Chapter 78: Chapter 78: A Body in the River

A man with a thin build had his face deathly pale, screaming as he ran toward the village head’s house.

A lot of people went out of their house to check, murmuring in puzzlement. Their faces were full of confusion and also worry.

"Who has died?" They all asked each other.

Alas, no one could answer them because the thin man had already disappeared.

Zhou Anran, Aunt Dong, and others fell silent. They all saw several men being urged by their wives to check.

"That man seems to be Old Zhang. He is probably heading to the village head’s house to make a report."

"His clothes were wet, did he come from the river or was just passing through it?"

"Shall we check the river?"

Several men instantly split the group into two, one group headed to the village head’s house while the rest walked toward the river to check.

Aunt Li shuddered, looking at the direction of the river worriedly. "Did someone drown in the river? Old Zhang must have come there to fetch water."

Whether it was adult men, women, or even children, everyone started to crowd around the river. Aunt Dong and Aunt Li also went there.

Then, they saw it—the figure of a woman floating on the water. She was in an area of calm yet deep water.

"Hiss, who is that?" Everyone was instantly alarmed, worried it might be one of the villagers.

Not long after, the village head arrived and ordered the men who could swim to get the body out of the water. Some people still harbored a thin hope that the person was still alive, but they knew the chance was small.

A few men dragged the body from the water. Some people scattered around in fright once the lifeless body finally landed ashore.

The village head stepped forward to identify the person.

"Old Su, she is no longer breathing," one of the men who had helped to drag the body out of the water said.

The woman’s body had become pale, and she probably had been floating there all night. A few brave women also stepped forward to help the village head to identify the corpse.

Then, someone gasped. "This is Qiu Mu or am I seeing it wrong?"

They were trying to match the woman Qiu Mu from their memory with the lifeless corpse, and soon, they found some similarities.

Originally, they thought that the deceased was already quite old, and that was why they couldn’t directly identify her with a fellow villager named Qiu Mu.

They remembered that Qiu Mu always had this tired look on her face, and her build was quite thin. Her face had gathered some wrinkles that made her a little older compared to her real age.

"Sun Daniu’s wife, Qiu Mu?"

"Let me take a look, is it really someone from our village?"

"Don’t block the way..."

The village head frowned at the commotion, and he snapped at them. "Quiet! Do you have no respect for the deceased at all? We are trying to confirm her identity, not watching an opera!"

Upon hearing the village head scolded them, the people became as quiet as quail. They merely observed in silence, and unknowingly, fear started to take a root in their hearts.

Did Qiu Mu’s death happen because she drowned or was it a human-inflicted murder?

The village head frowned as he listened to his wife’s words. The men didn’t do anything unnecessary. Seeing that there were some brave women, they tacitly let the women inspect the corpse.

"There are some bruises," Madam Su muttered. "Some are on her neck, hands, and feet."

It was unknown whether the bruises on her hands and feet were caused by Qiu Mu’s struggle when she started to drown. Maybe she knocked into some branches that had fallen into the river.

However, the bruises on the neck were quite suspicious.

"Has anyone called Su Daniu or their kids over?" The village head, Old Su, asked.

"Old Su, I am here." Sun Tiezhu yelled, trying to approach and slip through the crowd.

"Make way for him!" Old Su sternly commanded. His eyes swept through all the people present, and a frown marred his forehead.

The crowd parted, giving a path for Sun Tiezhu to pass through.

Last night, he was deeply worried when he found that his mother hadn’t returned all day, even until night came. He had searched everywhere, the backyard, and even some of their fields in the dark night. Yet, he still hadn’t found his mother.

He was feeling restless all night, and seeing that the time was already quite late, he planned to go to his maternal family to see whether his mother had gone there.

Unfortunately, even after walking on foot for a few hours to head to another village, he still didn’t find her.

His mother’s family wasn’t even concerned. His grandmother just snorted and told him condescendingly. "She will come back. Where could she go, anyway? You are worried for nothing!"

By the time he returned to Hejia village, it was already noon. If he had used his family’s ox cart, perhaps the journey would be shorter. Alas, his father had brought it away a few days ago and his whereabouts were unknown.

When he heard Old Zhang shouting in fright that had found a dead body, a deep fear struck his heart.

He convinced himself that it must have been someone else. Hence, he didn’t come to check, afraid that all the negative thoughts would invade his mind to the point of going crazy.

Unfortunately, sometimes things go against one’s wishes. His deepest fear came true when he heard an urgent knocking on the door.

"Sun boy, quick, follow us to the river. They found your mother’s body there." The words from the uncle standing at the door made him feel as if he was struck by lightning.

He didn’t know how he arrived at the riverside, trying hard to hold back his tears.

Everyone looked at Sun Tiezhu with pity as he dazedly approached his mother’s lifeless body. His face was deathly pale, and as he crouched down, a deep sob escaped his lips.

"H-how could this happen? Mother, why??"