Chapter 67: The Bloody Case of Huolong Village (1)

  On the sixth day of the first month, Xu Shaojie arrived in Huaiyang City. Zhang Xiaoyu saw Xu Shaojie and was overjoyed, taking out the prepared wine and dishes to watch him eat. Yan Yuhuan had known about Zhang Xiaoyu's situation for some time - that she was a distant cousin of Zhang Shaocai, who had married early but later lost her husband. After meeting Xu Shaojie in Huaguan Village, Zhang Shaocai arranged for her to work at the company out of sympathy for her and her daughter. Yan Yuhuan found Zhang Xiaoyu capable and knowledgeable, and felt sorry for her as a widow with a child. She never suspected any improper relationship between Xu Shaojie and Zhang Xiaoyu, thinking it impossible due to Zhang's status as a widow. Moreover, Zhang was able to take care of Xu's daily life, and Xu only returned to Huaiyang City occasionally, so Yan Yuhuan also felt at ease with the arrangement.

  On the eighth day of the first month, in the morning, Xu Shaojie took a car to the district office. He didn't expect that on that day, Zhao Deli, Dong Guihua, Liu Mu, Song Tao and Yang Chen came to pay their respects to him, all bringing cured meat, specifically pig legs, wrapped in cloth bags. Xu Shaojie did not see Liu Zhihua, but Huang Hesong informed him that there would be a meeting on the evening of the sixteenth day of the first month. Xu Shaojie understood that this meant that before the fifteenth day of the first month, they were on holiday and the district office canteen was closed. Yang Chen drove Xu Shaojie to Zhao Deli's house for dinner, and Xu Shaojie had not prepared anything, feeling very embarrassed.

  In the afternoon, Yang Chen was ready to drive Xu Shaojie back to Huaiyang City, but Xu Shaojie did not agree and insisted on taking a bus back to Huaiyang City. However, there were too many cured meats, so before getting off the bus, Xu Shaojie had to call Zhang Shaocai, who arranged for a car to pick him up at the station. Xu Shaojie handed over all the cured meats to Zhang Xiaoyu, who was busy for a while before finding a place in the backyard to hang them all up.

  On the afternoon of January 16th, Xu Shaojie had just gotten off the bus when he saw Dong Guihua and Song Tao waiting on one side. Dong Guihua's face was pale and her hair was disheveled, completely unlike someone who had just celebrated the Lantern Festival.

  "Secretary Xu, something terrible has happened in Huolong Village."

  "Director Dong, don't be in a hurry, speak slowly."

  Yesterday afternoon, a murder occurred in Huolong Village, resulting in two deaths. The cause was a neighborhood dispute. A rural woman killed her two elderly neighbors with an axe in her own kitchen. The public security bureau and police station were busy for a long time yesterday and have taken the woman away. However, trouble arose when handling the aftermath.

  "The public security bureau hasn't cracked the case yet? They've already caught someone, what's the trouble?"

  "The deceased's children are not satisfied, thinking that the woman's family must have also participated in the murder. The public security bureau conducted a detailed investigation and found that at the time of the incident, the man was not at home, he had gone out to drink, and indeed did not participate in the murder. However, the public security bureau only explained the situation and would not do the work of persuading the deceased's family members. We and the village cadres repeatedly worked on it, but the deceased's family is still not satisfied. Originally, they agreed to hold the funeral today, but now they are insisting that the woman's family should also be buried with them. The situation is currently at a stalemate. Secretary Zhao and the township government officials are all working in the village to prevent another bloody incident from happening."

  "Are there police officers from the police station at the scene?"

  "I've gone to look for Secretary Sun, and Secretary Sun said that the Public Security Bureau and police station are still responsible for interrogation, and they will try to get results as soon as possible. They require our township government to take care of the follow-up work and comfort the families of the deceased."

  Xu Shaojie's anger flared up, what does Sun Jianbo mean, the police station's responsibility is to maintain local law and order, but instead of taking action when something might happen again, they just stood by and did nothing.

  "Secretary Xu, the situation is urgent now, so we have no choice but to come find you. I've been waiting here with Song Tao since this morning."

  "Song Tao, go inform Yang Chen, we'll head directly to Huolong Village."

