Liu Kai Xuan also returned after finishing work and taking a stroll through the market.
By calculation, if Sha Zhu had gone to the market, the time they would have returned home should have been one after the other.
However, stewing a chicken takes time.
It takes nearly an hour to stew a whole hen into soup.
If Sha Zhu went to the market after work to buy a chicken and then stewed it, it couldn't have been ready so quickly.
But when Sha Zhu explained the situation just now, he had already clarified the time and the process.
It wasn't easy to retract what he had just said.
"That's right, this chicken was indeed bought from the market!"
Sha Zhu forced himself to explain, "Our Tan Family Cuisine has a unique secret method to make chicken soup very quickly!"
"And it's delicious, not tough or greasy. My good skills shouldn't be illegal, right?"
This fellow Sha Zhu was thick-skinned enough.
Even at this point, he couldn't forget to praise himself.
But at this moment, an old man from the back of the crowd suddenly walked out and said.
"That's not right, Sha Zhu. I saw you when you returned from work!"
"But I saw you empty-handed, with nothing in your hands?"
"You said you went to the market to buy a chicken after work. Could it be that I misremembered?"
"That's right!"
Sha Zhu said loudly, "Brother Wang, you indeed misremembered!"
"When I returned from work, I was carrying a bag, and inside the bag was a chicken!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? My old man and I were chatting at the door at the time. You clearly came back empty-handed!"
Wang Ge's wife, Liu Lijuan, also came forward to clarify.
Sha Zhu was truly caught in the lurch this time.
"Liu Lijuan, are you deliberately looking for trouble? I have no grudge against you, why do you have to maliciously smear me?"
"Who is deliberately smearing you?"
Liu Lijuan retorted, "You're the one opening your eyes and talking nonsense!"
"My old man and I both saw you come back empty-handed!"
"If this chicken was stolen, just admit it honestly!"
"We're all neighbors in the same courtyard. If you confess voluntarily and compensate for the loss, perhaps Kai Xuan will forgive you!"
Sha Zhu retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I steal a chicken?"
"If you suspect me of stealing a chicken, then please produce evidence!"
"If you talk nonsense without evidence, I will sue you for defamation!"
Wu Xue said sternly, "Comrade He Yuzhu, I hope you will take this matter seriously!"
"I'm giving you one last chance. Think carefully about how this chicken was obtained!"
Sha Zhu firmly replied, "This chicken was bought from the market, I can be sure!"
"Alright, since you insist that this chicken was bought from the market!"
"Then please sign this record."
"We will go to the market later to verify the situation with the relevant vendors!"
"This..."
Sha Zhu's expression turned stiff again.
If he signed the record now, he would have to take responsibility for his words.
It wasn't that Sha Zhu stole the chicken. If he lied to the investigators, it would also be a crime.
This chicken was given to Sha Zhu by Bang Geng, asking for his help to "process" it.
Bang Geng didn't say how this chicken was obtained.
But now it was almost confirmed that Bang Geng had stolen this chicken from Liu Kai Xuan's house.
Sha Zhu had already picked up the pen, but after hesitating for a long time, he did not sign.
Finally, Sha Zhu chose to confess the truth: "This chicken was given to me by Bang Geng!"
"Bang Geng said he wanted me to help him make a pot of chicken soup!"
"Bang Geng again?" Wu Xue suddenly realized.
At the same time, Qin Huai Ru felt her vision go black, almost fainting on the spot.
Bang Geng was also standing nearby.
This time, Bang Geng responded very readily: "This chicken was indeed given to Sha Zhu by me!"
"But I didn't steal it, it was given to me by Yi Zhonghai!"
Yi Zhonghai immediately became furious, "Bang Geng, you little brat, I think you don't want to live anymore!"
"You dare to slander me so openly?"
"I'll beat you to death today, you little beast!"
"Stop it!" Zhang Dajun immediately stepped forward, grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm, and stopped his violent actions.
Wu Xue said sternly, "Tell us, Yi Zhonghai, through what channels did you obtain this chicken?"
"How... how would I know where this chicken came from? This is clearly a chicken stolen by Bang Geng from Liu Kai Xuan's house!"
"That's not right?"
At this moment, Zhao Feiyan asked a question, "Both of our chickens are missing, why is there only one chicken now!"
"Where is the other chicken, why has it not been found yet?"
"We found some chicken feathers in Yi Zhonghai's house earlier!"
"And now Bang Geng has confessed that Yi Zhonghai gave him that chicken!"
"If Yi Zhonghai really stole the chicken, then the other chicken must also be in Yi Zhonghai's house!"
Yi Zhonghai retorted, "Zhao Feiyan, you are purely slandering me!"
"What does your family's lost chickens have to do with me?"
Zhao Feiyan retorted, "Yi Zhonghai, stop quibbling!"
"Since you said you didn't steal the chicken, how do you explain the chicken feathers found in your house?"
"That little beast Bang Geng is deliberately framing me!"
"Sha Zhu already said that Bang Geng gave him the chicken!"
"This is obvious, and you're still arguing with me?"
Wu Xue asked, "Yi Zhonghai, you don't mind us searching your house, do you?"
"I..."
Yi Zhonghai's mood was unspeakable.
On one hand, he wanted to continue to clarify his innocence, and on the other hand, all the evidence pointed to him.
At this point, if Yi Zhonghai continued to play dumb, it would only increase the suspicion against him.
There was no other way, so Yi Zhonghai could only grit his teeth and respond, "Of course, please come in!"
Yi Zhonghai believed that he was innocent and had nothing to fear.
What he never expected was that this search directly caught him red-handed!
The police found a bag in Yi Zhonghai's kitchen.
Inside the sack was a dead hen.
"How is this possible!"
Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai's face changed drastically. "How could these things be in my house? This is impossible..."