Chapter 908: Digression
Although all the words said were polite words, their real thoughts were clear in their hearts.
After coming out of the big wooden house, Lu Xiufeng subconsciously took out a cigarette.
After he lit one, he handed it to Miao Qingfeng beside him. “Hmm, do you want one?”
“Thank you, but I don’t smoke,” Miao Qingfeng said with a smile.
“Captain Yang, where shall we start?”
“Let’s go to Miao Qingshan’s house to take a look first.”
“Alright,” Miao Qingfeng said.
He led the two men to Miao Qingshan’s house.
It was the same as it had been last time. Yang Guanfeng and Lu Xiufeng wandered around and looked carefully in the room several times to ensure there was nothing different.
Everything in the room had been thoroughly searched. Yang Guanfeng found signs that even hidden places had been searched well.
“Is there no trace of him?” Yang Guanfeng asked.
“No, the stockade has not given up the search for him since you left, but we have not found anything,” Miao Qingfeng said. “After all, the forest is quite big.”
“Yes.”
Lu Xiufeng, with a cigarette in his mouth, stared at the bottles and pots. He was just about to reach out for them when he was stopped by Miao Qingfeng.
“Captain Lu, be careful,” he said. “Some of those things are poisonous. If you want to see them, please tell me. I will open them for you.”
“Poisonous? Will it kill anyone?” Lu Xiufeng hurriedly withdrew his hand in fear.
“Ah, it would not be that serious, but it would cause much pain,” Miao Qingfeng said with a smile.
“Which one do you want to see?”
“Let’s see them one by one, starting from this side,” Lu Xiufeng said as he pointed.
“Isn’t it too dangerous to put these things here? What if someone came in and accidentally touched them?”
“First of all, the people in our stockade would not enter the yard without the permission of the owner, let alone the house, even if the gate was open,” Miao Qingfeng said. “In the past 100 years, there have been only a few accidents. Second, these poisons are very dangerous to you, but they would only cause minimal problems for the people in the stockade. Even if they were accidentally infected by it, there would be ways to eliminate them. At the very worst, they would just suffer a little pain and that’s all.”
“Oh, doors are not closed at night, and fallen or lost objects are not picked up off the street. Is the public security environment so good?”
“It’s not bad because we are all of the same clan.”
“What’s the situation with Miao Qingshan?”
Miao Qingfeng was stunned by the question. He was suddenly at a loss of what to say.
Miao Qingfeng thought, This man doesn’t know how to speak. I really just want to kill him!
“When the forest is big, there will always be a few crooked-necked trees.”
“Umm, he just speaks like that,” Yang Guanfeng hastily explained. “Don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s alright.” Miao Qingfeng smiled to show that he did not care.
“Ah, how old is that Comrade Miao Qingshan this year?”
“34.”
“Is he married?” Lu Xiufeng asked.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t know the specific reasons as to why he has not married,” Miao Qingfeng said with a smile. Why would he care about these kinds of things in his daily life?
“Are there many unmarried people of a higher age in the village?” Lu Xiufeng asked.
Miao Qingfeng could not help but grumble to himself. What are all these unrelated questions? Does it have anything to do with the case?
“Well, there shouldn’t be a lot. I don’t really care about these kinds of things normally.”
“How old are you? Have you reached 30?”
“29.”
“Are you married?”
“Not yet.”
“Aren’t your parents worried or anxious? Shouldn’t you hurry up?” Lu Xiufeng then asked.
Yang Guanfeng noticed some changes on Miao Qingfeng’s face when he had heard the questions.
He immediately slapped Lu Xiufeng. “Tut, what’s wrong with you?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I was just casually asking.”
“These questions of Captain Lu’s don’t have much to do with the case, do they?”
“I shall ask ones that are related to the case,” Lu Xiufeng said.
“What is Miao Qingshan’s personality normally like?”
“He is very loyal and honest, but he doesn’t like to speak very much. He likes to stay at home.”
“Why would someone like him kill others?”
“I don’t know about that,” Miao Qingfeng replied.
“If he stays at home all day, does that mean he doesn’t go out a lot?”
“I do not know about that as well,” Miao Qingfeng replied. “There are so many people in this village. How could I understand and know who goes out or who steals anything so well?”
“Well, I guess that makes sense.”
Lu Xiufeng observed everything again. He carefully looked at every corner and asked some more strange questions. They included things such as what Miao Qingshan normally ate, liked to do, his zodiac, and so on. Miao Qingfeng was stunned.
Is he a police officer or a reporter of gossip weekly? What are all these strange questions that he is asking?
Unbeknownst to them, the sky had gradually darkened.
“Both of you have been traveling for an entire day and been busy investigating the case. In the evening, our chief has set up a special banquet for the two of you. I hope that you guys can attend.”
“Sure,” Lu Xiufeng replied with a smile.
“Alright, I’ve arranged accommodation for you both as well. Would you like to take a look?”
“Sure, let’s go,” Yang Guanfeng said.
Miao Qingfeng and the two men came to the wooden building where Yang Guanfeng had stayed the previous time.
“Please rest for now. I’ll come to get you guys later.”
“Alright, thank you for today.”
“You’re welcome.” Miao Qingfeng bid farewell and left.
“What do you think?” Yang Guanfeng asked.
“That young man is quite scheming,” Lu Xiufeng said.
“Keep your voice down, who knows if they have planted a bug in here,” Yang Guanfeng said.
“They wouldn’t go to that extent and turn a small stockade into a spy station, would they?”
“Well, I have always felt that this stockade is very unusual,” Yang Guanfeng said.
“It is very unusual. I have seen the data on Miao Xihe. When they took the population census last time, I believe his age was 59, right?”
“Yes,” Yang Guanfeng replied.
“Fifteen years ago, he was 59,” Lu Xiufeng. “His age now should be 74 years old. He is a person in his 70s, but he looks to be in his 40s. If you were to tell me that he was 37 or 38, I probably would have believed you. How did they do that?”
“Maybe he is just well-maintained” Yang Guanfeng suggested.
“Just him alone?”
“Let’s stop talking about him. Let’s talk about other things. What about Miao Qingshan?”
“That man doesn’t give me the vibes of being the killer of those cases.”
“What’s the reason?”
“According to my observation at his home, he is an introverted person who seldom goes out,” Lu Xiufeng said. “That kind of person has an autistic tendency. It’s true that he likes to stir things up, but his heart is shy. He is not talkative and is relatively kind.”
Lu Xiufeng had a unique ability. He could make a “sketch” of a person he had not met through the person’s living environment and a.n.a.lyze their psychological and behavioral characteristics. Furthermore, he would be right nine out of 10 times. He had been a dedicated criminal psychology student when he went to university.
“Planted and framed?”
“That is a likely possibility.”
Yang Guanfeng was silent for a while.
“When I first came here, I didn’t think that Miao Qingshan seemed like a murderer either. I thought he was just a scapegoat. As for the purpose, I guess it was to help us finish the case quickly so we could leave. They don’t want us to stay here for long.” Yang Guanfeng got close to Lu Xiufeng’s ear and whispered, “Besides, last time, someone had secretly informed us!”
“So, are there still people in their stockade who know something and want to tell us about it?”
“Yes.”
“Tsk, mmm.”
“When you talk, you must pay attention. Although they won’t do anything to us on the surface, some of your questions may have agitated them. They are all poison expert. They could casually give us some at any time. We might just unknowingly fall into their trap.”