Chapter Twelve: The Murderer
As Gu Yu pondered, Wu Changlin’s face suddenly appeared in his mind, causing the corner of his mouth to involuntarily curl upwards. He thought, could it be that coincidental?
However, thinking about it, it really wasn’t impossible.
Wu Changlin and Yang Cao’s father went up the mountain together, and only he returned alive… Gu Yu remembered that when Wu Changlin first returned, Yang Cao had wanted to attack him with a knife.
In that case, the conflict between the two parties had already arisen, and it was not impossible for him to take action.
“However, there might be other explanations, so it’s better to ask Yang Cao’s mother now who visited today.”
Although he already had a suspect in mind, Gu Yu did not reveal it directly. Instead, he passed the ball to Yang Cao’s mother to see what clues she could provide.
Yang Cao’s mother clearly did not expect Gu Yu to ask her. After transitioning from wailing to silent tears, she did not speak but continued to sit on the ground, wiping her eyes, remaining silent.
“Yang Cao’s mother, don’t cry. Even for your tragically deceased daughter, you must think carefully about who the murderer is!”
“I… I’m not sure either. I’ve been lying in the room all day and didn’t notice anyone coming.”
When the Village Chief asked, Yang Cao’s mother did not reveal who the murderer was, only vaguely saying that she didn’t know.
However, now that she had stopped crying, Gu Yu felt that this woman was truly heartless. Yang Cao was her biological daughter, and after her tragic death nearby, she was still unable to directly name the murderer.
Even if she had suspects, she could have named a few!
For example, when they first saw them, the scissors had been swung directly.
Hmph, she really was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong!
“Hehe, it’s okay if you can’t remember. You just need to look back at your daughter. Now, because she died with her grievances unavenged, her eyes are wide open.”
Others might have been hesitant to pressure Yang Cao’s mother due to her grief over her daughter’s death, but Gu Yu was not one to be easily swayed.
What he said at that moment sent chills down everyone’s spines, their bodies stiffening in place, afraid to even glance at Yang Cao, lest they meet the dead girl’s wide-open eyes.
Yang Cao’s mother broke out in a cold sweat, her face pale as if she were about to be scared to death.
Although Gu Mengyao was a bit braver, she couldn’t help but shiver upon hearing Gu Yu’s words. She quickly leaned closer, and Gu Yu pulled her into his arms, comforting her silently.
Compared to Gu Yu, who did not believe in ghosts or spirits, the ancient people present were all great believers.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! It’s Wu Changlin. He came to my house today!”
Surrounded by a terrifying atmosphere, Yang Cao’s mother quickly and tremblingly revealed the murderer. However, this sudden bombshell shocked everyone present except Gu Yu.
He really didn’t expect that the murderer would be Wu Changlin from the same village!
After Gu Yu’s detailed deductions, the situation was already becoming clearer. Now, with Yang Cao’s mother’s emotional breakdown, the name she blurted out directly confirmed Wu Changlin as the murderer.
“This… This is truly misfortune for the village! How could there be a rotten apple like Wu Changlin who would commit murder? Isn’t he afraid of being taken by ghosts at night!”
Upon hearing Wu Changlin’s name, the Village Chief was so angry that he stomped his feet, his face filled with rage, wishing he could grab Wu Changlin and chop off his head to vent his inner anger.
And Yang Cao’s mother was also truly foolish. Since she knew Wu Changlin had come today, why didn’t she say so directly…
Many people present had this thought, but in reality, the reason Yang Cao’s mother didn’t name Wu Changlin at first was that her daughter Yang Cao was already dead. As a widow with no children living in the village, her future life would definitely be very difficult.
Therefore, she had to consider her own future.
Coincidentally, Wu Changlin came at this time, intending to introduce her to a widower whose wife had passed away. The man had no children, owned property, and had excellent conditions.
If it weren’t for the desire to leave descendants in the future, he wouldn’t marry a woman who had already given birth. With his substantial wealth, he could spend a few taels of silver and even marry a young, unmarried girl.
For this reason, when Gu Yu asked about suspect candidates, Yang Cao’s mother hesitated and did not directly name Wu Changlin.
However, when Gu Yu said that Yang Cao’s corpse’s eyes were open, she became frightened.
If Yang Cao were to seek revenge for her wrongful death and bother her later, she would never have a peaceful life again.
People living in ancient times mostly believed in ghosts and spirits, and no one would lie with open eyes or use corpses to their advantage like Gu Yu. Therefore, as soon as Gu Yu said Yang Cao’s eyes were open, Yang Cao’s mother immediately confessed.
This made Gu Yu purse his lips speechlessly, thinking, wouldn’t it have been better to speak up earlier? He had to be the villain. If he hadn’t suspected Wu Changlin was the murderer, he wouldn’t have bothered with this mess.
However, if Wu Changlin was indeed the murderer, then another potential threat would be resolved.
Gu Yu had been worried that Wu Changlin would become suspicious due to his sudden appearance in the deep mountains and would then direct all his hatred towards the Gu family, secretly harming the three of them.
Before Gu Yu could figure out how to deal with Wu Changlin, the incident of Yang Cao’s murder occurred, and now he no longer had to worry.
The government officials were not to be trifled with, and Gu Yu was happy to be relieved of the burden.
“Alas, I never expected… Wu Changlin to be such a ruthless person. We’ve lived in the village for so many years, was there really a need to be so cruel?”
“Not to mention, Yang Cao’s father and Wu Changlin were good brothers, but not only was he eaten by a bear brought by Wu Changlin to the mountain, but even his daughter could not escape death.”
“It’s too late to say these things now. Fortunately, with Gu Yu’s detailed deductions, Wu Changlin has been exposed.”
“A young hero! Gu Yu’s mind is amazing… He’s not old yet, and if he studies, he might become a great official in the future!”
“Exactly. The Old Yang family only cherishes that Yang Shun. Gu Yu is several years younger than him… His future is limitless!”
“Let’s go report to the officials now and arrest Wu Changlin quickly.”
“Yang Cao’s mother is also confused. If she knew from the beginning, why didn’t she say it directly? If Gu Yu hadn’t been here today, Wu Changlin would have escaped!”
“Who knows! I think Yang Cao’s mother is not a good person either, otherwise, why would she look like she was about to be scared to death after Gu Yu said Yang Cao’s eyes were open? She clearly has something to hide.”
After Wu Changlin was exposed, regardless of whether he was the murderer or not, he was currently the most suspect. Thus, everyone was talking volubly.
Finally, the Village Chief made the decision to send someone to Wu Changlin’s house to summon him and inquire about the whole matter.
As the Village Chief sent someone to fetch Wu Changlin, Gu Yu said he needed to go home, as the porridge was still simmering in the pot!
Gu Yu’s timing was peculiar, wanting to slip away was very obvious. Fortunately, the matter was almost resolved, so the Village Chief only made a few token attempts to keep them before letting the three members of the Gu family leave.
On the way back home, before his younger brother-in-law could speak, Gu Yu recounted everything that had just happened. This made Gu Qingheng’s eyes shine with excitement, regretting that he was too young to witness it firsthand.
Thus, the matter of Yang Cao’s death temporarily came to a close. This time, the Gu family was not framed by others, and a potential threat was eliminated.
After the day’s events spread, it was likely that the villagers would no longer call Gu Yu by his nickname “Gou Dan.”
Although calling by a nickname seemed more intimate, Gu Yu still couldn’t accept a name like “Gou Dan.”
As for Yang Shun from the Old Yang family, why wasn’t his nickname used? It was because he had passed the Tong Sheng examination. This time, Gu Yu had gained significant attention, and it was unlikely he would be seen as an unfortunate outcast from the Old Yang family anymore.
As for Wu Changlin, as the murderer of Yang Cao, he would definitely be dealt with by the government officials… This was something worth celebrating, but Gu Yu did not show it directly, so as not to be noticed by Gu Mengyao and her brother.
