From the backyard of Li Siniang's house, a male skeleton was dug up, which was verified by the emperor and was very consistent with the Jiyu who disappeared twenty years ago. Judging from the characteristics of the corpse, it should have been stabbed to death, because the fatal knife was very deep, directly penetrating the abdomen, leaving scratches on the ribs. At the burial site, the deceased's clothes, hair and even the murder weapon that day were also found.

Because of the matter of Siniang, Xing Ruyi didn't want to make a big deal about it, so Chang Tai's exhumation was also carried out in secret. In addition to Chang Tai, Xiao Shengzi and the servants of the government at the scene, Xing Ruyi also specially asked Siniang to call Li Xiuxian's mother and son over.

When Li Xiuxian's mother saw the skeleton, tears flowed out instantly. Because Ji Yu was born in a fisherman's family, he has made a living by fishing since he was a child, drifting on the river all year round, pulling nets and casting nets, and the joints of his hands are different from ordinary people. Xing Ruyi may not care about such details, but as a wife, Li Xiuxian's mother is very clear. Besides, the murder weapon was once held in the hands of Ji Yu every day to maintain the family's livelihood, how could she not be familiar with it.

"Should Ruyi call you Mrs. Shen, Mrs. Li, or Mrs. Ji?" Xing Ruyi bent down and helped Li Xiuxian's mother, who was extremely grieving, up: "Please also ask Mrs. to mourn, the most important thing at the moment is to find the murderer of Ji's shopkeeper." ”

"When I first met, he called me Miss Li. Later, when we got married, he called me a girl, and he always said that I was younger than him, and I was both his wife and his sister. Later, I opened a fish village, and people called her Ji Shopkeeper and me Ji Yu's family. He also said that when our child is born, I will become the mother of so-and-so. He has not named the child, saying that he has not studied in the school, and he can't recognize a few big characters, saying that he will wait, and when he finds a good day, he will go to the school and ask a gentleman to give the child a bright name, and he will be very knowledgeable when he hears it.

I always laugh at him, just say a name, no matter how good the gentleman is, it is not as good as my father's thoughts. He also said that when the business of the fish village is better, he will buy me a bright yard and find a girl to serve me, so that I can experience what it is like to be a wife. Actually, he didn't know that before the big flood, my mother's family was quite wealthy, and it was also a three-entry yard, and there were not only maids but also nurses who served me. But I don't think it's a good day, I like to be with him, although I am a little poor, a little tired, but I am very satisfied.

I always thought that he had turned his back on me, for so many years, his life and death were unknown, and he refused to even give me a message, and I actually complained and hated in my heart. But now, I know that I was wrong, I was so wrong. He has been alone here for twenty years, but I have married someone else as my wife. ”

"Mother, it's not your fault, if you want to blame, you should blame the bad guy who killed Daddy!" Li Xiuxian's eyes also reddened, and he comforted his grief-stricken mother softly.

As a son, Li Xiuxian also complained and hated his father, he complained about why Jiyu left their mother and son alone, and hated his father, why his mother was sad for so many years. But now, he saw his father's bones buried deep in the crypt, and all the blame and hatred turned into remorse and self-blame at this moment.

"Mrs. Ji, Gongzi Li, he is right, all this is not your fault, the blame is only on the murderer's evil intentions, not only murdered Boss Ji, but also burned the entire fish village. It's not that you haven't waited for him, it's just that life is too difficult, and you always have to think about the future of your child. Don't worry, Boss Ji has never blamed you. ”

"How could he not blame me? How can it be? The man I married was his murderer, his murderer! Mrs. Ji suddenly beat her feet and cried out loudly.

Xing Ruyi was stunned! Li Xiuxian was stunned! Everyone present was stunned!

"That day, when I was shopping, I suddenly felt a tingling in my heart, and I felt that something was about to happen. So he put down what he wanted to buy and hurried back to the fish farm. The fire was very big, and there were people everywhere who helped put out the fire, and I was very anxious, but I also seemed to know that Xiuxian's father was gone, because my heart was very painful, and it was empty, as if something had been lost.

