Animal Detective

Chapter 320 What a great donkey!

Shen Xin shoved Li Shi into the back seat.

After a good cry, he slumped helplessly in his seat, feeling lost and powerless.

Li Xiaowen looked at the kitchen knife in his hand with a solemn expression.

Zhang Kaisheng was imprisoned, leaving only his wife, son, and daughter at home.

My son is 13 years old and attends junior high school in the county. He is picked up and dropped off by my wife's family. My daughter is much younger, only 5 years old, and has not yet started primary school.

A woman and a young girl—if we hadn't stopped them today, two more lives might have been lost.

Shen Xin pondered how to correct the boy's thinking. At his age, he was incredibly rebellious, and he didn't know if he could listen to reason.

But not saying anything is definitely not an option.

After thinking for a while, Shen Xin turned to ask, "Li Shi, what happened that night when you and your mother went up the mountain to collect herbs and fell into a ditch?"

Li Shi was taken aback, not expecting Shen Xin to bring this up.

Li Xiaowen looked up and stared at Li Shi through the rearview mirror with some surprise.

After pursing his lips and remaining silent for a moment, Li Shi said, "Nothing much happened. My mom broke her leg, so I helped her out."

Shen Xin nodded and continued to ask, "You fell into the ditch, your mother broke her leg, and you couldn't climb out."

You're only eight years old, and you helped your mother walk such a long way, taking a roundabout route, and it was dark at night. Tell me, was that night difficult?

It's a desolate, wild place with difficult mountain roads.

His mother couldn't walk on one leg, and even with a cane, Li Shi, who was supporting her, must have been in a lot of pain.

Li Shi didn't speak, and suddenly he was transported back to that night.

It was so dark in the mountains that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The mother hugged herself, huddled in a crevice between the rocks, the sounds of wild animals echoing in her ears.

Li Shi had never known that the night could be so unbearable.

"Difficult," Li Shi nodded.

Later, the mother ran out of strength and gave up, crying and telling herself to go on her own and not to worry about her anymore.

But he didn't give up; he persevered and helped his mother out of the mountains.

Shen Xin turned his head, stared straight at Li Shi, and asked in return, "If it's so difficult, why didn't you give up?"

Li Shi replied without hesitation, "That's my mother."

Shen Xin nodded and said, "Yes, that's your mother, your closest relative, so you can't give up on her."

So today, you yourself said that before your mother died, she held your hand and asked you to take good care of your sister. How could you just give up?

Li Shi bit his lip tightly and didn't say anything.

Shen Xin continued, "Li Shi, everyone encounters difficulties. At that time, you might feel, 'Wow, this is so hard, I can't take it anymore, I don't want to live anymore, I might as well just die.'"

Once you're dead, you don't have to worry about anything anymore. Just like your dad, he felt that things were too hard for him. He was working hard and suffering outside, and he got sick. He didn't have money for treatment, and he thought he couldn't go on living.

So he couldn't stand it anymore, gave up, and went to beat up Zhang Kaiyong. It's all his fault, he made me suffer so much, I should beat him to death.

Li Shi, your dad has been defeated by difficulties.

Shen Xin reached out and tapped Li Shi's chest, saying, "And you, you were also defeated by difficulties today. Do you think Zhang Kaisheng can bully you for the rest of your life? You, your sister, and your grandmother will not be able to survive."

So you gave up, killed Zhang Kaisheng's family, apologized, died, and then you didn't have to worry about anything anymore.

Li Shi, you didn't abandon your mother back then, even when things were so tough. How come you're abandoning your sister today?

Shen Xin raised his voice and asked back.

Li Shi's eyes trembled as he buried his head in anguish, frantically pounding his head, and then said, "But I can't do anything about it."

"Why is there no way?"

Shen Xin countered, "The simplest way is for you to call the police. Every time he bullies you, you call the police. Okay, even if you don't trust the police and think they can't help you, then leave."

Take your sister and your grandma and go far away, away from here. Your dad named you both Shiyao, hoping that you would leave this place.

If Baijiashao can't stay any longer, then let's leave and find somewhere we can stay.

Li Shi, you must be thinking, I'm just saying it, these things are impossible to do, how can I just leave like that?

But have you tried... not necessarily the methods I mentioned, but other methods? Have you considered them, and tried them for your family's sake?

Li Shi looked up, staring intently at Shen Xin, speechless.

