Chapter 55: Beat Him to Death

This didn't seem to be a problem, but if you thought about it carefully, you could hear the trick in it.

It wasn't that he suspected there was an arsonist in the village, but that Jiang Li was relentless and insisted on this body check, which had nothing to do with him, Lin You Tian.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the public indignation became even more intense.

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "Jiang Li, you are a bit unkind. We didn't sleep well, helped your family put out the fire, and stayed up all night. You don't even say thank you, and in the end, you suspect that we set the fire. You can't be so heartless."

"Exactly." Seeing someone take the lead, others also began to accuse them, "We all know each other well, who would do such a wicked thing?"

Jiang Zongbao jumped the most happily, "I see, someone just became a constable and wants to show off, deliberately taking it out on people in his own village!"

Last time he ran to the second branch to steal things, but ended up getting his leg bitten by that skinny dog. Later, he was punished to kneel for a day and a night and lay in bed for many days before slowly recovering. He had been holding his anger, and now that he finally had a chance to retaliate, he splashed dirty water as hard as he could.

His mother, Cao Shi, was even more akimbo, laughing proudly and wildly.

"Maybe this fire was set by himself! Pretending to be a victim to toss us around, and then grabbing anyone who has a grudge against him to go back and finish the job, and he can even get a reward from above. Ha, what a good calculation!"

Now, the threshing floor was like cold water entering an oil pan, completely exploding.

Lin You Tian tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth that were rising, coughed twice heavily, "I believe Jiang Li is not such a person. As the saying goes, a new official has three fires, but no matter how the fire burns, it won't be thrown into his own house, right? So everyone don't be anxious, let's listen to what Jiang Li has to say."

Jiang Li looked at him with a faint expression, then stood opposite the crowd.

He had a straight posture and was still wearing that constable uniform. Although he had been running around all night and his clothes were inevitably wrinkled and dusty, he still couldn't hide the handsome and dashing look that rushed toward him.

"Fellow villagers, our Jiang family's second branch has suffered this disaster, thanks to everyone's mutual help. Jiang Li is very grateful."

Speaking of this, his gaze turned slightly cold, scanning everyone present, and he continued, "However, this matter is not trivial. It is no longer just about our Jiang family's second branch, but about the safety of the entire Longquan Cun. Everyone, imagine, if that criminal dares to set fire today, he will dare to kill tomorrow. If such a person is hidden among us, can everyone still eat and sleep peacefully?"

Everyone fell silent.

Yes, Longquan Cun had been built for over a hundred years. Except for a group of refugees who caused trouble more than ten years ago, it had always been peaceful and quiet. Although arguments were inevitable, few people died.

Now that such a thing as arson had happened, how could people not be terrified?

Seeing that everyone's attitude had eased, Cao Shi rolled her eyes and started jumping and instigating again.

"You say he's among us? I say you offended someone outside, and someone came for revenge! Now it's the busy farming season, detaining so many of us here, delaying the harvest, can you afford the responsibility?"

Zhu Shi also echoed, "That's right, why should your family's affairs involve us? We don't have that leisure time!"

Lin Shenshi pulled her daughter Lin Qingshuang and stood at the very edge. She was from the village head's family and couldn't follow along, so she signaled to the women who had a good relationship with her.

Those women understood and immediately began to shout along.

The scene that had finally calmed down instantly turned into a mess again.

Jiang Li saw all this in his eyes and sneered in his heart.

He was about to speak to deter them, but Du Ruo kicked Wang Bujiu behind her.

Wang Bujiu had long been gnashing his teeth at the unreasonable entanglement of this group of women. Now that he got the hint, he walked forward with a clatter, pulled out the horizontal sword from his waist, and split the pillar in the middle of the threshing floor in two with one slash.

"Who the hell is babbling here? Stand out for me!"

He was burly and had a full beard. Although he was wearing a constable uniform, he looked like a bandit.

Everyone was startled, and no one made a sound, even Cao Shi and Zhu Shi, the two shit-stirrers, shrank back into the cesspit.

Wang Bujiu scanned them fiercely, his loud voice ringing out, "Listen to me, Constable Jiang is investigating a case today, not listening to your nonsense. Whoever dares to obstruct the investigation again, I'll take you all back to the government office!"

What kind of place was the government office? That was a place to lock up criminals!

As the saying goes, the people are afraid of seeing officials. The common people naturally had a sense of fear of the government office. Everyone shrank their necks and didn't dare to breathe.

After hitting them with a stick, he naturally had to give them a sweet date.

Du Ruo walked forward and said with a smile, "I'm very sorry for delaying everyone's time because of our family's affairs today. How about this..."

