Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Li Mingjie had only asked the question casually out of caution, but after hearing the explanation, he put aside his doubts and waved his hand.

"Then there's no problem. I was overthinking it. Let's get back to the case."

Do you have any specific suspects?

Before Zhao Lei could speak, the impatient Qin Bowen immediately spoke up first.

"Officer Li! We are 100% suspicious of Chen Fugui from the supply and marketing cooperative!"

"Besides our own family, he's the only one in the whole village who knew we had musk deer pods!"

"The price negotiation yesterday went wrong, and we held a grudge. That very night, my house was burgled. What a coincidence! It's definitely him holding a grudge and getting revenge!"

Li Mingjie held a cigarette between his fingers, took a deep drag, and slowly shook his head to analyze the situation.

"Your logic makes sense, but in handling cases, we only rely on evidence."

"Without substantial evidence, it is impossible to identify a person based solely on coincidence and speculation."

"Moreover, judging from the case details, the thief broke into the house at night by climbing over the wall and stealthily, without the whole family noticing. He was quick and skillful, and definitely a seasoned criminal who has been committing crimes for many years."

"I know Chen Fugui. He weighs over 200 pounds and is clumsy. He has difficulty walking and cannot possibly climb over walls to break into a house and steal easily. It is highly unlikely that he did it himself."

Zhao Lei nodded sincerely, secretly agreeing in his heart.

As expected of a professional police officer, his analysis was clear and logical, and every sentence made sense.

He praised her on the surface, striking a perfect balance.

Having dealt with people outside the home for many years, Zhao Lei has become well-versed in human relationships and social dynamics.

Everyone loves to hear compliments and receive recognition, especially public officials. Appropriate praise is far more effective than arguing or questioning in motivating people to work diligently.

A few sincere words of recognition can bring people closer and make them take you to heart.

Sure enough, Li Mingjie was very pleased with Zhao Lei's repeated praises. The more he looked at Zhao Lei, the more pleasing he became. He felt that this young man of the same age was insightful, sensible, and exceptionally compatible.

He immediately stood up, speaking with enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, I have a plan for investigating this."

Zhao Lei quickly pressed, "What's your plan, Officer Li?"

"The thief was skilled and extremely audacious; he must be a layabout in town with a criminal record who has been stealing chickens and dogs for years."

As Li Mingjie spoke, he walked to the filing cabinet behind him and rummaged through it.

"I'll pull up the files of all the people with prior theft convictions in Qingfeng Town. You can check them against the files."

"Check if any individuals have recently loitered around your Peace Brigade, or if they have any grudges or conflicts with you or Chen Fugui."

Zhao Lei immediately showed his gratitude and offered sincere compliments.

"Thank you so much, Officer Li! Your dedication and commitment to serving the people are a blessing to the people of Qingfeng Town!"

"It's my duty, it's what I should do."

Li Mingjie pretended to be nonchalant, but he was secretly delighted and full of energy. He immediately opened the thick stack of criminal records and prepared to investigate the clues one by one.

Li Mingjie muttered place names as he flipped through the files: "Jinfeng Town, Tuanjie Township, Heping Brigade, Qingshuigou Taiyang Production Brigade..."

He pulled out all three case registration files from Tuanjie Township and began searching through them carefully.

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen stood quietly to the side, without uttering a single word of urging.

Li Mingjie would occasionally pick up a piece of draft paper and jot down names.

A few minutes later, he handed Zhao Lei a draft paper filled with more than a dozen names.

"Comrade Zhao Lei, take a look. This is a list of people in our Tuanjie Township who have a history of theft. See if there are any people on this list who are highly suspicious."

Zhao Lei reached out and took it, then huddled together with Qin Bowen to examine it closely.

They were both quite surprised after only a quick glance.

Many of the people on the list, who seemed honest and law-abiding in their daily lives, actually had records of theft.

Zhao Lei pointed to a name on the paper and asked疑惑地问道, "Officer Li, are all these people arrested and have solid criminal records?"

Li Mingjie shook his head.

"Not entirely. Some people committed more serious thefts, while others only had civil disputes, where the perpetrators compensated for the losses and obtained the victim's forgiveness, thus avoiding criminal charges. But they all had a history of petty theft, so I've compiled a list of them all. So, any suspects?"

Zhao Lei's gaze fell on a name, and he asked, "Officer Li, what's the background of this Qin Dajun?"

Qin Bowen also chimed in, his face full of surprise: "Yes, Qin Dajun is my cousin. He's always been a very nice person and takes good care of me. How could he have a record of theft?"

Li Mingjie's expression immediately became serious.

"Oh? You think he's a suspect? Wait a moment, let me check the records."

He pulled out the corresponding file, quickly glanced through it, and explained, "Qin Dajun isn't a repeat offender. Years ago, he and a few other young men stole an old hen from a family in Taiyang Township. They later paid compensation and apologized, and the family forgave them. Comrade Zhao Lei, you suspect he did it? He is indeed from the Heping Brigade."

Zhao Lei quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, I was just asking casually. He's my cousin, I don't think he'd come to steal from my house."

Li Mingjie sternly reminded Zhao Lei: "Comrade Zhao Lei, you can only know a person's face, not their heart. You can't rule out suspects based on subjective impressions. The perpetrator may very well be hiding in your circle of acquaintances. Investigating a case requires evidence and motive; you can't exclude someone based on your own assumptions."

After saying that, he picked up a red pen and drew a red circle over Qin Dajun's name to mark it.

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen did not offer any further explanation and continued to scroll down the list.

Before long, the two circled several more names as key targets for investigation.

The first one is Zhao Laosan from Qingshuigou.

Li Mingjie immediately shook his head in denial: "Comrade Zhao Lei, have you forgotten? This is the person who stole your fishing boat last time. He has already been sentenced to seven years and is currently serving his sentence in prison. How could he possibly be out here committing a crime?"

Zhao Lei slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "Oh dear, look at my memory, I almost forgot about that."

Li Mingjie then pointed to the next name: "This Chen Youfu, he's over fifty years old. What grudge do you have against him?"

Zhao Lei replied, "I don't have much contact with him personally. His wife, Qin Sufeng, is a well-known matchmaker in the surrounding area. She had a conflict with my family before, and I publicly reprimanded them once."

Li Mingjie nodded, picked up a pen, and wrote three words on the side: "There is a grudge."

Then he pointed to the last name: "Qin Yaojie, what's his background?"

"Qin Yaojie, nicknamed Lai Mazi," Zhao Lei said calmly. "His name sounds decent, but he's ugly and rotten to the core, completely unlike his name. I have a lot of grudges with him."

Qin Bowen added from the side, "That's right! Last month when we were renovating our brick house, Lai Mazi came over and threatened to ruin my brother-in-law's life."

Li Mingjie's eyes lit up: "Oh? In that case, this person should be listed as a prime suspect."