Madness of the Heart

After Wen Li woke up, she learned from Xu Chun that the teacher Luo she was looking for had been killed.

For a long time, her eyes were dull and she almost lost the ability to think. It took a long time for tears to come out of her eyes, and she repeated mechanically: "How is it possible? Who would harm Teacher Luo? He is so kind..."

After the video conference with Xu Chun, Mingshu rushed to Xiao Yuan's office.

"I guessed a part of the reason why Luo Xiangfu sent photos to Shetu Town." Mingshu propped his hands on the edge of the table, "But I thought the situation in Shetu Town and Li Hongmei's Xiaben Village were similar, but I didn't expect the status of women there to be so low. kind of degree."

"Before Luo Xiangfu traveled to Shetu Town, Wen Li had been working there for a year and a half. According to her, there was no improvement at all." Xiao Yu'an said, "Since Luo Xiangfu first printed photos until now, For almost a year and a half, Maoyi village has changed, whether it is adult women or underage girls. Luo Xiangfu has touched the interests of some people and shaken their status."

Ming Shu likes to stride around when he follows the logic, and his footsteps are everywhere in the office, "These people are local men. When they find that women who are born inferior to themselves start to have other thoughts and stop listening to themselves." They must panic and look for the reason. The reason is not difficult to find. They can easily find that someone keeps sending pictures of modern women from Dongye City. In a border town like Shetu Town, the folk customs are tough and weird. Most of the time, the government can’t manage and can’t intervene. It can only protect those who ask for help—such as the girl who escaped. The villagers and townspeople have their own rules, and Luo Xiangfu broke their rules.”

"So they want to take revenge on Luo Xiangfu..." Xiao Yu'an frowned slightly, and his voice seemed to be broken.

Mingshu said: "They have sufficient motives for committing crimes."

The office was quiet for half a minute, Xiao Yuan shook his head, "But why didn't Wen Li get revenge?"

Mingshu stopped in his footsteps, "Huh?"

"Wen Li was not harmed, nor was her freedom restricted. She could even leave Shetu Town alone. If it hadn't been for the sudden heavy rain, she would have arrived in Dongye City in a few days." Xiao Yu'an said: "After changing the local In terms of women, Wen Li is more like a pioneer than Luo Xiangfu. She has lived in Maoyi Village for three years and kept in contact with local women. Don’t their husbands and fathers know what she is doing? She has not been retaliated against. It doesn't make sense that Luo Xiangfu was retaliated against. Furthermore, the photos sent by Luo Xiangfu were passed on to the women and children through Wen Li. If there was no Luo Xiangfu, Wen Li could still find other street photographers to help, but if there is no Wen Li Li, the situation is completely different."

Ming Shu said: "It is not Luo Xiangfu that the local people should 'solve' the most, but Wen Li..."

"Yes." Xiao Yu'an clasped his hands together, "Let's not say whether the locals hate Luo Xiangfu or Wenli more, it's actually very easy for them to 'solve' Wenli, they have no reason to go all the way to Dongye City to commit crimes .”

Mingshu thought for a while, "What about hiring someone?"

Xiao Yuan asked back: "How to hire?"

Mingshu walked to the wall and pressed his forehead against the wall.

He was in a hurry just now, and fell into a misunderstanding, and he also reminded Yi Fei of this misunderstanding - when the cost and risk of crime are too high, potential criminals may give up crime.

For any resident of Shetu Town, whether he came to Dongye City to commit crimes in person, or hired someone to commit crimes in Dongye City, the difficulty was similar to abducting and selling girls from Dongye City to Shetu Town.

They don't have to.

However, Wen Li did not suffer any harm, which shows that the hatred of the local people is not as deep as he imagined.

But in this way, is the line of Shetu Town meaningless to follow?

A few minutes later, Mingshu turned around, "Even Xu Chun doesn't know what's going on in Shetu Town. I want to go and see for myself."

On Xiao Yuan's computer page, it was showing that Shetu Town was hit by a mountain torrent.

"Xiao Ju, don't stop me." Ming Shu said, "We're discussing so much now, but we're just taking it for granted. If you don't go to the scene, you might miss the most important clue."

"From the standpoint of a criminal policeman, I will not stop you, and I can't stop you. It is your mission to solve the murder case, as well as mine." Xiao Yuan smiled calmly, "But from the standpoint of my family, I will worry about you. And I ask you to keep in touch with me at all times and report that you are safe."

