Chapter 110: Big Changes!
Kanghe was chased away by the four teams in unison, muttering that the four teams were unfriendly and that he had been given the cold shoulder.
"What are your thoughts on the follow-up interrogation, Section Chief Shen?" Gu Yanzheng nestled comfortably on the sofa, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
Chen Zhenzhu rummaged through drawers and cupboards, finding various snacks such as potato chips, jelly, preserved plums, and spicy strips. She placed them on the coffee table, where they were all snatched up in an instant. Luckily, she reacted quickly and slapped a bag of jelly away.
Xiao Bai wasn't idle either. First, she grabbed a bag of dried apricots, then she helped Chen Zhenzhu press the jelly, all the while praising her sister Zhenzhu: "Sister Zhenzhu has already thoroughly analyzed Xiong Chaotian's criminal psychology."
Shen Zhenzhu frankly stated, "He suffers from paraphilia, also known as sadism, which distorts and combines violence with sexual pleasure, deriving morbid satisfaction from dominating his victims. When he was discovered, he had already developed an 'addiction-escalation,' exhibiting tolerance to criminal behavior and sexual stimulation, requiring even more cruel methods to stimulate the same pleasure threshold. He belongs to the category of antisocial personality disorder with sexual deviation. This type of murderer is neither numerous nor uncommon, but those of his level are rare."
Chen Zhenzhu chewed on orange jelly and said, "I'm not very interested in him now, but I'd like to interrogate his brother, Xiong Gengnong. We've never really talked to each other properly. Why does he like to cheat on rich people so much?"
Xiao Bai was eating spicy snacks when he heard Chen Zhenzhu speak, so he quickly opened his notebook to take notes.
Gu Yanzheng said, "Then Aqi and I will interrogate him, and you, Lu Ye, and Xiaobai will go to Xiong Gengnong's place. Director Liu wants us to rest for two days. What are your plans?"
"I won't feel at ease until I've finished interrogating the person and sent the body for examination." Chen Zhenzhu was still thinking about the old policeman's remains. She wiped her hands and said, "I'll go interrogate the Flower Monk now. Let me know if you find the remains."
Wu Zhongguo, who was listening to Zhao Qiqi talk about the case, said, "Captain Gu, I'll listen in too."
Xiong Gengnong's underlings didn't require Shen Zhenzhu to do any work. She walked down the corridor with her hands in her pockets, while Xiaobai followed behind, carrying Zhenzhu's large tea mug in her left hand and a notebook in her right.
Lu Ye stretched his back and shoulders as he walked, even though he was almost exhausted after all that.
The guard opened the door, and Chen Zhenzhu greeted him with a smile, her hands clasped together, and said in a captivating voice, "Amitabha, has Master eaten?"
Even with his excellent mental fortitude, Xiong Gengnong wanted to roll his eyes. His bald head was covered in tiny black stubble, which looked quite funny.
"They said the rings on your head are tattooed?" Shen Zhenzhu walked over curiously to take a look and said with a sigh, "There's nothing you can't imagine, only things you can't do."
"Is this how you interrogators are... this unserious?" Xiong Gengnong was unaware that his elder brother had been arrested and was being held in the interrogation room next door. He even pretended to be serious and said, "My leg hurts, could you give me a painkiller?"
Chen Zhenzhu sat down, with Xiaobai on her left and Lu Ye on her right. Without exception, they all had relaxed expressions.
Xiong Gengnong knew that Shen Zhenzhu was good at playing tricks, so he assumed it was a psychological tactic during interrogation and urged her again, "Can't you have some human rights? I need painkillers. Could you please give me two?"
“I can give you painkillers, but you’ll have to go buy them,” Chen Zhenzhu said.
Xiong Gengnong said in surprise, "All that stuff in my study is wasted?"
Shen Zhenzhu laughed and said, "It wasn't a waste, I sent it all to your older brother." She pointed to the next room and said, "His right foot is more serious than yours. If he hadn't been unable to take painkillers, I wouldn't have been able to grab him."
Xiong Gengnong fell silent.
Lu Ye provoked him, saying, "Amitabha, we police don't lie. If we say it's next door, then it's next door. If you don't believe me, go out and let me show you."
Xiong Gengnong held his head and scratched his scalp in frustration, feeling extremely annoyed.
Shen Zhenzhu took a sip of green tea; she also needed to cool down.
That bastard hurt her too deeply; she'll be skinned alive in Brother Zheng's hands.
“If you have something to confess, confess it clearly as soon as possible. Don’t try to hide anything. If others confess before you, it will be too late for you to confess,” Lu Ye said.
