Chapter 56 The Truth Revealed: A Dramatic Family Affair (Revised)
The Huatian Police Station took another statement from the Zang family.
The Zang family consisted of five people, excluding the deceased Zang Zongwang: his parents, wife and children, and his second uncle.
Due to a shortage of manpower, Gu Yiliu was assigned to take a statement from Zang Zongwang's mother, Wu Minfeng.
She started by asking about what interested her most, "Did you know that your son wants to change your grandson's surname?"
"What?" Wu Minfeng's surprised expression didn't seem to indicate that she knew about this. "When did this happen?"
"When was your grandson born?" Gu Yiliu asked her. Gu Yiliu didn't know exactly when, but it must have been after the child was born.
Wu Minfeng: "I'm 3 years old. I was born three years ago."
After saying that, Wu Minfeng fell into speculation. "He didn't tell me, his father, or his second uncle about this. How could this child have such thoughts? He's a child of the Zang family, so his children will definitely have the surname Zang too!"
"Does he want my grandson to take my daughter-in-law's surname, Xi?"
Little did Gu Yiliu know that once someone dies, even their parents can no longer know.
But Wu Minfeng felt that her daughter-in-law Xi Xinyue knew about this. She suddenly stood up and said, "No, I have to ask Xinyue if they have wanted to change the child's surname for a long time. They can't change the surname."
"Sit down! You can't leave while you're taking a statement," Gu Yiliu stopped her from leaving. "Why can't I change my surname?"
“Of course the children of the Zang family will have the surname Zang. It’s impossible for them to change their surname. Why should they change it?” Wu Minfeng retorted emotionally.
“Your grandson was born to your daughter-in-law, so of course he can take your daughter-in-law’s surname.”
"No way!" Wu Minfeng suddenly raised her voice, "That doesn't make sense, we can't let him start this!"
Gu Yiliu told her not to get agitated, "If your son took your surname, would you be willing? He was born from you, don't you want him to take your surname?"
Wu Minfeng suddenly looked up and stared at her blankly. "Do you think he can take my surname?"
Gu Yiliu nodded, thinking to herself that her guess was indeed correct. Zang Zongwang and his parents probably had conflicts, and even the previous generation might have had conflicts, all stemming from this surname issue. However, the problem was likely more complex than just the surname.
"Can."
Wu Minfeng chuckled, his laughter full of sarcasm, and muttered, "The change of surnames cannot start with me, yes, the change of surnames cannot start with me."
Gu Yiliu looked at her for a long time, but didn't continue to ask her about the surname. Instead, he asked another question, "Your son told Zhou Yunxiao before he died that he had to have two sons. Is that true?"
Wu Minfeng nodded, a hint of relief on her face. "He's a good kid; he still remembers."
"Remember? Why do you say that?" Gu Yiliu's mind was a complete mess; she couldn't sort out the twists and turns.
“I only have one child, Zongwang. He was my first and only child,” Wu Minfeng said sadly. “Before I gave birth to him, I wanted to have two boys, but I injured my body during the birth and could no longer have children. Now Zongwang is gone too, and I have none left.”
As she spoke, Wu Minfeng burst into tears, covering her mouth and sobbing bitterly. It was unclear whether she was recalling the painful memories of her youth or grieving the loss of her only son.
Gu Yiliu handed her a tissue. "So if you can't have two, you'll make your son and daughter-in-law have two?"
Wu Minfeng wiped away her tears with a tissue and nodded.
Gu Yiliu frowned. "So you parents are pressuring yourselves to have children?"
Wu Minfeng nodded again, "His dad would urge him, and Xinyue herself also likes children and wants to have more. Once she recovered, I mentioned it to her, but her dad urged her more."
How did your daughter-in-law react at the time?
Wu Minfeng said calmly, "She was very happy. She went to work after giving birth to her eldest grandson, so I raised him myself. I sold breakfast to earn money while taking care of him."
She also felt I was working too hard and told me to stop selling breakfast. But I insisted, because selling breakfast was profitable, so I wanted to earn more money for them. Raising a child costs a lot, so I always give half of my earnings to Xinyue. Xinyue has no problem with it; we have a very good relationship.
"Your daughter-in-law wants the child to take her surname?"
Wu Minfeng shook her head, quite certain, "She has no objection to the child having the surname Zang. She even discussed with me what to name the second child. Her eldest grandson is named Zang Mao, and she wants to name her youngest grandson Zang Qixiang, saying it means auspiciousness." Speaking of her relationship with her daughter-in-law, she smiled, but quickly pouted, looking like she was about to cry.
