LWGP - Chapter 41
Chapter 41: The Story
The others were shocked, feeling that something wasn't right, a little uneasy.
But Wang Jiu was as steady as Mount Tai, saying somewhat helplessly, "The Old Lady also has a doctorate in botany. It's an obscure hobby; she loves running off into the mountains."
Jiang Qiu said, "Is that so? But we also found that the Old Lady once intervened in the matter of Zhou Shanren's adopted daughter's custody. It's just that she was in the capital at the time. By the time she inquired, the girl had already agreed to be adopted by Zhou Shanren. She was very disappointed but couldn't change the adoption procedures. She only entrusted the relevant officials to carefully confirm Zhou Shanren's affairs, to make sure he was a trustworthy person. Nearly a year after that girl went missing, having just returned from a business trip abroad, she learned of the matter through various channels. She specifically pushed aside her tedious work to return to Lin City. A month later, she brought back a girl of a similar age and established a foster relationship. That girl was even given a new name."
Unlike the restless discussions of the others, Wang Jiu was quieter than a pool of stagnant water. She simply said, "Telling me a story?"
That tone was soft, with a hint of complaint.
Jiang Qiu said, "If Ms. Wang wants to hear a story, I can also tell this girl's story. The girl originally took her mother's surname, Zhou, but had no given name because her father was unknown. Actually, her mother, Zhou Miao, originally had a husband, but that husband died after a serious illness. His family wouldn't acknowledge the child as his because Zhou Miao was already pregnant before they married. Furthermore, because Zhou Miao had complicated social relationships and was involved with many men in the village, people both inside and outside the village, including many from the towns, knew about this. So, many people in the village called the girl Zhou Xiaochu. Because of this humiliating name, the girl was ostracized from a young age, which created a very gloomy and strange personality. When she was old enough to go to school in town, her classmates even called her a little monster. We asked the teachers at her elementary school at the time, and they all described the girl as having a strange and cruel temperament. Once, a dog at the school gate was run over by a passing vehicle and crushed into a pulp. Many adults and children were terrified at the time, and the children all cried. Only this Zhou Xiaochu showed no reaction at all. She even stood curiously by the dog's bloody, mangled corpse and watched for a long time. Many parents felt she was very dangerous and requested the school to expel her. At that time, only one person of some status spoke up for her, and in the end, the school did not expel her. That person was Professor Lin Zi, who happened to be at the school and witnessed everything."
Wang Jiu's fingers stroked her eyelid. "This girl is indeed very dangerous. The parents' reaction was understandable. The Old Lady might have been a bit excessive."
Jiang Qiu said, "But it's undeniable that Professor Lin Zi was excessively good to this girl. Fearing she would be ostracized at her original school, she used her connections to transfer her to the elementary school in the next town. She also gave her mother, Zhou Miao, a large sum of money, hoping Zhou Miao would leave that village and live in the town."
Wang Jiu said, "The Old Lady has always been a good person. But why are you telling me all this?"
Jiang Qiu asked, "Then, does Ms. Wang believe this good person would murder Zhou Shanren for the sake of this girl?"
The scene suddenly fell deathly silent.
Li Ting noticed Wang Jiu's expression freeze. It seemed to hold for a long time before she slowly asked Jiang Qiu, "What's the logic in that?"
Jiang Qiu said, "There is none. So I need to ask Ms. Wang another question—before you changed your name to Wang Jiu, were you called Zhou Xiaochu?"
"If you are, then, does the pink hairpin, something only a little girl would use, belong to you?"
If it weren't for the earlier scene in the restaurant, Xiao Jue and the others would have definitely thought this Jiang Qiu was talking nonsense. But with the previous, worldview-shattering collapse of Wang Jiu's persona, at this moment, Xiao Jue and Yan Yanting in particular subconsciously thought… what Jiang Qiu said was probably all true.
So, Wang Jiu wasn't just Wang Jiu.
She was also Zhou Xiaochu.
Her past… was it really like this?
"If I say yes, what are you going to ask me next?" Wang Jiu asked with a sudden smile.
