The Village Head led Liu Ming'an into the crowd. Being tall, Liu Ming'an could see the corpse by the pond over the heads of the people. Although it was too far to see clearly, Liu Ming'an felt the body looked somewhat familiar.
"Everyone's here now. Let's all wait here for the government officials to arrive and give instructions," the Village Head said, sweeping his gaze across the crowd with a solemn expression.
Everyone stood waiting about thirty feet away from the corpse, as instructed by the Village Head, to preserve the scene for the officials' investigation.
"Brother Ming'an," a young girl's clear voice sounded beside him, lacking its usual cheerfulness and sounding somewhat subdued.
Liu Ming'an turned to look and saw it was indeed He Yiyi. Behind her was a teenage boy, her brother He Dong, whose face was rather pale.
"Brother Ming'an," He Dong also called out, following his sister's lead. The boy was going through puberty, and his voice was coarse and unpleasant, which made him reluctant to speak much.
Liu Ming'an nodded to the siblings and casually asked, "Did you just arrive?"
He asked this because He Yiyi's family lived quite far away, even further than Liu Ming'an's home.
To his surprise, He Yiyi shook her head and said, "Little Dong discovered it first, then he came home to call me, and I went to find the Village Head."
Liu Ming'an looked at the young boy beside her, understanding now why his face was so pale.
"Who died?" Liu Ming'an asked again.
He Yiyi didn't answer but quietly pointed in a certain direction. Liu Ming'an followed her gesture and saw a woman kneeling on the ground, sobbing into her hands.
It was He Wen's mother. Beside her, He Wen's brother He Wu sat on the ground, looking at the corpse with a complex expression.
Liu Ming'an took another careful look at the body, and he knew.
The dead man was He Wen!
Suddenly, Liu Ming'an felt a sharp pain where he had hit his head earlier.
How unpredictable life was. Just hours ago, this man had been so arrogant and domineering, and now he was nothing but a corpse.
"Yiyi, come here!"
This sharp rebuke interrupted Liu Ming'an's thoughts. He turned to see He Yiyi's Mother glaring in their direction, her eyes full of reproach.
This was He Yiyi's first time seeing a dead body, and she was quite shocked. At this moment, she just wanted to stay near Liu Ming'an, so she pretended not to hear her mother's call.
But her mother was an impatient woman. Seeing her daughter not responding, she pushed through the crowd to personally drag He Yiyi to another spot.
Liu Ming'an watched as He Yiyi's Mother pulled her daughter, causing her to stumble, all while scolding, "You're a young lady, always sticking to men. Have you no shame?"
He Yiyi protested, "Mom, I was just talking to Brother Ming'an."
"You think I don't know what's going on in that head of yours? I'm telling you, it's not happening!"
As the mother and daughter's voices faded away, Liu Ming'an let out a sigh of relief. Heaven knows, he only ever had brotherly feelings for He Yiyi, but her mother guarded against him as if he were a thief.
Liu Ming'an rubbed his aching head, stepped out of the crowd, and leaned against a tree. He gently massaged his temples as he quietly waited for the officials to arrive.
After a while, Liu Ming'an felt someone's gaze upon him. He looked around and discovered it was He Zhao's mute wife who was watching him.
Liu Ming'an had seen this woman a few times before. She was usually very timid and hardly ever made eye contact with anyone. He wondered why she was looking at him today, and why she had covered her face with a cloth, leaving only her eyes visible.
Although Liu Ming'an found it strange, he still gave her a gentle smile.
The entire village waited until the sun was almost setting before they finally heard the sound of horses' hooves, signaling the arrival of the government officials.
"Officers, it's right here. This humble villager has gathered all the villagers here to facilitate your questioning. No one has touched the body during this time," the Village Head immediately went to greet the officials, speaking respectfully.
Four people had come from the yamen: two constables, a coroner, and a clerk responsible for taking notes.
