A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 40
Chapter 40: The Unlucky Luo Shuigen
“Luo Shuigen!”
Someone suddenly shouted loudly from the yard.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Luo Shuigen was a little surprised. The voice sounded unfamiliar. Who would come looking for him at this hour? Just as he was about to step out and check, two burly strangers rushed in, knocked him to the ground without a word, and skillfully twisted both his arms behind his back, forcing his head hard against the ground.
“What are you doing? What do you want?” Luo Shuigen panicked.
“Luo Shuigen, we’re from the Shuikou Police Station. Do you know why we’re here for you? Did you really think what you did would just blow over so easily?” one of the men barked fiercely.
Luo Shuigen really had no idea. “I just electrofished a few fish in Luo Changqing’s pond not long ago. I only sold them for thirty yuan. Are you arresting me for that?”
“You think we’ve got nothing better to do than nab you over a few fish? Where were you the night before last? Now you should know why we’re here, right?” the plainclothes officer pressed him.
“I went to Shangjiao Village. My aunt’s family had a funeral, so I went to eat the funeral feast. I accidentally brushed against Cai Xiumei. I swear I didn’t mean it—I saw her nearly trip, so I reached out to help, but somehow I touched her ***.”
Luo Shuigen spoke nervously. In truth, he hadn’t been “accidental” at all—he had taken advantage of the moment. Still, the two policemen seemed at a loss; this wasn’t the confession they’d expected. They’d received a report from Hemawan and had pegged Luo Shuigen as their prime suspect.
“When exactly did you go to Shangjiao Village?” the other officer asked.
“That afternoon. We usually go in the afternoon when attending such occasions. Because it’s a bit far, we set off around four and arrived at Shangjiao around five-thirty.”
“Who can vouch for you?”
“Who can vouch for me? A whole busload of people went together—they can all testify.”
“And what did you do this afternoon?” the policeman pressed.
“I… I didn’t do anything.” Luo Shuigen answered sheepishly.
“Nothing? The victim has already called the police, and you say you did nothing?” The officer’s eyes hardened.
Luo Shuigen stammered, embarrassed: “This afternoon I went to Hemawan Primary School. Wang Mengmeng is my old classmate. I heard she nearly got assaulted the day before yesterday. When I came back, I was furious—if I ever find out who that bastard was, I’ll skin him alive. So this afternoon I just wanted to see if I could run into that guy. And I also thought I’d escort Wang Mengmeng home.”
“And what else did you do? Wang Mengmeng’s family called the police saying you tried to r*** her,” the officer said.
“I only pulled her hand! Then someone threw a stone at me. Hey—wasn’t that guy the real r***ist?” Luo Shuigen suddenly remembered being hit.
“You mean there was someone else there today?” The officers perked up at this lead.
“Definitely. He was hiding in the bushes. I didn’t see him, but he threw a stone at me. Look—hit me right here.” Luo Shuigen pointed to a swollen bump on his head.
“What about all the other injuries on your head?” The officers noticed several wounds.
“It’s been a cursed day. Just as I was about to go find the guy in the woods, a crazed sparrow came out of nowhere and pecked at my head nonstop. I had no choice but to run. Now I suspect that guy hiding in the woods was definitely the r***ist. He saw me there and couldn’t act, so he threw a rock instead.”
“You still need to come with us to the station.”
“Why are you still suspecting me? That day I really went to my aunt’s house—lots of villagers know it. And today, I didn’t do anything to Wang Mengmeng!” Luo Shuigen wailed.
“Whether you did or not isn’t for you alone to decide.”
The two policemen hauled him into their car.
Word spread quickly through Hemawan that Luo Shuigen was the r***ist from the other day. But a few days later, he was released. The police had verified that he was indeed in Shangjiao Village that day. Still, his reputation in Hemawan was ruined. Girls would run home in fright at the mere sight of him. His name had always been shady, and now it was completely rotten.
The police, of course, had no way of finding out who had actually been hiding in the woods that day, nor did they think to follow the “sparrow clue” that would have led them to Luo Tianwang. After all, who could imagine that a sparrow would be so closely tied to a child?
Teacher Wang Mengmeng didn’t attend school for several days. The shock had been too much for a young woman to bear. After some time, she returned, but only because her family escorted her every day.
Meanwhile, Luo Tianwang’s five little crows were gradually becoming well trained. Sometimes they would line up above the pond and circle like patrolling guards. White egrets in formation weren’t rare, but five crows in a row? That was unheard of. People in Hemawan thought it was strange, but when it came to Luo Tianwang, strange things were nothing new.
At first, a few kids came to watch, but after getting scolded at home a few times, no one dared to wander to the pond anymore.
Luo Shuigen still often loitered around Hemawan Primary School, but Wang Mengmeng always looked at him with disgust. She was constantly guarded by others, so he couldn’t get close—only stare from afar.
“Did you hear? Tianwang’s got himself a flock of crows now. Even stranger than that sparrow of his. They can even fly in a line!”
“Who doesn’t know that? Luo Tianwang’s under Meishan’s influence. There’s something uncanny about him. My parents won’t even let me walk past his house.”
Listening to those kids wander off, Luo Shuigen’s face grew complicated. He had clearly heard the word “sparrow.”
“Sparrow! Luo Tianwang!”
Of course, Luo Shuigen had heard about Luo Tianwang. The boy was the strangest kid in the whole village. But what caught his attention was the sparrow.
Luo Tianwang had raised a sparrow! A sparrow attacking people was unheard of. Yet Luo Shuigen himself had been pecked bloody by one. This wasn’t simple. He decided he would go to Luo Tianwang’s house to see for himself.