Miao Dongfang.

Initially, it was the old village chief's idea to have Miao Dongfang help these educated youth who came to settle down in the countryside, since they were all around the same age and would definitely get along well.

But soon, Miao Dongfang realized something was wrong.

Aside from their unusual clumsiness when doing farm work, these educated youths made him feel many differences in other aspects.

These people have very good living habits. Despite their harsh living conditions, they are very hygienic and keep their belongings in good order, which is quite different from rural people.

But that's not what really shocked him; what truly shocked him was the content of their everyday conversations.

They talked about literature and art, music, poetry and songs, history, and what they had seen and heard.

These were things that Miao Dongfang had never heard of or seen before. Before this, he knew about Sun Wukong and Zhuge Liang, but he had never heard of the Four Great Classical Novels.

Before this, he was a standout in Xipinggou. When newspapers were distributed from above, everyone would gather around him and have him read them aloud to them.

But in front of this group of educated youth, he found that he didn't even have a chance to get a word in edgewise.

In their presence, he was as shallow as a newborn baby.

This was a devastating blow to his understanding of the world.

So after that group of educated youth arrived, everyone in the village knew that Miao Dongfang spent all his time hanging out with them. People even joked that he liked to be a lackey for city people.

Because in their subconscious, they looked down on these educated youth, thinking that they couldn't do farm work and were just a burden to them.

But Miao Dongfang was different; he discovered his own shallowness and insignificance in these educated youth.

These people, in particular, made him realize that the world is vast, and there are so many places and so many things he has never seen.

He was like the frog at the bottom of the well, suddenly realizing that the sky was not just as big as the well opening, but a vast and boundless expanse.

So he became a follower of these educated youths, ostensibly to teach them farming, but actually to learn all sorts of trivial knowledge from them.

Although these educated youths had only graduated from junior high school or high school, when Miao Dongfang described it, it sounded like common knowledge to Zhou Yi. But for Xipinggou in the 1960s, and for Miao Dongfang, who had only attended primary school for two years and could barely read, this knowledge was very beneficial to him.

Two of them had a great influence on him.

One of them was Jin Cuiping, a girl from a place thousands of miles away. In fact, these seven educated youths came from all over the country, so their experiences and observations were all different.

Jin Cuiping's hometown is by the sea. Once, she talked about the sea while sitting on the edge of a field. She said that sometimes the sea is calm and the sky is clear, and the sky and the sea seem to be connected on the distant horizon; other times the sea is covered with dark clouds, the waves are raging, and the wind and rain are like a mountain roaring and a tsunami.

As she spoke with deep emotion, she couldn't help but begin reciting Gorky's "The Stormy Petrel".

Although Miao Dongfang didn't know who this old man Gao was, he was deeply moved when he heard those passionate words, when he heard the phrase "Let the storm rage on!"

It was as if my soul had transformed into that petrel soaring freely between the vast sky and the sea.

He had never seen the sea in his life, but at that moment, the sea became his sacred place, his Jerusalem.

This was one of the reasons he later married Jin Cuiping, because he said that Jin Cuiping was not good-looking. She had a round face, was short, and a little chubby. She was not unattractive, but definitely not pretty.

But her passionate recitation of the poem about the storm petrel deeply attracted me.

Another one, Wang Guofa, was the most educated among the group of educated youth, the only one who graduated from high school.

Wang Guofa did not stay in Xipinggou or return to his hometown. Instead, because of his education, he was able to speak both Russian and English and write excellent articles. He was later noticed by the county and assigned to work at the cultural station. He then performed outstandingly in his government work and rose through the ranks.

The last time Miao Dongfang heard news about Wang Guofa was several years ago; he was said to have been transferred to a city as a high-ranking official.

Wang Guofa's path to promotion had an enormous impact on his understanding of the world.

Because this is different from the passionate speeches on the ridges of fields; this is real knowledge changing destiny, something tangible and visible.

Therefore, the idea that reading can lead to culture, and that culture can lead to success and prosperity was deeply ingrained in his mind.

This is why he insisted on sending Miao Tiejun, Miao Zhuang, and other Miao children to school—because he no longer had the opportunity, and he didn't want the next generation of Miao people to also miss out on the chance to succeed.

Unfortunately, he only knew the direction to success, but not the method to achieve it.

He thought that as long as he sent the children to school, they would naturally become as successful as Wang Guofa one day.

Like farming, he thought that if he buried the seeds, the crops would grow into a bountiful crop the following year.

Obviously, this is impossible. And the facts have proven that none of the people of Xipinggou's generation who went to school were successful.

This is also the biggest difference between him and Lu Guohua.

Lu Guohua teaches children not simply by teaching them the knowledge in textbooks to help them pass exams.

Instead, they patiently teach them the meaning of learning and the methods of learning, breaking the cognitive cage imposed on them by this land, enabling them to develop independent thinking skills in their learning, and thus generating strong self-motivation.

Although Lu Guohua only teaches elementary school, he is like a martial arts master, using the I Ching to cleanse the marrow and reshape the bones of the children in Yangjiatun.

These things require patience and determination to persevere day after day for ten years; it's not as simple as just dropping someone off at school.

Therefore, Lu Guohua has helped this small village produce several college students. The achievements and energy these people have gained after entering society will, in turn, influence the thinking of the people in Yangjiatun, and subtly make them realize what it means for knowledge to change one's destiny.

In fact, the harmonious scene when the roof was repaired last time shows that the people of Yangjiatun have realized the importance of Teacher Lu to the village. They sincerely respect Mr. and Mrs. Lu Guohua and express their gratitude by helping out in the most simple and honest way.

Miao Dongfang didn't understand any of this. Although he saw his own insignificance and the backwardness of Xipinggou in these educated youths, he also wanted to change the backward status quo of the village.

But that's just his outward appearance; deep down, he still holds feudal and outdated rural ideas.

His true colors could no longer be hidden from the fact that Jin Cuiping gave birth to Miao Xiaoli.

