Chapter 55: The Dialogue with the Reservoir Fish Raises Many Questions

Jin'e Reservoir, Nanxiao County.

The crime scene had been cordoned off, and Gu Yiliu could only observe the situation from the outside.

"My son, you died unjustly!"

"If I had known you would be thrown into the reservoir, I shouldn't have let you go out that day. How could you be so heartless, just abandoning your family like that!"

"You said you'd celebrate Mao Mao's birthday with him, how could you go back on your word!"

Gu Yiliu looked at the two women sitting in the center of the crime scene, crying loudly. They must be the wife and mother of the deceased, Zang Zongwang.

Could the deceased swim?

Gu Yiliu asked Aunt Zhou, who was standing next to him.

Aunt Zhou shook her head blankly, "I don't know, I'll go ask." Aunt Zhou immediately ran to ask the police guarding the crime scene.

Soon Aunt Zhou ran back. Without her saying anything, Gu Yiliu already knew, because Zang Zongwang's mother heard Aunt Zhou's question and, upon seeing that it was her enemy's mother, immediately began to curse.

Everyone who was watching heard it.

“Murderer! Murderer! My son, her son, was pushed into the reservoir. He couldn’t swim and just drowned!” “First-rate…” Aunt Zhou’s face was pale. “Yun Xiao wouldn’t do such a thing. He told me that when Zang Zongwang jumped into the reservoir, he was indeed on duty here, but actually Zang Zongwang asked him to switch shifts. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been Yun Xiao’s turn to be on duty!”

Who would have thought something like this would happen just because of a shift change? Gu Yiliu comforted Aunt Zhou, "Aunt Zhou, don't worry. There's no direct evidence yet that Zhou Yunxiao pushed Zang Zongwang into the reservoir."

Gu Yiliu's reservoir is calm, but a water level sign next to it indicates that the deepest point is 18 meters. The reservoir is currently in its dry season, and the water level is relatively high.

The residents of Nanxiao County rely on this reservoir for their water supply. Therefore, during the dry season, people are not allowed to approach the reservoir to avoid polluting the water source.

However, Zang Zongwang was a reservoir employee, and he could come whenever he wanted.

“Aunt Zhou, you can inquire more about the Zang family.”

Aunt Zhou: "Was it useful?"

Gu Yiliu wasn't sure either. She just said, "Aunt Zhou, you and Uncle Zhou suspect the deceased committed suicide, but there has to be a motive, right? That's why I asked you to inquire more. Sometimes the pressure at home can be suffocating and make people want to commit suicide."

The Zhou family told Gu Yiliu yesterday that they suspected the deceased Zang Zongwang committed suicide, so they wanted her to ask the fish in the reservoir for help.

This was the only solution the Zhou family could think of.

Gu Yiliu only said she would help as much as she could. However, she also hoped that the Zhou family would try to find out the motive for Zang Zongwang's suicide or murder from other angles.

At the same time, Gu Yiliu also asked Aunt Zhou to mention her to the police officers handling the case. She wanted to help, but she couldn't just blindly help without a legitimate reason. Gu Yiliu hoped that the police officers in charge of supervising Zang Zongwang's case would take it seriously and be willing to believe her.

Aunt Zhou understood immediately, "First-class, I get it now."

The next day, Gu Yiliu met with police officers from the Huatian Street Police Station in Nanxiao County at his home.

The other party gave her a letter of assistance.

"Officer Gu, hello. I am Jin Zhen, the special police officer in charge of the Zang Zongwang murder case at Huatian Police Station. I'm here to see you about something. Recently, we've been dealing with a murder case, and for various reasons, we need to find out the cause of death. So, I'd like to ask for your help."

Jin Zhen is a very cautious person, and he has a very good attitude. "This one is for your unit, and this one is yours."

Gu Yiliu took it and nodded.

"If there's anything I can help with, I'll do my best."

Jin Zhen said with a smile, "We caught a few fish from the reservoir, could you please ask around for us?"

Gu Yiliu nodded. Jin Zhen's words had a hidden meaning, and she needed to find out the truth first: "Will the deceased's family believe it?"

"Moreover, I know the suspect, Zhou Yunxiao."

Jin Zhen sighed, saying that her considerations were also their considerations: "Whether the Zang family believes it or not, we can't find any conclusive clues from either Zhou Yunxiao or the Zang family, but this case must be solved."

In other words, she played a role in advancing the case.

Gu Yiliu was still somewhat self-aware.

They followed Jin Zhen to Huatian Police Station.

Jin Zhen gave the statements from both families to Gu Yiliu.

She was slightly surprised, but since she was asked to assist, she was also entitled to review the transcript according to procedure. So she began to read it carefully.

The transcript and what Gu Yiliu knew were largely the same.

"Can we begin?" Jin Zhen asked her.

