Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Investigation Suspected of Pregnancy...

The car was completely silent. The only thing that could be noticed was Qiu Jiang's subtle movements of supporting her chin and tapping it repeatedly.

Generally, this action occurs when the cat is particularly irritable.

Ji Mingcheng glanced at her again and again, and finally asked when her wrinkled face couldn't even hide her mood.

"Tell me, what's bothering you so much?"

Qiu Jiang was worried that there was no one to discuss things with, but since he couldn't tell him that he felt there was something fishy about the case of Team Three, he had to consult him vaguely.

"Captain Ji, why would someone who didn't kill anyone take the blame for someone else? Even though I know I might be sentenced to death, even though I'm terrified, I want to speak up, but every time I hold myself back at the last minute. Why is that?"

"There are generally two reasons why people take the blame: one is being coerced by others, and the other is being coerced by themselves."

Qiu Jiang could understand the first meaning of being coerced by others, because she also thought in this direction, so what did the second one mean?

“It’s very simple.”

"People who are coerced by others are unwilling to do so. When forced to talk back by external forces, such as threats, intimidation, or monetary inducements, such people are likely to experience mental struggles and regrets."

"Another possibility is emotional coercion. The murderer might be someone very important to them, and for that person's sake, they willingly took the blame. Generally, in such cases, the person's attitude is very resolute, and they often show no hesitation or regret, as was the case with the mother and daughter on Binhe Road."

"If the person you're talking about clearly feels remorseful and wants to speak out, then I'd lean towards the first option. They're likely being forced to take the blame by external forces, but they're unwilling to do so. It's just that they care about something far more than their own life, so despite the fear of death, they still refuse to change their story. If you can't pry the person open, it's best to start with their social connections. That should yield the results you're looking for."

"That's right."

He was right. He was not worried about Meng Xingwen's refusal to cooperate, but he needed to find other ways to piece together the reason why he took the blame for others.

As long as we have enough evidence, we will be able to pry open Meng Xingwen's mouth sooner or later.

Even if she couldn't pry him open, she could still use other evidence to refute his confession.

So why should we be angry about his uncooperative attitude? The most urgent thing is to find enough evidence.

After finding the direction to move forward, her eyes lit up, and the next step was to ask for leave.

"Captain Ji, I'd like to take a day off tomorrow."

She came over and said with a smile.

Ji Mingcheng drove steadily as always, "Okay, take Xingwang with you if needed."

"Okay...?" Qiu Jiang's smile paused slightly.

Although it was indeed easy for him to ask for leave, his attitude just now seemed like he knew what he wanted to do.

It shouldn't be.

She

"Captain Ji, don't you even ask me what I want to do?" she cautiously probed.

Ji Mingcheng turned his head to the side, and suddenly pulled up his lips to give her a smile, which inexplicably made people feel very dangerous.

Sure enough, the next second, he was hit on the forehead again.

Qiu Jiang covered her forehead and looked at him accusingly.

She seriously suspected that he had made a habit of hitting her on the forehead.

So angry.

"Just go ahead and do it. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

He said in a deep voice, his determined eyes were surprisingly reliable, making people feel safe.

Qiu Jiang was stunned for a moment, no longer caring about the action of flicking his forehead, and gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Captain Ji. I will definitely not make it difficult for you."

Ji Mingcheng raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't mind whether it's difficult or not. If you can give me some rose-scented Banmei, I think I will definitely like it."

"But eating too much sweets can cause your teeth to fall out."

You know, she just gave him a glass bottle of half-plum last Sunday, less than a week later. It's too fast for him to eat it. Is he sure his teeth can handle it?

"That's a child."

He is very confident.

Qiu Jiang rolled her eyes and said, "That's going to have to wait until I harvest some plums. There are no plums now."

Ji Mingcheng narrowed his eyes slightly, "No more?"

Qiu Jiang blinked and nodded very seriously.

"That's right."

"Then remember to give it to me after you have collected it." He emphasized again and again.

