Chapter 222 What exactly happened?
Zhong Chengfa was struck dumb, the sleepiness on his face vanished instantly, and he was completely stunned.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out for a long time.
After several seconds, he stammered, "Third brother...? Dead?"
How...how is that possible?
This morning, when the third child went out, he was still lively and energetic, and even greeted me!
How could he suddenly die at night?
Zhong Chengfa's mind went blank, and for a moment, his legs felt weak.
His voice trembled as he asked, "Mom, what... what happened?"
Zhang Chunxue ignored him and instead looked at Zhang Erge and Zhou Daikui.
"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhou, and my two wives, thank you so much for today! I will definitely come to thank you in person after this is over!"
Brother Zhang waved his hand: "Don't be so polite, sister. We're resting for a bit and then we have to go back. We have to go to work tomorrow!"
His tone carried a hint of pity: "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences."
Zhang Chunxue nodded silently.
Zhong Chengfa then saw a stretcher made of branches and hemp rope lying on the dark ground, with a person lying on it.
Or rather, it was a corpse.
It was only then that Zhong Chengfa smelled the blood, so strong it was almost impossible to ignore.
He staggered forward and saw Zhong Chengyi's deathly pale face.
Zhong Chengfa's vision went black and he almost fell, but fortunately, one of Zhang Erge's sons next to him caught him.
"Don't be too sad..." he sighed. "Brother, please accept my condolences."
Zhong Chengfa looked somewhat bewildered. He glanced at Zhong Chengyi, then at Zhang Chunxue, who was sitting calmly to the side, his eyes still filled with confusion.
Zhong Chengyi... his third brother... just like that... died?
Zhong Chengfa's vision went black in waves.
Just then, Zhong Aiguo rushed over, followed by several other people.
"What happened?" He shone his flashlight in, and as soon as he came in, the beam of the flashlight shone on Zhong Chengyi's face on the stretcher.
“Cheng Yi…” Zhong Aiguo’s face also turned pale. “What exactly happened?”
Zhang Chunxue raised her head, glanced at Zhong Aiguo, and slowly said, "The third brother was stabbed to death... He was with me on our way back to town..."
Zhong Aiguo's lips trembled a few times before he finally sighed softly, "He's still so young... he hasn't even gotten married yet..."
Zhang Chunxue remained silent.
Zhong Chengfa was sobbing on the side.
The other villagers from Zhongjia Village behind Zhong Aiguo also had mixed feelings. Some sighed softly, while others stood silently, their faces filled with shock and regret.
The hushed whispers, accompanied by Zhong Chengfa's sobs, drifted through the quiet night.
After sitting for a while and drinking some hot water, Zhang Erge and his companions got up to say goodbye.
Zhang Chunxue saw them to the door and watched them gradually disappear into the night before turning back into the courtyard.
Zhong Aiguo had already finished smoking a cigarette while squatting by the courtyard wall. When he saw Zhang Chunxue return, he approached her and whispered, "Chunxue, tell me, what exactly happened?"
Zhang Chunxue sighed before speaking softly, "It's Zhong Chengren."
The flashlight in Zhong Aiguo's hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
His face was filled with shock: "What did you say? Chengren? That can't be!"
“It’s him. I’d recognize him even if he were ashes,” Zhang Chunxue said in a low voice. “He was planning to rob Mingli of her money, and he almost killed her…”
"I thought he had already escaped far away, but I didn't expect him to still be in the county..."
Zhang Chunxue pinched the bridge of her nose: "He ambushed me and Xingzhi on the road, probably originally intending to rob me..."
Her gaze fell on Zhong Chengyi's corpse: "Third brother... he was just unlucky, he just happened to run into it."
She then whispered, "Don't tell anyone else about this."
Zhong Aiguo nodded, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the flashlight.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say or how to comfort Zhang Chunxue.
How can I explain this?
The second son stabbed the third son to death...
The person who is most heartbroken right now is probably Zhang Chunxue.
After calming himself down, Zhong Aiguo finally spoke: "I will help with Chengyi's funeral arrangements... What about Xingzhi?"
“He injured his hand, so he went to the county…” Zhang Chunxue cheered up. “Then, Brother Aiguo, I’m leaving this to you. Mingli and Xiaoshen are still at home. I’m worried about them, so I have to go back and let them know.”
She was also worried that Zhong Chengren would go to her home in town and harm Zhou Mingli and Song Yanshen.
Although Zhong Chengren was also injured... what if he gets hurt?
Zhong Aiguo nodded: "You go back first! I'll take care of things here!"
He instructed everyone to move Zhong Chengyi's body to a different location.
"Make way!" Zhong Aiguo shouted. "Chunxue needs to go home to check on Mingli and the others. She hasn't been home yet since the accident!"
Everyone immediately made way.
Zhang Chunxue nodded to the villagers and then rode away on her tricycle.
As soon as she left, the villagers' gossip grew louder again.
As soon as Zhang Chunxue returned to town and opened the courtyard gate, Zhou Mingli rushed out.
When she saw Zhang Chunxue return, she breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was also on edge.
"Why are you alone, Mom? Where's Dad?"
Zhang Chunxue parked the tricycle before speaking: "Something happened."
Zhou Mingli's heart immediately skipped a beat.
"What happened?" she asked urgently. "What's wrong with Dad? Could it be... Zhong Chengren?"
Zhang Chunxue nodded slightly: "It is indeed Zhong Chengren... but your father is fine, he just injured his hand..."
Her voice lowered slightly: "But the third brother... he's dead."
Zhou Mingli's pupils suddenly contracted!
"Zhong Chengyi?" Her voice trembled uncontrollably. "The third brother... he's dead?"
Although Zhou Mingli didn't have a good impression of Zhong Chengyi either, he was, after all, her former brother-in-law, and they had lived together in the same house for more than two years...
Now, he's just dead like that?
Was she killed by her ex-husband?
Was it his own brother?
Zhou Mingli was somewhat dazed.
Zhang Chunxue had to comfort her: "It's alright. Zhong Chengren killed someone, he definitely can't escape. Your father has already reported the case to the county!"
Zhou Mingli wanted to say that she wasn't worried about Zhong Chengren, but after opening her mouth, she didn't know what to say, so she could only nod with a heavy expression.
After treating his wounds, Song Xingzhi had Zhou Xiaojun ride his bicycle back.
They were halfway there when they ran into Zhou Daikui and Zhang Erge, who were returning.
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