Chapter 323: line with translation of chapter title

In the midst of Jia Zhangshi's greetings and shouting at Qin Huairu.

The Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrel that lasted over an hour.

Finally, the curtain fell.

Qin Huairu, who had beaten Jia Zhangshi, was scolded by her and fled inside, embarrassed, not daring to come out.

The neighbors perhaps just watched the scene out of pure curiosity.

Liu Jianguo, however, approached the matter from a professional angle, rigorously analyzing its origins, developments, and hidden details.

Qin Huairu, who had the upper hand, suddenly felt guilty and hurried back inside, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Such a situation usually arises when the case is at hand, but for some reason they have not yet revealed their true colors, and the suspect they are focusing on remains unknown.

There's a problem.

Liu Jianguo's face showed a faint hint of doubt.

His gaze.

His gaze fell upon Qin Huairu, who had fled in panic and hidden inside; looking through the glass and using the indoor light, he scrutinized the scheming Qin.

If I'm not mistaken.

Qin Huairu's body trembled slightly.

Combining this with the task assigned to him by his superiors.

A feeling of enlightenment came over Liu Jianguo.

Could the death of the deaf old lady be related to Qin Huairu!

The more he thought about it, the more he believed this possibility was very high.

There is a key person involved in this.

Yi Zhonghai.

As the case initiator, Yi Zhonghai took charge of the case of the deaf old lady's murder, but his testimony did not match at all the evidence discovered by Liu Jianguo and others at the scene.

If it weren't for having to save face for certain people.

Liu Jianguo would not have moved into the Siheyuan as a neighbor just to secretly investigate related clues.

He had moved in only a couple of months ago.

The melodramatic affairs within the courtyard far exceeded Liu Jianguo's expectations.

There is one.

Count as one.

They are all nasty ghosts who delight in others' misfortune.

In this environment, Yi Zhonghai nevertheless showed great concern for the Jia family, which later proved his relationship with Qin Huairu, but it also made the case even more full of puzzling mysteries.

The house where the Jia family now lives was originally the residence of the deaf old lady.

Their former house is now occupied by Qin Huairu.

Just think.

Is this place full of scheming?

The death of the deaf old lady gave the Jia family an extra room, a tangible benefit out in the open.

This is the first point.

This is the second point.

Before the deaf old lady died, she had an argument with Yi Zhonghai, publicly exposing the fact that Huaihua was Yi Zhonghai's daughter.

Yi Zhonghai said this was his motive for acting.

Liu Jianguo, however, uncovered another situation.

Before the incident was exposed, Yi Zhonghai periodically helped the Jia family; despite the scarcity of supplies, the Jia family's living conditions were top-notch in the Siheyuan, enjoying white flour every two days and meat dishes every three days.

A small favor breeds gratitude.

A measure of rice breeds resentment.

Looking from another angle, the deaf old lady's revelation actually cut off the Jia family's path to a good life, making those who had grown accustomed to certain benefits suddenly unaccustomed to it.

Severing someone's finances.

Comparable to the mortal enmity of killing one's father.

The Jia family had a motive to act.

At the crime scene, Bangeng's schoolbag was found, containing homework that the homeroom teacher had just handed out that morning; Liu Jianguo went to the school to verify, and they confirmed it was genuine.

His own daughter's biological mother!

This seems to explain why Yi Zhonghai willingly took the blame for certain people.

"Huh!"

Liu Jianguo let out a sigh, shifting his gaze from Qin Huairu to An Jiahe; if Qin Huairu had killed the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai took the blame for her, then what role was An Jiahe playing? Tonight's actions were hardly those of a husband.

He calmed his emotions.

Liu Jianguo moved his gaze from Qin Huairu's house in the central courtyard to Jia Zhangshi in the rear courtyard; if his ears weren't playing tricks, Jia Zhangshi seemed to have let something slip just now.

"Qin Huairu, don't think that with Yi Zhonghai dead, my son's matter is over; as long as I live, this matter won't be finished."

These words frightened Qin Huairu, making her feel guilty and hide indoors.

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were carrying on an affair and had a child.

Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu were husband and wife.

Jia Dongxu was Yi Zhonghai's apprentice and ultimately died at Yi Zhonghai's hands.

Amid the tangled relationships, a conclusion emerged.

Passionate murder!

Yi Zhonghai is the lover.

Qin Huairu is the mistress.

Liu Jianguo joined the workforce and handled several major cases in succession. Two were crimes of passion: one involved the mistress and lover killing her husband, and the other involved the lover and mistress killing his original spouse. The identities of Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, and Jia Dongxu exactly correspond to the victims, perpetrators, and planners in those two cases.

It's all my doing, and it has nothing to do with Qin Huairu.

The arrested Yi Zhonghai from the outset tried to clear Qin Huairu of responsibility.

The deceased's mother, Jia Zhangshi, however, said the matter isn't over; perhaps she knows that Qin Huairu actually participated in the case, using this to threaten the scheming woman; otherwise, why would Qin Huairu, who had the upper hand, be hiding indoors, afraid to come out?

Planner!

Liu Jianguo suddenly widened his eyes.

He glanced at the neighboring Shazhu's house, where the lights were still on.

He had an idea.

A ready-made clue.

It would be a waste not to use it.

He walked to the window and shouted through the glass.

"Director He, I'm Liu Jianguo; I moved into the Dàyuàn a couple of months ago and noticed that your work is quite busy. At home I still have an unopened bottle of mìndǎo lǔ (a kind of liquor) and some peanuts. If you don't mind, Director He, shall we have a drink?"

Shazhu is a bit confused.

Liu Jianguo earnestly suddenly asked him to have a drink.

He deliberately chose this time period.

I don't know why.

He always has the feeling of a weasel paying a New Year's greeting to a chicken without good intentions.

Instinctively, a sense of resistance welled up in his heart; the words of refusal reached his lips, but just as he was about to speak, he thought of his own pit brother's younger sister.

Thinking of his previous life, He Yushui had married a policeman named Liu Jianguo.

In this life, the policeman named Liu Jianguo also moved into the Siheyuan, becoming Shazhu's neighbor.

He felt as if some heavenly will was at work behind the scenes.

He hastily changed his refusal into something else.

Chatting is fine, but drinking is out of the question—I drank too much with Xu Daming the other day and have been wanting to quit.

Liu Jianguo laughed.

Shazhu and Xu Daming had drunk too much, feeling unwell, they spoke up and said they wanted to quit; after a few days, once they felt better, the two continued drinking, and the next day after overdrinking, while talking to the neighbours, they said they were going to quit.

Those words.

I've heard it so much my ears are calloused.

"Director He, let's not drink too much—just one bottle of baijiu for the two of us."

For the case.

Liu Jianguo also schemed.

Toward Yu Li, who was holding Weiguo.

He goaded with a remark.

"Sister-in-law, give Director He a day off, and the two of us will share just one bottle of baijiu—if you don't trust Director He, then you don't trust me, Liu Jianguo either."

"Comrade Liu's invitation to drink is a sign of respect—don't overdo it."