After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

"The coroner said that the person's body was covered with sharp cuts, clearly indicating that he was pushed into the water upstream and drifted here with the river."

According to the witness who "saw it with his own eyes," when Xu Wenjie met that person, it was snowing and the ice in the river hadn't melted yet!

If he intended to dump the body into the river, it should have floated downstream. Why was it left in the reeds, creating a potential hazard for himself?

"Besides, I only met him once, why would I want to kill him? And even if I did kill him, why didn't I cut down the reeds along the riverbank? Why did I have to go to that particular place? And I had a child with me..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, agreeing that Xu Wenjie's words made sense.

Hearing this, Old Man Deng in the crowd loudly agreed, "That's right, Scholar Xu has a kind heart. Don't make baseless accusations and wrong an innocent person."

Xu Wenjie smiled gently and gave Old Man Deng a grateful look. That bowl of pork dumplings he gave him back then was definitely worth it.

That's how simple human relationships are: if you treat someone well, they'll repay you tenfold.

Li Quanfu echoed, saying that given Xu Wenjie's character, he would never do such a thing.

Master Zhang was already looking for trouble, and now that Li Quanfu had opened his mouth, he became even more excited and said coldly, "...Li Lao Er, don't be too happy yet."

Li Quanfu spread his hands, his face full of worry, and said, "The person was found in our village, but the case has no clue. How can I be happy?" Then he turned to the crowd and asked, "But do any of you villagers have any clues?"

The already simple and honest villagers suddenly felt that Xu Wenjie was a good person, and they all started saying nice things about him. In particular, Old Man Deng took the lead in telling Uncle Zhang not to make wild guesses and wrong an innocent person.

It's important to understand that although Li Quanfu was the village head, the Zhang family was deeply entrenched in Laoya Village. On the surface, the villagers invited Li Quanfu to take charge of matters big and small, but in the end, it was the three Zhang brothers who had the final say.

But to Zhang Sanye's surprise, Xu Wenjie, a newcomer from out of town, actually started inciting the villagers to fight against the Zhang family.

Master Zhang was so angry that his face turned green. He subconsciously slammed his hand on the table, only to find that there wasn't even a table next to him.

He angrily lowered his hand, slammed his cane on the ground, and pointed at Xu Wenjie, saying, "And what are you! How dare you talk to me like that? Don't be so sure you're on the wrong side!"

His narrow eyes revealed a sinister glint, and his gaze was fixed intently on Xu Wenjie, as if he wanted to scrape a layer of skin off him.

Xu Wenjie seemed not to have seen it, smiling as usual, and even politely cupped his hands and said, "I am just a humble scholar who, relying on the empty name of my ancestors, managed to pass the imperial examination and become a minor scholar."

“How could I dare to disrespect Master Zhang? But everything is based on reason. Taking sides is all just talk. You can’t just put such a big pot on my head with empty words. Don’t you agree? Although I am poor and destitute, I am still from an honest and upright scholarly family.”

Xu Wenjie calmly and casually deflected all of Zhang Sanye's questions. He always kept a low profile and never boasted that his status as a scholar made him superior to others.

He never intended to use his status as a scholar to intimidate others, but when necessary, he hoped that this status could also provide him with some protection.

For example, right now, even the people in the government offices in Qingshan Town have to treat him with respect. As a commoner, Master Zhang San is even less likely to tarnish his reputation for no reason.

Zhang Sanye was illiterate and relied on his seniority in the village to be flattered by everyone. He was used to being domineering and naturally wouldn't think so much. He just felt that Xu Wenjie's arrival had embarrassed him and made him even more unhappy.

He glanced at him with a cold smile, about to say something more, but didn't notice that Second Master Zhang next to him quickly gave Fourth Master Zhang a wink.

Master Zhang understood, a subtle glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. Before Master Zhang San could speak, Master Zhang Si stepped forward, grasped Master Zhang San's cane, shook his head, and signaled him not to say anything more.

To everyone's surprise, Third Master Zhang ignored everyone's attempts to stop him. He forcefully shook off Fourth Master Zhang's hand and continued to sneer, "A scholar? A scholar who kills someone doesn't have to pay the price..."

"Third brother! Shut up!"