“You’ve all investigated thoroughly, what else do I have to say?” Xiong Gengnong appeared much more composed than his brother.
“All crimes will be exposed to the light of day; it’s only a matter of time.” Shen Zhenzhu crossed her arms and looked directly into Xiong Gengnong’s eyes: “Besides, you can’t fool me.”
Her overwhelming confidence drew sidelong glances from Lu Ye and Xiao Bai, especially Lu Ye, who often worked on cases with Shen Zhenzhu. He always felt that she had undergone a complete transformation. Despite being together every day, she was growing at a terrifying pace.
This kind of aura was something Xiong Gengnong had never experienced before. His first impression of Shen Zhenzhu was that of a little girl who talked nonsense on the magic dueling platform.
"My name is Xiong Gengnong, a very simple farmer's name, isn't it? I originally thought I would become just another ordinary working person."
Xiong Gengnong closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing about the first half of his life before his death: "When I was a child, my mother was often abused by my father, and later she died by drinking pesticide. My father was lazy and greedy and couldn't make any money, so he took my brothers and me around to cheat and swindle. My eldest brother was good-for-nothing, he fell and became lame and couldn't find a girlfriend, and his personality also made it difficult for him to find a girlfriend. My father bypassed him and found one for me first, giving him thirty yuan as a betrothal gift."
Back then, they were cracking down on speculation and profiteering. Xiong Gengnong had to support his father and older brother on his own, and he had to be extremely careful with every penny he earned.
He was physically strong and good-looking, so even though he was poor, girls still wanted to be with him. They inevitably met and made love on the mountainside, in the rice paddies, or in the deserted threshing ground at night.
He was only eighteen years old when his older brother came home covered in blood and said he had killed his entire family.
"Back then, you needed a letter of introduction to go out, otherwise you'd get arrested. To get that letter, I coaxed the woman I usually called 'Auntie,' and she got it for my older brother the next morning. If she knew my brother had committed murder, she'd be terrified. Later, when the police came looking for him, I realized they had no leads, and the letter of introduction proved he'd already gone to visit relatives... Gradually, I realized that as I grew up, the women around me were all very kind to me. If I were a little gentler, they would give me even more."
When Xiong Gengnong spoke these words, his tone was calm and composed. Perhaps by the time he learned that his elder brother had committed murder, he had already exhausted all the shock and fear.
“My dad said if my older brother got caught, we’d all be shot, and I believed him. I followed him all over the country, deceiving people, until we found him, only to discover he’d become even more brutal. We had nowhere to go for years. Then the policies improved, and we found a temple in Wuxian County and pretended to be monks. We promised each other we’d never kill again, but my older brother couldn’t control his impulses. If he hadn’t secretly killed a woman and beheaded her, none of this would have happened. It was all the consequence of his impulsiveness; a life without self-control only brought him bullets, no future.”
"But you and your father still covered up his actions, even helping to hide the body," Shen Zhenzhu said. "Did you think that by taking the blame, we wouldn't be able to catch him?"
Xiong Gengnong laughed and said, "I really thought I couldn't catch him. I've lied to too many people in my life, and I even believed it myself. Actually, I've had enough of living. If my brother doesn't want to die, it's the same if I die."
“It’s different. You have to be responsible for your own actions.” Chen Zhenzhu said, “Then why do you specifically seek out rich people to have your children?”
Xiong Gengnong said, “I went back to my hometown, and the girl I was engaged to married a rich old man. He treats her badly and even said that she couldn't have a son, while he had two sons with another woman. He's not ashamed at all, but proud of it. The girl I love is so ashamed that she committed suicide by drowning. This world is so cruel to women. I miss my mother, and I miss her... I just want to know how to get revenge on these rich people? Why not let everything they have be taken by someone else, and when they're seventy or eighty years old, they'll find out that they've spent their whole lives struggling for someone else's son? Wouldn't that be more interesting?”
“Your idea is quite interesting.” Shen Zhenzhu turned to Xiaobai and said, “Go give him a pen and paper and have him write down the contact information of the ‘soulmate’.”
“I’ll confess to everything, but I won’t write it down.” Xiong Gengnong said with a smile, looking smug. “Even if you shoot me, I won’t tell you their identities.”
Shen Zhenzhu anticipated that he would protect the "destined one." Although neither of the two brothers was a good person, he was still more loyal and righteous than his elder brother.
"Then can you confirm the identity of the skeleton in the well?" Shen Zhenzhu said, "In exchange, I won't press you about the identity of the 'destined person'."
