Chapter 3 Survey Investigation

When asked about it, Wang Guihua instinctively pulled at her tank top, trying to cover the scars on her body. I glanced over and, through the loose and baggy tank top, I indeed saw several bruises on Wang Guihua's body, particularly on her abdomen and lower back, which appeared to be caused by some kind of impact. As I took a few steps, I noticed similar marks on her back.

Before getting closer, a strong smell of pig manure wafted out. Several sows were rolling in the mud, making grunting sounds, their bodies covered in mud, occasionally rooting around in the ground with their noses, their teats swaying beneath them. Following the captain, they watched the sows for a while.

Firstly, the comrades from the sub-bureau have a relatively good understanding of Niulan Village. It is essential to conduct a thorough investigation in Niulan Village, ensuring that the first crime scene of the homicide is located and the murder weapon is identified. Additionally, an investigation should be carried out throughout the village to ascertain the character of Zhang Fushun and Wang Guihua.

Captain Shi nodded, glanced into the interrogation room, and then said: "Wang Guihua has two suspicious actions. First, such a significant event has drawn the entire village to watch, and there are even children among the crowd, yet Wang Guihua arrived late. Second, when family members see a corpse, they naturally need to identify it first. Moreover, Zhang Fushun's body was severely damaged, and she began to cry and go mad when she was still three to four meters away from the body. It seems we need to thoroughly interrogate Wang Guihua."

At the same time, Captain Shi summoned the village chief again. The village chief, draped in a coat, hurriedly arrived here and said: "Leader, you must catch the murderer. Our village has not experienced such a heinous incident in hundreds of years. As the village chief, I bear a heavy responsibility. If we cannot catch the murderer, I..."

From the perspective of Wang Guihua's dishonesty, I have conceived a scenario: around July 5th to 12th, Zhang Fushun may have returned home, perhaps having consumed some alcohol, and picked up the farming tools standing by the door to start beating Wang Guihua. Wang Guihua might have been accustomed to this, but the tolerance of a person is limited.

Perhaps Wang Guihua could no longer endure such domestic violence, rising up in resistance, killing her husband and then disposing of the body in a dry well. However, this raises two issues: first, why is there no blood evidence in the house, and second, what was the murder weapon? If these two questions are not resolved, even if Wang Guihua had a motive for murder, it cannot be definitively established that she was the one who committed the act

We walked back and forth in the house several times, but did not find anything suspicious. This is an ordinary farmhouse courtyard; it is not like the dry well area, which should have been sealed off immediately. No one would enter the scene to cause damage. Captain Shi was staring blankly at the pigs, seemingly lost in thought.

It can be confirmed that Wang Guihua is lying, but there are two possibilities: one is that the injuries on Wang Guihua were not inflicted by Zhang Fushun, and the other is that the injuries on her were indeed caused by Zhang Fushun. However, this would imply that she has seen Zhang Fushun in the past few days, and the latter possibility is more likely.

Captain Shi fell silent for a moment, then said: "There is also this possibility. Inform the brothers in the bureau, thank them for their hard work, and search carefully in the village and its surroundings. The crime scene cannot be very far away." After saying this, Captain Shi fell into deep thought again. After the notification, I stood beside Captain Shi and began to contemplate the possibilities of this case.

Zhang Dongcheng should be on his way home now, Captain Shi nodded, took a puff of his cigarette, and asked: "Does Zhang Fushun often hit Wang Guihua?"

Captain Shi specifically instructed: "Check Zhang Fushun's medical records..." I was somewhat puzzled, and Captain Shi seemed to sense my confusion, explaining: "In the cases I have encountered, there have been instances where individuals were killed because their families could not afford the exorbitant medical expenses and no longer wished to support this burden."

I heard Captain Shi's voice from outside, saying: "Captain, do you mean Wang Guihua?"

Wang Guihua appeared somewhat hesitant, and under Captain Shi's repeated questioning, it was revealed that it was Zhang Fushun who used various farming tools to do it. Wang Guihua said: "In the village, how many men do not beat their wives? My husband is relatively better; he only hits me after drinking..."

Zhang Fushun's small courtyard is not far from a dry well, and there are no neighbors on either side. After the incident, Zhang Fushun's home had been sealed off by the police who arrived later. When we arrived, the forensic expert had already completed the report. As we reviewed the report, we entered Zhang Fushun's small courtyard. Upon entering through the main gate, directly opposite were two rooms, one large and one small. The smaller room was used for storing some grains and vegetables, while the larger room was the living quarters. On the east side of the courtyard was a small kitchen, and on the west side were a makeshift pigpen and a toilet. Upon entering through the main gate, directly opposite were two rooms, one large and one small. The smaller room was used for storing some grains and vegetables, while the larger room was the living quarters. On the east side of the courtyard was a small kitchen, and on the west side were a makeshift pigpen and a toilet.

"How did you get the injury on your body?" Captain Shi glanced at Wang Guihua and asked

Upon hearing this, the village chief looked around and said, "Isn't that the case? Most people in the village know about it and have advised him. Zhang Fushun has also promised not to hit his wife, but after a few drinks, it turns into a small fight every three days and a big fight every five days; it cannot be stopped. However, when he is not drinking, Zhang Fushun treats his wife quite well. As for men, sometimes hitting women is considered normal. Do you suspect that it was Guihua who did it?"

