Zhu Xinfu frowned slightly at the situation. She looked at Zhu Yanyi and said, "Ani, can you help them? Please investigate what happened with your Fourth Grandma."
Zhu Yanyi nodded without thinking. She said, "Grandpa, we can investigate. But what do we do after we find the truth? I just came back to relax. I don’t want people watching me and asking questions."
"Give me the results. I will hand them to Comrade Zhang," Zhu Xinfu said directly. "If I handle it, no one will bother you."
Zhu Xinfu knew his granddaughter’s status was special. If things went wrong, it could cause trouble.
"Okay, I’ll ask Brother Luo to check," Zhu Yanyi said. She went to find Luo Gang. Luo Gang left to investigate immediately.
For Luo Gang and her team, this was very easy. They found the answer quickly. Luo Gang gave the report to Zhu Yanyi. She raised her eyebrows, surprised by the truth. Then she gave the report to Zhu Xinfu.
Zhu Xinfu was speechless after reading it.
The culprit was none other than Zhu Yinguai.
Zhu Yinguai was not very smart, but she loved taking small advantages. There were wild oleander trees growing on the barren hills near her home. In autumn, she saw others picking wild red beans in the mountains. She accidentally found oleander berries and thought they were wild red beans. So she picked many.
The oleander pods looked very similar to red bean pods. No one noticed the difference. At the end of last year, Zhu Yinguai gave a large bag of "red beans" to Gan Juhua. Gan Juhua had some old beans at home, so she ate those first. Then she cooked the new beans. After eating the first meal of this new bean rice, she died from poisoning.
This case was hard to judge. Since Zhu Yinguai gave the beans last year, it was not murder for money. It was accidental killing. It showed the danger of lacking knowledge.
Zhu Xinfu raised his eyebrows. No one expected this result. But the case had to be closed. He called Zhu Leiyao and gave him the report. He told Zhu Leiyao to give it to Comrade Zhang. How the judicial system decided was not their concern.
Zhu Yinguai would still be sentenced for accidental injury. However, Gan Juhua’s eighty thousand yuan did not need to be kept in the bank. As agreed, the funeral costs were paid first. The rest was divided between the two daughters.
Zhu Jinguai objected. "She killed my mother. Why should she get compensation?"
Zhu Leiyao glanced at Zhu Jinguai. "Zhu Yinguai acted by accident. She didn’t know what oleander was. She made a mistake, but it was not on purpose. She is paying the price. She is sentenced to three years. That is her punishment. After that, her property cannot be touched.
We agreed on the distribution earlier. After funeral costs, the sisters split the rest equally. The funeral cost three thousand eight hundred yuan. There is seventy-six thousand two hundred yuan left. Each sister gets thirty-eight thousand one hundred yuan. You need to sign to get your share. I will keep Zhu Yinguai’s share in a separate account. After three years, I will give her the money with interest."
"Why can’t I have it? I am her husband," Shi Hongjun complained.
"Because the heir is your wife, not you. I won’t give it to you without her signature. I am not being suspicious. If you spend it all, where will I get the money when Zhu Yinguai gets out? I discussed this with the family heads. We decided to open a special account for her. She will get everything after three years."
Zhu Leiyao was always fair. Over time, the people of Gengan Village trusted him as the clan leader. No one opposed his decision except Shi Hongjun.
After Zhu Leiyao spoke, Shi Hongjun could not argue further. As the Zhu family said, he was surnamed Shi, not Zhu. He could not make decisions for the Zhu family.
The Fourth Branch’s matter ended like this. With time, no one would mention it again.
No one cared about the final result of the Fourth Branch. It was predictable. The branch would fade into history until no one remembered them.
Zhu Yanyi did not think about it. She suddenly received a call from Ms. Chang.
That day, Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan were walking on Sicheng Mountain. Halfway up, her phone rang. She saw the number and smiled. "Grandma Chang, do you miss me?"
Ms. Chang laughed. "Ani, are you in Sicheng Town now?"
"Yes, I am with Grandpa. We are walking on Sicheng Mountain," Zhu Yanyi said lightly. "It is very relaxing. Grandma Chang, are you jealous?"
"Since you are in Sicheng Town, it is convenient. Yung City will hold a primary school talent show in a few days. A descendant of my old friend is hosting it. He asked me to be a judge. I have no time. Please go for me." Ms. Chang said kindly.
Zhu Yanyi knew what "no time" meant. Someone like Ms. Chang would not travel for a simple children’s contest. It was too much trouble. But she had to give face to her old friend, so she asked her disciple to help.
"Grandma Chang, I am a doctor. Is it okay for me to go?" Although Zhu Yanyi’s guqin skills were top-level, no one knew this. She never advertised it.
Ms. Chang said stubbornly, "What is wrong with it? I am not asking you to kill anyone. Just be a judge. Don’t worry. I will tell them."
Zhu Yanyi could only accept Ms. Chang’s bossy attitude. "Okay. Please send me the competition details later."
"That’s good," Ms. Chang said happily. "By the way, bring some pickled mustard greens when you return. I like the mushroom flavor. It is hard to buy at the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Market here. People fight for it."