How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 420 - 422: Conservative_1

Li Qiao smiled, "Just looking at some files, what could I possibly think of? I’m just asking." She continued to flip through the photos, each capturing the various post-mortem positions of the victims.

Cheng Bingjiu died at the doorstep.

The murderer must have started as soon as he entered the door.

Leading to the victim being completely unprepared.

Cheng Bingjiu’s wife seemed to have resisted.

One daughter was hacked to death at the entrance of the room, another on the bed in the bedroom.

The baby was in the cradle.

After looking through them, Li Qiao felt extremely uneasy. "You say the offender is a repeat criminal, but why enter the house to commit the crime? The girl in the room was obviously sleeping, and the baby had no power to resist the killer, so why harm the child? I think it’s the work of a personal enemy."

"Everyone around them says they had no enemies."

"Cheng Bingjiu’s parents also said they never made enemies in their lifetime."

"The couple was loving, it is said the husband often fed the wife, and despite being an old couple, they still held hands when going out. Their two daughters were filial and sensible, and also did well in school. A very harmonious family."

A thought flashed in Li Qiao’s mind, and she caught on to a key point: "My partner and I are pretty loving too, but we only hold hands where others can’t see us. My partner also likes to give me gifts, everything I wear and carry is bought by him, but he’s never fed me before. Do any of you married folks feed your spouse? Hold hands in public?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

Mao Yawen said awkwardly, "Who would have the nerve?"

Everyone seemed to shy away from this topic.

"It really is embarrassing to hold hands in public, but if the relationship is good, you should feed each other, right? What does this case have to do with feeding and holding hands?"

Li Qiao: "Well... I suspect the man had an affair, and the woman knew about it. If he fed the woman and held hands, it was either for show to the one he was having an affair with, or the man felt guilty and acted out of remorse for his wife. I can’t think of any other reason. If you don’t believe me, go home and try feeding your spouse. They’ll definitely think you’re doing something guilty on the side, and if they’re hot-tempered, they might even hit you, insisting to know if you’ve got someone else."

Everyone decided to try it out when they got home.

If they could confirm Cheng Bingjiu had an affair, the case might make a breakthrough.

...

The following day was the weekend.

When Li Qiao came back to the CID, she saw that two male colleagues had red marks on their faces.

Like scratches from a woman’s nails.

Upon asking, they said they got pinched by their ladies after trying to feed them at home.

Other colleagues who were uninjured also said they almost had a fight with their partners over the feeding issue.

Everyone started to review the files again.

Discussing the case.

In the end, they unanimously turned their attention to a former female shop clerk, Cai Minyan.

With a new direction in the investigation, Li Qiao hadn’t visited the CID again.

Since Qin Mian was away on a business trip on Monday, and she had to take care of the child at night.

Her sleep being interrupted at night, she needed a nap during the day; on Thursday, she was resting in the dormitory when she was woken up by knocking on the door. Opening it, she found Mao Yawen waiting outside.

Li Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "How did you find this place?"

"I asked your teacher, ah."

Li Qiao: "Come in quickly, it’s so cold outside."

Mao Yawen entered, and as Li Qiao yawned and was about to pour her water.

"Don’t stand on ceremony with me," Mao Yawen said. "I came to tell you, the case is cracked. It really was that shop clerk, Cai Minyan."

Li Qiao: "How could she be so cruel, not sparing even the children?"

Mao Yawen: "She’s also a pitiful person, ah, I don’t even want to tell you, but since you were involved in the case, you need to know the details."

Then, Li Qiao heard something she really didn’t want to hear.

Cai Minyan was born, and her grandmother and father died one after another within a month.

The Cai family deemed her ominous, believing that keeping her would bring misfortune to the family, so they abandoned her.

Mrs. Cai couldn’t bear it, moved back, and left the Cai household with Cai Minyan.

To support her child, Mrs. Cai remarried.

But the stepfather, living not far from Cai Minyan’s family, knew she brought bad luck and treated her very poorly.

He often beat and kicked her under the pretext of discipline.

When she was eighteen, Mrs. Cai also passed away.

The stepfather planned to marry her off in exchange for a dowry.

After she ran away, she ended up at Cheng Bingjiu’s little restaurant, and Cheng Bingjiu took her in.

She thought he was kind-hearted.

But it wasn’t long before Cheng Bingjiu took advantage of her.

His wife soon found out. Out of hatred and to her teeth, she forced Cai Minyan to sell herself for her benefit. With nowhere else to go, Cai Minyan endured it, and eventually became pregnant, giving birth to Cai.

It was a son.

But Cheng Bingjiu claimed the child was stillborn and had been discarded long ago.

Later, she found out her child had been sold by Cheng Bingjiu’s wife.

Cai couldn’t withstand the blows any longer and took up the butcher’s knife.

After hearing everything, Li Qiao felt deeply unsettled for a long time, "So there were so many reasons behind it all. My original intent was to seek justice for the deceased, but now it seems, time and again, it’s about bringing the unfortunate to justice."

Although Cai Minyan’s methods were wrong, Cheng Bingjiu and his wife certainly had it coming to them.

The child is the one to pity.

But then again, Cai Minyan’s child is just as pitiable.

Mao Yawen: "Our responsibility is to investigate the case; there are others to pass judgment. By the way, our director has asked me to formally invite you for a tour of our archives. Interested?"

Li Qiao declined, "I need to take care of a child these days, I don’t have the time."

"Take care of a child? Whose?"

"My own," Li Qiao said.

Mao Yawen looked her up and down, noticing her loose pajamas and slender figure accentuated in just the right places. Doubting, "You have a child? You must be kidding! Is it because of these cases? Let me tell you, the cases in the archives are different. Those have suspects, but no evidence to arrest them. You’re invited to assist us in finding proof."

Li Qiao: "I really do have a child, I was worried it would affect my studies so I kept it private. Please keep this between us."

Mao Yawen: "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. But how did you recover so quickly after giving birth? Tell me about it. My sister put on a lot of weight, and she’s upset about it every day."

"Maybe because I didn’t breastfeed? Or because I didn’t stay up nights with the baby? My mom takes care of the baby, and when babies eat a lot, coupled with staying up late, it’s easy to gain weight," Li Qiao explained.

She had observed other women around her who had children, and honestly, they didn’t look much different.

What ages them is the fatigue and a paleness of complexion, compounded by changes in body shape.

Their shoulders become very broad.

Thick shoulders on a man suggest strength and high testosterone levels.

But on a woman, they make her look matronly.

However, mothers have a different kind of beauty, and after weaning, the body recovers slowly over time; there’s no need to chase the kind of figure she has.

"How come you’re looking after the child now? Doesn’t your partner do business and have money? You could hire a maid to live in and take care of the child."

Li Qiao: "Our place is too small; it can’t accommodate a live-in maid. A maid handles daytime care, but at night it’s up to me. It used to be my partner who did it, but he’s away on business now, so I have to take over."

"Your partner is quite good, knows how to take care of the child."

"..."

After a short chat, Mao Yawen left. Li Qiao also got ready to tidy up and return to class.