Gu Yu had not yet revealed that Wu Changlin and Yang Cao’s father had wanted to harm Gu Mengyao, so Gu Mengyao and her brother could only lament that Wu Changlin was too ruthless to have killed Yang Cao.
After all, it was a human life…
“Alright, although today’s events were unpleasant, life must go on. Wu Changlin is certainly detestable, but the world is so vast, and he is not the only bad person. So there’s no need to overthink it. We just need to live each day steadily.”
Seeing that Gu Mengyao and her brother were still immersed in the incident of Yang Cao’s death, Gu Yu took the initiative to speak, bringing their thoughts back to prevent them from overthinking and getting stuck in a rut.
Unlike other families, the Gu family’s living conditions had not been good in recent years. Gu Yu was a little worried about whether Gu Mengyao and her brother had suffered any trauma.
However, at present… Gu Yu felt that Gu Mengyao’s values were more upright than his, and Gu Qingheng was a clever little fellow, so there was no need to worry about them having any problems.
“Brother-in-law, don’t worry. My sister and I just feel it’s quite sudden. After all, we saw Yang Cao alive just a few days ago. Now that we think of her death, it feels a bit creepy.”
“Even if it’s creepy, I won’t let you sleep with us. You’re old enough, go hug a fox at night.”
“…”
Then, when Gu Qingheng spoke, Gu Yu immediately replied, afraid that Gu Qingheng would use fear as an excuse to want to sleep with them that night, so he quickly refused.
Gu Qingheng was speechless after hearing this, wondering if his brother-in-law was foolish.
He was already eight years old this year. Even if Gu Mengyao was his sister, they couldn’t sleep together. At eight years old, boys and girls shouldn’t sleep in the same room. Hadn’t his brother-in-law forgotten this?
As a transmigator, Gu Yu was naturally not very familiar with some ancient customs. Therefore, his actions at this time were not necessarily right or wrong. He just thought that his younger brother-in-law was not only blindingly bright as a third wheel during the day but also wanted to continue to be a nuisance at night…
Fortunately, Gu Qingheng himself did not have this idea. It was just Gu Yu’s own false alarm.
After that, there was nothing else. After sending his younger brother-in-law back to his room to continue studying, Gu Yu took his wife’s hand and walked around their home for a while. He only returned to his room to rest and sleep when it got dark.
After encountering the incident of Yang Cao’s death today, although Gu Mengyao did not show any negative signs, Gu Yu thought that she was only 13 years old, and in modern times, she was still a primary school student…
Thinking about it, having such a young wife was truly amazing!
However, Gu Yu himself was even younger.
Therefore, to prevent Gu Mengyao from overthinking and being unable to sleep, this time Gu Yu did not wait for Gu Mengyao to pounce on him after falling asleep. Instead, after taking off his outer clothes, he directly reached out, put his arm around Gu Mengyao’s slender waist, and pulled her into his arms.
[Gu Mengyao’s affection +20, Space upgrading…]
As Gu Mengyao’s cheeks turned red, Gu Yu found a comfortable position, held his wife, and felt sleepiness gradually creeping up on him.
By the time Gu Mengyao’s eyelids felt heavy and she finally fell asleep without being able to think of anything, she had already passed out.
Seeing Gu Mengyao sleeping sweetly, Gu Yu smiled slightly and then blew out the candle on the bedside in one breath…
Tomorrow, things would probably be even more lively.
Thank you to the esteemed “sfpreak” for the 200,000 Fire Scrolls reward, and to the esteemed “Godly Authority of Power” for the 50,000 Fire Scrolls reward.
And to all the readers for their rewards and monthly ticket support~
Next, the author will write 100,000 words in advance, and by April 1st, readers will be able to enjoy it thoroughly~
(Regarding the update status in April, it is currently tentatively set at three updates per day. With 3,000 words per chapter, it will be a 10,000-word update every day, truly a burst of effort. (/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~)
