Chapter 195: Reappearing in the Light of Day
After the daytime KTV was shut down, KTVs near the joint-construction residential area are undergoing rectification, with checks on business licenses, fire safety, staff information, and so on. Even small restaurants are starting to have their hygiene licenses and kitchen hygiene inspected.
The streets were bustling with activity, and the air felt fresher.
People taking their lunch break came out to find food and discovered that Hejian West Road to North Road was closed. It would have been one thing to simply close off the area and prohibit entry, but they also put up a cordon.
All sorts of people had to detour, and some curious onlookers gathered to find out what was going on.
"Is there a problem with the gas pipeline? Let me tell you, I told you a long time ago that there was a foul smell here."
"I think you have a problem with your nose. The sewers are full of gutter oil. How can they smell good? If you ask me, I bet some customer got into trouble. Otherwise, why would they be cracking down on this everywhere?"
"You can't dig up the road just because a client got into trouble. It's been under construction for over ten years. If you dig it up, you'll have to build a new road. Isn't that just wasting our money?"
“You guys obviously don’t live here. I’ve heard that an old man was killed by his daughter-in-law, and the police are looking for evidence.”
"Stop talking nonsense."
"You're the one talking nonsense."
......
The autumn wind swirled down the sycamore leaves, which mingled with the rubble from the pickaxe striking the road.
Shen Zhenzhu personally supervised the excavation site and, upon seeing the deep pit before her, said, "Still nothing."
Xiao Bai pointed to the deep pit from Hu Caizhi's doorstep to their feet and said, "They've dug seven or eight in a row. Hu Caizhi isn't lying to us, is he?"
Shen Zhenzhu turned to Wu Zhongguo and asked, "Has Hu Caizhi arrived yet?"
Wu Zhongguo said, "I'll be there soon."
A few minutes later, Hu Caizhi awkwardly crossed the police line surrounded by the crowd and stood in front of Chen Zhenzhu: "I'm not a suspect, I'm a witness, why are you handcuffing me too? A lot of people here know me, you'll have to explain for me later."
“If you participate in burying the body and behave well, you can be treated leniently. But if we can’t find the body like we are now, you will be a prime suspect in the murder,” Shen Zhenzhu said.
Hu Caizhi looked up and glanced into the crowd. Hu Xiaolei was among them.
Hu Xiaolei wasn't wearing her school uniform; she was wearing Hu Caizhi's old clothes and looked at Hu Caizhi nervously and anxiously.
Shen Zhenzhu noticed Hu Caizhi's gaze, glanced at Hu Xiaolei, and Hu Xiaolei nervously bit her lip.
Shen Zhenzhu said to Hu Caizhi, "For your son's sake, you need to think carefully about where to bury the body. We haven't found it in the places you mentioned on the phone. I'm giving you one last chance. I don't think you want to be a prime suspect in a major murder, do you?"
"Xiao Lei, Xiao Lei, he's my root." Hu Caizhi paced back and forth, conflicted, thinking that Shi Lin had also betrayed him, leading the police to look for clues about him.
He steeled himself, a sinister smile flashing across his lips.
"I... I remember now, I'll take you there," Hu Caizhi said, pointing to the utility pole opposite the convenience store.
Xiao Bai looked in the direction he was pointing, and was furious: "You just said it was at your doorstep, is it true this time?"
The massive construction and road closures have caused widespread panic among the locals. If they don't find the body, all the effort will be for nothing, which will not only infuriate people but also leave them with legal responsibility.
"Don't worry, I really remember." Hu Caizhi led them towards the utility pole, noticing that many acquaintances in the neighborhood were also watching from a distance, so he shrank back.
Wu Zhongguo drew a circle with lime powder in the area he pointed to, and Shen Zhenzhu heard a hollow sound as the pickaxe struck the road surface.
The road surface was dug up again, but it was easier than expected. There was a layer of poured and sealed cement slabs under the road surface.
“Pry open the cement slab,” Chen Zhenzhu said, frowning. She could already smell the corpse.