Jiang Qiu said, "Thank you for your honesty, Ms. Wang. Then, one last question—why were Professor Lin Zi's ID card and your hairpin found in the pit with Zhou Shanren's body? Furthermore, we've investigated that while wolves do have a habit of digging pits to bury food they can't finish, that pit doesn't match the digging habits of a wild wolf. Its scope is too large, and the burial method doesn't fit. Instead, it looks like the work of a human, and a human using a tool like a shovel at that."
Wang Jiu leaned back against her chair, seeming to think it over seriously. "You suspect someone murdered Zhou Shanren, and then killed and buried the body?"
Jiang Qiu said, "Currently, all the evidence points to this. I wonder what Ms. Wang's thoughts and suspicions are on this matter. After all, he was your adoptive father."
Wang Jiu frowned, as if finding it difficult to speak. "That… would surely require the ability of an adult, right?"
The implication was clear.
Jiang Qiu asked, "You mean?"
Wang Jiu said, "The Old Lady, she… she meant well back then. She didn't do it on purpose."
Her meaning was very clear. The crowd was dumbfounded, staring at her in utter disbelief.
"You're full of shit!!" Several people stood up, such as Chen Xiujuan and other bigwigs from the medical community, as well as old friends who had known Lin Zi for decades. All of them were furious, either questioning her.
"Ah Jiu, have you lost your mind?"
"Ah Jiu, speak clearly. Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Trouble, my ass! I knew you were an ungrateful white-eyed wolf!"
"You!"
"Wang Jiu! You've disappointed me so much!"
"How could you do this!"
This group of people had all watched Wang Jiu grow up, or were Lin Zi's students or people who had received her kindness. They were different from the Song and Lin families. For the most part, they could only support Lin Zi's choice. Later, when they saw the fifteen-year-old Wang Jiu who had arrived in the capital, they were all puzzled as to what those two families were dissatisfied with. A girl like her was practically the template for the daughter every parent dreamed of.
Over the years, they had been Wang Jiu's most foundational network.
Some were even Wang Jiu's teachers during her studies and medical career. Although it was the result of Wang Jiu's talent and hard work, the promotion from these people was also no small help.
This was why medical students like Zhang Dongcheng envied and were extremely jealous of Wang Jiu.
And for these bigwigs, Wang Jiu was not just the child raised by a friend, but someone they had collectively nurtured and supported.
So when they had just heard about the restaurant incident from some people, they still didn't believe it. They thought it was all Yan Yanting's fault, that he must have been slandering Wang Jiu.
The Dean, Zhang Kaiwen, had even gotten into a heated argument with several people.
But now?
Zhang Kaiwen was dumbfounded, but he didn't just blindly accuse her, because he had personally seen what Wang Jiu was like coming out of the dungeon. He trusted his own judgment more.
There must be something wrong here!
But the crowd was furious. They felt that, from the current look of things, the Song and Lin families must have investigated back then and concluded that her complex childhood environment had already shaped her vile and cruel nature, which was why they didn't approve of the Old Lady raising Wang Jiu.
The Old Lady… she saw Wang Jiu as her own life, ah! How good she was to her!
And Wang Jiu actually, actually repaid her like this!!
Amidst the public outrage, Wang Jiu was indifferent, just like when Yang Dong and the others had humiliated her. She had no reaction.
Now, she still had no reaction.
Jiang Qiu, however, sneered and suddenly raised his voice, "Wang Jiu, you're lying!"
"You were the one who killed Zhou Shanren!"
The entire place was shocked.
Although Chen Xiujuan and the others had angrily accused Wang Jiu of being ungrateful, they had never considered this possibility.
This Jiang Qiu must be dreaming.
Wang Jiu was surprised, her face showing innocence. "I didn't mishear, did I, Captain Jiang? You're saying I killed Zhou Shanren? At that time… I think I was only seven years old."
