Thinking of what the man said, Xiaolan leaned over and carefully observed the village chief's body.
The village chief was about fifty years old, maybe older. His face with ridges and grooves was now a dark purple color, his cloudy eyes were wide and wide, his hands were curled up on his chest, and his fingers were spread out as if he were scratching something.
"Brother, why do you say the village chief was killed?" Xiaolan asked while grabbing the village chief's neck and looking at the several marks on it.
The man reacted for a moment before he realized that the "eldest brother" was referring to himself. He quickly bowed down in fear and said, "Hey, two masters, who am I? You can just call me Lao Liu..."
Then he pointed at the corpse of the village chief and said, "I carried the village chief down. There was only my wife in the house at that time, and she also saw it. The village chief's death was so tragic, and he died unwillingly..."
"That's wrong. It's possible that he committed suicide and regretted it halfway." Jasmine interrupted first, and Xiaolan also nodded.
"Impossible! Brother Huo, Brother Huo...he can't commit suicide!..." The village chief's wife's beautiful eyes widened, her chest heaving violently, "Brother Huo knows...it's absolutely, absolutely impossible for him to commit suicide!"
"
Seeing his wife's strong reaction, Xiaolan hurriedly asked, "Why are you so sure?"
The lady's chin began to tremble, her eyes were filled with mist, and she finally bit her lower lip and said no more.
Seeing that his wife refused to answer, Xiaolan changed the question, "Did you hear anything last night?"
The lady breathed a short sigh of relief, sniffed and said, "I've been sleeping heavily lately. When I woke up, it was already dawn. I had a nightmare last night and didn't hear anything."
"It's really weird. You said the village chief didn't commit suicide, but you didn't hear anything at the same time." Jasmine glanced at Madam questioningly, "You didn't say anything. Why did you ask us to investigate?"
The lady blushed for a moment and looked helplessly at Lao Liu who was standing aside.
"Master, the village chief... what should I say? He must have been killed by someone else. If you saw him hanging from the beam with your own eyes, you would also..."
"By the way, why were you the one who brought down the village chief's body?" Jasmine's sharp eyes glanced at Lao Liu, "What is your relationship with the village chief's family?"
Lao Liu's face suddenly turned green, and he waved his hands in panic and helplessness, "What does it have to do with the village chief? I just got up early in the morning to go to the fields and came in when I heard my wife shouting. I don't know anything...
…”
The two fell silent.
After a long while, Xiaolan raised her hand and made a pause gesture, "Let us discuss it first."
Madam and Lao Liu nodded, Xiaolan pulled Jasmine aside and asked in a low voice, "What do you think the situation is like now?"
"Maybe we have to solve this case before we can go back," Jasmine put her hands on her hips and looked back at Madam and Liu, who were watching them. "Finding who the murderer is... I don't think it will be easy for either of them."
Xiaolan was noncommittal, "What do you think about the case?"
Jasmine bit her lower lip and crossed her arms across her chest, "Anyway, they must be hiding something from us. We have to pry their mouths open."
"On the contrary, I prefer to go to the villagers to find out more first," Xiaolan whispered. "They are not prepared to say anything easily. Maybe there will be clues gradually during the investigation."
Jasmine had no objection and asked, "What about the body?"
"We need to take a good look at the body. They can't tell clearly, so we have to rely on us."
After the two of them added up, they turned around and walked back to Madam and Lao Liu.
"You don't have to worry," Xiaolan put her hands behind her back and said very steadily, "We will find out about this matter."
"Check it out?" Lao Liu didn't seem to understand what Xiaolan was saying, "There's no rush for this matter. Master, do you think the time will be roughly arranged for the matter to be done?"
The two of them said in unison, "A legal ceremony?!"
"Yes, what's the matter?" Lao Liu looked at the two of them in confusion, and the wife was so stunned that she forgot to shed tears, "Don't you two usually ask first and then prepare for the Buddhist ceremony? But this time you can ask
It’s a bit much…”
It turns out that the so-called "master" is really just a "master".
The two of them blinked. The idea of the discussion just now was completely wrong. What was needed here was not the truth, but a ritual to save the village chief.
"This...when is usually the time to do something?" Xiaolan asked stuttering.
"Usually when?..." Lao Liu raised his eyes as if recalling, "Uncle Huo Gang's son fell into the river and drowned last time. I remember that the two of you took care of Xiao Gangzi the next night.
"Master Fengmu, didn't you say that the sooner the ritual is done, the better..."
Lao Liu said and bowed his head slightly towards Jasmine.
Jasmine knew her current name and turned to look at Xiaolan, "Then we also..."
Xiaolan's heart changed and she asked Madam Xiang, "What do you think, madam? Is our current situation suitable for doing something as soon as possible?"
The lady was gently wiping her tears with a handkerchief. When she heard Xiaolan's words, she didn't look at Xiaolan, but her face turned slightly red, "I'm not a woman who understands this kind of thing, but if Brother Huo can rest in peace as soon as possible, that's fine.
OK."
After confirming the family's attitude, Jasmine proposed to observe the village chief's death closely to choose different plans for salvation. The two did not refuse. When Xiaolan approached the bed, the lady quickly stood up and stayed away, keeping her handkerchief hidden.
in front of you.
The two rolled up their sleeves and began to conduct an autopsy. Due to their gender, they just casually turned over the sleeves and trouser legs of the deceased, but found nothing unusual. Just when Xiaolan was about to lift up the deceased's shirt to check his abdomen, the lady behind him suddenly coughed violently.
Got up.
"What's wrong?" Xiaolan half-turned around and asked sideways, "Ma'am, are you feeling unwell?"
"Alas - my body will become weak when... when this time comes... cough cough cough..." Madam held her forehead and frowned slightly, "This is also one of the reasons why I want to move to that big house.
A better environment will... ahem... help..."
"Then you go and rest in the inner room quickly," Xiaolan lowered her body again, "We can just check it out ourselves."
Madam stood there awkwardly, looking at Lao Liu and then at Xiao Lan.
"The guests are still here, how can I, the master, hide away and rest, that's all, I didn't...ahem...it doesn't matter..."
It didn't look like it was okay, but Xiaolan didn't care so much. When she and Jasmine took off the belt of the deceased's trousers and lifted up his shirt, Lao Liu also spoke.
"Two masters, otherwise this is it. Didn't you two also say that there is no good in having too many things... That's what you mean. Madam is not in good health. I will send you two back to the old house on my behalf."
After saying that, he walked directly to the curtain, lifted the curtain and signaled the two of them to leave.
Xiaolan and Jasmine saw that this was an order to expel guests, so they didn't insist too much. They clapped their hands and left the room. Behind them, the madam's cough sounded like a farewell to the two of them.