The workers pried open the cement slab and discovered a cavity beneath it. Two grayish-white bodies, one large and one small, were nestled tightly together.
"We've found a body!"
"We found it!"
The two skeletons were complete, curled up in a coiled position. The larger skeleton's arm bones encircled the smaller one. The smaller skeleton appeared quietly and fragilely before everyone, as if still inside its mother's womb.
A tiny skull and limbs curled up in a small ball—this is a newborn life.
The larger body is that of the mother, Shilina. Her slender and fragile arm bones, in a posture that transcends death, tightly embrace the child in her chest, forming a sleeping sanctuary.
She seemed to be looking down, still gazing at her child.
Part of her body was covered in a soap-like waxy substance, blurring her facial features, but her human form and gender could still be vaguely discerned. Her clothes were tattered into dark fragments, with only some synthetic fabric clinging to her body, exposing her white ribcage.
The scene was silent. Underneath the road, which had been trampled by countless vehicles and pedestrians, lay two corpses.
Even if it was unintentionally arranged in this position after death to hide the body, this pitiful yet loving embrace, which did not loosen even after turning into bones, was a desperate attempt to give the child a quiet embrace with the last bit of strength.
The poor child hadn't even had a chance to properly see the world before being ruthlessly sealed away by cold cement and human malice, thus being isolated for fifteen years.
Wu Zhongguo glanced at it only once before abruptly turning away. Despite being a seasoned criminal investigator, he closed his eyes.
A new police officer from the local station, who was assisting with the road closure, curiously tiptoed to take a look, then couldn't help but run to the roadside and gag. It wasn't out of disgust for them, but out of heartfelt sorrow and anger.
The atmosphere was heavy and somber. Section Chief Qin and Lu Xiaobao carefully squatted down.
Shen Zhenzhu stood before the corpse, examining it closely for a while. She walked up to Hu Caizhi, who was constantly stroking the jade Buddha and muttering incantations: "Suicide?"
Hu Caizhi knew this was the last chance Shen Zhenzhu was giving him. He licked his lips. He could clearly see the convenience store and Hu Xiaolei standing inside it.
“Suicide,” Hu Caizhi said calmly, bowing his head.
Shen Zhenzhu tilted her head, knowing he was lying, and said to Wu Zhongguo, "Take Hu Caizhi into the car first."
"good."
Section Chief Qin carefully removed Shi Lina's body and said to the junior forensic doctor next to him, "The soft tissue has decomposed and disappeared, so we can only work on the skeleton."
“Here.” Shen Zhenzhu walked over and pointed to the chest cavity of Shi Lina’s body. Section Chief Qin looked over and said, “You’re quick-witted.”
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Follow your steps."
"Then I'll begin the initial on-site examination." Section Chief Qin gently examined Shi Lina's head and said, "No signs of impact were found on the deceased's head, but a severe, asymmetrical, localized crush fracture was found in the cervical spine..."
Xiao Bai, who was also taking notes, paused upon hearing this. She whispered, "The marks from hanging would be symmetrical. Asymmetry suggests the possibility of strangulation. But what about severe local crushing fractures?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "If thin, hard objects such as iron wire or electrical wire were used, it would cause severe crushing fractures in the local area, just like what you see now. There is another piece of evidence that can confirm that she was murdered; try to see if you can find it."
Pearl has been confirmed to have been murdered.
Xiao Bai gasped and squatted down to continue examining Shi Lina's body.
“There’s no soft tissue left, so there’s no way to see any defensive or restraint injuries. Fifteen years have passed, and there’s no trace left at the scene.” Xiao Bai thought for a moment, then stood up and walked to Chen Zhenzhu’s side, whispering, “Is it the posture? Hanging will result in a vertical posture due to traction, while strangulation usually results in a horizontal, curled-up position?”
Shen Zhenzhu said, "This evidence alone is not enough to support the claim of homicide. They may have been placed in this position."