She nodded repeatedly, reaching a consensus.

In this way, she will finally have time to do what she wants tomorrow and take Deng Xingwang away.

Although the sun was out early in the morning, there was still a chill in the slight breeze. However, it was much warmer than the previous two months, so there were many more small vendors setting up stalls on the roadside.

The two of them had breakfast at a mutton soup stall with a huge queue, and accompanied it with a bottle of sour and sweet plum soup. It was a very enjoyable meal.

Deng Xingwang gulped down a bowl of mutton soup and called out, "Boss, more soup!"

"Here I come."

Following the boss's shout, a large spoonful of milky white mutton soup was poured into his bowl. The red chili oil was diluted by the added white soup and swirled in the bowl. The milky and mellow aroma mixed with the aroma of chili peppers hit his face.

"It's delicious. No wonder this restaurant is so popular. It's really delicious." He drank happily, and after finishing a bowl of mutton soup and all the remaining dumplings, his stomach felt warm and he felt that his life was complete.

"for you."

Qiu Jiang handed over a tissue.

Deng Xingwang took it, wiped his mouth casually, and asked her quietly, "What do you need me to do?"

As for why she did it, out of trust in her he would not ask at all, but would just do his best to complete what she asked him to do according to her ideas.

With such a good partner, there is no need to think hard about how to explain things.

This is why Ji Mingcheng suggested that he come to help her.

Qiu Jiang originally wanted to find him, but fortunately Ji Mingcheng brought it up first yesterday, so she didn't have to bring it up again.

As for what to do now, she came over and whispered a few words.

Deng Xingwang quickly made a gesture to her.

I mean, look at me.

Afterwards, he drank the remaining sour plum soup out of boredom, but his eyes were very alert as he looked at the obstetrics and gynecology clinic opposite, and then he left.

After he left, Qiu Jiang continued to look around.

The location here is relatively remote, and it is considered to be a junction between urban and rural areas. Although it is geographically part of Anxi City, it is still quite far from the hospital due to its location. Therefore, many people who have a headache or fever often choose to seek medicine from the barefoot doctor in the village.

As for women giving birth, most of them give birth at home with a midwife, and only a small number of them go to the city to give birth at a huge cost. The others often come to private clinics like this to give birth.

Although such clinics are licensed to practice medicine, they may not be qualified to assist women in childbirth.

However, the disparity between the number of doctors and patients is too great. Therefore, even if these small clinics do not have the relevant qualifications, ordinary people do not care about this. They only care about whether there is a place to help give birth. It is because of this mentality and demand that a large number of small clinics are supported.

The Li’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic is one of them.

Because his family members have all studied medicine for generations, he is quite famous in the neighborhood.

In particular, the father of the owner of this clinic is a well-known orthopedic doctor. Even though he does not have a diploma in the secular sense, his massage and bone-setting techniques have helped countless people recover their health or improve their condition, and he is quite famous.

That is to say, he is now old and his son did not inherit his skills in this area. After he retired, it was changed into an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, which was inherited by his son Li Weimin.

Li Weimin was an eyewitness to Meng Xingwen's murder case. It was he who held Meng Xingwen captive before the police arrived.

Of course, according to her verification with her colleagues from Team 3, when they arrived at the scene, they saw Meng Xingwen was stunned and showed no signs of running away.

Li Weimin snatched the stone that Meng Xingwen had used to hit someone, and said to the police in an emotional voice, "Murder, murder." After completing the formalities at the scene, they took Meng Xingwen back.

As an eyewitness, Li Weimin also signed and fingerprinted his confession.

Qiu Jiang clearly remembered that in his confession he said that he was preparing medicine in the house when he heard people arguing in the yard behind his house.

He originally thought it was better to mind his own business and ignored it, but he didn't expect the noise outside to become louder and louder, and people started fighting. When he arrived, the deceased Chen Zhong had already fallen in a pool of blood, and Meng Xingwen was still holding the stone in his hand.

