Chapter 198 The Truth Revealed
November 8, 1978, afternoon.
There were still traces of the move that hadn't been tidied up in the house, and Shi Lina's father had collapsed from exhaustion due to heart problems.
The first day, he got his medication from the hospital, and Mr. Shi plans to follow the doctor's advice and rest quietly at his new home for the next few days.
"I didn't want to move here. Although the house in our old alley is a tenement, it's quite comfortable. I don't know anyone here." Old Master Shi's lips were a little purple as he lay on the bed, muttering to himself.
"What time is it? Hurry up and eat something so your daughter won't worry about you." Grandma Shi, who brought over lunch, said to him, "Don't take your blessings for granted. How many sons-in-law are willing to live with their fathers-in-law? We're the only ones in the courtyard who haven't moved. The others who were capable left long ago."
Thinking of his filial son-in-law, Grandpa Shi said with satisfaction, "This house is indeed comfortable to live in. My son-in-law has put in a lot of effort. He had to save up a lot of money just to buy the furniture, and the styles are not the common types."
When the topic of furniture came up, Mrs. Shi couldn't help but say, "He also said he asked someone to buy it in the style that's popular in the South. It doesn't look ordinary to me either. Anyway, no one in the tenement has ever used it... I'll just live a peaceful life. I don't ask for great wealth or status."
As they talked, the noisy construction sounds outside the window inexplicably made the two elderly people feel annoyed.
"Is there not much commotion on your granddaughter's side?" Grandpa Shi asked with concern.
Grandma Shi didn't really like hearing Grandpa Shi praise his son-in-law. She even kept the incident of a woman causing trouble at their door a secret from him, fearing it would upset his heart.
Grandma Shi, dressed in a simple gray long-sleeved shirt, looked back and said, "It should be fine since it's across the corridor. I checked earlier, and she's already asleep. I'll boil some water in about an hour to make her formula."
Grandpa Shi said reassuredly, "Listen to the noise. My son-in-law has found an old Chinese medicine doctor to treat me... Don't let him wake up my eldest granddaughter."
"I'll open the door and take a look." Old Mrs. Shi walked into the living room; the wall clock showed 3:30 PM. The old Chinese medicine doctor had arranged to come at this time.
As Grandma Shi walked to the door, she remembered that the floor had just been mopped, so she found a new pair of slippers and placed them at the door.
Thinking about whether the water in the thermos would be hot enough to brew the tea when the old Chinese medicine doctor arrived, I absentmindedly opened the door.
The "old Chinese medicine doctor" who was about to knock on the door was carrying a briefcase and wearing a white coat. His bangs almost covered his eyes, and his hair was tied in a bun on his head. He looked like a Taoist priest but not quite, which was a bit of an oddity.
"Hello, I was recommended by Comrade Hu to treat the old gentleman."
"Oh... hello, please come in." Old Mrs. Shi stepped aside, not seeing the "old Chinese medicine doctor" enter. Looking up, she noticed an elderly woman of similar age behind the "old Chinese medicine doctor." The woman was dressed in tattered clothes with patches on her knees. She looked haggard and carried a heavy cloth bag on her wrist.
"This is my assistant," the "old Chinese medicine doctor" casually remarked, noticing Mrs. Shi's gaze. He then quickly surveyed the living room furniture, nodding in satisfaction: "The furniture is truly exquisite; only a seasoned master craftsman could possess such skill."
"You flatter me. My son-in-law arranged for them to be bought. I don't understand the tastes of young people." Although she had some doubts, she thought of the fact that her son-in-law had introduced them and said without any suspicion, "Then I'll get her a pair of slippers too."
"You have to change your shoes too." The old woman muttered in dialect behind her, "There are so many rules in the city."
Grandma Shi didn't understand. She bent down and pulled out a pair of men's summer plastic slippers from the shoe cabinet: "Sorry, this is all I have—you, you—! Um..."
"I'm embarrassed too." The "old Chinese medicine doctor" took the hammer handed to him by the old woman, cleanly and neatly covered the old lady's mouth, and struck her temple hard! Several blows followed, the muffled sound being drowned out by the noise outside the door.
The old woman nimbly squeezed into the doorway and gently laid down the body of the fallen Mrs. Shi, who had stopped breathing in the blink of an eye.
"Take him inside." With Hu Caizhi's help, the "old Chinese medicine doctor" had already learned about the room's layout. He looked at the decoration with satisfaction and touched the shoe cabinet that Hu Caizhi had made by hand: "I can say that this kind of craftsmanship has a successor."