Chen Zhenzhu squatted down, put on gloves, and pointed to Shi Lina's ribs.
Xiao Bai observed carefully and found a few minor fractures.
"This type of fracture is usually caused by the perpetrator using their knee—"
Shen Zhenzhu gave a demonstration, stood up, bent her knees, and tapped Xiaobai's chest. She crossed her hands in front of Xiaobai's neck and said, "This is how you strangle someone by pressing your face against their chest. Remember, this is a typical homicide position, which would never occur in a hanging. It can be used as key evidence of homicide."
Xiao Bai quickly wrote it down: "I see, now I'm really sure!"
Section Chief Qin directed the junior forensic doctor to take photos, and Shen Zhenzhu kept nodding as she spoke: "Yes, you all remembered."
Lu Xiaobao said regretfully, "It's been too long. The fingerprints and blood at the scene have decomposed due to changes in humidity and temperature. Although it was under the concrete slab, the enclosed environment was unstable. Oh, there's an iron box under the body, probably from the pants pocket."
Shen Zhenzhu walked to his side and watched as Lu Xiaobao carefully opened the palm-sized iron box. Inside was a relatively well-preserved letter. The yellowed letter was addressed to "Liancheng Passenger Transport Guesthouse".
Lu Xiaobao read aloud the words left above:
"Schlina, this is an ultimatum."
You slept with another man and had a child, how dare you still claim my man? Your home should belong to me! I'll be coming to your house in three days. If you're still there, don't blame me for being ruthless! I'm not inexperienced! You're dead!
There was no message above, but Shen Zhenzhu knew it was Shi Lin's tone.
Wu Zhongguo waved to Shen Zhenzhu from a distance, and Shen Zhenzhu walked over upon seeing this.
"Hu Caizhi said he knew who killed them."
Shen Zhenzhu was no longer interested in the answer. She opened the car door, bent down slightly, and said, "You want to tell me it's Shi Lin, right?"
Hu Caizhi asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Instead of answering, Shen Zhenzhu asked, "How do you plan to report her?"
Hu Caizhi wiped away his tears in the car and said, sobbing, "Let me see Hu Xiaolei one more time, and I'll tell you."
"Come out. Hu Xiaolei is right outside the convenience store." Wu Zhongguo pulled Hu Caizhi out.
"For my son, for my son." Hu Caizhi indeed saw Hu Xiaolei and murmured, "It was Shi Lin who killed her."
This answer was not surprising. Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes or just hear about it?"
Hu Caizhi wanted to see Hu Xiaolei, whom he was worried about, but found that Hu Xiaolei had already gone inside and closed the door.
“I saw it with my own eyes. At that time, Shi Lina’s father was so angry that he had a heart attack. After I finished working overtime, I didn’t go home right away, but rushed to buy medicine.”
Hu Caizhi said pitifully, his voice trembling with tears, "When I came back, I saw Shi Lin hanging Shi Lina from the roof beam. Everything I said before was true. I was scared half to death when Shi Lin found out, and she forced me to bury the body."
Chen Zhenzhu said, "You said it was the roof beam of the convenience store, but I just glanced at it and didn't see any roof beam."
Hu Caizhi rubbed his hands together, smoothing the calluses on them, and said, "After they died, I was scared, so I renovated the house. I covered up the roof beams; you can see the wood used to build them up if you don't believe me."
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Did you hire someone to do it, or did you do it yourself?"
Hu Caizhi unconsciously clenched his fists and said with a forced smile, "Why bother with a carpenter for such a simple job? What if we get caught? I can do it myself in no time."
Shen Zhenzhu noticed his little gesture and smiled, "Then your cooking skills are quite good."
Xiao Bai ran to the convenience store and asked the operative guarding it to open the door. After taking a look, he ran back and said, "What he said is true. The wood has been painted white."
"Yes, that's the one." Hu Caizhi said excitedly, "Shi Lin stood on the stool and hoisted Shi Lina up. She wasn't heavy enough, so she jumped off the chair and used all her strength to get up."
