Chapter 37 Everything Happens for a Reason
Jiang Zhen must find out where the photo of Jiang Mai Ya came from. The police officer in charge of the case was unaware of the truth, so Gu Liancheng helped to cover for him and used his body to block the line of sight between Jiang Zhen and the police officer. He then analyzed the doubts in the case with the police officer to prevent anyone from questioning Jiang Zhen's behavior.
Jiang Zhen concentrated his attention and finally saw a photo studio called "Memories" from Liang Jinyuan's memory. The photos were obtained from that photo studio that was about to go bankrupt.
Jiang Zhen stood up, tugged at Gu Liancheng's sleeve, and said to everyone, "I checked, there is no birthmark on his neck as my relative said, so he is not the person I am looking for."
Gu Liancheng understood what he meant and said to the police officer in charge of the case, "Thank you so much for your help."
The policeman admired Jiang Zhen's courage: "You're welcome, but your wife is really brave. She even dared to touch the corpse."
Gu Liancheng said seriously: "In order to repay the favor, my wife had no choice. Now I finally have an explanation to my friend."
…
After coming out, Jiang Zhen brought Gu Liancheng to the space. In the box of memory balls, he saw the photos of his aunt and Liu Hongxiao. Their memories of the photos had been erased.
"Where are we going now?" Jiang Zhen asked.
"Go find Liu Hongxiao. She is the murderer. Bring her to justice first."
Liu Hongxiao is Gu Liancheng's step-grandmother, who is more than 20 years older than his grandfather. She is at home at the moment, arguing with Zhuang Rumei. There are also several policemen. They were brought by Qian Songlan to find out the situation from the great aunt.
Qian Songlan stamped her feet anxiously and questioned her aunt: "Mom, you mortgaged my and Fu Nong's house. What did you do with all that money? The debt collectors are already blocking our door. They only give us one day. Don't you know the severity of the situation? Tell me now!"
The aunt was so ashamed that she told the whole story.
"Liang Jinyuan had a research project that he said could restore people's youth, but he was short of money, so I kept funding him. Every time I asked him about his progress, he said it was almost done. Then I don't know what happened, but after I gave him all my gold jewelry, I mortgaged my house to continue providing him with funds. He promised that once the research was successful, he would pay me back tenfold and make me younger."
Qian Songlan couldn't believe it: "You believe this, then the next time someone says that they can make people immortal, will you give your life to them?"
The great aunt could not refute anything, and she seemed to be possessed by a ghost at that time.
She said: "I am also afraid of death. Someone told me that he could make me young again. I am already this age, why should I save money? Of course I want to give it a try, but I didn't know he lied to me."
The liar Liang Jinyuan is dead, but Liu Hongxiao is still alive. The aunt pointed at Liu Hongxiao.
"She introduced Liang Jinyuan to me. She and Liang Jinyuan cheated me of my money together. They must have divided the spoils unevenly. She was the one who killed him. You should arrest her quickly and you will find out once you ask her!"
Liu Hongxiao hurriedly defended himself: "Zhuang Rumei, one must act according to one's conscience. I was just sharing some information with you at that time. I have no idea how you were deceived by him later."
The aunt didn't believe her lies and angrily scolded her, "Stop pretending! In order to get me to invest more money, Liang Jinyuan said that you gave him all the wealth that Gu Liancheng's grandfather had saved. Now you should take those things out. If you can't take them out, it means you stole them!"
The old aunt became angry and started fighting with Liu Hongxiao.
Although Liu Hongxiao was more than 20 years younger than his aunt, he was still very weak and was immediately grabbed by the hair by his aunt. It was only when Grandpa Gu stepped forward that the two were separated.
Liu Hongxiao hugged Grandpa Gu Liancheng and cried, "Old Gu, I was indeed deceived by Liang Jinyuan, but I did it all for you. I thought if there really is a drug that can restore youth, I can invest now and ask for a portion for you in the future. But I really didn't kill anyone. I was at home last night. Please tell the police."
…
Gu Liancheng had seen this scene countless times since he was a child.
It is said that even heroes cannot resist the temptation of beautiful women. Although my grandfather is not a hero, he cannot resist the temptation of Liu Hongxiao.
