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

Chapter 509 Siblings Reunite (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

In most rural areas, people's surnames tend to be concentrated in a few categories.

If you trace back a few generations, you'll find that people with the same surname may have come from the same ancestor.

In some villages, one surname dominates the population, and people with that surname are mostly related by blood or marriage, somewhat like a clan concept.

However, due to various reasons, a strong clan structure did not form in some parts of the south.

This is the case in Xipinggou. Zhou Yi only learned this later after further investigation. Miao is the most common surname in Xipinggou. At least half of the people in the village are either Miao or Miao people.

Their village chief, Miao Dongfang, should be Miao Genhua and Miao Zhuang's uncle in terms of seniority.

But this uncle has to go back several generations.

Such kinship relationships are not uncommon in villages.

Miao Zhuang said that it was Uncle Dong's idea to take the driving test. He originally refused because he was short and felt that sitting in a car would be like a small horse pulling a big cart, which was embarrassing.

But Uncle Dong scolded him for being ignorant, saying that once he could drive, he could go to the city to make money, and that drivers who could drive were very rare.

"So after you got your driver's license, did you go to work in the city?" Zhou Yi asked, since Yang Chuan had just returned.

“I went. Uncle Dong asked someone to find me a job. I’m driving a shuttle bus for a factory.”

"Why did you stop operating later? Were you afraid of the hardship?"

Miao Zhuang nodded guiltily and mumbled two "hmm"s.

Zhou Yi immediately knew what was going on. "You stole something, didn't you?"

Miao Zhuang was startled and looked up at Zhou Yi, his eyes practically asking, "How did you know?"

Zhou Yi was not surprised at all, but what really puzzled him was whether the village chief, Miao Dongfang, was only nice to Miao Zhuang, or to his other relatives as well.
Judging from Ma Weichang's previous words, in the conflict between him and the villagers over the quarry, the village chief appeared to be a mediator, but in reality, he was likely the mastermind behind the whole thing.

Two conclusions can be drawn from Miao Zhuang's experience of taking a driver's license test.

First, as the village chief, Uncle Dong had a certain vision and foresight. In the 1990s, having a driver's license and being able to drive was indeed a valuable survival skill for someone like Miao Zhuang who lacked education and technical skills.

Secondly, Uncle Dong has a say. Whether it's the quarry issue or Miao Zhuang learning to drive, it shows that Miao Dongfang's word is law, and the villagers listen to him.

Another point is that Uncle Dong does have some connections; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to arrange for Miao Zhuang to work as a driver in the city.

Unfortunately, he's a hopeless case; he can't be helped.

Thinking about this, another question arose in Zhou Yi's mind.

If Miao Dongfang has the final say in the village and can influence the opinions of all the villagers, then isn't it a bit redundant to have Ma Weichang and Miao Genhua have a fake marriage?

To be frank, but it's true, people at the bottom of society are more likely to blindly follow the crowd.

If half of the villagers with the surname Miao listen to Miao Dongfang, then the other half won't be able to cause any trouble.

Once Miao Dongfang and Ma Weichang reach an agreement, the villagers will naturally stop opposing the matter.

In that case, why bother giving Miao Genhua to Ma Weichang?
Is it just to find a way for Miao Genhua to make a living and receive that hundred yuan a month?
"It seems there's something fishy about this," Zhou Yi muttered to himself.

Yang Chuan heard Zhou Yi speak, but didn't catch what he said, so he asked, "Officer Zhou, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Zhou Yi looked up. "Miao Zhuang, did your Uncle Dong pay for your driving lessons?"

Miao Zhuang shook his head: "I don't know, my mom gave it to me. I'm quite puzzled. When I was a kid, if I stole two yuan from her, she would chase me from one end of the village to the other with a rolling pin. How could she be so generous back then?"

Zhou Yi and Yang Chuan both nodded. Goodness, he's been a habitual thief since he was a kid.