She will contact each of the worshippers one by one to refund their donations, and they will naturally find out when the time comes. After that, Shen Zhenzhu will not be able to control what happens next.
"Really?" Xiong Gengnong said, "I believe it now."
"Believe it." Shen Zhenzhu winked at Xiaobai, who picked up a pen and paper and handed them to him: "Write it down clearly so that your family can come and look for you in time."
"I'll try my best." Xiong Gengnong's handwriting was beautiful, with a kind of Buddhist elegance. It took him a long time to write down the information of the six skeletons. It was scattered, but it was better than having no information at all.
"The woman who was beheaded was named Yang Huan. She consulted my dad to have her fortune told and said she was from Jiang City. You can ask my dad to find out more about her. That's all I know."
......
As he left the interrogation room, Lu Ye said, "What can I say about Xiong Gengnong? He clearly did bad things, yet he acted like he was well-educated and reasonable."
"He's bad at heart," Xiaobai said. "If he were really a good person, he would have reported his older brother long ago. Would these things have happened? Look at Sister Qiaoqiao and her friends. They stole the body even though they had never met it, so it wouldn't be fed to the dogs. Although I don't approve of this kind of behavior, it doesn't overshadow their great act of kindness."
“That’s right.” As Shen Zhenzhu passed by the interrogation room where Gu Yanzheng was, she could feel the intense pressure and suffocating atmosphere even through the door.
Chen Zhenzhu, that heartless little thing, quickly returned to the office with her right-hand men to eat jelly—no, to organize their statements.
Ring ring—
Ring ring.
Shen Zhenzhu picked up the phone and heard Shen Yuyuan's voice on the other end: "Big sister, are you coming back for dinner? Sixth sister is about to start making arrangements."
"Go back!" Shen Zhenzhu estimated the time and said to Shen Yuyuan, "I also introduced you to a new friend."
"Come to Sixth Sister's for dinner tonight." Shen Zhenzhu was teaching Xiaobai to organize her statements and bind the existing evidence documents when she looked up and saw Gu Yanzheng and the others coming out. She casually invited them over.
Gu Yanzheng said, "Tonight is fine, but I still need to go to the Municipal Bureau this afternoon."
Shen Zhenzhu looked at Lu Ye, Zhao Qiqi, and Wu Zhongguo. Today, Wu Zhongguo took the initiative and said, "I told my family that you're back. We have to have some fun with you tonight."
Before Lu Ye and Zhao Qiqi could speak, Chen Zhenzhu said, "I knew you must have gone back. You've been talking about Sixth Sister so many times on the way. My ears are practically calloused from hearing it."
Zhao Qiqi said, "I'll go home and check on Grandma first. You guys go ahead."
Gu Yanzheng glanced at his watch; it was 1:30 PM. He said, "Then you and Xiaobai go back first. I'll take care of the rest."
"I'm so honored to have Brother Zheng finish up. I'm just worried you'll work too hard." The heartless girl said this while frantically stuffing things into her bag, ready to make her escape at any moment.
Gu Yanzheng chuckled and said, "Let's go."
Wu Zhongguo handed her the keys to his small motorcycle: "I'll take you for a spin every now and then, and fill it up with gas."
"Thanks." Shen Zhenzhu pulled Xiaobai and said goodbye to everyone. She went downstairs and drove Xiaobai at breakneck speed to the Tie Si Xin Er Cun Commercial Street, which she missed.
“Oh...what a big mom.” Shen Zhenzhu remained in the driver’s seat, and she and Xiaobai looked up at the half-length portrait of Shen Liuhe hanging on the right side of their shop sign, like two little country bumpkins.
Shen Liuhe, dressed in a black chef's uniform and wearing a chef's hat, stood with her arms crossed, looking down at the tiny Shen Zhenzhu and the newcomer Xiaobai, which was truly awe-inspiring.
"Hey, motorcycles parked over there in the lines... Oh, let me see whose beautiful little darling is back." Uncle Lu had a new camera hanging around his neck, a "Tie Si Commercial Street Tour Guide" in his pocket, and a small red flag in his hand to direct traffic.
"My dear folks, I've missed you so much!" Chen Zhenzhu parked the car and skipped over to Uncle Lu, "How come you haven't aged at all?"
"Stop talking nonsense. You've only been gone for a month and I've already aged? What have I become?" Uncle Lu was really happy to see her back. He turned around and took out a popsicle from a styrofoam box under the shade of a tree. He gave her one and handed another to Xiaobai: "Here, have one too."
