heart poison

The headmaster of the village primary school was Qian Zhiguo, but the name of headmaster was false. He had read more books than others and was responsible for teaching Chinese. He was the oldest and was elected by other teachers to be the headmaster.Luoguan Village is too small, there are not many children, each grade has only one class, Qian Zhiguo has to teach a total of four classes, and also serves as a physical education teacher, so he basically knows all the students in the school.

When Qian Maojiang and others had an accident, he was in his fifties, and now he is in his 60s.Since the establishment of the new village primary school, a group of young full-time teachers came, and he quit the teachers and retired from the army, and responded to the government's call to engage in farmhouse entertainment with his family.Qian Lu asked him to cooperate with the investigation, but he was very reluctant at first—most people in Luoguan Village were not very willing to bring up the events of the year, but Qian Lu was soft-hearted, so he had to agree.

The police station in Luoguan Village was newly built two years ago. It is consistent with the overall style of the village and has added a lot of tourist elements. It looks like a small holiday building.It was the first time that Qian Zhiguo was taken to the inquiry room of the new police station, and he looked nervously at the two "outsiders" sitting opposite him.

Before he was brought by Qian Lu, Hua Chong and Liu Zhiqin already knew him, so there was no need for him to introduce himself.Hua Chong called "Principal Qian" with a smile. His expression froze for a moment, and then he laughed, as if he liked the title very much. He stood up and said, "Hello."

Hua Chong casually exchanged a few words with him, and quickly got to the point: "Principal Qian, Qian Lu must have told you the purpose of our visit this time. I would like to trouble you to make this trip today, mainly because I want to learn from you." Here's a look at the situation of the five murdered students."

At this point, Hua Chong's tone softened, "You are their principal, and you happen to teach them Chinese and physical education. I don't think there is any teacher in the village primary school who knows them better than you."

Qian Zhiguo didn't want to come to the police station.Ten years ago, when the special case team from the city came to investigate the case, the relevant personnel were called in and questioned. As the principal, he was naturally the focus of the inquiries.But because the police force was limited, there were many people in front of him who were being questioned. When it was not his turn, he could not go back and was forcibly left at the police station. When it was late at night, he was called into a room with extremely bright lights. , One question lasted all night.He was exhausted, and the other party had a bad attitude. During the repeated questions and answers, he even felt that he was being treated as a criminal suspect...

Those memories were so bad that he didn't like the policemen from the city.After many years, when I heard that the investigation team came to the city again, I instinctively resisted and disgusted.

But the person who came this time was completely different from the previous police officers. He not only called him "Principal Qian" politely, but also used a discussive tone when talking.

Reaching out his hand not to hit the smiling man, he thought for a moment, and then began to talk about Qian Maojiang and others in his memory.

Similar to the gossip that Hua Chong heard in "Shanweitang", in Qian Zhiguo's eyes, Qian Maojiang is also a bad student who is extremely stubborn and lawless.

Qian Maojiang's father, Qian Yong, earned a lot of money by selling mountain products. He is a big family in the village. Qian Maojiang has been the "little bully" in his class since the second grade, and he is very good at bullying his classmates.At first, the teachers could control him, but when he was about 12 years old, even the female teachers beat him.Qian Yong has three sons, the eldest son is especially precious. Although he signed an agreement to "accept corporal punishment", he secretly invited the teachers to eat and stuffed a lot of money. Please "be lenient" to Qian Maojiang .

Therefore, even if Qian Maojiang fights and bullies his classmates every day, he has never been imprisoned in a wooden house.

Luo Hao's family was very poor, even in Luoguan Village at that time, it was considered one of the poorest families.Qian Maojiang has many followers, Luo Hao may be considered the most "loyal" one.Usually wherever Qian Maojiang is, Luo Hao will be there. Whoever Qian Maojiang wants to bully, Luo Hao is definitely the most energetic one.

As for Qian Xiaozi and Qian Yuanbao, these two are honest most of the time, and their grades are decent, but their family conditions are also poor, only a little better than Luo Hao's family. food and money.

