Ma femme escalade le mur

Chapitre 71

After a moment of silence, Zhao Ting glanced at the old man and asked again, "Then why did you kill his wife? So many people in the village were involved; were you going to kill them all one by one?"

The middle-aged man pursed his lips tightly, his eyes fixed on Duan Chen, offering no reply. Duan Chen pondered for a moment before softly saying, "I'm just guessing. Back then, was it her who dripped blood behind your house, inciting the villagers to come and arrest people?"

The middle-aged man nodded resentfully. Zhou Yufei glanced back and forth between the two men, his charming eyes filled with mockery as he looked at the old man: "Back then, did you want to take that Sheng family girl as a concubine? Or did you seduce her and not want to take responsibility?"

The old man blushed deeply at Zhou Yufei's words, stamping his feet repeatedly: "Sir, you can't wrong me! Thirty years ago, I was almost forty, and that girl was only fifteen or sixteen. I... how could I do such a thing..."

Boss Sheng clearly didn't believe him either, and turned to glare at him fiercely: "If you didn't have ulterior motives towards my sister, why would your wife treat her so cruelly for no reason? It's obvious that you two are both up to no good!"

The old man was quite old, and he was speechless for a long time after being choked up. He took several deep breaths before patting his chest and sighing, "What a tragedy! Your sister is beautiful, obedient, and virtuous. Every man in the village is attracted to her. But looking at her bloodshot eyes, they can't help but feel a little afraid. We married men, although we wouldn't actually do anything outrageous, when we get together for a drink or something, we inevitably start gossiping."

"As time went on, the women in the village naturally heard rumors. My wife is narrow-minded and has a lot on her mind, and she often gossiped about that girl to the neighbors. Later, Old Zhang's pig got sick and died, so she came up with this wicked plan. She sprinkled some chicken blood behind your house and told several of the women in the neighborhood about it. In just a few days, the news spread..."

"I only found out about this many years later. As people get older, they gradually become afraid when they think about what they did in the past. When she told me, I beat her so badly that she couldn't get out of bed for several days. My wife later told me that she only thought that everyone in the village would see her as a venomous scorpion, so that the men would naturally not like her. She never thought that it would cause that girl to be burned alive..." The old man said, then wiped his eyes and looked at the middle-aged man: "I know that this is something our family did wrong to your Sheng family, but we have also received our retribution."

“We had our son late in life, and it wasn’t easy raising him to fifteen. Last year, he was kidnapped by those cult members and lost his life. You killed my wife, so it’s a life for a life. My old life is worthless; if you want it, go ahead and do it.” As the old man spoke, he slowly closed his eyes, his face serene.

The man surnamed Sheng sneered, "You think I killed that old woman just for revenge? So many years have passed, what's the point of killing her?"

The man spoke without even glancing at him, acting as if the man didn't exist: "For so many years, until last year when that cult started kidnapping people from the town every month, I knew, I've finally waited for this! That Seven Sheng Cult did a good job killing them, a brilliant move! They should have kidnapped and killed everyone in this town! Heh, its name also has the character 'Sheng' in it, maybe it's my sister's spirit feeling that she died unjustly, helping those people to destroy the entire Bitter Water Town!"

Everyone shook their heads in unison; this man had truly gone mad! Xiao Changqing muttered under his breath, "Everyone else treats the truth as rumors, but he treats rumors as the truth!"

Boss Sheng laughed a few times, then stared intently at Duan Chen: "They all think I'm crazy, do you think I'm crazy too? You must know why I waited until now to make my move, right? Only you can truly clear my sister's name. Today, as you leave this Bitter Water Town, this matter will surely reach the higher-ups. Then, not only in Bitter Water Town, but the whole world will know how ignorant, foolish, and insane the people here are! My sister is nothing but an innocent and pitiful woman!"

Zuo Xin's men were already waiting on the side. Zhou Yufei waved his hand, and two men came over, tied the man up with ropes, and took him back to town along with the old man.

