Chapter 65.2

Once Zhou Jingguo and Liu Hechang left, Wan Liang turned to look at the bound Wu Yuanming.

Wu Yuanming, Jin Yuanchao, and Quan Aiguo were not only tied up by their hands and feet, but their mouths were also stuffed to prevent them from communicating with each other. They were being kept under separate watch to avoid any collusion. At that moment, the three of them were trembling on the ground.

Although they were not far from the stove, the ground was not like the heated floors of later years. Despite wearing thick cotton clothing, the cold from the ground made their bodies shake uncontrollably. The chill seeped through, and they were shivering from head to toe.

Wan Liang looked at Wu Yuanming for a moment, then walked over.

“Stop.” Although everyone else had left the cafeteria, Tian Wenshi and the others, who had been assigned to watch Jin Yuanchao and the other two suspects, stayed behind, firmly following Qin Qingman’s “orders.”

Tian Wenshi was quick-witted and sharp-minded.

Previously, he had followed Qin Qingman’s instructions because Bao Shengli followed Qin Qingman. Now, he continued to listen to her because he could tell that her background was likely not ordinary. When a valuable opportunity like this presented itself, it was foolish not to seize it.

Therefore, Tian Wenshi had always remembered Qin Qingman’s words, not allowing anyone to approach the three criminal suspects.

From the moment Wu Yuanming had vouched for Jin Yuanchao, he had become a suspect. When Wan Liang approached him, Tian Wenshi acted cautiously and stopped him.

After all, everyone knew that Wan Liang was Wu Yuanming’s secretary.

Wan Liang halted when he saw the look in Tian Wenshi’s eyes and explained, “Comrade Tian, I’m just going to get some clothes. The clothes on Wu Yuanming are mine. He forcibly took them from me.”

At this point, he didn’t dare to call Wu Yuanming “Comrade” anymore.

“That’s not allowed, Wan Liang Comrade. Wu Yuanming is now a criminal suspect, and no one is allowed to approach him, including you and me,” Tian Wenshi refused.

Wan Liang could have asked for the clothes earlier, but now? Tian Wenshi wasn’t buying that this was just about the clothes. He had witnessed the grudge between the Wan family and the Qin family firsthand, and he didn’t believe Wan Liang had good intentions.

Wan Liang didn’t expect Tian Wenshi to be so stubborn. His brow furrowed slightly. “Then, Comrade Tian, could you at least get Wu Yuanming’s clothes for me?” Since he couldn’t approach, he wanted Tian Wenshi to help.

Tian Wenshi still shook his head firmly.

“It’s cold. If you take the clothes from Wu Yuanming, he’ll freeze to death. Anyway, you’ve had those clothes on him for so long, so there’s no need to rush to take them back. Why not wait a bit? The Public Security Comrade is already here. I’m sure it won’t be long before these three are taken away.”

Wan Liang looked at Tian Wenshi in silence. After a moment, he nodded and stepped back, distancing himself from Wu Yuanming.

This was also to avoid suspicion.

By this time, Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua were already in a state of panic. They knew that hard times were coming. With gloomy faces, they softly asked Wan Liang what they should do.

What could Wan Liang do?

Qin Qingman had been ruthless in her actions. By speaking those words in front of everyone today, her intention was clear: she didn’t want to have any further ties with the Wan family.

“I didn’t expect that Qingman girl to be so ruthless. Isn’t she slapping our faces in public? From now on, don’t even think about relying on her for support. There’ll definitely be people at the farm who will secretly sabotage us,” Xu Lianhua said, her face twisted with anger.

“Isn’t it your fault for being so harsh? If we had shown a bit more goodwill back then, we wouldn’t be in such a passive position today,” Wan Mingxi said, also angry, and couldn’t help but blame his wife.

People with a crooked mindset always think this way—they never admit their own mistakes. It’s always someone else’s fault.

“Pah, she’s your niece. You didn’t care, so why expect me to? I’m just an outsider, how could I care more than you?” Xu Lianhua sneered at Wan Mingxi.

“You old woman, are you looking for a fight?” Wan Mingxi, full of frustration with nowhere to vent, was further provoked by his wife’s words and glared at her angrily.

“Enough, isn’t there enough chaos already? Don’t say anything. Let me think this through.”

Wan Liang’s head was already pounding. Not only was he worried about their future, but now his parents were fighting, making things even more difficult.

