Chapter 196 The truth is even more cruel and bizarre.
How many times?
Shen Zhenzhu's gaze suddenly fell on Old Madam Shi!
Almost simultaneously, Old Master Shi suddenly cried out, "Heart!" Then, hunching over, he gasped in pain, "Quick, old woman, get me the medicine!"
"His old problem has flared up again! Everyone living nearby knows he has a heart condition." Grandma Shi, not bothering to argue with Shen Zhenzhu, stepped into the house and ran into Hu Xiaolei: "Where's the medicine? What are you standing there for?"
Shen Zhenzhu heard her words from behind.
Hu Xiaolei went to their bedroom and took a medicine bottle from the bedside table: "Here you go."
Grandma Shi grabbed the medicine and walked out, glancing back before whispering, "Keep Grandpa's dentures safe, don't lose them again, they're hard to get replacements for."
“It’s Grandpa, not Grandpa. Why do you always get it wrong?...When have you ever lost it…” Hu Xiaolei picked up the full set of dentures that were soaking in the water glass and put them on the other side of the bedside table where they wouldn’t be bumped, muttering to herself.
Grandpa Shi was helped back by Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai. Grandma Shi quickly opened the medicine bottle, poured out a white pill, and put it in his mouth: "Quick, swallow it and you'll be fine. You're so sensitive. If anything happens to you, I might as well hang myself."
The words were clearly meant for Shen Zhenzhu's ears. Shen Zhenzhu observed Old Master Shi's lips; they were rosy and glossy, not like someone who had suffered a heart attack, but rather like someone who had just eaten lard.
I glanced at the unfinished food in the kitchen and saw it was pork rice.
"Sister Pearl, Shi Lin has come over," Xiao Bai whispered in Shen Pearl's ear.
Just half an hour ago, Shi Lin suddenly said in the detention room that she had something to say and insisted on seeing Shen Zhenzhu.
Upon arriving at the scene, Shi Lin saw the excavated road surface, which was exactly as she had guessed.
Shi Lin was furious. She knew Hu Caizhi was unreliable! He could kill his first wife, and he would get rid of his second!
"Which man can be trusted?" Shi Lin scoffed and muttered under her breath.
Shen Zhenzhu walked to the car and didn't try to cover up the scene for her. Instead, she smiled and said, "What are you doing here? Hu Caizhi has already confessed everything to you. You don't need to say anything more."
Shi Lin gritted her teeth, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "He really said it?"
Shen Zhenzhu turned her body to the side, and the forensic vehicle was transporting the bodies of Shi Lina and her daughter: "Otherwise, how could I find them? By the way, there's a note I can show you."
She waved, and Xiaobai ran over from a distance, carefully carrying the tin box.
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the tin box and said, "Do you remember this?"
Shi Lin could not forget the scene from that day. Even after fifteen years, she recognized the iron box at a glance: "This is a spell, a spell to suppress Shi Lina."
Xiao Bai opened the tin box and showed its contents to Shi Lin.
Shen Zhenzhu said, "You think this is a curse, and I think so too. It's just a curse that will send you to the Yellow Springs after fifteen years."
Shi Lin stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her flippant eyes gleaming. The next second, she roared, "That son of a bitch!! How could I have killed him all by myself? He did too!"
Shen Zhenzhu said regretfully, "Now the physical evidence and his testimony both point to you, don't you have anything to say?"
Shi Lin hesitated for a few seconds, then said through gritted teeth, "The wire that strangled Shi Lina back then was taken by Hu Caizhi."
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Where is the wire?"
Shi Lin said, "Let me see Xiao Lei once, and I'll tell you."
Two minutes later, Hu Xiaolei stood in front of Shi Lin.
Shen Zhenzhu believed that Shi Lin had maternal love for Hu Xiaolei, but little did she know that even with handcuffs on, Shi Lin would raise her hand and try to slap Hu Xiaolei!
Shen Zhenzhu blocked her hand and scolded her, "What are you doing? Hitting a child in front of the police?"
