Chapter 1119: It Might Not Have Been a Suicide

Chapter 1119: It Might Not Have Been a Suicide

If there had been a police report, the police station would have a case record, and everything could be verified. There would be no room for Jiang Yao to fabricate his story.

Jiang Yao said, “I didn’t dare report it. At the time, I honestly thought I had killed her. I was scared—murderers pay the price with their lives. I was planning to run, but maybe someone heard the commotion and called the cops. Before I could even leave, the police were already at my door. It was only because they arrived that I felt a little relieved. They investigated and found that my wife didn’t die from the beating. She had taken her own life… and it was a double tragedy—she was pregnant with my child. I’m a bastard. At that point, I even thought it was because she had gotten pregnant with that other man’s child.

“The police left, and I even cursed her, thinking she killed herself out of fear that I’d find out what she’d done. Or maybe she did it because she was afraid of the shame it would bring to her family—her younger sister still hadn’t married, and I thought she couldn’t bear the embarrassment. I thought she’d died from shame. That was until about half a month ago when I went to the neighboring city to take care of something for my elder brother. That’s when I met Bai Ze.”

Chen Xi’s ears perked up at this. She sensed there was more to the story and hurriedly asked, “Who is Bai Ze?”

Jiang Yao replied, “Bai Ze was the previous owner of this house. He came from an intellectual family, not from our village. He saw that our village was backward and volunteered to teach at the local primary school. Later, he got into some trouble, and his family forced him to leave. A few years later, the school closed down. He was a good man. A kind man.”

Gu Zi frowned and interjected, “You didn’t listen to what he had to say before. Why suddenly believe him now? Did he tell you something important?”

Jiang Yao nodded. “He didn’t provide any specific information. Honestly, I don’t know why I couldn’t listen to him and Li Mei’s explanation back then, but now it just makes sense. I can’t explain why, but he told me that he and Li Mei didn’t have an affair. Li Mei kept going to his place, saying she wanted to learn, that she didn’t want her child to have an illiterate mother.

“Bai Ze also told me that Li Mei had asked him to buy new clothes for her, to keep up with the fashion, to wear them when the baby turned one month old. She was too afraid to buy them herself because she thought I’d beat her.

“The truth is, I gave her the money, I didn’t know why she thought that. Bai Ze bought the clothes but never got the chance to give them to her because, right after, he heard the terrible news. His family insisted on taking him away, and he had to bury the clothes under the begonia tree in the yard. I wanted to dig up that outfit… It’s the least I could do for Li Mei.”

As he spoke, tears welled up in Jiang Yao’s eyes. His face was red with emotion. Gu Zi, however, wasn’t moved by the display. Instead, she pressed forward with a soul-searching question, “Don’t you find it strange that Li Mei would commit suicide? She didn’t have an affair. Why would she kill herself just because she was afraid you’d misunderstand her?

“And from what Bai Ze said, Li Mei was very eager to have the baby, even going to such lengths to make preparations. She risked being misunderstood just to learn to read for the sake of her child. Why would she take her child with her into death? From what you know of Li Mei, is she the kind of person who would take her own life so easily?”

Jiang Yao’s pupils widened as he trembled. “Yes… Li Mei wasn’t the type to commit suicide. I did hit her often, but she had a stubborn streak. Sometimes she would rather endure the beating than explain herself. Occasionally, she even argued back and cursed me. So… you’re saying Li Mei didn’t commit suicide?”

Chen Xi, too, was shocked. He turned to Gu Zi. “The police ruled it as a suicide. How can you say otherwise? Gu Zi, this kind of thing cannot be said lightly.”

Gu Zi answered, “This isn’t just me saying it. It’s the result of analysis. But Jiang Yao, why is it that everywhere people are saying you killed Li Mei? Why are there rumors about a vengeful spirit?”

Jiang Yao shook his head. “I don’t know who started the rumors. After my wife passed, those stories started circulating. The Li family was out for blood, and I was too guilty to face them. But I knew I had to face them. Just as I was about to confront the Li family, my sister Jiang Nan warned me.

“She said the Li family was furious, and the villagers were too. They said they’d surround my house and kill me to avenge Li Mei. The most important thing wasn’t explaining myself—it was surviving. I thought, ‘I deserve to die, but I don’t want to.’ I was at the end of my rope. Then, Jiang Nan, out of compassion for Li Mei, helped me escape the village. I didn’t return for two years. By the time I came back, no one bothered me anymore.”

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