Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 118: Zuo Xingyu’s Interrogation: Ye Lei’s Tenderness (1/2)
Chapter 120: Chapter 118: Zuo Xingyu’s Interrogation: Ye Lei’s Tenderness
Zuo Xingyu asked meticulously, “Where were you on the night of the third day of last month?”
“That evening, I went to Big Mouth Li’s house.” Di Yelei did not conceal anything.
Zuo Xingyu raised his eyebrow in surprise, apparently not expecting Di Yelei to be so straightforward, before returning to his serious demeanor and continuing with his questions.
“What did you go to his house for?”
“Some days ago, my silver was stolen. On the edge of my courtyard wall, I found traces of the thief climbing into my courtyard, with a six-fingered print on the left hand. The only person nearby with six fingers on their left hand happens to be Big Mouth Li.”
“What did the two of you talk about when you met?”
“Nothing! Big Mouth Li wasn’t home. We had no choice but to return without seeing him. Just as we were leaving the village entrance, we saw two suspicious shadows from afar. We hurried to follow them…”
“By ‘we’, you mean who and who?”
“I and Zhang Peng! We followed the two all the way to the riverside. Those two seemed to have a dispute, but their voices were very low. I only faintly heard words like ‘silver, Third Master’. After a moment, one of them left, and Big Mouth Li cursed and went back, bumping into us.”
“Go on.”
When Di Yelei stopped, Zuo Xingyu urged him to continue.
Di Yelei didn’t mind the other party’s attitude, nodded and continued.
“At that moment, I was furious, rushed forward and grabbed his collar to confront him. He refused to admit that he stole the silver, and I swung my fist and hit him a few times before he finally gave in. I forced him to return the silver, but he said the silver was at his home and took me to get it. When we got back to his house, he hesitated for a long time but couldn’t show even a single copper coin. I hit him twice more, and only then did he say that he had placed the silver at his lover’s place. We were halfway to his lover’s house, when he played dead on the ground, refusing to move.”
“So, you killed him afterward?” Zuo Xingyu frowned with a headache.
“How could that be? As I said before, I’m not the killer!” Di Yelei snorted, resentment boiling within him.
Zuo Xingyu’s eyes were dark and unfathomable, revealing nothing.
Di Yelei sorted out his thoughts: “I forcefully pulled him up, but his waistband loosened, and a silver ingot fell out. I clearly recognized that this silver ingot was the meeting gift my father gave to Sisi as a bride. It turned out to be with Big Mouth Li after all! In the end, I punched him once more, then left him and went home. By the time I returned home, it was already daylight.”
Zuo Xingyu remained silent for a moment before asking, “Were you and Zhang Peng together from beginning to end?”
“No! When Big Mouth Li took me back to his house to get the silver, Zhang Peng went back already. The rest of the journey was just me and Big Mouth Li,” Di Yelei shook his head.
Zuo Xingyu stood up: “Can anyone testify for everything you’ve said?”
“Zhang Peng!”
“He can only testify that you and Big Mouth Li went out together. What about the events afterward? Have you any other witnesses?”
Di Yelei was somewhat dumbfounded!
He thought for a moment, scratching the back of his head: “… Big Mouth Li is never in the village during the day, so I could only catch him at night. At this late hour, where could I find a witness?”
“I am a constable, and I only gather evidence!”
Zuo Xingyu’s eyebrows were furrowed meticulously, forming the shape of a character meaning ‘river’: “That will do for now. If there are any other requirements, I will come to find you again.”
Di Yelei hastened to agree, before sending the two out of the courtyard.
Watching the two leave, Di Yelei frowned, feeling that the situation was out of his control. Then he thought, ‘If one’s conscience is clear, there is no need to fear slander’, and realized that he had nothing to be afraid of.