"Thank you, Uncle Lu," Xiaobai greeted Shen Zhenzhu. She had always thought Shen Zhenzhu lived in a "village," which was surprisingly bustling and crowded, given that it was called "Tie Si Xin Er Village."
"See that? That's my restaurant. The area outside is full of customers waiting to go in and eat," Chen Zhenzhu said smugly. Turning her head, she saw a "temporary police station" built directly opposite the restaurant and asked in surprise, "When was this set up?"
Uncle Lu chuckled and said, "You were only away on a business trip for a few days when the police station they built came here. There are two police officers on duty inside. They said the flow of people here is getting bigger and bigger, and most of them are from out of town, so they are difficult to manage. They came here specifically to ensure the safety of this area. Your mother brings them delicious food whenever she has time. She just handed them some mung bean soup."
"That's great! You won't have to worry anymore." Xiao Bai knew better than Uncle Lu and could more or less guess that it was to take care of Sister Pearl, a "first-class meritorious person" and "second-class hero," and it could also protect the safety of the people, so it was a win-win situation.
Even before Chen Zhenzhu went inside, her heart was already warmed.
She pulled Xiaobai's hand and squeezed to the milk tea counter, where she saw Shen Yuyuan shaking milk tea with a look of utter despair and laughed heartily.
"Hello, I'm Yuyuan. My older sister has told me about you." Shen Yuyuan took a liking to Xiaobai as soon as she saw her and made her a new milk tea called "Milk Tea Iced Delight" by hand.
Xiao Bai held the milk tea for a while before realizing what was happening: "So, so the legendary Sixth Sister Milk Tea Shop in Liancheng is your family's business! My goodness, I even did my research beforehand."
Shen Yuyuan urged Shen Zhenzhu, "Mom is in the kitchen, go and see her, she misses you terribly."
Shen Zhenzhu said to Xiaobai, "You—"
Xiao Bai was pulled behind the counter by Shen Yuyuan and sat on a stool: "Sister Pearl, don't worry about me, you go ahead."
Shen Zhenzhu saw through her plan at a glance: "Drink two cups at most, or you won't be able to eat dinner tonight."
"Oh." Xiaobai picked up the menu and looked at it from left to right. She wanted to try all the different kinds of drinks. It wasn't easy for her to come all this way, and her classmates were all so envious of her. She wondered how she could drink more.
Shen Zhenzhu left Xiaobai behind and went into the restaurant. She saw Grandpa Zhang leisurely munching on tiger-skin chicken feet and drinking beer, looking incredibly relaxed.
"Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom—" Chen Zhenzhu rushed into the kitchen, saw the familiar figure, hugged her and rubbed her face against hers: "I missed you so much."
Shen Liuhe put down the kitchen knife and untied her apron. Shen Zhenzhu was still clinging to her. Helplessly, she pinched Shen Liuhe's soft cheek and said, "Mom has been busy for most of the day. She smells bad from all the smoke and fire."
Chen Zhenzhu leaned over and rubbed against her: "It still smells like Mom, it's fragrant, not smelly at all."
"If you didn't know better, people would think you went to kindergarten." Shen Liuhe had no choice but to hand over her work to Xiao Li, who was secretly laughing, and then took Chen Zhenzhu's arm from the kitchen to the backyard.
After pinching her cheeks and hands, and checking her over from head to toe, she breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You obviously haven't eaten properly. I've prepared all your favorite foods. Hey, where's the little girl who wanted to eat stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers and vegetable buns?"
Chen Zhenzhu said with a smile, "I've long forgotten about the Three Treasures of the Earth and am now trying to find ways to get more milk tea."
Shen Zhenzhu chatted intimately with her mother, just like a clingy monkey. Shen Liuhe went from being worried to feeling relieved, and then realized she still had work to do in the kitchen. It only took about ten minutes.
Reluctantly, Shen Zhenzhu came to the street, started teasing cats and dogs, and then went into Yuanjiang Snow Shop.
"Wow, Aunt Yuan looks so young again." Chen Zhenzhu sat on a small stool by the counter, hugging her knees and clapping for the fashion queen in her tank top.
Yuan Jiangxue's clothing store is always fresh and interesting. She's successful, frequently restocks, and has a great eye for fashion. Aside from occasionally teasing customers, everything else is excellent. Recently, more and more tourists have somehow discovered this hidden gem of a store and are giving it these positive reviews.
There were two female students in the store who had come from out of town and were too embarrassed to wear tank tops in public. Yuan Jiangxue helped them try on clothes and even advised them to change their wide-leg pants into skinny jeans.
