Chapter 3 A family with black hearts
Meng Ting hasn't seen Niu Xin return for three days.
Niu Xin runs a fish stall in the market and often supplies grass carp to the owners of roadside restaurants.
Since she became pregnant, Niu Xin has been behaving very strangely. He no longer lets her go to the market to help sell fish, and he also makes her stay at home by herself, saying that she is watching the fishpond, but it feels like she is in prison every day.
Niu Xin's younger sister, Niu Lanlan, is over thirty and still unmarried. This sister-in-law seems to have an innate hostility towards her. She has a shrewish personality and is foul-mouthed. After Niu Lanlan was forced to leave her stall, she started going in and out of Niu Xin's stall even more.
The day before yesterday, Meng Ting wanted to bring food to Niu Xin. Ever since Niu Xin returned from visiting relatives for a month at the end of last year, he has been extremely cold to her. She doesn't know what she did to offend him these past few days, but he doesn't care about her at all because she is pregnant.
Niu Xin has contracted another market stall, which Meng Ting hasn't visited yet.
With her eight-month pregnant belly, she struggled to take the bus to the market. When she arrived at the stall and didn't see Niu Xin and Niu Lanlan, she asked someone across the street, "Sir, when is the grass carp seller coming back?"
The old man, completely unaware that she was Niu Xin's wife, told her the truth: "The boss's wife has an upset stomach, so he booked a short-stay room for her to rest. Tsk tsk, if you ask me, the couple should just go back to sleep; what's the point of making money like this?"
Meng Ting touched her stomach, initially thinking that Niu Xin had booked her a short-stay hotel room. Then she realized something was off; how did Niu Xin know she was coming today?
Meng Ting asked the old man for directions to the hourly rate room and waited alone under the tree.
This was a scene she could hardly believe in her entire life: Niu Xin and Niu Lanlan walked out of the hotel, their eyes filled with love for each other...
"Impossible, how could this be..."
Meng Ting hid behind a tree, tears streaming silently down her face.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Returning home in a daze, I remembered a slip of the tongue Niu Xin had made years ago when he was drunk, saying that Niu Lanlan was picked up by her mother from a garbage dump in the dead of winter.
At the dinner table, Niu Lanlan immediately lost her temper, and her mother-in-law also said that Niu Xin was talking nonsense while drunk.
Could it be that Niu Lanlan was really picked up by Niu Xin's family after drinking?
While her mother-in-law was feeding the fish, Meng Ting found the family's household registration booklet and saw the name "Niu Lanlan" on the page, with "adopted daughter" clearly written next to her relationship to the head of household. At the same time, she found a "miscarriage surgery record" in a folded-out page.
The surgery was scheduled for the same month that Niu Xin and Niu Lanlan were visiting relatives, and Niu Xin was the one who signed the consent form for the surgery!
"You...you whole family kept me completely in the dark!"
Meng Ting couldn't sleep for two nights in a row, and Niu Xin still hadn't returned.
Meng Ting really wanted to discuss this matter with her older brother and sister-in-law; she had already begun to hesitate about whether to have an abortion.
What happened under that filthy roof was unacceptable to her and made her nauseous.
Niu Xin suddenly returned home at that moment, carrying the lunchbox that Meng Ting had left at the market.
"What's wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me you were coming to see me?" Niu Xin, the one who started the accusation, stood under the low eaves and shouted, "What are you going there for?"
Meng Ting instinctively clutched her stomach and moved toward the door, saying, "Let's talk outside."
Niu Xin suddenly felt something was wrong, and followed Meng Ting out of the house, heading towards the deserted fishpond to the west.
The fishermen had all gone elsewhere to eat, leaving only Granny Niu feeding the fish; there was no one else around. But for Meng Ting, at least there were people around, so she wasn't too scared.
"I know everything."
What do you know?
Meng Ting said, "I saw you two kissing in front of the Happiness Hotel. You two are shameless. You were gone for a month last year just to take care of her after her miscarriage, weren't you? The child in her belly is yours, so why shouldn't the child in my belly be yours?"
Niu Xin said angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! She and I are siblings!"