Shi Lin glared at Hu Xiaolei resentfully and said, "It's all because of you! If I hadn't gotten pregnant with you, I wouldn't be in this situation! I could marry someone else, a proper marriage, why should I live under someone else's identity!"
Hu Xiaolei couldn't believe that his mother was still blaming him at a time like this. He was wearing an ill-fitting men's jacket and wanted to cover his face, but he could still see Shi Lin's resentful eyes through his fingers.
"Hu Xiaolei, how many times have I told you to be careful? You just wouldn't listen to me and insisted on using the restroom outside!" Shi Lin said fiercely. "If it weren't for that, we wouldn't be in this situation! You're a debt collector, you've ruined us!"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Shi Lin, you're wrong. Although my colleague saw Hu Xiaolei in the restroom, he was the one who initially noticed something was wrong."
Shi Lin said in astonishment, "Me? What's wrong with me?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Your accent. My mother is from the South, and I can understand a little Southern dialect. The day you were arrested for the fake evidence case, I knew something was wrong with you. It has nothing to do with the child. Moreover, your current situation and Hu Caizhi's are entirely your own doing; the child had no choice. Instead of blaming him, you should blame yourself for how you could bring yourself to kill an infant!"
Shi Lin leaned against the car, her eyes darting around.
She harbored deep resentment towards Hu Xiaolei and said in a suffocating tone, "Your father isn't a rapist, he's a murderer, and I'm a murderer too. Are you happy now?"
Upon hearing part of the story, Hu Xiaolei looked at her mother in disbelief: "Mom, please don't do this, I'm scared."
"Still calling me Mom? Fine." Shi Lin sneered when she heard Hu Xiaolei speak, "Let me tell you, what others say doesn't count, you are the guilty one! After I die, you take good care of Grandma and Grandpa, and that will be our family's atonement for Shi Lina's sins!"
Shen Zhenzhu looked at Shi Lin with great interest; she really wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin.
Hu Xiaolei's mind was in a daze. He murmured, "How am I guilty? You are the guilty ones... You harmed them and then you harmed me like this... I still don't know if I should be a man or a woman. I'm not guilty, I've never been guilty."
Shen Zhenzhu patted his tense back and whispered, "You're definitely not wrong, you're innocent. Xiaobai, take the child over for a drink of water."
"They're here."
Hu Xiaolei was taken away by Xiaobai to rest. Chen Zhenzhu said to Shi Lin, "Now you know how to be kind to other people's parents? You're so kind-hearted?"
“I want to atone for my crimes.” Shi Lin’s face was a mixture of crying and laughing as she said viciously, “But just as Hu Cai can hide evidence of my murder on Shi Lina, I can also hide evidence of his murder in the kitchen.”
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Where is the kitchen?"
Shi Lin said sarcastically, "Right above the kitchen cabinets, near the pipes, there's a bag of plastic bags, and at the bottom of the bag is a roll of wire. He brought the whole roll of wire from the construction site, and I put the wire that strangled Shi Lina in there too. He's a grown man, he never lifts a finger, he never goes into the kitchen. If he had helped me with any chores all these years, he wouldn't have missed the wire hanging over his head."
Shen Zhenzhu walked quickly to the kitchen and, following Shi Lin's instructions, rummaged through the cabinet and found a plastic bag inside. Sure enough, she found a roll of wire in the plastic bag.
The wire, having been unwound, was rewound and placed in a plastic bag. A pair of work gloves were placed over the plastic bag, which was then wrapped in layers of plastic bags. Inside, there were still traces of brownish-red fingerprints that hadn't evaporated. The plastic bag also contained the certificate of conformity and manufacturer's serial number for the entire roll of wire.
"Take it back for confirmation." Shen Zhenzhu handed the wire to the operative.
"Yes, Sister Pearl."
Wu Zhongguo, who was watching from the side, sighed that it was one thing for the couple to abandon each other in the face of disaster, but they also had to kick each other while they were down: "What's fake can never become real."