Gu Yiliu nodded and looked at the five fish in the bucket.

She held up Zhou Yunxiao's photo and asked them, "Fish, do you know this person?"

"Puff puff puff~"

The five fish puffed out air, ignoring her.

Gu Yiliu grabbed a knife, scooped up a fish, used a stool as a cutting board, placed it on the stool, and raised the knife. "If you don't say anything, I'll just kill it and make fish soup."

Jin Zhen watched this scene, his lips twitching, unable to suppress a laugh.

"Pfft pfft pfft!" No! I said!

The fish under her care were in a panic; they were in danger once out of the water, let alone being made into fish soup.

It didn't care whether the person holding it understood or not, and kept making "pfft pfft pfft" sounds.

"Puff puff puff!" I recognize the person in the photo! He often comes to the reservoir to fish!

"Puff puff puff!" The fish food smells amazing! Everyone's willing to risk being eaten just to eat it!

The fish under her control had been out of the water for too long and their eyes were rolling back in their heads, so she threw them back into the bucket.

"At least you have some self-awareness."

Gu Yiliu then took out a photo of Zang Zongwang. "Do you recognize him?"

"Pfft!" We recognize each other!

"Pfft pfft pfft!" We recognize each other!

"Puff puff puff!" I recognize him! This person is dead! The reservoir water stinks!

"As long as you all know him," Gu Yiliu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the answer he wanted, and then asked them, "Was he pushed into the reservoir and drowned?"

When asked the crucial question, Jin Zhen's expression turned serious.

"Pfft pfft pfft!" No, that's not it!

"Puff puff puff!" He was the only one there at the time!

Gu Yiliu's eyebrows twitched as he looked at Jin Zhen.

What did they say?

“They said Zang Zongwang wasn’t pushed into the reservoir; he was alone at the time,” Gu Yiliu said.

Jin Zhen was greatly alarmed. "Quickly ask them when Zang Zongwang jumped into the reservoir. Was it during the day or at night?"

"Puff puff puff!" Evening! The sun is about to set!

"It's a fish," said one of the fish. It remembered it very clearly because someone jumped in that day, and the water started to smell bad from that day on. So it remembered the coldness and stench of the water from that day on very clearly.

Even after some time has passed, it feels like it happened just yesterday.

"Evening? When did he arrive at the reservoir?" Jin Zhen pondered. Zang Zongwang must have arrived after Zhou Yunxiao got off work. The reservoir closes at 6 p.m., and the days are short in winter. Jin Zhen thought of many things in a short time.

He felt he was getting somewhere, but he needed to know more, so he asked Gu Yiliu to inquire about Zang Zongwang's condition at the time.

"Puff puff puff!"

Gu Yiliu acts as a reverse translator for the man and the fish.

"The fish said that after Zang Zongwang came to the reservoir, he stood on the shore for a long time, and then suddenly jumped in."

"Did he swim after he jumped in?" Gu Yiliu asked, wanting to know if Zang Zongwang really couldn't swim.

Swimming should be an essential skill for working at a reservoir. But Zang Zongwang's mother said he can't swim.

Gu Yiliu had mixed feelings about this, so she wanted to ask.

Jin Zhen: "You suspect he can swim, but he's prepared to die?"

Gu Yiliu nodded and looked at him. "Captain Jin, if possible, I would also like to meet Zhou Yunxiao. He is close to Zang Zongwang and should know some things that we don't."

Zang Zongwang committed suicide, and the reasons are wide-ranging. We need to find out not only from his workplace and colleagues, but also from his family and even his neighbors.

Gu Yiliu guessed it was due to family pressure, but he needed to take another detailed statement to find out.

She reminded Jin Zhen, "Many things weren't recorded in the statement..."

The transcript included questions asked of colleagues, but the focus was on the relationship between Zhou Yunxiao and Zang Zongwang, as well as Zang Zongwang's daily behavior.

I also asked Zang Zongwang's parents and wife, and they all said their relationship was very good. They genuinely believed it was, because they felt there was no need to lie about it.

Jin Zhen understood what was meant and knew what to do. It was necessary to take another statement to overturn the previous suspicions of homicide.

The reason Zhou Yunxiao was identified as a suspect was because, according to Zang Zongwang's family, Zang Zongwang had close contact with Zhou Yunxiao before his death. Because the time overlapped, Zhou Yunxiao could not clear his name and could not rule out the possibility of homicide, so he kept looking for clues.

His superiors instructed him to quickly determine whether the crime was homicide or suicide, to avoid causing widespread panic. Jin Zhen naturally wanted to rule out homicide; a murder during the Lunar New Year, especially a homicide, would not only lead to disciplinary action but could also cost him his job. Therefore, after hearing Aunt Zhou's request, Jin Zhen approached Gu Yiliu.