Qian Qing is the most honest one.When Qian Zhiguo talked about him, he kept sighing, "This child is pitiful, his life is too bad. He has been a sick child since he was a child, unlike his sister, who was stronger than a cow. If Qian Maojiang and the others are hated by others Revenge, I can still think about it, but who did Qian Qing provoke?"

"Remember hatred and revenge..." Hua Chong repeated these four words in a slow voice, and then asked: "Principal Qian, when you say that, do you have some idea of ​​who the murderer might be?"

Qian Zhiguo smiled wryly, "What ideas can I have? It's all wild guesses."

Liu Zhiqin said: "Then you try to talk about it? It's good to help us broaden our thinking."

The word "help" was very useful to Qian Zhiguo. He paused for a few seconds and said, "Qian Maojiang led Luo Hao and several other boys to run rampant in the school. They not only bullied the male students, but also beat the female students. Many The children hate them. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I heard that Qian Maojiang beat his two younger brothers at home. If you want to say grudges, these children, including the parents of the children, may grudge them."

"Who was bullied the most, do you remember?" Liu Zhiqin asked.

"You wait for me to think about it." Qian Zhiguo covered his forehead, and it took a long time to report a few names, and then said: "But when the accident happened, the police investigated them and their parents, and they said there was something... nothing Know the evidence."

Hua Chong corrected: "Alibi."

"That's right, that's it." Qian Zhiguo waved his hand, "Lu Jiaojiao's leg was discounted by Qian Maojiang, and Qian Yong paid a sum of money for private use; once Qian Menghu was ridden by Qian Maojiang as a horse and knelt on the ground After climbing for a long time, I ran to stop it; Zhang Mi was smashed in the head by a brick from Luo Hao, and Qian Yong paid for the matter later... I think the three of them were the most punished, but The police said that the case has nothing to do with them."

"And if it's the bullied child or the parent's revenge, why would Qian Qing be involved?" Hua Chong propped his chin and said to himself.

"That's what the policemen said at the time." Qian Zhiguo said: "Also, Qian Xiaozi and Qian Yuanbao only occasionally asked someone for money. Even if they were hated, they wouldn't want to be killed together, right?"

Hua Chong nodded, turned his face to Liu Zhiqin and said, "Ask Qian Lu for the address later, tomorrow we will go to Lu Jiaojiao's, Qian Menghu's, and Zhang Mi's."

Before Liu Zhiqin agreed, Qian Zhiguo interrupted: "They are no longer in our village."

Hua Chong stretched his eyelids, "They all moved away?"

"I can't go on anymore." Qian Zhiguo sighed, "The police ruled out the possibility of them committing the crime, but Qian Yong didn't believe it, and together with Luo Hao, Qian Yuanbao, and Qian Xiaozi's family, they bothered them every day, and the village chief's police station mediated It's useless. This kind of thing, in fact, can't be mediated. Qian Yong said that even if they didn't commit the crime themselves, they let someone outside do it."

"I heard that it was difficult for outsiders to enter the village back then." Hua Chong said.

"Yes, the traffic is inconvenient, and the police didn't find any outsiders."

Hua Chong looked at Liu Zhiqin, "We still have to check the three families."

"Yes." Liu Zhiqin nodded, "I'll do it."

"That's all I can think of." Qian Zhiguo's face was wrinkled, and he looked much more relaxed than when he first entered the room. "This case is difficult to investigate."

"Yes, otherwise the murderer would not have been allowed to go unpunished for ten years." Hua Chong said.

"They all said that Qian Maojiang and others were sacrificed to heaven, otherwise, why would our village turn around after two or three years." Qian Zhiguo sighed.

"Principal Qian, do you still believe this?" Liu Zhiqin's tone was relaxed, as if chatting.

"I'm a teacher, so of course I'm not interested in feudal superstitions. But..." Qian Zhiguo paused for a moment, "People in their family said that they went home the night of the accident. But why didn't they make a sound in the middle of the night?" Going out? Did they go by themselves, or were they taken away by something? There is no way to explain it."

"There will never be ghosts." Hua Chong's tone turned cold, "Compared with some people, ghosts are much simpler."

