Judging from the evidence currently available, it is most likely an accident.

Ding Jian's phone call just now increased the probability of "accidental death" again, reaching at least 70%.

To be fair, Hu Pingtao really wanted to use "accident" as the end of the entire case.

But he still has questions about some details of the case.

After thinking for a few minutes, he said seriously to Zhou Changhao: "Let's do this! Let's do it separately. I'm in charge of the families of Gong Xinxia and Liao Cunxue. You can go to the telecommunications office and check the couple's recent phone records."

Before Zhou Changhao could ask, Hu Pingtao explained: "The mobile phone was one of the items we found on Gong Xinxia. If it was a homicide, the murderer was definitely not trying to steal money. I think this woman must be hiding something from her husband, who is Liao Cunxue."

.So we should check her call records first, especially the relevant time period on the night of the crime, and we should be able to gain something."

…

Hu Pingtao took Meng Hui to Yanhe New Village.

Although this place is called "Yanhe New Village", nearby residents have become accustomed to the term "community", so whether it is Yanhe New Village or Yanhe Community, they all refer to the same place.

They are all resettled households in the same village. They all know Liao Cunxue and his wife upstairs and downstairs. Several families have very good relations with them. They know each other's situation well and can give general information if asked casually.

"You mean Liao Cunxue and his wife? He just got married not long ago and I haven't seen them quarreling!"

"Xiao Gong usually likes to play and often invites me to play mahjong."

"The couple rarely cook at home. I often see them eating out."

"Liao Cunxue used to like to drink with me. After getting married, he seldom went out and spent most of his time with his wife."

"Gong Xinxia was married from another village. I met her parents when they got married, and they were both very honest."

I ran around and asked house to house, but the answers I got were pretty much the same.

More than an hour passed, and the situation was basically understood. Hu Pingtao and Meng Hui returned to the electric car.

Meng Hui looked down at the record on the paper and said with a smile: "Boss, the personality difference between the couple seems a bit big! Liao Cunxue is the quieter one. He rarely goes out when he has nothing to do, and mostly stays at home.

Occasionally, I would meet up with acquaintances for drinks, but the scope of activities was limited to the area around Yanhe New Village and I would not go too far."

"Gong Xinxia is different. She looks like an old player. She especially likes to play mahjong. When she wins money, she invites her friends to go out to eat. After eating, she even looks for places like KTV to continue drinking. She has to play to the fullest."

The "enjoyment" mentioned here refers to time. According to people who know her well, Gong Xinxia often plays until two or three in the middle of the night before going home.

The people being questioned also included Liao Cunxue. He himself admitted: Once Gong Xinxia goes out to play, she will come back very late. Many times, she has already fallen asleep.

Hu Pingtao looked at the record in his hand: "On the day of the incident, Liao Cunxue had an alibi. He stayed at home and did not go out. At least five people testified for him. In addition, there was surveillance at the gate of the community. Liao Cunxue had no evidence of absence.

I haven’t gone out between eight o’clock and twelve thirty-seven.”

After speaking, he raised his head, looked at the gray sky, and fell into silence.

Meng Hui touched him with his elbow: "Boss, what are you thinking about?"

Hu Pingtao said frankly: "I think there seems to be something wrong with this case."

Meng Hui asked in confusion: "Boss, why do you insist that Gong Xinxia committed suicide? I think she accidentally fell into the water and drowned. There was no external force to her death!"

Hu Pingtao did not explain: "Let's not draw any conclusions for the time being. Let's wait for the news from Lao Zhou!"

Meng Hui looked at the sky and asked: "I have finished asking all the questions along the river. Boss, where should we go now?"

"Go to the branch." Hu Pingtao has already thought about the next step: "Ding Jian called me before and said that he had contacted Gong Xinxia's family. Her parents made an appointment to go to the branch to identify the body in the afternoon. Let's stop by and take a look.

Find out about the situation in the deceased’s home.”

…

On the way, I received a call from Zhou Changhao.

He sounded excited: "Boss, I have discovered something here."

Hu Pingtao quickly made a gesture to Meng Hui who was driving, telling him to reduce his speed, and asked seriously: "What was found?"

Zhou Changhao said: "On the night of the incident, Gong Xinxia received a call. The time of the call shown on the telecommunications side was 7:42 pm. This number had been in frequent contact with Gong Xinxia before. In two weeks, the two parties had contacted as many as 60 times.

Five times.”

Hu Pingtao's eyes flickered and a smile appeared on his face: "Where does this phone number belong? What is the name of the holder?"

Zhou Changhao said: "The holder's name is Zhang Hao, and there is nothing wrong with the real-name registration. But he is not a local. The number shows... he is from Hedong Province."

Hu Pingtao was startled, thinking he heard wrongly: "What did you say?"

"He is a foreigner from Hedong." Zhou Changhao repeated.

"Hedong Province..." Hu Pingtao frowned and fell into thinking. He quickly thought of another question: "You just said that Gong Xinxia has frequent contact with this Hedong native named Zhang Hao. Which one of them calls more times?"

?”

Zhou Changhao replied: "Telecom has printed out the information I asked for. You can read it carefully when you get back to the office! I will talk about the phone calls between the two parties in the past two weeks. Most of them were called by Gong Xinxia to Zhang Hao.