The two of them carried Mrs. Shi's gradually cooling body into the bedroom, where they immediately saw Mr. Shi eating lunch, as he hadn't eaten due to feeling unwell.
When Grandpa Shi saw them helping Grandma Shi in, he asked, "Are you... are you traditional Chinese medicine practitioners? What happened to her?"
The "old Chinese medicine doctor" closed the door, smiled politely, and said in broken Mandarin, "She's going first, it'll be your turn soon."
Old Master Shi noticed the bloodstains on his body and felt something was wrong!
Suddenly the construction noise outside stopped, and in the room, besides the sound of the two people breathing, there was also a ticking sound.
Grandpa Shi saw that Grandma Shi, who was sitting to one side with her head down, was bleeding profusely from her cheek, and the blood quickly pooled on the ground.
The construction noise outside the window started again, deafeningly loud.
"Who exactly are you people?!" Old Master Shi jumped out of bed, clenched his fist, and punched the "old Chinese medicine doctor" in the chin before he could react!
The dentures hanging from the old Chinese medicine doctor's upper palate flew out, and his upper lip immediately deflated.
"Ugh! My teeth... I'm the one who killed you!"
The "old Chinese medicine doctor" and Grandpa Shi got into a fight. Surprisingly, Grandpa Shi, who clearly had a heart problem, was able to fight him for so long.
The old woman was extremely anxious and picked up a hammer, occasionally striking Old Master Shi's body with it, shouting, "Die! Die!"
"My daughter...run...run!" Old Master Shi's heart felt like it was being squeezed. He forced himself to open the door and warn his beloved daughter that a bad guy had entered their home, but his hand trembled in vain...
"Heart attack, huh... Heh, quite resilient." The "old Chinese medicine doctor," his white coat splattered with blood, took it off, picked up a hammer, and raised it high: "Thank our good son-in-law for me!"
Grandpa Shi wanted to shout, but he could no longer make a sound. In the instant the hammer fell, he saw the dentures lying in the gap at the bottom of the wardrobe, hooked onto his fingertips, and tightly hidden in his palm.
In the blink of an eye, the hammer fell.
The old woman covered Mr. Shi's mouth and nose to prevent him from making a sound.
The next second, Old Master Shi passed away, his eyes wide open in death...
"Hurry up and get ready, your son-in-law will be back soon." The old woman said in her dialect with great joy, "This will make things much easier, we won't have to hide anymore."
“‘Wait a minute,’ not ‘wait a moment,’ my son-in-law wants you to watch your accent, so be careful.” The “old Chinese medicine doctor” spoke unclearly: “Can you see my teeth?”
Upon hearing this, the old woman searched everywhere, asking, "Where did it fly to?"
"It's not 'Ke,' it's 'Qu.' You, you should say less when you go out in the future." The "old Chinese medicine doctor" said, "I don't know either, but it's definitely in this room. Hurry up and look for it... it'll be hard to find a replacement if it's lost."
“I know.” The old woman thought for a moment and said, “We must let the son-in-law make the first move to keep him in check. Don’t think that he can shake us off once he gets to the city. Without us, how can he even get into the city?”
"Don't talk nonsense, Xiaolin knows." The "old Chinese medicine doctor" said, "Let's kill the old one first, then the son-in-law will have to do it even if he doesn't want to."
The two uninvited guests spoke in hushed tones as they swiftly cleaned up the bloodstains at the scene.
Half an hour later.
"Mom, boil some water." Shi Lina's voice suddenly came from the room across the corridor.
The tidying of the room suddenly stopped as the murderers, having killed the two men, crept close to the door to eavesdrop.
"The son-in-law is coming. Keep an eye on him, don't let her get away."
......
......
Forensic office.
After conducting tests, Rong Chengcheng told Wu Zhongguo, "In the 1970s, dental prostheses were mainly made of conventional plastic. These removable dentures were inexpensive and easy to manufacture, and were generally popular in rural towns. The disadvantages were obvious: they wore out easily. Especially here, you see—"
Rong Chengcheng picked up the dentures and compared them with images of dentures in the computer, saying, "The killer's jaw structure is different from that of ordinary people, with unique bony protrusions. Therefore, the dentures found here have particularly large wear and tear, and they have also undergone unconventional grinding to avoid the protrusions. This shape is like a fingerprint, it is unique."
Wu Zhongguo said, "We can identify the imposter by comparing their oral cavity, right? Wouldn't that be a solid case in court?"