Over the years, he's been stealing more and more. It seems that sooner or later, this guy will either end up in jail or get beaten to death on the street.

"Miao Zhuang, is there anything else you want to say?"

"No...that's all..." Miao Zhuang replied slyly, shrinking his neck.

Yang Chuan pointed at him and said seriously, "You'd better think carefully before you answer, or you'll be crying and begging for mercy when we find out later."

"It's...it's really gone," Miao Zhuang said with a shifty look on his face.

Yang Chuan leaned close to Zhou Yi's ear and whispered, "Officer Zhou, should we detain this kid for now? I think he still has something to say, so we can use some methods."

“No need, but we can do it this way.” Zhou Yi whispered a few words as he spoke.

Yang Chuan nodded: "Okay."

The initial questioning already included an investigation into Miao Zhuang's specific itinerary from yesterday to today, which was to determine whether Miao Zhuang might have been involved in the crime.

After Ge Fangfang went missing, the village chief organized and mobilized the villagers to conduct several searches. Miao Zhuang said that his mother and sister went out to look for the child almost every day.

Ma Weichang gave him a leave of absence and asked him to go and search as well.

However, he went out to look for it for the first two days, and on the third day, Ma Weichang took his sister to the hospital, so he secretly ran away by himself to play at the arcade in town.

Yesterday was the same; I spent the whole afternoon at the arcade until I lost all my money before I came home.

After dinner, he watched TV at home with his mother. Later, the old lady got sleepy and went to bed first, while he watched until almost midnight before going to sleep.

This kind of alibi, where the person is sleeping at home, is considered an isolated piece of evidence.

Based on the preliminary autopsy's time of death, theoretically everyone in the village was asleep during the time Ma Weichang died. It's impossible to conclude that everyone in the village is a suspect based on that alone.

Logically speaking, it's impossible for Ma Weichang to inexplicably wander into a deserted quarry at midnight and then be killed by the murderer.

Before he was murdered, there must have been a trail of activity. He was either lured there or moved there after he passed out.

Therefore, an alibi proving that the victim was present before the murder is even more important.

Miao Zhuang is a regular at the town's arcade. It's easy to find out whether he went yesterday or not; we'll know once it's light.

Therefore, it is highly likely that they are telling the truth. As for what happens after they return home, unless the mother and son commit perjury, they will have relevant witnesses.

However, Zhou Yi felt that it was unlikely that the Miao mother and son did it, because it would be difficult for an old woman and a short and thin Miao man to control and knock out Ma Weichang without causing other obvious external injuries.

Although Ma Weichang is not tall, he is only in his early thirties and is in the prime of his life.

In this situation, one would definitely struggle desperately.

Unless there is a clear advantage in terms of strength.

or……

Zhou Yi considered the possibility of being drugged, but without a forensic doctor, he was powerless to confirm it.

However, with Ge Fangfang already missing and the police coming to investigate multiple times, Ma Weichang would probably be more cautious, making it less likely that he could easily drug her.

"Alright, since there's nothing else to explain, take a look at this record and sign it." Yang Chuan said, taking the record and walking over.

Miao Zhuang asked somewhat warily, "Aren't you going to arrest me?"

"What? You don't want to leave?" Yang Chuan sneered.

"No, it's about me stealing my brother-in-law's money. Aren't you going to arrest me?" Miao Zhuang asked in confusion.

“Your brother-in-law is dead, who am I supposed to ask to verify the truth of this matter? Or do you have other evidence to prove that you did steal the money back then?” Yang Chuan countered.

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhuang quickly shook his head repeatedly: "No, no."

Yang Chuan placed the transcript in front of him and asked him to confirm it.

Inwardly, however, I was sneering. It's not that I don't want to settle scores with you, it's just that it's not the right time yet.

Once you sign it, this statement will become your testimony of theft, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to get back at them later.

