When Huang Meili saw who the dead man was, the taut string in her heart snapped with a sickening pop, and her legs gave out beneath her, sending her crumpling to the ground.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, yet deep down she felt a secret relief—it wasn’t Zhou Dana lying there. It was Baldy Zhang.
A public security officer in white gloves crouched down to examine the body, then delivered his verdict in a low, grim voice. “The ligature marks on the neck are clean and regular, with fiber residue. It was a hemp rope. Murder, no doubt about it.”
When the villagers saw that the dead man was Baldy Zhang, they fell silent for a moment, then the place erupted like a hornet’s nest, a low buzzing roar of frantic chatter drowning out everything else.
Baldy Zhang was known for petty theft and general sneakiness, and he was always nosing around the women, spouting lewd nonsense. Everyone in the village found him insufferable—but killing him? That was a different story.
People exchanged anxious whispers, faces twisted with fear, none of them able to guess which hard-hearted soul the old scoundrel had finally crossed.
The officer covered the body with a blue tarp and raised his voice. “Everyone, quiet down! If anyone has information, come forward and give a detailed statement. And whoever found the body first—step up now!”
A younger officer quickly strung up the police line and secured the scene, but no one in the crowd dared to approach.
The campaign against crime was still in full swing, and it was the first day of the Lunar New Year. No one wanted to be mistaken for a suspect.
The boys who had found the body were just half-grown kids, the oldest barely thirteen or fourteen. They were pale with terror, cowering behind the crowd, too scared to show their faces.
The village chief, Zhang Dongsheng, was Baldy Zhang’s younger brother. Seeing his eldest brother butchered like that sent a jolt of shock and rage through him, but even as he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of anyone who would have gone that far. He swallowed his dread and dragged the boys out in front of the officers.
The boys stuttered, lips trembling, and managed to piece together the story of finding the body. After the officer finished taking notes, he pressed them again—had they seen anyone else near the body? All of them shook their heads frantically, saying no, they hadn’t seen a soul.
When no one else offered any leads, the officer called out, “Go on back to your homes. No loitering! We’ll be going door to door for questioning later. Anyone who knows where Baldy Zhang was last night—or saw anything—needs to cooperate!”
The villagers scattered like birds freed from a cage, in a panicked hurry, no one daring to linger even for a second.
Huang Meili scrambled to her feet, brushed the dirt off her trouser legs, and made to slip away, but a voice cut through from behind: “Hold on!”
Her back froze stiff with fear. She turned around, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying. “Officer, did you call for me?”
The officer in charge had sharp eyes. He’d noticed her odd behavior earlier and was already suspicious. He asked in a heavy tone, “Do you know the deceased? Be straight with me!”
Huang Meili’s gaze darted away, and she answered quickly, “We live in the same village—of course I know him! But I swear, I don’t know how he died! I just have a weak stomach. My legs went soft, that’s why I ended up on the ground!”
The officer studied her for a long moment, then waved a hand. “Alright, go on home and stay put. Don’t go wandering off. We may need to talk to you again later.”
Huang Meili hurried back toward the village, taking a few fast steps before glancing over her shoulder at the scene behind her. The back of her shirt was soaked with cold sweat.
A murder on the first day of the new year threw Wangjia Village into chaos. The festive bustle of holiday greetings and visiting died out completely. Every household stayed behind locked doors, not daring to step outside.
Village Party Secretary Zhou Dana had gone out first thing in the morning to pay respects to his uncle who had married into another family, and he didn’t make it back home until mid-morning. The moment he stepped through the door and heard that Baldy Zhang had been found dead in East Ditch, his heart lurched.
He’d been village Party Secretary for over a decade. Wangjia Village had seen its fair share of petty quarrels and squabbles, but never anything as big as a murder!
The past six months had already thrown the village into turmoil, and now this. He wouldn’t just lose face over it—he might end up held accountable by the commune.
Zhou Dana was in a hurry to rush to East Gully. From afar, he saw several people standing beside the warning tape, and the police were packing up their tools to wrap up the scene.
He quickly stepped forward and said, "Comrade police officers, I'm Zhou Dana, the village Party secretary. I just got back from paying New Year greetings early this morning. Sorry about that!"
