The Republic of China Conspiracy Records

Chapter 5 Ruan Lang Returns (4)

The two of us screamed one after another, which naturally alarmed the owner of the shop. He came in with an oil lamp and shouted, "Gentlemen, what's the matter? You're screaming in such panic?"

When we entered the door, we saw the two of us at a glance. One was lying motionless on the bed, the other was ashen and dull, and there was a round thing on the ground.He was a little old, and his eyes were not very good. He didn't know what was on the ground for a while, so he squatted down to look at it.

I just watched him move closer to the head, and even lifted the hair with his hands, intending to remind him, but I couldn't speak anyway, so I had to watch him lift the head, put it in front of my eyes and look carefully, Then he let out a muffled groan, fell to the ground, then rolled and crawled, staggered and ran out, shouting: "Killed! Killed! Killed!" It's hard for him to run so fast at his age, And how loud it can be.

The owner of the store is Baojia, who is responsible for maintaining law and order and mediating neighborhood disputes. When he found the girl's head in his store, he immediately reported it to the town office. I woke up from the splash of water, and then took me to the town hall.

The matter is easy to say, I explained the matter in a few words in the town hall, Ruan Lang went to pull out the black silk, but he took out a head attached to it, Ruan Lang and I said the same thing, and did not quibble about the head He didn't take it out of his pack.Seeing that the facts were clear, the people from the town hall didn't make things difficult for me, and released me quickly.

As for Ruan Lang, the people in the town office believed that he maliciously killed a girl under the pretext of exchanging blue silk, cut off her head and hid it in a bag, and brought it back to her residence to show off to others. The scissors hidden in his bag were still stained. With blood stains, it seems that the head was cut off with scissors. The evidence of the crime is conclusive. He will be detained in the town office and will be escorted to the county by Xiangyong. The county will deal with it. If there is no accident, he will be sentenced to death.

I left the town office the next morning and went back to the store. The homicide in Luolian town had already caused a sensation in the whole town. Group after group of people flocked to Baojia’s shop to inquire about the details. The shop owner was still in shock and kept going out Chasing them away, he said: "Don't talk nonsense, the town will naturally give everyone an explanation about the two gentlemen. Who died? I didn't see clearly, I only knew it was a girl. My old man lived a long time, but I have never seen a head that was separated from the neck. At that time, I was so scared that my legs were limp. I didn’t dare to look at whose head it was. You want to know who died, a girl from a town died at home, can you Do not you know?"

Someone from the crowd of onlookers answered, "It's really strange. After this night, I still don't know whose girl that Ruan shopkeeper killed."

The owner of the store said: "Impossible! Who's dead girl, can't the family still find out?"

The man said: "That's why it's so strange. After one night, the whole town knew about Ruan's shopkeeper exchanging blue hair and even the girl's head, but it's just that no one died. Don't you think it's strange? "

Someone nearby said, "Perhaps the Ruan shopkeeper brought it from another place, not from the town, so no one knows."

The owner of the store said: "Impossible, I see that head is still bloody, running all the way, where can I take it with me? Has anyone died in this town?"

The man replied: "A few days ago, there was a girl who hanged herself on the attic with black silk, and now the corpse is at home, but the girl hanged herself before the Ruan shopkeeper came, and the Ruan shopkeeper But it doesn't matter."

The owner of the store said "Oh", only then did he realize that I walked in from the crowd, and hurriedly said to me: "Mr. is back."

When the crowd of onlookers saw me coming back, there was a lot of fear in their eyes. These are kind-hearted mountain people, and they will never have anything to do with the murder case in their entire life. I was uneasy, as if I also had a murderous look on my body. The owner of the store was talking to me, and they all made excuses to leave. After a while, there were only me and the owner of the store left.

The owner of the store said to me with emotion: "I never expected that Mr. Ruan was such a cruel person. He killed someone and brought his head back with him. He almost scared my life away."

I sat down on the chair by the table and said: "This is also what puzzles me. Assuming that the girl was really murdered by him, it's fine if he killed someone. Why did he cut off her head and bring it back to me on purpose?" What do you see?"

The owner of the store was also puzzled and said: "Yes, after killing someone, isn't he just trying to cover up his eyes and ears, why did he show you that head on purpose?"

I rested my chin and said: "This is what makes people puzzling. Besides, he just came to Luolian Town, why did he have such a deep hatred with others, and wants to kill and cut off his head?"