She paused, waiting for them to prick up their ears, and then continued, "To make up for everyone, I decided to give two copper coins to everyone who cooperates with the inspection, calculated per person."

As soon as this was said, those shrunken necks immediately stretched out, and their eyes stared at Du Ruo.

Someone asked eagerly, "Jiang Li's wife, are you serious, calculated per person?"

You know, there were over a hundred households in the whole village, adding up to thousands of people.

Two copper coins per person, at least two taels of silver would be needed to cover it. This was not a small amount!

"Of course it's true." Du Ruo took out two large strings of copper coins directly. The copper coins were dense and reflected an attractive light in the sun, "After everyone is inspected, you can come to me to collect it, and it will be cashed on the spot."

"Can my grandson who just turned a month old collect it?" Someone asked loudly.

Everyone cast disdainful looks at the shameless old woman. A baby who just turned a month old couldn't even walk, could he run to pour red oil and set fire?

This woman was clearly trying to take advantage.

"Of course, I said it, calculated per person. Whether old or young, man or woman, everyone can come to collect this money."

The scene immediately boiled over, and many people ran home.

"I have two kids in split-crotch pants at home, I'll go hold them over now!"

"My mother has been paralyzed in bed for seven or eight years, it's time to let her come out for some air!"

"Hahaha, we have twenty people in our family, this time we've made a fortune!"

The number of people on the threshing floor suddenly decreased by more than half.

After a while, all the men, women, and children in the village came with their families from all directions, all of them beaming with joy, even more lively than distributing pork for the New Year.

Wang Bujiu secretly gave Du Ruo a thumbs up, "Sister-in-law, you still have tricks..."

In this way, not only could they block their mouths and make them happily accept the inspection, but they could also test who had a ghost in their heart. The only drawback was that the money spent was a bit much, which made her heart ache.

However, it was worth it to find the mastermind behind the scenes for two taels of silver.

Jiang Li looked at Du Ruo, and the corners of his mouth curved.

His little wife was smart.

Under Du Ruo's reminder, everyone stepped forward to be inspected in family units. Fire oil was different from other things. Once contaminated, it couldn't be washed off for a while, and the smell was very pungent.

Du Ruo felt a little regretful.

If the dog were here, it would be great. The dog's nose was very sensitive, and it could easily smell the smell of fire oil.

"Without a dog, a system is fine." The system suddenly spoke in her mind.

Du Ruo's spirit lifted, "You can smell it too?"

System: "... You think too much, Host. This system doesn't even have a physical body, so where would I get a nose to smell?"

Du Ruo was puzzled, "Then what do you mean?"

"It's very simple. This system is a medicine system, and everything in the world can be medicine. As long as you, Host, come into contact with them, this system can immediately analyze the composition of the object, including fire oil."

That is to say, whoever Du Ruo touches, the system can detect whether they have been contaminated with fire oil.

This was even easier to use than a dog's nose!

Du Ruo was overjoyed, but on the surface, she threw the two strings of copper coins to Wang Bujiu without changing her expression.

"You look too fierce, it's easy to scare them. You'd better stay here and distribute the money. Leave the inspection to me."

Wang Bujiu: "..."

I look fierce, but you're ugly, wouldn't you scare others too?

Of course, he didn't dare to say this, otherwise, he wouldn't want to eat good food in the future, and Brother Jiang would beat him to death.

Just like that, Du Ruo and Jiang Li were responsible for inspecting the women and men respectively.

Du Ruo didn't want to touch the men, but every time Jiang Li inspected, she would deliberately touch Jiang Li. It was also feasible to hit the mountain and shake the tiger.

After more than half an hour, only the families who were not on good terms with the second branch of the Jiang family remained on the scene.

Including the people from the old house, Zhu Shi, and Lin You Tian's family.

Lin Qingshuang twisted her handkerchief in her hand and looked at Jiang Li with autumn water in her eyes, "Brother Jiang, I will never harm you, you believe me, right?"

Jiang Li had no expression.

"Of course I believe it." Du Ruo stepped forward and held Lin Qingshuang's hand affectionately, smiling, "As the saying goes, appearance comes from the heart. Sister Qingshuang is so beautiful, her heart must be beautiful too. How could she do such a harmful thing?"

At the same time, the system also gave the test results.

"No fire oil."

This result was within Du Ruo's expectation. No matter how much Lin Qingshuang hated her, she couldn't take such a big risk. If she were discovered, her life would be over.

Lin Qingshuang wanted to say something else, but Du Ruo didn't have the leisure to deal with her, so she pushed her aside and went to check the next one.

Lin You Tian's family was all excluded. Although Cao Shi and Jiang Zongbao jumped high, they didn't have anything suspicious.

