vrcanaries Chapter 31: Solving the Case (3)
Chapter 31: Solving the Case (3)
Li Jing, "Why didn't you let me tear down the wall just now?"
"I looked at the soil used to build the wall. It's still a little damp. It hasn't rained in the past few days, so how could the wall be wet? I guess Wang Sheng must have demolished the wall overnight and then patched it up again." Gu Niannian's eyes were deep.
Li Jing looked gloomy and said, "I was careless."
……
a few days later
"Sir, we have found out that the child is indeed the father of Wang Sheng, Wang Chun."
Gu Niannian, "Why are you so sure?"
Li Jing said, "Liu is Wang Chun's old lover. They have always been in contact. Wang Chun even brought her home. The neighbors can testify to this."
"They said they were bringing her back to be Wang Sheng's wife, but in fact Liu was already pregnant with Wang Chun's child. Wang's mother had gone missing, and the two had not divorced, and Wang's mother was not dead. They had to wait two years. If Wang's mother still hadn't returned, they could report to the government and sentence her to death. Only then could Wang Chun marry another wife. As a farmer, he had no qualifications to take a concubine, so he came up with this idea."
"I just don't know why Wang Sheng was so willing to support Wang Chun's woman and child. From what I heard from him last time, I think he should hate Wang Chun to the core..." Li Jing was puzzled.
"Let's go, brothers, take hammers and hoes and go to Wang Sheng's house." Gu Niannian stood up and ordered
Li Jing asked, "Why bring these?"
Gu Niannian, "Smash the wall."
"Talk as we walk." Gu Niannian saw Li Jing's puzzled expression and said
"I'm so careless. If Wang Sheng had demolished the wall and rebuilt it, it would have made too much noise. The neighbors nearby couldn't have been unaware of it. We asked so many people, and they all said they didn't hear any noise. This means Wang Sheng didn't demolish the wall at all. He deliberately wet the wall to confuse us." Gu Niannian slapped herself with a snap.
“I was deceived by him.”
Li Jing saw that her right cheek was slightly red, and said with concern, "You can't blame it all on you. It's Wang Sheng's fault for being too cunning. The most urgent thing now is to tear down the wall and find out the truth."
……
"Mr. Wang, open the door, the county magistrate is here," the bailiff rapped on the door.
When Wang Sheng opened the door and saw the visitor holding a hammer, he was not surprised and calmly welcomed him into the room.
Wang Sheng, "It seems the adults have discovered it."
Gu Niannian, "I am bringing people to break down the wall, do you agree?"
"Don't bother me, sir. I can do it myself." Wang Sheng looked calm and didn't seem panicky at all.
After a while, Wang Sheng carefully lifted the body out of the wall and placed it on the bed. "This is my mother. Her name is Su Rong. What a beautiful name!"
Wang Sheng looked at the skeleton on the bed affectionately and said, "Mother, I'm sorry for making you suffer."
"But soon...soon we will be able to take revenge, hahaha." Wang Sheng wiped the tears from his face and laughed out loud again.
Gu Niannian, "Revenge, was she killed by someone?"
"right,
"Since you are so filial to your mother, why did you build her into the wall?" Gu Niannian asked directly with doubt in her heart.
"This way I can feel that she is still by my side, watching over me all the time, as if she were still alive." Wang Sheng took out his handkerchief and wiped away the dust on the skull bit by bit.
Gu Niannian, "Your handkerchief is quite unique. There are lotus leaves embroidered on it."
Wang Sheng, "That's right, my mother's favorite thing is this lotus leaf. She gave it to me as a handkerchief when I was eighteen years old."
Gu Niannian, "The lotus leaf skirt is cut in one color, and hibiscus flowers bloom on both sides of the face."
Wang Sheng paused while wiping his hand, "How do you know this... My mother often recited these two lines of poetry when she was alive."
Gu Niannian said, "This line of poetry is from the Lotus Picking Song written by the poet Wang Changling. I believe your mother was a woman with a bright and innocent nature who loved freedom.
"Naive, too naive indeed. She wouldn't marry a daughter of a rich family, but would come here to be a prostitute..."
"The one who is wrong is not him, but those who have evil intentions. Besides, a woman's chastity is not hidden under her skirt..." Gu Niannian interrupted him.
It was the first time Wang Sheng heard such remarks and he was a little surprised for a moment, because all he had heard before were people cursing her and saying that she was a fox spirit.
When he first heard the word fox spirit, he asked Song Rong what it meant. Song Rong said it was an animal, a very spiritual and beautiful animal.
