Chapter 74: Interrogation and Investigation of the Three Rogues

“Injured at the back of the head?” Lin Xiaodou’s heart gave a jolt as she instantly realized the significance of this detail.

Seizing upon this crucial point, she spoke up with firm conviction, “It’s true that I had a conflict with Zhang Lian last night, and I did lay hands on her. But I only struck her face with my fist—I never attacked any other part of her body. Anyone in the educated youth compound can testify to this!”

Upon hearing this, the older male police officer narrowed his eyes, analyzing thoughtfully, “If what you say is true, then the injury at the back of Zhang Lian’s head was most likely inflicted by someone else. This suggests that it wasn’t simply an accident or self-harm, but the result of some external violence. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!”

Lin Xiaodou nodded in agreement, her voice sincere: “Thank you for your efforts. Please do your utmost to uncover the truth. If it turns out I am not involved, I hope you’ll restore my freedom as soon as possible.”

With the conversation concluded, the seasoned officer wasted no time in taking action. He immediately dispatched personnel to Blackstone Village for a more thorough investigation. Everyone understood that time was of the essence, and they had to work against the clock.

Upon arriving at Blackstone Village, the investigators went from house to house, questioning the educated youths in detail about the previous night’s events. As Lin Xiaodou had said, many of the educated youths stepped forward, unanimously confirming that she had not struck the back of Zhang Lian’s head. These statements provided key clues for solving the case and gradually lessened the suspicion surrounding Lin Xiaodou.

But who, then, was the real culprit…?

On another front, San Laizi was brought to the police station for questioning, as there were doubts regarding his involvement. At first, he was rather impatient. “My wife drowned herself—what’s that got to do with me? I haven’t committed any crime.”

The male officer replied, “There are some things we need to ask you.”

San Laizi protested, “Didn’t someone already come by this morning to ask questions? Now you’re asking again!”

The officer glared at him and said sternly, “Are you questioning how we do our work?!”

“Heh, sorry, Officer… I’m not questioning you…” San Laizi forced a smile, not daring to retort further.

The interrogation room was adjacent to the lounge. Originally, Lin Xiaodou had hoped the officer might bend the rules and let her be present, but regulations would not permit it, so she could only press her ear to the wall and eavesdrop. Fortunately, her hearing was keen, and she caught every word from inside.

In the interrogation room, the officer asked, “You said your wife didn’t come home all night—do you have any witnesses to confirm this?”

San Laizi’s parents had died long ago, and he lived alone in a dilapidated house. He was momentarily taken aback, then grinned slyly, “Do I really need proof for this sort of thing? Wouldn’t I know if my wife came home or not?”

The officer gave him a sidelong glance.

San Laizi was a seasoned rascal, not even intimidated by the police station. If the officer didn’t put some pressure on him, he wouldn’t get any straight answers. The older officer deliberately put on a stern face, jabbing his finger at San Laizi’s nose and barking, “I’m the one asking questions here—just answer. No counter-questions, and no irrelevant nonsense. If you keep stalling and hinder the investigation, I’ll have every reason to suspect you of murdering your wife!”

These words startled San Laizi into submission. “Officer, I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. Please, go ahead and ask…”

From that moment, the usually cocky San Laizi became meek and obedient. Whatever the officer asked, he answered.

“You say there’s no one else to confirm your wife didn’t come home last night?”

“No one.”

“Did you go out last night?”

“No.”

“Did your wife have any disputes with anyone? Did she mention it to you?”

“No, she never speaks to me. Every day at home she just wears a sullen face.”

At this, a sudden glint appeared in San Laizi’s eyes. “I heard she was beaten by that educated youth, Lin, last night. There must be bad blood between them. Maybe she was so upset about being beaten that she jumped into the river?”

The officer responded, “That’s still under investigation. We can’t be sure yet.”

“I bet that’s it! Now that my wife’s dead, I want Lin the educated youth to compensate me. If she refuses, I’ll sue her—she can give me a wife in exchange. If she can’t, then she’ll have to become my wife instead! I promise I’ll treat her well!”

Seeing San Laizi getting more and more outrageous, the old officer cut him off sharply. “Enough! Watch your mouth! You’re being interrogated—take this seriously!”

On the other side of the wall, Lin Xiaodou was thoroughly disgusted by San Laizi’s words. Clearly, the punishment the other night hadn’t been enough—this scoundrel hadn’t learned his lesson at all. Once she was out, she would have to thoroughly deal with him, to keep such a despicable man from bringing harm to anyone else.

Whether San Laizi was truly innocent or just tight-lipped, the officer tried many questions without getting the answers he sought. He couldn’t reveal details of the case either, lest San Laizi exploit any loopholes. Just as the officer was at a loss, Lin Xiaodou suddenly burst in.

“San Laizi, I saw you and Zhang Lian arguing by the river last night. You were wearing those very clothes, and you struck her head with a sickle!”

This was a deliberate bluff on Lin Xiaodou’s part.

San Laizi never bathed, and only had a couple of sets of clothes—it wasn’t hard to guess what he was wearing. In fact, the officer had just questioned him, saying someone had seen him quarreling with Zhang Lian by the river. San Laizi had immediately claimed he hadn’t gone out and challenged them: if someone had really seen him, what was he wearing last night? The officer couldn’t answer, because it had been a test. But he hadn’t expected Lin Xiaodou to suddenly show up and raise the issue again.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that, caught off guard by Lin Xiaodou correctly pointing out his clothing, San Laizi, desperate to prove his innocence, blurted out a confession: “I didn’t use a sickle! I only threw a brick at the back of her head out of anger. I didn’t kill her!”

No sooner had he said it than San Laizi regretted it. His mind went blank in panic. It’s over! Why did he let the words slip out?

The older officer glared at him in fury. “I knew you were hiding something. You’d better come clean!”

…

Twenty minutes later, San Laizi confessed the whole truth.

It turned out that the previous day, San Laizi had been wandering about and only returned at dusk. Hearing from a neighbor that Zhang Lian had gone to the educated youth compound for a communal meal, San Laizi thought he’d go and see if he could mooch some food. Before he reached the compound, he saw Zhang Lian running toward the river, clutching her face. Curiosity piqued, he followed, and overheard her cursing Lin Xiaodou by the riverside.

San Laizi’s hiding spot was obvious, and Zhang Lian soon caught sight of him. The moment she saw him, her disgust was palpable, and she turned her fury on him, unleashing a torrent of insults. San Laizi was not one to take such abuse—he stormed up and began a shouting match.

In the scuffle, he was so enraged that he picked up a clay brick from the ground and smashed it into the back of Zhang Lian’s head.

“After I hit her, she collapsed unconscious. I was afraid someone would see, so I ran away.”

The officer asked, “So you’re saying you killed her and threw her into the river?”

San Laizi protested anxiously, “I didn’t kill her! Before I left, I checked if she was breathing—she was! I was in such a hurry to escape that I never thought of dumping her in the river. I never meant to kill her!”

Judging by his agitated demeanor, the officer felt he might be telling the truth. He mused for a moment, then said, “In that case, it’s highly likely someone else took advantage of Zhang Lian’s unconsciousness and drowned her in the river. It seems we’ll have to conduct further investigations…”