"If your living expenses are limited, buy classic styles instead of trendy ones. You can try different styles with classic styles, but you can't do that with trendy styles; they're out of fashion as soon as they're in style. We've had the Liancheng International Fashion Festival for so many years, and we all have a deep-seated awareness of dressing well. Good clothes don't necessarily have to be expensive; they have to suit you, your age, your body shape, and your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses."
Shen Zhenzhu clapped for Aunt Yuan.
Yuan Jiangxue wore a camisole and skinny jeans, showing off her curvaceous figure. She walked the runway in the store for them to see. This was considered everyday wear in Liancheng, but the mainland hadn't developed to this point yet, and people always felt ashamed to show their shoulders.
Shen Zhenzhu saw how cool Yuan Jiangxue looked in her halter top and felt a surge of excitement herself.
"If you're too shy to wear a tank top, just wear a low-cut T-shirt instead." Yuan Jiangxue said, grabbing one and putting it on. She pulled down her left shoulder to reveal her round, fair shoulder, looking both sexy and lively.
"We'll take them, we'll take two sets. How much? Can you give us a discount?" The honest, unassuming student, harboring the innocent feelings of a young girl, couldn't resist Yuan Jiangxue's sales pitch.
However, while Yuan Jiangxue is easygoing when it comes to dressing, she has a strong aura when it comes to bargaining. In short, she is: not a penny less, give me a pair of stockings, take it or leave it.
The two female students discussed it for a long time at the door. One of them, who was a little bolder, tried to say, "Sister, can you give me a discount of five yuan?"
Yuan Jiangxue said with a smile, "You can't call me 'little sister' either. I'll give you a better price next time I come."
The student added, "But we came here for tourism, and there might not be a next time."
Yuan Jiangxue was very shrewd. She spread her hands and said, "If that's how you put it, there's nothing I can do about it."
Ten minutes later.
I bought it.
Shen Zhenzhu covered her mouth and chuckled to herself, not forgetting to say to Yuan Jiangxue before the two female students left, "Don't worry, the same item is much more expensive in the mall than here."
This sentence slightly eased the pain in the wallets of the two young customers, who left excitedly while whispering to each other.
“I picked out a dress for you, it’s so pretty.” Yuan Jiangxue pulled out a packaging bag from behind the counter and said, “Some people think yellow is childish, but I think young people look beautiful in yellow. Yellow dresses in movies like ‘Moulin Rouge’ and Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’ have become classics.”
“I’ll wear it. I love wearing it like a frangipani flower.” Chen Zhenzhu happily took the dress, opened it and saw that the tailoring was exquisite and the fabric was interspersed with silk. She said happily, “Auntie, you’ve snagged another sample dress.”
Every time I go to the south to buy goods, some bosses will bring high-quality sample garments from abroad and ask the factories to make the same styles. Sometimes they don't want the sample garments anymore and sell them off at a low price or give them to acquaintances.
“That’s right. You and your family don’t need to buy any winter coats either. I’ve already agreed to cover everything.” Yuan Jiangxue waved her hand dismissively: “The manager over there is chasing me, he’s going to break my bones.”
"You have so many suitors," Uncle Lu said, appearing at the door unnoticed and waving a small red flag. "Going on a blind date tomorrow?"
"None of your business," Yuan Jiangxue said.
Uncle Lu said, "There are a lot of swindlers in society. Haven't you seen your daughter running around catching bad guys?"
“It’s none of your business,” Yuan Jiangxue said.
Uncle Lu said, "It's good that your daughter is back. Let her check on that guy tomorrow. If he doesn't seem right, I think you should just give up on the idea."
"Fuck your mother!" Yuan Jiangxue cursed, hands on her hips.
Uncle Lu said in a kind voice, "We've been neighbors for decades. Why are you throwing a tantrum again? Aren't you usually very good-tempered with everyone?"
"Get out," Yuan Jiangxue said.
Uncle Lu, seeing that she was still dressed as before, said admiringly, "Let's go outside to the shade of a tree and take a picture of you? Didn't your ex-husband want a picture of you?"
"That's because his wife wanted to see how I get my big waves permed." Yuan Jiangxue couldn't take it anymore and looked around for a weapon.
Yuan Jiangxue was extremely annoyed by Uncle Lu, who even raised his camera to take pictures of her furious expression, laughing as he did so, looking like he deserved a beating.
Shen Zhenzhu quietly stuffed the clothes drying fork into the back warehouse, quickly came out of the shop, and squinted at Uncle Lu's back.
We don't know if that uncle will act right tomorrow, but something seems off about Uncle Lu.
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Author's Note: Pearl: I love my family, I love my fellow villagers~
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see]
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