Rong Chengcheng said, "Absolutely sure. The modifications on the dentures will fit perfectly with the unique structure of the killer's mouth. All we need to do is make a mold for comparison."
Wu Zhongguo breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great. This set of dentures was accidentally discovered by Captain Shen at the burial site. If the personal characteristics match perfectly, I will report to her immediately."
Rong Chengcheng also said in surprise, "Why didn't Captain Shen come this time?" They in the forensic department all knew that Shen Zhenzhu had a habit of examining corpses, had extensive forensic knowledge, and could even discuss things with Section Chief Qin.
Wu Zhongguo said, "I have other things to do."
He and Shen Zhenzhu covered for each other, and when Wu Zhongguo returned from the forensic room, he saw Shen Zhenzhu still resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
She sat upright in front of the small blackboard, drawing the names of the people involved in the case with chalk. Xiao Bai and Zhao Qiqi sat behind her, looking at each other, wondering what was wrong.
“Is something wrong?” Wu Zhongguo walked over and said, “The dentures are fine. We can verify them with the suspect’s mold. Forensic doctor Rong said this time it’s a sure thing.”
Chen Zhenzhu stopped what she was doing, holding the chalk, and said, "Uncle Wu, do you remember what Hu Caizhi said in his confession?"
Wu Zhongguo said, "What are you saying?" Hu Caizhi was rambling in the interrogation room, spouting far more nonsense than useful information.
Shen Zhenzhu said, "He said, 'It's not easy for him to get into the city.'"
Wu Zhongguo said, "I remember what he said. He said it wasn't easy to get into the city, so he wanted to leave a...seed in the city..."
Wu Zhongguo gasped, frowning as he said, "No way?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I have inspected the workers on the construction site, and their hands are different from Hu Caizhi's. They have calluses, which is consistent with the work of shovels and bricklaying."
She spread out her palm and pointed, saying, "Hu Caizhi has calluses on the base of his right index finger and the web of his thumb. This is a typical carpenter's mark. It's caused by long-term use of tools like hammers, planes, and chisels to strike and press hard. But he does ordinary work like carrying sand and mixing cement concrete, so it's impossible for him to have such marks."
Wu Zhongguo recalled, "I also noticed that his finger joints, especially his index and middle fingers, were more prominent and rougher than the average person's."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "There is another person with the same mark on his hand—Shi Lin's father."
Xiao Bai's eyes widened as he said, "Yes, the skull fracture was struck with a hammer with precision and force, the control was accurate and natural, as if the person was used to using a hammer. Could it be that Shi Lin's father was also a carpenter? Did Hu Caizhi learn from him when he went to the countryside?"
Wu Zhongguo frowned, a bad feeling creeping over him: "He's been in the countryside for three or four years. No matter how much he learns, he still has calluses. Unless... unless he's been studying since elementary school, and the marks are etched into his bones, so you can still see them over the years."
At this point in the conversation, Shen Zhenzhu uttered a conclusion that chilled Wu Zhongguo and the others to the bone—
"If Shi Lina, Grandpa Shi, Grandma Shi, and even Hu Xiaolei are all imposters, is it possible...?" Shen Zhenzhu said slowly, "that Hu Caizhi, whom we initially contacted, was also an imposter?"
Zhao Qiqi had just walked over when she heard this and rubbed her arms, feeling a little cold for no reason: "Sister Pearl, don't scare me."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Have you noticed that Hu Caizhi claims to be a local, but where are his family members? Why haven't any of them appeared? I checked the records of those who returned to the city in 1978. They all returned to their original hometowns and were assigned jobs. His original hometown is Liancheng, so where are his parents?"
Wu Zhongguo covered his forehead and said, "I'm sweating bullets. I've never seen a case like this in all my years of handling cases."
Xiao Bai said, "Oh! I remember now, Hu Caizhi said that both parties should be locals when dividing the house. Shi Lina is, so he must be too. If so, it's impossible that he doesn't have relatives in Liancheng."
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Did those two elders give their explanation?"
Wu Zhongguo said, "We'll just have to wait and see. He's even more difficult than Hu Caizhi. Let's just wait and see."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "They weren't so clean. You saw the scene of the corpses, and they did it cleanly and efficiently. I think they might have been forced to wipe out the entire family over a thousand miles. There must have been something urgent behind them that was forcing them to take the risk."
Wu Zhongguo said, "What exactly is their purpose in leaving their hometown... I'll go and re-establish contact with Huangtu County."
“Alright,” Chen Zhenzhu said, “It’s not a good thing after all. Let’s leave them out tonight and hurry up and make the tooth molds so we’ll have the confidence to fight those two old foxes.”