"Good that you're here, Secretary Zhou," a police officer reached out to shake hands with him and said seriously, "A murder on the first day of the Lunar New Year is a very serious crime. We must find out the truth as soon as possible. Please cooperate with us more."
"Of course! I know the situation in the village like the back of my hand. Whatever you need and whoever you want to find, I'll be at your service at any time!"
Zhou Dana looked at the body covered with a blue cloth, his brows knitted into a knot. "Baldy Zhang usually liked to steal small things. I really didn't expect him to meet such a tragic end."
"Who did he have a feud with recently?" the police officer opened his notebook and asked.
Zhou Dana pondered for a moment and then said, "The one with the most obvious feud is Zhou Zhijun.
Not long ago, Baldy Zhang took the family - planning officials to the Eastern Mountain to block Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao...
They always clashed in the village on normal days..."
Zhou Dana told the police everything he had heard and seen in detail.
At the end, he added, "Although Zhou Zhijun has a hot temper, he wouldn't go as far as to kill someone. Moreover, he hasn't been home for the past few months and didn't return for the Spring Festival. Logically, it shouldn't be him."
The police officer bent down to pick up half of a yellow hemp rope beside the reed bush and showed it to him. "Whose family usually uses this kind of hemp rope?"
Zhou Dana squinted at it, scratched his head and said, "Every household uses this yellow hemp rope for farming and making baskets and wickerwork. This thickness is very common. We can't tell which family it belongs to."
The police officer carefully put the hemp rope into an evidence bag, and his expression turned solemn. "Let's first go to the neighbors around Zhou Zhijun's house to find out the situation, and then conduct a door - to - door investigation!"
After saying that, he stared intently at Zhou Dana and asked again, "Are you sure Zhou Zhijun hasn't come back in the past few months? There's not even a single bit of news about him?"
Zhou Dana felt a twinge of uneasiness in his heart and replied truthfully, "I haven't seen him come back, nor have I heard that he came back! But what if he came back secretly... I really have no idea then!"
The police officers followed Zhou Dana back to the village. They first visited the neighbors around Zhou Zhijun's house. Everyone said they hadn't seen Zhou Zhijun for months.
The police then went to Zhou Zhiguo's house to verify the situation. Old Man Zhou was so angry that he was trembling, and Zhou Xiaowei clenched his fists and angrily shouted, "My second uncle has been on the Eastern Mountain and never came back! Who is so wicked to frame my second uncle!"
After leaving Zhou Zhiguo's house, the police went to Zhou Zhimin's house. Zhou Zhimin was also very angry and firmly insisted that Zhou Zhijun had never returned to the village.
However, Huang Meili beside him said, "How can you be so sure whether he came back or not? He could have come back secretly at night to kill someone. Who would know?"
Zhou Xiaoying also whispered beside her, "Exactly. He has the biggest feud with Baldy Zhang in the whole village. If it wasn't him, who else could it be?"
The police officers conducted a two - day investigation in Wangjiazhai Village. Most villagers said they didn't know anything. Only Huang Meili, the Zhou Zhaodi sisters, Liu Cuilan, and the Wang Haihu brothers all pointed the finger at Zhou Zhijun.
Liu Cuilan was so excited that spittle flew from her mouth as she said, "It must be that scoundrel Zhou Zhijun!
Relying on his tall and strong build and a little martial arts skill, he was very overbearing in the village!
He seduced women and had an affair. Baldy Zhang once caught him in the act. Later, Baldy Zhang reported him for violating the family - planning policy. He must have held a grudge and killed him for revenge!"
The Wang Haihu brothers were squatting at the door, smoking in silence.
The police officer looked at the two of them and asked, "Do you two know anyone who has a grudge against Baldy Zhang?"
Wang Haihu averted his eyes and after a long while, he finally blurted out, "Who else could it be... It's that scoundrel Zhou Zhijun!"
Wang Hailong quickly chimed in, his voice even a bit tight, "Yes, it's him! That Zhou Zhijun is extremely domineering. Relying on his strength, he's been bullying the villagers in the village for a long time. It must be him who did it!"
The police officer lowered his head to take notes while scanning the whole room with the corner of his eye.
The two police officers got up and were about to leave. Just as they reached the door, several policemen rushed in from outside the courtyard and without saying a word, they pinned down the Wang brothers.
Before the brothers could even react, the bright handcuffs were already on their wrists.