“Whether this roll of wire is there or not, Hu Caizhi wouldn’t have been able to escape anyway. But now he’s even more secure.” Shen Zhenzhu shook her head as well.
Wu Zhongguo breathed a sigh of relief: "Based on their confessions and the findings at the scene, this is undoubtedly the primary crime scene. The murder weapon has been found, and the method of the crime is known. The motive for the murder is also clear: to impersonate Shi Lina and her child."
The case has become clear, but Wu Zhongguo looked at Shen Zhenzhu and found that she seemed to have more to say.
“Look, this is all hundreds of millions of yuan in banknotes. Can the underworld accept it?” Wu Zhongguo showed Shen Zhenzhu a bag of paper money.
"Uncle Wu, I have something to say to you," Shen Zhenzhu said after glancing at him.
Wu Zhongguo walked to the side and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Grandma Shi also speaks with a southern accent. Although she is very cautious, she still let slip a word 'jiduo' when she was in a hurry."
Wu Zhongguo recalled, "You're right, I heard it too. Later, Grandpa Shi said he felt unwell in his heart, and that distracted me so I didn't have time to discuss it with you."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "It's not too late to discuss it now."
Xiao Bai led Hu Xiaolei in. Hu Xiaolei had nowhere to go. Seeing that her former home was full of police officers, she pressed herself against the wall and sobbed incessantly.
He murmured, "I did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong."
Shen Zhenzhu walked over, stroked his head and said, "You did nothing wrong. Hu Xiaolei, I know it's hard for you to accept what happened today, but it has already happened. I will try my best to help you maintain your daily life and studies. If you need to talk to someone, you can tell me."
Hu Xiaolei looked up, hugged Chen Zhenzhu tightly, and started sobbing. He still habitually suppressed his voice, crying like a girl.
Chen Zhenzhu patted his back gently to comfort him: "You'll get through this. Society and the government will help you."
Hu Xiaolei cried for an unknown amount of time. She hugged the police officer who terrified her parents. Even though it was the police officer who arrested her parents, Hu Xiaolei felt genuine care for the first time.
His mother used him as a tool to get him to the city, and his father only wanted to continue the family line. They never cared what he wanted or liked. He dressed as a woman, neither male nor female, yet no one cared.
The Hu Xiaolei they saw wasn't Hu Xiaolei, and he shouldn't be Hu Xiaolei either. The real Hu Xiaolei nestled in Shi Lina's arms and left, having lived for her all along.
After finishing her phone call outside, Xiaobai came over and asked, "Are you alright, Sister Pearl?"
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Is the application complete?"
Xiao Bai nodded: "Let's have Brother Aqi go instead."
Wu Zhongguo understood it must be "DNA". He placed the paper money bag by the door and turned back to ask Hu Caizhi who it was for.
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at the paper money and frowned. Hu Xiaolei also looked over, paused for a moment, and then lowered her head.
Xiao Bai and Wu Zhongguo walked outside. Thinking that he didn't know, Xiao Bai pointed to the room where the two elders were, and then pointed to Shi Lin in the police car outside.
Wu Zhongguo was still in shock, and said in a low voice, "This is more dramatic than any TV drama, it's too bizarre."
Looking at the bustling crowd of onlookers, Xiao Bai whispered, "I was terrified when I heard it too. You wouldn't believe how shocked Zhao Qiqi was when I called back. The rest of the team probably knows by now."
Wu Zhongguo didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment: "Tsk tsk."
As they spoke, Chen Zhenzhu loosened her embrace in the living room and wiped away Hu Xiaolei's tears: "Would you like to sit for a while?"
Hu Xiaolei sniffed, his emotions heavy. His eyes were red as he glanced at Chen Zhenzhu and said in a hoarse voice, "The school requires us to be law-abiding citizens."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "That's right. Obeying the law is the responsibility and obligation of every citizen."
Hu Xiaolei hesitated, clutching the hem of her dress. The scent of her father that used to comfort her now made her feel nauseous.
