Chapter 90

Tang Jixue insisted on joining in the fun, so Tang Qingqing brought him along.

When Tang Qingqing arrived at the Public Security Bureau, she saw Shi Pengfei eating steamed buns while discussing the case with someone in his office.

Seeing Tang Qingqing, he quickly finished the half bun left in his hand and wiped his mouth before walking over to her.

"How's it going? Any discoveries?"

Tang Qingqing shook her head. "I want to visit the crime scene."

"Alright, I'll brief my team, and we'll head there shortly."

This was Tang Jixue's first time at the Public Security Bureau, and his biggest impression was how busy everyone was.

It was already past one o'clock, yet many people were still eating their meals while reviewing files or discussing the case. No one was idle.

Shi Pengfei rode a bicycle with Tang Qingqing and Tang Jixue. Tang Jixue carried Tang Qingqing, while Shi Pengfei rode his own.

On the way, Shi Pengfei discussed the case with Tang Qingqing. The victim was a section chief at the district tax bureau. With such a major incident, everyone suspected possible corruption.

Shi Pengfei refuted this idea: "After our investigation during this period, we found no evidence of corruption through misuse of his position. He was a steady and reserved person who took his work seriously. We found no grudges against him or conflicts at work."

"I heard he had issues with his personal life?" Tang Jixue said.

Tang Jixue often heard discussions about the case outside. It was a sensation in Yang City, with everyone speculating about the killer.

The entire family was killed, indicating a deep-seated grudge, not just theft.

Zhang Xingli had been divorced once; his current wife was his second. The divorce was reportedly tumultuous.

Before divorcing his first wife, Zhang Xingli met his current wife.

His current wife was a young maid in their household, and they had an affair.

Zhang Xingli came from a wealthy background. As the youngest child, his elder siblings and parents were all public servants. Despite his personal issues, his career remained unaffected.

Many believed he might have been targeted for revenge due to these issues.

"When Zhang Xingli divorced his first wife, it was indeed unpleasant, but it was because his first wife couldn't bear children due to health issues," Shi Pengfei explained.

"Based on our interviews, Zhang Xingli did not cheat during his marriage. The divorce was relatively amicable. However, his first wife had a fiery temper, and they often argued."

Zhang Xingli's first wife came from a similar background and was a capable woman with her own temper. They had different views on life. Zhang Xingli believed women should prioritize family, while his first wife wanted to pursue her career, leading to frequent arguments.

Their divorce was partly due to these differences. If their life together could have continued, they wouldn't have separated.

Divorce was rare, and organizations generally encouraged reconciliation. Severe cases could affect future prospects.

Zhang Xingli's current wife, another victim named Zhao Lifen, was indeed a maid, but for his parents' household.

Zhao Lifen came from a rural area. Zhang Xingli's parents were elderly and needed care, so they hired her.

Zhao Lifen was smart, diligent, and attentive, earning the family's affection.

After Zhang Xingli's divorce, he frequently visited his parents, eventually developing feelings for Zhao Lifen.

His ex-wife is now happily remarried and doing well, with no contact with Zhang Xingli for years, leaving no reason for revenge.

There were rumors about Zhang Xingli having mistresses, but they were false.

He had no issues with his personal life, except for the divorce.

Due to Zhang Xingli's special status, extensive resources and time were spent investigating, but no suspicious leads were found.

Tang Qingqing asked, "What about his wife, Zhao Lifen?"

"Zhao Lifen is from a rural area and is very kind-hearted, without any enemies. She has a sister who also moved to the city. They are close, and Zhao Lifen lent money to her sister, Zhao Lixiang, to open a small store."

Zhao Lixiang was the first to discover the tragedy. She often visited her sister.

One day, Zhao Lixiang knocked on the door as usual, but received no response. Thinking her sister had gone out, she left.

Later that afternoon, she tried again and still got no answer, sensing something was wrong.

Zhao Lixiang went to Zhang Xingli's parents' house to get the key. Their house was nearby, originally allocated to them but exchanged with Zhang Xingli due to convenience.

Zhao Lixiang used the key to enter and found her sister's family lying in pools of blood, immediately calling the police.

Tang Qingqing frowned. "If neither victim had enemies, why would the attack be so brutal?"

The house was indeed ransacked, with valuables missing.

If it was only for money, even if discovered, normally killing two adults would suffice. The three children upstairs wouldn't hear anything, making it unnecessary to kill them too.

Unless the killer was extremely deranged, enjoying murder.

Such individuals usually have a criminal record.

If it was a random act by a stranger, unrelated to the victims, it would be the hardest to solve.

With current technology, if the killer fled, they would be hard to catch.

