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墨書 Inktalez
When the project team arrived at Ganqu Village, Officer Li was already waiting at the village entrance. At fifty years old, he was ten years younger than Old Shao, but his physique could not compare to Old Shao, who had always maintained his fitness. Old Shao rolled down the car window and greeted Officer Li, making his identity known. Officer Li nodded, resting his large belly on his lap as he turned the electric scooter's handlebars and led the team forward.
The village road in Ganqu Village was not wide; if two vehicles needed to pass each other, one had to pull over first. The project team's vehicle traveled alongside the Canal, allowing a clear view of its condition through the window.
This ancient Canal was constructed with stones, measuring between two to three meters in width. Jiang He had no doubt that Yuan Jun could easily jump across it. On both sides of the Canal grew wild grass that reached up to adult knee height, swaying gently in the breeze. From above, the murky water was littered with trash, and a foul odor wafted into the vehicle with each gust of wind.
"This can't be used for irrigation; the water is too dirty," Xu Yiman remarked as she looked at the dark and foul-smelling waterway.
Old Shao replied, "During the process of urbanization, the villagers here have long stopped farming. This Canal has lost its original purpose and has become a stinking drain for residents."
As they spoke, Officer Li's electric scooter came to a stop in front of a school.
The weathered walls, rusty iron gate, and dusty teaching building all spoke of the school's age.
Officer Li addressed the group getting out of the vehicle: "Ganqu Village has only this one road, and this is the only school in Ganqu Village. The person you are looking for, Wang Liguo, attended this school years ago."
"You seem to know Wang Liguo quite well," Old Shao inquired.
Officer Li shook his head. Pushing down with his right foot, he secured the electric scooter's stand and parked it properly. "Well, I can't say I know him very well, but I knew about him before he committed murder. His father, Wang Chenglong, is a well-known idle man in Ganqu Village—always loafing around and involved in theft and gambling."
"Wang Chenglong has done plenty of shady things; he's a regular at our police station. Each time he gets locked up for ten days or so. Sometimes his son comes by asking for money; I've seen Wang Liguo a few times. So I know who he is, but not much else."
As Officer Li walked along the Canal toward the village, he continued, "Wang Liguo is quite different from his father. There were times when Wang Chenglong spent more time in detention than at home within a year. He's an old hand at this—smooth-talking and slippery."
"In contrast, Wang Liguo doesn't talk much; he's quite stubborn and has a fierce look in his eyes." After walking about two hundred meters, Officer Li stopped by the Canal and said, "When we received the report initially, I brought several officers with me."
Officer Li pointed to the dark water of the Canal. "But when we arrived, everyone was gone. Later, we learned that a bystander happened to pass by and saw Wang Liguo struggling in the water with a child. The child had his eyes closed and seemed unresponsive. The bystander dropped his bicycle and jumped in to rescue the child."
"When he called for help, Wang Liguo ran away. However, this person was also from Ganqu Village, and his home was not far from Wang Liguo's. So when he called for help, he also dialed 110."
Officer Li continued, "By the time we arrived, the paramedics had already taken the child away. The villager saw that the paramedics had left and went home himself. We investigated both the caller and Wang Liguo, then waited for the victim's family to report the incident. But after a week, no one came forward."
"This situation was strange. Later, when we proactively visited the victim's family, we found that they had moved away completely. We couldn't get in touch with them at all. I even tried to reach out several times, but there was no trace of them. In the end, this case just faded away without any concrete records."
"What was the victim's name? How was the body handled?" Old Shao asked again.
Officer Li shook his head. "We only knew his name was Ai Hua; beyond that, we didn't have much information..."
Old Shao sighed. "If you had taken this more seriously back then, it wouldn't be so troublesome now."
Officer Li smiled brightly and replied, "This happened five years ago. I also looked into Wang Liguo's records; he was only twelve at that time. You see, without a reporting party and only one bystander's testimony, we couldn't find direct evidence to prove Wang Liguo was the murderer. Especially since he was a minor— even if it were intentional, at twelve years old he wouldn't bear any criminal responsibility."
"Moreover, Wang Liguo's account differed significantly from Shiseidon's." Officer Li adjusted his pants and continued, "At that time, Shiseidon insisted he saw Wang Liguo trying to drown Ai Hua. But when we questioned Wang Liguo, he denied wanting to kill anyone. As for why he fell into the water with Ai Hua, Wang Liguo simply refused to answer."
