Chapter 3: The Case (Part 2)

  Li Wenhe's courtyard was not big, with a few rows of grape trellises. Now it was late winter, the grape vines were deeply buried in the ground, and only a few lonely iron wire frames remained.

  "Who is it?" The bamboo curtain of the hall was lifted, and a sturdy man walked out. He looked simple-minded and was taken aback when he saw Tang Yi and Chen Ke, momentarily at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet.

  Ma Jinlian introduced them to each other: "This is Secretary Tang and the town's clerk, Little Chen." Pointing at the man, she said: "Secretary Tang, this is my neighbor Big Brother Chen." Then she turned to the man and said: "Big Zhang, there's nothing for you here, you can go back now."

  Tang Yi nodded slightly in his heart, so he was Chen Dazhuang after all. He seemed like a very down-to-earth person, and Ma Jinfeng's second half of her life should be quite good. It turned out that after Li Wen passed away, Chen Dazhuang often came over to help Ma Jinfeng, and as time went by, they developed feelings for each other and eventually got together.

  Just as he was thinking, he turned his head unintentionally and saw that Pan Jinlian was making eyes at Chen Dabao. Tang Yi was slightly surprised, the kind of eye contact seemed not to be between two people in a neighborly relationship. Chen Dabao nodded stupidly on the other side, then took a step out, Tang Yi saw the deep green rubber shoes on his bare feet, and his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

  Just as Chen Dazhuang was about to open the iron gate and walk out, Tang Yi suddenly shouted: "Chen Dazhuang, wait a minute!"

  "Come over here!" Tang Yi beckoned Chen Dazhuang, who had stopped in his tracks and was at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet.

  Chen Dazhuang stuttered: "Tang... Secretary Tang... you... what's the matter... just say it... I... I still have to go down to the fields later..."

  Tang Yi revealed a faint smile: "Nothing, just chatting with you, come on in, let's go inside and talk." Without waiting for his response, he also learned from Chen Ke's laziness, lifted the bamboo curtain and entered the main room. The east room of Li Wenhe's house was the bedroom where people lived. The bedding on the kang was neatly stacked, and the floor was a cement floor. At that time, it was rare to have ceramic tiles in rural areas, and Li Wenhe's family had already done a good job with their cement floor.

  Ma Jinlian, Chen Dazhuang and Chen Ke followed into the house. Tang Yi beckoned them to sit down, and everyone sat on the chairs. Chen Ke moved her chair next to Tang Yi and whispered in his ear: "Secretary Tang, it's not convenient for us to talk with outsiders present, is it? This Chen Dazhuang is a fool, don't let him spread our words around." Tang Yi said: "Do we have secrets that can't be told to others? Or are you thinking of revealing some shocking news?" Tang Yi found some clues and was in a great mood. He felt more playful towards this young girl who was like an apple in her youth, and suddenly wanted to tease her. Chen Ke pouted, gave Tang Yi a white eye, and thought about retorting but ultimately held back, after all, Tang Yi was still her superior.

  Tang Yiyu spoke warmly to Ma Jinfeng and Chen Dazhuang, "Don't be nervous, let's just chat about everyday things." As he spoke, he began asking Ma Jinfeng about her recent life, whether she had encountered any difficulties. Occasionally turning his head, he would ask Chen Dazhuang about the production situation in the village. Chen Dazhuang and Ma Jinfeng gradually became less restrained, their conversation flowing more smoothly as they asked and answered each other's questions.

  Chen Ke puffed out his chest and pursed his lips, originally thinking that Tang Yi had come to the Li Wenhe's house for something important, but it turned out he was just chatting about trivial family matters. In the past, such polite formalities were rarely seen in rural families. What times are these now? He still has the leisure to indulge in such elegant pursuits. Does he think that by flattering the eldest sister of the Ma family, they will withdraw their petition for redress?

  The more she thought about it, the more Chen Ke felt that Tang Yi was really off the charts. If she had known this earlier, she wouldn't have followed him today. Chen Ke still had a good impression of Tang Yi - he was young and full of energy as the deputy secretary, and he was a leader from the academic circle. At that time, most of the grassroots leaders in Yanshan County were former soldiers, so it was rare to see someone like Tang Yi who was refined and cultured. Chen Ke didn't believe that the gentle and elegant Tang Yi would resort to torture or coercion, and she thought it must be a problem caused by Chen Da, the director of the police station. She had assumed that Tang Yi came this time to clear up the matter, but instead he just spoke nonsense. Chen Ke was furious - if not for Tang Yi's status, she would have already scolded him.

  Chen Dazhuang and Ma Jinlian also chatted more and more, anyway, the secretary in front of them wouldn't last long. The two of them dared to bring up some unfair things they usually felt, and complained to the town's second-in-command. This second-in-command was particularly good at listening to people's grievances, and after listening, occasionally added a few words that hit the nail on the head, scratching the hearts of the two. Ma Jinlian and Chen Dazhuang, as rural people, had never met anyone who assisted their conversation like this before. They really got more and more excited as they talked, as if they had seen an old friend for many years, and once the conversation started, it was unstoppable.

  Just as they were talking, Tang Yi suddenly said: "Chen Dazhuang, where were you on the night Li Wenhe died? Were you in this very room?"

  Chen Dazhuang, who was completely unprepared, was stunned and stuttered: "Wh...what?" He looked up to see Tang Yi's gaze as sharp as a knife, staring tightly at his eyes, as if he wanted to stare into his heart. By his ear, he heard Tang Yi say slowly, word by word: "On December 27th of last year, at 9 o'clock in the evening, where were you? Were you right here in this room?" Each word was like a blow to his heart, and for an instant, Chen Dazhuang's heart seemed to stop beating. His head buzzed, and he couldn't utter a single word.