Looking at the statement, Miao Zhuang suddenly asked tentatively, "If I steal someone's money and that person is still alive, will I go to jail?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chuan's eyes widened like Zhang Fei's: "What? Are you saying you stole someone else's money, or are you saying you're planning to kill someone?"

Miao Zhuang quickly denied it and looked down at the transcript.

Yang Chuan glanced back at Zhou Yi helplessly. Normally, Zhou Yi would have been cursing by now.

Zhou Yi was also helpless; this guy was really both stupid and wicked.

"Miao Zhuang, you said you often go to the arcade?" Zhou Yi asked.

Miao Zhuang nodded and started signing his name, though he probably didn't really look at the densely packed words on the page.

“I’m very familiar with their boss.”

"Have you seen Shi Jian at the arcade?"

Miao Zhuang was taken aback: "Shi Jian? Who's that?"

Zhou Yi and Yang Chuan immediately frowned: "You don't know Shi Jian? He's your sister Miao Genhua's first boyfriend."

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhuang suddenly realized, "Oh, that poor guy? I don't know him well. I had forgotten his name if you hadn't mentioned him."

After signing, Miao Zhuang returned the documents to Yang Chuan and asked, "Can I leave now?"

Yang Chuan glared at him and said, "What's the rush! Sit down!"

"Oh."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Zhou Yi asked.

"I can't remember...that poor bastard..."

Yang Chuan kicked the leg of the chair Miao Zhuang was sitting on and cursed, "Watch your mouth, or you'll regret it."

Miao Zhuang, who had been smug because he could walk again, suddenly wilted and hunched his neck as he honestly replied, "I really haven't seen him in a long time. When my sister and Fangfang first came home, he came to my house a few times, but my sister ignored him. My mother also looked down on him for being poor and not bringing anything when he came over. She scolded him a few times, and then he stopped coming."

"As for arcades, I haven't paid much attention. I think I've seen them once or twice."

When Miao Zhuang mentioned Shi Jian, his eyes and expression were full of disdain, as if he were some kind of superior person.

Yang Chuan looked at the record in his hand, and after confirming that the signature was correct, he asked Miao Zhuang to sit there and wait.

Then he and Zhou Yi went outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, Yang Chuan said, "Officer Zhou, shall I go and make the arrangements?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

"Hey, it's nothing, it's all part of the job." Yang Chuan smiled and turned to leave. He didn't quite understand Zhou Yi's intentions, but he knew that Director Li and Captain Zhou trusted this young man quite a bit.

This is something that the two of them rarely agree on.

Zhou Yi stood in the corridor, lit a cigarette, and took out his phone from his pocket to check the time, only to find that the phone had shut down due to a dead battery.

I didn't bring a charger. These days, finding a charger to charge your phone isn't an easy task.

I wonder if Lu Xiaoshuang is worried, or if she's waiting for me to come home. I left in such a hurry that I didn't even tell them I might not be coming back that night.

He had only smoked half a cigarette when Yang Chuan appeared at the end of the corridor and said to him, "That's enough."

Zhou Yi gave an OK sign, then stubbed out his cigarette and walked into the room, saying, "Miao Zhuang, you can go now."

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhuang immediately stood up and walked out.

He muttered to himself, "Finally, I can walk. I never want to come back to this place again."

Zhou Yi remained calm and gestured for them to come this way: "This way."

Miao Zhuang walked in front, and Zhou Yi followed behind.

Just as I was about to reach the exit, a few people came from the other end of the corridor.

Two uniformed police officers escorted Miao Genhua over, while Yang Chuan followed behind.

This was Zhou Yi's arrangement, allowing the siblings to "meet by chance."

Moreover, Miao Genhua was wearing handcuffs on her wrists.

Miao Genhua was originally a criminal summons involved in a criminal case, and it is permissible for her to be handcuffed.

However, under normal circumstances, if the person being summoned is not defined as a criminal suspect and cooperates with the investigation, the police will not forcibly handcuff them.

However, since we've deliberately set this up, we should put some pressure on them.

