I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 406 - 247: Mandela Effect

"What is Liu Tingting to you?"

"She’s my wife."

"How is your relationship? Do you often argue?"

Lin Dazhuang was worried that if he said their marriage was bad or that they argued, the police might suspect him of killing her, so he replied, "Our relationship is okay, we don’t argue much. I really didn’t kill her. After our argument 18 years ago, she packed her things and went back to her parent’s home and never came back."

"You said you don’t argue much, so why did she pack up and leave after an argument? Which part of your story is true? You know lying to the police has legal consequences."

Hearing Yang Ming’s stern questioning, Lin Dazhuang became even more flustered. "I won’t speak or lie. Fights between couples are unavoidable. As the saying goes, ’quarrel at the head of the bed, make peace at the foot.’ I never thought she wouldn’t come back after going back to her parent’s home."

"Didn’t you go looking for her when she didn’t come back?"

"I called her, and she said she didn’t want to live with me anymore. I said I’d come to her old home to find her, and she told me not to, saying she went to the provincial city."

"Did you go to the provincial city to look for her?"

Lin Dazhuang shook his head, "No, I get carsick and have never traveled far from childhood."

"Who can attest to that?"

"Our colleague, Huang Lichun, whom I’ve known for over twenty years. I’ve always worked there and rarely took leave."

Later, Li Xiang and others learned about his relationship with Liu Tingting and discovered that Liu Tingting was quite domineering in their marriage, often resorting to violence or insults if she wasn’t satisfied. Lin Dazhuang would sometimes retaliate.

While Liu Tingting was indeed a woman, she would definitely suffer whenever Lin Dazhuang retaliated, often ending up with a bruised face and running back to her parent’s house.

In the past, after Lin Dazhuang said some kind words, she would return home.

But since that incident, she never came back.

Fortunately, they didn’t have children, so Liu Tingting left decisively.

Since then, Lin Dazhuang never remarried and lived alone for eighteen years, not much caring for appearances.

The house was a mess, and he couldn’t be bothered to tidy up, living a confusing year after another.

"Here’s my phone number. If you remember any important clues, please call me."

"Okay, okay."

Lin Dazhuang took the card, glanced at it, and placed it under the glass on the coffee table.

After leaving Room 204, Yang Ming couldn’t help but say, "I think Lin Dazhuang is very suspicious. Their marriage was already tense, he might seem like an honest person, but when honest people lose it, they can be terrifying. Murder isn’t out of the question."

"Let’s not speculate. Didn’t he say he’s been working steadily at the factory all these years? We can ask his workplace to confirm it."

Li Xiang unlocked the police car, and the group got in, planning to have dinner first and then find a hotel to stay. Tomorrow, they’d go check Lin Dazhuang’s workplace."

Lin Dazhuang worked as an assembler at a pump valve factory. As a skilled worker, he earned five to six thousand yuan. As a single man with no family to support, his salary was quite decent, enough to pay administrative fines."

The next morning, Li Xiang and his team went to the factory, found the workshop supervisor and Huang Lichun, the colleague Lin Dazhuang mentioned."

They inquired about Lin Dazhuang’s situation. According to them, Lin Dazhuang had no other bad habits except for a fondness for foot massages, spending more than half of his salary on them. When asked if he had taken any long leaves 15 years ago, they said no."

Despite his laziness, Lin Dazhuang rarely took leave because missing a day meant a 200 yuan deduction, enough for two foot massages, so he was reluctant to do so."

After gathering this information, Yang Ming felt puzzled, "Could it be that he’s not the one?"

"We can’t decide yet. We need more evidence. Their testimonies are just references. After all, more than a decade has passed, and it’s uncertain if their memories are accurate. Sometimes, people’s memories deceive them."

"Yeah, it’s like the Mandela Effect. Memories from individuals around the world about the same event can vary. For example, I remember the song ’Love Our China’ goes, ’56 ethnic groups, 56 flowers,’ but the lyrics are actually ’56 constellations, 56 flowers.’"

"Haha, same with me. There are many such instances. So, without concrete evidence, we can’t rule out Lin Dazhuang as a suspect. Now it’s up to Li Yue’s side. We’ll continue investigating Lin Dazhuang’s social connections."

On another note,

Li Yue took a team of forensic officers on a train ride to Haozhou, following Liu Tingting’s household registration address to find her family home.

Liu Tingting had a younger sister named Liu Jiao, with only their elderly mother left at home. Their father passed away three years ago.

When the mother learned of Li Yue’s news, she almost broke down.

"My child, why did you leave us first? Before he died, your father was still asking where our eldest daughter had gone."

Seeing her grief, Li Yue could only console her: "We’re not completely certain it’s your daughter. We’re here to collect DNA samples from you and Liu Jiao to compare."

"Do you think a mother wouldn’t recognize her own child? She hasn’t been home in years, and I constantly worried if something had happened to her. I never imagined it actually did."

Despite her sorrow, the mother cooperated with Li Yue, allowing DNA samples to be collected.

At that moment, Li Yue received a call from Li Xiang.

Li Xiang updated him on his side of the investigation and asked him to gather more details on Liu Tingting’s situation, especially her last visit home, looking for any anomalies.

With information shared between both parties, Li Yue adjusted the way they approached the mother’s statement.

After hanging up, Li Yue said to the mother and sister, "There are a few more things we need to ask you about. Liu Tingting has been dead for years, and many clues have faded over time. Catching the killer can’t be done without your help."

"Ask what you need to. We’ll tell you everything we know."

Liu Jiao, seeing her mother crying, couldn’t hold back her tears and spoke on her behalf.

In mourning her sister’s death, she was determined to uncover the truth to seek justice for her sister.

"When was the last time Liu Tingting came home?"

"July 18 years ago. I remember it was during the plum rain season, pouring down. She came home drenched, crying, with bruises on her face. Seeing her like that, we knew she had another fight with Lin Dazhuang. She cried about wanting a divorce, but my father objected, saying even teeth and tongue, as close as they are, can bite each other. He believed a divorced woman was unlucky, would bring her family shame."

Liu Jiao spoke at length, and from this, Li Yue gathered that Liu Tingting and Lin Dazhuang had frequent fights.

After each fight, Liu Tingting would return home, seeking a divorce, only to be persuaded by her father to reconcile instead of separating, with Lin Dazhuang sweet-talking her back.

However, this time seemed different.

"What happened later?"

"My sister stayed home for a month and then went back, but since then, she never returned."

"Did you stay in contact after she went back?"

"We occasionally called her, asking how she was getting along with my brother-in-law and when they planned for children. She’d joke and dodge the question. Eventually, she became unreachable."

"Didn’t you try to find her when you lost contact?"

"How could we? Our parents never traveled far, and I had just gotten married, with a child to care for. Going was impossible. We hoped for the best, thinking their fights ceased, as long as she was happy, that’s what mattered. Who could have known she actually..."