Old Shao furrowed his brow as he realized a subtle yet significant distinction: "So you're saying that five years ago, Wang Liguo denied ever having committed murder?"
"He did not intend to drown Ai Hua," Officer Li replied.
Old Shao nodded slightly. "But now, five years later, Wang Liguo claims he has killed before."
"What about that person?" Jiang He asked. "The one who witnessed everything."
Officer Li got back on the electric scooter, his hefty backside pushing forward as the frame automatically bounced up.
"I know where his family lives," Officer Li turned to the others and said. "Shiseidon and Wang Liguo's homes are not far apart, just a couple of houses away. I'll take you there now; he should be at home."
The group hopped onto the scooter and followed Officer Li to Shiseidon's doorstep.
Officer Li knocked on the door, and a thin man with bare arms opened it. He looked at them with confusion and asked, "What do you want?"
Officer Li replied, "I'm Li Weimin. Five years ago, Wang Liguo committed murder. I came to investigate back then; don't you remember me?"
"Oh! It's you?" Shiseidon said. "What brings you here?"
"About what happened five years ago," Officer Li stated.
Shiseidon scoffed, "Didn't you tell me that someone under fourteen doesn't bear any responsibility? You caught him but let him go right away. Are you saying he's eighteen now and can be arrested and executed?"
Officer Li shook his head and said, "I thought I explained it clearly to you back then. Never mind. This time, leaders from the province want to ask about what happened five years ago. Just tell them the truth."
"Alright..." Shiseidon welcomed them into the house.
"It seems you have quite an opinion about Wang Liguo?" Old Shao asked slowly as he sat on a stool.
Shiseidon spat on the ground and replied, "It's not that I have an opinion about him; it's that his whole family is no good. Just look at Wang Chenglong—he's a worthless scoundrel. How many times has he come to my house to steal? Last time, he stole my electric tricycle and sold it for a thousand. The police caught him, but he didn't pay me back."
The more Shiseidon thought about it, the angrier he became, cursing loudly: "That scoundrel isn't afraid of the police at all! Not only does he refuse to return your money, but he also throws dog shit into your yard. If you confront him, he just lies on the ground and plays the victim. He's truly disgusting! And his wife? When they run out of money, she goes out selling herself, and now she's got all sorts of diseases. She doesn't even come home anymore; who knows where she's off gallivanting."
"With parents like you two, if that kid isn't a loser, I'll turn my name backwards," Shiseidon said. "That Wang Liguo is just like his useless father, completely uneducated. He's either begging for money or getting into fights, just like his dad."
Shiseidon laughed again, "But if his whole family is trash, so be it. I can see him dropping out of school and joining the underworld after middle school; he'll end up just like his father. My son, Shi Chaoyang, is different. He just started middle school this year and his grades are excellent. The teachers say if he keeps this up, he'll have no problem getting into Key High School."
Leaning against the wall, Shiseidon casually remarked, "I'm just waiting for my son to bring glory to our family. When has anyone from our village ever graduated from university? That would be something impressive."
Old Shao interrupted Shiseidon’s praise of his child, saying, "Well, I hope your son Shi Chaoyang continues to work hard. Do you remember five years ago when you saw Wang Liguo trying to drown a kid?"
Shiseidon nodded heavily. "Would I lie about something like that? I saw it with my own eyes! I had just returned from the city and was riding my bike in front of the school when I heard splashing in the water. I looked over and there was that bastard Wang Liguo pulling that kid down by one arm."
"The kid struggled and surfaced for a moment, but then Wang Liguo pulled him back under; his eyes were rolling back." Shiseidon sat up straight and said loudly, "I threw my bike down without thinking and jumped in to save him. I dragged that kid up onto the shore."
As he gestured while speaking, Shiseidon continued, "It took all my strength to get that kid out, and then I called for help. But guess what? While I was distracted, Wang Liguo ran off. I reported it to the police, but they said there wasn't enough evidence and that he was a minor; it left me confused."
"I advise you to catch Wang Liguo quickly; he's killed someone and might kill again. Keeping him in society is a disaster. Especially later on when that scum boasted about having killed someone—there's nothing you can do about it. Between us, if he were executed, it would be absolutely justified; there's no wrongful conviction here."
With that, Shiseidon stood up. "You can ask around the village; if there's even one person who thinks Wang Liguo is good, I'll pull my head off and give it to you as a night pot..."
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