They arrived at the crime scene, where the small house was cordoned off. Many passersby avoided the area.

Those who were timid didn't dare to take another look, always feeling an eerie atmosphere here.

With the case unsolved, the nearby residents were in great panic, fearing that the brutal perpetrator might return and wreak havoc on other families.

Even during the day, this place was eerily quiet.

The closer Tang Jixue got, the more he felt the chill, and opening the door sent a cold breeze down his spine.

But seeing Tang Qingqing's calm demeanor, he dared not show any fear, lest he appear useless.

Shi Pengfei handed out shoe covers and gloves to both of them before they entered.

The city's investigative procedures were clearly more rigorous than those at the commune, paying close attention to such details.

When Tang Qingqing was in the countryside, the initial crime scene had been compromised by the crowd and some police officers lacked the awareness to protect it.

Only after Tang Qingqing gained fame and pointed out that their careless entry would increase the difficulty of her investigation did things gradually change.

Tang Qingqing kept her eyes on the ground, observing the traces, "After Zhao Lixiang discovered the murder, did anyone rush into the house?"

Shi Pengfei: "No, the young people were all at work, and only the elderly and children were home, none of whom dared to enter. When we came in, we also wore shoe covers."

Tang Qingqing nodded, occasionally squatting down to examine the area.

After a while, she headed upstairs, and as soon as she reached the stairwell, she smelled a strong scent of blood.

Entering the room, although the bodies were gone, the scene still revealed how gruesome it had been.

Tang Qingqing took a full circle, then proceeded to the third floor, her steps noticeably heavier.

The bloodstains on the bedding stung her eyes, overlapping with the photos she had seen, as if she could still see the three children lying there.

Suppressing her emotions, Tang Qingqing meticulously examined the scene.

"The perpetrator was very calm, killing five people and still managing to clean up the scene calmly," Shi Pengfei said with a frown.

Such a person still at large posed a significant danger.

Tang Qingqing remained silent, taking a candy from her pocket, unwrapping it and putting it in her mouth, her focus entirely on the ground.

Tang Jixue several times wanted to ask what she was looking at, but Tang Qingqing seemed completely oblivious, ignoring him.

After a while, Tang Qingqing stated confidently, "The perpetrator did not enter or leave through the window."

If it had been through the window, there would have been signs.

Although the iron bars on the first floor were pried open, there were no scratches, which was impossible.

Especially since the opening was not large enough to leave no trace.

Shi Pengfei: "However, upon inspection, there were no signs of forced entry on the main door."

"Who else had keys to the house?"

"Besides the deceased couple, only Zhang Xingli's parents had a key. They rarely used it, keeping it in a drawer. When they visited, they knocked rather than using the key."

The elderly couple did not interfere with their son's family life; even though they had a key, they did not treat the place as their own, coming and going as they pleased.

During the investigation, no one reported losing a key, as they always carried it with them.

The children in the family were quite mischievous, and with Zhao Lifen always around, the couple never gave the keys to the children.

Tang Qingqing pursed her lips, surveying the surroundings:

"Did this family clean the house every day? At what time?"

"Zhao Lifen was very diligent, cleaning twice daily. Once after lunch and again after dinner."

"On the night before the incident, did anyone visit Zhao Lifen's family after dinner?"

Shi Pengfei confirmed, "No, there were no visitors that night."

"What about Zhao Lixiang, did she come over?"

Shi Pengfei raised an eyebrow, "She didn't come either. Is there something wrong with her?"

Tang Qingqing looked at him, "Did you suspect her?"

"At first, we didn't suspect her. Zhao Lixiang's husband died five years ago, leaving her with two children. Her brother-in-law expelled them from their home, taking everything."

"Zhao Lifen, seeing her sister homeless, brought her to the city and arranged for her to be a caretaker for her in-laws, alleviating her immediate difficulties. After the reforms, she set up a small shop for her sister to manage."

From interviews, it was clear that the sisters had a good relationship, and Zhao Lixiang had no motive to kill.

According to the forensic examination, the perpetrator was an adult male, while Zhao Lifen was a woman of shorter stature, not matching the perpetrator's profile.

Thus, Zhao Lixiang was excluded from suspicion from the start.

However, Zhao Lixiang's subsequent behavior raised Shi Pengfei's suspicions.

"Zhao Lixiang was overly emotional."

Tang Jixue was puzzled, "Isn't it normal to be emotional when your beloved sister is killed? I'd be lucky not to go mad myself."

Shi Pengfei shook his head, "It's different. She threatened that until the case was solved, her sister and brother-in-law's bodies would not be buried, so they wouldn't die in vain."

