The villagers, swept by this gaze, couldn’t help but take a step back. So had already exclaid, "It definitely wasn’t . I was sleeping at ho yesterday!"
"It wasn’t either. I was at the village chief’s house yesterday."
"I was sleeping yesterday. My wife can testify!"
...
Butcher Zhang snapped out of his trance, murmuring, "No, impossible, it can’t be from outside the window."
"It’s impossible for them!" Xia Wenjin chuckled, "After all, they don’t possess such skills yet." She gestured, "Co over and take a look."
She exchanged a glance with Huangfu Jingchen, then flashed a radiant smile, almost like a flirtatious wink. Huangfu Jingchen pursed his lips; dammit, he actually understood what that look ant.
The village chief, the villagers, and Butcher Zhang all followed Xia Wenjin into the house.
Xia Wenjin opened the window and let them look outside.
So felt dizzy at the sight.
Only then did they understand why Butcher Zhang insisted it was impossible for soone to co in through the window. Outside this room was a stone wall, at least two stories high, with the river below. Although the water wasn’t rushing, it flowed continuously.
Walking from the village entrance inward, the terrain gradually rose because it was upstream, featuring stone walls rather than shallows, otherwise, building houses would be impossible.
This also explained why Butcher Zhang felt his place was safer than the village chief’s.
Soone puzzled aloud, "It seems the window latch doesn’t even matter. After all, no one could possibly climb up here. There’s only this window—could a monkey have done it?"
This comnt was clearly sarcastic, causing so to laugh out loud, and they looked at Xia Wenjin with skepticism.
This young governnt officer might not really be capable after all.
They’d better not be talking nonsense and end up offending the River God, as it would be their loss.
Xia Wenjin wasn’t bothered, only said, "Look closely!"
So brave ones stuck their heads out to look, finally, one sharp-eyed person shouted, "There are traces, there, traces right there. A single mark."
Another called out, "There’re two small holes on the windowsill!"
The village chief wanted to see, but his old arms and legs weren’t as convenient as the younger ones, plus the vast white water below made him worry about accidentally falling in. He kept asking repeatedly, "What’s going on? What’s going on?"
Xia Wenjin didn’t beat around the bush, raising her voice, "Clearly, soone ca up from the river to here, climbing the stone wall using protruding rocks, using a dagger or so sharp object for support to climb all the way up."
"But even if soone ca up like that, how did they get down with soone in tow?"
"Those two holes, likely made by a grappling hook. As it appears, Zhang Erzhu was likely drugged with Sedatives, unconscious. The person abducted her, carefully descending using the grappling hook, and left by boat!"
"This...this..." The village chief found it unbelievable, "One wrong move and they’d fall into the river, getting swept away. This is way too difficult, isn’t it?"
"It’s very difficult for you!" Xia Wenjin’s gaze swept over them, "But soone can do it!"
Soone said, "That’s easy to say, if it was really done by soone, why did they wait for the crazy woman to cause a scene before abducting soone?"
"Naturally, it’s to redirect your anger, to make you think it’s all Aunt Wang’s fault, thinking she’s a jinx," Xia Wenjin casually closed the window and latched it.
"Even if you’re right, the crazy woman’s outbursts are unpredictable. You said it’s not one of our villagers, then how would they know about our village affairs? How did they know that the Zhang Family girl was ho? And how did they know to co up here to grab soone?"
Xia Wenjin nodded; this villager was quite sharp. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Naturally, because soone took advantage and leaked information!"
"Who? Which bastard did it? I’ll beat him to death!"
"Exactly, this is so heartless. Soone actually did this malicious thing, they’ll bring an end to their lineage!"
"Point out who it is, let’s see if I won’t beat them to death!"
"That traitor, I’ll beat him to death too!"
...
A surge of fury arose among the crowd, but amid such anger, a voice said, "We’re all villagers here, who would do such a cruel thing? Aren’t you saying this on purpose to sow distrust among us?"
"What do I gain by making you distrust each other?" Xia Wenjin sneered.
"Then tell us who it is?"
Xia Wenjin smiled, dressed as a man, with a boyish figure and a touch of youthful awkwardness, but she appeared not an inch inferior among the robust n. That smile was as bright as sunshine, as if it could lt ice and snow on the mountains.
She extended a finger, pointing at one person, "Him!"
The man jumped in fright, shrieking, "Nonsense, how could it be ?"
Soone next to him also said, "Is the Lord mistaken? Liu San was with us all yesterday, also keeping vigil at the village chief’s house. He never left!"
Xia Wenjin raised an eyebrow, smirking, "He certainly left. Last night, when I sent you to inform those families with daughters to send them to the village chief’s house, you went separately! This Liu San, he went to two families. Butcher Zhang wouldn’t send over his daughter, which he reported back—did you forget?"
"What does that prove? It only shows he was being considerate, right?" One person defended Liu San.
Liu San also aggrievedly said, "Lord, you were dispatched by the Prefecture’s master; even the county magistrate listens to you. But you can’t wrong soone at will! Why would I do such a thing?"
"Exactly, we’re all neighbors, Liu San shouldn’t do sothing like this!"
Xia Wenjin curiously said, "Liu San, if you didn’t do it, then why did the sparrow you keep at ho fly away?"
Soone laughed, "Release a sparrow? Can sparrows send ssages? Besides, who keeps sparrows?"
Xia Wenjin chuckled, "Exactly, who keeps sparrows? Yet he had a cage. Not only did he release a sparrow, he also threw a paper package by the riverside not far from his house. I guess, inside the package, there was oiled paper, and inside the oiled paper, was the ssage telling his accomplice it’s okay to make a move on Zhang Caifai’s family, right?"
Upon hearing this, Butcher Zhang erupted, he jumped up, grabbed Liu San by the collar, and punched him, "It’s you, you ruthless bastard, why did you do it? I’ll beat you to death. Bring my Zhu’er back!"
"No! I didn’t!" Liu San really jumped up now, perhaps out of urgency or pain, Butcher Zhang, who could lift a 200-jin pig onto the table with one hand, packed such power that he almost knocked his teeth out!
Butcher Zhang, angry over his daughter’s disappearance, showed no leniency. While punching and cursing, "You heartless bastard, what did we ever do to you, that you would harm , harm my Zhu’er?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers