Chapter 31 Chapter 31 "Who? The King...
"Who? The Wang family has a jade hairpin..."
The White Bone Case was exactly the opposite of what Hezhou had expected. From digging out the bones to identifying the names of the corpses, it only took one morning.
Mrs. Wang's cries were sharp and miserable until the last mouthful of bright red blood sprayed on the notice and she fainted from exhaustion.
Her rough fingers tightly grasped the corner of the notice.
Hezhou gradually came back to his senses and picked the person up through his sleeves. Wang Xiaopang thanked him softly and led the way with two large bamboo baskets on his shoulders.
This scene attracted many onlookers, who were chattering about the news about Mrs. Wang's family. The news that came out in the chat was that not only was it impossible for the Wang family to have the jade hairpin, but they were also in debt.
A few rebuttals were drowned out long ago.
Hezhou just listened without rushing to draw a conclusion. Mrs. Wang's sadness came from the bottom of her heart, and it was something that could not be acted out.
He looked forward and saw Wang Xiaopang leading the way with his head down. He seemed not to hear the discussion around him and there was no sign of surprise on his face.
In his impression, Wang Xiaopang has always been a sweet-mouthed child who always claims to be the smartest kid in the county and comes up with funny ideas.
"Xiaopang, who is the Wenliang your mother was talking about?"
"Maybe it's my father. I'm not sure."
A childish voice carried on the wind. Perhaps feeling his words were too simple, he turned and added, "When I was five or six, my father left home. The adults said he was going out to explore the world, but he never came back. Anyone who sees him again is just a pile of bones..."
He lowered his eyes, rarely showing his usual playfulness. "Sir, this is an old case anyway. Can you wait until my mother has rested before questioning her?"
"Okay, you should be five or six years old when you can remember things. Do you still remember? What did your father do when he went out?"
"I don't remember. I fell into the water during those days and had a high fever when I was found."
Xie Xunzhi walked forward and took the bamboo basket from his hand: "Give it to me. It's easy to fall if you walk backwards."
Wang Xiaopang's eyes flashed, and he handed him a large bamboo basket.
He patted his chest and returned to his usual tone: "Sir, you're worrying too much. I'm a well-known child prodigy in the surrounding area. There's no pitfall on this road. I can recite it by heart."
"Yes, yes, yes! Then, can the child prodigy not sleep in class next time? I covered for you today."
His face flushed and he scratched his hair: "Next time...next time...thank you so much for your help today, sir!"
Xie Xunzhi knocked his head: "You are not stupid, you just don't think about your mother seriously."
The Wang family lived in the most remote place in the county, close to the mountain. The houses were all small wooden houses surrounded by fences. A short old woman stood inside, feeding hens with a winnowing basket in her hand.
When the old woman saw Madam Wang fainted, she didn't bother to feed the chickens. She quickly dropped her dustpan and ran over, asking anxiously, "What happened to Ah Xia?"
She pulled open the rusty door latch, let someone in, and grabbed Wang Xiaopang at the end, saying urgently, "Xinsheng! What happened to your mother? She's not being bullied by some bastard on the street, is she?"
"No, grandma, the government office posted news about my father today, and mom... mom fainted after reading it." Wang Xiaopang patted his grandmother's hand like a little adult.
"Grandma, go and make the medicine for Mom first. I'll go take care of Mom and pick up the handkerchiefs that weren't sold today."
Hezhou followed her into the room and put Mrs. Wang on the bed. Wang Xiaopang knelt beside the bed and covered her with a quilt before leaving.
"It's so remote, doesn't it take Wang Xiao a long time to walk to school?" Hezhou asked Xie Xunzhi, rubbing his sore arm.
"Well, he has to get up early in the morning to pack up his stall in the county. At night, he goes door to door asking if they want handkerchiefs. He also collects old clothes and clothes that need mending. So when he sleeps in class, I usually turn a blind eye."
Hezhou nodded and looked at the house. The small thatched house was only as long as a bed. The whole house was extremely cramped. The bed was against the cabinet and next to the dressing table. There was not even room for an extra table.
There was no trace of rouge on the dressing table, only a bronze mirror and a comb, and the rest were all women's tools.
He picked up the bronze mirror and saw his appearance in it, with thick eyebrows, big eyes and sharp bones. Hezhou was a little dazed for a moment. How come this look is becoming more and more like his modern appearance? On the back of the bronze mirror was a pattern of dancing mandarin ducks.
"That thing has been here for a long time." Wang Xiaopang brought over two armchairs.
The room was extremely crowded with two chairs, so he put them down and ran out. He came back a few minutes later with a teapot and bowls.
"Excuse me, sir. This is the master bedroom. It's still a bit cramped."
Xie Xunzhi pushed him out: "No need to pour tea, go out first. It's better to talk in the yard. It's too inconvenient to stay in the house."
Hezhou carried two chairs and walked out.
The smoke of bitter medicine rose in the yard. Grandma Wang sat in front of the stove. She was bent over with fatigue from the long hours of heavy work.
She fanned herself and quietly wiped her tears, her sobs drowned out by the burning wood.
"grown ups……"
Hezhou withdrew his gaze from the yard and asked, "What's wrong?"
"My Wenliang... is he... is he okay?"
The words fell heavily on the courtyard, leaving Hezhou speechless. Hezhou placed his fingers on the edge of the bowl, his eyes revealing helplessness: "I heard Wang Xiao say that his father left when he was little?"
"Yes, a few years ago, our family was one of the best producers of shepherd's purse. However... a natural disaster wiped out the harvest, and Wenliang had to pawn Axia's dowry."