Jiang Zhen has seen that Liu Hongxiao is the murderer, and if his grandfather dares to defend him, he would be committing perjury.
Gu Liancheng's voice turned cold as he talked about his childhood: "Grandpa, do you remember? When I was a child, I scolded Liu Hongxiao for being vicious and said that she beat to death the puppy I fed. You didn't believe me and beat me with a stick. Later, she drowned a cat in the water tank in our yard and insisted that I drowned it, so you beat me with a stick again."
"Grandpa, I'm not asking you to believe me, but please tell me the truth. Was Liu Hongxiao at home last night? Think about it first. If you want to go through fire and water for your wife, that's your business. Don't implicate the whole family."
Old Master Gu pondered for a long time. He knew in his heart that what died this time was not just a cat or a dog, and the consequences would not be resolved by simply beating Gu Liancheng with a stick.
The police are investigating cases and cannot tolerate any falsehood.
Old Man Gu gave up struggling, closed his eyes, and slowly said, "Last night, my wife said she was going to meet up with her sisters. She didn't get home until after nine o'clock in the evening. She was a little flustered when she came back. She didn't turn on the lights, ran back to her room and locked the door, and then took a long bath. I didn't see her hanging out clothes today, and I don't know anything else."
Have you gone to reunite with your good sisters? You will know the truth by asking them later.
Seeing that his alibi was exposed, Liu Hongxiao suddenly collapsed and cursed at Mr. Gu: "I followed you when I was so young, but I didn't expect you to be so cowardly and irresponsible that you didn't even protect me!"
Old Master Gu understood. After being married for so many years, he actually knew some of Liu Hongxiao's privacy.
Many years ago, Liu Hongxiao was a juggler who made a living by performing. He had mastered kung fu. Even if he hid it well, how could he not be noticed when they were together day and night?
Old Master Gu was very sad: "You have no worries about food and clothing. Although your children don't like you, they don't live with you. You haven't suffered any grievances. Why don't you want to live a good life?"
"Because I'm tired of living like this!"
Liu Hongxiao suddenly kidnapped the aunt who was closest to her, which scared everyone.
"What do you want to do? Liu Hongxiao, you can't escape. Release the hostages, confess and give yourself up!" someone shouted.
Liu Hongxiao sneered: "Surrender? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison. All of you move back and make room for the door. Otherwise, I will let this old woman be buried with me!"
All the money that Liang Jinyuan had defrauded fell into her hands. As long as she could escape, there would be nowhere she couldn't go.
Gu Liancheng and the police began to make way. Jiang Zhen was anxious: "You won't really let her go?"
Gu Liancheng told Jiang Zhen not to act rashly: "She has taken someone hostage."
The police officer nearby nervously touched his lower back. He came to inquire without a weapon today and said in annoyance, "The suspect is very brutal. Everyone should be careful."
Jiang Zhen stopped talking and moved to the side, ready to wait for Liu Hongxiao to rush out so that he could catch up and catch her.
…
Liu Hongxiao focused his attention on Gu Liancheng and the police, and retreated step by step with his aunt hostage, all the way to the side of the main road.
She thought her aunt was a burden, so she pushed her aunt away and ran away. Unexpectedly, she was hit by a moving bus and flew away. With a "bang", Liu Hongxiao fell to the ground, twitching amid the shocked screams of everyone.
Jiang Zhen ran the fastest. Liu Hongxiao was not dead yet. Her desire to survive made her reach out to Jiang Zhen. Jiang Zhen was about to hold her hand, but was intercepted by Gu Liancheng halfway.
Gu Liancheng pulled Jiang Zhen up and whispered, "Looking at her injuries, she won't last long. We need to follow the procedure and send her to the hospital first."
Jiang Zhen understood and grabbed the driver who got out of the car to check on him, saying, "Can you still drive? Take him to the hospital quickly."
The driver shook his head and nodded: "Yes, yes."
Jiang Zhen organized the passengers to get off the bus. Gu Liancheng and the police had already carried Liu Hongxiao onto the bus and laid him flat on the aisle. Gu Liancheng knocked on the door and signaled the driver: "Master, drive to the nearest hospital."
