Chapter 61 Family
Early the next morning, Xu Shumei got up happily, cooked a pot of egg and vegetable noodles, sprinkled it with chopped green onions and drizzled some sesame oil. After the mother and daughter ate the delicious meal, they went to see the new house together.
There is a small yard on the first floor. As no one lives there, the yard looks a bit desolate, with weeds growing everywhere and fallen leaves all over the ground.
But that's not a problem.
As soon as Xu Shumei saw the yard, her eyes lit up: "Great, this yard is great, I can grow some vegetables and some flowers around it. It will look great next year."
Which rural child doesn’t love the land?
Xia Mushige was also very happy: "Okay, let's grow some peppers and cabbages, I like them."
The two of them opened the door of the unit and walked into the small two-bedroom, one-living room apartment.
The living room is right after you enter the door. It is very small and can only accommodate a limited amount of furniture. There are two bedrooms on the south side of the living room and a kitchen and toilet on the north side. Although small, it is fully functional.
Xu Shumei looked at the cupboards, sink, stove, and exhaust fan in the kitchen. Although it was very dirty because the previous tenant had not cleaned it before moving out, she was still very happy: "Oh, it's great to have your own kitchen. You can always have a hot meal when you come home at night."
Xia Mushige took his mother's arm and said with a smile: "Mom, you are so good to me."
Xu Shumei tapped Xia Mufan's nose affectionately and said, "Wait for me to clean up the kitchen and make delicious food for you every day."
The two of them looked at the two bedrooms together. The master bedroom led directly to the yard and was where Xu Shumei lived. The second bedroom faced south and was close to the door and was where Xia Muchan lived.
Although the house is small, it is just right for mother and daughter.
The family building has good greenery. There are tall sycamore trees planted in front of and behind the house. The lush branches and leaves block the light, making the house look a little dark. Fortunately, it is summer now, and it feels more comfortable in the shade.
Xu Shumei looked around, extremely satisfied, the corners of her mouth kept rising, she couldn't suppress it.
"It's just right to put a dining table and two chairs here."
"We need to buy two more beds."
"Mumu, shall we buy a color TV?"
"I want to buy a bookcase. What do you think? I haven't written poetry for a long time. I wonder if those literary magazines I used to write are still available? When we settle down, Mumu will you accompany me to the Xinhua Bookstore?"
…
Every word and sentence reflects Xu Shumei's imagination and love for her future life.
After hearing his mother's idea about the bookcase, Xia Mufan blamed himself for being too busy at work and not having much time to accompany his mother, let alone paying attention to how his mother would spend her future days. My mother is a woman of inner beauty. Her writing style is simple and fresh. She has published short poems in magazines. Now that she has returned to normal, she still cannot hide her love for literature.
My mother is only in her early forties this year, and there are still infinite possibilities in her life. As long as she wants, she can still pursue her literary dream.
Thinking of this, Xia Mufan nodded heavily: "Okay, I will accompany you to Xinhua Bookstore after get off work today. We will buy whatever books you want."
As the mother and daughter were talking, voices came from outside the door: "Xiao Xia", "Xia Xia".
As soon as I heard the voice, I knew it was Sun Xianbing and his men coming.
As soon as they arrived, the room became lively.
"Congratulations, Xia Xia is moving into a new house!"
"You don't need to buy a bed. I'll take you to the supplies department to get two bunk beds."
"Yes, you can choose the furniture in the Materials Department. Although it is a bit old, it is quite practical. Desks, bookcases, wardrobes and so on are all available. Just register."
"When you move into your new home, we'll come and warm the house!"
While they were talking, everyone was busy. Yu Jing, in particular, was an expert at tidying up the house, and he was busy cleaning out the debris and garbage in the house. There is strength in numbers. In just over half an hour, the house was tidied up and looked presentable.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Xia Mufan and his team members left, leaving Xu Shumei in the house to pack up slowly.
As soon as I arrive at the office, I get into a busy working state.
After the poisoned man was sent to the hospital, although various emergency measures were taken, he eventually died in the early morning. The police from the police station confirmed the identity of the deceased based on the wallet he found and notified his family.
The deceased was named Zhu Shengrong, 42 years old, who ran a shoe store. His wife Liu Caiyang was 40 years old. The couple had one son, who was 18 years old and in his second year of high school.
The Criminal Investigation Brigade's Serious Crime Unit 7 took over the case. Xia Mufan put down the phone and immediately said to his teammates, "Let's go to the hospital."
Gu Shaoqi, who was traveling with us, brought a toxicology report: "The three dishes and the soup are all fine. The brown particles in the shoe box are mainly composed of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. It should be a kind of cat food, and the surface is mixed with a large amount of strychnine powder."
Xia Mushige took the report and asked, "Can you find out what brand of cat food it is?"
Although people's lives are better now, the overall economic level is still far behind that of developed countries. Most families who keep cats make do with leftovers, and those who have the conditions add some protein such as fish, meat, and eggs. There are very few families who feed their cats with imported cat food.
If you can find out the brand of cat food, maybe you can discover something.
Gu Shaoqi's answer was simple: "I don't know."
Xia Mufan nodded and said, "Then let's go to the flower and bird market and ask." The pet business in Hui City has not yet grown in scale. Most of the pet business is in the flower and bird market, and is done together with the flower, bird, fish and insect businesses.
When they arrived at the hospital, Xia Mufan and Gu Fa divided the medical staff into three groups.