Besides Wang Guofa's group, two more groups of educated youth came later, but due to various reasons and policies, they all left.

In the end, only two people remained in Xipinggou: Jin Cuiping and a young man named Liu Hong.

The reason they stayed was simple: the two of them married locals, so they couldn't leave.

Unfortunately, both of them eventually passed away in a foreign land and were buried under this yellow earth.

Liu Hong died young, less than two years after his marriage. Medical conditions were limited at the time, and they didn't even know how he died, only that he had contracted some strange disease and had a persistent high fever.

However, based on the detail that Liu Hong's foot was cut by a sickle, Zhou Yi speculated that it might have been caused by an infection of the wound.

Then there's Jin Cuiping.

Miao Dongfang said that he took the initiative to pursue Jin Cuiping when they got together.

He thought that if he married Jin Cuiping, he might be able to leave this small mountain village with her someday.

Back then, unlike now, people couldn't live wherever they wanted. Wherever your household registration was, that's where you had to be.

He thought that one day he could use his family status to transfer his household registration to Jin Cuiping's hometown.

But after he got married, he went to town several times to ask, only to find out that things were not as simple as he thought.

Even if Jin Cuiping could return to her hometown and the city, in terms of policy, the only person she could bring back to the city was her daughter, Miao Xiaoli, not her spouse, Miao Dongfang.

This was undoubtedly a huge blow to him.

It's like a student who studies hard for an exam, only to find at the last minute that they don't even qualify to take the exam.

Therefore, in Miao Xiaoli's memory, the various acts of violence her father committed against her mother appeared on the surface to be because Jin Cuiping was unable to have children.

But Miao Dongfang said that what he really hated was that Jin Cuiping "deceived" him, causing him to lose the opportunity to go out and see the world.

But to Zhou Yi, this sounded utterly absurd.

Zhou Yi told him, "Miao Dongfang, from the perspective of household registration, even if you don't marry Jin Cuiping, there's no way you can transfer your household registration out."

"But the real problem is that even during the planned economy era, the state did not tie people's feet. You were born in the countryside, but you did not go to jail in the countryside."

"If you want to go out and see the world, there are always more solutions than problems."

"Look at the world now, with such advanced transportation, what place can't we go? It's just a matter of spending time and money."

"But if your mind cannot leave Xipinggou, then no matter where you go, your soul will never leave Xipinggou."

"So Jin Cuiping didn't lie to you; the one who really lied to you is yourself."

These words stunned Miao Dongfang for a full minute, as if his soul had been dealt a heavy blow.

After a long while, a single tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

Zhou Yi began to understand what kind of person Miao Dongfang really was.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy that later circulated on the internet, it's like an ordinary woman who once slept with a man worth hundreds of millions, and then she felt that she was on the same social class as him.

From then on, whenever she looked for a boyfriend, she would look for that billionaire, and she couldn't stand anyone else.

Miao Dongfang is such a person. Wang Guofa's experience gave him a fantasy, but his knowledge and ability could not support his dreams and ambitions.

So all the disappointment and resentment turned into fists that smashed down on Jin Cuiping.

This also became the root cause of Miao Xiaoli's tragic childhood.

It even became the rope that ultimately strangled Jin Cuiping.

When one's abilities fall far short of one's ambitions, everything is destined to become a tragedy.

However, he said that his contact with these educated youths was not without its benefits. Putting aside these educated youths, it made him stand out even more in a place like Xipinggou.

This also foreshadowed his later becoming the village chief and the person in charge of Xipinggou.

Of course, Jin Cuiping's inability to have children did indeed greatly anger him, because this was one of the deeply ingrained bad habits in his bones. He wanted a son, and he wanted to carry on the Miao family line.

More importantly, he himself was unable to realize his grand ambitions, and he hoped that one day in the future, his bloodline could.

So he set his sights on the young wives in the village.

He is handsome, cultured, and knows many things that rural people simply don't.

In addition, having a mentally unstable wife at home can help him gain sympathy.

He quickly became involved with many young wives, including Hu Shuzhen, and also with Miao Tiejun's deceased mother.

However, he said he wasn't doing it for the sake of having an affair, and he didn't want to do that kind of thing.

Everything he did was for the purpose of sowing seeds.

He wanted to continue his excellent bloodline.

He believed that only his own descendants had the potential to succeed and rise above others, while others were not, because they were all considered fools.

The three of them were left speechless, neither laughing nor crying.

Yang Chuan couldn't help but ask, "So Miao Tiejun and Miao Zhuang are both your sons?"

Miao Dongfang paused for a moment before replying, "Maybe...maybe."

“What does ‘possible’ mean? It’s either yes or no,” Yang Chuan said.

Miao Dongfang was immediately a little embarrassed: "This...this child doesn't have any markings indicating who gave birth to him on his body..."

Even Li Linglong couldn't help but laugh at these words, but after laughing, he felt a deep sadness.

The young wives he seduced back then all had men in their families. Rural areas have little entertainment, so people go to bed early and have many children.

Of course, many also die young due to living and medical conditions.

Therefore, if a woman has an affair while married and becomes pregnant, it is indeed very difficult to determine who the father of the child is.

However, judging from how well Miao Dongfang treats Miao Tiejun and Miao Zhuang, he probably regards them as his own sons.

In his own words, it might not be, but what if it is?
Zhou Yi asked him how many "sons" like this he had.

Miao Dongfang pondered for a moment and said, "Five...five or six, I guess."

"They all share the surname Miao?"

Miao Dongfang answered firmly, "I will not carry on the family line outside of the Miao family."

"Damn it," Zhou Yi couldn't help but curse in his mind.

That's ridiculous! It's like he's doing something amazing by seducing someone else's wife and having a child.

With genes like yours, even a dog wouldn't want to be near you.

Moreover, this cousin is really loyal; he's determined to only cuckold his own brothers and won't touch anyone from other families.

Even Li Yunlong would have to admit: "He's a damn genius."

Zhou Yi asked another question, and Miao Dongfang's answer made him even more speechless.