…
Jiang Zhen stayed in the hospital. After the doctor confirmed Liu Hongxiao's death, she touched Liu Hongxiao's body and saw the crime scene which was the same as Liang Jinyuan's memory. She also learned where Liu Hongxiao hid the stolen money from Liang Jinyuan's fraud.
However, she must never tell anyone about that place. Once she did, her secret would be at risk of being leaked.
So, Jiang Zhen concealed that small piece of memory.
The police officer who stayed at home found the blood-stained clothes that Liu Hongxiao had not had time to deal with, but the stolen money was not found. Not only did the aunt give all her accumulated gold and silver to Liang Jinyuan, she also lost three houses in her family. When she heard that the stolen money was missing and might never be found again, she cried and wailed.
She suddenly remembered that Mei Banxian's little granddaughter said that Mei Banxian had calculated her fortune again, so she hurried over to find him.
Mei Shanjiu saw that the old woman had scratched several bloody wounds on his granddaughter's face. He had no choice but to look at Zhuang Rumei's future again. She was still angry to death after quarreling with Jiang Zhen. He was speechless: "We don't know either, but Jiang Zhen is the most capable. If there is anyone in the world who can find the stolen goods, it can only be her."
…
Before Jiang Zhen left the morgue, his aunt found him. She blocked him in the morgue and asked him, "I know you have a way to get the stolen money back. You should think of a way. You can't let our whole family starve to death."
Jiang Zhen did see the whereabouts of the stolen goods in Liu Hongxiao's memory, but he absolutely could not help at the moment.
Jiang Zhen asked: "Grandma, who told you that I can find the stolen money?"
The aunt replied, "I went to find Mei Banxian's grandson, and he told me to beg you for forgiveness, and maybe he could help me get my things back."
Jiang Zhen gnashed his teeth in anger: "It's because you are so gullible that you get cheated. The police haven't solved the case yet. If I can find them, wouldn't that make me their accomplice?"
The great aunt didn't care about that: "No, Mei Banxian is very good at fortune-telling. If his grandson says you can find it, then you can find it. Now your cousin and his cousin are about to be driven out. Why can't you help?"
Jiang Zhen sneered: "What do you have to do with me? Why should I help you? It's really inexplicable."
The aunt was so angry that she covered her chest and couldn't breathe: "The prophecy is coming true. I will definitely be mad at you today, Jiang Zhen, you are determined to mad me to death and you won't help me get it back, right?"
Jiang Zhen said firmly: "Yes, I can't find it back, so just give up. If you want to be mad at me, then go ahead and die."
Gu Liancheng hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, pulled Jiang Zhen out, and blocked the door of the morgue himself to prevent the people from my aunt's family from catching up.
Gu Liancheng said to Qian Songlan, "You all saw the situation. If your aunt died of anger in this quarrel today, it's really not our fault. This is the hospital morgue, so it will be easier for your family to handle the funeral."
Qian Songlan was in the wrong. How could Jiang Zhen know the whereabouts of the stolen goods? It was indeed her mother who was unreasonable.
She still had some hope and asked, "Liancheng, tell me honestly, does your wife really know where the stolen money is?"
Gu Liancheng guessed that maybe Jiang Zhen saw something from Liu Hongxiao's memory, but since she was unwilling to say it, there must be a reason why she couldn't say it.
"You all followed me to Gu's house today. Liu Hongxiao died so suddenly that no one knew where the stolen goods were. You should just consider yourself unlucky."
Jiang Zhen was too lazy to say more to them: "Just quarrel among yourselves. I'm leaving. If grandma dies of anger after I'm gone, don't blame me."
Gu Liancheng was furious and chased after Jiang Zhen to stop him, saying innocently, "Jiang Zhen, you didn't tell me where you were going or when you would be back. I have a feeling you're going to be abandoned."
Jiang Zhen laughed: "Look at your ability. I actually know where Liu Hongxiao hid the things. Forget it, come with me."
Jiang Zhen confessed, and Gu Liancheng was relieved: "No, we will act separately. I will do ideological work on grandpa, and you can tell me when you come back."
…
Gu Liancheng and his aunt entered the house one after the other. At this moment, his aunt was chattering away and complaining to the outsiders.
