Chapter 12, Arcadia

The setting sun was in the west, and the twilight was deep. A melodious sound of a xiao flute came from afar, carrying a mist - like, leisurely sadness. Near the pavilion, a lotus - shaped lamp lit up.immediately after, all the lights in the scenic area on the mountain were turned on. The entire mountain was dotted with lights, presenting a magnificent sight. The evening breeze blew gently, and the air was fresh, filled with the sweet aroma of peaches.

Professor Liang said, "You're already dead."

The man let out an "ah", looking quite surprised.

Matt had been watching warily. If this person wasn't Youngy, then who could he be? Could he be the murderer? Philip Sofia paced back and forth in the pavilion, observing the surroundings. Clearly, this was the crime scene, but it had been carefully whitewashed and camouflaged. The ground and pillars had been cleaned.

Professor Liang pointed at the chessboard and said again, "You're dead. Can't you tell?"

The man dropped the chess piece and said, "Ah, yes, I lost."

Professor Liang said, "You're not Youngy."

The man said, "How do you know?"

Professor Liang said, "The case file records that Youngy is a national - level chess player. How could he be so easily defeated?"

The man said, "That's right. I'm pretending. I'm not Youngy. I'm Teacher Qin from Taoyuan Village Primary School."

Professor Liang looked at the man carefully. He was in his forties, wearing glasses, and didn't seem to be lying. To communicate smoothly, honesty is the most effective way. Professor Liang also directly revealed his identity as a police officer and introduced the other three members of the Special Case Team to Teacher Qin. Unexpectedly, Teacher Qin didn't show any surprise. He said he had known it for a long time and had been sitting here waiting for the Special Case Team.

Amy asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Teacher Qin took out his phone and showed the Special Case Team a text message on it. "Announcement of Wuling County Public Security Bureau: Recently, the so - called major homicide case in our county has been confirmed by the public security organs to be completely false. Please do not believe it. The relevant responsible persons have been dealt with. Those who spread rumors will be severely punished. In addition, the villagers who participated in blocking the road in Taoyuan Village on September 22, 2007, please surrender to the public security organs and strive for leniency. As the Mid - Autumn Festival is approaching, the Wuling County Public Security Bureau wishes all the people in the county a happy family reunion and all the best!"

Obviously, this text message was sent in a mass - message by the local public security bureau, and every resident in the county had received it.

Professor Liang sneered and said, "Trying to cover up only makes it more obvious. It's like the story of 'burying three hundred taels of silver here'."

Philip Sofia asked, "What's the matter with the road - blocking in Taoyuan Village?"

Teacher Qin glanced at the moon, sighed, and said, "It's a long story. Let's go to my house first. Today is the Mid - Autumn Festival."

Teacher Qin lived in Taoyuan Village Primary School. The group drove there together. The mountain road was rugged. Above the peach groves on both sides of the road, a golden moon hung in the sky. The peach trees here were very short, only a little over a person's height. The heavy big peaches bent the branches, within easy reach.

Lanke Pavilion was very close to Taoyuan Village Primary School, and they arrived there soon. Everyone got out of the car and saw a dilapidated campus. The fence had collapsed in several places. The classroom doors had patches on them, and the windows were pasted with newspapers, on which news from a few years ago could still be seen. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a century - old peach tree with intertwined branches, thick and tall. Two ropes on the tree hung a section of railway track, which could be used as a school bell when struck. The tree was bearing huge flat peaches. The flat peaches, whose scientific name is honey peaches, are also known as "fairy peaches".

Teacher Qin moved several desks under the tree. In the moonlight of the Mid - Autumn Festival, he set up a sumptuous dinner. There was wine, meat, and a wide variety of fruits on the table. Professor Liang originally wanted to pay Teacher Qin, but seeing that his words and demeanor were not those of an ordinary person, he gave up this idea to avoid being abrupt.

Teacher Qin raised his glass and said, "You are guests. Today is the Mid - Autumn Festival. Let's finish this glass of wine first."

Professor Liang and Matt drank it all in one gulp. Amy didn't drink alcohol, and for some reason, Philip Sofia had always been on guard against Teacher Qin, so he also claimed that he didn't drink and declined.

Teacher Qin picked up the glass again and recited a poem:

Under the moon, with a sword strike in the breeze,

In the gloomy clouds by the red - flowered bank.

Drunk and borrowing wine in front of Lanke Pavilion,

Tying the thief's head around my waist and going up Liangshan!

Professor Liang said, "Did you write this poem?"

Teacher Qin nodded.

A cricket under the corner of the wall chirped, and immediately, the one under the peach tree also chirped.