Finally, only Zhu Shi remained.

Du Ruo narrowed her eyes.

Zhu Shi was a well-known pig mother in the village. She gave birth to one after another. Except for selling her daughters, there were two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three daughters in the family. With so many people, only Zhu Shi showed up.

Zhu Shi's family was not well-off. Her eldest son, Li Yaozu, was idle and didn't do his job properly. Her daughter-in-law, Liu Shi, was greedy, lazy, and sharp-tongued. The couple only knew how to lose money and couldn't earn it.

Her youngest son was still studying, and the annual book fees and tuition were at least three taels of silver.

The family's expenses were all maintained by Zhu Shi and her husband farming those few thin fields, which could be described as living beyond their means. Such a family that was short of money actually looked down on the dozen or so copper coins that were within reach.

Unreasonable.

Jiang Li also thought of this point, and the couple looked at each other, both having a bottom line in their hearts.

Du Ruo was about to touch Zhu Shi, but was dodged by her.

"Inspection is inspection, why are you moving your hands and feet?" Zhu Shi spat on the ground, "Old lady doesn't care about your two stinky coins. If you have the ability, catch me."

Du Ruo had never heard such a request in her life.

She smiled, "So impatient to eat prison food? Don't worry, once it's confirmed that you poured the red oil, someone will naturally come to catch you."

Before she finished speaking, Wang Bujiu slapped Zhu Shi's heavy back with the hilt of his sword, directly slapping her down.

Zhu Shi wailed like a slaughtered pig: "Murder! The Jiang family's second branch is bullying people, beating women and children, there is no justice!"

The villagers who hadn't left gathered around and pointed at her.

"I said Aunt Zhu, what are you doing? Letting people check won't make you lose a piece of meat, and there's free money to take, why are you making it so difficult?"

Yao Yulan happened to be in this group of people. She was naturally on Du Ruo's side, so she widened her eyes, looking surprised, "Oh, Aunt Zhu, you are so afraid of being inspected, could it be that you are the one who poured the red oil?"

Zhu Shi's face changed immediately.

"Fart! What proof do you have that I poured it? Is the clan head's family amazing? Can the clan head's family frame good people? I tell you, surnamed Yao, if you don't apologize to me today, I'll go to your house and make trouble! I'll make your house restless, I'll make your ancestors uneasy, let's see if you dare to open your big mouth and talk nonsense in the future!"

Yao Yulan was not easy to mess with either, and she started scolding her back.

The two of them, one standing and one lying down, didn't affect their performance at all. They scolded from their parents and children to their reincarnation after death, and the words were not repeated at all.

Taking this opportunity, the system had already detected it.

"No fire oil." It said.

Du Ruo was puzzled. Since Zhu Shi didn't have fire oil on her, why was she so resistant to inspection, and why didn't anyone in her family show up?

There was only one possibility.

"Village head, Grandpa Clan Head, we want to go to the Li family to see."

Zhu Shi, who was scolding vigorously, suddenly struggled violently. Wang Bujiu had to let her go. Zhu Shi crawled up from the ground with her hands and feet and shouted loudly, "I don't agree! Why go to my house? Oh, now that you can't find the criminal, you want to blame it on our Li family? I tell you, no way!"

The more excited she was, the more suspicious others became.

Lin You Tian frowned, and Clan Head Jiang directly asked someone to pull Zhu Shi away, his face sinking, "Go, go to the Li family!"

Several people ignored Zhu Shi's scolding behind them and went all the way to the Li family at the west end of the village, followed by a large group of villagers.

Just as they walked to the front of the Li family's old courtyard, they saw a big head peeking out from the courtyard gate. When that head saw so many people, it shrank back in fright, and then slammed the door shut with a bang.

Clan Head Jiang's face was even darker.

A guilty conscience, humph.

He first knocked on the door with his cane, but there was no response, so he signaled to Jiang Li, "Kick it, I'll pay for it if it breaks."

Jiang Li stepped back a few steps, jumped up directly, jumped into the courtyard from the wall, and opened the door from the inside.

The courtyard was instantly in chaos.

The screams of children, the scolding of adults, chickens and ducks flying in the sky, leaving a ground of chicken feathers.

The thick smell of chicken feces instantly drilled into everyone's nostrils, making them nauseous.

That big head, Li Yaozu, stood in the center of the courtyard, barely squeezing out an ugly smile, "Village head, Brother Jiang Li, you brought so many people here, what are you doing?"

Lin You Tian cleared his throat, "Constable Jiang suspects that you burned his courtyard, so we are looking for evidence." ===== CHAPTER 56 =====