There are some topics that are really difficult to be pleasant.

Even after nine years, Song Ning, an outsider, still felt angry when he heard it.

She can empathize with a life dominated by fear.

For Mao Liu, such fear comes from the man she has to live for the rest of her life, she can't leave, she doesn't dare to leave, and she doesn't even dare to die easily.

She's going to die, and her children are left alone.

Song Ning looked at Mao Liu, and a thick man squatted in the withered grass, holding a leaf to cover Mao Runqing.

Is it another grave?

Song Ning asked Mao Liu: "Do you know a man from Chinese New Year's Eve to 40 years old, who is 5 feet 8 inches to 9 inches tall, burly, introverted but has low self-esteem. ”

Mao Liu thought for a while and said: "I don't know such people, there don't seem to be such children in the village, and I rarely go out, and I don't know a few children in other villages." ”

"Got it." Song Ning got up, "I'm sorry to bother you." ”

Mao Liu said he didn't dare, and sent the two of them out.

Song Ning and Zhao Yi followed the trail to Mao Meng's house.

On the barn at the door, an eight or nine-year-old boy with a six- or seven-year-old girl was playing, and the laughter of the two children was crisp and beautiful.

On the threshold, a woman in her forties was sitting, picking vegetables.

Mao Mengshi was drying clothes on the rope, not knowing what to say to the two children, and the two children cheered.

At this moment, the merchant who was selling vegetables and meat came down from the official road and shouted as he walked.

As if they had received the order, the two children rushed to call out to the merchant: "Uncle, my family buys meat." ”

"Come on." The merchant came over with his burden and stopped on the barre, and a family of four was picking meat around the burden, one small and one big.

Mao Mengshi said: "Or, buy a big one, and put more meat." ”

"Done." Her mother-in-law nodded, "Whatever you say, it's what you say." ”

Mao Meng nodded.

The two children cheered: "There are meat dumplings to eat." ”

The merchant was infected by them, and after calculating the money, he gave them a small piece of lard, and the family sent the merchant away.

"Little happiness." Song Ning chuckled and said to Zhao Yi, "Lord Wang, what do you think is the little happiness?" ”

Zhao Yi was stunned and said, "I don't know." ”

Song Ning looked at him in surprise: "How about a happy meal as a family?" ”

Zhao Yi's face collapsed, and he said expressionlessly: "There is nothing that has happened." ”

It had been a long time since he had eaten with his so-called family.

I didn't want to, I don't want to do it now, and I won't do it again.

"Poor prince, try to find a little happiness." Song Ning waved his hand at Mao Mengshi and walked forward, Zhao Yi took two steps to catch up, and whispered, "You are." ”

Song Ning didn't hear clearly: "What? ”

"Nothing." Zhao Yi said, "Let's do something." ”

Mao Mengshi greeted her and said shyly that she bought a pound of meat and made sauerkraut and meat dumplings at night.

"Why are you making dumplings, I see that you are very happy."

"Yes, sir." Mao Meng's eyes instantly turned red, "Because my lord, you said that you can clear Uncle Bing's grievances, I, I'm very happy, and I want to celebrate Uncle Bing." ”

It's really kind.

Mao Meng's daughter stood in front of her curiously and looked at her, and Song Ning asked, "What's your name?" ”

"Mao Yuan." The little girl laughed, had two dimples, and spoke in a crisp and sweet voice, which was generous.

This made Song Ning think of Ye Yue'er, who was shrinking behind Ye Qian's family.

"Do you like dumplings?" Song Ning asked.

Mao Yuan nodded: "I like to eat." Everyone in my family likes to eat, especially my dad, who can eat 50 dumplings in one meal. ”

"I also like to eat dumplings, if only I could eat dumplings every day. But my mother said that she can only eat once a year, and when there is meat, it is not enough to burn and eat, how can you make dumplings, you can't taste it. ”

"You have a point. So is your dad coming home for dinner tonight? ”

Mao Yuan shook his head: "He has been out to do things in the past two days, and it will take several days to come back." ”

"Don't be rude." Mao Mengshi knocked on his daughter's forehead and said to her, "This is Lord Song and Zhao Zhutou." ”

Mao Yuan smiled and saluted Song Ning, and said, "Say hello to adults, and say hello to Zhao Zhutou." ”

"Zhao Zhutou, you are so good-looking."

Zhao Yi was stunned for a moment, and said with a slight bow: "I know I'm good-looking." After thinking about it, he felt that this was too hard, and said, "You are not bad." ”

Mao Yuan giggled: "You also eat dumplings at my house at noon, right?" ”

"Mother, grandma, can adults and Zhao Zhutou eat dumplings at my house?"

Her grandmother saluted and said with a smile: "If you don't dislike the adults and the headcatcher, stay here for lunch!" ”

"If you don't eat it, we still have something." Song Ning pinched Mao Yuan's face, "Look at you so cute, this dumpling at your house today, can I come for a treat?" ”

Mao Yuan's eyes lit up, and Mao Mengshi hurriedly said, "My lord can't help it." We have money ourselves. ”

"It's okay, just give the child and Mao Bingjun something to eat." Song Ning said, and instructed Mao Meng's son, "Go and call the merchant back." ”

The boy waited for his mother to speak.

His mother sighed and said to his son, "Listen to your lordship, go." ”

When the merchant came back, Song Ning added three catties of pork under Mao Meng's repeated obstructions.