According to Teacher Qin, Taoyuan Village Primary School was very small, with only two teachers, one principal, and dozens of students. The students were all children from the village. Besides Teacher Qin, there was another Teacher Tao. Both of them were volunteer teachers, without a salary, only getting a small subsidy. Usually, they also had to grow orchards to make a living.

We should pay tribute to the volunteer teachers in poverty - stricken areas. Those unknown people have made great contributions to China's education.

Since Tao Yuanming wrote "The Peach Blossom Spring", for thousands of years, many scholars and literati have tried to verify where this paradise on earth is, but there has never been a definite conclusion. Currently, more than 30 places in the country are vying for the title of "Peach Blossom Spring", and even Taiwan has a Peach Blossom Spring, all hoping to bring economic benefits to the local area.

Wuling County was the first region to apply to the United Nations for the cultural heritage of the Peach Blossom Spring.

The local government has been vigorously developing tourism, investing a large amount of money to build the Taohuayuan Scenic Area. Wuling County uses "the land of idyllic beauty" as its local tourism brand to attract tourists and domestic and foreign merchants for development and investment. The entire scenic area is under construction in three phases, creating dozens of scenic spots, such as Lanke Pavilion, Qinren Cave, Huoran Terrace, Flat - Peach Fairyland, Taohua Villa, Caiju Academy, Nine - Bend Bamboo Corridor, Wuliu Lake, Mijin Ferry, and Diaoyu Tan.

Relocation and resettlement were the focus of the first - phase project. Taoyuan Village was within the scope of demolition and reconstruction. The government promised favorable conditions. According to the principle of "exchanging houses for houses", it would compensate and resettle the villagers in the city, and also pay for their endowment insurance and rental subsidies. However, the local villagers were reluctant to move. None of them signed the contract, and even the village head took the lead in resisting the demolition.

The local folk customs are tough. Once, a thief who entered the village to steal a cow was beaten to death. When his brother came to claim the body, he was also beaten to death by the villagers.

When the government carried out the first forced demolition, they were driven away by the villagers with hoes. The villagers also blocked the road and injured several demolition workers. The police arrested the village head, and the villagers began to gather in front of the county committee compound to protest, but were dispersed by the police.

Amy picked up a big peach, ate it, and said, "Why do they refuse? Aren't the conditions in the city better?"

Teacher Qin said disdainfully, "Do you think everyone wants to go to your city?"

Teacher Qin began to explain "The Peach Blossom Spring" as if teaching primary school students. "When the Qin Dynasty disrupted the order of the world, the sages hid from the world." The Peach Blossom Spring almost embodies all the dreams of the Chinese people. There is no war, men till the land and women weave. There is no noise of the city, no troubles of the mortal world. Why is "The Peach Blossom Spring" so famous? Because this paradise on earth is the ideal world in the hearts of the Chinese people.

The villagers make a living by growing peaches. Although they are not rich, they live happily.

People living in the city constantly feel anxiety and unease. In those cold reinforced - concrete residential buildings, people may live there for several years without knowing who their neighbors are. Even if there is a life - and - death fight next door, the neighbors still keep their doors closed and no one asks.

Even if the villagers of Taoyuan Village move to the city, they will still be a group of farmers living in the city.

They rely on the mountains and water for their livelihood. Moving to the city means losing their means of living. In this era when it's difficult for college students to find jobs and street vendors' stalls can be overturned by urban management, how can those villagers adapt and live in the city?

Professor Liang looked around and said, "This is indeed a good place for seclusion. It should be very beautiful in spring, right?"

Teacher Qin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes. After a while, he said, "It's not just spring. All year round, you wouldn't believe it. When I close my eyes, I can see the chrysanthemums by the mountain road, the bamboos by the pond, and the peach blossoms all over the mountains."

Amy said, "I believe it."

Philip Sofia said, "The scarecrow made of human skin, placed in the peach orchard, I guess, was not to scare birds, but to scare people."

Matt asked, "Who exactly killed Youngy?"

Teacher Qin looked scared and nodded. He started to tell a story.

The day before the incident of the human - skin scarecrow, accompanied by Township Head Wu of Taoyuan Township, Youngy from the Tourism Bureau, and the director of the relocation office, Hong Kong developers inspected the tourism development prospects of Taoyuan Village. They all agreed that creating the Taohuayuan Scenic Line was a great cause that would benefit both the present and future generations, bringing prosperity to several generations and rapidly developing the local economy.

