Zhou Wenshu and Cuihua both lived in Lianhua Village, which is located on the west side of the town.
The next day, Su Jin went to Cuihua's house while asking around.
Early in the morning, Cuihua was not home.
A couple was working in the fields not far away. Su Jin walked over and asked, "Sister, do you know Cuihua? Where did she go?"
The older woman wiped her sweat and said in surprise, "Why is someone looking for Cuihua again? Was she just taken away by a fierce-looking man? What happened?"
Su Jin gritted her teeth. Shen Xi was quick; she had actually taken everyone away!
Her eyes darted around, and Su Jinxia revealed a sly smile, which was followed by a worried expression.
"Sigh, that's probably my brother. Lately, he's been going out a lot, and when he comes back, he seems distracted. He keeps writing the name 'Cuihua' on paper. I think he might have a girl he likes outside, so he's following her out to see what's going on."
"Huh?" The eldest sister's eyes widened. "That can't be right. I think your brother, although he looks a bit fierce, is quite handsome. How could he have fallen for that widow Cuihua!"
Su Jin shook her head in anguish, "Sigh, who knows? But he just suffered a heartbreak and was agitated. I'm worried he might do something foolish."
The older sister clicked her tongue a few times, thinking, "You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"But who exactly is this Cuihua? Is she a widow?" Su Jin then got back to the main point.
The older sister grabbed Su Jinxia and said earnestly, "Sister, you must persuade your brother. That Cuihua is not only a widow, but also a madwoman!"
Su Jin asked, "Is he severely insane? Can he take care of himself? Is he talking nonsense?"
Lianhua Village is small, but the villagers know Cuihua and Zhou Wenshu very well.
The eldest sister said that Cuihua's mental illness was not severe and she could take care of herself. She would just occasionally talk nonsense, and the content of her nonsense was nothing more than Zhou Wenshu's matter.
Moreover, Cuihua wasn't born insane; she went mad two months after Fangling committed suicide, after suddenly falling into the water. The rumors about her having affairs only started circulating after Cuihua went insane.
As for Fang Ling, her eldest sister had a very good opinion of her.
She was originally a kind and virtuous wife, and she and Zhou Wenshu were very loving. Everyone envied her, and no one expected that she would cheat on him.
As for who Fang Ling's lover is, opinions vary and the answer remains unknown.
This matter is getting increasingly bizarre and intriguing.
Su Jin then went to Zhou Wenshu's house and visited two of Zhou Wenshu's neighbors before returning to the inn before dinner.
Su Jin went back to her room to wash off the dust and change her clothes before knocking on Shen Qianxue's door.
Shen Qianxue was leaning against the bed reading a book when she saw Su Jin's light footsteps. She smiled and said, "It seems you've done a good job investigating."
Su Jin raised her eyebrows slightly, "That's right!"
Shen Qianxue put down her book. "Then tell me."
Su Jin sat down on the edge of the bed, casually checking Shen Qianxue's leg injury as she said, "Let's talk about it when Shen Xi comes back. Don't let him be upset if he loses."
Shen Qianxue found it rather strange.
"You've only known Shen Xi for a day, but I get the feeling you don't like him."
Su Jin pouted, feeling wronged, and whispered a complaint, "Isn't that because he's targeting me?"
"Yeah?"
"Yes! When you got off the carriage yesterday, he pushed me aside and wouldn't let me help you. Wasn't that targeting me?"
Shen Qianxue...
A short while later, Shen Xi returned.
Shen Qianxue noticed that Su Jinxia's smug attitude was exactly the same.
Isn't Chen Xi always very steady? Why has he suddenly become so childish?
It was getting late, so the waiter brought out the dishes, and the three of them stared at each other blankly.
Shen Qianxue: "Which of you two will go first?"
Su Jin glanced at Chen Xi and said magnanimously, "Let him go first."
Shen Xi snorted coldly, "Be careful, you'll have nothing to say after I'm done."
Su Jin shrugged.
"Hmm~"
Naked contempt...
After calming herself down, Shen Xi decided to ignore Su Jinxia.
He said seriously, "There is indeed something strange about this matter. The rumors about Zhou Wenshu's wife, Fang Ling, committing suicide are very unsavory. They say she cheated on her husband and got pregnant with an illegitimate child, but after careful investigation, I found that these rumors are unreliable. They were spread by a madman."
At this point, Shen Xi glanced triumphantly at Su Jinxia. This madman was a key figure, and he had already taken him under control. Su Jinxia's investigation would definitely not be as fast as his, having cut off this lead.
Su Jin calmly ate her food, it tasted delicious!
Shen Xi continued, "This madwoman is called Cuihua. She fell into the water two months after Fang Ling died. After she was pulled out of the water, she went mad and started saying things like Fang Ling was cheating on her husband."
“I felt something was wrong, so I took her to the river to do a test, hoping she could recall what happened before she fell into the water.”
“She was terrified and completely distraught. When I questioned her, she kept saying that it had nothing to do with me and that I knew nothing. It was clear that she did not fall into the water accidentally.”
Shen Qianxue raised an eyebrow slightly, "So you suspect that she was driven insane in order to spread rumors and distort the facts."
Shen Xi nodded seriously, "That's right, and from what I've heard, Fang Ling is a kind and virtuous person, not the kind of woman who would cheat on her husband. I suspect she might have been..."
Shen Qianxue raised her hand to stop Shen Xi from continuing.
It seems more logical that Fang Ling was forced into this situation and became pregnant, which led her to hang herself.
He glanced at Su Jinxia, whose face showed a hint of anger, and suddenly regretted letting her investigate.
She's only fifteen; she shouldn't be involved in this kind of thing.
Su Jin looked at the two men and narrowed her eyes.
Men are no good!
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