"Brother, these are your biased grandson and granddaughter-in-law. They knew exactly where the stolen money from me was, but they didn't tell me. They watched our family being driven out, and you let them live at home. I really don't want that."
Grandpa didn't see Jiang Zhen, and the children ran out in anger. He was anxious and asked Gu Liancheng: "Is it really like what your aunt said?"
Gu Liancheng's eyes fell on Qian Songlan: "Aunt, don't you have a mouth? Do you really need me to tell you?"
Qian Songlan's face turned red and blue: "Gu Liancheng, I am your elder, and this is your attitude?"
Gu Liancheng: "Do you think your behavior is respectable? You slander Jiang Zhen and expect me to have a good attitude?"
Qian Songlan said in a guilty tone: "Uncle, you know my mother's character. She believes everything she hears. Mei Banxian's grandson said that Jiang Zhen is amazing. His original words were that if there is still one person who can find the whereabouts of the stolen money, it can only be Jiang Zhen. The police haven't solved the case yet, so we can't wrongly accuse Jiang Zhen."
Gu Liancheng added details of the case and his aunt's mental journey after being deceived, saying that she could not blame anyone else at all.
"Grandpa, we can live anywhere, but I feel sorry for you at your age, and you still have to be dragged down by your aunt. Jiang Zhen has a bad temper, and she won't even look at anyone she doesn't like in the future. We won't care about your aunt's family affairs anymore."
Grandpa learned what happened and sighed. If he continued to do this now, he would be unable to bear it next time.
He made up his mind and arranged for Qian Songlan and Qian Funong to get the money to redeem the house. Then he said, "You are my own mother, take care of her yourself in the future. I am already old, and I just want to live two more years."
When my aunt heard that my grandfather only wanted to redeem two houses, she was heartbroken: "Brother, you are so cruel, do you really not care about me?"
Grandpa was disheartened and suddenly shouted, "No one is as cruel as you! I will take care of your descendants, so let them take care of your affairs."
Qian Songlan and Qian Funong were already satisfied that they could redeem the house again, and they quickly persuaded their aunt: "Mom, you lost the money yourself, you can't blame others. Come home, and you can take turns living in our two houses in the future. Let's take the past as a lesson."
…
Gu Liancheng tried to comfort his grandfather, but his grandfather smiled bitterly and said, "Jiang Zhen and the other kids must be blaming me for being partial, so they don't want to come back. Go find them. If they don't want to come back, don't force them."
Gu Liancheng quickly assured: "Grandpa, it's not what you think. Jiang Zhen is busy with something and will come back when he is done. We let the four children go wherever they want. They are indeed a bit stubborn, but they are reasonable. I will go find them right away."
As soon as Gu Liancheng went out, he saw Jiang Zhen with three children, standing across the street, looking at him with a smile on their faces.
Gu Hui is missing. Could it be that he was hiding at home just now? When he turned around, he saw Gu Hui following him.
Gu Liancheng laughed: "Are you still not confident in me?"
Jiang Zhen smiled and said, "It's not me, it's the children who are worried about you. I just thought about it and decided to take you to the photo studio I want to go to, so I don't have to repeat it to you again."
Gu Liancheng was definitely willing and said, "Grandpa is feeling sad, why don't we let the children go home and keep him company."
Jiang Zhen took some food from the space and gave it to Jiang Zhao. He said to the four children, "You four go home and make something delicious for your great-grandfather to comfort him, okay?"
After listening to Gu Hui's description, Gu Pan knew that his great grandfather had driven out the bad mother-in-law this time. He was very happy and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Okay, you guys come back in the evening, and we will have dinner with him."
…
On the way to the photo studio, Jiang Zhen talked to Gu Liancheng in detail.
She first saw in Liang Jinyuan's memory that he got the photos from a place called "Memories Photo Studio", and then from Liu Hongxiao's memory, she saw that she put the stolen money with the owner of the photo studio.
The afternoon sun shines through the car window, making people feel warm. Jiang Zhen raised his hand and touched Gu Liancheng's face: "You have to bear it. Liu Hongxiao and the owner of the photo studio, Xia Linshui, are lovers. The two of them planned to cheat Liang Jinyuan out of the so-called drug that can make people younger, and then elope with the stolen money. Of course, one is cheating the other, and Xia Linshui may not be sincere to Liu Hongxiao."