The county TV station's reporter followed up the report. The camera was focused on several pot - bellied officials, with some people holding umbrellas for them. They stood with their hands on their hips, full of pride, pointing at the land.

There was a scene that didn't appear in the evening news. The reporter interviewed a person boiling rosin by the roadside. The person was wearing a hat and a mask, and a green military uniform. The camera was on him, but he was looking at Township Head Wu, Youngy, and the director of the relocation office. The reporter asked him what he thought of the local tourism development. He smiled and said a sentence in a casual tone:

"If anyone dares to demolish my house, I'll skin him!"

Professor Liang asked, "How do you know about this?"

Teacher Qin said sheepishly, "I was at the scene. At that time, I was standing behind Township Head Wu, holding an umbrella for him."

Philip Sofia asked, "Who is this person boiling rosin?"

Teacher Qin shook his head and said, "He was wearing a mask and a hat. I don't know him either. Judging from his accent, he didn't seem to be a local villager."

Philip Sofia asked again, "Where were you on the night of the incident?"

Teacher Qin took out a platform ticket and a hospital receipt. He explained that this primary school would soon be demolished. Teacher Tao was from another place. That day, he went to the railway station in the city to see Teacher Tao off. By the time he returned to the county, it was already ten o'clock at night. Then he went to the hospital and stayed there all night because the school principal was also injured during the first forced demolition.

Matt said, "Who asked you to pretend to be Youngy?"

Teacher Qin said, "The Public Security Bureau."

After the major homicide occurred in Wuling County, people were in a panic for a while. The Public Security Bureau concealed the news and sent mass - messages to soothe the panicked public. However, the township police station had already reported the case to the highest public security department. The local government was worried that the intervention of the superior would affect the demolition process. So they held a meeting to discuss and decided to cover up the case to the end and let the Special Case Team leave.

In many places, when major casualty incidents occur, the first thing the local government does is to conceal the truth.

Before the Special Case Team came to Wuling County, they had already forged materials, claiming that this was a prank. After the Special Case Team left the Public Security Bureau building, the local traffic police were secretly following them. When they saw the Special Case Team's car driving towards Taoyuan Township, they panicked. After an urgent discussion, someone suggested that Teacher Qin pretend to be Youngy because Teacher Qin and Youngy were about the same age and looked alike. The local government even managed to persuade Youngy's family and made the township police station avoid the scene. The whole hoax was really painstakingly planned.

Professor Liang said, "Your pretense wasn't very successful. Will it have any negative impact on you?"

Teacher Qin said, "Tomorrow, this primary school will be demolished, and the village will no longer exist. What does it matter to me?"

Teacher Qin told the Special Case Team that after the failure of the first forced demolition, the local government, in conjunction with the Public Security Bureau, urban management, security brigade, and construction company, would carry out another forced demolition of Taoyuan Village tomorrow. This time, the scale would be very large, and they would not stop until Taoyuan Village was demolished.

The four members of the Special Case Team all had a premonition that something big would happen tomorrow. That night, they stayed in Taoyuan Village Primary School.

At night, Teacher Qin played the flute alone in the empty campus for a while. It sounded very sad. Then, Teacher Qin picked up two pillows from his dormitory and took them to Amy and Professor Liang who were sleeping in the car. Matt and Philip Sofia slept on the desks in the classroom. The two of them couldn't fall asleep either. They stared at a line of words on the blackboard. It said:

"The best building should be the school!"

Matt told Philip Sofia about his past. Matt said that he had two partners in the past. Once, the three of them were trapped on a desert island. There were no trees or grass on the island, just bare nothing. Matt asked Philip Sofia, "Do you know how we escaped?"

Philip Sofia thought for a while and said, "I don't know."

Matt said, "You can't imagine it. We used a sea turtle as a boat."

Philip Sofia asked, "Who came up with this idea?"

Matt said, "A special forces soldier who had retired for many years and a police officer who grew up in a police station..."

Philip Sofia asked, "Where are they now?"

Matt stopped talking. He thought of many past events. After a while, he fell asleep drowsily. He had drunk a lot of wine and his head hurt a bit. In his dream, Matt saw three people sailing on a boat made of a sea turtle, drifting with the waves on the sea. A golden flying fish leaped up, then fell back into the water and disappeared.

At dawn, the sky was still dark. It was still pitch - black outside. The crowing of a rooster woke Matt up. He walked into the yard of the primary school, sleepy - eyed. Vaguely, he saw a person hanging from the peach tree. He rubbed his eyes, startled. When he got closer, Matt was stunned and horrified. He couldn't believe what he saw in front of him.

The person hanging from the tree was actually Philip Sofia!