The owner of the store seemed unable to turn his head, but responded to me and said, "Yes, why is that so?"

I sighed and said, "Master, has he come back after going out yesterday?"

The owner of the store thought for a while and replied, "I came back at noon and went out again after having dinner."

I asked, "Did you ever see him go back into the back room?"

The owner of the store said decisively: "No, I went out after eating, I went out directly, and didn't go back."

I asked him, "Are you sure you haven't gone back?"

The shop owner said: "No! I just sat there and talked to him. After lunch, he seemed in a hurry and pushed the cart out again."

I said "oh", thinking to myself, if Ruan Lang came back that day and put the package in the house, maybe someone stole into the back room and put the head in his bag, but he always He didn't go back to the back room all day, that is to say, he always carried the package with him, so how did the black hair turn into a head with hair without being noticed by him?Or did he really kill the girl, cut off her head and hid it in the bag, and then showed it to me on purpose, trying to cover it up?The so-called fainting from fright was just pretending?

I clearly remember that he told me happily that night that the girl seemed to have that kind of meaning for him, and he himself was more interested in that, but I couldn't accept that he cut off her head in a blink of an eye.

I thought about it, and suddenly remembered something, and asked the shopkeeper, "It is said that no one knows who died?"

The owner of the store said: "Yes, it's really strange. Luolian Town is such a small place, and it has not been reported that someone died unexpectedly. I don't know how it happened. Could it be that the person who died was not from the town?"

Before I could reply, the shopkeeper said timidly again: "Sir, someone died in the shop, do you still want to live here?" I thought he was worried that I didn't want to live in his shop anymore, and was about to I comforted him not to worry, and after seeing his expression, I realized that he was not afraid that I would not live, but that I would continue to live here.

It seems that he is just like other mountain people, he regards anyone related to human life as an ominous person, and doesn't want me to live in the store anymore, but I have nowhere to stay except here, so I had to beg him cheekily: "Master , I really have nowhere to go except your shop, so I have to continue to bother you, patrolling the city and passing letters to people, and what I do is also a meritorious deed, so please allow me to disturb you for a few days."

The owner of the store felt embarrassed when he saw me say that, so he quickly agreed.I went back to the back room and saw that Ruan Lang's bed was empty, and I was a little sad. The distance between our two beds was only more than one foot, which happened to only allow one person to stay.I sat on my own bed, thinking that there was a bloody head less than two feet away from me last night, and I shuddered a little.

The book on the head of the bed is still there, and I have to carry some small things for others when traveling around the city. Naturally, I can’t bring too many of my own things. I only bring a change of clothes and a book to soothe my worries all year round. .This book has been with me for many years, and I have read it by heart, but I haven't turned a single page in the past two days.

I picked it up casually, the book had a crease on a certain page, and I thought, was this the last time I saw it?I have read this book too many times, and every page is equally familiar. I don't remember exactly which page I saw last time.

I put the book in the package. Originally, all the letters from Luolian Township had been delivered, and all the letters to be sent out had been collected. I could leave long ago, but thinking of Ruan Lang's usual jokes, he still looked like a teenager. I can't believe he's going to kill someone.

Strange things happened to him, I think, first he asked about his father who had been lost for more than ten years, but after finding a woman with a wealthy family in Luolian Town, she stubbornly claimed that she was his father. Get a head back.I sighed, put the package away, and decided to make another trip to the town hall.

When I arrived at the gate of the town office, the gatekeeper Xiangyong heard that I wanted to see Ruan Lang, and immediately shook his head like a rattle, and I begged him: "I am a city patrol horse, and I came with him all the way. If you come to meet him before you leave, please make sure it’s convenient.”

Na Xiangyong said nervously: "There has never been a murder in Luolian Town. This is to escort people from Shangxian County. The mayor of the town ordered me to guard it. The responsibility is heavy, so I dare not let you in."

I was about to ask him to say a few more words, but the mayor came out upon hearing the sound. Seeing that it was me, most people would respect a city patrol horse who delivered letters, so he said, "Since you are a city patrol horse who writes letters from home, Just let him meet for a while." Naxiang Yongjian the mayor said so, and then let me in.

Walking into the small courtyard of the town hall, Ruan Lang was locked in a room. He was looking out through the window at this time. Seeing that it was me, he immediately shouted: "Sir, sir."

Xiang Yong at the door scolded him: "What's your name?"