The criminal investigation team split up to take action, with a group going to investigate Zhang Fushun's relationships during his lifetime, while I followed Captain Shi to the interrogation room. At this moment, Wang Guihua had already regained her senses. According to Wang Guihua, her husband Zhang Fushun worked in the city, following a contractor to various construction sites, and generally did not return home. Wang Guihua stated that her husband had not come home for two months.

Yang Xiaojuan's speed was remarkable; before we had even interrogated Wang Guihua, she had already examined Zhang Fushun's medical records: "Zhang Fushun's alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels are elevated, likely due to years of alcohol consumption. He has previously been hospitalized for liver issues, but the costs were not very high, and with medical insurance, his family could fully afford it. It should not lead to murder over such matters!"

The identification team also found several knives in Zhang Fushun's home, including a kitchen knife, a machete for chopping wood, various farming tools, and a slaughtering knife used for pigs. However, upon comparison with the wounds on the body, it was determined that none of these knives were the murder weapon, and the blood found on the slaughtering knife was not human blood

Captain Shi said: "Of course, capturing the murderer is our responsibility as police officers. I came to ask you about the character of this Fu Shun."

Returning to the police station, through the investigation of the household registration files, we were able to gain a basic understanding of Zhang Fushun's situation. Zhang Fushun, male, aged 54, of Han ethnicity, has a wife named Wang Guihua and a son named Zhang Dongcheng, who is a university student and is currently not in Niulan Village. When we notified Zhang Dongcheng, we learned that he is working in another location and stated that he would return immediately.

At the moment Captain Shi was speaking, his phone rang; it was a call from Wang Gang: "Captain Shi, we have a lead here!"

The village took out a box of Hongta Mountain cigarettes and handed one to me and Captain Shi, lighting them for us. He took a puff of smoke and then said: "Fushun, he has grown up alongside me. He doesn't have many hobbies, just enjoys drinking. Usually, he works in the city, returning every one or two months to bring back his wages, staying for just a few days before leaving again"

Upon hearing this, an indescribable feeling surged in my heart, somewhat bittersweet. The two of them walked out, and I said: "During those days, Wang Guihua must have seen Zhang Fushun; some of the injuries are new..." Captain Shi nodded and said: "Indeed, let's go to Wang Guihua's home; there should be a wealth of clues there"

A student, unable to endure the bullying from classmates any longer, fatally stabbed seven of his former tormentors with a dagger. An elderly man, having reached his limit with his daughter-in-law's scolding, bludgeoned her head into a pulp with a cane. These individuals possess great patience, but once they choose to resist, the consequences are often extremely severe

The report indicates that luminol fluorescence reaction experiments were conducted in each room, revealing a blue-purple reaction within the premises. However, upon comparison with the DNA of the deceased, it was found that the blood did not belong to the deceased Zhang Fushun, but rather to Wang Guihua. Furthermore, Zhang Fushun had sustained multiple stab wounds, which should have resulted in a spatter pattern of blood; yet, the blood traces found in the room did not exhibit such characteristics.

With a sigh, the village chief continued, "I never expected such a thing to happen. He is usually quite honest, but when he drinks, he tends to lose track of his own limits. His son Dongcheng, now that's a university student! He can't even recognize a single character, yet his family has managed to raise a university student. How many people envy that? When people talk about Fushun, they don't call him Fushun; they call him the father of the university student!"

"Has Zhang Fushun had any conflicts with anyone before, and has he seen any suspicious individuals recently?" Captain Shi continued to inquire

Secondly, during the remaining time, the twenty-four-hour interrogation of Wang Guihua must extract useful information from her. Currently, as the primary suspect, this represents the most significant breakthrough.

Since the murderer chose to dispose of the body in the dry well, it indicates a deep familiarity with the village, knowing that this place generally would not attract many visitors. Therefore, it is highly likely that the murderer is a resident of this village. At this point, Captain Shi stroked his stubble and said, "We need to return to the police station; there are two matters that require urgent attention. One is to determine the location of the first murder scene, and the other is to thoroughly investigate individuals who have had grievances or conflicts of interest with Zhang Fushun over the past few years... Moreover..." Captain Shi stroked his stubble again and reiterated, "We need to return to the police station; there are two matters that require urgent attention. One is to determine the location of the first murder scene, and the other is to thoroughly investigate individuals who have had grievances or conflicts of interest with Zhang Fushun over the past few years... Moreover..."

Thirdly, a further autopsy on the body must be conducted, ensuring that useful information is extracted from the minutest details to assist the team in determining the direction of the investigation

I said: "Perhaps this is not the primary scene? The primary scene is located elsewhere?"

Captain Shi asked: "What are you doing from July 5th to around July 12th"

After a long while, Captain Shi came back to his senses from his contemplation. Subsequently, he made several phone calls. He probably assigned some work tasks, as the case was significant, and the criminal police from both the municipal bureau and the sub-bureau were temporarily under Captain Shi's management

The village chief shook his head repeatedly and then said: "That cannot be. When a couple fights at the head of the bed, they make up at the foot. There are also other women who get beaten. If that were the case, wouldn't seven or eight men in the village be dead? Guihua is usually carefree and doesn't care about being beaten. I fear the culprit cannot be someone from the village..."

"No," Wang Guihua said

Wang Guihua: "What else can I do? Feed pigs, grow vegetables; which household in the village is not like this"