Chapter 085: Case Solved
The two foolishly laughed, unaware they had misinterpreted the system's meaning. Jiang Nan's mood brightened considerably, and he began to ponder the case. "What do you think Meng Zhenfang and Dong Jiaojiao have in common? If he's a serial killer, he wouldn't just kill randomly, right?"
Zhou Zhixing glanced at Jiang Nan and said, "They all have bad reputations."
Just as Jiang Nan was about to retort, he raised his hand. "Don't be so impatient. Listen to me first. Take Meng Zhenfang, for example. We know she's not that kind of person, but in the eyes of many neighbors, she's just a fickle woman, and many people firmly believe it. Dong Jiaojiao, on the other hand, is more open-minded, and her reputation is well-known throughout our office. Other than that, I can't think of anything else they have in common."
Jiang Nan's mood, which had just improved, was soured again. They still suspected the murderer was a woman. The more she thought about it, the more ironic it became. Sometimes, it was women who loved to make things difficult for them.
When the group arrived at the Donghe'an Brigade, it was already lunch time, so they simply went to the Jiang family and had lunch with the aunt-in-law Yin Wenjuan.
Yin Wenjuan didn't expect to see so many police officers so soon. She was in a panic for a while, but then she remembered that the two brothers Wang Zilii and Wang Gengsheng said last time that they liked the hand-rolled noodles she made. She quickly made up her mind, calmed down and started kneading the dough and rolling the noodles.
Soon, six steaming bowls of mixed noodles were served. Everyone slurped them without hesitation. The atmosphere was so contagious that Jiang Nan even ate faster. After finishing his meal, he didn't even bother to linger. He put down his money and food coupons, exchanged a few polite words, and left in such a hurry. Jiang Nan, fearing his aunt might misunderstand, briefly explained the situation.
Yin Wenjuan waved her hands quickly, her face distressed. "It's okay, Auntie knows. You guys can go and get busy. Poor Xiaonan, you're a police officer. I'm afraid you'll be too busy to eat on time. Don't worry, next time you're investigating a case nearby, come to our house for dinner. Don't be afraid to trouble Auntie. I'll still have time to prepare you some noodles."
Jiang Nan jumped over, grabbed Yin Wenjuan's arm, and started to act coquettishly: "I know that my aunt loves me the most, and I like my aunt the most. Well, I have to go to the East River Bank to ask questions, so I can't stay for long, otherwise I really have to stay home with you. Next time, I'll bring you something delicious and fun."
Yin Wenjuan smiled lovingly. Jiang Tong, Jiang Huai, and the other younger ones didn't get a chance to talk to Jiang Nan before their eldest cousin left in a hurry. Jiang Tong stood in the yard, full of admiration: "Little Sister Nan is amazing!"
Little Jiang jumped by the river and clapped his hands, "Auntie is awesome, awesome!"
Jiang Nan gained a fangirl and a little fanboy, achieving his goal. Unfortunately, he didn't receive any reward. Instead, he got her panting and complaining, "Zili, don't eat so fast next time. My stomach is upset."
Wang Zili smiled foolishly and scratched his head: "Sister Xiaonan, I will pay more attention next time. Hehe, I like eating noodles, and I eat them quickly without realizing it."
Jiang Nan tapped his forehead. "Are you eating noodles? I think you're drinking noodles. You put the edge of the bowl to your mouth, and no matter what kind of food it is, it goes down your throat with a wheezing sound. You don't even need to chew, you just swallow it like drinking water, right?"
Seeing Wang Zili and Wang Gengsheng giggling, Jiang Nan scolded them, "This is not a good habit. You should be more careful about what you eat next time. Eating like that is not good for your stomach."
Zou Li and Wen Qiang were also inspired and ate their meal very quickly. Their stomachs were already feeling uncomfortable. Zou Li rubbed his stomach and said, "Let's also be careful not to be influenced by self-reliance and rehabilitation."
The six of them walked slowly, fearing a sudden burst of wind. Luckily, the east bank wasn't far from the west bank, so they reached it in just half an hour. Remembering Lan Qingshan's advice, they first went to Captain Guo's house on the east bank and asked him to take them to the Shi family.
Before I even arrived, I heard a woman's scolding coming from the Shi family's courtyard: "Second sister, I'm not saying anything harsh about you, but it's just two pieces of clothing, and you've been washing them for so long. Have you not eaten? There's still a pile of clothes in the house, and you don't even bother to carry them. Do you want to skip work this afternoon and wash clothes at home? Mom, I'm not being mean as a sister-in-law, but ask around the village. Is there any sister-in-law who's been divorced and still lives in her parents' home? She doesn't think it's unlucky."
The woman snorted in dissatisfaction and continued, "I was just being kind and kept quiet. But look at her, she's taking so long to work. It seems she's unhappy that she wasn't allowed to sit at the table at noon. What? Is she being justified in eating for free?"
An old, hoarse, yet somewhat flattering female voice rang out: "Cao'er, don't be angry, I'll help you teach this damn girl a lesson."
Then, the female voice suddenly became stern: "Shi Hong, are you deaf? Hurry up and go to your eldest brother's room, take out the dirty clothes, and wash them all. Go to work for your sister-in-law this afternoon..."
Captain Guo felt embarrassed for the people inside. He coughed lightly and reminded everyone in the room: "Boss Shi, there are guests at home."
The courtyard fell silent, and the seven people finally entered. The Shi family's courtyard wasn't large, but because they had two sons, they had built east and west wing rooms in addition to the main house. Two cherry trees were planted in the courtyard. It was late spring, and the cherries were ripe and ready to eat in about two days. Due to their geographical location on the east and west banks of the river, the cherries grown there were particularly delicious, and every household planted a cherry tree in their yard.
Jiang Nan glanced at the two women, neither of them was Shi Hong. She felt a little disappointed, but she quickly concealed it.
Father Shi hurried out of the main house, slipping on his slippers. He was the most common rural man of his time, a simple, honest man with a dark, red face covered with wrinkles. Seeing the government officials, he was unconsciously timid. He bowed and rubbed his hands together, inviting them into the main house and pouring water for everyone, very attentive.
But this attitude made Jiang Nan frown immediately, and she instinctively disliked Shi's father. This was the first time she hadn't asked the system, but the feeling this person gave Jiang Nan made her dislike him very much.
Just as he was frowning, Captain Guo spoke up: "Is Shi Qing not at home?"
When Qia Shi's mother came in, she heard the police were looking for Shi Qing, the most promising son in the family. She looked very alert: "Didn't you come here a few days ago? Why are you here again?! My Shi Qing used to be interested in Zhenfang, but Zhenfang is married now. How could my Shi Qing, a grown man and an oil worker, still have feelings for her?! You have the wrong person."
Jiang Nan adjusted his expression and explained, "It's not about Meng Zhenfang. We have something else to ask Shi Qing. Is Shi Qing home?"
Father Shi glared at Mother Shi and said with an apologetic smile, "Yes, of course he's here. He came back from get off work. Old woman, why are you dawdling? Go inside and call Shi Qing. The police are here, why is he still sleeping?"
Mother Shi snorted, turned around, and reluctantly went to the east wing, cursing and blaming the police for being nosy and disturbing her second son's rest.
Jiang Nan twitched her lips. How could they sleep so well? They came with such a loud noise, but they couldn't wake anyone up. She felt a little cold in her stomach and asked Captain Guo, "Excuse me, do you know where the kitchen is? Excuse me, I need some hot water."
Father Shi shrank back, about to get off the kang to boil some water for the police officer. Jiang Nan frowned, stopped him, and after asking for directions, he headed for the kitchen. Zhou Zhixing knew the others in the team had eaten quickly at lunch and were probably feeling queasy, so he stood up and followed Jiang Nan. Having more people would allow him to bring out a few more bowls of water.
As they left the main house, they came upon Shi Hong, sitting under a cherry tree in the courtyard, washing clothes. She was tall, with a sturdy build uncommon among men of this era, and she sat huddled there, washing clothes. She was dressed in tattered clothes, patched upon patched. The sudden appearance of Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing seemed completely unperturbed. She seemed oblivious to everything, absorbed in scrubbing the clothes furiously, completely oblivious to the outside world.
Jiang Nan felt a little strange. She took another closer look at Shi Hong and saw that Shi Hong was sitting on a small stool. The shoe uppers were two or three centimeters away from her ankles. It was obvious that she had small feet and was wearing big shoes.
Jiang Nan nodded at Zhou Zhixing. Zhou Zhixing understood. Now that the murderer had been identified, the next step was to catch him. Alas, the system could help identify the murderer, but it couldn't allow them to arrest someone for no reason. Everything had to be based on evidence.
The two of them came to the kitchen as usual, as if they hadn't noticed anything. Behind them, Shi Hong seemed to sense something and looked up at their backs. Her eyes flashed, but she said nothing.
At that time, there were few thermoses in farmers' homes. Jiang Nan sat in front of the stove and wanted to light a fire, but she saw something different in the stove hole. She leaned over to take a closer look, used a wooden stick to push away the firewood and ash, picked up something, and stared at it for a while.
This thing seems to be the sole of a work cloth shoe? It's the kind called a thousand-layer sole.
Shijia, why are you burning cloth shoes in the kitchen?
The thousand-layer sole was burned to a small section, and it could no longer be used as evidence. Even if there was mud on the sole, it had been burned away by the fire.
She quietly beckoned over to Zhou Zhixing and whispered, "These should be the shoes Shi Hong wore when she killed someone!"
After Zhou Zhixing took a look, he immediately turned around and called Captain Guo over. He whispered, "Captain Guo, you saw the Shi family burning shoes in the stove. This is very suspicious. Please have the village militia keep an eye on the Shi family. We need to search the house."
Captain Guo's face turned pale. He asked tremblingly, "The Shi family, the Shi family is the murderer?"
Zhou Zhixing didn't say yes or no, but simply said in a deep voice, "Captain, this issue still needs to be investigated. The most urgent thing right now is for you to organize a large group of militia to come to the Shi family. We don't want to be stopped during the search."
"Hey." Captain Guo wiped his face and stumbled out. He looked towards the main room of the Shi family. Inside, four policemen were questioning the family members, while in the courtyard, Shi Hong was sitting under a cherry tree washing clothes.
Everything is normal, why would the Shi family kill someone?
He looked sad and walked out with a gloomy face.
Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing were carefully searching the kitchen. Just as they bent over to check if there was anything wrong with the earthen stove, Wang Zili hurried over. His face was pale, and his hand, which was holding the door frame, was shaking slightly. He said, "Brother Zhou, Father Shi, Father Shi is foaming at the mouth. He's dead!"
Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing's expressions froze, and they immediately trotted out of the kitchen. Inside the courtyard, Shi Hong frantically scrubbed clothes, again and again, as if she didn't care at all about her father's death.
In the main room, Shi's mother's face was pale, and her lips were trembling nervously. When she saw the two policemen coming in through the curtain, she seemed to have suddenly found her backbone. Her eyes were red, and she raised her hands and yelled, "Shi Hong, catch Shi Hong, catch her! She must have killed Lao Shi! It was her, she must have killed someone!"
Jiang Nan rushed into the main room furiously and immediately squatted down to check on Shi's father's body. He was completely dead, his face was blue, and his lips were purple. He must have been poisoned.
On the side, Shi's mother kept shouting hysterically: "Shi Hong, Shi Hong is the murderer, it must be her!"
Jiang Nan turned around and asked sternly, "Auntie, don't say anything nonsense! We need evidence to arrest someone..."
"It's her! She's not Lao Shi's biological daughter. She hates Lao Shi. It must be her!"
Jiang Nan grasped the key point and stared at Shi's mother sternly: "Why does she hate Lao Shi?"
The Stone Mother shuddered, mumbling something but unable to speak, her cheeks turning pale again.
Jiang Nan pressed on, asking word by word, "Tell me, why does she hate Lao Shi? Why do you think she's the murderer?"
The eldest sister-in-law of the Shi family, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened wide, but she couldn't utter a word. No matter how much she disliked her sister-in-law, she didn't want a murderer to be born in her family. What the hell was wrong with her mother-in-law? If there was a murderer in her family, how could she stay in the village in the future?
Thinking of this, Shi's eldest sister-in-law suddenly found her voice. She said in a hoarse voice: "Comrade police, don't listen to my mother's nonsense. I am Shi Hong's sister-in-law. My sister-in-law is an honest person and it is impossible for her to kill someone. Dad must have food poisoning from the wild vegetables he ate at noon..."
"That's her!" Shi's mother raised her head and interrupted her daughter-in-law eagerly. Her eyes were vicious, as if she wanted to eat someone. "Old Shi...Old Shi slept with her, and she's taking revenge!"
After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said again: "She is taking revenge!"
The stone mother seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit, and she insisted that her daughter was a murderer. Her eyes were filled with poison, and she shouted at the top of her lungs: "Comrade police, please arrest her quickly, arrest her! I don't have this daughter. Arrest her quickly and let her be shot! Otherwise, she will hurt me next. She wants to hurt me..."
Seeing that the six policemen did not move, Shi's mother wiped her face, staggered to her feet, and ran to the yard, beating Shi Hong hard again and again: "You ungrateful wolf, you just can't bear to see me live a good life, right? I let you be driven back by your in-laws, I let you kill people, I let you seduce Old Shi..."
Pop.
Mother Shi covered her left cheek and stared at Shi Hong, as if she wanted to peel off her skin and bones with her eyes: "You dare to hit me! You unfilial thing, how dare you hit me! I should have drowned you when I gave birth to you, you jinx, you bitch who has been ridden by thousands of people and slept with by tens of thousands of people, you shameless slut, you deserve to die, why don't you just die..."
Shi Hong's eyes were red, and her right hand was still trembling slightly. She shouted, "I didn't seduce that old man. He deserves to die. He is not a human being. He took advantage of me while I was sleeping..."
Shi Mu slapped Shi Hong twice, causing blood to flow from the corner of her mouth. The blood was bright red, but Shi Hong seemed to be unaware of it. She only heard Shi Mu say viciously: "What's wrong with you just holding it in for a while!"
"How old was I then? I..."
The Stone Mother roared, "I don't care how old you are! You're so strong, you look like you're sixteen or seventeen at ten. You won't die if you endure it! I was kicked out with you, and what kind of life I went through. Have you forgotten? Finally someone wants me, can't you just be patient? It will pass if you endure it. Why are you so ignorant? You ungrateful wolf, this is how you repay me!"
Jiang Nan: "Scumbag!"
Zhou Zhixing shouted: "Shut up!"
He glared at Shi Mu and Shi Hong. "If you make any more noise, we won't be polite. We'll handcuff you and take you away. If you come back, you won't be able to explain yourself. You've lived in the village, so you should know that even a drop of spit can drown someone!"
The Stone Mother shrank back, her momentum instantly collapsed, and after a long while she reluctantly hummed.
Shi Hong looked at Zhou Zhixing expressionlessly, lowered her head and said nothing.
The eldest sister-in-law of the Shi family said hesitantly: "Comrade police, I...should I go too? I don't know anything, I..."
Zhou Zhixing said with a straight face: "Go, where's your husband? He has to come back to assist with the investigation as well."
The eldest sister-in-law of the Shi family cried and pleaded: "Comrade police, my husband and I are both wronged. My husband has nothing to do with this mother and daughter. My husband was born to the woman my father used to have. He has nothing to do with this matter. Shi Hong, Shi Hong was born to this woman and her previous husband. She is not a member of our Shi family. Really, please raise your hands..."
Zhou Zhixing was too lazy to talk nonsense with her and turned to look at Captain Guo at the door.
Captain Guo was stunned by the words of the Shi family mother and daughter, unable to recover for a long time. The six militiamen behind him, blocking the door, were also dumbfounded. This was a huge scandal in their village.
Seeing no response, Zhou Zhixing walked over to Captain Guo and shook his shoulder. Seeing his eyes react, he said, "Captain Guo, please have the militia split into two groups. One group will go to the police station to report the case. Wen Qiang, you lead the way. Be sure to ask forensic doctor Xie to come as well. The other group will go and ask Shi Lan, the eldest son of the Shi family. We need his assistance in the investigation."
Captain Guo came to his senses, but he was still dazed. He breathed in and out several times before finally calming down. With a sullen face, he turned around and ordered, "Da Lu, take two people with you and go to the police station to report the incident. Er Qiangzi, take some people to the fields to call Da Lanzi. His father is dead. Tell him to come back quickly."
Everyone who should have left had left, and the Shi family courtyard fell silent again. No one had expected that a normal inquiry would lead to such a huge scandal.
They were shocked and couldn't believe it, but they still had to ask the questions they had to ask. They were here to investigate Dong Jiaojiao's murder, and they hadn't done any real work yet.
Zhou Zhixing instructed, "Zou Li, go ask Shi Qing, focusing on his relationship with Dong Jiaojiao. Zili and Gengsheng, ask Shi's mother and Shi's eldest sister-in-law respectively. Jiang Nan, ask Shi Hong. I'll search the scene."
The four of them nodded, pulled the person to a corner, tried to keep their voices low so as not to disturb each other, and began their routine investigation and questioning.
Jiang Nan looked at Shi Hong and spoke slowly: "Hello, although it is painful to recall the past, if you want justice, please tell us in detail about Shi's father harassing you. We will investigate in detail..."
Shi Hong raised her eyelids and smiled sarcastically: "Fairness? If I were waiting for you to give me justice, I would have died eight hundred times already."
Seeing Zhou Zhixing searching the yard and Captain Guo leading the militia to guard the Shi family, Shi Hong smiled bitterly. The person who deserved death the most was already dead. What difference did it make whether he was alive or not? She spread her hands and said, "Don't bother. I killed him."
No one would have thought that even before the normal questioning, the murderer turned himself in!
In the interrogation room, Shi Hong's face was calm. When he was asked why he killed Meng Zhenfang and Dong Jiaojiao, a hint of madness appeared in his eyes and resentment began to emanate from his whole body.
"They deserve to die!"
She looked at Jiang Nan, her lips twitching in a forced smile as she said, "Meng Zhenfang actually helped that old bastard go to the hospital. She's just too bored to help someone like that! It was obvious that if she hadn't helped, that old bastard would have died, and I wouldn't have... She asked for it!"
A sinister look appeared in her eyes. "I went to the commune purchasing station to sell rattan baskets and heard someone say that she was unfaithful to her husband, that she was having an affair with her male superior, and that she was having affairs with other people! Isn't she hypocritical? She's a wild woman who hooks up with men everywhere, and she's even helping that old bastard. Maybe she's having an affair with him, and that's why she's helping him like this. She should just die!"
Jiang Nan: "How did you kill her?"
Shi Hong chuckled twice. "I know her. She's just a hypocrite. She loved to show off when she was little, standing up for the little girl and letting everyone hang around her. I went to her and complained to her that my husband had divorced me and sent me home. She pretended to be kind and comforted me, and even invited me to dinner at a state-owned restaurant. Haha, after dinner, I hid near her house. It was night, and it was already dark. Guess what I saw?"
Without waiting for Jiang Nan to answer, she laughed nervously. After a long while, she continued, "She actually ran out with a bag on her back. God must have been helping me. I followed her, knocked her unconscious while she wasn't paying attention, and threw her into the reservoir to drown."
Jiang Nan: "Where did you get the drugs?"
Shi Hong raised her eyelids and looked at Jiang Nan: "The purchasing station buys herbs, but they can't sell them at a high price. In order to make money, I went to the Chinese medicine shop to ask."
Jiang Nan immediately concluded that Shi Hong was lying. She must have bought the drugs, but she didn't know where. But there was no rush. She had the system anyway, so she could review it privately and seize the opportunity to bust the drug den.
Jiang Nan didn't dwell on the drug issue and continued to ask, "Why did you pretend to be violated?"
Shi Hong's face showed disgust. "Doesn't she like to flirt with men? Doesn't she want to help that old bastard? Well, I'll help her! If I die like this, won't it just satisfy her?! I'll even give her a good deal."
He sneered twice as he spoke, as if he was possessed by a ghost.
Jiang Nan's sympathy vanished completely. Shi Hong had gone completely mad. Staring into the abyss for so long had become an abyss. Resisting the urge to flip the table and curse, Jiang Nan continued to ask, "Where's Dong Jiaojiao? Why did you kill her?"
Shi Hong once again looked at Jiang Nan, the idiot: "Shouldn't she die? She deserves to die even more than Meng Zhenfang!"
She snorted and said disdainfully, "She's already married, yet she's still trying to seduce men! If she hadn't been constantly asking Shi Qing for this and that, and that old man hadn't been so upset and always bullied me, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy a few days of peace before I died! Haha, I killed someone, so I didn't want to live anymore. Dong Jiaojiao is the one who asked for death, so I'll grant her wish."
Jiang Nan hadn't expected Shi Hong to be so violent. She frowned and asked, "Tell me how you killed Dong Jiaojiao."
Shi Hong chuckled, "What's there to say? She's shameless herself, coming to Shi Qing in the middle of the night. Shi Qing, that coward, slept with her and still asked me to take Dong Jiaojiao home. How could he have such a beautiful dream? Dong Jiaojiao is also shameless, and she even called me a tomboy, an ugly woman that no one wants. Don't I deserve to kill her? I have drugs in my hand, haha."