Shen Zhenzhu curled her lips indifferently: "Hu Caizhi, you're quite something."
After saying that, he instructed Xiaobai, "Pry open the wood to check the roof beams."
"Yes, Sister Pearl."
"Pry it open?" Hu Caizhi's eyes widened. "What's the point of taking it apart? It's been fifteen years, what can you possibly find?"
Hu Caizhi was right. Xiaobai was also a little curious. Chen Zhenzhu said, "We'll know once we take it apart."
Xiao Bai thought about it and realized that Sister Pearl never fights a battle unprepared.
Shen Zhenzhu ignored Hu Caizhi and said to Wu Zhongguo, "Have someone keep an eye on him; this man never tells the truth."
Wu Zhongguo said, "Okay, I'll go check on the roof beams later too."
Hu Caizhi sat back in the car, looking terrified, and said, "I'm telling the truth, officers. I really didn't lie. Didn't you find evidence? It must be Shi Lin."
From a distance, Hu Xiaolei peered through a crack in the door at Hu Caizhi using binoculars. He was terrified, and heard his grandmother behind him ask, "How is it? What did you see?"
Hu Xiaolei was startled and hurriedly put away her binoculars: "How is Grandpa?"
"He's doing well." Grandma stroked Hu Xiaolei's head. "Your grandson is the best."
......
November 8, 1978.
One autumn rain brings one chill.
Outside the bedroom, the sound of workers stirring mud and sand annoyed Shi Lina. Finally, when they finished get off work, it was already dark.
She held her crying, hungry daughter in her arms, waiting for her mother to boil water in the living room: "Hurry up with the milk."
Instead of hearing her mother's reply, she was greeted by a knocking sound that came even faster than her mother's response.
"Who?!" Shi Lina was startled. Since their marriage, Shi Lin had haunted her like a ghost. Looking again, she saw it was none other than Hu Caizhi outside the window.
"I'll go open the door." Shi Lina sneezed, wearing a thin cotton jacket and slippers, and walked out.
As she opened the door, Shi Lina knelt down to get slippers for Hu Caizhi: "Didn't you bring your key? Why are you back so late? It's already dark, how can you still do chores?"
Inside the bedroom, her daughter burst into tears. Shi Lina quickly got up and saw that there was someone standing behind Hu Caizhi. Who else could it be but Shi Lin!
"Why are you here!" Shi Lina took a step back and looked at her husband, saying, "Didn't you swear to me that you would never see her again?"
Hu Caizhi did not answer, and walked closer to Shi Lin step by step...
The daughter seemed to sense the impending danger, and her crying intensified until she could no longer breathe.
Srina, who had fallen to the ground, crawled towards the bedroom, blood flowing from her nose and mouth. Despite the pain from the beating, she cried out, "Don't hurt my child... Dad, Mom! Save me!"
Unfortunately, Shi Lina's father was in poor health and her mother was hard of hearing. There was movement in the room, but they were unable to open the door in time.
Shi Lin locked the bedroom door where the two elders were, stood condescendingly in front of Shi Lina, and said to Hu Caizhi, whose face was contorted with emotion, "It's too late to feel sorry for them now! You promised me, and there's no turning back now!"
Hu Caizhi took out a piece of wire he had stolen from the construction site, tore it open, and handed one end to Shi Lin. The two walked hand in hand into the bedroom, looking at Shi Lina, who was holding her daughter and seemed at a loss.
Shi Lina said in a panic, "Hu Caizhi, are you crazy?!"
Hu Caizhi said helplessly, "She forced me to do this, I had no choice. If you don't die, she'll say I raped her and she'll have me shot."
As he approached step by step, Shi Lina blocked her daughter with her body and stood in front of the bed, pleading bitterly, "Please let us go. Even if you have no feelings for me, she is still your own daughter."
Shi Lin sneered, "Can a daughter be better than a son?"