He immediately fell silent and didn't dare to call out again.I looked at the mayor, the mayor nodded, and said to the Xiangyong who was standing at the door: "You go to the gate of the courtyard to guard, and let the master talk to him a few words."

I nodded gratefully to the mayor, and after the mayor asked Xiangyong to guard the courtyard gate, he went into another room, leaving only me and Ruan Lang looking at each other through the window.Seeing that everyone was leaving, Ruan Lang whimpered at me: "Sir, sir, I didn't kill anyone. Huh, why would I kill her?"

I frowned and said, "But why did that head appear in your parcel for no reason? Tell me, after you received the silk yesterday, did you ever go back and put the parcel in the house?"

Ruan Lang shook his head and said, "No, I went back to eat lunch and then went out again. I always carry that package with me and put it in the car."

He said the same thing as the owner of the shop.I asked him: "Then when you collected it, did you really only have black silk?"

Ruan Lang became anxious, and shouted: "Sir, don't you believe me? If I had collected a head at that time, would I have taken it out and shown it to you in the room?"

I stared at him: "Then I don't understand. How could Qingsi suddenly turn into a head in the package you have been carrying with you all this time? If you said that you put the package back yesterday, it is possible that someone took that thing You secretly put it in your bag, but you carried it with you all day yesterday, and in this case, only you can put the contents in the bag."

Ruan Lang looked at me and wanted to say something, the corners of his mouth moved, but he didn't make a sound. Seeing his appearance, my heart moved, and I immediately asked: "You have nothing to say, it's all like this It's time, what else can't you say? If you don't say it, you won't have a chance to say it again. "

He hesitated for a moment, looked around, and then said softly: "I know who killed him!"

My surprise was no small matter, Ruan Lang actually knew who killed the man, and immediately asked loudly: "Who? Who killed it?"

Ruan Lang was obviously anxious again, and said to me: "Sir, please speak softly."

I had no choice but to hold back my temper, lowered my voice, and asked, "Who is it?"

Ruan Lang looked at me and said softly, "Mrs. Luo."

I was dumbfounded, I didn't expect him to say Mrs. Luo, Ruan Lang saw that I was silent, and said softly: "I came back from collecting Qingsi the other day, and passed by the backyard of her house, she still asked me to go in, I took the car I parked in the backyard of her house and went in with her, but she said that she had lost a pair of scissors. I saw that the pair of scissors with my name engraved on it was not on the table. I thought about it, and only she had the opportunity Put that thing in my bag."

I was a little angry and asked scoldingly, "Why didn't you say something so important?"

He looked at me a little strangely, and said softly: "I don't think she will harm me."

I couldn't laugh or cry, at this time he still thought that woman was his father and would not harm him!I ignored him and planned to go to the mayor and tell the mayor what he just said no matter what. I can't just watch him die innocently for others.Unexpectedly, I was about to go to the mayor, but the mayor poked his head out from another room and called me softly, "Sir, sir."

I walked over in response, the mayor signaled me to enter the house, and asked me to sit down, I was about to tell him something, the mayor rubbed his hands, walked up and down the house, as if there was something important to do It was a general decision, and I found it strange. Just as I was about to speak, the mayor walked up to me and said solemnly: "It's hard to handle, sir."

I wondered: "What's wrong?"

The mayor pursed his lips and said, "Sir, you must find it strange that the peddler took out the blue silk but took out a head. Why hasn't anyone reported the case to such a big matter, and I don't know whose girl was killed so far?"

I nodded quickly, and said: "Everyone is talking about it, is it true that the girl is not from the town?"

The mayor looked at me seriously, shook his head, and said, "Before you and Shopkeeper Ruan came to Luolian Town, at the attic at the end of the town, there was a girl who hanged herself to death on the attic with her long hair. Now, she has no father and no mother, she is alone, she has been staying at home these days, and the town is preparing to bury her in a few days."

I was a little confused, so I asked, "So what? What does it have to do with this matter?"

The mayor stared into my eyes and said word by word: "The peddler took out that girl's head from the package!"

As soon as his words came out of my mouth, I immediately shuddered to the marrow, and I couldn't help shivering in broad daylight.Ruan Lang went to collect Qingsi, and a girl sold Qingsi to him, but the girl had hanged herself with Qingsi before he came!
The dead girl was so strangled by the black silk that she went downstairs and sold the green silk to the man who exchanged it.I can't help but think of the story that Ruan Lang told me on the way to Luolian Town - Qingsi Knot, or Qingsi Jie?

(End of this chapter)