Shen Xin continued, "And your father, he's having a hard time too, but has he tried? He said he's sick and can't work, and the family can't survive."

But is it really impossible to survive?
He doesn't have medical insurance this year, so he'll wait until next year to pay for it. He has avascular necrosis of the femoral head, not cancer, so he can't wait more than half a year.

And if he doesn't work, will your whole family starve to death? Your family had it much worse before, but you still survived.

You're probably thinking, "I'm just saying this, it's not actually that simple."

Sure, if you're all alone and just want to give up and seek revenge, fine, then go ahead and kill yourself.

But if you still have people you care about and worry about, why not give it a try for their sake?

Only Shen Xin's voice echoed inside the car.

Shen Xin's mouth was dry from talking, so he turned around to find some water.

Li Xiaowen, who was standing nearby, handed Shen Xin a bottle of mineral water at the right moment and then gave him a thumbs up.

He suddenly understood why Shen Xin was able to solve those cases.

It may be related to not giving up easily and not being defeated by difficulties.

He also thought about himself and the case before him.

If you just throw something into the mountains, it's so hard to find, so why should you give up?

I only have a fixed salary, and every year there are cases that I can't solve due to various circumstances. At worst, they just stay unsolved.

No one will say anything.

But Li Xiaowen was willing to give it a try because of his own belief that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life occasionally thinking about how there was a man named Duan Dongqiang who hadn't been caught and brought to justice.

I don't want him to become a thorn in my side.

Shen Xin took a few gulps of water and said, "Think it over carefully. You can't go anywhere for the next two days; you'll just stay with me."

Shen Xin didn't know if these words would be of any use, so the kid had to keep an eye on them.

Li Shi didn't speak, he just kept his head down in silence.

The night was hard to endure, but Shen Xin had gotten used to it.

I took a nap during my shift, and soon it was dawn.

Duan Dongqiang remained silent.

They are patient enough, but we can only pin our hopes on finding the murder weapon.

Li Shi stared wide-eyed all night and didn't leave.

Zhu Qiuwei came over to deliver breakfast.

I searched all night, but to no avail.

"It's going to rain." Zhu Qiuwei said with a serious expression.

The dark clouds in the distance seemed to cover the sky, and they were already very close.

Li Xiaowen nodded and said that the county's work group had issued a rainstorm warning and asked everyone to stay on duty.

Zhu Qiuwei saw Li Shi and asked in a low voice what was going on.

Li Xiaowen shook his head slightly, saying nothing.

Shen Xin hurriedly ate breakfast, said goodbye to Li Xiaowen, and then set off with Yiwan in his hand.

Seeing Li Shi silently eating his steamed bun without moving, he scolded, "What are you standing there for? Follow me."

Li Shi turned his head and looked up at the mountain.

Shen Xin said, "Captain Li will be there in a bit, don't worry."

Li Shi then caught up.

It started with Duan Dongqiang's family.

This guy was already up at this hour. Seeing Shen Xin and Yi Wan, his expression showed a hint of panic.

Shen Xin ignored him and set off on his 10,000.

Before they even left the village, Li Xiaowen caught up with them, saying he wanted to borrow a cart from the village.

"Since it's just a simulation, let's make it as realistic as possible." He asked someone to borrow a car.

Give them 10,000 sets.

He turned his head and called out, as if to say that following you means I still have to do work.

"Go on then." Shen Xin waved his hand at him irritably, thinking to himself, I didn't whip you to leave.

Shen Xin then told Li Shi to pick up some bricks and put them on the car.

Nine levels of favorability, there's no time to lose, but I have to give it a try no matter what.

Shen Xin set off in a car.

Turning onto the highway, Shen Xin stopped in a rather desolate area. Under Wan's watchful gaze, he secretly carried a brick up the mountain and threw it there.

Wan tilted his head, staring intently at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin didn't explain and urged him to keep walking.

Turn right, stop in a rather desolate place, and then get out of the car to throw bricks.

They just kept going and throwing things away as they went.

Even Li Shi, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask Shen Xin what he was doing when they arrived at Mabaogou Village.

"Let's solve the case. You can give up, but we police can't."

After saying that, he hurried back the way he came.

Back at Baijiashao, they found some fodder, fed Yiwan well, and continued their journey.

From afar, Shen Xin saw Duan Dongqiang staring at him like a statue.