"Bullshit, you two siblings!" Meng Ting shouted hoarsely, "You have the guts to sleep together, but why don't you have the guts to get married? Are you using me as a cover? No wonder she's never gotten married, it turns out you've got your backing!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Niu Lanlan chased after Niu Xin back, but she didn't expect to hear her sister-in-law's words as soon as she got back. Cold sweat broke out on her back. She looked around and thankfully the fishermen hadn't returned yet.
"Am I talking nonsense?" Meng Ting pointed at Niu Xin and then at Niu Lanlan and said, "You win. I'm going to have an abortion, and then you can be together. I want a divorce."
"If you dare to divorce me, I paid a dowry to marry you, so you have to be my slave in this house." Niu Xin grabbed Meng Ting's wrist, not allowing her to leave.
Meng Ting was in excruciating pain. She clutched her stomach with one hand, trying to shake off Niu Xin's arm, but she couldn't.
Driven to desperation, and seeing that Niu Lanlan still acted indifferent, she angrily said, "I'll make sure you two are having an affair. From today onwards, I'm going to let all our relatives and friends know about your dirty deeds!"
"Shut up!" Niu Lanlan rushed forward and shoved Meng Ting violently.
"Ah!" Meng Ting screamed as she slid to the bank. The bank was slippery with mud, and the fishpond was more than two meters deep. If she fell in, she would be doomed.
Meng Ting clung to Niu Xin's arm as if it were a lifeline: "Don't let go, don't let go!"
Niu Lanlan shouted from behind Niu Xin, "She's going to ruin us, why aren't you letting go!"
Niu Xin hesitated for a few seconds, then actually let go: "I've really had enough of you. Once you're dead, no one will know our secret. You can't ruin us."
"Ah—! Niu Xin, how cruel you are! You don't want me, but don't you want the baby in your belly either?" Meng Ting frantically tried to grab him, but the mud under her feet became more and more slippery.
Seeing her struggling fiercely, Niu Xin gritted his teeth, shook off her arm, and pushed her again.
The engagement ring he and Niu Lanlan had secretly kept dangled from his neck, the ring beneath the silver necklace dazzling in the sunlight.
Like a bird falling into the water, Meng Ting grabbed the ring, but the chain broke, and she was still struggling violently in the fishpond.
Several times when I reached the shore, Granny Niu, wielding a shovel, pried my hands off, and I slipped back in again and again, until the surface of the fishpond gradually returned to calm...
......
......
Police motorcycles from the Liancheng City Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team quickly arrived at the scene.
Lu Ye got off the motorcycle, with Zhou Chuanxi, who had come with him, beside him.
“We’ll take statements separately, and the onlookers should protect the scene,” Lu Ye said.
"OK."
Their arrival instilled fear in the Niu family; in everyone's mind, there was a world of difference between criminal police and local police.
Grandma Niu, acting like a victim, rushed out of the crowd and pointed at Chen Zhenzhu, saying, "Aren't you going to do anything about her? She's spouting nonsense and even trying to slander my son and my daughter by saying they slept together."
A fisherman watching nearby chimed in, "I can testify to this. This police officer did say they were having an affair. We regular customers all know their family dynamics; they are real siblings."
Lu Ye glanced at Chen Zhenzhu, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "You go over there first."
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at him and said "Oh".
Zhou Chuanxi said, "Did someone report that a pregnant woman accidentally fell into the water and died? Were there any eyewitnesses?"
Niu Lanlan said without changing her expression, "Our whole family are eyewitnesses."
Lu Ye then asked, "If you saw it with your own eyes, why didn't you save him?"
Niu Xin hurriedly said, "I pulled her out myself, but it was too late. The police officer had to give her first aid later."
Lu Ye glanced at the slippery shore and indeed saw messy footprints.
Zhou Chuanxi, who was standing aside asking others for their opinions, said, "There are so many people who fall into the water in the summer. They do it in fishponds and by the sea. Sigh. This one resulted in the death of both mother and child. If they had called the police and taken the baby to the hospital earlier, the child might have been saved."
Grandma Niu cried and said, "That's right, I was so looking forward to her getting pregnant, and then my grandson was gone just like that."