Wan Mingxi and Xu Lianhua immediately stopped speaking.

They weren’t as clever as their son and had long been used to following his instructions.

While the Wan family was mulling over their situation in the cafeteria, Qin Qingman had already arrived at the entrance of the farm, where she met Zheng Xuesong.

Zheng Xuesong was the team leader, a rank equivalent to that of a department head, making him the highest-ranking official in the county police department aside from the director and deputy director. He usually handled major cases, special cases, and important matters.

Upon receiving Bao Shengli’s group’s report, Zheng Xuesong, accompanied by three other police officers, rushed to Hongqi Farm.

The murder had taken place right at the entrance. Before even getting out of the car, the four officers saw Wu Weimin’s body lying on the ground, clearly dead for some time. There wasn’t much blood spilled around him.

The cold weather had caused the blood to coagulate quickly.

The body wasn’t gruesome or mangled; aside from his pale complexion, it didn’t look horrifying.

Some farm workers who didn’t know what had happened had passed by and were surprised to see someone lying in the snow on such a cold day. It wasn’t until they saw Wu Weimin’s face clearly that they realized he was dead.

The witnesses who saw how Wu Weimin died were all concentrated in the canteen. Employees who weren’t witnesses heard about Wu Weimin’s death, and besides being shocked, they were also curious, especially those who had been secretly bullied by Wu Weimin. They all gathered at the entrance of the farm to watch.

Qin Qingman had already sent Lei Zhiwen to guard the scene ahead of time, and the area had been surrounded by straw curtains.

The people who gathered to watch were relatively aware, knowing that the case was waiting for the police to handle. They did not tamper with the scene, instead standing at a distance, discussing the dead Wu Weimin.

Some came to watch the spectacle, while others, who had been bullied by him, came to witness his demise with satisfaction.

Wu Weimin was dead!

They had long wished for Wu Weimin to die, and now, finally, they had waited for this day. Heaven had eyes; this troublemaker had finally been taken by fate.

Many people who had a grudge against Wu Weimin looked at his body with both excitement and agitation.

They had long awaited this day.

The villain had finally died, and it was a good death.

At the entrance of the farm, many people stood in small groups not far away, pointing and talking about the deceased Wu Weimin. Their blood was warm, and even though it was cold, they refused to leave, even if their feet had gone numb. They wanted to see the fate of the Wu family.

Wu Weimin was dead, and Wu Yuanming was tied up. As long as the police took the person away, the Wu family would truly be finished.

When Zheng Xuesong arrived with his team, he saw that the scene had been well protected, and more and more farm workers were gathering around the outer edge of the scene.

Living in a special era, although Zheng Xuesong and his team were in charge of security, they still knew a lot of things. Seeing the peculiar looks of the onlookers, he knew what Wu Weimin’s death meant to many people.

It was liberation, the joy of applauding and cheering.

“Captain, should we disperse the crowd?” Li Hongyi quietly asked Zheng Xuesong from the car.

Hongqi Town was under his jurisdiction, so of course, he had to follow the team.

Zheng Xuesong checked his gun, opened the car door, and got out. At the same time, he said, “No need to disperse. The scene is well maintained, and the crowd won’t affect our investigation. Everyone hurry up and follow. Xiao Liu, take good notes, not a single mistake allowed.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The four people in the car got out, each taking their responsibilities and working together.

Bao Shengli’s tractor was also parked not far away. They weren’t the police, and to avoid interfering with the investigation, they didn’t get off but instead crouched in the car’s cargo bed, wrapped in blankets, watching Zheng Xuesong and his team inspect the scene of the crime.

It was indeed cold outside, but fortunately, there were blankets in the car.

When Zheng Xuesong saw Lei Zhiwen, he proactively showed his identification, which included his photo and official seal, and he introduced himself and his colleagues from the Public Security Bureau, including Li Hongyi.

Lei Zhiwen, upon seeing Li Hongyi’s appearance as Qin Qingman had described, and noticing the Public Security credentials of Zheng Xuesong’s group, quickly briefed Zheng Xuesong on the general situation of the case before stepping back to the edge of the crowd, waiting.

Zheng Xuesong had already heard the details of the incident when Bao Shengli reported it. Now, after hearing what Lei Zhiwen said, he immediately called for Li Hongyi and the others to investigate the scene.

The scene had been secured from the start. Although there were many footprints on the ground, they were traceable.