At that time, he thought that when others said his mother was a fox spirit, they were praising her. He was very happy every time he heard others say that she was a fox spirit. Until one day, an aunt from the village came and scolded his mother, saying that she was a fox spirit and that she would not die a good death. She also poured chicken blood on the door of my house.
I ran up to her and argued, "You are so unreasonable, woman! My mother was just staying home peacefully, and you praised her for being smart and beautiful. Why did you curse her and even throw blood at my house?"
"When did I ever praise her for being smart and beautiful? You little bastard, you still don't understand what I'm saying?"
Wang Sheng, "You said my mother is a vixen, but you are praising her for being smart and beautiful."
"Later she said she was a vixen, meaning she was coquettish and seduced men, and that she had deceived me."
When Wang Sheng said this, he laughed, but his laugh was indescribably sad.
"My mother is not missing. She was beaten to death by that beast Wang Chun."
"He didn't want anyone to know, so he built his mother into the wall."
"Finally finished wiping." Wang Sheng put the handkerchief in the water and washed it carefully.
"Maybe it's my mother's spirit in heaven that the beast was drowned like this, haha."
Gu Niannian, "Since Wang Chun is dead, why don't you let your mother rest in peace..."
"Rest in peace... How can she rest in peace... My lord, after tonight, I will let my mother rest in peace tomorrow morning." Wang Sheng said halfway and suddenly changed the subject.
...
After leaving the yard, Gu Niannian instructed Li Jing, "Send someone to keep an eye on this place. I always feel something is going to happen."
Li Jing: "Yes, don't worry, sir."
Gu Niannian returned home and the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. "Where is Liu? I saw him every time I went there before, but this time I didn't see him. Liu is still pregnant with Wang Chun's child. This is bad!"
Gu Niannian galloped forward and saw flames rising into the sky when she was only a mile away from Wang Sheng's house.
"My lord, my lord, I was just about to go back and report to you—"
"Go save people first," Gu Niannian interrupted him.
After extinguishing the fire
Gu Niannian, "How many people are there in total? How many people were rescued?"
Li Jing, "There were 12 people in total, and survived."
"Why are there so many people?" Gu Niannian was a little surprised.
"Mr. Wang said he had made an appointment with these people to have a drink at his house today."
"Where is Mr. Wang? Is he still alive?"
Li Jing shook his head. "We could have rescued him, but he refused to come out with us and only gave us this letter." Li Jing handed the letter to Gu Niannian.
Gu Niannian took the envelope and asked, "Has Liu seen it?"
Li Jing shook his head
Gu Niannian, "Let's go in and look for it."
The burned yard became a dilapidated state, and it was clear whether there was anyone in the house. At a glance, Liu was not seen.
"Did Liu grow wings and fly?" Gu Niannian asked doubtfully.
"Open the envelope and take a look," Li Jing reminded
Gu Niannian opened the letter
"By the time you read this letter, I should have already gone to the Western Paradise, and I will be very happy to be buried with my mother after death.
Originally, I was planning to wait for Liu to give birth to a child, so that she could experience what my mother had experienced. I also wanted to let that beast's child live my life, but you found out and I couldn't wait any longer. It was she who caused my mother to not be buried in peace after her death. After meeting Liu, the beast wanted to marry her home, but he didn't want to let go of my mother, who was a tool for him to make money. But seeing that Liu's belly was getting bigger and bigger, she threatened the beast every day to divorce my mother and marry her. The beast thought of a way to let me replace him, so that he would have someone to make money for him and someone to give birth to a little beast for him.
When my mother learned of his plan, she refused to agree and begged the beast to divorce her. He said that I was a simple and kind child and should marry a virtuous and intelligent woman.
Hehe… She must be the only one in the world who thinks I'm worthy of a woman like that! But a beast is a beast, how could he agree? In a fit of rage, he accidentally beat Mother to death. At that time, I begged him to bury Mother, but the beast, wanting to spare me the three years of mourning, actually built Mother into the wall. But soon after, I had him drowned. Liu was also disemboweled by me. And those who defiled Mother, they all deserved to die, damned.
If only I had met you when I reported the case to the police, you would be a good official, alright, but...anyway, my wish has come true ahead of time, thank you anyway!"
"Take me to see the rescued animals." Gu Niannian's hand holding the envelope trembled slightly, and her tone of voice also trembled.
Li Jing held Gu Niannian's trembling hand and comforted her, "It's all over."
Gu Niannian, "How dare they, how dare they..."
Li Jing lowered his eyes. He knew a thing or two about this matter, but he had only seen it in the files. The files only recorded that Wang Sheng was disrespectful to his father, openly slandered him, and had one leg broken.
"Where is Liu?" Gu Niannian asked one of the men who was still conscious.
"Cell...cellar" the man said the word with difficulty.