Jiang Qiu said, "Let me tell you another story. A year and a half ago, a young woman went up Miao Mountain. Because of the strange incident 22 years ago where the entire Miao Village disappeared, Miao Mountain was rumored to be haunted by mountain ghosts, so none of the locals were willing to go there. If it weren't for some fearless internet celebrity who went up there for thrills some time ago, no one would have visited it later. But a year and a half ago, it was still a deserted and uninhabited place. Footprints were left around Zhou Shanren's body. Of course, not left by the murderer 22 years ago when he was killed—after all, it's been too long. They were from over a year ago, when a young woman carried a bag of oranges and a small bag of rice up the mountain. What did this woman go up the mountain to do? She ate the oranges at the burial site of Zhou Shanren's bones and then scattered the rice into the burial mound. Why would she do that? Because there's a local custom that rice can drive away evil and suppress the resentment of departed souls. Usually, if a local dies a violent death, their family will scatter some rice in the coffin. But for someone killed and buried in the wild, who would scatter rice? However, eating oranges was purely a personal preference. She probably didn't expect that the seeds from the oranges she ate would grow into an orange tree by the side of the pit. And the age of this orange tree is a year and a half. Perhaps Professor Lin Zi also didn't expect the child she raised to do such a thing. Was she there to suppress evil for her? Or for herself? But 22 years later, this child pushes all the blame onto her. Tell me, isn't she pitiful?"
Everyone's gaze on Wang Jiu was fixed.
It was like looking at a terrifying demon, or a monster still wearing human skin, refusing to admit it was a demon.
Wang Jiu lowered her eyes, as quiet as a flower that blooms on its own without the wind.
Yes, many people had repeatedly thought she was a fragile flower, including Xiao Jue.
To this day, he still felt she was a flower.
The flower that had made him feel pity and cherish her six years ago.
Now, this flower could eat people. Or, had she already eaten someone?
In the quiet, in the dead silence.
Yan Yanting, whose expression had gone from dawning realization to sadness, and then to resolve, seemed to have thought of something. He looked thoughtful, yet hesitant to speak.
A year and a half ago? Wasn't that… wasn't that when I sent people to investigate? Is this related too? With a mind as meticulous as hers, how could she have left such a flaw?
But Wang Jiu let out a low laugh, raised her face, and with a subtle smile on her face, she sighed a long sigh, "Alright, since it's come to this, I won't deny it anymore. I did indeed kill Zhou Shanren. However, Captain Jiang, your professional skills aren't very good."
Jiang Qiu scoffed, "Oh? I'm all ears."
Wang Jiu rested her cheek on one hand. "While you can't explain how I, at seven years old, could have made Zhou Shanren die by the mouths of wild wolves—after all, you couldn't find any other cause of his death, right?—you still have to find my motive for the murder, you know."
Jiang Qiu was taken aback and fell silent for a moment.
He hadn't found one yet.
Wang Jiu said, "You have time to get the rice mixed with soil and that orange tree tested, but no time to check the house at the foot of the mountain where Zhou Shanren lived? Actually, that house wasn't exactly bought by him, because it was already his. Just like a person has two sides, the Zhou Shanren, true to his name, lived in town, while his other side lived in that house. Know why I'm aware of this? You should think about it. If it was his house in town, how could a little child like me run five kilometers at night to Miao Mountain? Because at that time, I was taken by him to that little house at the foot of the mountain. And then, since you know about my childhood environment and that my classmates and teachers described my personality as strange—which isn't false at all—but they probably also don't want to admit that my IQ is much higher than theirs. When I was brought to that house by Zhou Shanren, I smelled a disgusting odor—it was the smell of a corpse, and a very fresh one."
A faint gasp could be heard from Jiang Qiu's side, along with the shocked discussions of many people here.
Wang Jiu said, "Scared? Or did you send people to investigate? You'll find out anyway. Or, did you deliberately not investigate? Fine, then how about I give you a few more details—that day, I was taken by him to that little house at the foot of the mountain. It was already evening, and there was no food in the house. He went back to the village to find food and locked me in the house. So I slipped into his bedroom and carefully searched… you guess what I found."
Everyone was staring at her.
Wang Jiu, however, smiled. "I found a pair of underwear under his pillow."
Holy shit?
That's it?
The crowd's first reaction was bewilderment, but they soon felt it was even more terrifying.
Wang Jiu rested her cheek on her hand, her eyes gentle. "A little girl's small pink panties, with dried blood on them. He had hidden it under his pillow."
"Know what I felt at that moment? Hmm, it was just like what's carved on your faces right now—Holy shit."
"Just those two words."
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