Upon hearing the Village Head's words, the coroner smiled, "You've been very thoughtful, old man. Thank you."
The Village Head nodded repeatedly, replying, "It's our duty, of course."
The crowd automatically parted to let the four officials approach the body.
Liu Ming'an watched as the coroner crouched down beside the corpse and examined it meticulously from head to toe, checking the nails, mouth, nose, and ears, even combing through the hair. Then he took out silver needles and inserted them into He Wen's tongue root, throat, and stomach area.
Throughout this process, the coroner muttered to himself while the clerk continuously wrote in his ledger.
Meanwhile, the two constables began to inspect the area around the body, moving outward inch by inch, paying particular attention to the footprints. They stroked their chins thoughtfully as they observed.
The villagers had fallen silent, watching their actions with curiosity. Only the Village Head looked worried, fearing that if it truly was a murder case, it would disrupt the peace of the village.
About half an hour later, all four officials stopped what they were doing and huddled together, discussing in low voices.
Liu Ming'an saw the coroner ask something, to which the constables shook their heads. Then the constables asked something in return, and the coroner also shook his head.
It seemed they had reached a conclusion.
Just as this thought crossed Liu Ming'an's mind, one of the constables raised his voice to address the crowd.
"Fellow villagers, after our investigation, we've determined that this man got drunk, stumbled to the edge of the pond, fell in, and accidentally drowned. It was an accidental death, not a murder case. You can all rest easy."
The Village Head let out a sigh, the worry leaving his brow. He clasped his hands and bowed to the four men, saying, "Thank you, officers! Thank you!"
The coroner waved his hand at him, smiling, "No need for thanks, old man. It's our duty. Our task is complete, so we'll be heading back to the yamen now."
With that, the four men mounted their horses, cracked their whips, and disappeared in moments.
After watching the officials leave, the Village Head turned to face the villagers, a clear smile on his face. "It's all right now, it's all right. Go home and have your meals. Everything's fine."
If it had been anyone else who died, the Village Head certainly wouldn't have been smiling. But the deceased was He Wen, a scourge who had plagued the village for years. The Village Head felt it was divine retribution and would have liked to set off firecrackers in celebration.
Most of the villagers shared the Village Head's sentiment, wearing varying degrees of smiles as they dispersed in twos and threes, heading home to cook and rest.
In a moment, most people had left. He Wen's mother and He Wu remained in their original positions, both seeming dazed.
Liu Ming'an saw the Village Head walk up to the mother and son, speaking earnestly, "Mrs. He, don't take offense at an old man's words, but He Wen's death might be a blessing for your family."
The woman's tears began to fall again upon hearing this.
The Village Head continued, "You know better than I do how He Wen has been carrying on these past years. The inheritance his father left was enough for the three of you to live comfortably for life, but what happened? He squandered it all on drinking, gambling, and whoring!"
Recalling He Wen's misdeeds, the Village Head's tone became indignant. He pointed at He Wu and said, "Not to mention little Wu here. Such a hardworking and honest good boy, yet he still hasn't been able to find a wife. You know the reason for that too."
"Uncle Zhong, please stop, I understand," He Wen's mother cried. "I failed in raising my son. I gave birth to a beast who harmed himself, harmed little Wu, and harmed our neighbors. To tell the truth, I used to pray every day for his death. But now that he's really dead, my heart still aches. I can't control it, this feeling in my heart..."
Liu Ming'an looked at the gray-haired, weathered woman, feeling a pang in his heart. If his mother hadn't passed away, she would probably be about the same age.
"Ah!" The Village Head patted He Wu's shoulder and said to them, "Blood is thicker than water, after all. Bury him and put an end to this life's relationship. From now on, you two can live peacefully. No one will ask you for money anymore, no one will beat or scold you. Your days will get better and better."
Hearing this, Liu Ming'an felt a heaviness in his heart. As he walked home, even his steps felt weighed down.