Miao Genhua was confused and was forcibly handcuffed and pulled out, and she was in a panic.

Suddenly, I saw Miao Zhuang on the other side.

"Zhuangzhuang?"

"sister?"

The siblings were both taken aback, shouted in their dialect, and then ran towards each other.

Zhou Yi did not stop Miao Zhuang, but two police officers next to Miao Genhua pulled Miao Genhua back and the other reached out to stop Miao Zhuang.

"Zhuangzhuang, what are you doing here? Where's Mom? Is Mom here too?"

"Mom and Uncle Dong have already gone back. Sister, shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"Zhuangzhuang, did they do anything to you?"

“I’m fine, I can go now. Sister, can you go too? You…” Miao Zhuang’s gaze suddenly fell on Miao Genhua’s wrist, where he saw the conspicuous handcuffs.

He roared angrily, "What are you doing? Why did you arrest my sister?!"

Yang Chuan scolded, "What are you yelling for! If you yell again, you're staying here!"

Miao Zhuang dared not speak out in anger, but could only glare fiercely at Yang Chuan.

"Zhuangzhuang, hurry up and tell Mom I'm fine, don't let her worry."

Zhou Yi winked at Yang Chuan, who immediately understood and waved his hand, saying, "Take them away quickly. No relatives are allowed to visit them."

The two police officers immediately forced Miao Genhua to walk forward.

So in the corridor, one person shouted, "Hurry up and go, I'll be back soon," while another craned his neck and kept calling out, "Sister, sister."

Soon, Miao Genhua disappeared around the corner.

Yang Chuan sneered, "Heh, you want to go back soon? You did something like this and you still want to go back?"

Miao Zhuang, who had been looking in the direction where Miao Genhua had disappeared, suddenly turned his face to look at Yang Chuan upon hearing this, his eyes blazing with fury.

But someone like him is nothing to Yang Chuan.

If Zhou Yi hadn't been there, Yang Chuan would have definitely taken action on the spot, knocked the man down, and handcuffed him.

Yang Chuan pointed his finger at his nose and said, "If you dare to glare at me again, you'll see how I deal with you today!"

Miao Zhuang immediately cowered, but there was still anger in his eyes; he looked both cowardly and furious.

Yang Chuan pulled out handcuffs and said, "Are you getting out of here or not? If you don't, you're not leaving!"

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhuang immediately took off running. He stopped and glared at the two men before turning back and continuing to run.

"Damn it, if you weren't still useful, I would have killed you." Yang Chuan cursed as he put away the handcuffs.

Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Calm down, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him."

Yang Chuan nodded: "Yes, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Miao Zhuang ran out of the county public security bureau.

Although this is a county, there aren't many streetlights in the county these days, and there are very few pedestrians on the road at this time.

Standing by the roadside, Miao Zhuang was at a loss, because he didn't know how to get back. He had come in a police car, but now there was no police car to take him back.

He felt in his pocket and found he still had some money. After hesitating for a moment, he made up his mind.

Then turned and left.

No sooner had he left than a figure who had been waiting in the shadows outside the county bureau followed him.

One after the other, the two figures disappeared into the darkness.

……

Zhou Yi didn't go back, mainly because he wanted to wait for the results of Li Linglong's search.

Since the county public security bureau chief personally organized the search, he would naturally mobilize the entire county's police force.

Both in terms of scale and level of detail, it is larger than before.

This poor child has been missing for a week. If he was murdered, he has most likely been buried alive.

It would naturally be difficult for ordinary villagers to find it.

The question now is, who killed Ge Fangfang?
There are essentially two possibilities.

The first possibility is that Ma Weichang killed him. Just as Zhou Xiangdong said, when people's evil thoughts arise, normal logic no longer applies.

Ma Weichang lured Ge Fangfang to the quarry office, then preyed on the little girl, and finally killed her to prevent the matter from being exposed.

