Chapter 95 Under Investigation

Li Changping had just finished dealing with the Li Ermazi family’s matter when he received another piece of bad news in the afternoon. His team discovered Liu Yulan had drowned in the small river by the production team.

 If it were a normal drowning, it wouldn’t be unusual; every production team experienced such accidents annually. Typically, the victims were small children who lacked safety awareness, accidentally falling into the river and drowning due to their inability to save themselves.

But Liu Yulan was an adult; how could she have drowned silently in the river?  Even stranger, the water where Liu Yulan fell was shallow.  Even if someone fell, there should be no danger. Yet, she drowned in such shallow water.

 Considering the Li Ermazi family’s situation, the villagers naturally assumed it was related to Sun Wenwen’s ghost. Another death in the brigade meant Li Changping had to report it to the police again. The team members were even more panicked. Liu Yulan wasn’t related to Li Ermazi, yet she died mysteriously. Who would be Sun Wenwen’s next victim? Li Changping knew they couldn’t continue like this and needed a solution quickly, or the Shengli Production Team would descend into chaos.

The police, upon receiving the report, quickly arrived at the scene. They were equally troubled by the frequent deaths in Shengli Production Brigade and pondered how to solve this.  The police performed an autopsy on Liu Yulan.

 She did indeed drown.  A deep mark was found on her ankle, suggesting something had dragged her underwater. Although the villagers believed Sun Wenwen’s ghost was responsible, the possibility of murder couldn’t be ruled out.  The police had to question potential suspects.  The investigation focused on those who had a poor relationship with Liu Yulan and might have harmed her due to past grievances.

Jiang Li was “honored” to be the first one summoned.  However, she wasn’t involved and wasn’t afraid of the investigation. She had an alibi.  During the time of Liu Yulan’s death, Jiang Li was in the brigade’s medical room treating several team members, who could vouch for her.  Jiang Li was quickly cleared of suspicion. Other suspected team members also had alibis, leaving the case unsolved.  The police needed further investigation.

After the questioning, Jiang Li returned to the educated youth’s dormitory.  She wasn’t surprised about Liu Yulan’s death, having foreseen it. What shocked her was Sun Wenwen’s audacity in killing so many people, seemingly unconcerned about the consequences in the afterlife.

Mu Jingxun was reading when Jiang Li returned.  Injured and unable to work, he passed the time with books.  He was reading permissible books, not banned ones.  Upon seeing Jiang Li, his eyes lit up.  He seemed to always feel happier in her presence. He greeted her, “Jiang Zhiqing, you’re back?”

Jiang Li nodded and told him about Liu Yulan’s death. Mu Jingxun was slightly stunned but guessed it was related to Sun Wenwen. This rural experience had completely reshaped his worldview.  He wouldn’t have believed these things if he hadn’t witnessed them himself.

After recounting Liu Yulan’s death, Jiang Li asked Mu Jingxun to remove his shirt so she could change his dressing.  The thought of exposing himself again made his cheeks flush.  However, he quickly took off his shirt, fearing he’d be considered slow and fussy.  Jiang Li again saw his well-defined abdominal muscles and swallowed.  She secretly wondered how she could win over this handsome and fit man.  She suppressed her thoughts and changed his dressing.  Her self-made medicine was effective; his wounds were healing well, and he’d likely recover completely in half a month.  She didn’t want him to be scarred.  Her medicine ensured quick healing without leaving noticeable scars.

“Okay, the dressing is changed. You can put your clothes on,” she said.

Mu Jingxun complied.  Jiang Li then prepared dinner. She had stewed a chicken for him in the afternoon and would cook a couple of side dishes for a hearty meal.  As she prepared dinner, other educated youths returned from work. Bai Ziyong helped her.  Some were terrified by Liu Yulan’s death and didn’t dare return to the dormitory, especially the female educated youths who shared a room with Liu Yulan. They feared Liu Yulan might become a ghost too, especially since they had minor conflicts with her.  They were afraid of encountering her belongings and sought Jiang Li’s help.

“Jiang Zhiqing, you must have a way to deal with ghosts. Can you help us? We’re terrified and can’t go back inside.”

Seeing their pale faces, Jiang Li, though initially reluctant, decided to help.  She handed them a talisman. “This is a protective charm. Place it in your room, and no spirits can enter.”