“I…I’ve seen my dad burn paper money for ancestral tablets.” Hu Xiaolei said to Shen Zhenzhu when no one was paying attention to him, “It was during the Ghost Festival this year that he burned paper money for other people’s ancestral tablets behind my mother’s back.”
He was rambling a bit, but Chen Zhenzhu understood what he meant. She pulled him to a corner of the kitchen and whispered, "Do you know whose name is written on the memorial tablet?"
Hu Xiaolei turned her head in a panic and whispered, "I...I don't know."
Shen Zhenzhu wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she gently patted his back as before, saying, "If you don't want to talk, don't force yourself."
“...I want to be a good child.” Hu Xiaolei’s tears fell instantly. He stammered, “I...I saw...I saw my mother and me, and my grandparents’ names on it. I...I was terrified, I thought I was having a nightmare. My grandparents always call me grandson, and behind my back they make me call them grandpa and grandma, it’s just...it’s so strange.”
The kitchen and bedroom, separated by a wall, were not soundproof. Mrs. Shi, who was sitting by the wall watching over Mr. Shi, suddenly rushed out of the bedroom because she was hard of hearing.
The operative guarding them in the bedroom was rubbing his nose, his head throbbing from the irritating smell of traditional Chinese medicine: "Auntie, where are you going?!"
"You're really possessed!" Old Mrs. Shi came to the kitchen door, her hands trembling and her feet stamping, trying to pull Hu Xiaolei away.
Shen Zhenzhu shielded Hu Xiaolei behind her, saying, "Please don't get agitated, let's talk this out."
Grandma Shi grabbed the ashtray from the dining table, intending to smash it at Hu Xiaolei, but Wu Zhongguo, who had just entered, snatched it away.
Wu Zhongguo didn't care whether Old Mrs. Shi was old or not. He forcefully pushed her back into the bedroom and closed the door.
Grandma Shi pounded on the door with a force unimaginable to any city old lady: "You heartless wretch! You're possessed! We're all perfectly fine, why are you burning memorial tablets?! You're so rebellious, you're a master liar!"
Hu Xiaolei was kept in the dark by her parents and knew very little about the situation. After she told Shen Zhenzhu what she knew, Old Mrs. Shi, who was banging on the bedroom door, was even more determined to break it down.
Wu Zhongguo, who was guarding the door, couldn't help but say, "He's hard of hearing? He's practically hearing everything."
The officer in the bedroom tried to calm her down, saying, "Ma'am, please don't get agitated. We always follow the law when handling cases."
Grandma Shi slapped her thigh anxiously and said, "Xiao Lei has become rebellious and disobedient since he grew up. He talks nonsense, you must not listen to him! He has something dirty about him, he definitely has something dirty about him!"
Old Master Shi, who was lying in bed, couldn't stay still any longer and asked, "What did you hear him say?"
Grandma Shi said, "He said his father burned paper money, and it had our whole family's names on it."
"Ah!!" Old Master Shi collapsed stiffly onto the bed, his aged face instantly drained of color, and his lips trembled as he said, "I...I can't go on, I need to go to the hospital!"
The operative immediately went out and reported the situation in the room to Shen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu immediately called an ambulance and took the two elderly people to the hospital.
As she was being loaded into the ambulance, Mrs. Shi pinched Mr. Shi's philtrum and shouted angrily, "Everyone, be the judge! That policeman drove our family to ruin just to buy our house! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to die! She's driving me to my death!"
Many residents of the jointly-built residential complex were blocking the entrance, peering towards the convenience store. Some of the older residents, upon hearing this, were furious, their beards bristling and eyes wide with anger: "Outrageous!"
"There's absolutely no law!"
"Are you trying to bully us old folks?!"
The security guard at the booth advised them, "Don't just listen to one side of the story."
Someone scolded him: "Did they give you less meat cake and preserved fish? How can you be such an ingrate?"
The security guard immediately fell silent.
......
Shapingba District People's Hospital.
Mrs. Shi and Mr. Shi lay in the ward, and the emergency room gave them a full-body examination with all its speed and efficiency.