He asked, "Besides Miao Xiaoli, do you have any other daughters outside of your marriage?"

Miao Dongfang answered earnestly, "No."

Zhou Yi frowned: "Are you sure?"

"determine."

"No, how are you sure?"

"Anyway, I'm sure of it."

"..."

Zhou Yi was speechless.

His lack of education and rigid thinking became apparent.

Even the King of Heaven himself wouldn't dare guarantee whether the bullet he fired would result in a male or female character in the blind box, yet he was so certain.

It's not that he has any special abilities; rather, he's self-hypnotizing himself and selectively ignoring those girls.

In other words, this "Uncle Dong" may have six or seven children in Xipinggou, or even more.

That old guy, he really thinks he's a seed-planting machine.

Zhou Yi had nothing to say about this, because it wasn't worth finding resources to do DNA testing for them.

"continue."

Miao Dongfang said that after Jin Cuiping hanged herself, many people wanted to introduce her to potential partners, but he did not agree.

Because at that time, he had already started working in the village committee office and become a reserve village cadre, which is equivalent to being the designated candidate for the future village chief.

The term "village chief" is actually a colloquial term; the official title is actually the director of the village committee.

He said that his mindset began to change from that time onward.

He felt that he was destined to become the village chief. Since he couldn't leave this place, he wanted to lead the whole village to a better life, make Xipinggou rich, and make it a model village known far and wide.

If he were lying here today not as the murderer of Shi Jian and Ma Weichang, but as a village chief who had devoted half his life to making Xipinggou a better place and was nearing the end of his life, then perhaps Zhou Yi would have great respect for him.

Despite the same problem, his abilities and understanding prevented him from becoming the savior he hoped to be.

But at least he didn't break the law or commit crimes for his ideals.

However, for the villagers, it was naturally a good thing that Miao Dongfang had such lofty ambitions.

Because a mob needs to follow the crowd and needs someone to lead them.

Just like a company, if the person in charge is exceptionally capable, the group will inevitably thrive.

Conversely, it won't get better.

This is the situation in Xipinggou.

Miao Dongfang went from being a reserve village cadre to the village head. He said he worked diligently and tirelessly for the village, attending to everyone's business, from whose dog bit whose cat.

The economy hasn't developed at all. The only good thing is that everyone recognizes him as the village chief and respectfully calls him "Uncle Dong".

Therefore, the position of village chief has been held by one term after another.

He said he had tried many ways to help the village get rich, and he had talked himself hoarse trying to get some poverty alleviation funds from the town and find jobs for the villagers outside.

Strangely, the harder he tried, the less things went as planned.

Some people turned around and used the poverty alleviation funds to buy alcohol; some people who went out to work were lazy and got scolded, beat up their foremen, and ran away; and there were even people like Miao Zhuang who stole things outside.

Such incidents occurred frequently, and he, the village chief, became a professional at cleaning up messes.

Xipinggou remained as poor as ever. What angered him most was that he heard that Yangjiatun, which was just two steps away from his village, had already produced college students, while the highest level of education in his village was only junior high school. Some people blamed him for the problem, thinking that he was incompetent as the village chief. That person was Zhao Tianfu.

He felt wronged, and sometimes he would secretly drink alone, feeling that he had already devoted himself to the cause like Zhuge Liang, "giving his all until his dying breath," so why couldn't the village become rich? Why were people blaming him?

He couldn't understand it, and he was unwilling to accept it.

Until seven years ago, things took a turn for the better.

When Boss Huang arrived, accompanied by town leaders, he went to the back mountain of Xipinggou and said that there were things in the mountain that could be used as raw materials, so he wanted to open a quarry there.

Miao Dongfang keenly sensed that an opportunity to change the fate of Xipinggou had arrived.

What happened later was largely consistent with Miao Dongfang's account and Miao Tiejun's confession.

Under Miao Dongfang's command, the village elders blocked the road, forcing Boss Huang to use the villagers as workers.

This incident cemented his unshakeable position in the village.

But it also made him arrogant, thinking that he could do without Boss Huang. He just didn't know that these broken stones in the back mountain could actually be sold for money.

Now that we know, how could Boss Huang earn this money? The back mountain belongs to Xipinggou, so any money earned from the back mountain should also belong to Xipinggou.

This Mr. Huang is "stealing" money from Xipinggou!

So he kept thinking about how to get his hands on the quarry in the back mountain from Boss Huang.

Not long after, a young man from the Miao ethnic group was killed in an accident when he was crushed by a rock in the quarry.

Although it was an accident, Miao Dongfang knew it was an opportunity.

So, under his instigation and leadership, the villagers took the opportunity of demanding justice from Boss Huang and forcibly detained him.

Then he jumped in to play the good guy, and finally, through coercion and inducement, he got Boss Huang to sign a written agreement, handing over half of the ownership of the quarry to the village.

But he didn't know that the agreement written by Boss Huang had no legal effect whatsoever.

It wasn't until several years later, after he tried to force Ma Weichang to submit, that he found out that what he had was just a piece of waste paper.

When they first "acquired" half of the quarry, the whole village was overjoyed, because it meant that the village now had an inexhaustible gold mine.

But to his utter surprise, Boss Huang simply ran away.

At first, he and the villagers were overjoyed because if Boss Huang ran away, the entire quarry would belong to Xipinggou, which was the best thing ever.

But soon, everyone realized that stones were still just stones, and they had no idea how to turn stones into money.

The inexhaustible gold and silver mountains turned into a broken rocky mountain overnight.

This failure made Miao Dongfang realize the problem.

So he began to try every means to find someone to take over the Xipinggou quarry. Firstly, someone needed to turn the stones on the back mountain into money, and secondly, he and the villagers firmly believed that half of the quarry belonged to them.

Finding a "seller" is not easy, as there are few business people in this area, and the quarry must be willing to take over.

Miao Dongfang said that he had been running around and working tirelessly on this matter.