He was very frightened at the time, and was afraid that Meng Xingwen would attack him again, so he suddenly mustered up the courage to hold Meng Xingwen down until the police arrived.

If Meng Xingwen is not the murderer, then there must be something wrong with Li Weimin's testimony.

Then this is very suspicious.

After sorting out all the files, she focused her attention on Li Weimin. Her main goal today was to keep an eye on him.

But they obviously arrived a little early and the clinic was not open.

She was not in a hurry, but drank the soup slowly while asking the owner of the mutton soup stall who was temporarily idle.

"Uncle, this soup you made is really delicious. I've never tasted such delicious mutton soup before."

"Hehe, uncle, this is quite authentic."

The burly minority boss pointed to the hat on his head with such pride.

Qiu Jiang agreed and gave him a thumbs-up. "It's really quite authentic. Do you keep selling mutton soup here? I'm really worried I won't be able to drink such delicious mutton soup again."

"Don't worry, my uncle's family is all here, and I've been working here for more than ten years. I absolutely can't leave here. Just come and feel free. I can't run away."

"That would be great."

The two chatted enthusiastically for a while. During the conversation, she glanced at the clinic from time to time, frowned slightly, and muttered, "Why is there no one here yet?"

The boss suddenly realized, "Oh, you are here to see Doctor Li."

After he finished speaking, he looked at her stomach and scratched his head in confusion.

This doesn't look like pregnancy.

Qiu Jiang, who was suspected of being pregnant, smiled slightly and explained:

"My sister is about to give birth, and we thought it would be too dangerous to give birth at home. I heard there's a clinic here that can deliver babies, so I came to see her."

"Is that so? Then you've come to the right place."

The uncle clapped his hands vigorously, like a palm-leaf fan, and simply sat up and talked to her enthusiastically about Dr. Li Weimin.

Qiu Jiang nodded from time to time as he listened, and his serious look really made people want to talk.

After a while, the uncle told her all the information she wanted to know.

"Most pregnant women in our area who are worried about their pregnancies or have concerns will come here to give birth. We've never had any problems over the years. We're so reliable."

"As for the fact that there haven't been many people around these past two days, it's definitely related to the murder case from half a month ago. If your family is also superstitious about the dead, you might really need to move somewhere else."

"He's dead! What happened that day at four or five o'clock? I went home long ago, so I didn't see it. But Doctor Li was really brave that day. He actually dared to catch the murderer. I never noticed it before."

The uncle seemed very impressed.

"The murderer looked so gentle, but he turned out to be quite vicious."

"Uncle, do you know him?"

He waved his hands quickly. "Not that I know him. He speaks with an accent straight out of the province. How would I know him? He's been here for a while, living in the backyard of Doctor Li's rental. Oh, and at that time, he was with a girl who I don't know if she was pregnant. I didn't see her much, but I knew she didn't look very well. The murderer was actually very nice to her, so considerate. I didn't expect him to be so cruel when he got angry."

"Then why is he angry?" Qiu Jiang asked quickly.

"I haven't seen this before. I only heard that the deceased kept touching the little girl brought by the murderer, and his words were not clean. I guess he made the murderer angry."

"And the girl who came with him?"

"have no idea."

"Boss, give me a bowl of mutton soup——"

There were a lot more people in front of the stall, and the boss got up and went to work.

"Girl, do you want to eat?"

Qiu Jiang was still sitting there with a frown on her face when she saw the uncle's wife coming over with two people. She said with an apologetic smile, "We don't have much space here, and there are so many people here that there's no place to sit."

"Sorry, I'll move now."

After saying that, she settled the bill with the aunt.

About half an hour later, Deng Xingwang came back. After the two met under the willow tree on the roadside, they began to discuss the news.

He got a lot of information from his visit.