Jiang Nan took a deep breath. Shi Hong was full of contradictions.
She is a female who is competitive and cannot stand other women being better than her. She also hates men and loves men at the same time. I really don't know how to evaluate her.
"Tell me about the divorce. According to the villagers, after your husband divorced you, he and his mistress went to live in another place. It's been nearly a month now. Where have they been?"
Shi Hong sneered and glanced at Jiang Nan: "Why are you pretending? You all guessed it! They're dead! Dead! Haha, he wants to divorce me and be with that wild woman, so I'll help him and let him be with that wild woman forever. Hehe."
Jiang Nan had a blank expression on his face: "Where are the bodies? Where did you bury them?"
Shi Hong's eyes were crazy: "Go find it yourselves."
Jiang Nan slammed the table and said, "Be honest! Confess and you'll be treated leniently. Resist and you'll be treated harshly. Tell the truth!"
Shi Hong giggled, and her eyes were filled with hatred when she looked at Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan was so angry that he stood up, opened the door, and explained the situation to Lan Qingshan.
Zhou Zhixing glanced at Shi Hong, then stood up and left. He walked over and whispered to Lan Qingshan, "Chief Lan, Shi Hong isn't thinking straight. She refuses to reveal the location of the two bodies. I suggest we get Shi Mu to give her a little provocation. She has a deep resentment towards Shi Mu, and who knows what she might say if provoked."
Lan Qingshan nodded, patted Zhou Zhixing on the shoulder, and said jokingly, "As expected of an engaged young couple, you think alike. Okay, I'll make the arrangements. You guys go to the interrogation room and wait. I'll bring someone over right away."
Zhou Zhixing raised his eyebrows and Jiang Nan snorted. Although she was angry, she still had her brains, okay?
Shi Mu was interrogated by Shao Yong from Group 5 and Wang Zili together. Lan Qingshan pushed open the door, and Wang Zili was very considerate and automatically gave up his seat.
Lan Qingshan sat down and looked at Shi Mu expressionlessly: "I think you also know that your daughter has killed more than one person. We need you to help us do something. If you can do it, we can consider giving you a lighter sentence. But if you don't cooperate, we have to..."
Shi Mu had been trembling since she was brought in. A typical villager, she had little experience and assumed being taken to the police station meant being locked up in a hut. She was frightened, her face pale and her heart trembling. Hearing that she could be given a lighter sentence, she nodded repeatedly. Lan Qingshan gave Shi Mu a few more instructions before taking her to Shi Hong's interrogation room.
In the interrogation room, Shi Hong had calmed down, his whole body was gloomy, and he sat there without saying a word.
When Lan Qingshan pushed the door open and brought Shi Mu in, Shi Hong raised her eyelids and immediately shot a vicious look at him.
Shi's mother was used to being arrogant in front of Shi Hong, so she was not afraid even if Shi Hong killed someone.
Although she had a mission, seeing Shi Hong's eyes, Shi's mother still rushed forward like crazy and slapped Shi Hong's face wildly: "How dare you, you bastard, how dare you kill people! You want to kill me and your brother! I gave birth to your brother with great difficulty, and you treat his father like this?! I really want to kill you, bitch!"
Shi Hong spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm and said sinisterly, "That old bastard asked for it!"
Mother Shi slapped her twice more: "I'll beat you to death, you clueless idiot! What's wrong with a man sleeping with you? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? With the way you look, if I hadn't married Lao Shi, would you have a man want you? Look, you were divorced and went home, you bitch who can't do anything. You dare to kill people, why don't you dare to commit suicide? Aren't you blaming Lao Shi for sleeping with you? Then why don't you commit suicide?"
Shi Hong sneered: "Why should I commit suicide? It's not me who should die!"
She roared, "What do you mean by being divorced by men? I'll kill them all!"
Shi's mother shuddered. Shi Hong had really killed so many people, not only Shi's father, but others as well! Her voice was filled with fear as she said, "How could you be so cruel? You..."
"I'm cruel?" Shi Hong's eyes were bloodshot as she stared at Shi Mu. "That old bastard bullied me, and you helped him cover up for me, saying I'm cruel? How could I have a mother like you? You're the most vicious! You deserve to go to the eighteen levels of hell. You're the one who deserves to die the most."
She stared at the Stone Mother with resentment: "I was still soft-hearted. I should have killed you first. I should have killed you!"
That look was like a demon crawling out of hell, suddenly finding its target.
The resentment seemed to solidify into ice, freezing the air in the interrogation room and causing the temperature in the room to drop.
Wang Zili couldn't help rubbing his arms, while Shi Mu was trembling all over, her teeth chattering. She said, "No... Impossible. You, you were very nice to that loser, weren't you?"
Shi Hong's voice drifted: "Yes, I've been so good to him, and he still wants to find a wild woman. He deserves death."
Shi Mu was scared. Thinking of the police's instructions before coming, she swallowed her saliva, looked timidly at the police on the stool, and said tremblingly: "You... It's impossible. Guangshun eloped with Widow Liu. You don't have the courage to kill someone, you..."
Shi Hong laughed. She asked, "Why did these policemen bring this woman here? Are they trying to trick her?" Shi Hong glanced at everyone and said disdainfully, "Kill them, kill them. If you don't believe it, then don't believe it. Haha, you'll never find their bodies. You won't find them."
Lan Qingshan's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Shi Hong calmly, then strode out of the interrogation room, thinking about how to arrange the search for the body. While there were fewer police dogs these days, they were still available. He could request a police dog's assistance from headquarters, and he believed they would be found quickly.
At 7:30, the interrogation was over. Zhou Zhixing walked out of the interrogation room, looked at Jiang Nan, who had gained three pounds, and said with a smile, "Okay, time to go home. Lan said he wanted to praise our team for catching the murderer so quickly."
Lan Qingshan, who followed closely, laughed: "You are so flattering, Zhou Zhixing."
Zhou Zhixing shrugged: "Lan, do you think our group six should be praised?"
"It's time, is it?" Lan Qingshan looked at Jiang Nan and said earnestly, "Xiao Nan, you have to remember, you are a police officer. No matter how infuriating the criminal you encounter, you must not let your emotions get in the way. You must be careful. Some cunning criminals will deliberately provoke the police during interrogation, making us make mistakes under impulse and put us in a passive position. That way they can escape punishment, understand?"
Seeing that Jiang Nan was listening attentively, Lan Qingshan patted her shoulder and said comfortingly, "Okay, you are still young and have a long way to go. Just be more careful in the future."
He clapped his hands, attracting the attention of everyone in Groups 5 and 6. It was already half past seven, and the other field teams had already left work, leaving only a few people from Groups 5 and 6 in the room. Lan Qingshan said loudly, "Everyone deserves credit for catching the murderer so quickly this time! Especially Group 6, who made a prompt decision to go to the Shi family on the east bank of the river to check for clues and found the murderer in such a short time. I would like to commend them! Everyone, keep up the hard work! Well, it's getting late, let's go back and rest early. Tomorrow we will interrogate some details and sort out the case files, and then find the body, and this case will be closed soon."
Everyone applauded. After working for so long, they were finally almost done, and everyone smiled.
On the way back, Zhou Zhixing saw that Jiang Nan was still in a bad mood, so he smiled and said, "The cherries on the west bank of the river are almost ripe. How about we go back and try some cherries this weekend?"
Jiang Nan nodded heavily: "Okay, let's go and relax. I didn't talk to Xiaotong and the others at noon, so it's a good time to go over and talk to them on the weekend."
Zhou Zhixing twisted his lips and said, "Aunt Chen said you can make cherry jam. Please harvest more cherries this time. I want two cans, no, three cans will do."
Jiang Nan chuckled: "You are taking advantage of the situation."
The two chatted about their weekend cherry picking trip. When they reached Courtyard No. 1, they were surrounded again. Old Lady Liu, always the first to speak, shrilled, "Xiao Nan, someone said they saw you guys bring a woman home. Does that mean the murder case is solved? Why did you arrest a woman? The murderer is a woman?!"
Old Lady Liu became more and more excited as she spoke, and finally clapped her hands: "Is that so, Xiaonan? Come on, tell me! I'm so anxious!"
"Yes, Xiaonan, has the murderer been caught? We haven't dared to go out these past few days, for fear that something might happen."
"Mrs. Wei, the murderer only kills young women. What are you, an old woman, afraid of?"