Because in the villagers' eyes, this was his responsibility, and he himself felt that this was a problem he, as the village chief, should solve for everyone.

However, he didn't have many connections, so the search was extremely difficult. He treated many guests, drank a lot of wine, and smiled a lot, but in the end, he repeatedly hit a wall and even lost a lot of money himself. During this time, he finally met a wealthy businessman from out of town who showed some interest in the quarry and they had a detailed discussion about some things.

When he produced Boss Huang's written agreement, indicating that half of the quarry belonged to their village, the wealthy businessman glanced at him and then never mentioned it again.

After the meal, the wealthy businessman said he would go to the site in a couple of days, but he never saw the man again.

Miao Dongfang then realized that he shouldn't have taken out the document so hastily.

Including the previous dealings with Boss Huang, we were too hasty and overly forceful.

Through repeated setbacks, he gradually learned his lessons.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The back mountain was completely abandoned, and Xipinggou returned to its original state, even poorer than before.

Because many people have lost interest in farming, complaining that the money is too little and the returns are too slow.

His prestige as village chief plummeted.

Then, Ma Weichang appeared.

Miao Dongfang was eager to find someone to take over his business, and Ma Weichang was eager to find a profitable business to turn his life around, so the two naturally hit it off.

This time, however, Miao Dongfang learned his lesson and didn't say a word he shouldn't have.

When Ma Weichang came to inspect the village, he specifically instructed the villagers to behave in a particularly simple and honest manner.

Ma Weichang felt right at home, finding the people there to be exceptionally warm, kind, and easy to talk to.

They also portrayed Mr. Huang as an unscrupulous businessman.

Ultimately, Ma Weichang decided to take over the quarry business in Xipinggou.

By this time, Miao Dongfang had already learned how the rights of the quarry were divided.

The land doesn't belong to the village, but to the state; it needs to be contracted out to the county.

The operating rights of the quarry belong to the contractor and have nothing to do with the villagers.

Therefore, the written agreement that Mr. Huang wrote back then was actually worthless.

Two years later, he finally understood that Boss Huang also knew that the written agreement was useless. The reason why he signed the agreement so readily was not because of Miao Dongfang's efforts, but because Boss Huang deliberately gave them a verbal promise in order to get away with it.

The man turned around and ran away. It wasn't that Mr. Huang was too cowardly, but rather that this businessman was too shrewd. He saw through the true colors of these villagers, so he immediately cut his losses and ran away to prevent greater losses.

But he didn't tell the villagers the truth, because he knew that if he did, they would only blame him for being an incompetent village chief.

He can't afford to lose face.

The night Ma Weichang decided to contract the quarry, he was home alone with a plate of peanuts and a bottle of liquor. He drank and thought all night long.

Finally, an idea came to mind: we had to learn from our previous mistakes and not rush things; we had to simmer things slowly and carefully manage Ma Weichang.

The first step is to prevent Ma Weichang from suddenly running away like Boss Huang. There's a saying that goes, "You can run away from the monk but you can't run away from the temple." He needs to find a way to keep him here.

Then he thought of his wife, Jin Cuiping, and how all the educated youth who married locals back then couldn't escape this situation.

He decided to follow this method: as long as Ma Weichang had a marriage relationship with someone in the village, no matter how much he ran away, it would be useless. In fact, running away would be a good thing, as the quarry would then naturally become the village's property.

As for why Miao Genhua was chosen, it was because she was a young and beautiful widow, and given her relationship with Hu Shuzhen, it was a case of keeping the benefits within the family.

He also arranged for Miao Tiejun to stage a scene when Ma Weichang arrived, and then he came up with a "solution" to successfully lure Ma Weichang into the trap.

He spoke with great confidence, but Zhou Yi knew that the success of this matter depended half on Miao Dongfang and the other half on Ma Weichang himself.

If he doesn't succumb to lust, if he is upright, considerate, family-oriented, and adheres to moral principles, this matter will not come to fruition.

The town needs businesses to generate tax revenue and create jobs. If things get really tough, the town leaders will always find a solution.

Therefore, Ma Weichang's current predicament is also due to his own lack of competence.

Under his scheme, Ma Weichang and Miao Genhua entered into a fake marriage.

The first step was a success; with the marriage established, he was no longer afraid that Ma Weichang would suddenly run away.

Moreover, there's another crucial point: he knows that Miao Genhua is a seemingly respectable young widow who is actually restless and can't stand being alone. He's heard quite a few stories about her romantic affairs.

He knew that sooner or later the two would get together, and then he would be more confident in making plans.

As it turns out, Miao Dongfang is indeed intelligent and has a keen eye for people.

Ma Weichang and Miao Genhua lived up to Uncle Dong's expectations and indeed became lovers.

The second step was to slowly erode Ma Weichang's business.

According to Miao Dongfang's plan, he intends to first find a way to get involved in the quarry's business and learn the tricks of doing business.

Once we've secured the sales channels, we'll figure out a way to gradually kick Ma Weichang out.

That's why on the day construction started, the villagers surrounded Ma Weichang. Miao Dongfang knew that what Boss Huang wrote was a piece of waste paper, but he still pretended to be stupid and took it out to demand an explanation from Ma Weichang.

The purpose was to test Ma Weichang's bottom line so that he could use the same trick to slowly control him.

But he didn't expect that this seemingly honest and simple Mr. Ma was far less "easy to talk to" than Mr. Huang, and he summoned a large group of people with just one phone call.

Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, Miao Dongfang had no choice but to step in and quell the situation. He tore up the written agreement on the spot and then got into Ma Weichang's car to negotiate.

Miao Tiejun previously said he didn't know what the two had talked about.

Miao Dongfang said that on the way to the car, he said a lot of bad things about the village, saying that they were feudal, pedantic and stubborn. He had told them long ago that the agreement was a trick by the previous boss Huang, so why should they cause trouble for the current boss Ma? But he couldn't stop them.

