Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 292 Is he really dead?

Ms. Niu said that Li Youqiang had broken his left calf in a bicycle accident and had undergone surgery.

This information is extremely useful for identifying the deceased, especially in cases of highly decomposed bodies, and is far more useful than tattoos or birthmarks.

Because flesh decomposes quickly, but bones can be preserved for a long time.

They asked the hospital where Li Youqiang had his surgery and planned to retrieve his medical records later. If the autopsy results from Anyuan City showed that the deceased had a fracture in his left lower leg that had been treated, then the medical records would be further evidence to confirm the deceased's identity.

Unexpectedly, Sister Niu went into the inner room and rummaged through the drawers for a while, then brought out a yellowed medical record and an X-ray.

This is definitely not something someone like Li Youqiang, who doesn't do anything productive, could have thought of. It was probably something Sister Niu kept. It really shows how pitiful parents are.

Zhou Yi then asked Sister Niu if there was anything that Li Youqiang personally possessed, as they needed to obtain his fingerprints.

Upon hearing this, Sister Niu became nervous again and asked them if her Qiangzi had done something bad.

Seeing her hesitant and worried expression, Zhou Yi could only comfort her and tell her not to worry too much. If the police found Li Youqiang, they would notify his family immediately.

Finally, Zhou Yi extracted several fingerprints from the glass of Li Youqiang's father's portrait.

Sister Niu said that Li Youqiang was closer to his father, and his father had arranged his job at the agricultural machinery factory.

However, Li Youqiang's personality changed drastically after his father died.

Before Zhou Yi and the others left, Sister Niu saw them off while constantly saying that her Qiangzi was a good boy and he wouldn't do anything bad.

Back in the car, after storing the medical records, X-rays, and fingerprints, Zhou Yi said, "Brother Yan, let's go ask Li Youqiang's wife. This mother knows too little information."

Chen Yan nodded and started the car: "Besides, I think Niu Fengxian's words are too one-sided. She speaks too highly of her own son. If he were really that good, how could he be so irresponsible, disappearing for so long without a trace?"

"It's not surprising that a mother sees her son like this. But it's been more than two months since Li Youqiang left Hongcheng. An Yuan said that the male corpse in the well has been dead for a long time?"

"The initial autopsy determined that the body was at least twenty days old. However, An Yuan said that the on-site investigation found that the well was quite deep, so the temperature inside was lower than the external environment, and the body decomposed more slowly than expected."

"The detailed autopsy report hasn't been released yet, right?"

"I didn't ask that. Should I make a call and ask?"

"No need for now, let's wait until we confirm whether the deceased is Li Youqiang."

Zhou Yi said this because if it is confirmed that the deceased in Anyuan is Li Youqiang, then it would be considered a cross-provincial joint investigation between the two places.

But at this stage, it's just an investigation.

They went to a garment factory and found Li Youqiang's wife, Zhang Xianglan.

Upon inquiry, it was discovered that this daughter-in-law, whom Sister Niu described as "snobbish and materialistic," had a completely different story.

"Officers, let me tell you, I've completely given up. If Li Youqiang ever comes back, I'll divorce him immediately!" Zhang Xianglan said angrily.

"why?"

"Has he fulfilled any of his responsibilities as a man to this family? The children are so old, how many days has he cared for them? He doesn't care about their studies, he doesn't care about their illnesses. I work three shifts a day and still have to take care of the children's food, drink, and toileting. When the children were seven years old, they got pneumonia and had a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius. What he did was go out and play cards with people all night."

Zhou Yi asked, "Does Li Youqiang like playing cards?"

Zhang Xianglan said with a look of disgust, "He likes playing cards, fishing, dancing, playing billiards, he likes everything, but he just won't go to work and earn money properly."

Chen Yan couldn't help but ask, "Then why did you marry him in the first place?"

“Sigh, it’s all because my family is poor. My parents had a lot of children, and I’m the eldest. What else could I do but get married early to ease their burden? Back then, a matchmaker introduced me to him. He and his father both worked at an agricultural machinery factory. I thought that although the conditions were a bit poor, at least they were both enterprise employees, which was quite stable. I never expected that after the old man died, he would be left without anyone to take care of him. He got into a fight at the factory and was fired.”

"I heard from your mother-in-law that Li Youqiang had a good relationship with his father, and that his personality changed drastically after his father died?" Zhou Yi asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianglan immediately sneered, "In her mother's eyes, her son is the best in the world, and everyone else is at fault, except for her son."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I just don't know how she has the nerve to say such things. She's probably telling you that I'm a snob."

Zhou Yi did not respond.

Zhang Xianglan continued, "The person Li Youqiang fears most is his father. When his father was alive, he could control him and force him to work obediently in the factory. After his father died, no one could control him anymore. Sure enough, he was fired for fighting in less than two years."

As expected, Zhou Yi and Chen Yan's intuition was correct; Niu Fengxian's stance was seriously biased.