Liu Zhiqin leaned forward and asked, "Principal Qian, just now you said that they were taken to sacrifice to heaven, but there was never a reason for 'heaven' to arrest people to sacrifice themselves, right? People capture people and then offer them to the gods."

Hua Chong turned his head and looked at him with a little surprise.

"This..." Qian Zhiguo lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

"Principal Qian." Liu Zhiqin's tone was still casual, "You must have thought about who will be the host of this event."

"I didn't!" Qian Zhiguo raised his head abruptly, with beads of sweat on his forehead, his eyes dodged, "I, I didn't think about it that much."

Liu Zhiqin didn't continue to ask, but said: "Really? That's my overthinking. Principal Qian, thank you for coming to assist us in our investigation today."

Hearing this, Qian Zhiguo looked better and stood up, "Then can I go back?"

"Of course." Hua Chong stood up and made a gesture to open the door for him. "Principal Qian, if you think of anything, please continue to communicate with us. We may contact you again in the future."

Before the door opened, Qian Zhiguo stood by the door with hesitant eyes.

Hua Chong realized that he seemed to have something to say, so he didn't turn the handle immediately.

"Now that we've come this far, let me tell you something I know." Qian Zhiguo was taken aback by Hua Chong's last words.Although these two people are different from the policemen who came here before, they made him feel like he was in the spring breeze from time to time, but the policeman is a policeman, and the occasional light words are also aggressive. .

"Okay." Hua Chong took a step back, leaving enough room for him, "Tell me."

"Luo Hao is Qian Maojiang's most 'loyal' younger brother, but not the most arrogant. Qian Maojiang has several more powerful younger brothers who are older than Qian Maojiang. Qian Maojiang starts sixth grade, and they start school I'm in junior high school. I think if someone took revenge, it shouldn't be Luo Hao who had an accident, but those few people were fine."

Liu Zhiqin asked: "What are their names?"

"I really can't remember this, please check it yourself." Qian Zhiguo continued: "Also, I just said that Qian Qing never attracts people's hatred. In fact, there is one person who may hate him."

Hua Chong: "Who?"

"His sister, Qian Panzi." Qian Zhiguo frowned, as if annoyed that he had said too much, but he knew in his heart that if he didn't say it now, he might have to face the police in the future. Maybe it's not the two in front of him. If it were those rude policemen, he wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Qian Panzi?" Hua Chong turned to Liu Zhiqin, "Qian Qing's sister is Qian Panzi?"

"Well, she has already married into the town." Liu Zhiqin touched the bridge of his nose, "This name is interesting, but I actually ignored it."

"Did you also find out? Panzi Panzi, Qian Qing's parents are very patriarchal, and the first child born is a girl, so they named it 'Panzi'." Qian Zhiguo said: "Qian Panzi and Qian Qing Qing has a bad relationship, but Qian Qing likes to cling to her, but she really doesn't like this sick younger brother who is doted on by his parents."

Hua Chong asked, "How old was Qian Panzi when Qian Qing was killed?"

"It's like 15 years old. It's not that old anyway." The wrinkles on Qian Zhiguo's face trembled slightly. Nothing like this will happen."

Liu Zhiqin answered, "She probably never thought about losing a sick younger brother and gaining a healthy younger brother."

Qian Zhiguo blinked in confusion, Hua Chong finally turned the handle and said with a smile, "Principal Qian, you've worked hard today."

As soon as he arrived in Luoguan Village, he worked non-stop and sent Qian Zhiguo away. Hua Chong stretched his shoulders and neck, and said casually, "It's really tiring."

It was already dark, the village prepared a reception banquet, and the table was full of dishes made by Shanhuo, but Hua Chong didn't go.

If he didn't go, Liu Zhiqin would naturally not go either.

The two did not leave the police station immediately, but sat and rested in the room where Qian Zhiguo was received.

"Shoulders not feeling well?" Liu Zhiqin took a glass of water and put it in front of Hua Chong.

Hua Chongzheng squeezed his shoulders in an awkward posture, said "uh", didn't pay attention to his question, and picked up the cup to drink water.

As a result, the water was spilled before the cup was moved to his mouth.