"How long has it been?" Gu Liancheng didn't dare to think about how long his grandfather had been deceived.
"More than a year ago, when I came here last year, Liu Hongxiao really wanted to elope with Xia Linshui. Liang Jinyuan threatened her, so she made up her mind to kill him and elope with the money."
Liu Hongxiao is almost fifty years old. It is too easy for young people to deceive the feelings of older people. Gu Liancheng sighed: "When grandpa wanted to marry Liu Hongxiao, the family members couldn't persuade him. It turned out that he just wanted money."
"Otherwise, what else can your grandfather give her besides money? Love? The probability of a couple who get married later in life developing deep feelings is too small."
Gu Liancheng was not convinced: "Our relationship is still very solid, you can't deny that, right?"
Jiang Zhen: "Don't go off topic. In Liu Hongxiao's memory, I saw that your grandfather actually became suspicious. She had been dating someone for more than a year. It was impossible for your grandfather not to notice it, but he chose to turn a deaf ear to it. Does he love her so much?"
Gu Liancheng: "Not necessarily. Grandpa gave up very decisively this time. It is very likely that his feelings have been worn out."
…
The photo studio is right next to the bus stop and can be seen as soon as you get off the bus. The door is tattered and you can see the situation in the lobby at a glance. There are no customers in the room at this time and the boss is dozing off on the counter, so his face cannot be seen clearly.
Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng looked at each other, and Gu Liancheng said, "Let's go. We have to ask."
Jiang Zhen nodded and walked into the photo studio. The wind from pushing the door blew the wind chimes, making them ring. The boss at the counter raised his head, looking as if he had not yet woken up.
He was in his thirties, and indeed had a handsome appearance. He smiled and asked, "Are you two taking the photo?"
Jiang Zhen asked directly: "Don't you know me?"
Xia Linshui looked puzzled: "Do I need to know you?"
Jiang Zhen laughed: "You are really good at pretending. Don't you know me? You gave my mother's photo to Liang Jinyuan. You knew Liang Jinyuan was deceiving Liu Hongxiao, but you still accepted the stolen goods Liu Hongxiao gave you?"
Xia Linshui put away his smile, stood up and walked to the door of the photo studio, hung a "Temporarily Closed" sign, and then closed the door.
He then smiled ingratiatingly: "You already know everything. Let's not beat around the bush. Let's talk things out today. It's not certain who owes whom."
"What can I owe you?" Jiang Zhen asked.
"It's hard to explain, so let's talk about it."
Entering the back hall, Xia Linshui took out a bag from the secret cupboard in the wall and opened it. Inside were bundles of banknotes and a pile of gold and silver jewelry. The jewelry weighed at least two or three kilograms.
Jiang Zhen took a glance and couldn't help but feel jealous: "You are so dark, you have stolen everything!"
Xia Linshui quickly closed the bag and said confidently, "Your mother is a liar. She deceived my feelings and made me wait for her. I have waited for more than 20 years. I deserve all this."
Jiang Zhen looked him up and down. He looked to be no more than thirty years old. He looked young, but his actual age should be in his thirties.
Jiang Zhen asked: "How old were you when you met my mother?"
Xia Linshui said, "I was eleven years old. I was still an apprentice in a photo studio and didn't have any big ambitions. Your mother asked me what my biggest wish was. I was young and didn't know if your mother could really make people's wishes come true. So I asked for the most plain and simple one, saying that I wanted to open my own photo studio."
"I didn't expect your mother to really open a shop for me. I secretly took a photo of her. She knew about it but didn't destroy the negative. She also said something I couldn't understand. She said that everything happened for a reason, and leaving this photo also had a reason. She also said that she would come back in 1949. I believed it and didn't even get married. I waited for more than 20 years, but she didn't come back last year. Do you think she cheated on me?"
Jiang Zhen exposed him: "What does my mother have to do with whether you get married or not? When she opened the photo studio for you, you were only eleven or twelve years old. It is impossible for her to make a love promise to a child like you. She has already given you a photo studio for free. If you are not grateful, what qualifications do you have to complain?"
