How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 21 - Competent_1
21: Chapter 21: Competent_1
21 -21: Competent_1
After the commotion, Old Mrs.
Qin said as they walked, “Next year, if Qiaoqiao doesn’t get into university, we’ll look for that doctor-looking guy and have her work as a record keeper.”
Li Qiao chuckled, “Sure.”
“What’s up?” Qin Jin was clueless.
Once Old Mrs.
Qin mentioned it, she cheerfully continued on her own, “Qiaoqiao is truly capable.”
Qin Jin disagreed, “With her being so timid, what if she gets scared into having some sort of problem?”
Old Mrs.
Qin tugged his ear, “I haven’t even started on you yet, who told you to report the incident?
There are so many people in the village, it’s not like they can’t do without you, you always butt in whenever there’s a little issue.”
Qin Jin covered his ear and yelled in pain, Old Mrs.
Qin cussed and let go, commanding him to stay away if something happened next time.
…
It was Lame Feng’s family’s funeral, and the village’s young people were invited to help.
Li Qiao was also invited to pick vegetables and cook; she was busy until dark on New Year’s Eve before she came home to have the reunion dinner.
Just as they were preparing to go to bed, there was a knock at the door.
The visitors were the two detectives from the other day, asking Qin Jin to go with them.
Old Mrs.
Qin panicked immediately, “It has nothing to do with us, why call us over?”
“It’s just to assist with the investigation.”
Qin Jin was taken away.
He didn’t return home all night, and the next day there were rumors going around the village saying that Qin Jin had killed someone and had been arrested.
Old Mrs.
Qin was in complete disarray, blaming Qin Jin for meddling and stirring up trouble, and considered asking someone to inquire about the situation in town.
Li Qiao was also worried, “Grandma, I’ll go.”
“You?
Can you handle it yourself?”
“I’ll find Principal Han, he knows lots of people and he’s bound to be able to help us,” said Li Qiao.
Old Mrs.
Qin told her to be careful on the road.
Li Qiao went straight to the youth hostel to explain the situation, the educated youths already knew from the villagers that Qin Jin had been taken away and all showed her sympathetic looks.
Wang Nannan advised her to take this opportunity to get a divorce.
Li Qiao silently supported her forehead, “Thank you for your kindness, Jin’s reputation isn’t great, but he’s not bad.”
After spending the past few days together, her impression of him had changed; he was very filial and generous towards her.
Wang Nannan was speechless.
A bad reputation means not bad?
Han Ting told her that if Qin Jin was taken away he would definitely not be in town, probably in the county, and then he drove her to the county to find out what was happening.
The staff there told her that if the investigation results had nothing to do with Qin Jin, he could leave tomorrow.
Li Qiao was angry, “Tomorrow?
It’s clearly irrelevant to us, I wrote the autopsy record myself, it clearly states that the time of death was between seven and nine in the evening, at that time I was watching a movie in Jiangpu Village with my partner, many people in the village can testify to that.”
“Even so, they must wait for our investigation to complete the process before we can release him!
You two should head back, don’t hold us up from our work.”
Li Qiao felt helpless and was about to leave when just at the doorway,
“Young lady.”
Li Qiao turned around; it was the medical examiner from the day before.
She ran to him as if he was her savior and explained the detailed situation to him.
He wasn’t surprised to hear about Qin Jin being taken away for questioning, since the scene had been tampered with and the family didn’t agree to an autopsy, leaving them with few clues, and the case had hit a dead end.
Qin Jin was often troublesome, and the station had his record; when trouble arose, he was the first to be questioned.
But now, since Li Qiao could provide his alibi during the time of the incident, it could clear his suspicion.
He comforted Li Qiao with a few words and then went inside the station.
Li Qiao waited anxiously, “It must have been a couple of hours by now, right?
Why hasn’t he come out yet?”
Han Ting comforted her, “He might be out soon, don’t worry.”
As they were talking, a familiar voice rang out, “Qiaoqiao.”
