Chapter 175 Three Knocks

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Xu Mingjuan burst into tears.

It wasn't that she didn't believe him, it was just that on one side was his biological mother who gave him life and raised him, and on the other side was his wife.

He's caught in the middle, unable to side with either side.

But the next second, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei knelt down in front of Aunt Lei with a thud.

"Second brother! What are you doing?"

"Mother," Deputy Regiment Commander Lei straightened his back and said in a heavy voice, "Today, your son will kowtow to you three times."

Aunt Lei may not know many characters, but she is by no means stupid.

"What do you mean? You're going to abandon your mother for this woman?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud "thump" was heard!

Deputy Regiment Commander Lei's forehead slammed heavily against the ground. "First, thank you, Mother, for giving me this life."

"Thump!"

When he looked up again, his eyes were already red. "Secondly, thank you, Mother, for raising me."

Despite his bias, he still has a family.

"Thump—"

After the third kowtow, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei's forehead was covered in bruises.

"Mother, all these years you have raised us brothers by being both father and mother to us."

I know how hard you've had it.

"So all these years you've been trying to get money from me in various ways, and I haven't said a single word against it."

“I thought, they are brothers and sisters after all, if I eat one less bite, they can eat one more bite.”

"But Mingjuan has done nothing to wrong you."

At this point, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei looked up and asked, "Mother, when you pushed her downstairs, did you even think, even for the slightest reason, whether she was my child?"

"Is there?"

It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but when Deputy Regiment Commander Lei asked this question, he was clearly unable to hold back.

He waited for a long time, but he didn't get the answer he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Deputy Commander Lei continued speaking.

“Mother, loyalty and filial piety have always been difficult to balance. From now on, our relationship ends here.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lei staggered a few steps.

Before she could speak, Deputy Commander Lei continued, "Mingjuan's suffering can't be in vain, and your mistakes can't be wiped clean. We'll have a proper discussion about who's right and wrong when we get to the police station later..."

"How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful wretch!"

Aunt Lei was so angry that she went up to him and punched him a few times.

"I'm your own mother! You're sending me to the police station now? Are you trying to kill me?"

No matter how much Aunt Lei cried and made a scene, it was no use. Half an hour later, the group was taken to a police station near the military region.

Since the matter involved the military, the local police station was unsure of what to do and had to consult the county government.

By the time the county public security bureau sent people to the scene, it was already noon.

Because the town's police station only had one interrogation room, Aunt Lei was taken inside by the police officers.

The remaining people could only wait in the corridor.

Deputy Regiment Commander Lei was called out by the division political commissar who arrived later.

Seeing that the political commissar had his hands behind his back, he talked for half an hour straight without stopping.

Jiang Si couldn't help but wonder, "Is Political Commissar Shi really that talkative?"

Judging from the current situation, it probably won't stop for at least an hour.

Hu Meili nodded, then suddenly let out a deep sigh.

"Old Lei couldn't get promoted originally because of the mess his family was making."

"With today's commotion, we'll have to endure at least another five years."

"Five years?" Jiang Si asked in surprise.

Hu Meili nodded, "There's no other way, filial piety is of paramount importance."

In the military, filial piety is included in the assessment of 'ideological awareness'.

Especially in the later promotion process, ideological awareness has a veto power.

It can be said that Deputy Regiment Commander Lei's three kneelings meant that five years of hard work were for nothing!

No wonder the political committee of the division was so angry.

Ultimately, he was simply valuing talent.

However, it is quite rare for a man to do this much.

Hu Meili exclaimed, "I didn't expect Lao Lei to be so decisive this time. I was startled when he slammed his fist on the ground just now."

Xu Mingjuan hadn't expected this either, but now she was most concerned about something else.

"Si Meizi, were you bluffing her with what you said at the end?"

Just as Jiang Si was about to speak, the interrogation room door clicked open.

The police officer in charge of the interrogation looked around at the three people and asked, "Which one of you is Comrade Xu Mingjuan?"

Xu Mingjuan stood up. "Yes, that's me."

The police officer said, "We checked, and the child is the old lady's grandson."

She said that since you two have been married for many years without children, she was thinking of bringing the child over to be adopted by you.

"The child's parents are aware of this matter, and they do not object."

“Of course they don’t object,” Xu Mingjuan sneered.

"They don't raise their own children, they just leave them to us to raise, and then they come back to take them back once we've raised them well."

"If we can't bear to part with them, we'll have to pay to support their whole family. They've really played their cards right."

The police officer choked.

It's said that even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Given the old woman's age, and since this doesn't involve abduction or abandonment, it's difficult for them to handle the situation.

As for spreading feudal superstition, at most they can only criticize and educate them.

Any more than that would be inappropriate.

Thinking of this, the police officer said, "We've also asked about pushing you down the stairs. The old lady has been insisting on her innocence. Do you have any other evidence?"

"If not, we'll criticize them a bit later and then we'll have to release them."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingjuan looked at Jiang Si.

Jiang Si stood up and said, "Officer, could you give us two minutes?"

"Okay, you can go in directly in a bit."

As they spoke, the police officers brought Aunt Lei out.

As Aunt Lei passed by the three of them, she suddenly smiled at Xu Mingjuan, as if she had thought of something.

She didn't say anything, but the smug expression on her face stung everyone's eyes.

Xu Mingjuan was so angry that she trembled all over.

She couldn't understand how someone could be so wicked.

At this moment, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei put his arm around her shoulder from behind and said, "Whether we have children or not, our lives will remain the same as before. Just ignore what others say."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lei was so angry that she opened her mouth to curse.

Fortunately, the police officers didn't give her a chance to speak and simply pushed her away.

After the others had walked away, the couple looked at Jiang Si.

Jiang Si cut to the chase, "Although there were no eyewitnesses to what happened back then, we can still find out the truth with some time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei had already made his decision.

“Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean. I have done my duty to be filial, and I have a clear conscience all these years.”

"Now I just hope to find out the truth and give my wife justice."

"Okay, I understand."

Jiang Si nodded and turned to enter the interrogation room.

Back when she was in Beijing, she discovered something.

In this era, police investigations rely heavily on witness testimonies or physical evidence, while neglecting case simulation and reasoning.

Therefore, when questioned by the police, Jiang Si answered concisely.

"It doesn't matter if there are no eyewitnesses. We can first go to the military hospital to check her medical records from when she was hospitalized back then."

However, unlike a forensic pathologist, a doctor will not record the specific location and size of each wound in detail.

After a pause, Jiang Si continued, "If the medical records don't mention these details, we can only simulate the incident and deduce whether she was pushed down the stairs or tripped and fell by herself by observing the way she fell and the location of her wounds."

After all, the two are completely different in their falling posture and the location of their wounds.

Police officer: "It's possible, but what do you mean by 'simulating the incident'? Do you mean making the victim fall again?"

Jiang Si shook her head. How could that be!

If we push the timeline forward another fifteen years, the entire simulation process can be completed on a computer.

But now we can only use clay or silicone to make a mannequin in the same proportion.

That's why she said that the matter can be investigated thoroughly, but it will take some time.

Of course, if the medical records contain a lot of information, it can prevent the recurrence of the case later.

The police officer nodded immediately after hearing this: "We'll send someone over now to check Comrade Xu's medical records."

"But Comrade Jiang, where can I buy that mannequin you mentioned?"

The farthest they went was the provincial capital, and they didn't even know if the department stores sold this stuff.

Jiang Si answered truthfully, "No, not even in the capital."

The police officer stared wide-eyed.

Jiang Si could only say, "But I can try to make one."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the police officer's eyes widened noticeably.