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

Chapter 524 Ghostly Influence (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Miao Genhua said that she had never had a good life, and Xipinggou had always been quite poor.

Her father was chronically ill, and the reason her family initially disapproved of her relationship with Shi Jian and instead chose to marry her off to Ge Hongqi was to use the dowry to pay for her father's medical treatment.

But after the bride price was spent, her father's illness not only remained untreated, but he also passed away.

When Ge Hongqi passed away, the reason why she had a falling out with her husband's family and never spoke to them again was not only because of the issue of the compensation, but also because the Ge family demanded the return of the original bride price.

Ge Hongqi died less than two years after their marriage. Although they had a child, Ge Fangfang was a girl, not a boy, and therefore could not carry on the Ge family line.

The Ge family believed that Miao Genhua had caused Ge Hongqi's death, so they not only refused to share her compensation but also demanded that she pay back the bride price.

That's why things escalated to this point. In the end, she only received a small portion of the compensation. This was only after her mother went to the town government and made a scene, threatening suicide, and the leaders finally managed to persuade the Ge family.

So when Zhou Yi asked her if she hated her daughter Ge Fangfang.

Her answer was that it wasn't hatred, but rather that she felt the child was a burden to her.

If Ge Fangfang were a boy, then she could be abandoned by the Ge family.

But unfortunately she was a girl.

When she was having a falling out with the Ge family, she did abandon her child to them.

But young Ge Fangfang cried out for her mother in heart-wrenching sobs and chased after her for half a mile.

The Ge family behind them was also quite ruthless; none of the child's grandparents or other elders came out to chase after them.

In the end, she couldn't bear it and took the child away.

Life wasn't easy for her at her parents' home either.

Her father was gone, and her mother was a shrew and mean-spirited person. The little bit of compensation that Ge Hongqi received was taken by her mother. It was nominally for their food expenses, but Hu Shuzhen kept cursing her as a good-for-nothing. She said that if she hadn't gone to the government to make trouble, she wouldn't have gotten this little bit of money.

As for his younger brother Miao Zhuang, he didn't have any objection to them going back to their parents' home, but he was idle and didn't do any proper work, so he couldn't be relied on.

She originally wanted to go to the county town to work and earn money, but Hu Shuzhen disagreed because she said that this was her granddaughter, not a member of their Miao family, and she would not take care of Miao Genhua.

If she's going to take care of him, it's on behalf of her son Miao Zhuang, taking care of her own grandson.

So she always lived a very stifled life, feeling like she was living under someone else's roof even though it was her own home.

The reason why Hu Shuzhen kept looking for matchmakers to marry her off was twofold: first, she disliked that the mother and daughter were eating the family's food; second, she wanted to save money for her son's dowry so that he could get married as soon as possible and have a grandson.

Therefore, she had nowhere to vent her dissatisfaction with life, and Ge Fangfang became her punching bag.

This explains why Miao Zhuang, the uncle, felt that she didn't like her daughter.

Uncle Dong is one of only two people who have been good to me over the years.

She made no attempt to hide the fact that she knew her mother had an affair with Uncle Dong when she was young, and that she had even seen the two of them sneaking into a sorghum field when she was a child, but at the time she did not know what that meant.

So perhaps because of this relationship, Uncle Dong has always been very good to her and her brother since they were young. It was Uncle Dong who persuaded her parents to let her go to school.

However, her mother kept nagging about this for many years, not because she dropped out of school, but because she didn't get rich even after going to school, which was completely different from what Uncle Dong had said about how studying would lead to success.

Her mother felt that the money spent on their education would be better spent raising pigs.

After the divorce, Uncle Dong treated her well. He applied for some relief and assistance from the town government for her, and he would send her rice, flour, oil and other things during festivals, saying that he had applied for them from the government. He also gave her some clothes that Ge Fangfang wore, which he said were donated by kind-hearted people from the town.

Even when it came to the fake marriage with Ma Weichang, although she hesitated, she ultimately agreed for the sake of the money.