Anyway, we'll try anything, and Aunt Zhou's request is within the normal range, just like hiring a lawyer.

If they hadn't questioned the fish in the reservoir, they might have made a mistake.

Moreover, Jin Zhen had to admit that the transcript was incomplete.

"I'll take you to see Zhou Yunxiao."

Accompanied by Jin Zhen, Gu Yiliu met Zhou Yunxiao in the confinement cell.

"First-class?" Zhou Yunxiao was surprised and delighted, but quickly became dejected. "I didn't kill anyone."

Gu Yiliu nodded. "Captain Jin wants to take your statement. Just answer truthfully."

Zhou Yunxiao glanced at Jin Zhen and nodded.

"Has Zang Zongwang told you anything about his family? I've asked you this question once already. Think about it again, is there anything else you'd like to add? Think it over carefully."

Zhou Yunxiao looked at Gu Yiliu, then started thinking seriously.

It actually reminded him of something. He'd attended another colleague's child's one-month celebration, and during casual conversation, "He told me he absolutely had to have two sons, but he didn't want that many. He even mentioned that if possible, he'd like to change his eldest son's surname. Does that count?"

It's calculated naturally.

"He insists on having two sons, but doesn't want to have any more, and wants to change his surname? What was he thinking when he said that?"

"He was a bit drunk, and after he finished speaking... he even sighed." Zhou Yunxiao now finds it strange when he recalls it. Why did he sigh? He remembers that Zang Zongwang already had a son when he said those words.

Has he ever brought his wife and children to work? What's their relationship like?

Zhou Yunxiao: "I've been here once or twice. I saw that we were quite close, so our relationship should be pretty good."

...

After finishing the statement taking, Jin Zhen asked Gu Yiliu, "What are your thoughts?"

"He said he must have two sons. Could it be that his family is pressuring him? Also, he wants to change his sons' surnames. Whose surname do they want them to take? His wife's or someone else's?"

Gu Yiliu felt that the root of the problem was already clear, and it must lie in family conflicts.

Moreover, the conflict should be quite acute.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Please add the upcoming novel "Deeply Bound to a Master of Historical Fiction" to your collection.

This story is also known as: "The Scheming Father and Daughter in a Novel Set in the 1960s"

When Jiang Yulu opened her eyes, she found herself and her father transported to the 1960s.

The story begins in hell mode: she marries a female military officer after her father's marriage, but the officer's two sons dislike her and are determined to drive her and her father away.

The wealthy stepmother has both money and power, and neither the father nor the daughter wants to give her up.

The wealthy stepmother cares about the father but completely disregards her stepdaughter, even declaring, "You can only choose one: your wife or your daughter!"

Jiang Yulu gritted her teeth and, in order to avoid being kicked out and to further solidify her relationship with her father, conspired with her father to scheme against Zou Jingpu, the son of her wealthy stepmother's direct superior and a notorious figure in the military.

A man and a woman were found lying alone in bed. Faced with the wrath of her wealthy stepmother, Jiang Yulu clung tightly to the man's back, her doe-like eyes filled with fear and grievance.

Zou Jingpu, who held a high position and was indifferent to women, never expected that he would end up being bitten by the rabbit right next to him.

He was furious, convinced she was a scheming woman. The organization instructed him to acknowledge Jiang Yulu as his girlfriend, and he did.

Zou Jingpu made up his mind not to ask any more questions beyond the necessary greetings.

But Jiang Yulu and what she did for him were constantly mentioned in his ears.

Winter is coming, so I knitted him a sweater by hand and brought it to him.

He said he wanted to eat the snacks he ate when he was a child, so she made them for him by hand and delivered them to his desk the next day.

She took care of his mother day and night when she was sick, and even his picky mother praised her a thousand times.

And so on... Sometimes Zou Jingpu thought that if she could always be like this, he would treat her better.

After his opinion of her changed, he thought of taking her to the movies, but unexpectedly stumbled upon her having a private conversation with her father.

She asked, "Dad, did you bring it up? Does your rich stepmother want to have a child with you?"

"...I didn't mention it. If I had, she would probably have wanted a divorce, and your stepmother probably wouldn't have wanted you either."

"So, how are things going between you and Jingpu?"

She said, "Don't even mention it, it's so difficult."

“Your stepmother said she wanted the scarf I knitted. I’ll knit an extra one and give it to her in your name, how about that?”

"OK."

Zou Jingpu's face turned as black as ink. It turned out that everything she had done for him was done by her father. How ridiculous that he had always thought it was she who had done it for him.

He watched coldly as she tried to please him. Soon, the father and daughter's scheme was exposed, and he and she were quickly cut ties. He thought she would come to him crying and begging. He thought that if she cried, he wouldn't be angry with her. Who would have thought that she would turn around and start contacting other people?

"Jiang Yulu, am I dead?" he sneered.