There were other patients and their families in the ward, and a long queue stretched down the corridor. Old Mrs. Shi, wiping away tears pitifully, said to the door, "Heaven and earth bear witness, we are honest, law-abiding people, and yet we've been forced into this situation in our old age. Our family is ruined, we have no justice!"
The officers patrolling outside were giving instructions to the nurses. The busy emergency room nurse glanced at the ward and said helplessly to Grandma Shi, "What's wrong with you again? Don't make a fuss at your age. I think your blood pressure is a bit high. If you keep making a fuss, you may have a stroke."
Grandma Shi became even more agitated. When she saw someone standing at the door looking around, tears streamed down her face: "I live in a joint-construction community. A policeman forced my family to ruin and die in order to buy my house."
The officer said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense, old man. You will be held legally responsible for falsely accusing police officers of handling a case."
"I'm about to die, go ahead and shoot me if you dare." Old Master Shi lay on the bed groaning, while the machine monitoring his body emitted a regular "beep-beep-beep" sound.
Shortly after, the nurse came over and handed the examination report to the officer.
The operative glanced at the report and laughed in exasperation. He immediately borrowed a landline to call Chen Zhenzhu: "Hey, is this Captain Chen? The hospital report is out. The two elderly people are in perfect health, even better than most people their age."
Shen Zhenzhu chuckled on the other end of the phone: "How is Grandpa Shi's heart condition?"
"Extremely healthy."
"Did you get his heart medication?"
"I got it. The doctor said it's vitamin C."
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "I understand. Has the sample been sent over?"
"It's been sent over. Comrade Zhao Qiqi has already set off for Shen City."
"Okay, thank you."
When he made the call, several elderly people rushed to the hospital from the joint-construction community.
"Old Shi and his wife are here." One of the elderly men, leaning on a cane, stood at the door of emergency room ward number three and shouted, "Old Shi, what's wrong with you two?"
The other two officers guarding the door wouldn't let them in. Seven or eight elderly people blocked the emergency room entrance, shouting, "We've been neighbors for over ten years, what's wrong with taking a look?"
"We know they've dug up the body, but what does that have to do with the elderly couple? They're also very upset."
"We can't let them die too, can we?"
......
The following day.
The office building of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team, Director Liu's office.
In the end, Director Liu realized that Shen Zhenzhu was confident, and pointed to the newspaper, saying, "The case has sparked a great deal of discussion in society."
The wife who impersonated him.
A husband who's two-timing.
A son with a distorted gender.
The two elderly people who mistook a thief for their daughter.
Any one of these points could become a hot topic in society.
Chen Zhenzhu opened the newspaper, which contained discussions by social analysts. Some believed in the impartial handling of the case by the police, while others felt that law enforcement needed policy constraints to prevent abuse of power for personal gain. Some believed Hu Xiaolei's claim that all her family members' names were on the ancestral tablets, while others said that Hu Xiaolei was possessed by ghosts, haunted by the vengeful spirits of the mother and daughter.
The widespread speculation pushed the boundaries of public imagination. In the end, however, no one guessed at the more cruel and bizarre truth.
"I will guide the public discussion surrounding the buried body case on Hejian Road in a reasonable manner. The municipal bureau leadership has requested that the public be informed of the case's progress in order to prevent negative public opinion from escalating further. But rest assured, the current public discussion is all reasonable."
"Okay, I will cooperate with the report on the case." After saying that, Shen Zhenzhu stood up and saluted Director Liu.
Director Liu knew that Shen Zhenzhu was more lenient than Gu Yanzheng, and that she would listen to him when he was asked to do something like this.
"Thank you for your hard work. The bureau will be distributing benefits in a couple of days, and I'll approve a larger share for your team, Team Four."
"Thank you, Director Liu." Shen Zhenzhu closed the door in high spirits, still blinded by Director Liu's words about "benefits" and unaware of the depth of his deception.
As I walked up the stairs, I heard Tian Yongfeng shouting upstairs.