In rural areas, what does 100 yuan a month mean? Many families who rely on farming for a living may not be able to save 100 yuan at the end of the year.

Moreover, her requirement was that she control the money herself and not give it to her mother.

Although Hu Shuzhen was unwilling, she agreed for the sake of the money.

When she finally received the money, she said she was very grateful to Uncle Dong because with money in her hands, she could finally stand up straight.

Later, she got together with Ma Weichang, which was a natural progression.

She didn't dislike Ma Weichang, and Ma Weichang was also interested in her. After a while, the two of them got together.

In a sense, Uncle Dong was the matchmaker between her and Ma Weichang.

In rural marriage markets, matchmakers carry significant weight.

So when Miao Dongfang came to her with the hospital report, begging her to save him, she softened.

In addition, her fear of losing Ma Weichang, her cash cow, is growing stronger every day.

This is the most terrifying thing: the life and self-esteem that Ma Weichang gave her were unlike anything she had ever experienced in her previous twenty-odd years of life.

Not to mention outsiders, she can even boss her mother around at home, getting back at her for all the grievances she's suffered over the years.

Hu Shuzhen no longer dared to boss her around; the feeling of triumph was indescribable to her.

All of this confidence came from Ma Weichang.

To be more precise, it was the money that was given to her.

Therefore, she felt as if she were standing on the edge of an abyss at the prospect of possibly losing this life.

Miao Dongfang, of course, had no idea that Ma Weichang had already found another young and beautiful woman outside. The reason he used to persuade Miao Genhua was the same reason he gave to Miao Tiejun.

It's about the road construction that's about to begin.

But the difference is that the core reason for persuading Miao Tiejun was actually money.

His reason for trying to persuade Miao Genhua was that once the quarry was separated from Xipinggou, Ma Weichang would likely abandon her and divorce her.

From Zhou Yi's perspective, Miao Dongfang's reasoning was rather far-fetched.

Because there is no necessary connection between them.

But the problem is that this coincides with Miao Genhua's concerns.

Once the seed of doubt is planted, listening to talk about road construction becomes a completely different matter.

Zhou Yi didn't know if Miao Dongfang had any other tricks up his sleeve if his first plan failed.

But if he didn't, then he really got incredibly lucky.

Actually, upon closer examination, this case wasn't entirely flawless, because there were too many uncertainties involved.

If this case had occurred in Hongcheng, there would have been a highly skilled forensic doctor, Brother Biao who was adept at large-scale manhunts, Sister Qiao who was meticulous and good at ideological work, plus the cunning Wu Yongcheng.

This case likely aroused Wu Yongcheng's suspicion from the moment Ge Fangfang disappeared.

It's simply impossible for it to drag on for this long.

Zhou Yi had no intention of judging the merits of the police force here, but it was true that their experience and capabilities were far inferior to those of the Hongcheng City Public Security Bureau.

Adding to this, Director Chen's personal resentment towards Zhou Xiangdong caused the case to be delayed for too long at the local police station in its early stages.

That's why Zhou Yi, playing away from home, was unable to spare any time and had to go through all that trouble.

Therefore, he had to admit that individual heroism wouldn't work; a strong team was still necessary.

Miao Genhua said that besides money, there was another reason that led her to agree to help Uncle Dong carry out his murder plan.

And this reason, she has not told anyone so far.

That is Zhao Tianfu's son, Zhao Guangping.

That day in the hospital ward, Zhao Liang mentioned that someone in the village had seen her and Shi Jian sneaking into the sorghum field, and that was the real reason for her strong reaction at the time.

The reason is that the person she went into the sorghum field with was not Shi Jian.

It was Zhao Guangping, who was seven years younger than her.

Shortly after she returned to her parents' home, she did indeed have an affair with Shi Jian for a while because she was lonely.

But every time they went to bed, she would find various excuses to ask Shi Jian for money, otherwise she wouldn't let him touch her.

