Zhang Peiru looked at Jian Jing suspiciously, sizing her up.

To be honest, she didn't believe that such a young girl could find out the truth. Does such a little girl know what murder is? She hasn't even killed a chicken.

But she still hesitated.

After ten years in prison, Zhang Peiru no longer had any familiar people or friends. She also knew that the police would not reinvestigate her husband's case.

Although Ji Liming's son said he would investigate, she didn't believe him.

However, it was not practical to investigate it herself.

After she came out of prison this time, she always felt that the world had become very strange. She couldn't understand what the people around her said at all. She

had been out of touch with society for so long and had no idea where to start.

After thinking about it, Zhang Peiru nodded.

Jian Jing pretended to be very similar and immediately took out a thousand yuan from her bag: "This is a deposit. I want you to tell me about what happened back then."

Zhang Peiru took a deep breath: "Sit down first, I'll pour you a glass of water."

She walked to the kitchen, poured a cup of hot water and handed it to her. Jian Jing took it but didn't drink it. She also saw that Zhang Peiru didn't really want to pour water, but just wanted to prepare a little bit, so she waited patiently.

After a short silence, Zhang Peiru finally spoke: "Since you can find out about me, you must know what happened. I will say one thing - Honglin definitely didn't kill anyone. I dare to guarantee it with my life."

Jian Jing said: "What's your reason?"

"He is not that kind of person." Zhang Peiru said decisively.

Jian Jing shook her head: "I feel it doesn't count. Do you have any evidence?"

Zhang Peiru looked at her and said in an unfriendly tone: "If I had, I would have reported it to the police long ago."

"Don't be angry." She didn't care. "Then tell me about your story."

Zhang Peiru closed her eyes, with a complicated look on her face: "Honglin and I met in early 1999. At that time, many people had left their jobs, including me. I set up a stall with a friend to do business. I met him when I was purchasing goods. He was repairing cars for people in a repair shop. His skills were good. Gradually, people asked if he would take private jobs. He thought that he didn't have to give the money to the boss, so he was tempted. Who knew that he was found out by the boss not long after and fired him.

"It just so happened that my friend thought getting up early and working late was too tiring, so he quit. I couldn't handle it alone, so he said he would come to help me. After a while, we got together and got married at the end of the year."

When she said this, her expression naturally softened.

Jian Jing couldn't help but murmur, it's really strange, Ms. Zhang is obviously not good-looking, thin and old, but at this moment her expression is so charming.

Is love really so magical?

Probably.

Zhang Peiru paused for two or three minutes before she came back to her senses from the sweetness she once had, and continued: "In 2002, I was pregnant, but my luck was bad. I had an ectopic pregnancy, and the surgery found that I had a uterine tumor, which had to be removed. All the money in the family was spent, and our original plan to save money to open a store was also ruined.

"The operation went smoothly, but the doctor told me not to overwork. So from 2002 to 2003, I stayed at home to rest, and Honglin went out to drive a taxi. He drove during the day and sold beer at food stalls at night. He drove at night and moved sandbags at construction sites during the day. He was so thin that he was just a bag of bones. Girl, how could he kill for money if he could do this?"

Jian Jing was unable to answer this question.

"In 2006, he said he couldn't make money driving a taxi, so he decided to drive long distances. We saved 100,000 yuan, borrowed some from relatives and friends, and bought a car with a loan. I bought a second-hand tricycle from a friend, and usually picked up passengers near the school. I thought life was getting better, but who knew that suddenly..."

She choked up and covered her eyes, "Suddenly everything was over. What did we do wrong? The police insisted that Honglin was the murderer, but I knew he was definitely not the murderer. He is not that kind of person."

Jian Jing said, "Did your husband say that? Was he wronged?"

"Of course." Zhang Peiru reacted strongly, "He told me that if he did such a bastard thing, he would be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."

Jian Jing asked, "What kind of person do you think your husband is?"

"We are both honest people. He doesn't smoke, drink, or beat his wife. He just listens to the radio and doesn't have any bad habits." Zhang Peiru said, "We have never earned a penny against our conscience. In 2004, he drove a boss and left 30,000 yuan. We didn't take a penny and even found someone to return it after a long time."

She argued: "He wanted the money, why don't we keep the money? Don't you think this makes sense?"

"What you said makes sense." Jian Jing released her kindness at the right time, "Speaking of which, does your husband have any enemies?"

Zhang Peiru shook her head: "My husband and I never make enemies with anyone, so how could we have any enemies."

"That's not right. Think about it. Your husband ran into her by chance. It's a coincidence. Everything else matches, especially the shoe size. The police told you, right? It was a size 40 shoe."

Jian Jing asked, "Did you really never suspect that someone wanted to push your husband to be a scapegoat?" Zhang Peiru said nothing. It would be a lie to say that she had never thought about it. In ten years, she had thought about everything and suspected everyone, but her trust in her husband had never wavered. "Ms. Zhang, your husband has passed away.