Did Li Youqiang say anything to you before he went to Anyuan?

“He said he was going to work in Anyuan and would be back soon, saying he could earn tens of thousands of yuan. I didn’t believe him at all; I was sure he was going to hang out with those shady friends again. I even teased him, saying, ‘With your pathetic appearance, you want to earn ten thousand yuan? Are you going to kill someone or commit arson? Don’t end up dying out there without making any money.’”

Zhou Yi had a bad feeling; Zhang Xianglan's words might really come true.

What was Li Youqiang's reaction at the time?

“What kind of reaction could he have? He’d probably get angry with me and say I looked down on him…” Zhang Xianglan was talking for a moment, then suddenly stopped and asked in a panic, “He’s not really dead, is he?” “We’re just conducting a routine investigation into Li Youqiang’s disappearance right now, you don’t need to be nervous.”

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Zhang Xianglan patted her chest and muttered to herself.

Afterwards, Chen Yan found it strange that Zhang Xianglan, who looked down on Li Youqiang so much, was so nervous about him.

Zhou Yi said that this is what is meant by "even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes." People are complex, and complaining means that they still care.

Those who are truly determined to divorce feel that even mentioning their ex-partner is a waste of breath.

Zhou Yi then asked Zhang Xianglan if she knew who he had gone to Anyuan with.

Zhang Xianglan's answer was the same as Niu Fengxian's; they both said that Li Youqiang himself mentioned someone, namely Brother Gua.

Have you ever seen this guy, Gua Ge?

Zhang Xianglan shook her head: "I find his cronies annoying; not one of them is a good person."

How did Li Youqiang leave? Did he take the train, or was someone driving him?

“I don’t know. I didn’t allow him to go. I warned him that if he went, I would divorce him!” Zhang Xianglan said, her eyes reddening. “I didn’t expect that bastard to still run away.”

"Think about it carefully again. Was there anything unusual before he went to Anyuan? Anything that seems a bit off or that you remember is fine."

Zhang Xianglan thought for a moment and said, "He must have brought a knife."

What kind of knife?

“It’s a knife that’s about this long,” Zhang Xianglan gestured. “He said it’s called a Tibetan knife. It has patterns on the handle and the case. He found it at a street stall. He likes it very much and says it’s an antique that no one else is allowed to touch.”

Chen Yan recorded the situation, but carrying a knife was not unusual.

Although it is a controlled knife and is not allowed to be carried by law, in the past there were no security checks at train stations and long-distance bus stations, so it was common for people traveling long distances to carry fruit knives for self-defense.

"Officer...Officer, if you have any news about him, could you please let me know?" Zhang Xianglan asked with some worry. "My son has asked me several times, 'Where did Dad go?' I don't know how to tell him."

"Don't worry, we will notify his family as soon as we have any news about him," Zhou Yi said.

On the way back, Chen Yan asked, "Zhou Yi, have you noticed anything wrong?"

Zhou Yi shook his head: "Nothing yet. See if Brother Biao and the others have found anything. What's wrong, Brother Yan, have you discovered anything?"

"No, I just felt that you always managed to find the key to solving cases from the smallest clues, so I wanted to ask you."

"Brother Yan, you're exaggerating my abilities a bit."

"No, I'm serious. I know my strengths, but I'm also very clear about my weaknesses, so I need to learn a lot from you," Chen Yan said earnestly.

Zhou Yixin said that this is the difference between top students and poor students. Top students are always thinking about learning and improving.

A poor student is someone who just gets by and becomes complacent once they achieve a little success.

Zhou Yi wasn't exactly a poor student, but he was definitely not a top student either. Qin Beihai's reminder to him last time made him realize the importance of academic qualifications.

While ability is certainly the most important thing, society itself has its own structure and rules, and in reality, individuals cannot challenge the rules.

Qin Beihai understood this principle well, which is why he reminded him.

"Brother Yan, I'd like to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"My educational background is a bit low. I'd like to take some time out of my work to read some books and improve my qualifications. I'd like to hear your opinion."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan immediately said, "Your idea is great. I was thinking of working and studying at the same time to get a master's degree."

Zhou Yi thought to herself, "Wow, this top student is really good at writing essays."

Then Chen Yan analyzed the situation for Zhou Yi, mainly focusing on two directions.

First, you can take the self-study exam for a part-time bachelor's degree, which is more flexible. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that passing the exam is very difficult.

Second, adult education entrance examinations. Some schools have adult education colleges. The advantage is that the threshold is relatively low, but the disadvantage is that the value of the degree is lower than that of self-study examinations.

“Our school offers some self-study programs,” Chen Yan said.

Zhou Yi was startled. Let alone the distance, even if it were closer, he might not be able to pass the exam.

After all, they didn't study like crazy in their previous life.

　Many thanks to the generous monthly votes from the following big names: Juefeng Sheng, Book Friend 0848, Ruoguan Xiaozeizhe, and Hippo Farm.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)