Li Qiao turned around and saw the young man standing there, looking like he had not managed to get any sleep the night before, with faint dark circles under his eyes.
It was the first time he had called her Qiaoqiao.
Until then, he had always called her Li Qiao.
“Jin,” Li Qiao quickly walked over in a few strides, “you’re finally out.
You don’t know how worried Grandma and I have been about you.”
Qin Jin stared intently at her.
When he had left, he had been a bit worried that she would throw a fit, disdain him for ending up in the station again, curse him for being no better than a lump of clay that wouldn’t hold together.
He had never expected that she would try to get him out.
With this thought, a warm current surged in the bottom of his heart.
“I can’t take the blame for what I haven’t done.”
Li Qiao agreed but also disagreed and momentarily found herself at a loss for words.
When she spotted the forensic doctor coming out, she was extremely grateful, “I’m so thankful to you.
Where do you live?
I will definitely pay you a visit soon.”
“No need to mention it.
Are you going home now?”
Li Qiao nodded slightly, “Yeah.”
“Good, I also need to go near your place to see if I can find any other clues.”
On the way back, Han Ting let Qin Jin drive the car.
Li Qiao naturally sat in the back seat behind him, striking up a conversation with the forensic doctor, “My name is Li Qiao.
The person you’re giving a ride to is an educated youth from our village, named Han Ting.
I still don’t know your name.”
“Xun Dong.”
“Nice to meet you,” Li Qiao said.
After formally introducing themselves, the conversation flowed more freely.
“Does Lame Feng have any enemies in your village on normal days?” Xun Dong asked.
Qin Jin replied, “He likes to take small advantages and is a bit lecherous.
He has offended quite a few people.”
“Who do you think might be the murderer?”
“Can’t say for sure.”
Li Qiao suspected it might not be someone from their own village; locals were familiar with one another and could more or less recognize someone by their silhouette on that night.
But she felt the figure that night was unfamiliar.
“Could it be someone from another village?
After committing murder and a guilty deed, they would certainly fear being caught.
Have you checked if anyone left their home after the crime?”
“We’ve already checked,” said Xun Dong.
Li Qiao continued, “I once read a book on psychological studies that said some murderers return to the crime scene to destroy evidence, or to lower their own suspicion levels, or to keep tabs on the investigation’s progress.
Maybe the person the other day was watching us at the scene.”
“That makes sense,” Xun Dong paused slightly, “Can I borrow the book to take a look?”
Li Qiao was taken aback, “Oh…
I read it a long time ago, don’t know where I have lost it.”
Xun Dong was slightly disappointed, “Such a good book, and it’s lost.”
Qin Jin too was surprised by Li Qiao’s performance that day.
She was just a high school student, but she didn’t panic in any situation, having read more books than a coroner.
…
Back in the village.
To show her gratitude, Li Qiao volunteered to help with the investigation.
“Jin, you go back and let Grandma know you’re safe.
She’s been worried sick.”
Qin Jin’s expression softened slightly, “Okay, later you should come home and have a meal with Dr.
Xun.”
Xun Dong declined the formality.
Three heads are better than one, they say, and Li Qiao, along with Han Ting, started looking for clues.
The group first entered the ruin where the body was found, but aside from disordered footprints, they found nothing else.
Li Qiao planned to bring the others to the spot where she and Qin Jin had seen something, and nearby she found shallow drag marks, “Dr.
Xun, come and look over here.”
Xun Dong stepped over, and sure enough, there were drag marks.
“You’re quite observant.”
Li Qiao smiled, and after looking around a bit more, she led them to the place where she and Qin Jin had first seen the murderer.
The marks on the ground were clearer there; blood had fallen on the grass and had dried.
An insignia was left behind in the bushes, and Han Ting went to pick it up.
Li Qiao quickly scolded, “Wait!
There might be the murderer’s fingerprints on it.
If you touch it, the prints will be smeared.”
Han Ting shrank his hand back in alarm, “How did you know that?”
Li Qiao made an excuse, “Because I found that pens that have been held always end up with fingerprint marks, so I guessed as much.”