They said that the fire might have been an accident, and I believed it, but I didn't believe it. It's good, why did my fish village catch fire. Daddy Xiuxian is such a careful and cautious person, besides, at that hour, the fish village has not yet opened for business, why is this fire so big?

But they also said that they saw Xiuxian's father leaving with a bag of things before the fire, and that he had taken a fancy to another woman, and took all the money in the house and eloped with that woman. After the fire was extinguished, the people in the government did not find either Yinliang nor his bones, so in my selfish heart, I also believed it. I'd rather believe that he eloped with someone, I would rather believe that he just failed me, I would rather believe that he is still alive in this world. ”

Mrs. Ji couldn't help herself with grief, her originally neat hair was all messed up now, and the whole person seemed to be even older than before.

"Mrs. Ji, please mourn!" Xing Ruyi handed over a glass of water and motioned for Li Xiuxian to feed his mother. After all, when you are old and experience such fluctuations, it is inevitable that your body will not be able to bear it. Mrs. Keji waved her hand and pushed the bowl of water over.

She said, "I'm fine! Now that Xiuxian is also older, I have lived enough! When I was able to find him and know that he was in the fish village and had not gone anywhere, I let go of all my thoughts. ”

Xing Ruyi heard the meaning of these words, and knew that this Mrs. Ji was afraid that she was going to die, so she secretly smoked a trace of ghost qi and protected her heart.

"Mrs. Ji, what you just said is that the person you married is the murderer who killed the shopkeeper Ji, what is going on? It's a matter of human life, and you can't say it casually. ”

"Yes, mother! Although Xian'er can see that you don't like your adoptive father, you have been cold and indifferent to him all these years. But after all, he is the father who has raised me for more than ten years, you can't talk nonsense! ”

Mrs. Ji opened her eyes and smiled, but the smile was strange, three points bitter and seven points mocking.

"Originally, I was just suspicious, but when I saw your father's body recently, I was sure that he was indeed the one who destroyed my family!"

"Who is he?" Xing Ruyi asked, and gave Chang Tai and Xiao Shengzi a look.

"His surname is Shen, his name is Shen Yubai, and he is the one who sold us Yuzhuang!"

"Sure enough, it's him!" Xing Ruyi sighed lightly, but was not surprised: "Brother Chang, I'm sorry for you to go." Since Mrs. Ji and Li Gongzi are here, I think Shen Yubai must be somewhere in Luoyang City. Although he is a murderer, he should have feelings for Mrs. Ji. Otherwise, he would not have waited for her for many years, and treated the victim's son, that is, Li Gongzi, as his own! ”

"My adoptive father, will he really be in Luoyang City?" Li Xiuxian shook his head: "Adoptive father, although he knows that my mother and I are back, he has been doing business in the south, and he can't get out of the way at all. ”

"Don't call him adoptive father anymore!" Mrs. Ji suddenly became ruthless, turned around, and slapped Li Xiuxian hard: "That person is your father-killing enemy, how can you recognize a thief as your father." From now on, you change your surname to Ji, you are your father's son, you should follow his surname! ”

Li Xiuxian looked at his mother aggrievedly, covered his face, and whispered: "Yes, mother!" ”

Xing Ruyi shook his head, and he was also quite sympathetic to this Li Gongzi. After all, recognizing a thief as a father is not something he can control. But in this situation, she couldn't bear to argue with Mrs. Ji. The affairs of a family of three, she should leave it to them to deal with it herself.

"Don't worry, that Master Shen must be here. Twenty years ago, he was here, killing your biological father with his own hands, and for whatever reason, this will be a knot in his heart. He must also have a deep affection for your mother, otherwise he would not have risked being found and reporting to the official, so he stayed here to take care of it secretly. Because of your biological father's relationship, your mother has been tossing and turning these days, and even does not hesitate to take you back to her hometown to find the truth, do you think that Master Shen can still sit at home? ”

"But" Li Xiuxian was for a long time, and he seemed to have figured out something, glanced at his mother from the corner of his eye, and bowed his head silently.