Miao Genhua suspected that Ma Weichang was responsible, so she induced Shi Jian to kill Ma Weichang to avenge his daughter.

Shi Jian, along with others, killed Ma Weichang.

As for what Miao Genhua was hiding, given this possibility, it is highly likely that she concealed the fact that she provided information on how to stage Ma Weichang's murder as a suicide, meaning she might have been the mastermind behind the murder.

After all, Shi Jian lacked the mindset and ability to do so.

But conversely, does the seedling have such an ability?
Zhou Yi also has a big question mark about this.

The only possible explanation is that, in the eyes of many people at the bottom of society, revenge is more important than calling the police.

In an era when legal awareness was relatively weak, killing one's enemy was more in line with public opinion than letting the enemy face legal punishment.

But is this really the case?
If that's the case, there are still many unanswered questions.

Therefore, a second possibility exists.

Ge Fangfang was merely a pretext for Ma Weichang to "commit suicide."

Only when Ma Weichang kills Ge Fangfang and then "commits suicide out of fear of punishment" does it form a complete logical loop.

Ma Weichang's money naturally ended up in Miao Genhua's hands.

But Miao Genhua is a selfish rural woman. She certainly loves money, but the logic behind her love of money is to bind the man and get more benefits from him.

It's unlikely that someone would have thought of such a complicated method of murder to cover up a crime and inherit a fortune.

Therefore, Miao Genhua and her daughter may have been merely tools in this case.

Zhou Yi suspects that the real mastermind is Miao Dongfang, the village chief of Xipinggou.

He's intelligent and has the status to orchestrate this.

As for his true purpose, Zhou Yi couldn't guess. He knew it was definitely related to money, but he didn't know his specific motivation.

Because much of the information from the current investigation has not yet been fully developed, explored, or compiled, it is difficult to make accurate guesses based solely on speculation.

Therefore, Zhou Yi deliberately arranged for Miao Zhuang to "accidentally" meet Miao Genhua, with the aim of having him spread the news that Miao Genhua had been "arrested" back to Xipinggou and to Miao Dongfang's ears.

If this Uncle Dong is indeed the mastermind behind this case, then he would definitely be restless knowing that Miao Genhua has been arrested.

The fox's tail will naturally be revealed in due time.

That's why he let Miao Zhuang leave, and then had Yang Chuan arrange for someone to keep an eye on him.

What's truly chilling is whether Miao Genhua would really sacrifice her own daughter for money.
How can a person be so evil?

And if that's the case, what role does Shi Jian play in this?

Although it seems like Shi Jian could be used to kill someone else, would Miao Dongfang really allow such a risk to exist?
What if Shi Jian ignores Miao Genhua's advice and, in a fit of anger, stabs her to death?
At that time, it will be just like pulling up a hairy crab; it will be easy to drag Miao Genhua and him into it.

So why was Shi Jian involved in this case?

Zhou Yi glanced at the clock on the wall of the lounge that Yang Chuan had arranged for him. It was already past ten o'clock, and it was pitch black outside the window, but Li Linglong and the others still hadn't returned.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes, but couldn't fall asleep because his mind was filled with the complicated clues of the Xipinggou case.

Suddenly, he remembered that when he was observing Miao Genhua at the hospital yesterday, she gave him the feeling that she wasn't too sad.

She didn't think too deeply about it at the time, because the idea of ​​valuing sons over daughters was very serious in rural areas. Considering her relationship with Ma Weichang, she would naturally want to have a child with Ma Weichang to keep him in check. Therefore, it's not impossible that she was relatively indifferent to Ge Fangfang.

But when she was interrogated today, that's not what she said!

She said she was so anxious that she was hospitalized, and because she suspected Ma Weichang of doing something, she argued with him on the way, and finally called Shi Jian to the hospital.

During the interrogation, he broke down in tears several times, nearly collapsing.

This is completely different from how she acted yesterday.

Zhou Yi suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Could it be..."

(End of this chapter)