A perfectly happy family, how could they not be heartbroken and want to cry because their son is gone?
There were no conflicts between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Gu Yiliu noted this down.
She sighed inwardly. Had she focused on the wrong thing?
After taking the statement, she asked Wu Minfeng to sit and wait. She took the statement to Jin Zhen and shook her head at him, "Are there any problems with the other people's statements?"
“A little,” Jin Zhen said. “Your boyfriend Han Yi just said that he chatted with Zang Xingwang outside and learned that Zang Zongwang’s name is made up of the last two characters of his father’s and his second uncle’s names. He found it quite strange and mentioned it to me.”
Jin Zhen hadn't thought much about it at first, but he felt he was quite knowledgeable. "I once handled a case where a couple were initially uncle and aunt, but through the matchmaking of their elders, they got married and had a child. I suddenly wondered if Zang Zongwang was like that too."
Gu Yiliu was taken aback. In a flash, he suddenly understood why Wu Minfeng had acted so strongly about changing her surname and why she insisted on having two children.
Gu Yiliu looked at Jin Zhen and said softly, "Wu Minfeng... will inherit both branches of the family."
Jin Zhen was taken aback, then nodded, "That's about right."
In the past, if a family had two sons, one son would have a wife and children, while the other son would die without children. In such cases, the family would arrange for the only son to marry another woman and inherit the property of the other son.
Wu Minfeng's situation was reversed; she was essentially an only child who married into the Zang family and had two husbands, so she had to have two sons.
She only had one child, so she couldn't have any more; she could only ask her sons to have children.
“It’s highly likely that Zang Zongwang knew about these things,” Gu Yiliu said. “He probably couldn’t accept it. His parents and his second uncle must have been pressuring him to have a child as soon as possible. The atmosphere at home was not necessarily as relaxed as his parents and second uncle described, which is why he thought about changing the child’s surname.”
Jin Zhen hummed in agreement and handed her a report. "Zang Zongwang's autopsy report is out. The time of death was 6 days ago, the 28th of the lunar calendar. According to the fish in the reservoir, it was evening, which doesn't match Zhou Yunxiao's movement trajectory. On the evening of the 28th of the lunar calendar, Zang Zongwang was on duty. They had agreed to hand over shifts during the day. His suspicion can be cleared for now."
"If that's the case, it might really be suicide. It seems we need to ask his parents and wife again."
Gu Yiliu thought that Zang Zongwang's wife probably didn't know about this.
However, other possibilities cannot be ruled out.
"Captain Jin, ask his wife, Xi Xinyue, if Zang Zongwang has mentioned divorce to her, or if there's anything unusual about it. Also, find out who Zang Zongwang's father is."
Jin Zhen's expression changed drastically. "You suspect..."
Gu Yiliu nodded heavily.
In this incident, Xi Xinyue is probably the most innocent party.
After leaving Jin Zhen's office, Gu Yiliu encountered Zang Xingwang, Zang Zongwang's second uncle. He was helping Wu Minfeng walk over, with Wu Minfeng leaning half of her body against him.
Gu Yiliu glanced around but did not see Zang Zongwang's father, Zang Huanzong.
"Officer, may I ask what the current situation is? Haven't they been able to find out who killed Zongwang yet?"
Gu Yiliu stopped and looked at the man in front of him. He looked to be around 40 years old, but Gu Yiliu knew that he was actually 55.
“We still need to investigate and collect evidence, just wait patiently,” Gu Yiliu said, then asked him, “What is your relationship with your nephew?”
Zang Xingwang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I love him like a son, and he is very filial."
Gu Yiliu glanced at Wu Minfeng, then asked Zang Xingwang, "So how many children do you hope he will have?"
She pretended not to know about their complicated family relationships, and only said, "If you have another child, you'll have another grand-nephew to enjoy family life with."
“He can have as many children as he wants, I respect that,” Zang Xingwang said, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. “Zongwang once told me that he only wanted to have one child, but this child… sigh!”
A thousand words are reduced to a single sigh.
Hearing this, Wu Minfeng suddenly turned to look at Zang Xingwang, her eyes wide, "What did you say? When did this happen?"
“One night before his wedding, we went out to dinner and he talked to me a lot,” Zang Xingwang said. “There was one more thing he didn’t say: Zongwang said that he wished he were his father.”