  "He's not here, he's at home sleeping." Ma Jinfeng's face turned pale, and she quickly echoed.

  Tang Yi smiled and turned to Ma Jinlian: "Do you know where he is again? Does he have to tell you even the small things like sleeping at home?" Ma Jinlian was speechless, unable to say a word.

  Tang Yi looked at Chen Dazhuang again: "You were here last night, weren't you?" He pointed to the rubber shoes on Chen's feet: "It snowed a little last night and it was muddy outside. If you came to Ma Dajie's house this morning, your shoes would be clean and spotless, without any mud stains."

  Chen Dazhuang and Ma Jinlian were both staring at Tang Yi in horror, unable to utter a single word.

  Tang Yi let out a sigh and said, "Forget it, you two don't have to say anything. I'll just do my job! I'll call the forensic doctor to come and verify your relationship. Take a look at that quilt on the kang, do you know what DNA testing is? Even if it's been half a month since...ahem... Chen Dazhuang, do you know what a seminal stain is?"

  Regardless of the two people who were as still as wooden chickens, Tang Yi continued to speak: "Semen stains are the secretions left behind when you release your desire. Even if you think the sheets and quilts are washed clean, there will still be more or less semen stains left behind. And I think, Madam Ma may not use special antibacterial laundry detergent when washing the sheets?"

  When Chen Ke heard Tang Yi boast about terms like "Jing Ban", her face suddenly turned red, she quickly turned her head around, but couldn't help but perk up her ears to listen to every word of Tang Yi.

  "There is a DNA test in forensic testing now, which can determine a person's identity through semen stains. Chen Dazhuang, as long as your saliva is analyzed, it will be known whether the semen stain on the sheet is yours or not, and you will absolutely not be wronged."

  "Actually, adultery is not a crime, but if you falsely accuse the government, falsely accuse public security organs, do you know what a crime is?"

  Tang Yi's gaze swept back and forth between the two people, before he slowly said: "Speak, I want to hear the truth. What really happened that day? Li Wenhe did commit suicide, but why did he do it? And what about the scars on his body?"

  In the law of 91, the Western concept of presumed innocence for suspects had not been heard of. If Chen Dazhuang and Pan Jinlian were really proven to have committed adultery, they would be absolutely linked to the death of Li Wenhe, especially since there was no witness that night when Chen Dazhuang died.

  Tang Yi naturally understood this point, so he added fuel to the fire and said slowly: "If you don't say anything now, I'll handle it officially and we'll ask the city's forensic doctor to do a DNA test. At that time, Li Wenhe's cause of death may also be overturned."

  Chen Dazhuang suddenly slid down from the chair, knelt in front of Tang Yi with a thud, and cried: "Don't... Secretary Tang, I said..., I said, it's all my fault... has nothing to do with Jinlian..." Looking at his sniffling and tearful appearance, he had obviously collapsed mentally.

  Ma Jinfeng gently patted Chen Dazhuang's shoulder, her eyes no longer hiding the tenderness within. "Dazhuang, don't say anything else! It wasn't your fault to begin with, let's just be honest." She then turned to Tang Yi and slowly said: "Li Wenhe was killed by me. That day, he suddenly returned from the police station, discovered what was going on between Dazhuang and me, and after fighting with Dazhuang... that day, it was snowing lightly, I thought he had been detained, so... it was me who killed him." Ma Jinfeng's face turned towards the window, a hint of despair on her face. Perhaps every family has its own story, hers and Chen Dazhuang's, as well as Li Wenhe's, were far from being as calm as she had described, but these no longer mattered. Upon hearing her words, Tang Yi felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders, slowly leaning back into the chair.

  "Let's wait outside and let them calm down." Tang Yi pulled Chen Ke, who was still in a daze, to the outside of the house. Looking up at the blue sky with floating clouds, Tang Yi slowly exhaled a mouthful of stagnant air, and the annoyance that had been lingering in his mind seemed to have also been expelled along with it.

  It took Chen Ke a long time to come back to his senses, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Secretary Tang, you're really capable, you're also so good at solving cases."

  Tang Yi was amused to find that Chen Ke was staring at her own beautiful big eyes, full of admiration. Her godmother looked at her with admiring eyes, what a joke! Tang Yi had just felt proud for a moment, and immediately felt a chill run down her spine, this feeling was too strange, after all, it was always her godmother who was the object of her own admiration.

  "Little... Little Chen... go to the village committee and make a phone call to the town, ask Chen Da to come over, let him handle the case."

  Chen Ke responded quickly, and it seemed that the little girl had already admired herself to the point of being completely convinced. Before Chen Ke left, she couldn't help but stutter and ask: "Tang... Secretary Tang... What's this DNA testing thing all about?" Looking at her delicate face with a faint blush, she seemed to be ashamed of her own "ignorance", but couldn't help her curiosity.

  Tang Yi smiled and said, "It's just a trivial matter, you don't need to know." In fact, Tang Yi didn't know about the development of DNA technology in China in 1991. He thought it wouldn't have developed to the point where precise testing could be done through fingerprints and other means. What he said was just nonsense, something that even Chen Ke wasn't very clear about, let alone villagers like Chen Dazhuang and Ma Jinlian.

  Chen Ke's heart was filled with discontent, and she muttered under her breath as she walked away, which only made Tang Yi smile uncontrollably. Her little girl-like demeanor was a fresh experience for Tang Yi.