Scattered dried vegetables, various mushrooms, and the traces of Aunt Guiying being pushed and slipping out were all clear to the experts. The marks left by Chuchu falling off Aunt Guiying’s body were also unmistakable to them.

From simply examining the traces, it was already clear that Wu Weimin had been the one to start the trouble.

As for Wu Weimin’s death, it had nothing to do with Qin Qingman, since the person who fired the gun had been an imposter pretending to be the police.

Zheng Xuesong carefully examined the scene, collecting physical evidence while Xiao Liu recorded everything at a fast pace.

By the time they finished inspecting and turned around, there were even more people gathered at the farm gate. It was a sea of black, but the crowd was clearly divided into two groups.

One group stood behind Qin Qingman, while the other was blocked on the other side by Lei Zhiwen and his people.

“Comrade Qin,” Zheng Xuesong said, removing his gloves as he walked toward Qin Qingman, extending his right hand.

He had a strong memory of Qin Qingman, and seeing her again, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Comrade Zheng Xuesong, hello. Thank you for coming all this way. Sorry for the trouble,” Qin Qingman said as she put Chuchu down on the ground and extended her hand to shake Zheng Xuesong’s.

“Comrade Qin, don’t mention it. It’s my duty,” Zheng Xuesong replied, his expression turning serious as he spoke about the case.

“Comrade Zheng, here is the gun. We seized it from the two imposters pretending to be police officers,” Qin Qingman said, her expression now serious as well. She took out a gun wrapped in a handkerchief from her arms.

“Great! Comrade Qin, you’ve done a great job,” Zheng Xuesong said, taking the gun from her and carefully examining it.

After inspecting the gun, Zheng Xuesong discovered that it was actually a makeshift weapon, assembled from various gun parts of different models. Although the assembled gun was not as powerful as the ones used by the police, if shot at close range, it could still easily cause death.

This was how Wu Weimin had died.

After finishing his inspection of the gun, Zheng Xuesong placed it into an evidence bag and handed it to Xiao Liu for safekeeping before shifting his attention to the crowd nearby.

He had heard from Bao Shengli about these people being witnesses, and they all needed to be interviewed.

There were many people, and today was a big task.

“We need a place where we can take statements, preferably with private rooms,” Zheng Xuesong said, his gaze turning to Qin Qingman.

He trusted Qin Qingman to control the situation and believed she was capable of arranging this.

“Comrade, Comrade from the Public Security Bureau, I’m Liu Hechang, the chairman of the Hongqi farm union. I can arrange private rooms for you,” Liu Hechang, along with Zhou Jingguo, had been standing in the cold wind for some time. However, Zheng Xuesong didn’t greet them first, but instead addressed Qin Qingman, which caused the two men to regard her with even more caution.

Zheng Xuesong looked at Liu Hechang in surprise.

“Comrade, this is Comrade Zhou Jingguo, the director of the commune revolutionary committee,” Liu Hechang quickly introduced Zhou Jingguo, unable to avoid it.

Zheng Xuesong’s eyes flashed with a trace of dissatisfaction.

He was not pleased with the involvement of people unrelated to the case, but in the end, he extended his hand to Zhou Jingguo, “Comrade, hello. I’m Zheng Xuesong.”

“Hello, Comrade Zheng Xuesong,” Zhou Jingguo sensed Zheng Xuesong’s displeasure.

“Comrade, please arrange private rooms for us. It’s getting late, and we need to take the statements immediately,” Zheng Xuesong said to Liu Hechang, then added, “We’ve completed the inspection of the scene. Please also arrange a room for the victim’s body; we’ll take it away after we finish the statements.”

Wu Weimin had been murdered, and a forensic autopsy was still required.

“Okay, okay, Comrade Zheng Xuesong, please follow me,” Liu Hechang said, eagerly leading the way.

“Li Hongyi, take some people and carry the victim’s body with Comrade Liu,” Zheng Xuesong ordered.

“Yes, Captain.” Li Hongyi immediately began to have people carry the wrapped-up body of Wu Weimin.

Just as everyone was about to move to a different location, a large group of people suddenly emerged from the family area of the farm. Each person was carrying various farming tools over their shoulders.

“Weimin, my Weimin, you left just like that. How will Grandpa live?”

A strong voice rang out, and an old man, escorted by this group, stormed toward Zheng Xuesong and the others.

The Wu family had arrived.