Her cries were so real, they brought tears to my eyes. Niu Lanlan, thinking of her lost child, also shed tears.
When Meng Ting's elder brothers and sisters-in-law saw their husband's family so heartbroken, they didn't know what to do.
The two of them kept saying, "She has a strong personality, how could she possibly commit suicide?"
“My sister is not someone who commits suicide, there must be something wrong with her.”
Niu Xin hugged Tingting's older brother's shoulders tightly, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "Brother, it's my fault. I didn't take good care of her. You can kill me. I've lost my wife and my child. I deserve to die."
The sunken pearl is breathtaking.
This family is full of award-winning actors and actresses.
The onlookers, who had never witnessed such cunning murderers before, were also affected by the atmosphere and sighed in dismay.
Although there was a dispute between her husband's family and her elder brother and sister-in-law, and they had not yet determined whether Meng Ting committed suicide or accidentally fell, none of them considered the possibility that she was murdered.
Most bystanders assumed that after the argument, the strong-willed Meng Ting, due to her pregnancy and temper, impulsively jumped in.
They had no idea that three beasts dressed in human skin were standing opposite them.
"You might regret it as soon as you jump in, or you might slip and fall," Lu Ye said regretfully, glancing at the messy footprints on the shore.
"Please cooperate and give your statements," Zhou Chuanxi said to the crowd.
Shen Zhenzhu thought they had only investigated this far when she suddenly said, "Niu Xin, why is there blood on your collar?"
Niu Xin was wearing the shirt Niu Lanlan had bought him, which he had deliberately buttoned up to the top to hide his wound. He suddenly froze, touching his neck and saying, "No, there's no blood?"
Zhou Chuanxi, wearing glasses, leaned closer and squinted, asking, "What blood?"
Shen Zhenzhu didn't see any injuries, but she noticed that the scratches on Meng Ting's hand in the Heavenly Eye matched those on her corpse.
Shen Zhenzhu soon realized that her "heavenly eye" might be real!
Although she doesn't know why she has a "heavenly eye," if she can travel through time, what else can't happen?
Shen Zhenzhu pointed at the fabricated blood and said, "Is it bleeding from your neck? Quickly unbutton your clothes and take a look."
Lu Ye was burly and had a domineering aura. He immediately sensed something was wrong, walked over, and said, "Untie it."
Niu Xin swallowed hard and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The scratches from Meng Ting hadn't healed yet, and there were indeed three horrifying bloodstains on his collar.
"How did you do this?" Lu Ye asked.
Niu Xin stammered, "I got into an argument with someone on the bus and we accidentally got into a fight."
Shen Zhenzhu's gaze swept to the silver ring on Niu Lanlan's ring finger, which was exactly the same as the one that Meng Ting had grabbed and torn off in the "Sky Eye".
They were a couple.
Fearing that Niu Lanlan might hide the crucial ring, Chen Zhenzhu suddenly called out, "Niu Lanlan, why is there blood on your ring?"
Niu Lanlan was shocked and quickly looked at her ring: "There's no blood." After saying this, she realized that everyone's eyes were on her ring, and her face turned pale.
She hurriedly moved her hand away and put it behind her back.
Chen Zhenzhu said expressionlessly, "Oh, I misread it."
Lu Ye frowned at the haphazard behavior.
Shen Zhenzhu asked him, "May I take a look around the body?"
Lu Ye thought for a moment and said, "Then protect the scene and don't move anything. If you need to move anything, you must tell me."
"yes."
Niu Xin caught a glimpse of Shen Zhenzhu squatting next to Meng Ting's body, examining Meng Ting's fingernails. He quickly covered his neck and said, "I didn't kill her."
Seeing his subtle expression, Shen Zhenzhu calmly asked, "Why are you lying?"
Lu Ye winked at Shen Zhenzhu, hoping she wouldn't say anything carelessly, in case someone sued her.
But Chen Zhenzhu seemed not to see his expression and was still waiting for Niu Xin to answer.
More than twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on Niu Xin, also hoping he would give an answer.