Tang Jixue still didn't see anything amiss, "So... what's wrong with that?"

Shi Pengfei merely shook his head without further explanation.

After being a detective for so long, one has seen all kinds of people and thus becomes more sensitive than the average person.

Zhao Lixiang was extremely emotional, even attempting to crash through a wall to follow her sister's family, crying and wailing in great distress.

At first, Shi Pengfei believed she was simply overwhelmed with grief because her sister had helped her so much, and seeing her family brutally murdered would naturally cause her to break down.

However, after observing her behavior, he grew suspicious.

Tang Qingqing said, "Tell me specifically about Zhao Lixiang's actions from the moment she saw her sister and brother-in-law dead until she called the police. Where did she go and where did she walk?"

Shi Pengfei led Tang Qingqing through the scene. "Zhao Lixiang saw no movement on the first floor, so she went straight to the second floor. Upon seeing her sister's family murdered, she collapsed to the ground, then after a while, crawled up and ran out to call the police."

Tang Qingqing examined the area back and forth, occasionally lying on the ground and looking around from different angles.

"Something is not right."

"What's not right?"

"She entered the bathroom."

Shi Pengfei's expression turned serious. "Are you sure?"

"Is Zhao Lixiang about 156 centimeters tall, around thirty years old, and slim?"

"Yes!"

"Then there's no mistake. Come here and look from the angle I was at; you can see footprints left here." Tang Qingqing pointed to the spot where she had been lying.

The floor of this house was made of polished water-resistant stone, very smooth. Zhao Lifen, who loved cleanliness, swept and mopped it daily, making it reflective.

Shi Pengfei mimicked Tang Qingqing's earlier action, lying on the ground and looking obliquely, indeed seeing faint shoe prints under the light.

If viewed from an incorrect angle, these prints would be hard to spot.

Shi Pengfei was impressed. "Your eyesight is incredible!"

Tang Jixue was confused. "What does this prove? Maybe she was too scared and forgot to mention it?"

"In that situation, how could she have the leisure to wander around?"

"That's true."

Tang Qingqing added, "But that's not the point. According to the footprints, she entered the bathroom and used a mop to clean the floor."

Tang Jixue's eyes widened. "What was she trying to do!?"

"With so much blood at the scene, the murderer must have left some traces. He definitely left footprints when leaving, but they were cleaned up."

Shi Pengfei's eyes lit up. "She really does have issues!"

Tang Jixue was incredulous. "That can't be. Her sister treated her so well. If not for her sister, she wouldn't even be in the city. Why would she do this!?"

Shi Pengfei couldn't sit still anymore; this was a crucial clue.

Once Zhao Lixiang's involvement was confirmed, they could start investigating from this angle.

"Tang Qingqing, you've really helped us a lot!"

"I hope it aids your investigation. Unfortunately, we didn't find the murderer's shoe prints, which could have provided more clues."

"This is already a major discovery!"

Forensic experts had previously collected fingerprints from the mop, finding only those of Zhao Lixiang and her sister, not the murderer's.

Zhao Lixiang often came over to help her sister, so this wasn't unusual.

At the time, everyone assumed the murderer wore gloves to avoid detection.

On their way back, Shi Pengfei ignored Tang Qingqing and Tang Jixue, riding his bicycle away as if in a hurry.

Tang Jixue watched Shi Pengfei's retreating figure and sighed. "He doesn't earn much, yet works harder than anyone."

"The sense of accomplishment from work cannot be replaced by money."

"Do you really want to pursue this line of work? Is it worth being so busy every day?"

Tang Qingqing tilted her head, thinking carefully.

"I don't know if it's worth it, but I like this kind of work."

"Aren't girls supposed to care about looking pretty? Our family is capable; why put yourself through such hardship?"

"You could also avoid working so hard. Our parents could pave the way for you. Why don't you take that path?"

Tang Jixue laughed. "It seems we're the only ones in this family who agree on this topic."

Tang Qingqing raised an eyebrow at him. "Not quite."

She had heard that Tang Zhenzhen supported him in doing business.

Tang Jixue knew what she was thinking and said, "Zhenzhen might think it's embarrassing if she knew I planned to sell socks on the street."

"You're going to sell socks? Didn't you already outsource hair tie production?"

"That won't bring in much profit, and it makes me feel like a capitalist. Besides, those people are my acquaintances; I can't exploit them too much. It's not worth it."

Others couldn't manage these things, but Tang Jixue could, so charging a fee was reasonable, though the earnings were still limited.

He needed to do business himself to avoid being caught in a bind.

"Do you really plan to sell socks yourself?" Tang Qingqing looked him up and down.