This put a lot of pressure on Shi Jian, who already had no regular income, and he started to avoid her.

Knowing that Shi Jian wasn't going to make any money off her, she stopped contacting him.

Then, she got together with Zhao Guangping, who was seven years younger than her.

She said Zhao Guangping was young, good-looking, and physically strong. Although he was poor, he would try all sorts of ways to please her.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi realized that it was just a rural version of a cute puppy and emotional value.

However, Miao Genhua knew that gossip was a powerful force. If the villagers found out, she would be known as a promiscuous woman who would sleep with anyone.

Moreover, she knew very well that their relationship could never have a future, so she asked Zhao Guangping to keep this secret from everyone.

Later, she and Ma Weichang got a fake marriage certificate. It was because of Zhao Guangping's presence that she did not take the initiative to seduce Ma Weichang from the beginning. The two went through a period of superficial restraint.

But no matter how good a "young puppy" is, it can't compete with a "wealthy older man".

So she ended up juggling relationships with two men, one older and one younger, and even used the money Ma Weichang gave her to buy a lot of things for Zhao Guangping.

Until Zhao Guangping had an accident at the quarry, which resulted in the amputation of both his legs.

Because their relationship was clandestine, she couldn't visit Zhao Guangping in the hospital after her incident, and for a long time she could only hear random rumors from others.

Some say it's Zhao Guangping's own problem, while others say it's a problem with the work arrangements at the quarry.

She said she had feelings for Zhao Guangping because he liked her very much and made her feel that she was being treated sincerely, and that it wasn't just a physical relationship.

Later, she also heard about the Zhao family's disturbance at the quarry in order to demand compensation.

During that period, Ma Weichang rarely came to Xipinggou in order to avoid the Zhao family. Even when he did come, he would only visit Uncle Dong and leave immediately.

During that period, she was completely lost and knew nothing.

One day, Uncle Dong suddenly came to her and told her to tell Ma Weichang that she had knelt at the Zhao family's door all night to get the Zhao family to agree to reduce the compensation of 200,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan.

Although she was completely confused, when Uncle Dong told her that if she did as he said, Ma Weichang would be extremely grateful to her and treat her even better in the future, she agreed. Sure enough, Ma Weichang was overjoyed when he heard this and even bought her a gold bracelet afterwards.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi was puzzled, because he still didn't understand why Miao Dongfang wanted to kill Zhao Guangping.
It can't be just to put on a show to solidify Miao Genhua's position, right?
Moreover, there is another issue here: Zhao Guangping's compensation was reduced to 50,000 yuan, which was told to Miao Genhua by Miao Dongfang.

This indicates that the figure was agreed upon between him and the Zhao family.

Was the initial demand for 200,000 yuan in compensation from the Zhao family also due to his machinations?

After all, going from 200,000 to 50,000 is a huge leap.

Ma Weichang had only mentioned this matter briefly before, but Miao Tiejun had clearly explained the situation of Zhao Guangping's family earlier.

At the time of the incident, Zhao Guangping's father had already passed away, leaving only his mother and two younger sisters who were in middle school.

In this situation, it's quite strange that they would dare to claim 200,000 yuan.

Even if you have many relatives, the compensation claim won't actually reach them; at best, they'll just be a helper.

It seems that this was likely also Miao Dongfang's doing.

After the matter subsided, Zhao Guangping returned from the hospital.

Miao Genhua visited the Zhao family once, but not alone; she went with a group of aunts and gossipy women from the village.

But she didn't see Zhao Guangping that time, because Zhao's mother said that since the incident, Guangping hadn't said a word. After returning home, he locked himself in his room and refused to see anyone except his family.

Even though the village chief, Uncle Dong, had come to visit him several times, he refused to see him.

Zhao's mother cried as she spoke, and all the aunts and gossipy women in the courtyard also wiped away tears.