However, before he could finish speaking, a deep, aged voice interrupted him.

The voice was somewhat similar to that of Master Zhang, but this voice had more steadiness and depth.

Xu Wenjie didn't need to look up to know that the voice belonged to Master Zhang.

Zhang Sanye, who had been yelled at by his older brother, was naturally unable to hold back his anger. He wanted to go over and argue with Zhang Erye, but he was held back by Zhang Siye.

"Third Brother, Second Brother has his reasons. Let's go back and talk. There's no need to make a scene here. When has Second Brother ever wronged us?"

After Master Zhang's explanation, Master Zhang indeed calmed down, though he was still muttering something under his breath.

However, Master Zhang has already started building a platform for Xu Wenjie.

"Scholar Xu is magnanimous, so please don't hold it against us ignorant old men from the village. Third Brother always says what he thinks, but he doesn't mean any harm. He just wants to help Quanfu as much as possible..."

Master Zhang Er's face was full of wrinkles, his skin was dark, and his hair was gray. He didn't speak as aggressively as Master Zhang San.

They also looked at Li Quanfu, implying that he should help mediate.

"Master Zhang, you're too kind. How could I possibly trouble you?" Li Quanfu chuckled, pretending not to understand, and did not give a reply.

Who is Xu Wenjie?

He lost his father at a young age, and his mother's only request was for him to see, speak, and do more. In addition, he saw a lot of things while fleeing from the war, and he knew what kind of people said what kind of things. Although he didn't know very well what kind of person Master Zhang was, he could guess about 70 or 80 percent of it.

Compared to someone like Third Master who openly opposes you, it's someone like Second Master Zhang, who hides a knife behind a smile, who is far more frightening.

Xu Wenjie couldn't help but shake his head and smile. Why was he thinking about these things now? He should hurry up and deal with these matters so he could go home and help Xu Zhuzhu manage the garbage station.

Xu Wenjie still adhered to the principle of not hitting a smiling face and did not embarrass Master Zhang.

The reputation the Zhang family has built up over the years in Laoya Village is not unfounded. It's unthinkable that arguing with them for a couple of sentences could affect their prestige in the village.

If he were to fall out with the Zhang family because of this, and consequently implicate his wife and two children, causing their newly settled life to vanish, then he would be utterly wicked.

Since Master Zhang Er wasn't making things difficult for him, and Master Zhang San wasn't causing him any more trouble, Xu Wenjie had no reason to show any displeasure. He simply smiled and chatted with Master Zhang Er.

"Second Master, what are you saying? I've only had a few years of formal education and haven't experienced as much as you have. I apologize for any offense I may have caused you, Second Master Zhang and Third Master Zhang."

Zhang Siye, who was supporting Zhang Sanye, also came over with a smile and said, "As expected of a scholar, he speaks eloquently and logically, much more so than us old folks."

Xu Wenjie feigned modesty and laughed, saying, "Not at all."

After a few rounds of joking and laughing, Zhang Erye finally made the decision: he would take the lead in asking around among the villagers to gather more information about the clues, and then inform Li Quanfu to report it to the authorities.

Li Quanfu was happy to be free, and Xu Wenjie had no objections, as long as he wasn't implicated.

The villagers of Laoya Village, who were standing nearby, held their breath and dared not utter a sound when they heard the Zhang family talking to Xu Wenjie, especially when it came to things like the scholar becoming a commoner and the yamen.

When Uncle Zhang stepped forward and persuaded Xu Wenjie to put on a smiling face, all the villagers breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that things have come to this, there are no useful clues, and instead a lot of meaningless trouble has been caused. Li Quanfu feels very sorry for Xu Wenjie.

After hearing this, Xu Wenjie waved his hand, telling Li Quanfu not to take it to heart, and then the two discussed dispersing the crowd.

With a loud bang, Li Quanfu sent the villagers back to their homes and to their mothers.

However, Master Zhang San still had a sour face, ignored the persuasion of Master Zhang Er and Master Zhang Si, angrily shook off the cane that Master Zhang Si was holding for him, and left without looking back.

Master Zhang the Second and Master Zhang the Fourth exchanged a glance, a look of disdain flashing in their eyes simultaneously.

idiot!