This time, Shen Xin changed his disposal method again, throwing the trash directly on the vehicle without stopping.

Before throwing it, make sure to get Wan's attention so he knows you're throwing something away.

The location was also random; they chose a remote place.

Upon arriving at Mabaogou Village, they immediately turned back.

On the way, Li Shi suddenly said, "You want the donkey to help you find something?"

Seeing Shen Xin turn to look at him, Li Shi said, "He's a donkey."

Shen Xin nodded: "That's right, he's a donkey. It seems impossible, but what if it works?"

Li Shi frowned and remained silent.

It takes about half an hour to walk from Baijiashao to Mabaogou Village, and a round trip takes at least an hour and a half.

Including the rest time given to 10,000, they made three trips in one morning.

After resting well in the afternoon, Shen Xin called on Wan to set off again.

The same method was used: throwing bricks in different places.

They walked it again, and on the second walk, halfway through, Shen Xin got out of the car and threw a brick. When he came back and called for Wan to leave, Wan stopped moving.

Wan turned his head and shouted at Shen Xin.

Its cries were urgent, revealing a row of large front teeth, and its eyes seemed to be asking: What are you trying to do? When will this end?

This guy went back and forth again and again, and he got annoyed.

Shen Xin patted his butt, signaling him to continue.

He didn't walk, he walked backwards.

Then it stopped and called out to Shen Xin.

Looks like I'm really tired of walking around.

Li Shi, who was in the car, suddenly said, "Why don't you just tell him what you're looking for? Just say... Duan Dongqiang lost your things, and ask him to help you find them."

Shen Xin glanced at Li Shi in surprise.

How did this kid manage to name Duan Dongqiang?

Li Shi avoided eye contact.

I guess he figured it out. It seems Liu Shasha was right; this kid is smart.

However, his point of view is valid.

Shen Xin immediately grabbed Yi Wan and started nagging him.

That guy who beats you every day, he's so mean.

Look, not only did I hit you, but I also lost my things, making me drag you around looking for them every day.

Mentioning Duan Dongqiang brought back memories of the excruciating pain of the whip, and Wan cried out excitedly again.

After calling out for a while, he nodded to Shen Xin.

I think he understood.

Li Shi asked in surprise, "Did he... nod?"

A donkey actually nodded; it had become a spirit.

Wan pulled the cart away, and Shen Xin quickly got in.

After passing Yeyangjing Village, when it was time to go up the mountain, Yiwan stopped again, then pulled the cart around on the spot and headed back.

Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat; he understood, they were still searching.

Yiwan led the two back onto the highway, and just as they were about to turn into Baijiashao Village, they turned around and continued on their way.

Drones buzzed overhead.

Traveling at a leisurely pace, stopping and starting, it truly felt like reminiscing.

After walking for a while, he suddenly started to speed up and jog.

Li Shi stared wide-eyed and said, "Has he remembered?"

Shen Xin didn't say anything, but quickly got on the scooter and followed Wan over the mountain to Mabaogou Village, and then came to the road leading up the mountain.

He stopped, turned his head and shouted at Shen Xin, while shaking his body.

Shen Xin immediately understood and quickly got off the cart to untie the donkey.

After unharnessing the donkey, Yiwan immediately headed up the mountain.

Shen Xin quickly followed.

The mountain road was difficult to travel, but Wan walked steadily, heading straight for the chicken farm halfway up the mountain.

The chicken farm is not yet completed, the buildings are still under construction, and the surrounding wire mesh has not yet been put in place.

The grass on the ground wasn't cleared either.

No need to clean it up; once you raise chickens, it won't be long before nothing grows at all.

There were other people at the scene who saw Shen Xin and his group and went up to ask them questions.

Wan walked straight in, then stopped at the western slope, turned around and called out to Shen Xin in a sobbing voice.

She even opened her mouth and bit Shen Xin's sleeve, pulling him towards her.

Shen Xin stepped forward. This was a gentle slope halfway up the mountain, with the general northwest direction in front of him.

To the right are mountains, and at the foot of the mountains to the left is Mabaogou Village, which runs east-west.

Before us stretched a vast, untouched forest.

Clearly, Duan Dongqiang was probably standing right here, having thrown the item into the ravine in front of him.

In the distance, dark clouds loomed over the city.

But Shen Xin's heart suddenly felt lighter.

Suddenly, he slapped Wan across the face. What a donkey!

(End of this chapter)