He also said that he tore up the agreement in front of the whole village today, and he would definitely be scolded to death by the villagers, but for the sake of Mr. Ma's business, he would take the blame. He just hoped that Mr. Ma would not take this to heart. Xipinggou and the quarry are related, and doing business is all about harmony to make money.

He was also thinking that if Boss Ma made a lot of money, the villagers of Xipinggou would be able to have some soup to drink.

After his words, Ma Weichang's anger subsided.

But what he didn't know was that Ma Weichang was also in a do-or-die situation at the time, and if things really got out of hand, it would affect his own business.

Since Miao Dongfang is willing to act as a peacemaker, he won't hold a grudge. After all, he's a businessman, and profit comes first.

What surprised him even more was that Ma Weichang had "bribed" him, saying he would be his consultant and he would be paid 150 yuan a month for consulting. He wouldn't have to work at the quarry; his only job was to keep the villagers in line and prevent them from causing trouble.

This is essentially Ma Weichang paying money to avoid trouble, since bribing individuals is far cheaper than bribing the collective.

Miao Dongfang didn't make a fuss about this, but he did receive money from Ma Weichang every month.

He bought that motorcycle with this money plus some of his previous savings.

Although he benefited, it was far from the original plan.

This attempt to test the waters ended in failure, and he realized that Ma Weichang was not as easy to deal with as Boss Huang.

But he was unwilling to give up so easily, especially as he watched the quarry's business flourish and improve.

He became even more envious, because he felt that this was all the village's money, his own money, but it ended up in Ma Weichang's pocket.

But for the time being, no better solution could be found.

Until a little over a year ago, he saw a news article in a newspaper that inspired him.

The news report was about a coal mine accident that resulted in three deaths. The mine owner not only failed to report the accident but also tried to cover it up by settling the matter privately. Eventually, the truth came out, the mine was shut down, and the owner was imprisoned.

This incident reminded him of the accident that happened when Boss Huang was quarrying the stone. Although the written agreement Boss Huang made at the time was invalid, the accident was real.

He decided to recreate the accident from before, kill someone, and then cover up the accident by mediating between the parties, so that he could gain leverage over Ma Weichang.

He said he was very confident because the quarry's business was getting better and better. If something went wrong, it would have to be shut down for rectification, and Ma Weichang couldn't bear the cost.

Finally, if I step in and suppress the matter, it will naturally put Ma Weichang in a dilemma.

So he began to select a "lucky one" from among the workers in the quarry.

He naturally wouldn't choose someone with the surname Miao, so he could only choose from those with different surnames.

He had thought of Zhao Guangping, because Zhao Tianfu had a grudge against him before, but Zhao Tianfu had died a few years ago, and in rural areas, people believe that debts are settled after a person dies.

However, a casual remark by Hu Shuzhen led Miao Dongfang to ultimately decide to choose Zhao Guangping.

Hu Shuzhen complained that Zhao's son had secretly come to see her daughter again, and if her son-in-law saw him, things would get out of hand.

Miao Dongfang asked, "Which Zhao family brat?"

Then he learned that Zhao Guangping was having an affair with Miao Genhua. Shortly before Miao Genhua and Ma Weichang got their marriage certificate, Miao Genhua secretly had an abortion, which was Zhao Guangping's child.

This forced Miao Dongfang to eliminate Zhao Guangping, because if Ma Weichang discovered Zhao Guangping and Miao Genhua's affair and Ma Weichang divorced Miao Genhua, it would put Xipinggou in a very passive position.

But he didn't work at the quarry himself and couldn't do it, so he could only ask Miao Tiejun, whom he trusted the most, for help.

Of course, what he told Miao Tiejun about Zhao Guangping smashing his head back then was pure nonsense; he just fell down because he was drunk.

Unfortunately, Zhao Guangping did not die from the fall, but instead lost both legs and became disabled.

This was completely outside his plan, because he didn't know how to calculate the situation where no one died, or whether it would still have the same effect as before.

But he reacted quickly and immediately changed his strategy, starting to play the good guy on both sides.

On one hand, they instigated the Zhao family to cause trouble and demand exorbitant compensation from Ma Weichang; on the other hand, they pretended to help Ma Weichang solve his problems and persuaded the Zhao family.

Since we failed to achieve our initial goal, we shouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

This is a good opportunity to make Ma Weichang bleed, to give him a blow, and to add some weight to myself, making myself seem capable to both sides.

"Then why did you give the credit to Miao Genhua later?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Sigh, it's all because Miao Zhuang is such a good-for-nothing. He's stolen money from Ma Weichang several times, and Ma Weichang has a lot of complaints about him. Ma Weichang has to owe their family a favor, otherwise it will be troublesome if he doesn't let Miao Zhuang be his driver anymore."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi asked with a cold laugh, "Miao Dongfang, have you actually been planning to kill Ma Weichang all along?"

Miao Dongfang remained silent, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Zhou Yi's words were not unfounded; whether Miao Zhuang became a driver or not was not of much concern to Miao Zhuang himself.

Because the person who maintains the relationship between the Miao family and Ma Weichang is Miao Genhua, not Miao Zhuang. Even if he quits being a driver, he can still sponge off his parents and his sister.

But Miao Dongfang didn't think so, probably because he needed Miao Zhuang to stay by Ma Weichang's side so he could keep track of Ma Weichang's daily life.

This kind of thinking must have a deeper purpose.

It's just a matter of when this objective will surface.

Zhou Yi continued, "Let me put it another way. You may not have had a murder plan at the time, but you had a vague idea in your subconscious, right? And this idea didn't come about after Zhao Guangping's incident; it came about when you set up the scheme to get Ma Weichang and Miao Genhua to get their marriage certificate."

"Miao Dongfang, am I right?"

Miao Dongfang immediately turned his face, looking at Zhou Yi with a terrified expression. After a few seconds, he answered with a single word: "Yes."

Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction at the answer.

Although Miao Dongfang's abilities couldn't support his ambitions, that doesn't mean this man who had been scheming for half his life was completely useless.

