Chapter 143

Wang Laizi confessed to his crimes, which saved the police station a lot of trouble.

Xie Lin and his team organized the relevant evidence and submitted it to the local procuratorate for review and prosecution. Two days later, the court issued its verdict: Wang Laizi was sentenced to death, to be executed three days later.

When Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo heard the news, they did not feel any relief.

Even with Wang Laizi dead, that young life would not return.

Mr. Kang felt immense guilt upon learning that Liu Li was killed while delivering medicine to him. Tears filled his eyes, and he couldn’t help but pound his head in despair.

The child was so young!

Kang Hong also cried, understanding that Liu Li was killed because of his family.

The Wanghe Squad was filled with rumors and gossip.

People expressed their sorrow for Liu Li’s death, and a few extreme individuals even blamed Mr. Kang, saying that if it weren’t for this counter-revolutionary, Liu Li would not have died so young.

Mr. Kang remained silent, the external accusations no match for his internal guilt.

When Wang Laizi’s mother learned that her son had been sentenced to death, she fainted. Upon waking, she cried and shouted, claiming her son was innocent.

When no one paid attention to her, she began to curse the female educated youth, accusing her of seducing her son.

The people of Wanghe Squad couldn’t stand it. If she had cursed the people from the cowshed, they might not have reacted so strongly. But Wang Laizi’s mother was cursing the victim.

Eventually, the head of Wanghe Village intervened, but reason was lost on a mother whose son was about to be executed. She spent her days wailing and seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

It wasn’t until Liu Li’s parents and younger brother arrived that she quieted down.

But while she quieted down, Liu Li’s family was filled with hatred for the Wang family and did not plan to let the matter rest.

They went to the Wang household and smashed it up. The neighbors watched but did not intervene.

A girl had died so tragically; anyone with a conscience would remain silent at this moment.

After the destruction, Liu Li’s mother was overcome with grief and wept uncontrollably, fainting several times, to the sighs of onlookers.

They didn’t leave immediately but stayed until the day of Wang Laizi’s execution.

On the day of the execution, Wang Laizi was tied up and escorted to the execution ground. Behind him was a white sign with “Execution of the rapist and murderer Wang Yougen” written in ink.

Wang Yougen was Wang Laizi’s real name.

Liu’s family and Mr. Kang were there.

They had to see this beast die before them to bring some solace to Liu Li’s spirit in the afterlife.

With a gunshot, Wang Laizi’s evil life ended.

Wang’s mother did not receive her son’s body, only a box of his ashes.

As a death row inmate, he was not allowed a funeral or memorial service, so Wang Laizi disappeared from Wanghe Squad.

Wang Laizi’s case was a major one in this area. The police station was commended for their swift investigation and precise case handling.

This should have been a celebratory occasion, but the officers were all in a heavy mood until Xie Lin said a few encouraging words to lighten the atmosphere.

Homicides like this were rare in their small town. Many young officers experienced such a case for the first time and would never forget it.

Due to the details in the report, Shi Tingyu and Lijian were mentioned prominently, and the higher authorities sent a commendation letter.

Shi Tingyu received a thermos, a tea mug, and a fountain pen as rewards.

Lijian was awarded an enamel food bowl with the word “Heroic” printed in red.

Knowing that the enamel bowl was its reward, Lijian cherished it greatly.

It insisted on eating from that enamel bowl.

When Uncle Lu and others visited, Lijian would proudly show off its bowl until everyone praised it.

Lijian’s heroic actions earned the praise of everyone in the former Wanghe Squad.

Now, it loved nothing more than taking Shi Tingyu for walks outside.

Even in the cold weather, Shi Tingyu had to take this proud dog outside.

Due to Shi Tingyu’s outstanding performance, the higher authorities realized the value of artists in the police force and considered recruiting more artists to join their ranks.

However, they soon gave up. There were too few people who still painted, and even when they found some to experiment with, none could create accurate portraits based on their descriptions.

Even though their descriptions were already very clear.

At that moment, they realized how difficult it was to reach Shi Tingyu’s level.

One day, just as Lu Weibing returned from fieldwork, the station director called him over.

The director of Lu Weibing’s police station was a middle-aged man in his forties named Zhuang Jian. He was tall and had a kindly face.

When Lu Weibing came in, Director Zhuang immediately offered him a seat.

Lu Weibing, unsure of the reason for the meeting, sat down. He had only been working at the station for a few years and didn’t know why the director wanted to see him.

Director Zhuang saw how rigidly he sat and smiled, “No need to be nervous, Xiao Lu. I just want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead, Director. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Director Zhuang chuckled, “I wanted to ask if the woman who can draw portraits is your sister-in-law?”

Lu Weibing nodded, “Yes, she is. She’s my cousin’s wife.”

Director Zhuang felt relieved, “What does your sister-in-law do for work? Does she have any plans to change jobs?” He didn’t believe someone so talented would be working in the fields.

Lu Weibing immediately understood the director’s intention. The director wanted to recruit his sister-in-law to work at their police station.

However, the director was bound to be disappointed.

“Director, if you’re thinking of getting my sister-in-law to work here, it’s unlikely. My cousin is a soldier in Jinling, and my sister-in-law is a military spouse. She works as a teacher at the base’s primary school. She’s just here visiting family and will return to Jinling after the Lantern Festival.”

Director Zhuang was greatly disappointed. Such a talented person, but she was a military spouse!

Seeing the director’s dejected state, Lu Weibing thought it best to leave quickly.

“Director, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out?”

Director Zhuang waved his hand, signaling him to go.

Lu Weibing felt relieved. Just as he was getting up, Director Zhuang called him back, “Keep in touch with your cousin and sister-in-law. We might need her help with major cases in the future.”

Lu Weibing nodded, somewhat sheepishly.

Director Zhuang added, “If she helps with a case, I’ll apply for a stipend for her.”

There wasn’t much talk of bonuses back then, but they could apply for stipends and similar allowances.

The rewards from the higher authorities were indeed a bit modest this time. In the future, when handling cases, he would definitely ensure she received a stipend.

Lu Weibing assured him that he would convey the message.

Only then did Director Zhuang let him go.