  Xu Shaojie knew that getting angry was useless now, and he had to go to the scene. As the leader of the station, if something like this happened and he didn't show up, it would be unacceptable. On the way to the scene in the car, Xu Shaojie asked about the situation in detail. One detail caught his attention: the deceased's family members had originally accepted the results of the public security bureau's investigation, but soon after the police officers from the public security bureau and the police station left, the deceased's family members changed their minds. Why was that?

  The murderer's home was no longer in its original state, with two coffins placed in the main room, clearly belonging to the two victims. The rest of the house was in disarray, with furniture and tables and chairs smashed, apparently a result of the victims' family members venting their anger. Zhao Deli led government officials in guarding the main room, while the victims' family members and some villagers stood outside. Xu Shaojie saw that the victims' family members were holding clubs and wooden sticks.

  Xu Shaojie arrived, Zhao Deli obviously let out a sigh of relief. The current situation is extremely urgent, the deceased's family members can no longer hold back, preparing to rush into the house and drag the man out. If the situation develops to this point, it will be unbearable.

  Xu Shaojie didn't say a word, he looked around the house, the blood on the kitchen floor had turned black, several large blocks, it was shocking. The man was hiding in the bedroom, his face pale, his eyes dull. This place was right next to the deceased's home, the two families were indeed neighbors. As the saying goes, "Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors." Why did such a thing happen? Xu Shaojie had no way of knowing the reason, but the problem in front of him had to be solved.

  The village secretary and the village head were together with Zhao Deli, and it seemed that there was no good way out either.

  "What's going on now, Old Zhao?"

  "Secretary Xu, if you don't come now, something will really happen. The deceased's family is very agitated and insists on rushing in to demand that a man be held accountable for the death. We've been working on this for a long time but haven't had any effect."

  "What's going on? Who is the deceased's family?"

  "It was the two sons and one daughter of the deceased, but it's strange that every time we almost reached an agreement, the two sons would say they need to leave for a while and go back home. After just a few minutes, they changed their minds again. We really don't know what the reason is, the situation is urgent, and we can't investigate the cause."

  "So it seems that the deceased's family has a high-ranking official backing them up, making decisions behind the scenes."

  "I also thought so, but the deceased's daughter is guarding the gate and not allowing us cadres to enter. The township government cadres are now very tired, having not slept for a whole night, and things have turned out like this."

  Xu Shaojie walked out of the gate, his appearance stunned many people, and the crowd quieted down. The noisy scene just now disappeared, Xu Shaojie swept a glance at the crowd.

  "I am Xu Shaojie, Deputy Secretary of Yudu District Committee and the leader stationed in Yulin Township. I have come to solve this matter today. The relatives of the deceased should come out, and other related relatives should stay behind. Those who are not involved should leave and do their own thing. When help is needed, the village cadres will notify you."

  Two young men stepped forward, each holding a carrying pole, with expressions of grief and indignation clearly visible on their faces. The crowd dispersed somewhat, but still many people stood in front of the house, apparently relatives of the deceased.

  "You are the closest relatives of the deceased, such a big thing happened, I understand your feelings. The public security bureau has cracked the case, the murderer has been caught, and the debt will be repaid. Do you have any other opinions? As for the compensation issue, it must be negotiated after the deceased is buried. A rural proverb says that entering the earth means peace. Your parents cannot be buried for a long time, and you are stuck here. What do you think?"

  Two young people apparently did not know what to say, Xu Shaojie's style, they had never seen before, but when they returned home for the New Year, they heard people mention it, after a while, a young man spoke up.

  "The public security bureau is biased. How could a woman have such great strength to kill my parents? It must be that a man helped her. Why didn't they catch the man? We don't accept this."

  "Oh, so you're saying that you don't believe in the Public Security Bureau? Alright, I'll notify them right now and have their leaders come over. However, you must take responsibility for your words. You say that the Public Security Bureau is biased towards certain people, but you need to have evidence. If there's no evidence, even if you're family members of the victims, the Public Security Bureau won't consider these circumstances when handling cases. You look like people who work outside and have seen the world, so you should be aware of the consequences of your actions."