Mingshu's ears warmed up, and he took a deep breath, "I understand!"

Going to Qiantan Town is not as easy as going to Los Angeles. It took Ming Shu, Yi Fei and his party 14 hours to arrive at the Qiantan Town Police Station all the way from the plane to the off-road vehicle.

Wen Li was not seriously injured, but felt a little unwell before setting off. He encountered a small-scale flash flood on the road and narrowly saved his life. Later, he was exhausted and fainted in a pothole. He was sent to the hospital and received emergency treatment. Now he has followed Xu Chun to the police station.

She still couldn't accept the news of Luo Xiangfu's death, her eyes were very red, and her reaction was a little slower than normal people.

Mingshu looked at the stack of envelopes she took out from her backpack, as well as a few printed photos.The envelopes were all wet with rain and cement water, and some of the handwriting could not be read clearly, but the receiving and sending addresses could still be discerned in the middle.

Luo Xiangfu's handwriting is good, strong and powerful. Mingshu has seen it at the Municipal Painting and Calligraphy Association and Luo's family. He was deeply impressed. He knew it was indeed written by Luo Xiangfu.

Wen Li looked at Ming Shu and asked softly, "Is Teacher Luo really gone?"

Mingshu returned a serious look, "Yes, we found out that Luo Xiangfu had sent letters to Shetu Town many times in the past year and a half, and this time he came here to find out the truth about his murder."

Wen Li burst into tears, "Teacher Luo is a good man!"

Mingshu observed for a while and said, "I have some questions to ask you, which are related to the clues of the case, and I hope you can answer them honestly."

Wen Li quickly wiped away tears, took a few breaths, nodded and said, "As long as I can help you, I will say anything!"

"In Shetu Town, how many people know that you are carrying out activities to change women's minds?" Mingshu asked.

Wen Li opened his mouth for a while, "Many people know about it. Since I want to do it, I can't hide it from everyone."

Mingshu asked again: "Have you been hindered or hurt by this?"

"There were a lot of obstacles. Sometimes they wouldn't let me into the house, and sometimes they scolded me for disrespecting the local culture." Wen Li said: "The police also mentioned it to me and asked me to pay attention to safety."

Mingshu said: "Who are 'they'? The men from Maoyi Village and Maoer Village?"

"Yeah." Wen Li nodded, "But it's more than that. At the beginning, they dismissed me, thinking that a woman like me who is far away from home and has no husband in her 20s is 'unclean'. In fact, men There are not many obstacles to me, they look down on women at all, and the ones who hate me the most are older women. These people...how should I say..."

Wen Li lowered his head, as if it was difficult to speak.

Mingshu said: "They are the 'accomplices' of the local men."

"Yes!" Wen Li's eyes were full of regret, "They have been 'tamed'. It is precisely their elders who torment the younger generation of women. They want to drive me out and call me a 'fairy', but I I am a poverty alleviation volunteer, the police will protect me, if I want to stay, they can't drive me away."

Mingshu asked: "In the past three years, have you suffered any substantial harm?"

"I have been teased before." Wen Li smiled wryly, "there are many poisonous insects in the countryside, and poisonous insects have appeared in my bag, pot, and bed several times. I will not die if I am bitten, but I will suffer from fever, coma, and itching all over my body. And facing those bugs at close range is really not an easy task for me, a girl who grew up in the city."

"But you still insist on staying there." Mingshu's eyes showed some respect, and his voice was very gentle.

Wen Li sighed, "One has to do something meaningful in one's life, right? Isn't there a saying 'everyone is here'? I've already arrived in Shetu Town, so why not persist."

Mingshu's eyes are very calm, but there are some hidden ups and downs in this calmness, "Do you know who is malicious to you and takes action?"

Wen Li said, "Yes."

"Okay." Mingshu brought a pen and paper, "Write down their names."

Wen Li was surprised, "Now?"

Mingshu said: "Now."

In the past three years, Wen Li has dealt with the police of the police station many times, but he has never seen a policeman like Mingshu.

Mingshu gave her the feeling that she was a little superior, not as down-to-earth as the police at the police station, but this kind of superiority did not make people feel uncomfortable, on the contrary, it gave her a sense of peace of mind.

