The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 82 - 81: The Case is Solved

After half a month of staking the place out, they finally caught the sister one evening as she came to secretly visit Mr. and Mrs. Liu.

The police were a bit stunned the moment they caught her. The two sisters looked remarkably alike, though Liu Wenjuan’s sister appeared much older.

The woman didn’t seem surprised to be caught, nor did she panic. As soon as she entered the police station, she gave a detailed confession.

"The human heart is unfathomable. Liu Wenjuan and I were blood sisters, just six years apart. The year I turned six, I went with her to buy something to eat. She sold me."

"I don’t know where she found the human traffickers, but even now, I can still clearly remember the sight of her haggling with them over the price."

"She was only eleven years old then. Before she left, she glanced back at me one last time. I’ve remembered that look my whole life."

"After that, I was sold deep into the mountains to be a child bride for a fool. I lived my life in chains. The year I turned eighteen, the family’s grandfather, a man in his sixties, forced himself on me."

"At eighteen, I was officially married to my fool of a husband. Two years later, after my mother-in-law passed away, my father-in-law started forcing himself on me too."

"I was a single woman forced to serve three generations of men in that family. Then, a few years ago, the grandfather died, and I found out I was pregnant."

"I didn’t even know who the father was. After my son was born, my father-in-law went hunting in the mountains and was eaten by wolves. That left just me, my fool of a husband, and our son."

"The harvests were bad a couple of years back, and our family ran out of food. In exchange for a mouthful to eat, my fool husband would loan me out to other men to warm their beds. I’ve lost count of how many men I’ve had to serve."

"Last year, my son fell ill. He had a constant fever and kept vomiting. I took him everywhere trying to find a doctor, and this May, our journey brought us to the hospital here. That’s where I ran into Liu Wenjuan and her husband. As it turned out, Liu Wenjuan was pregnant and due to give birth any day."

"I recognized her in an instant. I could tell they were doing quite well for themselves. I just wanted to ask her for some money to treat my son, so I decided to let the past go." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Aside from a moment of terror when she recognized me, Liu Wenjuan just stared at me for a bit before composing herself. I knew she was thinking that in my current state, I was completely powerless against her. She gave me ten yuan, like she was tossing a coin to a beggar."

"But ten yuan ran out fast. The doctor said my son had something called meningitis and that it was already too late."

"The very same night my son died, her son was born."

"So, I was resentful. I hated her."

"Why?"

"It felt like her son’s life came at the cost of my son’s."

"She gloated, showing off her child to me without any regard for whether my own son lived or died."

"After my son died, I took his body back home and buried him."

"Oh, right. I also killed that fool. *Heh.* I buried him right next to my son. My boy would be too lonely down there by himself."

"I used the last of my money to buy rat poison."

"I burned our old house to the ground and then came here."

"Liu Wenjuan had bragged about her house before, so she looked delighted when I showed up on her doorstep."

"*Hah.* She told me she was just young and foolish back then. That she’d felt guilty for all these years and wanted to make it up to me."

"Make what up? My miserable life? Or my son’s life?"

"I had nothing left to lose anyway. So I just fed them the rat poison. And when they were paralyzed, I hacked them to death."

The woman spoke with a faraway look in her eyes, letting out a soft, chilling chuckle every now and then. It was a terrifying sight.

"You can’t imagine the feeling. I think it was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done. She had to pay for what she did to me."

Xue Xingzhou looked at her with a complicated expression. "Since you remembered your home address, why didn’t you come back after you were free? Your parents are still here, aren’t they?"

The woman laughed. It was a loud laugh, but a hint of bitterness still laced the sound.

"Because I hate them, too. I hate them for not noticing Liu Wenjuan’s malice toward me. I hate them for never finding me, for letting me be tormented my entire life."

As she spoke, the woman began to cry again.

"I just feel sorry for my son. He was so young and never knew a single good day. But that’s all right. I’ll be going to join him soon."

Xue Xingzhou looked at her. "Then why did you still go to see your parents?" ’If she hadn’t, the police wouldn’t have caught her.’

The woman was silent for a long time before she said slowly, "I just wanted one last look before I die."

The case was closed, but no one was happy about it.

Who could say Liu Wenjuan didn’t get what she deserved? It was just a shame about the child.

The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Liu came to the prison to see their younger daughter.

There was nothing but tears and pained embraces; no words were exchanged.

Mr. and Mrs. Liu might have long suspected what Liu Wenjuan had done, but with her being their only remaining child, they never pursued the matter.

Some wounds can never be healed.

Sometimes, the ones who hurt you the most are those closest to you.

Xue Xingzhou’s heart was heavy as well.

Zhang Hongjie clapped Xue Xingzhou on the shoulder. "The case is closed. We can finally breathe easy. Turn in the final report in a bit. Don’t eat here at the station for lunch; come to my place. We’re taking the afternoon off. Everyone’s been working too hard lately and needs a real break."

Xue Xingzhou replied, "Sir, I should just eat at the station. I don’t want to trouble your wife."

Zhang Hongjie laughed. "It’s no trouble. My wife has been wanting to meet you for ages. Today’s the perfect chance. We can even have a drink together, you and I."

Xue Xingzhou could only nod. "All right, then."

At noon, Xue Xingzhou followed Zhang Hongjie home.

On the way, Xue Xingzhou passed by the supply co-op and popped in to buy some pastries.

Zhang Hongjie’s house, a detached home with its own courtyard, wasn’t far from the police station.

"Honey, look who I brought home!" Zhang Hongjie called out toward the house as soon as he stepped into the courtyard.

Just then, a young woman ran out of the house, calling out, "Old man, who is it?"

The woman had short hair and was dressed in a cropped jacket and black trousers. She was tall, probably over five-foot-seven. She had beautiful, narrow eyes with jet-black pupils. The corners tilted up ever so slightly, giving her a look that was both alluring and a little aggressive.

As Xue Xingzhou looked at her, the woman sized him up in return.

Zhang Hongjie said with a smile, "Xiao Xue, this is my daughter, Zhang Qian. She works for the newspaper."

Zhang Qian stared intently at Xue Xingzhou, and under her piercing gaze, his ears turned red.

Zhang Qian seemed to notice and averted her gaze.

Zhang Qian went over and affectionately linked her arm with Zhang Hongjie’s. "Pops, how come you’re back so early? Did you crack the case?"

Zhang Hongjie let out a hearty laugh. "You got it. Case closed."

Zhang Hongjie’s wife, Huang Ying, came out of the house.

"Oh? So that familicide case is closed?"

Zhang Hongjie nodded, then said to Huang Ying, "Honey, this is the young man I’m always telling you about, Xiao Xue—Xue Xingzhou. We cracked the case, and he deserves a lot of the credit. Weren’t you the one who kept telling me to bring him home so you could meet him? Well, now that the case is solved, here he is."

Xue Xingzhou gave a slight nod. "Hello, Mrs. Zhang."