"Meng Xingwen and another woman arrived in Anxi from another province twenty days ago and settled down in the backyard of this clinic. This Chen Zhong seems to be a good friend of Li Weimin's. He visits Li Weimin two or three times a year, and Li Weimin treats him well every time. However, Chen Zhong has a bad temper and is prone to being aggressive. He curses all the time. Many people who have met him don't like him very much and are confused as to why he and Li Weimin are good friends."

"Meng Xingwen and his partner had probably left the day before the murder. No one knows why he was still here on the day of the murder. Everyone is guessing that Chen Zhong must have provoked him, so he pretended to leave and returned the next day to kill him. He didn't expect Li Weimin to catch him while he was doing it."

"Because that backyard was set up by Li Weimin for the families of patients who came from far away to stay. However, most of Li Weimin's patients were locals, and very few came from outside. At the time, there were only two of their families living there. Therefore, apart from Li Weimin, there was no one else at the crime scene. The others were only seen when the police arrived."

In other words, only the deceased Chen Zhong, the "murderer" Meng Xingwen and the witness Li Weimin were at the scene.

Chen Zhong is already dead. It's impossible that he fed himself poison and hit the back of his head.

At that time, only Meng Xingwen and Li Weimin were in the backyard.

She was sure that the murderer was not Meng Xingwen, so it could only be Li Weimin.

In addition to Meng Xingwen's reaction and the fact that Li Weimin was so certain that he saw Meng Xingwen kill someone, could she boldly assume that Li Weimin was the murderer and Meng Xingwen was actually taking the blame for him?

But Meng Xingwen and Li Weimin didn't know each other, so why should they help him take the blame for a crime that was likely punishable by death?

The problem may be related to the reason why they come to the clinic.

"Didn't the neighbors say that Li Weimin rented out his backyard for a low price so that out-of-town patients could come in for treatment? Then, was the girl who showed up with Meng Xingwen and left a day earlier here to get Li Weimin's treatment or to give birth?"

When Qiu Jiang asked this question, Deng Xingwang got really excited. "That's the problem."

"That woman absolutely couldn't be pregnant. I asked several people and they all said her stomach was very flat, with no signs of pregnancy. Furthermore, she was supported by Meng Xingwen the entire time she came. She kept covering her temples, looking very uncomfortable, as if she had some kind of illness. But I think..."

He quietly approached her and muttered uncomfortably, "It's probably not that kind of illness."

After she looked over, he scratched his head.

"Think about it, what kind of sick girl would cover her head and need someone to support her? I don't think she has that kind of illness."

"So, isn't it strange that a woman who isn't a gynecologist is staying in the low-priced room that Li Weimin provides for out-of-town patients?"

"really."

"Hehe, I think so too." Deng Xingwang became even more excited. "Jiang Jiang, I feel like Li Weimin is really weird. He's a little too kind."

He knew that there were many good people in the world, but he still didn't understand why someone would help a stranger.

There must be a reason.

He also heard that Li Weimin rarely saw them and was always in the clinic upstairs. Meng Xingwen didn't actively come to see him, but sometimes she would anxiously ask him, "Doctor Li, when will you arrive?"

I always feel that they are related in some way, but others say that Li Weimin has nothing to do with Meng Xingwen. When I first came here, I didn't even know Li Weimin's name or the address of his clinic. I just knew that he was in this area.

Although it cannot be concluded that there is something wrong with Li Weimin, since his partner came to investigate, there must be something wrong with this case. He cannot help but wonder if there is something wrong with this well-reputed Dr. Li.

Of course he wasn't sure, he just said it casually.

However, his casual remark was completely consistent with her opinion.

Then we must find out why the two of them came here and where the girl went.

The most urgent matter is not this, but...

The two of them stood under the willow tree next to the clinic, staring at the location of the clinic. At nine o'clock, they finally saw a tall man.

By chance, an auntie came out from the yard next door splashing water. Qiu Jiang walked up to her and asked her politely.

"Yes, that's Doctor Li. He's very good at treating those diseases and giving birth to children."

The aunt kept giving thumbs up, obviously approving of Li Weimin.