Selling such things would definitely be laughed at by others.

"What kind of look is that? Do you think I can't handle it? It's just selling socks; what's so special about that?"

"I'm worried your parents will beat you to death."

As the son of the Machinery Plant's director, he clearly had a good job but chose instead to hawk socks from street to street.

Tang Qingqing could already imagine the scene when this news reached Tang Jianguo and Su Rong.

Using her connections to get hair accessories for the returned educated youth to sell was one thing—though not particularly impressive, it still showed a spirit of mutual help.

But if Tang Jixue himself went out to sell socks, that would be a completely different matter.

"So I plan to sell them in another district! You can't tell anyone at home, not a soul."

Tang Jixue didn't want to challenge his parents' limits and decided to try developing outside first.

"Why would I tell anyone? But secrets don't stay hidden forever; you need to prepare for the storm."

Tang Jixue shook his hair. "I'm such an excellent talent, yet I'm going to hawk socks on the streets. What else is there to fear!"

On the day Tang Qingqing registered for school, there was progress in the theft case.

When she went to the Public Security Bureau, Shi Pengfei led the applause for her.

"Comrade Tang Qingqing, thanks to your discovery!"

The suspect, Zhang Yaoguang, actually had a twin brother! Who would have thought such a thing possible?

When the twins were born, the younger brother came out too late and suffered severe asphyxiation, leaving him in critical condition.

Zhang Yaoguang's parents couldn't afford treatment and abandoned him at the hospital.

Unexpectedly, the hospital saved him, and he was adopted by a childless couple.

Before Zhang Yaoguang's parents passed away, they mentioned he had a brother, though they didn't know if he was alive or dead.

Zhang Yaoguang investigated based on the information his parents provided and found his identical twin.

Shi Pengfei said, "Not long after being adopted, Zhang Yaoguang's brother had his own child. His situation worsened, and his adoptive parents treated him poorly, often beating him. Thus, he had no affection for them and started working with Zhang Yaoguang."

"Zhang Yaoguang, who had always been a thief, came up with this scheme. If the brother stole something, the twin would deliberately show up elsewhere to provide an alibi. If the twin stole something, the brother would appear in public."

Tang Qingqing glanced at Zhang Yaoguang's brother, confirming the shoe prints matched.

"These two tricked us! Thankfully, you spotted it."

This case was challenging to investigate without Tang Qingqing's certainty.

More than this case, Tang Qingqing was concerned about another one.

"How is the family massacre case progressing?"

"The culprit confessed. Zhao Lixiang did indeed clean up the crime scene. At first, she denied everything, but once we caught the murderer, she admitted it."

Hearing this, Tang Qingqing felt a heavy weight in her heart. "Who is the murderer?"

"It's Zhao Lixiang's daughter's boyfriend."

After confirming Zhao Lixiang's involvement, they further investigated her social connections and discovered the issue.

Zhao Lixiang's eldest daughter was sixteen, having dropped out after primary school to help at home. She had a boyfriend in the city.

The boyfriend was local but from a poor family and somewhat simple-minded.

He often helped the mother and daughter at their store, but Zhao Lixiang disliked him and tried to break them up, believing her daughter could do better.

However, her daughter was determined to be with him, leading to arguments between them.

Tang Qingqing frowned deeply.

"At first, the murderer tried to take all the blame, but Zhao Lixiang's daughter couldn't withstand the interrogation and confessed that Zhao Lixiang planned everything. She said they wouldn't be allowed to be together unless they did it this way."

"Zhao Lixiang is still stubborn, only admitting she recognized the footprints and cleared the evidence to avoid involving more people, thinking her sister's family was already dead."

Tang Qingqing was incredulous. "Why? Weren't they close? Why would she kill her sister's family?"

"The investigation is ongoing, but based on current information, their relationship might not have been as good as rumored. Zhao Lifen's son often bullied Zhao Lixiang's youngest son, especially the eldest, who was very mischievous. He was a bully at school, and teachers frequently reported this to Zhang Xingli and Zhao Lifen, who ignored it. When he got hurt retaliating against someone he had beaten, Zhao Lifen would scold the other child and their parents harshly.

The eldest son also severely bullied his cousin, making him do his homework and sometimes tormenting him for fun. Some children even heard Zhao Lifen's eldest son call Zhao Lixiang's youngest son a parasite, saying they would have died without their family's support, so he must obey him."

Children's attitudes often reflect those of their parents.

If the sisters were so close, their children shouldn't have spoken or acted so cruelly.

Even if they did, given the families' relationship, they should have communicated and addressed the issues promptly.

Unfortunately, it only escalated.