Duan Chen and the others boarded the carriage, which traveled at the very back. Zhan Yun, fanning himself with a folding fan, asked gently, "Chen'er, did you suspect that Boss Sheng from the very beginning?"

Duan Chen shook his head slightly, looking somewhat tired: "Like you, I only guessed that it was someone in the inn who did it, without specifically suspecting him. It wasn't until this morning, when the men under Master Zuo mentioned Bitter Water Village, that I connected the dots and thought of 'Sheng Family Inn,' the owner's surname is the same as 'Sheng,' so I guessed it was him."

“He went to the cemetery with the porridge shop owner today, not because he necessarily wanted to kill him.” Seeing Duan Chen nod, Zhan Yun continued his analysis: “He was annoyed that the old man had buried the body and didn’t intend to make a fuss about it. Whether it was murder, heart removal, or chasing him to the cemetery to commit the crime today, it was all just a way to get our attention.”

Beside him, Xiao Changqing swayed his head with the swaying of the carriage, then reached out and patted Zhan Yun on the shoulder: "Not bad! After following Xiao Duan for so many days, Xiao Yunyun, you've made great progress in solving cases!"

Zhan Yun smiled faintly, her crescent-shaped eyes fixed on Duan Chen. Seeing her still pale face and haggard appearance with her eyes half-closed, she couldn't help but furrow her brows. What was wrong with Chen'er? Why...? Then she remembered the faint medicinal smell she had once caught in a cup in Duan Chen's room. Zhan Yun's brows furrowed slightly, and she suddenly recalled a medicinal soup that her mother occasionally drank when she was young... No wonder the smell always seemed so familiar!

Zhao Ting, who was standing next to him, kept staring at him, thinking to himself that he must be exhausted.

Chapter Thirteen: A Wrong Thought, Tears of a Beauty...

You seem to have lost some weight since then...

Seeing that the two men were staring at him without blinking, Zhou Yufei couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead, "What do you mean by 'beauty is a curse'?! Two such dashing young men, and they've turned them into fools!"

Xiao Changqing kicked him directly, raising his delicate eyebrows: "What are you sighing for? Can't you see that Xiao Duan is resting? Go catch the carriage!"

The group returned to the inn, where Elder Liu and the others had been waiting for some time. They were shocked to see Boss Sheng brought back bound and, after hearing the general situation from Zuo Xin's men, were quite surprised. Zhou Yufei instructed Elder Liu and the others to bury the old woman's body from the porridge shop and said he would take the two men with him on their journey. The group went upstairs to pack their belongings and then came downstairs to bid farewell to the people of Bitter Water Town. Lvmiao and Awen also came to see Duan Chen and the others off.

Seeing Duan Chen's tired face and pale lips, Lü Miao slipped him a small paper packet when no one was looking: "Make yourself a bowl of this when you have a moment. I added two more herbs and some ginseng slices." Touching Duan Chen's cold fingertips, she frowned and lowered her voice, saying, "Avoid cold water these days, eat more hot food, and be careful in general. A woman can't be careless in this regard..."

Duan Chen smiled gratefully and nodded slightly, his phoenix eyes also containing a faint smile: "You've learned a lot from him over the years. That's good, the pharmacy is taken care of, and you have something to do." As he spoke, he took out a slip of paper from his sleeve: "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just go here and find someone with the surname Xiao, and mention my name."

Lu Miao took the note, read it carefully, folded it up, and put it in her sleeve. She then squeezed Duan Chen's hand tightly and said, "Little Duan, take care."

Duan Chen nodded and then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Awen. Once inside the carriage, he saw that the wooden benches on both sides were covered with thick cushions. Xiao Changqing chuckled and sat down next to Duan Chen: "Little Yunyun is so thoughtful, knowing that my back hurts after sitting in the carriage for so long… These cushions are so comfortable!"