The fact that he was able to cause so much trouble precisely shows that he was quite capable, but he was dishonest and used all his remaining wisdom for crooked ways.

Miao Dongfang admitted that he did have this idea, but it was just an idea, and he had not made up his mind.

Moreover, there is a very practical problem: Miao Zhuang may be his son, but Miao Genhua is not.

Miao Genhua was already born when he got together with Hu Shuzhen.

Therefore, he worried that even if he really got rid of Ma Weichang, the property would still end up in Miao Genhua's pocket, and whether his Uncle Dong would still have any say in it was uncertain.

So he never made it to the final step.

Although he harmed Zhao Guangping, his father Zhao Tianfu had a grudge against him, and Zhao Guangping later committed suicide by hanging himself, so he felt that he couldn't be blamed.

He also helped the Zhao family get 50,000 yuan in compensation, an amount that no one in Xipinggou had ever seen in their lives. Overnight, the Zhao family became the richest family in the village, and he could say that he had helped the Zhao family out.

Otherwise, even if Zhao Guangping hadn't had his leg amputated, he would never have earned so much money in his lifetime.

But he still didn't have the guts to kill someone outright.

So after Zhao Guangping's incident, the situation remained awkwardly unchanged, and he couldn't think of any good solutions.

Two months ago, in May of this year, he was in so much pain in his chest that he decided to go to the city to get some medicine.

He had experienced some pain before, but he didn't take it seriously, since people in the countryside are used to enduring illness.

Rural people jokingly say that if you can get through it, everything will be fine; if you can't, then you'll just have to lie on a plank.

But that was just a joke. If you were really lying on a plank, no one would be unafraid.

Miao Dongfang is one of them.

The doctor looked troubled and said he needed to do further tests.

He was worried about the cost and didn't want to do it; he just wanted the doctor to prescribe some painkillers.

But the doctor said he couldn't prescribe the necessary tests unless I did them, so I ended up doing them anyway.

As Miao Genhua confessed, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Or it could be suspected cancer, because after the test results came out, the doctor thought the situation was very bad, highly suspected it was a malignant tumor, and that it had already reached an advanced stage.

However, a biopsy is required for final confirmation.

Miao Dongfang refused. He told the doctor that he didn't care if he died, but in reality he couldn't accept the outcome.

They still held onto a sliver of hope.

As luck would have it, on the bus back, two elderly women in front of me were chatting, saying that someone from their village had cancer, but later had surgery and recovered.

He couldn't help but strike up a conversation, asking what illness it was and where it had been treated.

After getting off the bus, his will to survive was reignited.

He doesn't care what kind of cancer others have or whether they've actually been cured.

The only problem is that surgery costs money, a lot of money.

At first, he thought of the villagers.

He felt that he had dedicated most of his life to the village, and the villagers must be very grateful to him.

Now that I'm in trouble, the villagers will definitely help me.

So after returning to Xipinggou, he began going door to door to borrow money.

Because the amount he wanted could only be pooled together by everyone, and no single family could possibly come up with that much money.

To his utter surprise, out of ten people he asked for a loan, nine of them immediately turned hostile upon hearing he wanted to borrow money, before he could even explain why.

Just like when he was looking for a new partner, Miao Dongfang kept running into walls, except that the previous time he was humiliated outside, and this time it was in Xipinggou.

Apart from Miao Tiejun and a few widows who had been having an affair with him, almost everyone else would cry poverty when asked to borrow money. Those with a little conscience would give him ten or twenty yuan to tide him over.

Miao Dongfang was completely dumbfounded. He never expected that the people he had treated with such sincerity were all ungrateful wretches who would leave him to die.

Disheartened, he thought of Ma Weichang and wanted to borrow money from him for medical treatment.

It just so happened that Ma Weichang was in his office at the quarry that day, so he went there.

He also spoke up, saying he hoped that Mr. Ma could lend him 50,000 yuan for medical treatment out of respect for Miao Genhua, and that he would definitely pay it back later.

He said that Ma Weichang was checking the accounts at the time, and he stood beside him bowing and scraping, but Ma Weichang didn't even raise his head. He just asked, "If you die, who will I ask for the money?"

It was this sentence that made him want to kill Ma Weichang.

Because he had faced setbacks in the village before, he didn't have a clear target of hatred, but Ma Weichang was different.

He felt that if he hadn't agreed, Ma Weichang wouldn't have been able to do business in Xipinggou, let alone make so much money.

Now that guy surnamed Ma is actually kicking me while I'm down, he's inhuman! He must make Ma Weichang pay the price.

To make matters worse, he soon heard that the higher-ups were planning to build a highway nearby. If this plan were to come to fruition, the entire Xipinggou area, including himself and Miao Dongfang, would be completely discarded by Ma Weichang.

With both factors combined, he began to plot how to legitimately kill Ma Weichang and seize his property for himself.

He first thought of his wife Jin Cuiping's suicide, and felt that he could also fake Ma Weichang's suicide so as not to arouse the police's suspicion.

But a perfectly healthy person wouldn't just commit suicide for no reason; there must be a reasonable explanation.

The best way is to slander an ordinary person into a villain that everyone hates.

He learned this method during that unspeakable era.

He then set his sights on Miao Genhua's daughter, Ge Fangfang.

In his original plan, this matter was meant to win over Miao Genhua, since she was the only one who could legally inherit the property.

Moreover, he had already noticed some clues that could influence Miao Genhua. Hu Shuzhen had asked him before if his daughter and Ma Weichang had had some kind of falling out. Since the Spring Festival this year, Ma Weichang had been staying at their house less often and hadn't been paying as much attention to Miao Genhua.

At the time, he didn't realize anything was wrong. But later, he thought that there might be some problems between the two of them, which was exactly what he could use to his advantage.
In addition, she also needed to find someone to help her knock Ma Weichang unconscious and stage it as a suicide.

Because he doesn't have the physical strength to do it independently.

His health deteriorated, and the painkillers prescribed by the doctor were quickly used up. He went to the town's health center, pretending that he had an unbearable headache, and asked the doctor to prescribe more medicine.