There was a clear touch from both shoulders, and Liu Zhiqin was standing behind him, massaging his shoulders with just enough strength.

He was stunned for a moment, his eyes stared straight ahead, his shoulders that should have been relaxed during the massage suddenly became stiff, his neck seemed to be a little hot, and the heat seemed to be radiating to the base of his ears.

He felt he had to say something.

"Hey Brother Xiaoliu." He tried his best to make his tone appear normal, "You pressed it well."

Originally, what he wanted to say was——Hey Brother Xiaoliu, the manual work is not bad.

"Flower Team, do you rarely go to massage parlors?" Liu Zhiqin asked.

"Ah?" Hua Chong thought, what's the problem?

"Relax." Liu Zhiqin increased his strength and continued to massage, "When I touch you, your muscles tense up. It seems that you seldom receive massage."

Hua Chong felt guilty, took a sip of water, and made excuses: "You didn't say hello, how did I know that you wanted to press for me? Next time we change, you are sitting on a chair, I suddenly approach, and I will give you two presses." Next, your muscles will also tense up."

"That's true." Liu Zhiqin laughed softly, "Then I'll help you massage this time, and next time I'm tired, you can help me too."

"No problem." Hua Chong relaxed his shoulders, drank a glass of water, and continued to enjoy Liu Zhiqin's massage.

He felt that he was smiling, although the corners of his lips were well pressed, but the smile crawled to the bottom of his eyes, which might be very bright.

He had no choice but to close his eyes and suppress his smile.

But the sight is blocked and the senses become more acute.The touch given by Liu Zhiqin is so clear, one after another, powerful, but not too heavy, it brings pain, but the pain is not too much, it's like passing through his sore shoulders, rubbing his throbbing body heart.

Just now, Liu Zhiqin made a mistake in saying something.He actually goes to massage parlors a lot. Because of his heavy work, his muscles are easily strained, so he needs to receive massages from time to time.

Liu Zhiqin was obviously not a professional masseuse, but he was very comfortable with the massage.

His heart began to itch, he wondered why he felt this way, and came to a conclusion—no matter how professional the masseur was, he could only relax his muscles, lumbar and cervical spine, but Liu Zhiqin, a "layman", gave him What is more is the double pleasure of body and mind.

Liu Zhiqin pressed the button for about ten minutes and asked, "Do you feel better?"

Hua Chong opened his eyes, took a deep breath, "It's much more comfortable."

"My hands are sore." Liu Zhiqin moved his wrist and said with a smile, "Otherwise, I can press it for you a little longer."

Hua Chong turned around, put his hands on the back of the chair, and met Liu Zhiqin's eyes as soon as he looked up.

The heart seemed to be held in the palm of the hand, and the chest was hot.

He lowered his eyes—it wasn't out of fear to make eye contact with the other person, but a subconscious action.

This time, it was Liu Zhiqin's hand that he saw.

Liu Zhiqin was rubbing his left wrist. His fingers were long and slender, with distinct joints and calluses on his fingertips, but it didn't affect the beauty at all, but instead gave him some strength and momentum.

He kind of wanted to say, if your wrist is sore, how about I rub it for you?

But it's so ugly.

There's nothing wrong with massaging your shoulders, but rubbing your hands is weird.Two men, one holding the other's hand and touching it, not to mention that Liu Zhiqin might feel awkward, even he himself almost shivered.

Liu Zhiqin stopped rubbing, and suggested: "I heard that the mushrooms in Luoguan Village are the most delicious in early summer, and they should be good now. Flower team, let's try it?"

Hua Chong stood up and patted him on the back, "Let's go, I'll treat you."

Liu Zhiqin looked back at him, "Why should you invite me?"

"I want to invite you?" Hua Chong said, "We are too lazy to go to a banquet that doesn't cost money, and we have to spend our own money."

"Entertainment is troublesome." Liu Zhiqin said, "Especially this kind of entertainment in the countryside."

"I understand, I understand, that's why I won't go." Hua Chong turned off the light in the room, closed the door, and said cheerfully, "Hey, let's find a restaurant by ourselves."

