How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 141: Dedication_1

Ma Ling reined in her smile, "That makes sense, but if you could think of that, so could the police. They’ve investigated it. Her partner has an alibi, and he cried sorrowfully when he learned his wife had encountered a misfortune."

"A determined murderer can forge an alibi. Maybe the crying was out of fear? After all, our people did pay him a visit."

"I don’t know about other villages, but the people in our village are very superstitious. They believe that a person who dies tragically harbors a great grudge, so on the seventh day after their death, one must go to the place of the incident and burn more paper money to dissolve it."

"Did you tell the husband the exact location of the deceased? If not, arrange for someone to watch near the cornfield to see if the other party appears there on the seventh day."

"Additionally, we should discreetly find out if there were any conflicts between the husband and wife, or if the man had any affairs," Li Qiao analyzed and suggested.

Director Xun nodded in agreement, "Do you two have anything to add?"

Ma Ling: "I still think the lover is more likely."

Xu Feng agreed, "I concur."

"...."

Everyone had their own opinion, and after discussing for most of the day, they reached no conclusion.

Li Qiao decided to return to the scene for further investigation. Director Xun was tied up with something unexpected, so Li Qiao took Ma Ling with her to the scene.

The two re-examined the scene from the beginning.

Li Qiao found an extra set of footprints on the ground.

"The ground already had this many footprints when we came last time, how can you be sure there’s an extra set?"

Li Qiao: "The mud here is fresher than the surrounding area." She took out a paintbrush and paper to record the scene and highlighted the additional footprints with a red pen. She also meticulously sketched the tread pattern of the shoeprints.

Ma Ling exclaimed in admiration, "You have a talent for drawing, just like Director Xun."

Li Qiao smiled modestly, "You flatter me." Director Xun might be naturally talented; she obtained her skill through earnest practice.

The two returned to the office.

Director Xun, holding the sketchbook and comparing it with the photos taken earlier, confirmed there was indeed an extra set of footprints. He lavishly praised her, "With you on board, our case-solving efficiency is sure to greatly increase."

Li Qiao responded modestly, "You give me too much credit."

At that moment, Xu Feng also returned.

He told everyone that the woman was well-regarded in the village, but the men confided to him that the woman had a bad temper, often hit and scolded the children, and frequently went out in the evenings. Since it was a disgrace to wash one’s dirty laundry in public, he had never mentioned it to outsiders.

He tried to maintain a facade of harmony.

Li Qiao felt something was off when she heard this.

Wouldn’t the man say something, or the in-laws?

What about the children?

She raised her doubts. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Xu Feng: "Her mother-in-law is mute, and her father-in-law is deaf. What would the young child know?"

Li Qiao was momentarily at a loss for words.

Director Xun was tasked with presenting the new evidence, while the rest of the work was left to the police force.

Once again, Li Qiao found herself with free time.

Director Xun gave her a day off, and she was very happy. A paid leave was her favorite thing. She planned to climb Pig Waist Ridge with Qin Jin to enjoy the scenery and lookout for signs that the pine cones on the treetops were ripe.

She packed her things and went home.

Her older sister, Li Jiaojiao, was in the yard with her little nephew.

Old Mrs. Qin was playing with the child.

"Qiaoqiao is off work. I heard from Old Mrs. Qin that you’re working in the city now, as what’s called a ’forensic scientist’ right? How’s the job? Is it tiring?"

Li Qiao smiled, "The fancy term is ’forensic scientist’, but the less pleasant term is ’corpse examiner’."

Li Jiaojiao paled, "Ah? Corpse examiner? Isn’t that scary? Why would you, a top scholar, do such a thing?"

Li Qiao: "I don’t do the examinations, nor do I have that skill. But our department specializes in that. Have you heard about the homicide case in Yaojia Village? The victim was a woman from Jiangpu Village named Cao Daping, not far from your village."

"I heard about it just yesterday. I actually knew her; we grubbed in the ditches together a few years back. She was a nice person, very kind and helpful. I even bumped into her at the market recently and had a few words with her. I can hardly believe this happened."

A thought crossed Li Qiao’s mind, "Did she ever mention her partner to you?"

