Song Que asked again: “Do they have any enmity or grudges?”
Father Cheng said: “A-Li is a kind person and has never held grudges against anyone.. We can’t think of any suspicious candidates.”
Cheng Xiaomei suddenly said: “The daughter-in-law of the Zhang family across the street is at odds with my sister-in-law. Whatever my sister-in-law does, she wants to imitate, and she always tries to outdo her in everything, but she can’t surpass my sister-in-law.”
Mother Cheng frowned. After all, the Zhang family was a neighbor. Although the two families often compared themselves against each other, it hadn’t reached the point of enmity. It seemed a bit excessive to bring it up at this time. But for some reason, the words Mother Cheng intended to use to smooth things over lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say it in the end.
Earlier, Xiao Bing had investigated the situation of the family across the street and had quietly reported it to Song Que. The family across the street has been living here for over twenty years and was among the best off in the area. They have two sons. The eldest son worked in the dyeing workshop with Cheng Li. The second son was still young and the Zhang family was funding him to study. Cheng Li was skillful and advanced quickly. He got a little more money every month than Zhang’s eldest son. Don’t underestimate this. The Cheng family was not like the Zhang family who needed to support their younger son’s studies. With this little extra money, their life obviously became prosperous.
The conflict between the two families also arose at this time. The Zhang family felt that it was not enough that their son was being overshadowed by Cheng Li at the dyeing workshop, but now they had to see the Cheng family’s good fortune flaunted in front of them? The Zhang family was unhappy, but it did not rise to the point of a physical confrontation. Instead, they resorted to finding ways to outdo the Cheng family in everyday matters.
The Cheng family was kind, but they weren’t ones to be pushed around. They had some temper. Once or twice was tolerable, but after the Zhang family openly tried to overshadow them four or five times, the Cheng family also began to respond. If you said your daughter-in-law was beautiful, I’d say mine was more beautiful; if you praised your daughter-in-law’s diligence, I’d boast about my daughter-in-law’s knowledge and etiquette. Both families engaged in this subtle competition, from comparing their sons to their daughters-in-law and even to the smallest details, like which elderly lady dressed more brightly. This kind of competition was not the main theme of their life, it permeated every aspect of their interactions.
Song Que asked: “Who does Xiuxiu interact with the most in her daily life?”
Cheng Xiaomei was the one who answered the question. She stayed at home all day and didn’t do as much work as Mother Cheng. She spent the most time with Su Xiuxiu, and the two sisters-in-law had a very good relationship.
“Sister-in-law has a hand injury and can’t do heavy work. She usually stays at home to do embroidery and doesn’t interact much with outsiders. There aren’t many women of her age in the surrounding families, except for the Zhang family across the street. Unfortunately, she likes to go against my sister-in-law. Sister-in-law doesn’t like arguing,she becomes even less inclined to go out after a few encounters.”
The young girl seemed to be determined that this matter was related to the family across the street, showing a clear bias in her words.
Mother Cheng hit her lightly and told her not to talk nonsense, to avoid making things awkward if the family across the street found out. The accident of her son and daughter-in-law made her exhausted. In the past, she was full of fighting spirit against the Zhang family, but now she has no energy and didn’t want to stir up any more trouble at this critical moment. Mother Cheng was not a pushover. She didn’t expect the Zhang family to be good neighbors and sympathize with their difficulties or genuinely mourn for her son and daughter-in-law. She can fully imagine that the other party may sigh lightly and move on, perhaps even feeling a little gloating or adding insult to injury. But Mother Cheng didn’t believe that they would harm Cheng Li and Su Xiuxiu. Rather than wasting energy on them, she hoped that Song Que could find the real murderer.
Cheng Xiaomei had a different perspective from Mother Cheng. She felt that her sister-in-law had always been kind to others and the only person she had issues with was the family across the street. Her brother was even more honest and could even get along with Zhang’s eldest son next door. The problem must lie with the Zhang family’s daughter-in-law.
