“Don’t say it, this footprint really has a scent.”
“Indeed it has a smell, like the kind we use for our preserved vegetables.”
“I smell it too.”
“…”
The bald man’s wife, hearing this from the crowd, grew anxious. She wondered if her husband had indeed done something shameful, and even brought the evidence home.
No, she had to go and inform the bald man, telling him not to admit to anything, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to stay in Zhang Family Village.
She walked very quickly, unnoticed by most. After everyone had smelled the footprint and confirmed it was the scent of preserved vegetable ingredients, they all agreed with Zhang Liunian’s guess.
“It seems Liunian was right, this must have been done by the bald man.”
“Damn the bald man, if it weren’t for this footprint, we would have been fooled by him.”
“This must have been done by the bald man, otherwise how else could he have brought the ingredients and the footprint back home?”
“Shameless bald man, actually smashing the factory, I’m so angry.”
“I don’t know why the bald man did such a thing. Liunian’s factory benefits our entire village. Doesn’t his family also have someone earning a salary from the factory? Even if he was unhappy, he shouldn’t have taken it out on the factory!”
“Who’s to say? The bald man is truly going too far. Now that the factory is smashed, we don’t even know when we can return to work.”
“So infuriating, the bald man has truly harmed us.”
“…”
Just as everyone was condemning the bald man, he also heard his wife and rushed out, shouting, “Nonsense, I didn’t smash the factory, you’re all slandering me.”
The main culprit had arrived, and the villagers’ pent-up resentment found an outlet. They immediately directed their anger towards the bald man.
“If it wasn’t you, then who? Your own footprint has exposed you. Otherwise, explain why your footprint carries the scent of preserved vegetable ingredients and some ingredient residue. You can’t possibly say you were just passing by and accidentally stepped on it!”
“Exactly, doing such a shameful thing that disgraces our entire village, and still refusing to admit it, is truly shameless.”
“You’ve gone too far with this. Do you know how much these things cost? At least hundreds of thousands. Selling your entire family wouldn’t be enough to compensate.”
“…”
Seeing that everyone didn’t believe him and was using his footprint against him, the bald man started to panic.
When he went to smash it yesterday, he hadn’t considered that his footprint would become evidence. If he had known, he would have burned his shoes before going home.
Then he wouldn’t be in such a passive situation, nor would he have to ask his wife to throw his shoes into the stove to destroy the evidence.
“Nonsense, how can a single footprint prove I’m the one who smashed the factory?
If it’s like you all say, then anyone with footprints around the factory is the culprit?
Besides, I have no reason to do such a thing. My wife also works at the factory. Would I eat excrement to do something like this?”
The bald man vehemently denied what he had done and claimed he had no motive. After speaking, his eyes darted around, and he added, “You said my footprint smelled. Couldn’t you have put that smell there yourself?
I didn’t see anything, for all I know, you might have tampered with it.”
Zhang Liunian stared fixedly at the bald man, noticing his eyes were somewhat evasive, not daring to meet his gaze. His heart sank; this was the look of someone panicking.
It seemed this matter was indeed related to the bald man. He just didn’t know the reason behind it. Regardless of the reason, having done this, he would have to take full responsibility, whether it meant spending years in prison or going bankrupt, these were consequences he would have to bear.
“Everyone has been looking at your footprint all along. It’s impossible for anyone to have tampered with it. Even I, who discovered it first, didn’t touch it, as everyone’s eyes were on it.
As for the motive, it could be revenge or it could be for money.”
The last sentence was merely a test from Zhang Liunian. Unexpectedly, he saw the bald man’s expression shift for a moment. Though it was brief, it was enough for Zhang Liunian, who was closely watching him, to spot a flaw.
For money?
Who gave him money?
Could it be… Zhang Liuxing, who left this morning?
With this thought, Zhang Liunian narrowed his eyes. He didn’t notice that behind him, someone else’s expression also changed upon hearing his words. This person was Wang Xiaoe.
Unfortunately, Zhang Liunian was not paying attention; his entire focus was on the bald man.
“Slander, Zhang Liunian, you can’t look down on us just because you’ve made some money. If you can’t find the real culprit after the factory incident, you want to blame me, and I refuse to accept it.”
The bald man was inwardly guilty, but he would never admit his crime on the surface, nor would he reveal Zhang Liuxing, because compared to Zhang Liunian, Zhang Liuxing was far more troublesome.
“Whether it’s true or not, you can tell the police when they arrive.” Seeing that the bald man was determined not to confess, Zhang Liunian decided to hand the matter over to the police.
The police arrived quickly, just as they were at a standstill.
“Who called the police?” Ma Erduo got off his motorcycle and asked the crowd.
Zhang Liunian recognized him as Uncle Zhao’s friend, Ma Erduo, and smilingly stepped forward, “It was me, Uncle Ma.”
Ma Erduo’s stern expression softened considerably upon seeing Zhang Liunian. “Liunian, I heard something happened at the factory. Is that factory yours?”
Ma Erduo had some inkling of what had happened, and seeing Zhang Liunian now further confirmed that the factory in question belonged to him.
Zhang Liunian smiled, “Yes, the equipment and ingredients in my factory were destroyed by someone. I followed the footprints here. Can you see if this footprint can serve as evidence? It still has residues and the smell of my preserved vegetable ingredients.”
Zhang Liunian briefly explained the situation in a few words and then got straight to the point.
Seeing that the policeman knew Zhang Liunian, the bald man became even more flustered. His feet involuntarily took a step back. His wife saw this and immediately pulled him, giving him a meaningful look.
Ma Erduo gestured for his colleagues to examine the footprints on the ground. They found that, as Zhang Liunian had said, there was a smell and the scent of ingredients like chili and fennel.
“This footprint leads all the way to my factory, and this footprint belongs to the bald man.” Fearing the bald man might escape, Zhang Liunian spoke up to draw everyone’s attention to him.
The bald man gritted his teeth and continued to deny, “I didn’t do such a thing, you can’t slander me.”
Ma Erduo glanced at him. That one glance made the bald man extremely anxious.
“Heh, whether you’re being framed or not, it will soon become clear.” Based on the bald man’s panic, Ma Erduo had reason to suspect him as the prime suspect.
After they matched the footprints and confirmed they belonged to the bald man, and after emerging from the factory, Ma Erduo confirmed the bald man’s guilt.
“Speak, why did you smash Liunian’s factory?” Ma Erduo and his colleagues began to question the bald man.
The bald man naturally refused to admit it. “You are all in league with Zhang Liunian. You are framing me; I did not smash the factory at all.”
Seeing that the bald man was still stubbornly refusing to budge, Zhang Liunian suggested, “Uncle Ma, I think we can search his house. If we find money that doesn’t match his income, or the shoes he wore last night, perhaps we can confirm his guilt.”