Duan Chen glanced at the man sideways and saw him with a faint smile and an ordinary expression, reaching out to lower the curtain. Was he just imagining things? He wondered where the man had found the cushion; it was warm and soft, and quite comfortable to sit on. Duan Chen hadn't slept well all night, and coupled with the exhaustion of the past few days, he felt extremely tired. Now that the case was solved, he felt a little relieved. He half-closed his eyes, lost in thought, and soon fell asleep.

For the sake of Boss Sheng's case, the group took a route through Suzhou Prefecture, bringing Boss Sheng and the porridge shop owner along with the human heart they had previously given to Duan Chen as evidence. They then headed towards Bianjing.

Author's Note: Next update will be this Wednesday at 9 AM.

Another case closed! Say hi, everyone!

Looking at the rapid increase in clicks in the backend and the sparse comments at the front, I felt a pang of sadness about my life.

So incredibly lonely, like snowflakes... (>_<)

Don't you guys know that authors who lack love are prone to calcium deficiency? o(╯□╰)o

67

Chapter One: Flower Moon Pavilion • The Uninvited Guest...

When the group arrived in Bianjing, it was already late. It was late spring, March, and a gentle evening breeze carried an unidentified fragrance, like flowers yet not quite, wafting and swirling in the air. Bianjing was bustling with activity, shoulder to shoulder, and the city was brightly lit, a scene of great liveliness.

Everyone disembarked and walked upon entering the city. Xiao Changqing's eyes widened as he looked around, sniffing the air every now and then, exclaiming repeatedly, "It smells so good!"

Zhou Yufei, who was walking ahead, turned around and smiled when he heard this, saying, "At the beginning of each month, Zhao Ting and I go to 'Huayuelou'. We've been eating pretty poorly these days, so let's go there to have some good food today! It's on me, as a welcome dinner for everyone."

Like Xiao Changqing, Zuo Xin hadn't been to Bianjing for many years and wasn't very familiar with the restaurants and taverns there. Seeing Xiao Changqing's greedy expression, he couldn't help but smile, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Then I'll leave it to Lord Zhou. I'll treat everyone to drinks another day."

Zhan Yun waved his folding fan, his crescent-shaped eyes carrying a hint of mockery: "Master Zuo, there's no need to be so polite. Lord Zhou has just taken office and is riding high on his success, so this drink should be on his behalf."

Zhao Ting also made a rare sarcastic remark: "That's right. It's better for him to spend his money on treating his friends to drinks than on buying cosmetics for his women."

Zhou Yufei glanced at the two of them, both amused and exasperated: "So you two are implying that I'm just a rich fool with too much money to burn?"

Zhao and Zhan remained silent in perfect unison, which infuriated Zhou Yufei so much that he ground his teeth in anger. Xiao Changqing looked around as he walked, while Duan Chen walked quietly, his expression unreadable.

Zuo Xin took out a small bag of silver and handed it to one of his men behind him: "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Find a place to have a good meal. Once you've found an inn, just let me know when someone comes over."

The group followed Zhou Yufei to a three-story restaurant. A row of pale yellow gauze lanterns hung in the porch, and the eaves were decorated with carved patterns resembling the moon. The interior was brightly lit and quite grand, yet there was no noise from the din. Just as they reached the entrance, a middle-aged man with a mustache strode out and bowed to Zhou Yufei, saying, "Oh! Lord Zhou, it's been a long time! Please come in, please come in."

Looking back, he immediately looked terrified and hurriedly bowed to Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun, saying, "I was so mistaken, Your Highness, Young Master Xingzhi." He then bowed to Duan Chen and the other two, saying, "We are all distinguished guests today, please come in!"

Leading everyone towards the stairwell, he turned to the side and said with a smile, "You are all in for a treat today. I have a new chef who has developed several new dishes. Today is the first day, so all the new dishes are only charged at cost price... There is also newly brewed Suihan wine. I know that the three of you enjoy wine, so I specially reserved two jars. There are no more outside."