That's why he has so many headache powder boxes in his house.

He initially thought of Miao Zhuang, but immediately dismissed the idea because Miao Zhuang was short and thin, lacked integrity, and was fond of petty theft.

If he finds out about this, it will be exposed sooner or later.

Therefore, the best candidate is naturally the tall and strong Miao Tiejun. In addition, he has done Miao Tiejun a favor, so he is even more confident.

The subsequent criminal plans were largely the same as those confessed by the previous individuals.

This is why he has no way to deny it. Everyone else has already confessed, so there's no point in you stubbornly refusing to say anything. It will only make things worse for you in the days to come.

What he didn't expect was that Miao Genhua, this little brat, would try to outsmart him by asking him to write a statement saying that she didn't want to go to jail if the police found out.

Miao Genhua's stupidity is just like that of Miao Dongfang and the villagers who watched Boss Huang sign the invoice many years ago.

Miao Dongfang knew very well that if the truth came out, this written agreement would be useless, and he would still have to go to jail if necessary.

Besides, he is currently seriously ill, and if he doesn't survive, there will be no way to verify his identity, and Miao Genhua will only have a worthless piece of paper.

He never expected that this document would end up in Shi Jian's hands.

What's more troublesome is that Shi Jian came to extort money from them on the eve of the "finalization" of their plan.

Without payment, the plan will be ruined.

Give it to him, he doesn't have any money.

Moreover, Shi Jian's knowledge of their plan is a huge hidden danger.

So he had no choice but to go all the way and get rid of Shi Jian.

He agreed first to keep the other party calm, and then, as the other party was about to leave, he turned around and smashed a hammer down on Shi Jian's head.

He burned the document and buried Shi Jian's body.

He had originally planned to bury the body himself, but just dragging the body into the inner room and moving the bed made him breathless and his heart pound.

Having no other option, he had to ask Miao Tiejun for help.

Miao Tiejun was already careless, and he was in a panic. Neither of them thought to search Shi Jian's body before hastily burying it.

Shi Jian's death made him realize that if he didn't take action soon, all his efforts might be in vain.

So, on the evening of the following day, July 27th, he dialed Ma Weichang's mobile phone number while waiting in the village committee office.

Another reason that prompted him to act quickly was that he discovered that starting on the 26th, the police station suddenly became much more attentive to the missing person case.

Of course he didn't know, because Zhao Liang told Zhou Yi about it, and Zhou Yi offered some suggestions.

On the evening of the 27th, he tricked Ma Weichang into going to the quarry.

The reason he tricked Ma Weichang into coming was still Ge Fangfang. He said that he found a pool of blood and a child's shoe in a corner of the quarry.

He lied and said he hadn't told anyone or called the police, because if the child really had an accident at the quarry, and the police ordered the quarry to shut down for rectification, that would be troublesome.

So he asked Ma Weichang to come over quickly and give him some advice.

Actually, this excuse is quite risky. If Ma Weichang calls the police directly, the whole thing will fall apart.

But what he was betting on was Ma Weichang's personality of wanting to make his own decisions on important matters. The day he went to Antong on the 22nd was an example of this, as was his usual practice when he received his salary. He had long since figured out this man's temperament.

Sure enough, Ma Weichang arrived without saying a word.

The result is self-evident.

As for why he didn't kill the person before hanging her, it was because he had experience in this area. When Jin Cuiping died, he heard the old doctor who examined her say something like that.

According to his original plan, when the police found the child's shoes and blood-stained underwear, they would naturally conclude that Ma Weichang had "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Once the case is closed, Miao Genhua will be able to inherit Ma Weichang's estate without any problem.

He would then be saved, even though the written agreement was gone, and even though Miao Genhua might have other intentions.

But he doesn't care now; he just wants to see a doctor as soon as possible because he knows he doesn't have much time left.

For several nights, he would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night and see Jin Cuiping standing by his bedside, staring at him without saying a word.

He knew that Jin Cuiping wanted to take him away.

But he didn't want to die; he hadn't lived enough!
"I've inquired, and it's best to go to the provincial capital for treatment of this kind of illness, as the doctors there are highly skilled," Miao Dongfang said, somewhat unwillingly and desperately.

Zhou Yi said indifferently, "Miao Dongfang, given your condition, going anywhere won't make a difference."

Upon hearing this, Miao Dongfang was neither surprised nor stunned.

Instead, a bitter smile, neither a laugh nor a cry, appeared on his lips; he had probably already realized this.

But that's how people are; as long as there's a glimmer of hope to survive, they'll do anything.

Even if there's no glimmer of hope, people will still paint a picture of a future for themselves.

This is human nature: when faced with life and death, all one seeks is to survive.

That is why those who transcend humanity, those who can selflessly sacrifice themselves for others in the face of life and death, are the truly great.

Just like that fast food restaurant owner who jumped into the water to save someone.

Miao Dongfang stared blankly at the ceiling, his voice dry and lifeless as he said, "I haven't seen the sea yet..."

Zhou Yi didn't look at him lying there anymore, but turned to Li Linglong and said, "Director Li, I have nothing more to ask. As for the other details, please ask Brother Chuan to follow up on them. I want to go out for some fresh air."

Li Linglong nodded: "Go ahead, thank you for your hard work."

Zhou Yi walked out of the detention room and downstairs. He wanted to call Wu Yongcheng to tell him that things were over here and that he was preparing to return home the next day.

Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I suddenly saw a small figure climbing down the stairs alone.

Ge Fangfang climbed very carefully, and stopped immediately when she saw Zhou Yi.

She looked at the uncle in front of her with her big eyes, and her trembling appearance was heartbreaking.

"Fangfang, why did you run out all by yourself?" Zhou Yi walked over and asked softly.

"I...I miss my mom..."

One sentence sent a shiver down Zhou Yi's spine.

She had no idea, nor did she understand, what her beloved and cherished mother had done to her.