Miao Genhua said that she felt a mix of emotions at the time because she was very worried about Zhao Guangping. She knew that he was a very stubborn and strong-willed person at heart. He hadn't spoken since the incident, which meant that he couldn't accept such a blow, and she was afraid that he might do something rash.

But at the same time, she had another worry in her heart, which was that Zhao Guangping might one day reveal their affair.

After all, it was Ma Weichang who caused Zhao Guangping to lose both of his legs.

"Why do you think Ma Weichang is the one who harmed Zhao Guangping?" Zhou Yi asked.

Miao Genhua was taken aback and replied, "I... I've heard them all say that. Ma Weichang is the owner of the quarry, so if something happens, it must be his responsibility."

Yang Chuan couldn't help but say, "Then do you know..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yi stopped him.

Zhou Yi winked at him, indicating that it wasn't the right time yet.

"Miao Genhua, I have a question for you: Is Zhao Guangping's suicide related to you?"

Miao Genhua hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat conflictedly, "It...it should be okay, but I did secretly go to his house the day before."

"What happened? Tell me in detail."

A young man who had both legs amputated suddenly hanged himself a year after the incident. The day before, Miao Genhua had secretly visited his home. It is highly unlikely that these events were unrelated.

Miao Genhua said, "It's nothing. I just ran into his mother when I came back from outside that day. I said hello, and when I saw she was about to go out, I asked her where she was going. She said she was going to town to buy some things. I figured Zhao Guangping would be home alone, so I went to check on him."

“Then I went to his house and even went inside.” Miao Genhua frowned as she spoke. “In his house, you could smell a strong stench of excrement and urine as soon as you went in. Zhao Guangping was lying on the bed, his hair and beard were so long, he looked like a beggar.”

“I was actually quite scared and wanted to run away, but he heard the noise and got up. I… had no choice but to bite the bullet and go over to check on him.”

"Who knew he would suddenly hug me and start crying. And then...and..."

Yang Chuan asked, "What else are we doing? Stop dawdling."

"He... pulled down my pants and tried to do that. I... I was terrified, so I pushed him away and ran away."

As Miao Genhua spoke, Zhou Yi kept a close eye on the changes in her facial expression. From the moment she started talking about entering the room, the look of disgust on her face became impossible to hide.

This shows that she wasn't terrified at all, but rather it was purely a physiological aversion.

Because Zhao Guangping at that time was no longer the little puppy she remembered who crawled through the sorghum fields with her, but a rotten, stinking pile of flesh.

Even today, the disgust and suspicion on her face are still palpable, let alone back then.

Zhao Guangping must have seen Miao Genhua's expression and eyes, and Miao Genhua may even have said something hurtful.

This is why Zhao Guangping, a man who had both legs amputated, resolutely chose to hang himself a year later.

Miao Genhua's attitude was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath. He felt sorry for the young man, but given his condition and state, perhaps only death could be his final release.

“Miao Genhua, so this is the other motive you mentioned? Are you planning to avenge Zhao Guangping?” Zhou Yi asked coldly, because he didn’t believe that someone like Miao Genhua would be so “loyal and righteous.”

Sure enough, Miao Genhua shook her head guiltily: "No... it's not for revenge."

Yang Chuan asked curiously, "Why is that?"

"because……"

Miao Genhua hesitated, but Zhou Yi interrupted directly, saying, "She's afraid that Zhao Guangping's vengeful spirit will come after her."

Upon hearing this, Miao Genhua stared at Zhou Yi as if she had seen a ghost, her lips turning pale, and she asked in a trembling voice, "You... how did you know?"

Zhou Yi said, enunciating each word clearly: "Zhao Guangping told me!"

Miao Genhua cried out in horror, "Impossible! He's dead! He couldn't have told you that!"

Being bad or stupid is not a choice.

Miao Genhua is indeed a cunning woman, but she is ultimately a rural woman, and superstitious beliefs are deeply ingrained in her.

She confessed that in recent months, she had been hearing Zhao Guangping call her name late at night, which frightened her so much that she dared not walk at night.