"

Hu Pingtao pays great attention to details: "How many times?"

"Forty-three." Zhou Changhao had counted carefully before.

Hu Pingtao was stunned: "So many?"

Zhou Changhao added: "These calls are basically made after 7pm."

Hu Pingtao thought for a moment: "You can go back after you finish there! Meng Hui and I will go to the branch to see Gong Xinxia's parents and learn about the situation."

…

Gong Xinxia's parents are elderly.

When Hu Pingtao and Meng Hui arrived at the branch office, the old couple was sitting on chairs outside the reception room, holding each other's hands and crying.

This is a very normal behavior for the family members of the deceased.

Facing Hu Pingtao's inquiry, Gong Fu slowly stopped crying, wiping his tears and speaking softly.

"My own children, I, as a father, know best. Alas... Xinxia has always been troublesome since she was a child. She doesn't work hard in school and doesn't please the teacher. She has been strong and tall since she was a child, and she has always been good at school.

She was not afraid of anyone, even the boys were suppressed and beaten. When she entered junior high school, several girls in the class followed her and formed gangs, which even gave the principal a headache."

"Xinxia failed to enter high school during the high school entrance examination and went to a technical school. My education was low, so I thought that as long as I could send my children to school, it would be fine. Xinxia studied cooking and pastry making, and worked in a pastry shop after graduation. The salary was low.

It's a little low, but she likes it and doesn't cause trouble outside, so I let her do it."

"Xinxia has been working in a pastry shop for more than ten years. Her craftsmanship is quite good, and her boss also values ​​her very much. First he gave her a salary increase, and later he made her a store manager. A few years ago, she even won second place in an industry association competition.

Award. With this skill in making snacks, I bought a house in Xinxia City, and my mother's and my name were on it... Speaking of which, although we are older, we are still considered to be children, and we are blessed.

of."

"We have been worried about her marriage. To be honest, I know what my daughter looks like. Xinxia is not good-looking and has a strong body. If we go forward a few decades, before the reform and opening up, the man who chased my daughter

There must be a lot. Because at that time, we were asking for

The daughter-in-law only chose the one with a thick waist, who could work in the fields and have children. Later, it was different, she only chose the one with a thin waist... Xinxia was destined to be a rough wife. Her mother and I have been worrying about this.

I’ve looked for several matchmakers, but I haven’t found the right one.”

"We met Liao Cunxue later through the introduction of a matchmaker. At the end of the year before last, Xinxia quit her job in the store. I asked her why she quit her job when she had a good job? Xinxia said it was boring to keep making money for the boss, and she figured it out.

Do it yourself

. Anyway, there is no need to mention her craftsmanship. She has saved a lot of money over the years. We, the old couple, can help her find a suitable store. A matchmaker happened to come to her door and said that she had found a partner for her, so we decided to open a store.

Just let it go for now.”

"Xiao Liao likes Xinxia very much, but Xinxia has a general feeling for him. As an old couple, we mainly follow Xinxia on this issue, as long as she likes it... The two of us didn't get along for a long time. I don't know why later, Xinxia said

She was willing to marry Xiao Liao, so the elders on both sides met and discussed doing things for them."

Hu Pingtao asked while recording: "During this process, did Liao Cunxue and Gong Xinxia have any quarrels?"

Father Gong shook his head: "No. It can be seen that Xinxia must have seriously considered getting married during that time. She often said good things about Xiao Liao in front of us, and she was in good condition with a smile."

Hu Pingtao continued to ask: "What happened next?"

Gong's father said: "Xiao Liao said that he would use his relocation house in Yanhe New Village to get married. Xinxia has no objection. Xiao Liao's mother is also in the village, but she is not in the same unit as him."

Hearing this, Hu Pingtao raised his head and asked doubtfully: "Why?"

Gong's father replied: "When I first learned about this, I thought it was strange. Demolition is not unusual, but the strange thing is that his mother and he don't live together. So when Xiao Liao proposed to get married, I was extra cautious and kept it secret.

He made several trips to Yanhe New Village to secretly inquire about information."

"The relationship between Xiao Liao and his mother was not good, mainly because... she was married for the second time. When he was young, Xiao Liao's father went to work outside, and his mother fell in love with another man in the village. Liao Cunxue was young at that time

, his father heard outside that his wife was having contact with another man at home, and he was thinking about it when he was at work during the day. He didn't pay attention to his steps, fell from the tower crane, and died."

Hu Pingtao raised his eyelids and asked curiously: "Do you understand it so clearly?"

Gong's father explained: "I heard this from the old people in the village along the river. There must be some guesswork in it. But when it comes to Liao Cun imitating his mother and being good to other men, I guess they are not talking nonsense. After all, there is no smoke without fire.

I know what it feels like to have a woman at home and a man not to come all year round. When you are thirty, you are like a wolf, and when you are forty, you are like a tiger. If you can't help it, you have to look for it outside... In the past, the widows in our village were like this. It just depends on who does it.

's secret."

"Later, Xiao Liao's mother remarried, and the man treated him badly and often beat him. When Xiao Liao grew up, it was naturally impossible for him to treat his stepfather well. I heard that Xiao Liao often scolded his stepfather and asked him to leave the house.
To be continued...