Niu Xin had no choice but to say, "What do you mean by lying? Are you targeting me? First you said I was having an affair with my sister, and now you're accusing me of lying. What exactly do you want?"
Shen Zhenzhu hadn't checked their household registration before she came, but since the Heavenly Eye had information, she simply used it: "Of course you can have an affair if she's not a biological sister, don't you all agree?"
"Comrade, we've already said they're real siblings."
"What? What happened to this police officer?"
"Hey, something's not right about this anymore?"
...
"Stop spouting nonsense." Niu Lanlan was stopped from leaving by Lu Ye. Her face turned ashen as she said, "You...you asked us for favors last time, trying to take my family's grass carp for free. My brother didn't give them to you, so you're slandering us!"
That's slander.
Shen Zhenzhu twitched her lips speechlessly and said to Lu Ye, "Comrade, my name is Shen Zhenzhu and I work at the Tie Si Police Station. I remember their household registration information. It clearly states on the household registration page that Niu Lanlan is an adopted child, not their biological sibling as they claim."
The surrounding area immediately erupted in discussion.
If it were anything else, that would be one thing, but Shen Zhenzhu has seen the household registration information. That makes it very likely.
Grandma Niu remained silent for a long time, sensing everyone's gaze sweeping over their family. At first, they pitied them for losing Meng Ting, but now they were starting to doubt them.
"Grandma, could you please show me your household registration?" Zhou Chuanxi said politely as he walked over.
Grandma Cow said, "I...I don't remember where I put it."
Chen Zhenzhu said from the side, "It's under the drawer under the cabinet."
Grandma Niu said in a panic, "How...how did you know?"
Shen Zhenzhu lied this time: "Last time I came to check, you showed it to me yourself, didn't you?"
"When did I give it to you? I don't remember." Granny Niu was old and had no recollection of it.
Niu Xin stomped his feet in anger, saying, "How could you show it to her?"
Once he said those words, it was too late for him to realize his mistake.
The fishermen and other tourists who came to escape the summer heat began to whisper among themselves, all finding the family odd.
Zhou Chuanxi urged Grandma Niu to get the household registration, but she insisted on delaying.
"Why not just hand over your household registration? Just bring it over and explain it to the police, and that'll be fine."
"Yes, what's so hard about showing it? It's obvious who's lying."
"Are you afraid to take it because you have a guilty conscience? Even if you don't have it registered in your household, a check at the police station will find out, won't it?"
Shen Zhenzhu calmly watched the heartless family of three and urged them, "If you don't take it, it proves that what I said is true. My brain remembers things very clearly."
"I'll go get it!" Tingting's older brother stormed off towards the house by the pond.
Grandma Niu rushed forward, stumbled and fell, then scrambled to her feet and clung to his leg, saying, "You're not allowed to touch my things! I have my savings for my funeral inside, and if they get lost, it'll be your fault!"
“There’s more to the pregnant woman’s death than meets the eye. I’ll call Captain Gu to report it.” After Zhou Chuanxi finished speaking to Lu Ye, he gave Chen Zhenzhu a deep look: “Not bad, you’re very observant. I didn’t even see any bloodstains on his collar.”
Shen Zhenzhu squatted down next to Meng Ting again, searching through her fingers, hoping to find some subtle evidence: "Actually, I was bluffing him. I noticed that his movements were unnatural and his voice was tense. Maybe it was because he injured his Adam's apple."
Lu Ye stood a few steps away, his gaze sweeping over Niu Xin and Niu Lanlan, and said, "I have a gun. I'm warning you again, you are not allowed to leave the scene."
Sister-in-law Tingting was also standing on the opposite side watching them, and behind her, there was the sound of Granny Niu wailing and howling.
Ignoring her advice, Tingting's older brother found the household registration in the drawer Shen Zhenzhu had mentioned, and then returned angrily: "It's an adoption! Officers, my sister died unjustly!"
Shen Zhenzhu subtly curled the corners of her lips, further confirming the correctness of the Heavenly Eye.
A murmur arose around them, and this time everyone's gazes on Niu Xin seemed to confirm that he was a murderer.
A note from the author:
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