Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

"Zhang Feng?" Lu Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed, "Tell me in detail, who is Zhang Feng? Why does he oppose land transfer? Has there been any fierce conflict between him and Tian Xuewen?" Zhang Jianjun nodded and said, "Zhang Feng is 39 years old this year. He is a villager in our village and has been farming at home for many years. He has a rather irritable temper and is always calculating. His family has 3 mu of land in that idle farmland, which was left to him by his father. He has been farming it himself, growing crops such as corn and wheat. The income is not high, but he just doesn't want to transfer the land."

“At first, Xuewen visited Zhang Feng multiple times to communicate with him, patiently explaining the benefits of land transfer. He said that the rent after the transfer would be higher than his own income from farming, and he wouldn't have to worry about managing the land. He could also work for an agricultural company and earn extra income,” Zhang Jianjun added. “But Zhang Feng just wouldn't listen. He said that the land was his father's ancestral property and couldn't be transferred to outsiders. He also said that Xuewen wanted to use the land transfer to make personal gain and earn dirty money. Xuewen had a good temper and patiently persuaded him without arguing with him, but Zhang Feng went too far and publicly insulted Xuewen in the village multiple times, calling Xuewen a ‘corrupt official’ and a ‘traitor’ who had let the villagers down.”

“Just three days ago, on the afternoon of the day before Xuewen was murdered, Xuewen came to Zhang Feng's house again to discuss the land transfer. As a result, the two had a fierce argument in Zhang Feng's yard and almost got into a fight,” Zhang Jianjun’s tone became increasingly heavy. “At that time, I happened to be passing by Zhang Feng’s house and heard a fierce argument coming from the yard, as well as the sound of things being smashed. I rushed in and saw Zhang Feng pointing his finger at Xuewen and insulting him. He also pushed Xuewen, who stumbled and almost fell. I quickly stepped forward to pull Zhang Feng away and persuade them to calm down.”

“I saw that Zhang Feng was very agitated, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was shouting things like ‘I’m going to kill you’ and ‘Don’t force me,’” Zhang Jianjun continued. “Xuewen was also a bit angry, his face was very ugly, and he said to Zhang Feng, ‘The land transfer is for the development of the village and for the benefit of the villagers. I am not seeking personal gain. If you don’t want to transfer, I won’t force you, but you can’t insult me, and you can’t talk nonsense.’ Then, Xuewen turned around and left Zhang Feng’s house. At that time, I was worried that Zhang Feng would do something extreme, so I stayed and persuaded Zhang Feng for a long time. Zhang Feng calmed down on the surface, but I could see that he was still very angry inside, and his eyes were very scary.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan's expression grew increasingly serious. Zhang Feng, 39 years old, was the same age as the deceased, Tian Xuewen. He had a volatile temper and had a fierce conflict with Tian Xuewen over land transfer issues. They even had a violent altercation the day before Tian Xuewen's murder, during which Zhang Feng threatened to kill Tian Xuewen. Furthermore, Zhang Feng's age and build matched the characteristics of the owner of the footprints found at the scene. All these signs indicated that Zhang Feng was a prime suspect in the crime.

"Besides Zhang Feng, are there any other villagers who had conflicts with Tian Xuewen?" Lu Chuan continued to press, afraid of overlooking any suspicious individuals. Zhang Jianjun pondered for a moment and said, "There are a few other villagers who also opposed the land transfer, but they only complained privately. They didn't have a fierce conflict with Xuewen like Zhang Feng did, nor did they threaten to harm Xuewen. In addition, Xuewen is quite fair in his work, doesn't favor anyone, and doesn't have any personal grudges with other villagers. So, besides Zhang Feng, I really can't think of anyone else who would kill Xuewen."

"Then tell me again, where did Tian Xuewen go after leaving Zhang Feng's house three days ago? Were there any witnesses? Did he go home that night?" Lu Chuan asked, further verifying Tian Xuewen's whereabouts. Zhang Jianjun shook his head and said, "After Xuewen left Zhang Feng's house, I didn't know where he went. I went back to the village committee to handle some village affairs and didn't see him again. I asked Xuewen's family, and his wife said that Xuewen didn't go home three days ago, not even that evening, and she couldn't reach him by phone. She thought he was working overtime in the village or went to the city on business, so she didn't think much of it. Until yesterday, when she still couldn't contact him, she started to worry. She never expected that he had already been murdered."

"Did Tian Xuewen's wife say anything about whether Tian Xuewen has been behaving strangely recently? For example, did she mention that someone is threatening him, or that he is going to see anyone?" Wang Shuai added. Zhang Jianjun said, "I talked to Xuewen's wife yesterday. She said that Xuewen has not been behaving strangely recently, and he hasn't mentioned that anyone is threatening him. He just said that he has been a bit troubled by the land transfer issue recently, and he often works overtime, sometimes coming home very late."

Lu Chuan nodded and said to Wang Shuai, "Wang Shuai, immediately arrange two groups of people. One group should visit Zhang Feng's neighbors to find out his whereabouts three days ago, especially his activities on the night before last, and see if there are any witnesses who can prove where he was at the time and whether he had the opportunity to commit the crime. The other group should visit Tian Xuewen's family and relatives to further verify Tian Xuewen's recent whereabouts and unusual behavior, and see if they can find more clues."

"In addition, have someone go to the village's small shops and hardware stores to check if anyone has recently purchased a single-edged dagger, especially Zhang Feng, to see if he has bought a similar weapon; at the same time, retrieve the surveillance footage from the village and the area leading to Qinjiagou Village, focusing on whether any cars traveled between Zhangjiagang Village and Qinjiagou Village on the night three days ago, especially whether Zhang Feng drove a car towards the farmland at the east end of Qinjiagou Village," Lu Chuan continued to deploy the work, his tone firm, "I will take Yang Lin and Zhang Kai to the vicinity of Zhang Feng's house to conduct an on-site inspection, understand Zhang Feng's basic situation, and at the same time, check for any relevant traces or physical evidence."

"Understood, Captain Lu! I'll arrange it immediately!" Wang Shuai quickly replied, turned and walked out of the village committee to assign the investigation team members to carry out various investigation tasks. Afterwards, Lu Chuan, accompanied by Yang Lin and Zhang Kai, and Zhang Jianjun, went to Zhang Feng's house. Zhang Feng's house was located on the west side of Zhangjiagang Village, about 500 meters from the village committee. It was an ordinary farmhouse, with a small yard, low walls, and a wooden gate that was slightly ajar. Some vegetables were growing in the yard, and a dilapidated small car was parked in the corner. The car was black and looked like it had been used for many years, with some scratches and rust on the body. (End of Chapter)