The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Framed as a Murderer

At this point, Yu Lanlan still didn’t know that Cao Lang and Cao Hu had also been bitten by poisonous snakes. But since they were close to the village, they had called for help in time. They were rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment and managed to pull through.

Song the Second had gone to the docks to sabotage Han Xiaorui’s boat, but he was bitten by a sea snake under her hull!

This sea snake had absorbed the Water Ability. It was very slender and had escaped through a fishing net, but it craved the thing that made it feel so comfortable, so it had been following Han Xiaorui’s boat ever since.

The sea snake had thought Han Xiaorui was coming, but it was someone else. Deprived of the nourishing Water Ability, the snake got angry and bit Song the Second.

Even Han Xiaorui knew nothing about this.

The docks were deserted. After being poisoned, Song the Second crawled onto the shore and collapsed, gradually losing consciousness.

Without timely medical attention, he died just like that!

When Han Xiaorui returned from the county seat, carrying the daily necessities she had bought, she heard Yu Lanlan’s hysterical wailing.

”Song the Second, you were fine! How could you just be gone?”

”You’re gone! How am I supposed to live? You cruel bastard, leaving just like that! What am I and the three children supposed to do?”

Whenever a family had a wedding or a funeral, the neighbors would all come to help.

Even if there were minor conflicts on normal days, people would set them aside at times like these, as long as it wasn’t some deep-seated, irresolvable feud.

Han Xiaorui happened to be passing by Song the Second’s house. She glanced inside, her expression puzzled.

’How did Song the Second just die all of a sudden?’

’Could it be that Yu Lanlan thought Song the Second was useless and wanted to run off with her lover, Cao Lang? Did she pull a Pan Jinlian and murder him?’

But just as Han Xiaorui peeked in, she was spotted by Yu Lanlan, who was wailing with her eyes wide open.

Yu Lanlan froze, then immediately remembered hearing that Song the Second had died near Han Xiaorui’s boat.

’Did Han Xiaorui kill her husband?’

Han Xiaorui was in a hurry to get home and cook something delicious for her sister and the kids. She found no reason to stick around and watch the drama, so she turned to leave.

Yu Lanlan thought Han Xiaorui had a guilty conscience and rushed after her. ”Han Xiaorui, you stop right there!”

Han Xiaorui paused. ’How strange. What is Yu Lanlan trying to do? Is she done mourning her husband and now she’s going to fight for her lover’s justice?’

”Did you kill Song the Second?” Yu Lanlan charged forward, reaching for Han Xiaorui’s collar.

However, Yu Lanlan was just a little over five feet tall, while Han Xiaorui stood at five-foot-seven. After Han Xiaorui took two steps back, Yu Lanlan’s hands grasped at empty air.

”What nonsense are you spouting? I just got back from town. If it weren’t for your hysterical wailing, I wouldn’t even know Song the Second was dead!”

”You and your husband screwed me over in the past, and I haven’t even come looking for trouble with you yet. And now you’re falsely accusing me of killing Song the Second?”

Of course, Yu Lanlan couldn’t admit that Song the Second had gone to Han Xiaorui’s boat at night to cause trouble. She could only deflect. ”My husband died at the docks, right next to your boat! If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

Han Xiaorui was flabbergasted. Then it hit her: ’Song the Second definitely wasn’t up to any good at my boat.’

”If someone falls down at your front door, does that mean you pushed them? Is there any logic like that in this world?”

”Your husband died near my boat? Why was he near my boat in the first place? Could it be he was jealous because I was catching fish and wouldn’t sell to him?”

”I’ve heard that whenever someone in the village refuses to sell their fish to you, their boat ’coincidentally’ runs into trouble. That must have been Song the Second’s doing. Otherwise, why would he be at the docks in the middle of the night when no one is selling fish? Was he sleepwalking?”

The villagers had initially pitied Yu Lanlan for becoming a widow at such a young age. But after hearing what Han Xiaorui said, it was like a lightbulb went on.

That’s right!

The weather was bad last night.

None of the boat owners went to the docks. So why would Song the Second, a fishmonger with no boat of his own, go to the docks in the middle of the night?

”Song the Second’s death is probably karma. Mazu won’t forgive these fishing tyrants.”

”My boat was vandalized once. Now that I think about it, it was right after I refused to sell my fish to Song the Second.”

”Mine too!”

...

Everyone had their suspicions before, but they never caught anyone and had no proof.

Song the Second’s death was just too suspicious!

”Han Xiaorui, you’re full of fucking bullshit! My husband just couldn’t sleep, so he went for a walk! Can’t a man do that? You must have held a grudge because I instigated your mother-in-law to fight with you, so you killed my husband!”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui rolled her eyes. The sight of Yu Lanlan putting on the air of a virtuous widow was sickening.

”All you talk about is ’my husband,’ ’my husband.’ Heh. Is Song the Second your *only* man?”

”If you have proof, go to the police. If you don’t, then shut your damn mouth. You slander me, and I’ll hire a lawyer and sue you for defamation!”

”Don’t think that just because you’re legally illiterate, you can break the law without consequence. You got the guts? Try slandering me again.”

’The law is a wonderful thing. You have to understand it and use it to protect yourself!’

Yu Lanlan was horrified. Her heart skipped a beat. She pretended to cover her face with her hands, hiding the true reaction in her eyes.

’How does Han Xiaorui know I have more than one man?’

She wanted to jump up and keep cursing at Han Xiaorui, but if Han Xiaorui could get her own former mother-in-law sent to a detention center, what chance did she have?

”Oh, Song the Second, you died such a wrongful death! I’m going to call the police...” After saying this, Yu Lanlan turned and went inside to make the call.

This not only gave her a way to back down gracefully but also a chance to use the police to intimidate Han Xiaorui.

Even if they couldn’t actually arrest Han Xiaorui, having the police question her and take a statement would still be a major inconvenience for her!

Han Xiaorui sneered. ”Go ahead and call them. I know plenty, and I’m not afraid to say any of it!”

She went home without even going to the docks, deciding to wait for the police to arrive and go with them.

The cleverer onlookers heard the hidden meaning in Han Xiaorui’s words. Their eyes gleaming with gossip, they tried to pry. ”Xiao Rui, what do you know about Yu Lanlan? Come on, tell us!”

But Han Xiaorui had no interest in gossiping with them. If she was going to talk, she’d talk to the police, where it would at least have some value. ”Heh, if you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it in the first place! Walk a straight path, keep a clear conscience, and you’ll have nothing to fear.”

”Aunties, please carry on. I’ve got a lot to do at home. We can chat some other time when I’m free.”

’I bought a hen today, I still need to go back and make soup!’

’A woman has to treat herself well. Eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink, and enjoy life. That’s what really matters.’

’Stay out of other people’s business.’

Of course, if some fool came looking for trouble with her...

...Han Xiaorui certainly wouldn’t back down.

Back home, Han Xiaorui butchered the chicken, bled it, plucked the feathers, and cleaned it thoroughly. She placed it in a clay pot, adding goji berries, large red dates, slices of ginger, and a handful of scallions.

A jeep pulled up at her door.

Han Xiaorui knew the police had arrived. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Ye Feng and two of his colleagues.

Han Xiaorui was a little embarrassed. ”Mr. Ye, I made you come all the way out here last night, and now again today. Thank you for your hard work.”

”It’s no trouble. This is a potential homicide, after all. If it’s murder, we have to solve it. Since a report was filed, we’re here to ask some questions.”

’It seems like I’ve been troubling Ye Feng a lot recently!’