Zhou Yi didn't know how to answer her, so he went over and picked up the child, saying softly, "Fangfang, you've grown up, you're a big girl now. You need to learn to be independent, okay?"

He knew these words were weak, but he didn't want to lie to the child and let her have even greater hopes only to be disappointed again.

The little girl asked curiously, "What is independence?"

"Well... it means you have to do things yourself and not always think about asking your mom for help."

But the next sentence almost broke his composure.

The little girl said timidly, "I've always done things on my own. I don't bother my mom. I just miss her and want to hug her."

Zhou Yi's eyes reddened, and she immediately turned her face away.

Unexpectedly, the little girl reached out and gently touched his face, saying, "Uncle, don't cry. Did Fangfang do something wrong?"

Just then, the policewoman from last night rushed down the stairs.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi holding the child, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh my god, I went to get some hot water to wipe the child's body, but I didn't expect to turn around and disappear. I was so scared."

"It's okay, the child is fine." Zhou Yi forced a smile and handed the child over.

Ge Fangfang neither cried nor made a fuss, but obediently waved to Zhou Yi: "Goodbye, Uncle."

Zhou Yi waved and watched the policewoman carry her back upstairs. He felt his eyes burning.

……

In a corner of the county bureau, Zhou Yi squatted by the flower bed, preparing to smoke.

He had just finished a phone call with Wu Yongcheng.

Wu Yongcheng didn't say much, only casually saying, "Let me know when you've bought the tickets, and we'll all come pick you up."

He searched his entire body but couldn't find the cigarette box.

Then he remembered that he had given the cigarettes and lighter to Zhou Xiangdong at the hospital.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, someone suddenly appeared beside him.

He even offered me a cigarette.

He looked up and saw Li Linglong.

"Want one?"

"Thank you, Director Li."

Li Linglong lit a cigarette for Zhou Yi and then squatted down by the flower bed, just like Zhou Yi.

This was probably the first time this young county bureau chief had been so unconventional.

"Director Li, I forgot to ask earlier, about the hunting rifle Miao Dongfang took with him when he escaped..."

Before Zhou Yi could finish speaking, Li Linglong said, "Don't worry, we found him. The driver who hit him went to the nearest police station this morning to report the incident. He said that when he hit Miao Dongfang, he was carrying a bag, and in his rush to take Miao to the hospital, he forgot the bag in his car. He was in a hurry to run errands and didn't notice it until this morning when he found the bag. Besides 800 yuan, there was also a double-barreled shotgun inside. He was afraid something might happen, so he quickly took it to the police station."

Zhou Yi nodded repeatedly: "That's good, that's good. Is there anything else?"

"That's all. He answered all the questions about the details, and his answers match the testimonies of the other people, forming a complete chain of evidence." Li Linglong took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "When are you planning to leave?"

"I just called our team leader Wu, he should be leaving tomorrow."

"So urgent?" Li Linglong asked in surprise. "Is something wrong in Hongcheng?"

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "No, Captain Wu said that Hongcheng is peaceful now."

"That's settled then, stay a few more days. Although we don't have any special delicacies here, we still need to eat home-cooked meals. Besides, you can't refuse to let us treat you, can you? I'm a bureau chief, after all. If I don't even eat a meal, what will Yang Chuan and the others think of me?"

Li Linglong patted him on the shoulder and said, "Have a meal, have a meal before you leave. I'll have Yang Chuan take you directly to the city."

Zhou Yi chuckled and nodded.

"How about this, you drive a police car back to rest first, and then tomorrow at noon, at the Northern Restaurant diagonally across from here, you invite your girlfriend and her parents over, and I'll invite Chief Chen from Shacao Town and the others to join us for a meal, how about that?"

"This afternoon, I'll have Yang Chuan take you to the city. I'll arrange a guesthouse for you, and you can take the train the next day. It won't delay you. As for your father-in-law and mother-in-law, I'll personally take them back. I guarantee not a single hair will be missing," Li Linglong said generously.

"Bringing them along, isn't that inappropriate?"

"How could that be? I heard from Director Chen that your parents-in-law are very kind people. It is my honor to treat them to dinner."

Zhou Yi looked at Li Linglong and suddenly smiled.

Li Linglong asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"No, I was just laughing at Director Li's bold tone, which is starting to sound more and more like Captain Zhou's."

Li Linglong was taken aback, then waved his hand and said, "Hey, it's not wrong to think like Captain Zhou. All police officers are one family."

He stood up, patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder and said, "Then it's settled. I'll have Yang Chuan give you the car keys in a bit."

"Alright, Director Li, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Li Linglong said, limping away.

Zhou Yi was momentarily confused. Why was he limping?

But he immediately realized that Director Li's legs had gone numb.

He was about to laugh when he suddenly realized that his legs were numb too...

……

Wu Guang, early morning, at the seaside.

A few nautical miles from the shore, an ordinary fishing boat is slowly sailing toward the nearest dock.

These fishing boats are common along the coast of Wu Guang. They are not large in tonnage and are all privately owned fishing boats that go fishing in coastal waters.

A chubby little boy was standing on the edge of the deck, urinating into the sea.

It was just before dawn; the sun had not yet risen.

The chubby boy was clearly still half asleep, squinting as he peed and swaying slightly.

While he was urinating, he suddenly heard something gently bump against the hull of the boat.

He pulled up his pants and curiously peered down.

In the dim light, he could only see what looked like a clump in the water, drifting past the edge of the boat.

Because the ship was heading towards the dock, the thing quickly rolled past and disappeared.

But with just one glance, the fat man felt his blood run cold, his scalp tingle, and white sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead.

As the mass of objects tumbled and rolled with the rise and fall of the water, he saw a face.

A deathly pale face, with eyes as wide as a dead fish.

The face vanished in an instant, disappearing into the unfathomable depths of the sea.

The fat man trembled all over, because that face haunted his mind like a ghost.

He suddenly felt a warm sensation in his crotch.

He had just urinated, but he urinated again.

(End of this chapter)