"I'll take care of it right away." Wu Zhongguo stood up.
Xiao Bai said to Shen Zhenzhu, "I'll go cook for the two old folks tonight."
“I’ll continue investigating Hu Caizhi. He’s quite cunning. He always leaves out seven parts of the truth.” Chen Zhenzhu circled Hu Caizhi’s name again with chalk. “Hey… take some oranges with you when you leave.”
Xiao Bai and Wu Zhongguo each took a few oranges from the large basket by the door and put them in their pockets.
Wu Zhongguo said helplessly, "Going to any office has become a habit, and I always have to take a few oranges with me, like paying a toll."
After clearing her head, Chen Zhenzhu said with a refreshed expression, "Don't be shy about bringing some back to our own home. Take some back for Xiaochuan too."
Wu Zhongguo waved his hand and said, "It was arranged a long time ago. Xiao Chuan's classmates have had enough to eat."
After they left, Shen Zhenzhu didn't eat dinner. She and Zhao Qiqi sat in silence and began peeling and eating oranges.
Zhao Qiqi asked, "Sister Pearl, do you mean I have to go to Shen City again?"
Shen Zhenzhu picked out a sweet orange to eat, closed her eyes to rest, and said while chewing, "I probably won't need it. I'm thinking I'll have to go see Hu Caizhi again."
Zhao Qiqi said excitedly, "I can act too! It's finally my turn!"
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the large basket by the door and said, "Hide the orange basket first, so no one can put any in it. It seems like there are more oranges than usual today."
Zhao Qiqi slapped his thigh and said, "It must have been the second team. I saw Brother Xiao Min walk past our house."
Chen Zhenzhu snorted and said, "Let's wait until the people on duty are asleep at night, then we'll dump half a basket over there."
"Hehe, okay." Zhao Qiqi would hit wherever Shen Zhenzhu pointed.
Shen Zhenzhu said to go find Hu Caizhi, so she went to find Hu Caizhi.
Hu Caizhi had seen her take nitroglycerin pills last time, so this time the guards placed them directly on the interrogation table, just in case.
Hu Caizhi walked in and immediately saw the nitroglycerin pills. Before the interrogation even began, his heart started pounding.
When Shen Zhenzhu saw him smile sinisterly, Zhao Qiqi followed behind her, rubbing his hands together, ready to use his acting skills. But before he could even take the stage, Hu Caizhi was so scared that he wet himself again.
Shen Zhenzhu: "...Am I the King of Hell?"
Hu Caizhi looked at the guards pleadingly: "Please, please kowtow to me once, I can't take it anymore."
Chen Zhenzhu pressed down on the nitroglycerin pill, sized him up to see if he could still hold on, and said, "Shi Lina told me that your carpentry skills are very good, that you've been learning for many years—"
"Ahhh—give me the medicine, quick—the jade Buddha, my jade Buddha!" Hu Caizhi's buttocks bounced wildly on the iron chair as he cried out in despair, "Kill me, I—no, don't kill me, I don't want to be boiled in oil!"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Every time I interrogate someone, I remind them of the saying, 'Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely.' If you confess honestly, you might be able to reduce your punishment a little."
In the blink of an eye, Hu Caizhi was drenched in sweat. He stared intently at Shen Zhenzhu and said, "What else do you want to know?"
"I'll ask you a question, and you answer it," Chen Zhenzhu said. "I want to know what Shi Lin's parents' names are,"
"Shi Zhibing, Wang Fengxia." Hu Caizhi closed his eyes, his calloused hands clenched tightly. He knew that once Shen Zhenzhu discovered his carpentry skills, there was no longer anything he could hide.
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Why would they impersonate Shi Lina's parents?"
Hu Caizhi shuddered and said tremblingly, "Shi Zhibing killed someone in Huangtu County. The police are looking for him, and he's trying to escape."
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Who did Shi Zhibing kill?"
Hu Caizhi recognized the word "all" that Chen Zhenzhu emphasized and saw the eight large characters on the wall. Without hesitation, he said, "They killed the brigade's scorekeeper and duty accountant first. Because the brigade's scorekeeper saw him and Wang Fengxia stealing money from the brigade during his night patrol."
Shen Zhenzhu then asked, "Who else did you kill?"
Hu Caizhi shrank back, like a turtle trying to ignore the question. Finally, he reluctantly said, "They also killed an educated youth."
Chen Zhenzhu smiled and asked, "What was that educated youth's name?"