A summer concert is being held on the Xulu Mountain in the south of Luoguan Village. Former singers and [-]th-line local stars will sing for a week when they come, and then they will be replaced by another group of people.Although none of them are popular celebrities, a star is a star, and his appeal is better than just inviting a singer from a bar.

The accommodation conditions on the mountain are poor, the fees are high, and the price/performance ratio is very low, but many people are willing to live on it, listening to celebrities singing, while eating roasted whole sheep, getting drunk and tired, and sleeping in tents or wooden houses, thinking about it It’s not bad if you are under the quilt, as long as you are not afraid of being woken up in the middle of the night, lying on the grass and watching the stars while dozing off is also beautiful.

Those who don’t want to live in the mountains, come back to the village after listening to the songs and eating mutton. Living in a farmhouse is always more comfortable than a tent.

There were too many tourists in the village, so Hua Chong took Liu Zhiqin to several restaurants that specialize in eating mushrooms, but there were no seats left, so he had to keep walking, and he was almost at the entrance of the mountain, only to find a restaurant with just one table left Fungus store.

Sitting there, I could hear the rumbling sound on the mountain, and the howling of ghosts and wolves of an out-of-date singer.

While cleaning the bowl, Hua Chong said, "How dare you be a guest at this level? Brother Xiaoliu, you can sing better than him."

Liu Zhiqin was shot in vain, "I won't compare with him."

The mushrooms need to be cooked for a long time, during which time other meat and vegetables cannot be thrown into the pot, otherwise the original taste of the mushrooms will be affected.Hua Chong had no choice but to hold back his greed, staring at the steaming pot, and kept throwing boiled edamame and salted peanuts into his mouth.

After a while, the two chatted about the case.

"First of all, rule out the speculation of strange power and chaos." Hua Chong peeled the edamame, "The fire was obviously man-made. Although the five of Qian Maojiang went home at night, ten years ago, none of the houses here were decent. There is no need to mention the lock and surveillance. They sneak out at night, as long as they move lightly, they will not be discovered by their family members. What was captured by the monster and punished by the gods, thanks to these villagers, they can figure it out."

"Then who are they, and what information did you give them in advance, so that they quietly left home in the middle of the night?" Liu Zhiqin held a peanut, but did not peel it, "They should have gone to the village by themselves, the murderer was not on the way Do it to them, but wait until they all reach the village—most likely the wooden house—before killing them and setting them on fire. The old village is on the west side, and there are no residents around. So as not to wake up the villagers."

Hua Chong frowned, "What we have to figure out now is what is the motive of the murderer, otherwise we will be caught blind."

"Well." Liu Zhiqin nodded, "There are four motives. First, the murderer has a grudge against Qian Maojiang and others, and killing them for revenge actually has a limit, but those within the limit are excluded. We should Check again; second, the murderer had a grudge against the parents of Qian Maojiang and others, and killed the children for revenge; third, the murderer would benefit from the death of Qian Maojiang and others. benefit to whom; fourth, superstitious sacrifice to heaven."

Hua Chong raised the corners of his eyes, "You really want to sacrifice to heaven?"

"It's not impossible." Liu Zhiqin said, "In the backward and isolated village, many things are beyond our imagination."

Hua Chong recalled what Qiu Dakui said in Meng Xiaoqin's case - a rich life limits your imagination.

This is indeed the case. People who have lived in a normal society for a long time may not be able to imagine what will happen in the poor valley.

"Originally, there are several possibilities, such as the murderer killing a few people by mistake, or impulsive killings, but I think it can be ruled out." Liu Zhiqin continued: "Although the investigation methods were backward ten years ago, the murderer wanted to It is still necessary to make sufficient preparations to hide the truth. 'He' is hidden in everyone, and he may not have been suspected at all-because once suspected, he will undergo a series of investigations. In the high-intensity interrogation of the police, there are very few A murderer can guard his own feet."

"Then according to your logic just now, superstitious worship to heaven can be ruled out." With clear eyes, Hua Chong took Liu Zhiqin's bowl, scooped a spoonful of stewed soup, and put the bowl on Liu Zhiqin's bowl. In front of Qin, he smiled, "Why, haven't you reacted yet?"