307: Chapter 307 A Drama of Ethics

Han Jingyang widened his eyes.

What kind of ghostly coincidence is this?

Wang Zhiwei met Dou Dous Mother?

And then he became Dou Dous accidental husband?

In other words, Dou Dous Mother has been watching Wang Zhiwei sleep with her daughter from the wall all this time?

Damn!

This could be turned into an ethical drama.

But it makes sense.

Wang Zhiwei is in his early fifties this year.

Dou Dou is twenty-six or twenty-seven.

If Dou Dous Mother were alive, she would be nearly fifty, not much older than Wang Zhiwei.

And they are both from Quancheng.

It is not impossible that they had some ill-fated connection in their youth.

Of course, this possibility does not seem likely at the moment. If they really had a deep relationship, Wang Zhiwei would not fail to recognize the woman in the painting.

Sure enough, Wang Zhiwei continued shouting: "I just checked the information on Dou Dous Mother and realized that she and my mother are from the same village. When I was a child, I often followed her back to my maternal grandfather's house, and she even stayed at my grandfather's house for two summers. I was a city kid, you know, and I often attracted a bunch of village kids to run after me. Dou Dous Mother was one of them."

"And then?"

"No then. I even forgot what Dou Dous Mother looked like as a child. I only remember she was quite cute? I think I took good care of her? After all, I grew up in the city and was more willing to look after the girls..."

Han Jingyang sighed: "So, you were scared into a faint because she was protecting you, but you ended up sleeping with her daughter?"

Wang Zhiwei was stunned for a moment: "Brother, what should we do now?"

"Wait for me. We'll meet up in a while and go to Dou Dous hometown to take a look."

"Huh?"

"There are very few clues right now, so every one counts. By the way, do you still have relatives there?"

"Yes, my second and third uncles are still alive, and a cousin and a cousin-in-law are also living in the village. I go back often, so I'm very familiar with the place."

"Okay, see you later."

Forty minutes later.

Han Jingyang and Shi Xiaoya met at the entrance of Shenzhuang Village.

As soon as they met, Wang Zhiwei hurried over: "Brother, you've made me so scared that I don't even dare to enter the village."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Sigh, it's hard to explain. I'm just scared, terrified that everyone in the village is a ghost. Damn, the more I think about it, the more scared I get. Could this have turned into a Ghost Village long ago?"

"Can't you think of something positive?" Han Jingyang patted Wang Zhiwei on the shoulder impatiently: "Stop scaring yourself. If you keep letting your imagination run wild like this, you'll scare yourself into trouble even when there isn't any."

"Brother, is there any problem in the village?"

"Everything is normal, and the Feng Shui is actually quite good."

"Really?"

"Nonsense. Do you really think the state doesn't do its job? A Ghost Village? You've read too many novels. Let's go, into the village."

"Alright then."

That's what Wang Zhiwei said, but he wouldn't lead the way no matter what, insisting that Han Jingyang enter the village first.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the destination and got out of the car.

Wang Zhiwei pushed the door open: "Little Uncle? Are you home?"

A thin Old Man lifted the door curtain and poked his head out: "Xiao Wei, why are you here? This is..."

"Oh, my friends. Little Uncle, where are my brothers?"

"They went to work."

"This friend of mine is a police officer, and he wants to ask you about something."

"What is it? Xiao Wei, don't get your Little Uncle into trouble. I've never done anything illegal in my life."

"Oh, what are you thinking, Little Uncle? It has nothing to do with you. It's about Dou Dou."

"Dou Dou? Old Zhou's daughter, she's quite successful. What's wrong?"

"You still remember her biological mother, right?"

"Of course I do. She was a pretty girl, what a pity. Why? Does it have something to do with her?"

Wang Zhiwei turned to look at Han Jingyang.

Han Jingyang stepped forward: "Uncle, do you still remember what Dou Dous Mother's name was?"

"I really can't remember that," Wang Zhiwei's second uncle scratched his head: "Oh right, her surname was Sun, the daughter of the Old Sun family. Her nickname was... Er Ni or Er Ya? I really don't know her formal name. Why don't you go ask the Old Zhou family or the Old Sun family? Dou Dous grandparents and maternal grandparents are all still alive."

Han Jingyang silently noted this information and continued to ask: "Do you remember how Dou Dous Mother passed away?"

"Dystocia. She was in labor and couldn't give birth no matter what. On the way to the hospital, the baby was born, but she was gone. The blood... it flowed enough to fill a four-wheeled tractor, all the way from the village entrance to the town hospital entrance. Sigh, I had to haul dirt to cover it up afterwards. It was too miserable, she just bled to death."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow: "Who delivered the baby?"

"Zhou Jinhua from the village, she was also Dou Dous great-aunt."

"Is she still around?"

"No, she's long gone. A few days after Dou Dou was born, Zhou Jinhua followed her. She was fine when she went to sleep, but she was gone the next day. Some people say..."

"Say what?"

"Some people say it was because Dou Dous Mother's resentment wouldn't fade, so she came back to take Zhou Jinhua with her. Of course, that's complete nonsense. Zhou Jinhua didn't do it on purpose. I reckon Zhou Jinhua couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart, and she was quite old, too. Sigh," Wang Zhiwei's second uncle suddenly realized: "It's been almost thirty years, why are you asking about this?"

Han Jingyang smiled gently: "Uncle, don't overthink it. It's just an old case that has a slight connection to Dou Dous Mother, and we need to write up some files and do some background checks."

"A criminal case?"

"Yes."

"There's no need to pursue things regarding the dead, right?"

"Uncle, you're overthinking it. We're not investigating Dou Dous Mother. We're just filling out the investigation files. Because the case has a tiny connection to Dou Dous Mother, she's considered a witness. We're worried she might have been silenced by the killer, so we're coming back to re-investigate."

"Who is the killer? Is it someone from the village?"

"No, no, it has absolutely nothing to do with your village. It's just that when Dou Dous Mother went to the city to have fun, she accidentally appeared at the scene of a criminal case. A statement was taken at the time, but the killer was never caught. Recently, our unit is clearing out old cases, so we have to re-investigate."

"I see. As long as it has nothing to do with Dou Dous Mother, that's fine. Come to think of it, it's a pity. It wasn't easy to go to the city back then. I doubt Dou Dous Mother went there many times in her life. Sigh, what a pity. She didn't live in a good time. If they had gone to the hospital to deliver the baby earlier, Dou Dous Mother would be enjoying life right now. What a pity..."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow: "Uncle, was it really not easy to go to the city back then?"

"Of course it wasn't. Although it's not far, there were no buses in the early years. Motorcycles were rare things. Most people relied entirely on bicycles, four-wheeled tractors, or even walking. And Quancheng was chaotic back then. Ordinary people wouldn't go to the city if they didn't have to. Although Dou Dous Mother was pretty, she was timid and shy, and she rarely went out. As far as I can remember, she only went more often after she got engaged. Dou Dous biological father bought a motorcycle—oh, it was a Qingqi 500. It was quite impressive. He often took Dou Dous Mother back and forth. The wedding photos they took were also quite fashionable. It seems they spent a lot of money, several hundred, right? People in the village talked about it quite a bit."

Han Jingyang's heart skipped a beat.

Wedding photos?

Isn't the pose in the oil painting one of the poses from the wedding photos taken by Dou Dous Mother?

Damn!

I should have investigated directly along the clue of the wedding photos.

No, I should find Dou Dous biological father directly and ask him to clarify the situation.

To avoid complications.

But just at this moment, a sudden commotion erupted in the village: "Come quickly! Help! Something happened to Zhou Zhenhua——"