Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Early the next morning, many villagers braved the rain to come to Qin Geda's place. They pointed at the sheep pen and discussed what had happened the night before.

Soon, police cars arrived, and officers set up a cordon, taking photos and collecting evidence. Many villagers then began to panic for no apparent reason.

"Little Tian, ​​was Uncle Hai's sheep really stolen?"

Ma Xiangju tiptoed and craned her neck to get closer to a young man. As she spoke, the woman looked very flustered.

"Not only were the sheep lost, but the big yellow dog was also beaten to death, and there's also a lump in his throat..." The young man named Qin Xiaotian wiped his neck with his hand and then replied in a low voice.

"What! Geda was also harmed?" Ma Xiangju almost cried out, covering her mouth with a shocked expression.

"Shh... Old Hai and Uncle Shuangling took Geda to the hospital. I think this time it's a bit serious... Those sheep thieves are really ruthless. They stole the sheep and also killed people. They must all be shot when they catch them!" As the young and capable members of Qin Yunhai's group, Qin Xiaotian and Qin Laishun were the first to arrive at the scene of the crime. They saw Geda unconscious with a poison needle stuck in his neck and thought that Geda had been killed by the sheep thieves like Ah Huang.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiangju's face turned deathly pale. Before she could say anything, another villager interjected, "Xiao Tian, ​​from what you're saying, there's more than one person stealing sheep?"

"There are more than twenty sheep in the sheepfold. How could one person possibly steal them all? Besides, I also heard from Xiao Fu that Uncle Aimin's chrysanthemums were completely destroyed last night. There must have been a group of people deliberately trying to disgust Old Hai!"

Qin Xiaotian's analysis is not without reason. As long as you connect the major events that happened in the village recently with the current situation, anyone can probably come to the same conclusion.

After hearing these analyses, Ma Xiangju was almost certain that the sheep thieves were the "Five Tiger Brothers." How could unrelated people know the situation in the village so well? They could sell the sheep for money, so why would they destroy the chrysanthemum fields? Just like Xiao Tian'er said, wasn't this obviously aimed at Qin Yunhai and his son Qin Aimin?

In Ma Xiangju's view, Qin Yunhai injured Qin Sihu and offended the "Five Tiger Brothers" because he stood up for her. If she didn't say anything at this time, she would definitely be the next one to suffer!

Realizing this, Ma Xiangju could not stand idly by. She stamped her foot, squeezed to the entrance of the courtyard, crossed the cordon, and ran straight toward the police officers inside.

"Officer! Officer! I want to report someone! I know who stole the sheep and even killed someone!"

Ma Xiangju shouted at the top of her lungs, leaving the onlookers stunned. Several police officers also looked at her with great surprise. It is common for witnesses to report criminal suspects, but it is rare to make a public, named report like this.

"Xiangju! You can't act recklessly in front of our police station leaders! We need to produce evidence for everything!" The one who said this was none other than Qin Laishun.

Before Ma Xiangju rushed up, he was explaining the basic facts of the case to the police officers at the police station. He was suddenly interrupted by the woman, but instead of being angry, he looked on with anticipation.

With someone else chiming in, Ma Xiangju was able to better express her demands. In front of everyone, she shouted, "I'm not making a scene! I know who did it—the old hunter's five sons! They killed people! They stole sheep! They destroyed Aimin's chrysanthemum field!"

Seeing the woman's agitation, the investigating officer quickly said, "Don't panic, let's sit down and talk. Who is the victim who was just taken to the hospital for emergency treatment? Also, you've made a formal complaint, what evidence do you have?"

"Evidence? What evidence do you need? It's as obvious as a louse on a monk's head! A while ago, Old Hai stood up for me and angered those bastards, and then they took advantage of the rain to do these despicable things!"

"What is this if not revenge? Boss, go to their house and arrest them right now! The evidence is there!"

Ma Xiangju seemed to be making a fuss, but she pointed the way for the police officers handling the case: the criminals and the evidence were all at the old hunter's house, and if it got any later, the criminals would have already run away!

Upon hearing this, Qin Laishun added fuel to the fire, pulling the investigating officer aside and recounting in detail what had happened in Shuangxitian that day. As the team leader, Qin Laishun's words carried weight, and the officer immediately listed the "Five Tiger Brothers" as key targets for investigation. As for how to investigate and collect evidence, that was naturally the expertise of the investigating police officers.

Afterwards, the police went to the old hunter's house and conducted routine questioning of the five brothers. However, the "Five Tiger Brothers" had already prepared a set of statements, and the rain the previous night had destroyed the traces of the crime. The police did not find any effective evidence, so arrests and interrogations could not be carried out.

The police have not yet made a final decision, but most people in Qinjiazhuang have already listed the "Five Tiger Brothers" as "criminal suspects".

As the old saying goes, the masses have a scale in their hearts. Even without evidence, the people have a standard in their hearts to weigh right and wrong. For a long time afterward, everyone kept their distance from the "Five Tiger Brothers." The villagers who used to work in their small workshops also quit for various reasons, forcing the "Five Tiger Brothers" to pay high prices to find people from other villages to fill the vacancies. Apart from the pressure of public opinion, this was the only loss they had for the time being.

Qin Laishun was dealing with the aftermath when news suddenly came from Qin Shuangling that Qin Yunhai had fallen ill at the county hospital while treating Qin Geda.

Upon hearing this, Qin Laishun did not hesitate for a moment and immediately drove the team's beat-up jeep to the county hospital.

Seeing Qin Yunhai, looking haggard, fast asleep in his hospital bed, Qin Laishun asked his cousin, who was keeping him company, "Shuangling, how is Uncle?"

"The doctor said that Uncle's epilepsy relapsed due to some kind of shock. He's old and has high blood pressure, so this time his condition is much more serious than before. He'll probably have to be hospitalized for a while..." After saying that, Qin Shuangling tucked the blanket around Qin Yunhai again.

"Where's Aimin? Have you notified him?" Qin Laishun asked with a sigh.

"I called the school, and they said someone would be here right away. Luckily, Geda was only given a hallucinogenic drug and has already regained consciousness. Otherwise, the two of us here alone wouldn't be enough!"

Hearing his cousin's words, Qin Laishun's expression softened somewhat. "Shuangling, you stay here and keep watch for a while. I'll go find my eldest daughter and get Uncle a private room..."

Qin Laishun was a very shrewd man, but people are all sentimental, and he was at least very devoted to his second uncle from his own family.

In the past, when Qin Yunhai was ill, he and his cousin were always busy taking care of him. However, to be fair, Qin Laishun knew very well that he was able to secure his position as team leader and have the opportunity to climb the ranks because of the man lying in the hospital bed.