Song Que did not ignore Cheng Xiaomei’s opinion, but he regarded it more as personal speculation rather than concrete evidence.
Song Que said, “Since Zhang’s eldest son and Cheng Li work together. He may have some understanding of Cheng Li’s situation in the dyeing workshop. I still need to visit the Zhang family.”
Mother Cheng glanced at Cheng Xiaomei and said nothing.
Song Que then left Cheng’s house with his people. He sent two people to the dyeing workshop to find Zhang’s eldest son, while he himself knocked on the door of the Zhang family.
The person who opened the door was the same woman who had just peeked out earlier. She had a lot of wrinkles on her face and looked like she was of the same generation as Aunt Cheng. She was the mother of Zhang’s family.
Seeing it was Song Que, Mother Zhang glanced at the officials behind him and said, “What is the matter, sir? There’s no one in our Zhang family who has committed any crime.”
Song Que said, “I’m here to investigate a murder case.”
Common people didn’t like to see officials. Mother Zhang was a little reluctant to let them in and complained, “Their son and daughter-in-law have died, why are you investigating at our home? Are you suspecting that it was our family who did it? In broad daylight, you can’t just make baseless accusations without any evidence.”
The officer sent by the magistrate of Changlin County beside Song Que stepped forward and said sternly, “Stop talking nonsense, open the door quickly, and cooperate with the official’s investigation.”
The officer drew his sword slightly, producing a harsh scraping sound that startled Mother Zhang. She had no choice but to open the door.
It was obvious that Mother Zhang saw Song Que’s gentle manner, felt emboldened to act unruly and prevent them from entering. Although the officer’s behavior was a bit rude, it had an immediate effect. Song Que watched coldly and made no attempt to intervene.
At this time, only Mother Zhang and her daughter-in-law⎯⎯Madam Chen were at home.
Song Que and his group entered the house with great force. Madam Chen was startled and thought something serious had happened. Mother Zhang pulled her aside and whispered a few words, and only then did she realize why Song Que and his men were there.
Madam Chen was a little displeased but did not voice any complaints. Father Zhang was not at home, so these officials were entertained by Mother Zhang. As a daughter-in-law, Madam Chen had no reason to take the lead, so she stood aside and served tea to the guests..
Madam Chen handed the tea to Song Que, who accepted it and said to Mother Zhang: “Is this your daughter-in-law? We don’t need any special treatment, we just want to ask a few questions. Please have everyone take a seat.”
Mother Zhang wanted to say something, but she was inexplicably silent by Song Que’s gaze. Madam Chen put away the tea tray and sat down next to Mother Zhang.
Song Que said, “When was the last time you saw Cheng Li and Su Xiuxiu?”
Mother Zhang said, “More than a month ago, the day before the Cheng family discovered they were missing. That day, my youngest son didn’t do well in the test at the bookstore, and got upset when he came home. The daughter-in-law across the street had a good temper and went over to comfort him. I went out to buy some groceries, and when I came back, she greeted me, and I went in first. Later, Cheng Li and my son got off work together. The daughter-in-law across the street then went home with her husband.”
Madam Chen said “I saw them on the morning of the day they went missing. Cheng Li and my husband went to work together every day, and I saw the two of them when I sent my husband out. I didn’t see Cheng Li again after that, but I saw Su Xiuxiu once more. It was around noon, close to lunchtime. I thought it was strange so I asked her about it. She said her mother-in-law asked her to fetch something. After that, I didn’t see her again.”
The time that Madam Cen said was basically consistent with what the Cheng family said. Testimonies obtained from the Changlin County Magistrate also proved that someone saw Su Xiuxiu on the way to the riverbank, but no one saw her again after that. In other words, Su Xiuxiu was likely to meet with an accident at the riverbank.
Song Que then asked, “During the period from the morning to the afternoon on the day when Su Xiuxiu and Cheng Li went missing, where were you two and what were you doing? Do you have anyone who can verify your whereabouts?”