Sometimes, even after she went to sleep at night, she would vaguely feel that there was a person hanging from the beam in the room, swaying there, without legs.

It disappears when the light is on, but you can feel it when the light is off.

This tormented her to the point of near mental collapse.

She believed that it was the ghost of Zhao Guangping causing trouble.

But she felt wronged because she believed that Ma Weichang was the one who killed Zhao Guangping, and Zhao Guangping should have gone to settle accounts with Ma Weichang.

So when Miao Dongfang found her, besides being afraid that Ma Weichang would kick her aside, she also vaguely felt that this was fate.

With Ma Weichang dead, Zhao Guangping will no longer come looking for him.

So this woman is both stupid and wicked.

Using Ge Fangfang's idea, she said it was Dong Shu's idea.

All she had to do was hide the child, so in order to find a place where the police could never find the child after he "disappeared," she thought of Shi Jian.

She said that Ge Fangfang is not Shi Jian's daughter, but Ge Hongqi's. She did have an affair with Shi Jian once, but according to the dates, the child has no relation to Shi Jian.

However, in order to get Shi Jian to willingly take care of her daughter, she approached him beforehand and deliberately said that Fangfang was his daughter.

She also fabricated a story about Ma Weichang abusing her, saying that she was determined to divorce Ma Weichang, but was afraid that Ma Weichang would use Fangfang to blackmail her, so she could only entrust the child to him, her biological father, for care.

She also gave Shi Jian some hints that once she got divorced and the money was divided, she and he could get back together and the three of them could run away together.

Shi Jian immediately agreed, excitedly saying that he could send the child to his mother's place. He had already reunited with his mother two years ago because the old man she had married had died.

To avoid the child crying too much at the time, she even took Fangfang to town to have a meal with Shi Jian, so that Fangfang could get to know Shi Jian in advance.

After deciding to take action on July 22nd, she notified Shi Jian in advance, asking him to wait at the first intersection on the road leading out of Xipinggou Village at 6 PM that evening.

For this purpose, Shi Jian even borrowed a van.

That evening, after playing with her friends in the village, Ge Fangfang went home normally and even had dinner at home.

During the meal, she told the child that because there were some things to do at home, she had to send her to stay with the uncle from last time for a few days. There would be a grandma to take care of her, and she was told to be good and obedient. She would pick her up after the family business was finished and buy her candy and new clothes.

As dusk fell, Miao Genhua, carrying her child, boarded Miao Dongfang's motorcycle, which had been waiting for a long time.

Under the cover of night, the motorcycle slipped out of the village and headed straight for the intersection. After handing the child over to Shi Jian and watching the van leave, the two turned back.

But Miao Genhua didn't go home. Instead, she parted ways with Miao Dongfang at the village entrance. Then, Miao Genhua, acting like a drama queen, started searching for her child everywhere.

What happened next was exactly as Zhao Liang had predicted.

The reason why the police were not called until July 24th was also Miao Dongfang's idea. He is the village chief, so everyone listens to him.

After that, she followed Miao Dongfang's instructions on what to say to the police and to Ma Weichang.

"Whose blood is on those underwear?" Zhou Yi asked.

“I…my…Uncle Dong originally said we should use the child’s blood, in case the blood type doesn’t match. I said neither the child nor I have had our blood tested, so the police shouldn’t be able to find out.”

Hearing this, Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Miao Dongfang was indeed very cautious, even considering the issue of blood type testing.

But he certainly doesn't know about DNA technology.

So this means that even if the case wasn't solved in 1997 in the previous life, they managed to cover it up.

With technological advancements, it should have been solved eventually, since a DNA test would have exposed the whole thing.

Therefore, technological development is the truly powerful weapon.

Of course, the tragedy that has already occurred will not be changed by this.

"Miao Genhua, on the afternoon of July 26th, you called Shi Jian to the hospital. What exactly did you say to him?"

(End of this chapter)