Chapter 95 A Guilty Heart

Shen Cuifen's voice choked uncontrollably.

But she didn't stop.

She knew she had to make things clear today.

Otherwise, this injustice may never be heard by anyone in this lifetime.

The Shen family members stood behind her, their fists clenched tightly.

Their eyes were red-rimmed, and tears welled up in their eyes.

That incident weighed on their hearts like a heavy stone for twenty years.

After Shen Cuifen finished speaking, the entire courtyard fell silent instantly.

All eyes were on her, filled with shock, sympathy, and disbelief.

Even the air felt heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Even Li Fangfang, who had been so aggressive just moments before, was now deflated and unable to utter another word.

After a long while, Yang Zhicai let out a slow sigh, his voice low and solemn.

"So, you did have a motive to kill!"

He turned his head and stared into Shen Cuifen's eyes.

“Shen Cuifen, I’ll say it again: confess and you’ll be treated leniently, resist and you’ll be punished severely. Things have already escalated to this point, so stop trying to cover anything up. The more you make a scene, the less good it will do you.”

As he spoke, Yang Zhi gave Lu Guizhen and Shen Xuelin a meaningful look.

There was a warning in his eyes, and a probing look.

"Officer, I have been telling the truth all along."

Shen Cuifen did not avoid his gaze; instead, she straightened her back.

“I didn’t kill anyone. I admit that I did fight with Lu Jianguo recently, just to vent my anger, but it was just a few shoves, I didn’t kill him at all. Last night, when my daughter and I came back from town, he was gone.”

She paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

“People from the town’s supply and marketing cooperative can testify! I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home and didn’t go anywhere! I got back from town at around 8 p.m., and I didn’t even have dinner. I went straight into the house and fell asleep. My daughter can testify to that, and the neighbors could hear me closing the door.”

Shen Cuifen spoke clearly and logically, without the slightest ambiguity.

Her eyes were open and her tone sincere, which naturally inspired a sense of trust in people.

Just then, a clear voice broke the silence.

"Officer, I can vouch for you!"

Lu Fuhua, the child who had been hiding behind the adults, suddenly emerged from the crowd.

He walked straight up to Yang Zhi.

“I saw my dad take the chicken my mom had saved and run out of the kitchen! It was already dark, and I thought he was going to feed the dog, but he went to the river... I didn't dare follow him, but I really saw it!”

It turned out that when the police first arrived, Lu Fuhua was so frightened that he hid behind the door and didn't dare to say a word.

After listening for a while in the room, I heard Shen Cuifen talking about the past.

Seeing her insisting on telling the truth even with tears in her eyes, he suddenly felt that he should also stand up.

In fact, Shen Cuifen had been waiting for Lu Fuhua to speak up and testify.

She knew the child was home at the time and might have seen something.

She held onto a sliver of hope, but to her surprise, the child was terrified and remained motionless.

Seeing him step forward, a hint of relief flashed in her eyes, and her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

Yang Zhi looked into Lu Fuhua's eyes, his tone softening considerably.

"Little one, don't be afraid. Every word you say must be true. Now, tell me everything you know, okay?"

"Officer, my dad beats my mom all the time, every single day! He also beats my two older sisters all the time, and sometimes when he gets angry, I can't escape either!"

“He not only hit people, but also cursed and said all sorts of nasty things! The most disgusting thing was that he took his dirty underwear to Zhou Yangyu in the village to wash for him! How shameful is that? The whole village knows about it and laughs at our family behind our backs!”

"My mother's head was smashed by him with a carrying pole! That night, I saw him push my mother to the ground and then hit her head hard with a stick until blood was flowing out!"

"And my dad... he's been behaving really strangely lately, acting all mysterious all the time, and he doesn't come home for meals..."

As Lu Fuhua spoke, he clenched his fists, his face full of grievance and anger.

But after talking for a long time, he still couldn't explain the key points of the matter clearly.

"Wait! Young man! Hold on, get to the point! Where did the bowl of chicken your dad took go?"

The police officer frowned and interrupted him in a stern tone.

Lu Fuhua scratched his head, a look of embarrassment mixed with naivety on his face.

“I saw him… he took that bowl of chicken and slipped out the back door, heading straight for Zhou Yangyu’s house. He never came back after that!”

"Do you think he... most likely eloped with that woman? I've suspected they're having an affair for a long time!"

In fact, the day before, Shen Cuifen had specifically called Lu Fuhua to the kitchen door.

Then, with a serious expression, she instructed him, "This bowl of chicken is for you to make noodles for tomorrow morning. You have to keep a close eye on it and make sure Dad doesn't steal any!"

“I know he can’t resist meat, but this time is different. I suspect he’s been hiding something lately. Whenever I’m not home, he’ll definitely run off to Zhou Yangyu’s place!”

"Besides, I mentioned the dirty underwear to him a couple of days ago. He definitely understood what I meant—I was after Zhou Yangyu. How could he not be worried?"

Hearing this, Lu Fuhua stomped his feet in anger, his face turning red.

"Oh dear! That bowl of chicken was specially saved for me by my mom! It was stewed until tender and flavorful, and she even added two eggs! And he just took it away without saying a word, not even leaving me a drop of soup!"

"His intentions aren't simply to go find Zhou Yangyu; he wants to escape completely! He wants to abandon us, mother and children, and go live a carefree life on his own!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhi frowned slightly and immediately stood up.

Then he looked at the police officer next to him.

"Take men immediately and go to Zhou Yangyu's house to investigate! Focus on checking for any suspicious movements or signs that the two left together. This is not a simple matter; we must verify it as soon as possible!"

A short while later, Zhu Fenfen and Zhu Lanlan were brought over by the police.

Xiaohua was also holding a large bowl in her hand.

They saw a yard full of police officers and villagers standing in front of the Lu family's house.

Xiao Hua paused in her tracks and quickly pulled Xiao Li behind her.

She scanned the crowd warily.

"Oh my, isn't that my big bowl?"

When Lu Fuhua's gaze fell on the bowl in Xiaohua's hand, he recognized it at a glance.

"How did you get this bowl? Isn't this mine?"

Xiaohua glanced at the bowl in her hand and then suddenly realized what was going on.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face, and she handed the bowl over without thinking.

Lu Fuhua took the bowl, looked at it over and over, his face full of displeasure.

This bowl was used by his family to stew chicken, but someone took it and ate it.

However, he found that the bowl had been washed clean.

His displeasure subsided somewhat.

"Director Yang, these two girls say they haven't seen Zhou Yangyu since this morning."

The police officer who brought the men back approached Yang Zhi and reported in a low voice.

Yang Zhi's brows immediately furrowed.

He stared at the two girls in front of him with a stern face.

"You two tell me, when was the last time you saw Zhou Yangyu?"

His tone carried the authority of a law enforcer.