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Chapter 9 Disputes

"Chengyi, I read in the newspaper that Wu Changxu was dead? Or was he murdered? Is it true?" Aunt Chen asked.

Zhong Chengyi has been busy with the case today, and didn't pay much attention to the newspaper office. He didn't expect them to publish this matter in the newspaper so soon. It seems that the Yellow Bureau is going to blow up.Zhong Chengyi paused, and said, "Well, he's dead. But it's not murder, it's suicide."

Aunt Chen was very surprised when she heard the word "suicide", and murmured, "Suicide? How is that possible?"

Zhong Chengyi was a little puzzled by Aunt Chen's expression and words, and couldn't help asking: "Aunt Chen, why did you say that Wu Changxu couldn't commit suicide?"

Aunt Chen came back to her senses, looked at Zhong Chengyi, smiled and eased her expression, and said: "Actually, before Wu Changxu became a famous salt merchant in Shanghai, he worked at Shop No. [-], helping the boss there sell I used salt to do work, I often went to him to buy salt at that time, and he was very nice, never missing a small amount.”

"I heard that he married Zhao Shuchen, the daughter of Zhao Guoxin back then. It seems that he didn't do business there. I also moved here with Mingyang. It was only later that I found out that he started his own business, and it was quite a big one. Then it was published in the newspaper. I saw the news of his death." Aunt Chen said while packing the dishes, "But I heard that he and his wife had a very good relationship, and later married a concubine and had a son, why did he choose Suicide?"

Zhong Chengyi heard Aunt Chen's story, and after thinking about it, he only remembered that Zhang San and himself mentioned the side room and the side room's son, but his wife did not mention it.

Thinking of this, Zhong Chengyi picked up the phone and dialed the number of the police station. After a while, someone picked up the phone. "I'm Zhong Chengyi, find Zhang San for me."

"Master, what's the matter?" Zhang San answered the phone and asked.

Zhong Chengyi said: "Wu Changxu has a wife, why didn't I hear you mention it this morning?"

"Oh, his wife's name is Zhao Shuchen, who passed away 12 years ago."

"Dead?" Zhong Chengyi continued to ask: "How did his wife die?"

Zhang San sat on the chair and squeezed his shoulders, and replied: "According to their servant, it seems that he died of hemorrhage and dystocia. The servant didn't say anything else."

After Zhong Chengyi hung up the phone, he sat on a chair and looked at the already dark night sky, sorting out the context of the case, but felt as if he had reached a desperate situation.

Seeing that Zhong Chengyi was distressed, Lin Xinshu stepped forward and sat next to him, and said, "Actually, when things are in a desperate situation, you can start over from the beginning. After you understand the whole process of the matter, maybe everything will be clear."

Zhong Chengyi smiled lightly and asked, "Then Mr. Lin..."

"General, look at the moon tonight." Lin Xinshu looked up at the full moon in the sky and said with a smile, "It will be the fifteenth day of August in a few days."

Zhong Chengyi looked at Lin Xinshu's face under the moonlight, it was as soft as the water on the lake, but as beautiful as a fairy in the moon palace, half in the shadow and half in the moon.Zhong Chengyi raised his hand, like a monkey fishing for the moon, wanting to touch the unreachable moon. . . .

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White silk was hung outside the door of Wu Changxu's house, and bursts of crying came out from the house from time to time.There is a mahogany coffin in the center of the lobby, and Wu Changxu's portrait is placed on the altar in front of the coffin.

"Second wife, don't cry. You have been crying for almost a day and a night. If you continue to cry, you will hurt your body." The old woman pulled Aunt Jiang who was still kneeling on the ground while wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Master, why did you leave just like that? What do you do if you leave us orphans and widowed mothers? Master..." Aunt Jiang knelt on the ground and cried hoarsely, even her usual most delicate makeup was weeping.

Wu Youen, who was kneeling aside to keep his filial piety, turned around and pulled his mother along with him, crying and said: "Mother, get up quickly, your body really can't take it if you keep crying."

Aunt Jiang stood up slowly from the straw mat. Because she had been kneeling for a long time, her knees were a little numb. When she stood up, her legs suddenly softened. The old woman quickly supported Aunt Jiang and said, "Second wife, you be careful."

Wu Youen also stood up anxiously from the straw mat, helped her mother to the chair beside her, and asked, "Mother, how are you?"

Aunt Jiang rubbed her swollen and sore forehead, took another sip of the tea handed over by the old woman, forced a smile at her son and said, "Mother is fine, you don't have to worry." Consciously shed tears.

The servant outside came in and said, "Second Wife, the elders of the clan are here, and they are waiting in the front hall."

When Aunt Jiang heard that people from the clan were coming, she couldn't help but had a worse headache, and said, "The master is still lying here, what are those who eat people and don't spit out bones, what are you doing now?" Aunt Jiang wiped it with a handkerchief. Wiping her tears, she took Wu Youen's hand, puffed her chest out and said, "Go, let's go with mother to the front hall to meet your uncles."

The front hall was already full of people, chattering about something.

