Solving the case: Wu Song travels back 97 years and becomes a detective

Chapter 37 Fate

"I knew it!"

Based on the fact that the two were in the same class, yet Li Ailian consistently ranked first but failed to get into university while Li Yanan did, and that Li Guangming did not report the case in Gaotan, people had already made some guesses about this matter.

Upon hearing that Li Yanan was also called Li Ailian, the feud between the two was immediately confirmed.

"It's a real pity about Li Ailian. Someone impersonated her and went to university, but she ended up marrying a husband in the countryside who drinks and abuses her every day. If she had gone to university, she would be working in a big city like Shanghai now," Liu Shutong said with a look of regret.

"Ah, life! At a fork in the road, you take different paths, and the results are worlds apart."

"This reminds me of a guy a few years younger than me who lived next door in my hometown," Ma Dazhi shook his head. "He was also an excellent student, but he didn't get into college and went crazy. Later, it was found out that someone else had taken his place."

"Sigh!" Xu Bin shook his head, then a resolute look appeared in his eyes. "Does she deserve sympathy? Objectively speaking, she does deserve sympathy, but murder is always wrong. In any case, as criminal investigators, we must bring Li Ailian and any accomplices she may have back to face the judgment of the law!"

I'll send a request for assistance to Shanghai right away, and then I'll go there personally to find out what's going on.

"Old Cao, Wu Song!" Xu Bin looked at Wu Song and said, "You two have a more important task. First, check if Li Ailian has been to Shanghai. Then, following the previous direction of the investigation, start by investigating Li Ailian and Li Yanan's high school classmates one by one."

Remember, pay special attention to people who have lived in Shanghai, or who own a car or motorcycle and can transport someone from Shanghai back to Gotham in a day. This person definitely has a means of transportation. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility of borrowing a vehicle, but we want you to focus on these two scenarios.

"clear."

……

The next day.

Wu Song and Cao Dahua then returned to Shangrongshu Village and went to Liu Jianshe's house.

Liu Jianshe has been released since it was discovered that the body was not Li Ailian.

He had inquired and learned that it was Wu Song's insistence that allowed him to see the light of day again. Upon seeing Wu Song and Cao Dahua, he smiled broadly, "Officer Wu, Officer Cao, what brings you here? Is there something you need? Come in and tell me, I bought a bottle of good wine this time, shall we try it?"

"Don't drag us into this. Drinking isn't allowed while on duty." Wu Song shook his head. "I came here to ask you something: has Li Ailian ever been to Shanghai?"

"How could she have been to a place like that? It's so far away." Liu Jianshe shook his head. "Anyway, she never went there when she was at my house. I'm not going to pay for her to just go to Shanghai. With that money, wouldn't it be better to drink a good bottle of wine?"

However, I don't know if her family will give her any money after she goes back to her parents' home, but I think it's highly unlikely. Do you think her family will treat her well? They'll just say nice things; if money is mentioned, her father will definitely turn on her.

"Have you heard her mention any friends who work or live in Shanghai?"

"I never care about these things about her."

"Looking back from the day she disappeared, when was the last time she went back to her parents' home?" Wu Song wanted to pinpoint when Li Ailian met with her possible accomplice.

"About half a month," Liu Jianshe smiled sheepishly. "I drank too much that time and beat her up, so she went back home and came back after a week."

"And the time before that?"

"It was probably about half a month," Liu Jianshe recalled. "If we go back further, it might have been three months. She couldn't go back to her parents' home often because her three brothers and sisters-in-law gossiped about her, and her father also scolded her."

"Um!"

Wu Song and Cao Dahua exchanged a glance, said goodbye to Liu Jianshe, and rode their motorcycles toward Xiaorongshu Village.

"Master, the time when Li Ailian and her possible accomplice made contact should have been during these two trips back to her parents' home," Wu Song analyzed as they left the village and the motorcycle drove along the country road.

"Yes! We must find out who she met on those two trips back to her parents' home! Only by finding that person can we continue our investigation. Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to issue an arrest warrant for Li Ailian and shift our focus."

As for when this case will finally be closed, nobody knows.

With over a billion people in our country, if he just hides in some city outside the province, who knows when we'll be able to find him!

"I might not be able to find anyone by the time I retire. I'll be counting on you then, my apprentice!" Cao Dahua took a deep drag on his cigarette and said with a smile.

"If that's the case, I will definitely go to your house to tell you after I catch Li Ailian, Master."

"What if I'm already old and dead?"

"Then I'll burn it for you?"

"Hahaha!"

We hadn't walked for long, and before we'd even had a chance to sit down, we arrived at Xia Rongshu Village.

They drove to Li Ailian's house again with practiced ease, and the master and apprentice went inside.

"You're here again!" Mr. Li frowned. "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? How could the dead woman not be my daughter?"

"There's definitely no mistake. We've come to ask you a few more questions. Do you remember when your daughter last visited her parents' home?"

"How could I possibly remember that clearly! Wait, let me see! Come in." Father Li led the two back to a New Year's picture.

Below the New Year picture is the wall calendar, with the date of the year printed on a single page.

"I remember it was early June," Mr. Li said, pointing to a date. "That day."

The two stared intently at it.

The first day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar.

July 5th (Gregorian calendar).

"That can't be right," Cao Dahua said with a chuckle. "We heard she came back once in mid-June?"

"That's not true!" Mr. Li waved his hand. "She only came back once in June and stayed for about a week before I sent her back. After all, she has a family now, and it's not right for her to always stay at her parents' house. People in the village gossip, and I'd lose face."

She never came back, not even by the Mid-Autumn Festival. That's when we went up to the banyan tree to see her. You all know what happened after that.

Are you sure?

"What else can we do? Why would I lie to you about something like this, old man?"

"Has she been staying in the village for the past seven days since she came back?" Wu Song asked.

"No, that's not it! I took the bus into the city, saying I was going to buy a book."

"Have you bought it yet?"

"I bought it, and then took it back with me when I went to her house."

"Do you remember what book you bought?"

"I'm an illiterate old man, how would I know!"

"Did you notice anything unusual about her that day?"

"..." Mr. Li was silent for a moment. "She was indeed acting strangely during that time. Ever since she went to the city, she has been like a lost soul. Sometimes I could see her wiping away tears. She was like a ball of a ball for two days in a row. I was so annoyed by her that I sent her back to her home."

"When were you sent back?"

"The sixth or seventh day, I don't remember exactly, but I did stay at home for about six or seven days."

"That means they entered the city on the 8th or 9th."