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

"Think again, is there anything unusual about his gait? For example, is he limping, swaying from side to side, or walking very cautiously and hurriedly? Have you heard his voice before? Does he have an accent?"

“His walking posture was nothing special, but he walked very fast, very hurriedly, with rapid steps, as if he were running away, and he would look back from time to time, as if afraid that someone was following him. I didn’t hear him speak; he didn’t say a word or make any sound from beginning to end, he just kept walking forward.”

"Have you seen this stranger since that day? Or any other strangers?"

“No, that’s all. After that day, I’ve been herding sheep in these mountains every day, and I’ve never seen that stranger again, nor have I seen any other strangers. Our village is remote, and we rarely have outsiders. Apart from the occasional mountain goods collector, there are no other outsiders. The mountain goods collectors are all the same few people, and I know them all. It’s not that stranger.”

"Think back again, in the past month, has anyone gone missing in our village? Has anyone left and not returned? Have any outsiders stayed overnight in the village? For example, relatives, friends, or strangers, staying at farmers' homes in the village?"

Zhang Baolu shook his head firmly: "No, our village only has a few dozen households and a little over a hundred people. Everyone knows exactly what's going on in each family. In the past month, no one has gone missing in the village. The elderly, children, and young people are all in the village. No one has gone out and not come back. There are no outsiders staying overnight in the village. No relatives or friends have come to visit, and no strangers have stayed overnight in the village."

“The people in our village who went out to work all left before the Lunar New Year, or left very early after the New Year. In the past month, no one has gone out to work, and no one has come back. The people in the village usually stay at home to farm and herd livestock. They rarely go out. Even if they do go out, it's to go to town to buy things and they come back the same day. They don't stay out overnight, let alone go missing.”

“I know some people in the surrounding villages, such as Lijia Gou and Wangjia Ao. I sometimes run into them when I’m herding sheep. I’ve never heard of any missing people in those villages, nor have I heard of any outsiders staying overnight in those villages.”

"Has anyone in the village recently been arguing, fighting, or having conflicts? Has anyone harbored deep grudges? For example, over farming, herding, homesteads, or borrowing or owing money, have they had a big fight, or even talked about killing or taking revenge?"

"No, the people in our village are honest and law-abiding. They get along very well. Even if there are any conflicts, they are all trivial matters, such as whose chicken ate whose vegetables, or whose sheep trampled whose land. They would quarrel for a few words and then move on. They would not fight, let alone hold deep grudges. No one has ever said anything about killing or seeking revenge."

Zhang Baolu paused, then added, "I've lived in this village for over fifty years, and I've never seen anyone fight fiercely or have any deep-seated grudges with anyone else. We all see each other all the time, and even if there's something unpleasant, we'll give each other a break and not let things get too tense. The villagers all make a living by farming and herding, and their minds are all on their crops and sheep. Nobody would go looking for trouble or cause problems."

"And what about you? Have you had any conflicts with anyone recently? Have you offended anyone? Do you owe anyone money, or are you owed money by someone? Has anyone threatened you?" Lu Chuan asked. He needed to rule out the possibility that Zhang Baolu himself was involved in the case. Although, from the current perspective, Zhang Baolu was only a witness, no possibility could be overlooked. Zhang Baolu quickly waved his hand and said sincerely, "Officer, I didn't, I absolutely didn't. I'm an honest and law-abiding person. I don't like to talk or cause trouble. I get along well with everyone in the village. I've never had any conflicts with anyone, nor have I offended anyone. My family's conditions are average. We make a living by herding sheep and farming. I don't owe anyone money, and no one owes me money. I've never been threatened by anyone."

“Every day I just herd sheep, farm, go home to eat and sleep. It’s a very simple routine. I rarely go anywhere else except the village and the mountains, and I rarely interact with outsiders. How could I possibly offend anyone or have any conflicts with anyone? Besides, I’m timid. Even if something unpleasant happens, I will endure it. I won’t argue with others, let alone kill anyone.”

"After you found the body, on your way back to the village, did you encounter anyone? Did you see any suspicious vehicles or items? Did anyone talk to you or ask you where you were going or what you were doing?"

"No, on my way back to the village, I didn't encounter anyone. The villagers hadn't gotten up yet, and the roads were deserted. I didn't see any suspicious vehicles either. The roads in our village are very narrow, only wide enough for motorcycles and tricycles. Cars have a hard time getting through. On my way back to the village, I didn't see any vehicles, whether cars, motorcycles, or tricycles."

“I didn’t see anything suspicious. The road was all mud and weeds. I didn’t see any pieces of clothing, cigarette butts, mineral water bottles or anything like that. Nobody talked to me or asked me where I was or what I was doing. I just ran as fast as I could, with only one thought in my mind: to get back to the village as soon as possible, tell the Party Secretary, and call the police.”

"After you ran back to the village, before you told the Party Secretary, did you tell anyone else? Did anyone know there was a dead body in the cave before you told the Party Secretary? Did anyone go near the cave halfway up the mountain before you called the police?"

“No, after I ran back to the village, I went straight to the Party Secretary’s house without telling anyone. Apart from the Party Secretary, no one knew there was a dead body in the cave. It wasn’t until the Party Secretary called the police and the officers from the police station arrived that the villagers gradually found out about it. Before that, no one knew. And no one had been near the cave halfway up the mountain before the police were called. Everyone was still asleep, and even if they were, they wouldn’t go there. That cave has been abandoned for so many years, and no one wants to go there.”

"Think again, have you heard anything unusual in the mountains in the last few days? Like strange noises or lights? Have you seen any fires or smoke? Have you smelled any odors that are different from today's, or any other strange smells?"

Zhang Baolu thought carefully for a moment and said, "There was nothing unusual. The mountains are usually very quiet, except for birdsong, insect chirping, and sheep bleating. At night, the mountains are pitch black, with no strange lights, fires, or smoke. I graze my sheep in the mountains every morning and haven't smelled any other strange odors. It was only today that I smelled that stench of rotting corpses, something I've never smelled before." (End of Chapter)