Hu Caizhi stammered, "I...I don't know."
Chen Zhenzhu slammed her hand on the table and said fiercely, "Call him 'Hu Caizhi'!"
"I, I—" Hu Caizhi was completely out of luck. He grinned, wanting to argue, but he knew that Shen Zhenzhu had not left him any room to lie.
Shen Zhenzhu scolded him, "What's your name? You're still lying to me? Do you think I can't find out?!"
Seeing that things had reached a point of no return, Hu Caizhi glanced at the eight large characters on the wall and licked his dry lips.
With a sob in his voice, he said, “Leader, my name is Tian Bin. I am also… a native of the Loess Plateau. I have no parents, and I almost starved to death when I was one year old. Shi Zhibing found me in the field, took me home, raised me, taught me carpentry, and wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a son-in-law. Later, one year, Shi Zhibing mistakenly killed Hu Caizhi, a former educated youth. He thought he was a wealthy man returning from the county. Not long after the killing, the township demanded that Hu Caizhi return to the city. The brigade couldn't find Hu Caizhi and almost called the police. Shi Zhibing secretly switched the photos and sent me to the township to impersonate Hu Caizhi and come to Liancheng. The brigade knew that ‘Hu Caizhi’ was gone, but they didn't expect it was me who replaced him… I finally made it to the city, and I wanted to leave my offspring behind. You don't know how difficult it was for me to get to the city; it was like a dream. I want to start a good life again. I want to get rid of them. I want to become the real Hu Caizhi!”
Shi Zhibing was furious when his son-in-law, whom he had personally trained, ran away. He then devised a plan.
Shi Lin maintained contact with Tian Bin, their relationship evolving from tender affection to later coercion and threats.
"She said that the police had come to the brigade to investigate the disappearance of the scorekeeper and accountant, and someone testified that Shi Zhibing and Wang Fengxia were in the vicinity that night."
Tian Bin stared at the ceiling and said numbly, "Shi Lin kept pestering me. If I didn't help her, she would report that I wasn't Hu Caizhi. Later, she came up with a plan to marry a woman from a simple family and have her family come over in her place. At the time, I thought she was being too unrealistic. I'm an orphan, and all I want is to settle down here."
Tian Bin silently shed tears, as if he had suffered a great injustice: "But she forced me, and out of desperation, I found a matchmaker and quickly found a partner under the pretext of being anxious to get a house. What made Shi Lin very happy was that Shi Lina looked somewhat like her. You should know what happened after the marriage. Shi Lin went to Shi Lina's house, wanting to anger Shi Lina's father to death and drive Shi Lina to suicide. But Shi Lina was stronger than I imagined... In the end, in the end, I had no choice but to take action."
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Where is the real Hu Caizhi?"
Tian Bin gave an address, and Shen Zhenzhu told the agent behind her, "Immediately notify the Hushi Municipal Bureau to assist in finding the remains."
"Yes, Sister Pearl."
Shen Zhenzhu then turned to Tian Bin and asked, "That family is greedy by nature. Haven't you ever thought that you might not be able to get rid of them?"
Tian Bin suddenly shouted, "I thought I could shake them off once we got to the city, but they've got me hooked! They're water ghosts, they've got me stuck!"
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Where are Hu Caizhi's family members?"
Tian Bin said, "I didn't kill him. Hu Caizhi only had his mother and sister. His mother died of illness when he went to the countryside. He had a sister who went to the countryside and settled down in another place and never came back. I used to write to her a few years ago, but we gradually lost contact after she had a child."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I no longer trust what you say."
With a sob in his voice, Tian Bin said, "Ask Shi Lina, ask her. Everything I said is true! If she had been following me all along, she would know that a few years ago, Hu Caizhi's sister even sent our family some local specialties."
Shen Zhenzhu observed his words and actions, then nodded: "This time you're telling the truth. Now, I'll ask you one last question: are you willing to identify Shi Lin's family?"
Tian Bin trembled with fear: "I...I'm scared."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "No one here can kill you."
Tian Bin hardened his heart and said, "Fine, I'm willing to be a witness. But please, please put in a good word for me with Shi Lina. We carpenters respect spirits and gods..."
Shen Zhenzhu sneered, "Respecting ghosts and gods but killing people? You might as well apologize to Shi Lina yourself."
Tian Bin glanced back and forth over his shoulder, then said fearfully, "Shi Lina, did you hear me?! I've told you everything I know. If I tell another lie, you can strangle me!!"
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Author's Note: There are 100 red envelopes! See you tomorrow! [Let me see]
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