She thought, this is a powerful, trustworthy and reliable policeman.

"Since Luo Xiangfu started sending you photos, has anyone asked you about the source of the photos?" Ming Shu asked Xu Chun for two bottles of orange juice, unscrewed one bottle and handed it to Wen Li, and drank the other bottle himself.

Wen Li put down his pen, thinking much more clearly than when he first met Mingshu, "Do you think that Mr. Luo and I have changed this place and touched the interests of men, so they want to take revenge on us?"

Mingshu said: "You are very smart. But they didn't attack you, but instead went to Dongye City to kill Luo Xiangfu. This possibility is actually very small. But there is a one in ten thousand possibility, and I can't let it go."

Hearing this, Wen Li frowned more and more.

Both Ming Shu and Yi Fei stared at her, and found that her expression was more guilt than fear.

"I think of someone." Wen Li said suddenly.

Mingshu's eyes were like lightning, "Who?"

Wen Li tremblingly said: "The one who almost took Zhan Xixi as a concubine."

Zhan Xixi, a household name in Maoyi Village and even Shetu Town, is a girl, a beautiful girl.

At the beginning of the year, she was supposed to marry another Zhan's family and be the fifth concubine of Zhan Huanxiong, a villager. She was only 13 years old at the time, and she was a minor girl protected by law.

But in Maoyi Village, folk customs and village rules are above all else, if Zhan Huanxiong wants to marry, Zhan Xixi must marry.

But Zhan Xixi is not only beautiful, but also extremely flexible in his mind. He has already developed self-awareness under Wen Li's guidance, and understands that this is wrong, and the rules that have lasted for hundreds of years in the village are wrong.

Every time she sees the young woman in the photo, her eyes are full of envy, and her mother is more enlightened than most women in Maoyi Village.

Before the wedding, Zhan Xixi and his mother escaped from Maoyi Village and came to the police station of Shetu Town to "report the crime".

Everyone in the village was shocked. They reported the case because they were forced to marry, which was the first case in the local area in decades.

Zhan's family surrounded the police station, demanding that the police hand over Zhan Xixi. Among the crowd was even the respected village chief of Maoyi Village.

But the police usually can't control the affairs of the village. If someone really reports the crime, it is impossible to ignore it.

Zhan Xixi was finally sent to Liuqicheng, got a new household registration, and started a new life with his mother.

This incident greatly stimulated Mao Yicun, and more and more women began to rebel.

"Zhan Huanxiong came to me." Wen Li said, "He forced me to tell him who sent the photos. Of course I wouldn't tell him, but one day, he came to me again and said he knew the photos were from Dong. Ye City."

Mingshu asked: "Is this Zhan Huanxiong still in Shetu Town?"

Wen Li suddenly covered his face with his hands, shaking his head and choking with sobs: "He hasn't been in the village since May this year. I heard that he went to the other side of the mountain. Now that I think about it, he may have... gone to Dongye City."

Mingshu stood up, walked to the window holding the orange juice bottle, and then walked back.

Or the logic analyzed with Xiao Yu'an, Zhan Huanxiong had the motive to kill Luo Xiangfu, but what about his ability?

The murderer is a calm and meticulous person, leaving few clues. Zhan Huanxiong—a villager in a backward village—has such ability?

Moreover, judging from the murder weapon and the scars on Luo Xiangfu's neck, it is more likely that the murderer was a woman.

Mingshu asked: "You said you thought Zhan Huanxiong went to the other side of the mountain, which is the neighboring country? What did he do there?"

"He just came from a neighboring country. He is not from our country." Wen Li said, "You may not know this place. Half of the permanent residents of Maoyi Village are from neighboring countries. Marriage is free. Just go to Shetu Town to register for a visit." Just remember. I heard that Zhan Huanxiong was born here, but his parents are from neighboring countries. He fought in the mountains a few years ago. I don’t know if he was a mercenary or a scout. Anyway... ..."

Mingshu's eyes fixed, "Ever fought? Scouts?"