  Two young people were somewhat flustered, they had read a lot of books, worked outside and knew some things. Solving the case requires evidence, empty talk can sometimes lead to taking responsibility.

  "Let me, let us go home and think about it, discuss it."

  "Stop, go home and think. What things need to be thought about at home? Are there still people at home? You are now in charge, what can't be said? If you need to discuss with family members, it's simple. The township government officials will come to ask your family members."

  Two young people were at a loss, one of them slightly calmer than the other.

  "We should talk to our sister and tell her not to take too long."

  "What I said, can't you understand? Considering you are the family members of the deceased and your emotions are not good, I'm advising you with a bitter mouth. Can anyone believe what you're saying? Your sister is already married, a married-out daughter, can she decide on major household matters? If the two of you cannot decide, then step aside, whoever can decide, come out and talk to me."

  The two young people stopped talking, and Xu Shaojie saw this and turned back to instruct Zhao Deli.

  "Send a few cadres over there, go to their homes, invite their sisters over. If there are other people in the house, invite them all over too. Pay attention to your attitude."

  Yang Chen has always stood by Xu Shaojie's side. In the countryside, such things happen and one must be mindful of unexpected situations. Sometimes, farmers' emotions get stirred up and things can't be controlled.

  "You two think carefully, I'll wait for 10 minutes."

  Xu Shaojie finished speaking, turned around and entered the house. Yang Chen followed him in. The two young people lowered their heads and didn't say a word. The relatives behind them also didn't say anything, and the scene was quiet for a while.

  "Don't believe what the officials say, they're deceiving you. Damn it, the man in the house must be the murderer. Rush in and drag him out, make him accompany the deceased to their grave."

  When the voice came over, Xu Shaojie was discussing with Zhao Deli in a low voice. According to rural customs, some things are inevitable, such as men wearing mourning clothes and escorting the deceased, as well as related compensation. If village officials preside over it, they can reach an agreement, which is beneficial for resolving conflicts.

  Xu Shaojie heard this voice and felt somewhat familiar with it.

  "Secretary Xu, is one of those three rascals who came to our village last time."

  "Damn it, I was wondering why the adjustment wasn't working. It turns out they were sabotaging behind our backs. Yang Chen, go and deal with them, be a bit ruthless, make them kneel down in front of the house. This time, they won't think it's so easy."

  When the voice came, there were some people in front of the house, but Xu Shaojie was inside and no one dared to rush in casually. However, the atmosphere at the scene had already become very bad.

  Yang Chen went out for a short while, and soon a mournful cry came, followed by the sound of someone falling to the ground, and then the front yard fell silent.

  Xu Shaojie walked out of the house and saw three thugs wailing on the ground.

  "You're quite capable, aren't you? You've become military strategists, inciting villagers to kill people. Do you think that just because you were released from the police station last time, there's no problem? Are you aware of Yu Fugui's situation? This time, I won't send you to the police station, but to the Huaiyang Municipal Public Security Bureau. Inciting others to murder is even more severe than murder itself; you know the consequences. Song Tao, I have a phone call here for Sun Zhiqiang of the Huaiyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, asking him to dispatch someone to take away the three suspects who incited others to murder."

  Xu Shaojie spoke in a gloomy tone, and the people around him fell silent. The two young men's sister had been prepared to be worried, but when she saw Xu Shaojie's expression and heard these words, she stood behind her two brothers without making a sound.

  The three thugs on the ground changed their faces, they were not afraid to go to the police station, but when they arrived at the Huaiyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, they would definitely be finished. The three of them never thought that Xu Shaojie had come to the village, if they had known earlier, they would have slipped away. One of the thugs spoke up, and what he said shocked everyone.

  "Secretary Xu, spare us, it wasn't our intention to do this, it was arranged by Liu Laosi, don't blame us."

  Liu Laosan was just a hoodlum at the tobacco purchasing station, Liu Zhihua's distant nephew. Xu Shaojie had already vaguely understood the meaning behind it, and a smile with a hint of intrigue appeared on his face.

  "Haha, that's even more reason to investigate. Secretary Zhao, get some rope and tie these three up. Find someone in the village to keep an eye on them, and we'll hand them over to the Public Security Bureau leaders later."