Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The More You Live, the More Confused You Become (Third Update)
Translator: 549690339
Mrs. Xiao Wu almost fainted from crying at the entrance of the Government Office, but it was Zhang Yongchang who eventually took her away.
She cried for two straight days. Seeing her two children who were not yet adults, Mrs. Xiao Wu could only swallow her tears and find a way to carry on with her life.
She could no longer linger in town and she finally agreed to Zhang Yongchang’s proposal and decided to temporarily move to Zhang Yongchang’s old house in Zeng County with all her belongings from home.
Changji Tofu shop had disappeared from the town.
Because Zhuang Qingning’s family was the only one selling tofu in town and the tofu was both tasty and reasonably priced. Only a limited quantity of tofu was available each day and hence the customers would come early to buy.
This further sped up the tofu selling process for Zhuang Qingning, which reduced the time to set up the stall each day.
With limited time for selling and an early closing, those who came late had no choice but to come earlier the next time.
Slowly, Zhuang Qingning’s business developed a positive cycle, her tofu store was thriving, and it was so prosperous that it caused a lot of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Fushun Tower businesses have been doing very well these past few days as well.
Partly because of the braised tofu dish and also due to the new dish, braised big bones.
A large portion of braised big bones came with meat and soup. They could also be coupled with a side dish. They were generous in quantity and favourably priced. The taste was excellent, and it was satisfying to eat, naturally garnering much popularity.
Braised big bones quickly became the best-selling signature dish at Fushun Tower.
Feng Yongkang looked very pleased with this situation.
“Manager,” Lian Rong found Feng Yongkang and laughed, saying: “My Master has been busy these past few days and hasn’t been able to meet you. He asked me to check if Miss Zhuang’s reward has been arranged and when we could invite her to dine with us.”
“That…”
Feng Yongkang’s smile faded a little. He pondered and said: “I’m still figuring out how to handle this.”
“In any case, assure your Master that I’ll handle it properly, he has nothing to worry about.”
“Alright then.” Lian Rong acknowledged happily, “Then I will leave you to your business, Manager. 1’11 head to the kitchen now.”
With that said, he left like the wind.
Once Lian Rong left, there was no hint of merriment remaining on Feng Yongkang’s face.
All these days have passed, and he thought that this matter had been forgotten. Unexpectedly, it still bothers them, and they came to ask about it.
Being biased towards outsiders was terrible.
His own brother-in-law ended up in such a condition, and yet he didn’t even go to the county town to try and sort things out. However, for the matter concerning a maid from who-knows-where, he was surprisingly concerned.
Most people say that the older they get, the wiser they become. But why does it seem like Zhang Yongchang is just becoming more muddled with age?
Feng Yongkang shook his head and walked out with his hands behind his back.
“Master Chu.”
In Qingzhuyuan, Xu Zhengping paid his respects properly.
“Mr. Xu, please rise.” Chu Jinnian raised his hand, “Please have a seat, Mr. Xu.”
“Thank you, Master Chu, for granting me this seat.” Xu Zhengping stood up and sat on a chair at the side, sitting extremely cautiously with only half of his buttocks resting on the chair.
A young servant came to serve tea. Xu Zhengping didn’t dare to even touch it and just thanked the servant.
“Mr. Xu, did you come here because you have made progress in the case of the corpse found in the lake?”
Chu Jinnian’s tone was icy cold.
For some reason, Xu Zhengping felt a hint of mockery in his tone.
Did he feel that the way he handled the case was inefficient?
This thought startled Xu Zhengping, but he didn’t dare to think about it too much and just responded promptly.
“Indeed.”
“Since I took over this case, I have followed Master Chu’s suggestions and started searching among those who have recently been reported missing. I’ve also arranged for the county officials to use pavilion chiefs and village chiefs to ask around in various places for people who newly disappeared.”
“Very soon, someone came to report that a woman named Mrs. Zheng from his village said her husband, Li Dali, had not returned home for quite some time. Her husband often traveled to buy and sell goods, so it was quite common for him to be away from home for half a month. However, this time he has been missing for more than twenty days.”
“At first, Mrs. Zheng only thought the roads were difficult to travel, or that her husband’s goods may not have sold well, causing a delay. She didn’t think much of it and merely prayed every day that her husband would return home soon. Upon hearing about a drowned body found in the lake, she became worried that it might be her husband Li Dali.”
“Upon inquiry, Mrs. Zheng stated that the body’s height and physique matched her husband’s. She also stated that because Li Dali usually sold items by the roadside, his shoulders often hurt. Therefore, she had sewn an extra piece of cloth onto Li Dali’s shoulders and even padded cotton inside.”
“The inner right side of his outer garment had a hidden pocket sewn to prevent loss of money. The inner side of the bottom hem of his clothing had a leaf embroidered on it to act as a marker in case his clothes got mixed up with others.This all matched the clothing found on the corpse and it was basically confirmed that the deceased was Mrs. Zheng’s husband, Li Dali.”
“Mrs. Zheng identified that before Li Dali left for this trip, he had a quarrel with Li Futian, another man in the village. It was about their adjacent plots of land. Li Futian claimed that Li Dali trampled over his wheat crop while working in the field, accusing Li Dali of causing deliberate harm.”
“Li Futian also pointed out that their families were quite close geographically speaking. However, despite Li Dali earning substantial profits from his business, he never considered helping a struggling neighbor.”
“The two quarrelled in the fields for quite a while and many people saw them. That same day, Li Futian threatened that Li Dali would pay for his lack of morals and kindness.”
“On the day Li Dali was presumed to have died, Li Futian came home that night looking very panicked. He ate not even a bite of his dinner and hid under his blanket, refusing to leave his room. The next day, his family found that he had hung himself.”
“At the time, Li Futian’s family didn’t know the reason. They assumed that he had encountered an evil spirit and had his life taken away by it. They invited a Taoist priest to perform rituals at their home continuously for seven days before they finally buried him.”
“When I had his home searched, we found Li Dali’s purse in a little hole in the ground under Li Futian’s bed. If we follow these clues, it seems that Li Futian got into a dispute with Li Dali and hurt him in the process out of anger. In the heat of the moment, he decided to drown Li Dali in Cuiwei Lake.”
“It seems like a reasonable explanation.”
Chu Jinnian’s tone was still cold. However, the upturned corner of his lips revealed a hint of mockery.
Xu Zhengping felt slightly anxious in his heart and continued to speak: “At first, I too thought that this was the case. But upon further reflection, I do have some doubts.”
“Oh? Why don’t you share your doubts with us then?” Chu Jinnian raised his eyebrows and asked.
“The suspect, Li Futian, couldn’t swim, and because he nearly drowned when he was young while trying to catch fish at the river, he developed a strong fear of water. Following Li Futian’s pattern of behavior, even if he wanted to dispose of a body, he would choose to bury it in the wild or dig a hole somewhere, rather than going through all the trouble to transport the body and throw it into the lake..”
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