Wen Li nodded cautiously: "There are a lot of messy armed forces in the neighboring country, and small-scale conflicts will break out every few months. Zhan Huanxiong is still a small leader, and he often brags in the village how many people he has killed before. Shetu Zhen Shangwu, although Zhan Huanxiong is small and only 1.6 meters tall, he can fight. He has a box of merit medals from neighboring countries at home, so he has a high status in Maoyi Village. By the way, I actually come to Shetu Town After that, Zhan Huanxiong never fought again, because Liu Qicheng issued a policy that did not allow scouts from neighboring countries to enter and settle down. After Zhan Huanxiong stopped fighting, he went to work for others in casinos in neighboring countries. He became a "rich family" in Maoyi Village, married one wife and four concubines successively. Many people wished to marry their daughters to him, because he was rich and knew how to fight, and it would be honorable to be married to his in-laws."

Xu Chun was speechless, "Isn't this too ridiculous?"

Mingshu immediately said: "Let's go to Shetu Town immediately!"

As the rain gradually subsided, the troops rushed to repair the dirt road from Qiantan Town to Shetu Town. Mingshu drove an off-road vehicle and finally arrived at Shetu Town deep in the mountains after many obstacles.

"It's the first time I've come back to such a remote place." Xu Chun poured a bottle of mineral water over his head as soon as he got out of the car. Just now in the car, he was really sweating because of the roads that could no longer be called roads.Mingshu has the best driving skills in the group - after all, he has received military training in the special operations team. If it were a different person, several "death curves" would probably fall directly into the ravine.

"It seems that the saying is true—if you want to get rich, build roads first." Xu Chun sighed again, "I would never come to this kind of place if it wasn't for the investigation!"

Wen Li showed helplessness, and said in a low voice: "The less outsiders are willing to come, the more closed and unchangeable this place will be."

Mingshu walked quickly to the Shetu Town Police Station.

Before Wen Li revealed Zhan Huanxiong's identity and experience, he originally thought that Zhan Huanxiong was unlikely to be the murderer of Luo Xiangfu.But Zhan Huanxiong is a scout, has fought in wars, and even has a lot of meritorious service medals, which at least shows that Zhan Huanxiong is very skilled.

And Zhan Huanxiong grew up in a war-torn environment, killing people is already a common thing.

On the borders of neighboring countries, people will draw their guns at each other because of trivial matters.

For Zhan Huanxiong, the woman he had a crush on ran away because of the "instigation" of others, which is tantamount to shame and humiliation.

Who does Zhan Huanxiong hate?

Zhan Xixi?Wen Li?Luo Xiangfu?

In normal logic, it is Wen Li who Zhan Huanxiong should take revenge on most, not Luo Xiangfu who lives in a distant city.

But why hasn't Wen Li been seriously injured in Shetu Town for three years?

After coming to Shetu Town, Mingshu finally figured out what he couldn't understand in Dongye City——

Because the men here do not regard women as human beings at all, and in their eyes, it is "lower status" to care about women.

Will people take revenge on their pigs, sheep, cattle and dogs?

of course not!

They looked down on Wen Li from the bottom of their hearts, and it was only the female elders in the village who threatened Wen Li in small troubles.After Zhan Xixi fled, Zhan Huanxiong must have resented Wen Li, but he hated the person who sent the photo to Shetu Town more than Wen Li.

Because that person is a man!

For Zhan Huanxiong, only men are worthy of being the target of his revenge.

Mingshu is glad that he did not give up the line of Shetu Town because of the logical analysis of normal people.

If he hadn't stood on the land of Shetu Town himself, he might not be able to sort out this kind of deformed thinking and distorted logic at all.

The Shetu Town Police Station is quite puzzled by the arrival of Mingshu and his party. Although everyone is a policeman, their functions are very different.It was Wen Li who dealt with it, and the other party found out Zhan Huanxiong's registration record.

The man in the photo had a yellow and thin face, fierce eyes, and a hideous scar on his cheek.

"Can you find out Zhan Huanxiong's whereabouts after May?" Mingshu asked.

"This..." The policemen showed embarrassment.

Wen Li explained that there is no monitoring equipment in the town, and the villagers can take any means of transportation if they want to leave. People from neighboring countries like Zhan Huanxiong who have registration certificates can move freely within the jurisdiction of Liuqi City. They will be deported due to a temporary inspection.

"However, the implementation of this is relatively lax." A policeman said: "If Zhan Huanxiong sneaks somewhere, he can easily escape the inspection."

Mingshu asked Yi Fei to rush to Liuqi City immediately, and found out that night—on May 5, Zhan Huanxiong left in a hurry and left from the northeast entrance of Liuqi City.