Following the sound, Shen Zhenzhu arrived at the Criminal Investigation Team's medical and hygiene supplies warehouse, where she saw Park Heung-sung tightly covering Jeon Yong-bong's mouth.
"Captain Chen, what a coincidence," Captain Park greeted him, then forcefully covered Tian Yongfeng's mouth.
Tian Yongfeng struggled to break free from Park Heung-sung's grip, making muffled noises, and was dragged into the warehouse by Park Heung-sung, who slammed the door shut.
The sinking of the pearl is truly inexplicable.
After she left, he continued upstairs. The warehouse door opened, and Tian Yongfeng bumped Park Heung-sung hard in the stomach with his elbow.
Park Heung-sung clutched his stomach and gasped, "Are you crazy? Why are you looking for Old Shen for no reason?"
Tian Yongfeng said, "I want to ask her what her attitude is towards Lao Gu!"
Park Heung-sung said, "What attitude I have is none of your business."
Tian Yongfeng said, "Old Gu has finally developed feelings for the woman, and he even broke his arm. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to bring them together? Let Old Shen show some concern for Old Gu, and Old Gu will take the opportunity to express his love. They'll hug and kiss, and that'll be it!"
"Weren't you happy that Gu Yanzheng was heartbroken? Why have you changed your mind?"
"He's a brother after all, I want the best for him."
“…” Park Heung-sung was extremely helpless: “Stop getting involved. Believe me, if this falls through, Old Gu can twist your head off with one hand.”
“Oh, then he’s breaking the law,” Tian Yongfeng said.
Seeing his ridiculous appearance, Park Heung-sung was furious: "Anyway, I've reminded you, take it or leave it, I'm leaving!"
"Seriously... you guys in the Major Crimes Unit are all so amazing, each one with a bigger temper than the last!" Tian Yongfeng snapped, "I wouldn't even go to the Major Crimes Unit if they asked me to, I'd go to the SAS, I'd be so jealous of you two!"
Park Heung-sung turned around and looked at him, who was staring at him like a fool: "If you go, you're even more doomed."
......
Shen City, Provincial Public Security Department Technical Team, DNA Division.
Zhao Qiqi rushed over last night and handed the samples over to the technical staff intact.
The cold air outside the laboratory made him uncomfortable every time he came, so he stood aside and waited for the people inside to come out.
"This is the second time you've applied for DNA testing, isn't it? We didn't have time to have you sign it last night, so please sign it." The technician put away the sample, took out the form for Zhao Qiqi to register, and asked from one end of the table.
Zhao Qiqi urged, "When will we get the results?"
The technician said, "This time it will be a bit later. There are three cases ahead of us in the queue, and the earliest we can get them is two weeks later."
Zhao Qiqi said anxiously, "Why is it taking so long? Our team is waiting for the results." Thinking that the topic had been discussed on the radio when they drove over, Zhao Qiqi became even more anxious.
Without any external manipulation of public opinion, so societal views were relatively normal. However, having experienced the "radio call-to-kill incident," Zhao Qiqi dared not underestimate the influence of public opinion.
The technician said, "Does Liancheng have so many cases that need testing? If it's a major case, you can apply for testing earlier."
Zhao Qiqi quickly filled out the form, signed her name at the end, handed it to him, and said, "It's not that there are too many cases, it's still the same case."
The technician paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Someone is questioning our test results?"
Hearing this, the technical director, who was in the inner room, came out and said confidently, "Who can question our results? Our DNA testing results are based on internationally recognized standards and are accepted overseas."
Zhao Qiqi saluted the Minister of Technology and said seriously, "No one questions whether the two elderly people who suspect the victim are actually the two elderly people."
"The victim's parents aren't actually his parents?" The technical officer pondered the meaning behind Zhao Qiqi's words. He hadn't even considered this possibility before, and was taken aback: "There can be such an unbelievable case?"
Zhao Qiqi said, "That's why I'm in such a hurry!"
"Quickly, we must get the results out, even if it means working overtime." The technical director gave the order and made the final decision himself: "This is truly a bizarre case!"
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes waiting for you! [Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com