Zang Xingwang was also saddened, as he had never had children in his life.
Even now, Zang Xingwang still feels incredibly sad when he thinks about it.
His life has been full of unexpected twists and turns; sometimes one wrong step leads to another. That's just how he is, but he doesn't want the children of the Zang family to suffer the same fate.
Wu Minfeng closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her eyes were filled with tears once more.
Looking at the two of them, Gu Yiliu roughly knew who Zang Zongwang's father was.
She looked at Wu Minfeng, "Can I talk to you alone?"
Wu Minfeng nodded.
Just then, Jin Zhen called Zang Xingwang. He let go of his sister-in-law's hand and went into the office.
After the door closed, Gu Yiliu asked, "Zang Zongwang is Zang Xingwang's son, is that right?"
Wu Minfeng suddenly raised her head, stared blankly for a long time, and shook her head vigorously, "No, no, he is Xingzong's son, Xingzong's son."
Has your son ever mentioned divorce to your daughter-in-law?
Wu Minfeng: "No, they have a very good relationship."
"But your son had an argument with her before he died, right?"
Wu Minfeng nodded, "It was just a little bickering. I was there too. He got upset when we talked about having children."
"Does your son know something?" Gu Yiliu asked again.
This time, Wu Minfeng was stumped.
“He has a good relationship with his second uncle, but not with his father,” Wu Minfeng said, tears streaming down her face.
"The person you married at first was Zang Huaizong?" Wu Minfeng nodded. "Zang Xingwang didn't know your son was his, did he?"
Wu Minfeng was pale and remained silent.
"But Zang Huaizong knew that, didn't he?"
Wu Minfeng trembled all over.
“I don’t know what his father said to him,” she said, unwilling to believe that her son had committed suicide.
"Your family should sit down together and have a good talk," Gu Yiliu sincerely suggested.
She believed that Jin Zhen would also organize a meeting for the family to sit down and talk.
As expected, Jin Zhen organized the Zang family and Zhou Yunxiao to sit together and have a long chat.
After the conversation, it was confirmed that Zang Zongwang had committed suicide.
He knew from a young age that he had two fathers, but when he grew up, he discovered that the man he called "Dad" was not his biological father, while the man he called "Second Uncle" was his biological father.
Both of his fathers were good to him, but his eldest uncle, whom he had called "Dad" since childhood, kept urging him to have children, which caused him pain. According to Xi Xinyue's description, every time his eldest uncle, Zang Huanzong, urged him to have children, Zang Zongwang would sulk and lose his appetite for several days. Sometimes he would remind her not to pay attention to his eldest uncle and to just give a nice look to whoever was nice to her, without worrying about him.
But he never showed his emotions in public. In Xi Xinyue's eyes, her husband was just a little quiet, but he was very caring at other times.
Before jumping into the reservoir, because it was almost Chinese New Year, she was in a good mood during a meal, and her uncle Zang Huanzong urged her to have a child. She was not happy at the time, but she was more unhappy that her husband would be unhappy.
Xi Xinyue never expected her husband to harbor such secrets, nor did she expect his family to be so complicated.
...
Zhou Yunxiao was released due to insufficient evidence.
Before Gu Yiliu returned to work in Yaohai City, he came to thank her and gave her a ride.
“Xi Xinyue said she took her child back to her parents’ home, and Wu Minfeng went with her. She couldn’t bear to part with her grandson, so she went with her daughter-in-law. They even changed the child’s surname to Xi, the mother’s surname.”
Gu Yiliu: "That's great, isn't this what your colleague wanted?"
Zhou Yunxiao nodded, "Thank you this time...and also," he glanced at Han Yi, "thank you for treating Yiliu well. You didn't treat her well. Anyway, I'm her childhood sweetheart, so I'm no worse than you."
"Oh, really?"
Gu Yiliu was speechless. She turned around and left, leaving the two of them with a sarcastic tone.
"Tap, check if the positive review rating has gone up?"
Dian Dian: "There is some, 3%, from the Zhou family. That family is really honest."
"Didn't you receive positive feedback after Ban Dawei's case was solved?"
Dian Dian: "What are you thinking? You sent Quan Zhushan and Jiang Yiliang to jail for a few months, and you expect them to be grateful to you? As for Ban Dawei's family, they were somewhat grateful at first, but now they've disappeared and probably forgotten about you."
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Author's Note: Please add my pre-order novel, "Deeply Bound to a Master of Historical Fiction," to your collection! [Pleading emoji]
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