Mother Zhang hadn’t reacted, but Madam Cen’s eyes widened. She had an impulsive and irritable disposition, she didn’t change her demeanor just because the person in front of her was an official: “Sir, are you doubting me and my mother-in-law? While it’s true that the Zhang family and the Cheng family don’t get along well, I admit I might not like Su Xiuxiu, but accusing me of killing her is something I cannot accept!”
Song Que remained composed and asked calmly: “Why do you have a conflict with Su Xiuxiu?”
Madam Chen subconsciously glanced at Mother Zhang and pursed her lips.
Song Que ignored Mother Zhang’s presence, and directly asked: “Does it have something to do with your mother-in-law?”
Mother Zhang turned to look at Madam Chen with surprise. Madam Chen’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she finally said bluntly: “She has such a soft personality and speaks in a refined manner, lacking straightforwardness. Although I don’t dislike her, I just can’t get along with her. To make matters worse, she is favored by my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law constantly praises her at home, either praising her outstanding appearance or embroidery skills. When I point out her faults, my mother-in-law tells me to look at myself and asks me to learn from her. I consider myself capable and diligent, with a straightforward personality. Although I am not as good as her in some aspects, I am also better than her in some aspects. But in my mother-in-law’s heart, I am worthless compared to her. How can I feel comfortable? If I say a few words, my brother-in-law and husband will take her side, one will speak up for Su Xiuxiu, and the other will side with my mother-in-law. But no one stands up for me or considers my perspective. I’m frustrated; if they want to like Su Xiuxiu, that’s fine, but does that mean I have to like her too?”
After listening to this, Mother Zhang’s face alternated between red and pale, her mouth opened and closed, and finally she said, “I didn’t know you had such a big opinion about her…”
Madam Chen felt much better after she finished speaking. Seeing Mother Zhang’s reaction like this, she turned to Song Que and said, “Sir, I am not afraid to tell you the truth. It is true that I don’t like to associate with Su Xiuxiu, but that doesn’t mean I would harm her. She has not done anything wrong to me. Not to mention that she’s been pregnant for several months now. Anyone who harms her would be worse than a beast”
Song Que nodded and said, “You are right. Those who commit murder are indeed worse than a beast. But you didn’t answer my question. On the day Su Xiuxiu and Cheng Li went missing, what were the two of you doing?”
Mother Zhang said, “I went to the mountain to collect firewood early that morning. I spent most of the morning there and hurt my back, so I couldn’t come down the mountain. Because I haven’t returned, Gu’er was afraid that something might happen to me and came to pick me up, that’s how I got back home.”
Gu’er was Zhang’s eldest son⎯⎯Zhang Gu.
Madam Chen said, “When Su Xiuxiu left, I was about to start preparing lunch. My father-in-law came back soon after the meal was ready. Later, my mother-in-law and my husband came back. I have been at home the whole time. My mother-in-law can attest to that.”
Song Que said, “How much firewood did your mother and husband bring when they came back?”
Madam Chen was stunned for a moment. She tried hard to recall the situation of that day, but she still couldn’t remember it. When she was about to shake her head, Mother Zhang said, “I hurt my back at that time and dropped all the firewood. When Gu’er came and saw that I was injured, how could he care about the firewood? In the end, we went back empty-handed.”
Song Que glanced at Mother Zhang. He noticed that her previous response had been overly detailed, and now she seemed flustered and disorganized. The mention of Zhang Gu in her words also piqued his interest.
“Where did you pick up firewood? How far is it from the shore where you do the laundry?”
Before Mother Zhang had time to speak, Madam Chen said quickly, “It’s on the nearby mountain, very close by.”
Mother Zhang’s hand suddenly clenched into a fist. Song Que saw this detail and grew even colder in his demeanor.
Xiao Bing, who was guarding the door outside, suddenly ran in and said, “Sir, Zhang Gu has been brought back.”