"She did pour out her grievances to me, saying her man doesn’t have an opinion of his own, just listens to his younger sister. At the end of the year, he gave his sister five yuan to buy clothes, while she and the kids didn’t get a single new outfit."

Li Qiao felt that it was just idle gossip, nothing useful. Unable to get any useful leads, she decided to take a trip to Jiangpu Village to inquire about the matter with Liu Er’s mother.

The middle-aged women in the village held a wealth of information about local affairs, much like in her own village, where once the aunts started chatting, within two hours, you could find out who had mice in their home the previous night.

When Li Jiaojiao saw her about to leave, she grabbed her, "Qiaoqiao, Li Jinhua is coming back for her post-wedding visit tomorrow. Why don’t you and Jin come home with her for a while? You weren’t there when Li Jinhua got married; people said some really nasty stuff, thinking you’re looking down on your stepmother and sister because you went to college."

Li Qiao had a clear conscience.

Old Mrs. Qin was more concerned about appearances, and she persuaded Li Qiao to take a leave and go home for a meal to shut people’s mouths. Li Qiao did not agree immediately, but instead asked Li Jiaojiao, "Is our eldest sister going back?"

"Of course, the eldest sister will go back. She holds a grudge because dad slapped her once, and she still remembers it now. She didn’t go to Li Jinhua’s wedding either. Her husband just rushed there to give a present, said there was some urgent matter at home, and left. It even made dad cry, he felt so hurt," Li Jiaojiao said, her own heart sour with emotion.

Only then did Li Qiao say, "Then I’ll go back too."

At the same time, she put a mental warning sign on her second sister.

Her second sister probably had a soft spot, easily swayed by Li Shengcai’s sweet talk. Fortunately, she hadn’t mentioned buying a house to her second sister.

Otherwise, Li Shengcai would definitely pester her about it.

....

Li Qiao had originally planned to go to Jiangpu Village with Qin Jin, but Old Mrs. Qin said he had wandered off somewhere and wasn’t sure when he’d be home.

She had no choice but to go alone, carrying two pounds of sugar, and walk to Jiangpu Village to find Liu Er.

Upon her arrival, she was warmly welcomed by Liu Er’s parents.

They poured tea for her, climbed a tree to pick plums, and washed them for her to eat. They called her ’daughter’ so much that anyone who didn’t know better would think she was their own child.

Li Qiao found it amusing and touching.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she broached the subject of Cao Daping.

The couple whispered to her.

Cao Daping was a good person, but the men in her family seemed not so respectable.

"Seem? What do you mean by that?" Li Qiao felt this was the key point that her colleagues were unable to uncover.

After all, ’seems’ could be baseless; how could the villagers dare to mention something without evidence when questioned by the police?

"What are you asking this for?"

Li Qiao explained her current job.

The old couple were generous with their praise:

"You’re such a capable girl, pretty too, top scholar at such a young age, and working for the government. How wonderful it would be if you were my daughter."

Li Qiao blushed, they didn’t need to like her that much, did they?

Mrs. Liu got back to the point, "I heard he’s having an affair with his sister."

"Ah? With his sister?"

"They’re not blood-related; his parents picked her up." Mrs. Liu added quickly.

Li Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Liu went on in a hushed tone, "I heard it from someone else, though; this is not necessarily true. If anything goes wrong, don’t come looking for me."

"Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble," Li Qiao said with a smile, but inside she thought about what her second sister had said. It wasn’t odd for a brother to give his sister money to buy clothes.

But after hearing Mrs. Liu’s words, she suddenly felt that the whole thing seemed inappropriate.

And what her second sister had mentioned, about him always listening to his younger sister.

Usually, you listen to your parents, right?

Li Qiao felt she had gained something valuable. After a short while, she stood up to say goodbye; Liu Er’s family accompanied her to the village entrance before returning home.

Li Qiao walked to the road junction, flagged down a car to return to the city, and reported what she had learned to Director Xun.

"You’re very dedicated, working even during your time off," he said.

Li Qiao lifted her chin with pride, "Of course! I’m not one to draw a salary for doing nothing."

....