Xia Linshui was indeed being sentimental, and he was disappointed: "Actually, I am just upset. We clearly agreed to meet in 1949, but she never came back to find me. I have been guarding this photo studio for more than 20 years. Can't I even be angry for a moment?"
"Before anyone showed up, I put her photo in the window to see if anyone I knew could find it. It was such a coincidence that Liang Jinyuan recognized the person in the photo as soon as he walked in, but he acted sneakily and pretended not to know her. I deliberately let him steal the photo, hoping that he could find your mother. I really just wanted to see her again."
Xia Linshui stopped his attacks and Jiang Zhen stopped being aggressive.
She had the same idea as Xia Linshui: "I want to see her, too. I have many questions to ask. If I can find my mother one day, I will tell you. So, tell me where you are going in the future and leave me an address so that I can find you easily."
Xia Linshui was surprised and delighted: "I thought you would blame me."
Jiang Zhen smiled and said, "What's so strange about this? You've been waiting for more than 20 years, and few people can do it. If I really find it, of course I have to tell you."
Xia Linshui no longer concealed it: "Originally, I wanted to test your nature. Since you are so frank, I will tell you. Your mother once told me that maybe because of this photo, her daughter would come to see me one day. If she really came, she would let me tell you that if you didn't meet in 1949, you would definitely meet in 1974."
1974, another 25 years.
Jiang Zhen immediately wilted, "I can wait, but can you? You are already in your thirties this year. Counting from this year, you still need to wait another twenty-four years. You will be sixty by then. Will you still want to see my mother?"
Xia Linshui thought for a moment and said, "Your mother said that I will live a hundred years. She also told me that as long as I follow her instructions and take every step carefully in the coming years, I will become rich and powerful."
After meeting Jiang Zhen, he became more determined: "Let me tell you two, although this package is stolen money, it is all the money that Zhuang Rumei and Liu Hongxiao collected from the Zhuang and Gu families. I have been guarding the photo studio and waiting for your mother to bring you a message for more than 20 years, and this is my reward."
Jiang Zhen: "You are so shameless."
Xia Linshui: "Oh, I suddenly remembered that your mother had something else to say."
Jiang Zhen: "Forget it, it's just a bag of money, I'll pretend I don't know, you can keep it."
Gu Liancheng was not a picky person. If it weren't for Jiang Zhen, his grandfather and grandpa wouldn't have been able to find the bag of money. But he reminded: "If you sell stolen goods, there will definitely be traces left. Do you think the police won't investigate? If they do, we won't be able to help you get away with it."
Xia Linshui was confident: "You don't have to worry about this. I know the path that Jiang Maiya has planned for me. I have to lie dormant for at least ten or twenty years. By then, who will remember today's case? This bag of money is the capital for me to make a fortune in the future."
He promised Gu Liancheng: "I really didn't cheat on your grandfather. Liu Hongxiao was willing to pay for me, and I ignored her before. Last year, Jiang Zhen's mother didn't show up. I was so disappointed and drank to drown my sorrows. She took advantage of the situation at that time, but I stuck to my bottom line and was innocent with her. Otherwise, will your grandfather let me go?"
Gu Liancheng: ... "Okay, you don't have to explain it so clearly."
Jiang Zhen urged: "We no longer ask where the money came from or went to, what else did my mother say?"
Gu Linshui said, "I was still young at that time and didn't understand. I still don't understand it now. Your mother said that she left something for you. If you want someone to become powerful or delay decline, you can rely on what she left for you. Plant more vegetables, raise more chickens, and raise more fish."
Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng both understood that the space was actually left for Jiang Zhen by Jiang Maiya.
Jiang Zhen pointed at Xia Linshui and said, "Think about it carefully. Think hard. Is there anything you missed?"
Xia Linshui thought about it seriously and remembered another sentence: "Oh, by the way, your mother said that the things she left for you have a shelf life, which is until 1974. What kind of thing can have a shelf life of fifty years? I really want to see it."
Jiang Zhen was not fooled: "I don't know yet. When you see my mother in the future, you can ask her yourself."
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