"Bullshit! I'm still young, what do you mean by old woman? Old Sun, you old man, how dare you talk here? Your eldest grandson is so scared that he doesn't even dare to go to work, and you still dare to say that to me. It's really funny. They killed a woman, and a grown man was scared like that. It's shameful!"
"you!"
"What are you talking about? Your grandson took three days off, and you thought we didn't know?"
Jiang Nan rubbed her forehead. The case hadn't been concluded yet, so it wasn't the right time to announce it to the public. She raised her hand to suppress it and said loudly, "Grandpa and Mama, please be quiet. The case has been solved. We'll reveal the details once the case is fully investigated. Don't worry. But be careful when you go out in the future. Don't let yourself get away with being afraid of anything just because you've caught a murderer."
"That can't be possible. Don't worry, Xiaonan. We all cherish our lives."
"That's right, who would risk their life to go to such a corner..."
"That's right. A few days ago, Dong Jiaojiao was buried, and the Dong family cried miserably."
"How could I not cry when my own daughter died? It's not easy for Dong's mother either, she has to die young. Fortunately, she still has two sons and a big daughter, otherwise what would she do?"
"That's right, hey, you guys shouldn't say it, Dong Jiaojiao's sister is really pretty..."
The last voice was not loud, but it aroused everyone's enthusiasm. Everyone was talking about Dong Tingting, the new beauty in Courtyard No. 1.
"I heard that she and her husband divorced and are moving to our office..."
Seeing that everyone started talking about other things, Jiang Mancheng spoke at the right time: "Okay, everyone, please make way. My Xiaonan needs to go back to eat. After you finish eating, my Xiaonan just got off work! And the Zhou family kid, they are both hungry. Everyone, please feel sorry for the children and let them go back to eat."
"Tsk, Mancheng, what you said is wrong. It's as if we deliberately didn't let Xiaonan go home for dinner. Okay, everyone, please make way. If we continue to gather around, Mancheng will cry."
The crowd burst into laughter, and everyone made way for them. They watched the Jiang family and Zhou Zhixing gradually walk away, and then they gathered around them and talked about the hottest murder case and the beautiful woman.
Because Jiang Mancheng had specifically gone to the Zhou family and told them he'd saved dinner for Zhou Zhixing, Zhou Zhixing skipped his uncle's house and went straight to the Jiangs for dinner. To celebrate his daughter's first involvement in a murder investigation, and her personal capture of the murderer, Jiang Mancheng exchanged meat coupons for a meal and prepared three dishes and a soup. Chen Jinhua even went to the department store and bought a tin box of cookies. These were high-end items, costing two yuan a box, something they wouldn't normally buy, even at the Jiangs'.
Cookies are a rarity these days, and they're made with real ingredients. Jiang Nan jumped up excitedly when he saw them, hopping to wash his hands. After coming out, he didn't rush to eat. He picked up the box and sat on the sofa, munching on the cookies. Chen Jinhua asked about the murder case, and Jiang Nan recounted the details while eating.
Chen Jinhua's brow furrowed as she listened. Although she wasn't good-looking, she had been extremely pampered since childhood. Her parents and two brothers had never disdained her. She couldn't imagine what it felt like to be disdained by everyone and insulted by her stepfather. But no matter how pitiful Shi Hong was, after hearing the end, Chen Jinhua couldn't feel any sympathy. No matter what, she shouldn't have killed anyone. She was pitiful, but weren't the victims pitiable too?
Jiang Mancheng knew Chen Jinhua was getting stuck in a rut. He tapped the edge of the table and interrupted, "Alright, Jinhua, the case's solved, so stop dwelling on it. Let's go back to the West River next weekend. The cherries are ripe now, so let's go pick some."
"Dad, you and Zhou Zhixing are thinking the same thing."
"He was just a blind cat that caught a dead mouse. Dad had thought of it a long time ago."
Seeing Zhou Zhixing shrug helplessly, Jiang Nan chuckled and picked up another cookie to put in his mouth. Chen Jinhua snatched the cookie box away and scolded him lightly, "Okay, you've eaten so many cookies, are you going to eat or not?"
Jiang Nan chuckled twice, rubbed his hands, stood up and sat at the dining table. Zhou Zhixing followed closely behind, sat next to Jiang Nan, and started eating as well.
Jiang Nan drank two mouthfuls of porridge and said, "Dad, can you help me think of a way to deal with the drug den? How can we catch them in the act?"
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