Hu Caizhi swallowed hard and said softly, "I'll be gentle, don't be afraid. I'll take you away first, then I'll send my daughter over to keep you company."
Upon hearing his words, Shi Lina knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Hu Caizhi repeatedly: "That's your daughter. You can kill me, but please spare her. She's only a month old!"
When Hu Caizhi saw the baby girl in swaddling clothes, a hint of reluctance appeared in his eyes.
Shi Lin shoved him from behind and said, "Have you forgotten how you kissed your son? You said he was cut from the same mold as you and would carry on the Hu family line."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Shi Lina said, "Shi Lin, I'm begging you. Please spare the child. You're a mother too. If you want her, I'll give her to you; if you want a house, I'll give you that; if you want my life, I'll give it to you! Please, spare her. She's so young, she's innocent."
"What do you mean 'give it to me'? It's mine!" Shi Lin said viciously. "Am I not innocent? Just because I don't have a local household registration, I can't marry the person I love. I feel disgusted just thinking about the two of you sleeping together! Hu Caizhi, hurry up and do it! Otherwise, I'll call for help!"
Hu Caizhi hardened his heart and said to Shi Lina, "I'm sorry, Lina. It wasn't easy for me to get back to the city, and I feel guilty towards Xiaolin. In my next life, I'll be your slave to repay my debt. In this life, I... I'll see you off first!"
When Shi Lin saw him fall, Shi Lin rushed over to him, and then walked around Shi Lin and towards the baby girl.
The baby's cries were especially loud at night, but gradually the sound weakened, and finally, like its mother, it disappeared from the world.
"Dead, dead... I, I killed someone!" Hu Caizhi broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing the corpse: "What do we do? What's the next step?"
"What's the rush?" Shi Lin squatted down beside the mother and daughter's corpses, thought for a moment and said, "Hang them up to bleed them out first, so that no one can smell the stench."
Hu Caizhi pointed at the baby girl and said, "You, you go first."
Shi Lin cursed at him, "Idiot! I can't lift it! If I could lift it, why would I need you to do anything?"
Left with no other choice, Hu Caizhi and Shi Lin carried Shi Lina to the edge of the living room. Shi Lin put a rope around Shi Lina's neck: "Hang her up there."
After saying that, she turned and went into the bedroom.
Hu Caizhi stood on the chair, trying to strain. Suddenly, Shi Lina, who had been suffocating, opened her eyes and spat blood right in front of Hu Caizhi!
"I...I will come back to find you!"
Hu Caizhi was so frightened he almost fell over, grabbing onto a roof beam for support: "Ahhh! It's a zombie!"
Shi Lin ran out carrying the baby girl's body and saw it. She simply pulled on the rope and continued to pull hard. Seeing this, Hu Caizhi also reached out and grabbed the rope to pull together.
They were in sync just like before. Shi Lina struggled a few times in mid-air, but her dying breath ultimately could not escape her fate of death.
"Blood, it's all blood." Hu Caizhi grabbed Shi Lin's hand, panting heavily, his voice trembling as he said, "She was clearly strangled just now, how is she still alive?"
Shi Lin shoved him: "Coward, get out of here. I'll hang it up, and you can bleed me later."
She stood on a chair, reached out and held onto the roof beam to hang a rope. The baby girl's light body swayed on the beam, making Hu Caizhi vomit.
“No, I can’t let go, I really can’t do it anymore.” Hu Caizhi sat on the ground, holding his head, and muttered, “She cursed me before she died, her eyes, she said she would follow me for the rest of her life.”
Seeing his utter incompetence, Shi Lin angrily said, "The person is dead, how can you dismember the body without bleeding them?"
Hu Caizhi was terrified, clutching his head for a long time before finally lifting it up: "It's alright, I've thought of something. I've thought of a way, we don't need to bleed them. Quick, quick, take them off. While it's dark, I'll bury them, they won't be able to come out for a hundred years. Oh, right, there's also a spell, put it in her pocket, to keep her safe."
