dkrc Chapter 33 The Sacks in the Forest Farm
Chapter 33 The Sacks in the Forest Farm
Zhao Defa didn't finish his sentence.
But everyone understood.
The young man who had been chasing after her with the stick had lost his momentum and now his palms were covered in cold sweat. Luckily, Chen Shi stopped him.
The men holding shovels also looked grim.
The wind blowing from the Hetao region was so cold it made people's ears ache.
Chen Shi glanced at the crowd.
Tian Youshan stood at the back of the crowd, well hidden by several men, and found the safest spot in the entire place. He was as quiet as if he had taken a mute drug.
Now that Li Cheng had vented his anger, he immediately turned to Tian Youshan, his voice even louder than when he had banged on the basin, "Captain Tian, why are you so quiet? Weren't you so smug just now? You chickened out at the sight of those thugs? Humming around like a girl hiding behind someone..."
"Get lost? Who gave you the right to speak?" Tian Youshan retorted in a muffled voice.
"What's wrong? You're not letting people talk about it? If you ask me, Tian Guizhi is bolder than you."
"If it weren't for you and Chen Shi running up the mountain every day, how many years would it have been since your village was attacked by wolves? Just like his father..."
Mentioning Chen Mancang, the villagers fall silent. Chen Mancang's skills were once the hope of Kaoshantun, but also an unhealable scar.
He led the men of the village up the mountain, and never came back.
Because of this incident, many families in the village had reservations about the Chen family. They had indeed benefited greatly from Chen Mancang's influence, but no benefit could compare to a human life.
Chen Shi looked at him coldly, "Team Leader Tian, are you trying to pin the blame on me?"
Tian Youshan was used to this kind of behavior and didn't seem guilty at all. "I didn't name names. Everyone is listening. Things in the mountains have a keen sense of smell. It's possible that you, a young upstart, don't know the taboos."
"Okay." Chen Shi nodded. "Let's make things clear in front of everyone today. How did that piece of chicken intestine in the back ditch come about? Did I lead the green skin down there, or is someone else up to no good and doing something shady?" Chen Shi said.
"Chicken intestines? How would I know where they come from?" Tian Youshan said. "Why don't you tell me how many times you've gone up the mountain, how many people your father led that got into trouble back then, and now you're going up the mountain again, who knows what you're doing there?"
"Talking big is pointless," Chen Shi said. "Let's go take a look, and everything will be clear then."
Chen Shi dared to say this because he knew that this was definitely not a coincidence. It wasn't just one or two chickens that attracted the wolves.
These days, only Tian Youshan has the skills to attract wolves.
"Alright, let's go take a look. It'll be good to clean things up, so those beasts won't bother us again." Zhao Defa made the final decision.
Chen Shi turned and walked back, and the crowd instinctively made way for him.
Chen Shi walked to the reeds, pressed down the reed stalks next to him, and revealed the piece of food that the wolf had just eaten.
As soon as the reeds fell, everyone who was watching saw it.
Underneath the snow, there were not only chicken intestines, but also a few fish gills, broken bones, and... a corner of a tattered burlap sack.
"Look," Chen Shi said, pointing to the snow, "the snow pits here were made by people. The footprints are all at the bottom, and the shrew's imprints are on top. The people came first and threw things away, and then the shrew came."
A murmur arose from the crowd.
Old Scarface's eyesight wasn't good. He squinted and stared for a long time. "My goodness, it really is like that. Someone is deliberately luring wolves in."
"Who's so wicked?"
"Isn't this playing with the lives of the villagers?"
"Damn it, you almost killed me! Don't let me find out who it was."
"Chen Shi, stop trying to shift the wind direction. Who knows whose sewage was pulled out by a dog?" Tian Youshan immediately began to explain when he saw the wind direction was wrong.
Chen Shi ignored him, pulled out the sack, and there was still blood on the corner of the sack. The blue characters on the sack were not big, but everyone present recognized the two characters "Forest Farm".
Now, everyone's gaze changed.
"What does a tattered sack prove?" Tian Youshan said. "The things in the forest aren't locked in cabinets; anyone can just take something."
"You have such a big mouth, you can say anything." Li Cheng chuckled. "One minute you don't know, the next you say it's like a dog carrying something, and now that the sacks from the forest farm are out, you're saying anyone can take them. You just believe whatever you say."
Tian Youshan turned to Zhao Defa, "You're the captain, tell me, what does this pile of rotten waste prove?"
Zhao Defa didn't say anything. He used his feet to rub the snow off the sack, then turned over the broken bones at the bottom. When he stood up, his face was expressionless.
"It doesn't prove anything." He said slowly, "Chicken intestines aren't from just one or two chickens. Greenskin was led to the edge of the village by this thing and almost hurt someone. I have to go to the commune forestry station, bring these things with me, and have the farm headquarters check what's missing from the workers' shed, who killed the chicken last night, and who poured out the wastewater."
Tian Youshan's expression was uncertain. "Zhao Defa, what do you mean?"
"It's nothing, just follow the rules. If it was done by people from the forest farm, make the farm administration give us an explanation. Dahai, pack the things up."
Da Hai immediately responded, taking off a tattered glove to wrap it.
"Isn't it a bit much to make such a fuss?" Tian Youshan stepped forward, looking a little flustered.
The moment those words were spoken, the meaning completely changed.
Li Cheng laughed even louder, "Captain Tian, didn't you just say you'd take responsibility? Now you're looking for someone to take responsibility!"
"Are you trying to pressure me with the factory management?"
Chen Shi stared at Tian Youshan and said, word by word, "We're going to ask the farm headquarters if it's illegal for the people of Kaoshantun to gather firewood since they can't survive. We'll also have the police investigate which despicable person is trying to harm the people in the village."
Tian Youshan finally understood that this kid wasn't just arguing for no reason; he was clearly using this incident to push him to the brink of death.
Originally, he only thought that this incident would discourage Chen Shi from going up the mountain every day. Now, things have gotten worse; once he goes to the forestry headquarters, a whole bunch of things will be exposed. When the factory director calls the forestry station, he won't be able to explain himself no matter how hard he tries.
"...You can collect firewood in Kaoshantun."
"Do you need more police?"
"Need not."
"What about the brand?"
"Turn it back..."
"Write it down, make him write it down."
Someone in the crowd said something that immediately drew agreement from those around them.
The old scarred man took out some cigarette paper he had on him and handed it to him with a hint of reluctance. "Write it down, write it on the back. You can still use it to roll cigarettes when you don't need it anymore."
Tian Youshan took the pencil stub from Zhao Defa, squatted on a rock, and wrote slowly and heavily.
"Chen Shi, he actually wrote it. You're amazing." Li Cheng gave Chen Shi a thumbs up.
Chen Shi wasn't very happy. If he hadn't caused trouble and brought in the thugs, and if Zhao Defa hadn't taken a strong side behind him, Tian Youshan wouldn't have backed down at all.
As Tian Youshan was leaving, he passed by Chen Shi and said, "You and your father are exactly the same."
The crowd benefited, which alleviated some of the panic caused by the green-skinned man.