"Everyone in the village says he's an unfaithful man. Wenliang has been naughty since he was a child. He..."
She paused and raised her yellow eyes to stare at him: "My Lord, if you catch him, you must punish him for abandoning his wife and children."
"Okay... okay..." Hezhou turned his gaze towards Xie Xunzhi and said silently, "What should I do..."
Xie Xunzhi lowered his head and drank water in small sips. He looked aside several times without saying anything, but just followed along.
"It's enough for the adults to scare him. Wenliang is timid and won't do anything too extreme. He is just scared." Grandma Wang shook her hands repeatedly.
"Master Wenliang... can he come back..."
"Grandma, what are you talking about? Dad...he's dead..." Wang Xiaopang happened to come out, his sleeves rolled up high, and a rice washing ladle in his hand.
Hezhou's breathing became heavy, and he subconsciously pinched the corner of his clothes, and the yard instantly became quiet.
In fact, the matter was not as serious as he thought. Grandma Wang just nodded lightly, waved the fan in her hand with a lonely expression, and talked incessantly.
"Axia is a good girl. She hasn't complained in all these years. She's the one who's suffered the most. The two of them grew up together. Axia has a soft temper and Wenliang always takes it out for her. After all these years, when there was no news about Wenliang, everyone said he was a heartless man..."
The tiny voice was like the sound of the wind, plain but with a hint of sadness. Perhaps she herself didn't know what she was saying.
The story started from the time when the two got married and continued till now, with stories of Wang Wenliang's childhood interspersed in between, while the fan was swaying slowly.
Hezhou only stayed for a while and then left. Standing in front of the door, he could still see Grandma Wang still talking, and Fatty Wang was standing on a small stool beside him washing vegetables.
"Xunzhi, how do you feel..."
"Uncomfortable?"
He nodded: "It seems a bit. If Wang Wenliang was killed on the way to the city, then Wang Xiao's mother would not be..."
"Didn't I say that? When Wang Wenliang didn't return, everyone around him said he had changed his mind, but Madam Wang insisted that he had met with an accident and even chased him out of the county..."
Hezhou listened, but what appeared in his eyes was the look on Xie Xunzhi's face. He wondered if Xie Xunzhi would feel bad if he didn't return for a long time.
But don't feel bad. Xie Xunzhi's health is not good to begin with. If he cries, it might be fatal. The corners of his snow-white eyes were dyed bright red.
Maybe he wouldn't cry uncontrollably, but would just force himself to sob quietly with his neck raised, which would be more harmful to his body. There were no posthumous portraits in ancient times.
"Brother He, are you visiting the surrounding areas?"
"Will you hold my tablet and cry?"
The words were spoken at the same time. Xie Xunzhi blinked in surprise and asked in confusion, "What?"
"Ah, ah!"
Hezhou accidentally said what was in his heart and walked around awkwardly. He touched the hair that Xie Xunzhi had tied for him that morning.
"I mean... Wang Xiao's family doesn't seem to have a tablet for Wang Wenliang..."
"Well, they definitely don't want to believe that Wang Wenliang is dead." Xie Xunzhi didn't pursue the matter too closely, but gently pulled his arm. "Do you want to go visit him?"
"Let's go!" Hezhou raised his head and began to analyze: "But I feel that the skeleton is most likely Wang Wenliang."
"I feel the same way. Madam Wang described the jade hairpin in such detail. Alas, seeing it again is only bones left... It's really sad."
He lowered his head and his hot breath fell into Xie Xunzhi's ear: "That natural disaster you mentioned...was it really a natural disaster?"
"I've read the government records. There was a locust plague in Cailan County only three years ago. That year, the harvest was completely wiped out. The county magistrate resigned, and the Chen family moved in and began to aggressively seize the farmland. Six months later, they controlled almost all of the farmland and shops."
"It's quite interesting, that's why Wang Wenliang took the jade hairpin and went out to pawn it."
Xie Xunzhi nodded in agreement: "If this is the case, then Wang Wenliang had pushed the Chen family to the point where they had no choice but to kill him."
"Xunzhi, do you still remember the letter of accusation?" Hezhou's eyes lit up. "It said that the Chen family's methods of acquiring land were not clean. Intimidation and violence were common. Do you think this can be considered a downfall..."
"no!"
Xie Xunzhi spoke sternly, pulling him aside. After making sure no one was around, he continued, "The outside world doesn't understand the Chen family's strength at all, and I don't know why Cailan hasn't had a county magistrate for so long."
"I know, it's about knocking, knocking." He Zhou knew exactly what he was thinking, and a subtle impulse flashed in his heart: "The Chen family has been quiet for so long, why don't we take action first and establish the case first?"
"It's too dangerous! First, there is no evidence, and second, there is no clue! Besides, we don't have anyone under our command." Xie Xunzhi twisted his lips, his disapproval evident in his words.
"What if Wang Xiao asks? Just think about it, when he was only five or six years old..."
Xie Xunzhi put his finger to his mouth and shook his head helplessly: "It's a pity that you don't go into business. I'm not... at least not now! Investigating the case and convicting the Chen family are not in conflict. What we should do most now is to visit them."
"Okay." Hezhou blinked, grabbed the hand against his mouth, put it to the wrist and sniffed it hard.
"Xunzhi, aren't you using ordinary soap nuts for bathing?"
Xie Xunzhi wanted to pull his hand back, but the latter held it tightly, leaving only a red mark on his wrist.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