If you want to clear his name, you can't let go of any clues." Jian Jing asked, "Is there really no such person?" Zhang Peiru said, "No, there is one." "His name is Jia Long. He is the manager of the taxi company where Honglin used to work. He had nothing to do with us at first, but one time, my husband caught him sneaking into the boss's office and taking money from his safe. Honglin is an honest man. The boss treated him well, so he felt bad and wanted to expose the matter." She sighed and said helplessly, "I advised him to mind his own business. No matter how low a manager's position is, it's not enough for him to be managed. But he didn't listen and exposed the matter. He was fired and the boss rewarded him with 5,000 yuan, but Jia Long held a grudge against him." Jian Jing said, "Did he take revenge on you?" "Of course. He smashed Honglin's car and said something like 'You are meddling in other people's business. I will definitely hit you to death next time I see you'. He also said a lot of cruel things." Zhang Peiru was most suspicious of him. "I heard that he didn't live well later. One time when he was drinking with friends, he threatened to make Honglin look bad. Honglin's friends were drinking with him at the time, and they secretly told him to be careful." Jian Jing asked curiously, "Have you mentioned him to the police?" "I did, but they didn't take it seriously." Zhang Peiru's eyes showed some resentment, "Don't think I don't understand. They just want to get the job done quickly, and they can't find out what happened, so they have to use my Honglin as a scapegoat." Her teeth were clattering, "They are not good people."

Jian Jing did not answer.

In this situation, it was useless for her to say anything, Zhang Peiru would not believe her. Only by finding the real murderer could all the grievances be settled.

So, she patiently waited for Zhang Peiru to vent, and then said: "Do you remember what happened in January? As long as your husband mentioned it to you, it doesn't matter whether it's big or small."

So many things happened in January 2007, and it was difficult for Zhang Peiru to forget. When it was late at night, she often couldn't help but recall those days.

"At the beginning of January, he told me that he had been assigned an order to transport wood to the south. I asked him when he would be back, as the Chinese New Year was early that year and it would be bad if he was delayed on the road. He said the place was not far away and it would take half a month to go back and forth. The temperature in the south was not low and the road was easy to drive. The more money he could make, the better, and he would have a good Chinese New Year.

"He came back on the evening of the 14th and told me that everything went well and the goods had been delivered. The wood was a little damp, and they insisted on deducting 500 yuan from him. I couldn't argue with them, so I had to let it go. The next day, he took a day off to pay some electricity and gas bills, and he drove the tricycle for me on the 16th.

"You can see that his family is well-off, but you don't know that riding a tricycle in winter is the worst. When the car is turned on, the cold wind blows towards your neck. He feels sorry for me. Besides, school is over in January, and unlike usual, I have to run a little further to drop off the kids. I can't stand the cold wind and dare not walk far, but he doesn't care and is willing to take me anywhere.

"In 2007, the land in the west of the city was very barren and there were few taxis, so business was good. Especially at night when the buses were gone, many people were willing to take a tricycle. He went out early and came back late, and he was very happy to tell me that a customer asked if he could charter a car for round-trip transportation. If he could do this business, he could make an extra 200 yuan before the New Year."

Zhang Peiru raised her head and held back her tears.

"You know the result. On the 22nd, the police came to our door."

Jian Jing nodded gently, "I understand. "

She thought for a moment, and said, "I need to investigate further. I'll contact you if I have any questions."

Zhang Peiru pursed her lips for a long time, then asked, "Do you really believe that Honglin didn't kill anyone?"

"It's useless if you believe he didn't kill anyone." Jian Jing said, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. What matters is that I'm willing to investigate. Ms. Zhang, do you have any other hope?"

Zhang Peiru was silent.

"You don't believe the police anymore, right?" she asked again.

Zhang Peiru said, "They don't care at all."

No, someone does care.

Jian Jing denied it in her heart, but pretended to know nothing on her face.

"Let me remind you that new evidence is needed to overturn the case. In your husband's case, if we can find some key physical evidence, it will be of great help." She said, "Did your husband leave any relics? "

She nodded.

"Then you have to look for it carefully." Jian Jing said, "Maybe, hope lies in something insignificant."

These words touched Zhang Peiru. The skinny old man cheered up again: "I will look for it."

Jian Jing left her phone number: "If there is anything or anything you care about, you can come to me. "

She left.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Peiru, Jian Jing sat in the car and picked up a page of paper in the file bag again.

This was Ji Liming's notes. The handwriting was very sloppy. It was not a diary, but more like an investigation report. The object of the investigation was Jia Long, the enemy mentioned by Zhang Peiru.

It can be seen that after Wu Honglin's death, Ji Liming didn't say it, but he still felt bad in his heart. He didn't know where he found this guy and investigated him seriously.

But the result of his investigation was: Jia Long's shoes were size 42, he was tall, and he made a living by fraud in 2007. His targets were all wealthy women with a little assets. And he drank with people every night, which was the case most of the time in January. The time was right for the crime.

Therefore, there was no need to investigate Jia Long.

As a veteran criminal police officer with more than ten years of experience, he was even better than her in this regard.

Jian Jing remembered the old map on the Monsoon car and decided to talk to the boss who hired Li Xiaonuan. The shop he renovated in the west of the city in 2007 is still open and is a training center.

On the way there, she made a special observation of the surrounding environment.

To be honest, it didn't look desolate and lonely as described in the case files at all. It was very lively, with milk tea shops and fried chicken shops all over the commercial street, and it was bustling with people.

She found the training center, but the front desk said that the person was not there and would be back in the evening.

Jian Jing didn't want to make another trip. Since she was already here, she might as well walk through all the locations of Li Xiaonuan's case.