Forensic doctor Gu took his apprentice Zhou Wei to the morgue to perform an autopsy. Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu communicated with the family members, while Gong Weiguo took Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing to the hospital and police station to find out the situation.
Zhu Shengrong's wife Liu Caiyang was slightly plump and was wearing pajamas and slippers. She must have rushed over from home after receiving a notification from the police in the middle of the night. Upon hearing the bad news, Liu Caiyang cried and cursed.
"You weren't home so late at night. I thought you were hiding out somewhere to have fun, but who knew you were dead!"
"If you die, what will happen to us, mother and daughter?"
"Liangliang is still in his second year of high school. How could you have the heart to abandon him?"
Xia Mufan came to Liu Caiyang: "Liu Caiyang?"
Liu Caiyang had her hair loose. When she heard her name, she raised her head, wiped away her tears, and tried to calm herself down: "It's me."
Xia Mufan showed his police ID: "Criminal Investigation Team, Serious Crime Unit, my last name is Xia."
Liu Caiyang grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously: "Our Lao Zhu is a very good person. Who wants to harm him? Police comrades, you must catch the murderer."
Xia Mushige nodded: "Okay."
Xia Mufan's confidence and calmness gradually stabilized Liu Caiyang's emotions.
Xia Mushige began to ask: "Was there anything unusual about your husband yesterday?"
Liu Caiyang thought about it and frowned, "Not just yesterday, he has been acting strange for a while. Lao Zhu and I divide the work, I look after the store and he manages the household. Lao Zhu usually cooks, washes clothes and mops the floor without complaint, but since last month, when I get home, I see him with a long face and he tosses and turns at night and can't sleep, as if something is bothering him. I asked him, but he refused to say anything and told me to leave him alone."
Xia Mufan: "Why don't you let him watch the store?"
When talking about this, Liu Caiyang's tone was filled with complaints: "I mean it! In other families, the man is the breadwinner and the woman is the homemaker, but it's not the case in my family. Old Zhu is a dull person and doesn't like to talk. It's simply not possible to let him look after the store. There's no other way, so I, his wife, have to do it."
Xia Mushige: "It must be hard for you to run the store, right?"
Liu Caiyang sighed, "Isn't it? We open at nine in the morning and close at nine in the evening. Sometimes we have to postpone the closing time when we have customers. A shoe store is a small business. It's not worth hiring people, so I have to do it myself."
Xia Mushige: "How is your relationship as a couple?"
Liu Caiyang felt that this question was a bit harsh, so he looked up at her and said, "We have a good relationship. Although Lao Zhu doesn't talk much, he is meticulous and considerate. He brings me lunch every day at noon and in the evening. Who among the people who run a shop next door wouldn't envy me?"
Xia Mushige: "When was the last time you saw your husband?"
Liu Caiyang: "He brought me dinner last night, a little earlier than usual. After I finished eating, I took the dishes and went home. At that time, the girl next door praised him for being a caring and good husband. Who knew..."
Xia Mushige: "What time do you usually deliver meals? What time was it last night?"
Liu Caiyang: "Usually it's around six o'clock, but it was about half past five last night."
Xia Mushige: "What time did you get home last night?"
Liu Caiyang: "It was around nine o'clock. When I got home, I found the house was completely deserted. I got angry and called him but he didn't reply. So I went to sleep."
Xia Mufan glanced at her and asked, "Does he often stay out all night?"
Liu Caiyang suddenly became emotional, and his voice rose several degrees: "What do you mean by this? I said, Lao Zhu is a good man, he is very responsible to me and his son, you police should quickly find the murderer who killed him, what's the point of asking these questions all the time?"
Xia Mushi's voice became a little colder: "I hope you can answer my questions seriously."
Zhu Shengrong was poisoned after eating cat food at Qingming Hotel. There are too many suspicious points.
Is it possible that he went to the hotel with cat food in a shoebox, intending to enjoy a big meal before he died and then commit suicide?
Or maybe he had some kind of quirk and liked to eat cat food while eating, but this time, for some reason, rat poison was put in the cat food and he was killed by mistake?
Of course, it could also be that he was murdered.
I've just started working on the case and I don't have any clues, so I can't miss any clues.
When the husband has an accident, the person next to him is naturally the first person to be suspected. Although Liu Caiyang and Zhu Shengrong are married and have a son, she cannot be ruled out as a suspect.
Xia Mufan repeated again: "Does he often stay out all night?"
Her eyes were sharp, her voice was cold, and the strength in her attitude made Liu Caiyang feel a little uneasy.
Liu Caiyang lowered his eyes and looked at the floor. "My son is in boarding high school. Usually there are only two of us at home. He knows that I work hard to make money running the store, so he is usually at home at night."
Xia Mufan felt something was wrong: "He wasn't at home last night, didn't you go out to look for him?"
Liu Caiyang sneered: "What are you looking for? He's a grown man, how could he be kidnapped? He only has a dozen dollars in pocket money, what can he do?"
Xia Mufan: "You keep a tight control on his money?"
Liu Caiyang looked annoyed: "Yes! Men become bad when they have money, so we can't let him have money. I work hard to run the store, and I keep all the money I earn in my hands. I give him a little money for groceries every day."
Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu exchanged glances.
It seems that Liu Caiyang has very strict control over Zhu Shengrong's money.
Xia Mufan: "Then how dare he come into Qingming for dinner?"
Liu Caiyang gritted his teeth, a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes: "How should I know! Maybe someone else invited him? If I knew that he had a woman outside, I... I would scatter his ashes, change his son's surname to Liu, and let him be a wandering ghost!"
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