"The fish village is on fire, and Mrs. Ji has no long life but is pregnant with a child, no matter how friendly the neighbors are, it is difficult to get by. After all, most of those kind-hearted neighbors are also poor. In your mother's previous account, although she also had the experience of living on the streets and ruining temples, she did not encounter any special circumstances. A young woman like a flower, at that time, can still spend those days safely, if there is no secret protection from others, do you think it is possible? ”

"That's right! Miss Ruyi is right, in those days, he was indeed secretly protecting our mother and son! Mrs. Ji raised her head slightly, her eyes closed, and judging from the slightly raised part of her cheek, she was clenching her teeth in resentment at this moment.

"On the day of the fire, I saw him in the crowd. At that time, I didn't think much about it, because the predecessor of this fish village was his, and now that it is on fire, it is also appropriate for him to come and see. Later, when the fire went out, I rushed in like crazy, trying to find Xiuxian's father, to find something to keep as a souvenir, but there was nothing in the mess. I was sad several times, fainted several times, and although I was taken care of by a kind neighbor, he finally gave me money and it was he who helped me get by.

He helped me rent an inn and arranged for a maid to take care of me. But I am a new widow, and my husband's life and death are unknown, how can I accept the care of a man. So, I quietly left. I know he's been sending people to protect me, but what can I do at that time? I'm just a weak lady, just like you said, I don't have anything, but I'm still pregnant with a child. I can die, but not the child in my womb, because he is the only blood of my husband. So, I deliberately pretended not to know, and quietly enjoyed it.

He wanted to go back to Jiangnan, so I followed him back!

He arranged for me to have another courtyard and a maid to take care of me, and I accepted!

He asked Xiuxian to recognize him as his father-in-law, and he also invited Mr. Xiuxian to arrange for him to study in the best academy, and I agreed! I confess that I have selfish intentions, and I covet his thoughtfulness, and at the same time I want to fulfill my husband's wishes. He said that he hoped that our children would be able to learn in the future, be the champions, and become officials. If the husband is alive, we don't have to rely on others, but he is gone, how can I be a weak woman, if I don't count on others?

But I also felt guilty in my heart, so when Xiuxian was seven years old, I agreed to be his successor. At that time, I really wanted to make amends to him and repay him. But not long after getting married, he took that thing to me. That's my mother's relic, there is only one couple in the world. Because it was carved for my mother when I was born, my father specially looked for jade, and the craftsman he was looking for. When I was about three or four years old, I broke one because I was naughty, and my mother gave me the remaining one, saying that it was a dowry for me. Later, I was pregnant, and I also had to help in the fish village, but I was afraid that the jade would break, so I handed it over to Xiuxian's father for safekeeping. But seven years later, the jade bracelet appeared in Shen Yubai's hand, and I was suspicious at the moment.

With such a big fire, there are no bones left in Xiuxian's father, and the things that can be burned and those that can't be burned in the fish village are gone, even if the jade is still there, it is impossible for it to appear in his hands by coincidence. Since then, I have begun to pay attention to his every move, and sure enough, I found some tricks, and I vaguely guessed that Xiuxian's father's death was related to him, but I had no evidence, and I couldn't ask him face to face.

Moreover, at that time, Xiuxian was still studying, and if it was debunked, I didn't know how to face Xiuxian, Xiuxian's father, or even the murderer. That's why I've been holding back, deliberately acting as if those things don't exist! ”

"Although there are some words that are not quite right" Xing Ruyi searched for words with difficulty, but after thinking about it, he didn't know how to say it, so he sighed lightly and said: "Madame's approach is also human nature, which is understandable. ”

(Education 123 Literature Network)