"What nonsense! You've been fooled again." Shi Lin didn't even look at him. "Then hurry up. Our son is still young. If I don't bleed, I won't."
Hu Caizhi took out a metal box from his pocket and, when Shi Lin wasn't looking, stuffed it into Shi Lina's pocket: "Okay, let's go."
......
......
Wu Zhongguo, carrying tools, led a group of people to pry open the wooden covering of the roof beams.
Chen Zhenzhu entered the convenience store, and the crowded store counter was moved to the courtyard, where curious residents of the community stood outside.
The security guard at the gate wanted to greet Chen Zhenzhu, but then he noticed her olive-green uniform and the police officers following her orders. He muttered, "This girl is something else. She's managed to fool me. What serious crime has the Hu family committed?"
"Is it smuggling small commodities?"
"Speculation and profiteering are crimes from what era? Didn't you hear they dug up a body up ahead?"
"My goodness, I really didn't know."
The neighbors were whispering amongst themselves, saying all sorts of things. Chen Zhenzhu went into the kitchen and smelled a medicinal aroma.
Hu Xiaolei was brewing traditional Chinese medicine for her grandfather, squatting in the kitchen fanning the honeycomb briquette stove with a palm leaf fan. The fifteen-year-old boy had experienced earth-shattering changes in just two days.
He had two pimples on his chin, but he didn't care who was standing next to him and didn't move an inch.
“Xiao Lei, there’s something you have the right to know,” Shen Zhenzhu said. “It’s about the identity of your biological father.”
Hu Xiaolei said in a low voice, "I don't want to know anymore."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "...That's fine. You can come to me anytime you want to know."
Shen Zhenzhu turned to leave, but Hu Xiaolei waited a few seconds and suddenly said, "Sister! My dad, my dad is my dad, right?"
Chen Zhenzhu stopped, turned around, and walked back to the kitchen doorway: "You knew all along?"
Hu Xiaolei said, "I have guesses, but they all say I am the son of a criminal, so I can't be sure. But I think he has been incredibly good to me, and it's impossible for someone like him to care so much about someone else's child."
"It seems you know Hu Caizhi quite well." Chen Zhenzhu squatted down beside him and said, "What illness does Grandpa have? Do you often cook medicine for him?"
Hu Xiaolei said, "My heart has been feeling uncomfortable. The doctor said it was because I was too frightened and I need to take a few doses every month."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Knowing that Hu Caizhi is your biological father, why don't you get excited?"
Hu Xiaolei stopped fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, stared at the brown earthenware pot steaming with white vapor, and said dejectedly, "It's not as good as... it's not as good as a rapist."
"Why do you say that?" Shen Zhenzhu had just asked when Wu Zhongguo, who was dismantling the wooden covering of the roof beams behind her, shouted, "Sister Zhenzhu, we've found something!"
Shen Zhenzhu strode over, stepped over the pried-off plank, and looked up at Wu Zhongguo on the wooden ladder.
Wu Zhongguo was taking photos with a flashlight and a camera. After he finished, he came down and let Chen Zhenzhu go up.
Shen Zhenzhu climbed the wooden ladder and saw a jumble of bloody handprints on the front of the roof beam. The handprints, some large and some small, overlapped together, and Shen Zhenzhu knew they belonged to Hu Caizhi and Shi Lin.
The bloody handprint is covered with a layer of varnish, which, upon closer inspection, appears to have dripped from a white wooden board, gathering and sealing the handprint. The blood mixed with the undried varnish, which then cured, perfectly sealing the bloody handprint beneath the transparent film. Under light, the brown, sealed handprint's texture is clearly visible, resembling amber.
Hu Caizhi was in a hurry to cover up the beam, and in his haste, he used white paint to smear away the bloody handprints on the side of the beam, forgetting that there were also bloody handprints on the top of the beam. He wrapped the four sides of the beam with white wooden boards and habitually brushed them with varnish.