"Thank you, sir, I'll sing you a song." Mao Yuan said, "Do you like to listen to music?" ”

Song Ning hadn't spoken yet, but Zhao Yi said, "She likes to listen to music the most." ”

"Okay." Mao Yuan babbled and sang, the singing was not good, the tune went to the horns of the horns, but it was very innocent and cute, Song Ning looked at the heart was soft, and said with a smile, "The singing is so good, like a lark." ”

Mao Yuan nodded: "Everyone says so." ”

Mao Mengshi looked at Song Ning with a smile and a smile: "Let the adults and the head catcher laugh, the two children are spoiled by me, and her father always says that I raise the children like this, and I will marry and start a family in the future, and I will suffer hardship." ”

"You raised it very well, such a cute and beautiful child, you will definitely be happy."

When mothers like to hear such words, Mao Mengshi is very happy.

"We're leaving." Song Ning said, "When the matter in my hand is done, I will come to your house to eat dumplings." ”

Mao Yuan nodded vigorously: "Okay, okay, I make dumplings for adults, and I am very good at making dumplings." ”

"Okay, I'm going to eat the dumplings you made yourself."

Song Ning waved his hand.

"Your Excellency, you must come." Mao Yuan waved his hand behind her, "I want to be an adult's daughter-in-law when I grow up." ”

Song Ning's smile froze on his face.

Mao Mengshi covered Mao Yuan's mouth and asked her not to be open-mouthed.

Zhao Yi looked at her gloatingly.

"Zhao Zhutou, although you are handsome, you are not as chic as me, like me, you don't rely on your face, you rely on your temperament to win."

Zhao Yi replied: "I think you rely on romance to win." ”

"No, no, no, I'm charming, it's hard to control." Song Ning patted Zhao Yi on the shoulder, "Let's go, let's go back to eat when I'm done." ”

The two led the horses at the intersection and returned to the official road again.

They asked Ye Heiji, the case of the eighteenth year of Tianquan, the home of the deceased Zhang Rong is Zhangjiazhuang, a little road from here, along the official road all the way to the west, walk for half an hour.

Coincidentally, in the case of Tianquan's twenty-first year, the deceased Chu Xingfei was from Luocun, and the distance between Luocun and Zhangjiazhuang is the distance between Guozizhuang and Maojiazhuang.

Connected villages.

The two rode horses quickly and arrived in Zhangjiazhuang first.

Zhang Rong, the deceased in the eighteenth year of Tianquan, was found in his own chicken coop, and the murderer was the thief Yu Changmin, who was beheaded in the autumn of that year.

"Lao Jia asked, where is the home of Zhang Rong, who was killed six years ago?" Song Ning met a woman in her forties and fifties on the ridge.

The woman was stunned and looked at them in surprise: "Are you looking for Zhang Rong, or are you looking for his family?" ”

"Find his family." Song Ning replied.

The woman looked strange and said, "I, I am his family, and my maiden name is Liang." ”

"Ah, what a coincidence, I met you here." Song Ning introduced himself with a smile, "I am the official of the Yamen, and my surname is Song." ”

As she spoke, she looked at the woman, who was not tall and slightly fat, and looked very good, and she carried a nail rake in her left hand, and walked barefoot on the muddy path with her trousers rolled up.

"This is Zhao Zhutou." Song Ning introduced.

Zhang Liang saluted the two of them, and said in surprise: "Lord Song and Zhao Zhutou, why did you two come to find a people's woman, yes, is it because of Zhang Rong's case?" ”

"Is there anything wrong with his case? Wasn't the murderer beheaded? ”

Zhang Liang's tone was elevated, and the tone was not impatient with Song Ning, but impatience with Song Ning mentioning Zhang Rong's case.

"Are you going home, let's talk while we walk?" Song Ning said with a smile.

Zhang Liang's response was: "Then, that adult, please." ”

"Zhao Zhutou, please."

Zhang Liang asked them to go first, Zhao Yi walked in front, and Song Ning and Zhang Liang followed side by side.

"My lord, the woman asked rudely, this case has been six years, why do you want to inquire in person today?" Zhang Liang asked.

"There are similarities between this case and the other. When I was investigating, I encountered a little difficulty, so I wanted to ask Zhang Rong about the situation at that time. Song Ning said with a smile, "If it really bothers you, it is my sin to mention your sadness, and you can choose not to say it." ”

Zhang Liang's expression was relieved, and he waved his hand and said, "My lord is relieved to say this." What do you want to know, just ask. ”

"Tell me about the situation." Song Ning said.

Zhang Liang recalled the situation at that time: "...... Towards the Mid-Autumn Festival, I took my two daughters to the market early in the morning, and came back at the end of the morning, because I was in a hurry in the morning, and the chickens and ducks were not fed. My mother-in-law was not in good health at the time. ”

"When I got home, I saw him lying in the chicken coop with blood on the back of his face and head."

Song Ning said, "Can you take us to have a look?" ”

Zhang Liang nodded: "My lord, come with me." ”

When the three of them went to the backyard, Zhang Liang pointed to a cage made of bamboo strips: "People were lying in such a chicken coop at that time. This was newly bought, and the chicken coop at that time was taken away by the yamen and not returned. But the front and back two are the same. ”

Song Ning was surprised, she thought that the chicken coop was a shed built, but she didn't expect that it was a basket made of bamboo strips.

Such a cage is covered with a person, and it is a ready-made "grave".