"Thank you, Auntie. When my sister is about to give birth, I will ask my brother-in-law to bring her over."

"Don't worry, Doctor Li will be fine."

The aunt said to her with a smile before leaving.

Qiu Jiang nodded with a smile, but after she returned, she could not keep the smile on her face.

"Xingwang, gone."

"Where are you going?" Deng Xingwang asked.

"TRAIN STATION."

"oh oh."

He didn't ask why and just drove away.

Over the next two days, Deng Xingwang and Qiu Jiang were nowhere to be seen in Team 5. The two of them disappeared together, and since there had been no cases in the team recently, people had to wonder.

"What are Jiang Jiang and Xing Wang doing?"

"Isn't he going out to have a love affair?"

Someone chuckled.

After all, they are often together, so it is not impossible for them to fall in love with each other over time.

Others also thought it made sense.

Until he saw their quarter team's eyes glanced over, "Qi Kai, is the shooting room finished?"

Qi Kai, who was smiling just now, suddenly felt a tightness on the back of his neck. He hurriedly replied, "Captain Ji, I'll be there right away," and then ran out in a panic.

Not only him, but also the other four who had not yet graduated from the shooting room also quietly slipped away.

As I was walking towards the shooting room, someone I knew passing by teased me, "What's up? You haven't passed yet?"

They covered their faces silently.

It's shameful, so shameful.

During the shooting competition, their quarterly team was asked to train in the shooting room. The next time, the last one to stay behind to train was the twenty or thirty people, but only five of them were still resisting.

However, they were extremely busy recently and could not spare much time for training. Of course, the most important thing was that they did not pay much attention to it in private.

Now everyone knows that the five of them were penalized by the quarter-final team.

So heartbreaking.

The five of them covered their faces and ran towards the shooting room at a faster pace.

As they were running, they saw two people running up the stairs. Upon closer inspection, they saw that they were their good colleagues whom they had not seen for three days.

"Jiang Jiang, Xingwang——"

A few of them greeted them, and they waved back.

"Brother, we are a little busy. Let's talk later."

After saying that, he ran to the team.

They looked so anxious that it made one wonder if they were busy with another case.

In fact, they were not wrong. When the two of them ran into Ji Mingcheng's office together, they started talking one after another.

"Team Quarter, Team Three has the wrong murderer in a case."

"Captain Ji, at the end of last month, Team Three was involved in a case involving poisoning and bludgeoning someone to death in the backyard of a clinic. The murderer didn't leave the scene and voluntarily surrendered himself. However, the person who surrendered himself wasn't the murderer. We suspect the witness is the owner of the clinic."

Ji Mingcheng raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't find it strange. He just asked them to describe the situation in detail.

So the two of them spoke out one after another.

"...After asking Li Weimin, our neighbor, we felt something was amiss, so we went to the train station to look for information about Meng Xingwen and the woman. We actually found Meng Xingwen's name. He'd bought tickets for another family, and they were from the neighboring province. We called the local police station and learned that the family's surname was Du, and they were from the village next door to Meng Xingwen. The woman had severe migraines and neck pain. It had been fine in the past, but it's gotten worse over the years. Sometimes, being exposed to the wind for too long would trigger an attack, and she'd be applying a plaster to her neck every other day."

"Later, they went for a checkup and it turned out to be a cervical spine problem that was compressing the brain nerves, causing neck pain and migraines. The family had been seeing doctors for years, but there had been no improvement, so Meng Xingwen's mother wouldn't allow them to get married. This time, the two of them had escaped, saying they had heard about a very good bone-setting master and wanted to try their luck."

"Guess what the most important thing is?" Deng Xingwang asked excitedly.

"Is it related to the clinic owner?"

Ji Mingcheng guessed.

Deng Xingwang snapped his fingers. "That's right. Not only is it related, but it's also very related."

"Because the person they are looking for is Li Weimin's father."

He blurted it out without leaving any room for suspense.