"This is varnish, also called crystal varnish. It was very common fifteen years ago, and my family used it too." Wu Zhongguo said, looking up from below, "It was sealed off, dark, and not a single mouse had ever been there. It's truly a blessing that God took pity on that mother and daughter."
Shen Zhenzhu knew there would be fingerprint clues on it because she "saw" them, but she didn't expect it to be so large and so clear.
She climbed down the wooden ladder, clapped her hands, and said, "Carefully remove it and send it to verify the fingerprints."
Wu Zhongguo looked across the street and nodded heavily: "Don't worry, there will be absolutely no problems."
Grandma Shi, who was helping her husband wake up and drink his traditional Chinese medicine, came out of the room. Clutching her heart, she said, "You've torn my house down! You think you can bully us without any connections? It's you! I've seen you before!"
Shen Zhenzhu walked over and saw Hu Xiaolei carrying a bowl of medicine to the elderly couple's bedroom, which was opposite the bedroom where Shi Lina and her daughter had been murdered.
“Auntie, we work according to the law and don’t let personal grudges interfere. Besides, I have no personal grudges against your family,” Shen Zhenzhu said.
Grandma Shi pointed at Chen Zhenzhu's nose and said, "How can there be no personal grudges? I know you want to buy a house. You asked around everywhere, even asking our little shop if it was for sale. Is that not true?"
"I'm at work, I'm sorry." Shen Zhenzhu didn't want to argue with her.
Looking at the stern-faced old man with his weathered wrinkles, Chen Zhenzhu said, "You two didn't know about the big commotion that Hu Caizhi and Shi Lin did?"
Because of Grandpa Shi's health, they weren't invited to the team for questioning; instead, they sent people over to ask. This was the first time Shen Zhenzhu had questioned Grandma Shi.
Grandma Shi said, "I'm hard of hearing and her father's heart condition was triggered by her, and I'm still taking care of him."
Looking at the dismantled white wooden planks and the agents pacing back and forth in the house, Old Mrs. Shi clutched her chest and said, "Fifteen years have passed, and this isn't their fault! Blame my daughter; she was having an affair. A clear conscience fears no accusation. If she was innocent, why would she hang herself with her child?! She was simply too ashamed to live!"
“I’ll say it again, Shi Lina and her child were murdered; they were innocent,” Chen Zhenzhu said. “Why are you so sure that Shi Lina betrayed her family?”
"She's being ridiculous!" Old Master Shi came out from inside, supported by Hu Xiaolei, and stood shakily in front of Shen Zhenzhu: "You don't understand the suffering of us old folks. Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin have taken care of us for fifteen years. Could that woman who cheated on us have done the same? Not only did she not earn a penny, but she also cheated on Xiao Hu! As her father, I will not hold them responsible!"
The words of Mrs. Shi and Mr. Shi shocked and chilled the investigators at the scene.
People say that it's wrong to mistake a thief for your father, but I never thought there would be someone who would mistake a thief for their daughter.
Wu Zhongguo sighed, "He's really getting senile."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Two lives cannot be taken simply because you two elders say you won't pursue the matter."
Grandpa Shi glared at him and said, "What do you mean? How can you, a young man, be so unreasonable?"
Shen Zhenzhu noticed a red string around his neck, identical to the jade Buddha pendant Hu Caizhi wore. She turned and pointed across the street; it wasn't far, and she could see the bodies being cleaned up.
“Your daughter and granddaughter are over there, aren’t you going to go see them?” Shen Zhenzhu said in a low voice.
"No, I won't go. I'm old and have a weak heart; I can't handle the stimulation." Old Master Shi subconsciously touched his chest, and Chen Zhenzhu caught his movement when she looked up.
Grandma Shi helped Grandpa Shi into the room, but Chen Zhenzhu stopped them and said coldly, "What were you doing when the incident happened?"
Grandma Shi's eyes flickered, then she stubbornly said, "He's locked in his room! How many times do I have to tell him!"
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see!]
***
The accents are for the sake of the plot, please don't take it personally! [Please!]
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