The second uncle stood up and said: "Everyone, please be quiet for a while. Unfortunately, the eldest brother left a few days ago, and our Wu family's business has no pillars. The eldest brother's son, You En, is still young and has limited experience. I ran to a few salt houses with my elder brother before, so I got acquainted with each other, so..."

"Yo, Second Uncle, the master's body is not cold, it's not good to start fighting for the position of Patriarch so early." Aunt Jiang came out from behind at this time.

Seeing Aunt Jiang coming out, the second uncle smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, how can you think so badly of me? I am also looking for the Wu family's property. My eldest brother has spent most of his life working on this business. Let him just be in our hands." The second uncle went to the door and pointed to the crowd outside, "And look, sister-in-law, the salt households outside are waiting, there is no way to do it. .”

Aunt Jiang looked at Yanhu outside the door, and said: "Everyone, today is my master's funeral, please go back first, for the follow-up matters, after finishing the master's funeral, I will definitely ask you The salt and silver taels of each storefront have been settled."

One of the merchants said: "Second wife, we don't want to come to you at this time, but it's almost the end of the month, and the wages of the workers have not yet been paid."

"That's right, there are old ones and young ones in our family, so we live on my monthly salary."

The people outside the door complained about their sufferings one by one, but none of the elders in the clan wanted to help.Aunt Jiang tightly squeezed the handkerchief in her hand, and said in a deep voice: "I would like to ask everyone to be quiet first, I know your difficulties, in this case, those who need wages, please go with the housekeeper first and then take the silver bars by yourself." Settle the monthly money."

When the crowd heard Aunt Jiang's words, they dragged their wives and children away with the butler, leaving only a few scattered people.

Aunt Jiang looked at them and said: "I will try my best to clear up your salt shop for you before the end of this month. Today, I would like to ask you all to go home first and give the master a peace."

The elders sitting in the hall saw that everyone outside had dispersed, and their original arrogance also dissipated a lot.

Aunt Jiang finished solving the outside affairs, looked at the elders in the hall, and said: "Uncles, today is the day when the master is preparing for the funeral. If you want to kowtow, please go to the backyard. As for those who want to be the head of the family, Please let the master go away safely and then discuss it." After speaking, he turned around and left.

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After finishing the funeral, everyone returned to the house. Aunt Jiang looked at the empty lobby and couldn't help feeling lonely.

"Duo, duo, duo." Zhang San knocked on the door and asked, "Hello, this is the police station, come here to find out what's going on."

The boy at home opened the door, saw several people in police uniforms and one in military uniform, and said, "Please wait a moment." After a while, the boy came over and opened the door again, "Please Enter."

Aunt Jiang sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and said, "Didn't the people from the patrol station come to ask yesterday? Why are you here again?"

Zhong Chengyi said: "We are here this time to find out about Wu Changxu's wife, Zhao Shuchen, Ms. Zhao."

Aunt Jiang stopped drinking tea when she heard Zhao Shuchen's name, her expression became a little stiff, she continued to take a sip of tea, and said: "This general, my sister passed away 12 years ago, there is no need to talk about this Well, it's sad."

Zhang San said: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Jiang, we..."

Zhong Chengyi interrupted Zhang San's words, looked at Aunt Jiang with dark eyes for a moment, and said: "It seems that we were abrupt, I'm really sorry." After speaking, he stood up, said hello, and left.

Aunt Jiang looked at Zhong Chengyi's back, her eyes darkened, and she said to the old woman next to her, "You should know what to say and what not to say."

The old woman heard Aunt Jiang's words and said, "I know, don't worry, madam."

After leaving Wu's house, Zhang San asked: "General, why did we leave without asking anything?"

"It's unnecessary, we can't ask the answer we want from her mouth."

After Zhong Chengyi got into the car, he said to Lieutenant Li, "Go to shop No. [-]."

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"Are you looking for Boss Qian?" said the vendor in Shop No. [-], "Then you guys should go back."

Zhang San asked: "Why?"

The vendor pointed to the work in his hands and said, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, I'm at work, so you should go to someone else for this small talk."

Zhong Chengyi took out a few oceans from his pocket and said, "I bought all your dates today."

"Oh, sir, hurry up and sit in." The vendor hurriedly greeted Dayang, holding the ocean in his hand.

After everyone sat down, the vendor kowtowed melon seeds and said, "Boss this money, a few years ago he was given a leg discount because of gambling, and the salt shop was pawned to pay off the gambling debt. It’s still going on, but my wife and son ran away with others, it’s really miserable, I should be in my hometown now.”

Zhong Chengyi asked: "Then where is his hometown?"

The peddler looked at Zhong Chengyi, smiled and said, "Oh my god, look at my brain, I can't quite figure it out all of a sudden, it seems like... where is it?"

Zhong Chengyi took out another piece of ocean from his pocket, put it in the vendor's hand, and said, "That's the way to say it." After speaking, he casually touched the butt of the gun at his waist.

"Oh, Lord, don't take the gun, I said, I said." The vendor saw the gun on Zhong Chengyi's waist, and was so frightened that he almost peed, "It's in the West Village of Yancheng County."

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