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Old Shao repeated the word "sit" three times before Deng Xiangyu's parents finally took their seats. He filled his own tea mug with water, then asked Jiang He to bring two disposable cups, pouring hot water into them and placing them in front of Deng Xiangyu's parents.
Deng Xiangyu's parents were quite reserved, sitting stiffly in their chairs, unsure of where to place their legs or hands. Despite the steam rising from the hot water in the cups, they dared not move, only licking their lips nervously.
Old Shao lifted his tea mug and said to them, "I heard you rode your bicycles here. It must have been quite a distance, riding all night. How could you not be thirsty? Have some water. By the way, Yuan Jun, go outside and buy some dry snacks or something to bring back."
Father Deng forced a smile and nudged Mother Deng with his elbow. Only then did they slowly pick up the disposable cups and take a sip of water.
Jiang He and Xu Yiman sat quietly nearby, observing Deng Xiangyu's parents without saying a word.
Xu Yiman felt a surge of anger as she took in the appearance of Deng Xiangyu's parents. She found it hard to believe that in this day and age, people still wore patched clothing. If such clothes were worn by beautiful models, it would be considered trendy; but on Deng Xiangyu's parents, it was simply a reflection of their life.
Xu Yiman knew that Deng Xiangyu came from a farming background, but she hadn't expected his parents to be so frugal. Yet even so, they still gave money to Deng Xiangyu. However, he carelessly spent that money—money earned through their hard work—on tips for a waitress.
The less one has, the more they tend to flaunt what little they do possess.
A thousand yuan would be enough to buy clothes for Deng Xiangyu's parents for a lifetime.
According to the records, Father Deng was 40 years old and Mother Deng was 48; yet from their dark skin, wrinkled faces, and rough, cracked hands, they looked like they were in their fifties. Time had left unfair marks on Deng Xiangyu's parents that were not reflected equally on everyone else.
After setting down their cups, Father Deng wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked hesitantly at Old Shao.
Old Shao also set down his tea mug but did not loosen his grip. "Do you farmers still use Paraquat for weeding?"
Father Deng didn’t understand why Old Shao was asking this question but replied nonetheless, "Yes, we do."
Old Shao glanced at Jiang He, who nodded and then stepped outside. A short while later, Jiang He returned holding something—it was Paraquat that had been discovered on the water tower platform.
Jiang He gently placed the bottle on the table, and several pairs of eyes fell upon the Paraquat bottle.
Old Shao asked softly, "Have you seen this Paraquat bottle before?"
The two nodded lightly, and Father Deng spoke up, "That's what we use at home. How did it end up here?"
"Who usually handles the weeding?" Old Shao inquired again.
"I do," Father Deng replied.
At that moment, Xu Yiman approached, holding a convenient fingerprint scanner. She said to Father Deng, "Press your fingerprints here; all ten fingers need to be scanned."
Father Deng was puzzled but nodded nonetheless.
Soon, the fingerprints were scanned. The prints found on the Paraquat bottle matched perfectly with Father Deng's fingerprints.
This meant that the Paraquat belonged to Deng Xiangyu's family, confirming without a doubt that Deng Xiangyu had committed suicide. However, it was troubling that Deng Xiangyu had taken his life just a week after the campus bullying incident. This left the investigation team in a difficult position. This was not the act of a murderer leaving behind a "murder" note, and the team still had no idea when this murderer would strike again.
After uncovering the truth, Old Shao sighed lightly and took a sip of tea before saying, "So Deng Xiangyu was doing well academically?"
Mother Deng sighed repeatedly and said, "My Xiangyu has always been a good student in our village, ranking among the top in school. But I don't know why his grades started to decline after he entered middle school. When he first enrolled, he was among the top twenty in school, but later he fell behind to several hundred and couldn't get into any good high schools."
Sometimes the world is so ironic. As outsiders, the investigation team understood why Deng Xiangyu might have felt suicidal—he was insecure, sensitive, and timid. Yet as his parents, they could not comprehend why their son would take such drastic action; they never even considered that he might want to end his life.
"Did Deng Xiangyu have an argument with you before school started?" Old Shao asked.
Father Deng scratched his head and replied, "Yes, I hit him."
"Why?" Old Shao pressed.
"You, I suppose," Father Deng lowered his head and said to Mother Deng.
Mother Deng nodded and began to recount, "It was one afternoon before school started. Xiangyu was preparing to take a bus to the city because the school is far away, and he was staying at my sister's house."
"Uh-huh," Old Shao asked, "and then?"
Mother Deng continued, "Then Xiangyu's school announced they were collecting fees again—fifteen hundred yuan. My husband heard this and scolded Xiangyu, saying he couldn't do anything right, his studies were poor, and all he cared about was money. He treated money like it was just blowing in from the wind, wanting as much as he could get."
"My husband doesn't have a good temper, but he only said a few words before he prepared to give him the money. However, that child Xiangyu is stubborn; he shouted that if there was no money, then don't go to school. After all, his studies weren't good anyway—so what if he didn't go?"
"My husband got angry when he heard that and picked up a feather duster from the bed to hit him a few times. I stopped him after that. I gave him the money, but he slammed the door and left."
Mother Deng looked at Father Deng and said, "You know, the school is asking for money; it's not like he's wasting it. Why scold him?"
Xu Yiman shook her head. She wanted to tell Mother Deng what had really happened; she wanted to explain that nine years of compulsory education no longer charged fees. But the words stuck in her throat and wouldn't come out. At that moment, she truly understood: those who are pitiful must also have their faults.
"He took the money and wasted his days; I had to discipline him. I suffered because of my lack of education, so I only want him to avoid suffering like I did. But this child just won't listen; he's wasting his life while watching me get angry and hurt..."
It seemed like a lump in his throat that needed to be released; Father Deng poured out his heart.
"Yes," Old Shao nodded.
The differences in education between generations naturally create significant gaps. The older generation always believes that discipline produces obedient children but never considers the feelings of the child. Yet they went through it themselves; they want their children to find better ways of education but lack both the ability and time, leading to tragedy.
After a brief silence, Old Shao finally spoke up, "There’s something I must tell you."
The two turned to Old Shao.
Old Shao spoke gently, "You saw the bottle in front of you; it must have been taken from your yard by Deng Xiangyu when he left. He didn't go to Aunt's house the night before but found a place to stay on his own. Secondly, on his way to school, he passed by the water tower on South Bay Street, climbed up, and drank pesticide to commit suicide."
"What?" Mother Deng could hardly believe her ears.
Old Shao nodded heavily. "You heard me right; Deng Xiangyu committed suicide. We discovered the body around noon yesterday, and by evening, we identified the deceased and notified you to come to the police station. Soon, we will present a detailed investigation report for you to review. If there are no objections, please sign it, and then you can take the body home."
Listening to Old Shao's words, Mother Deng nearly fainted.
Jiang He noticed that tears suddenly streamed down Mother Deng's face. She didn't cry out loud; her body just trembled uncontrollably. Father Deng's eyes were red; he said nothing and simply stared blankly at the table, motionless.
Some expressed their grief with loud cries, while others remained stoic. They looked the same on the outside, but inside they were already shattered.
At that moment, Yuan Jun returned with some dry food and vegetables.
Old Shao took the food and placed it in front of the two. "You've been riding all night; you're surely hungry. Eat something; someone will come soon to explain what you need to do."
Father Deng forced a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.
"Let's go," Old Shao said as he stood up.
The others nodded and left the conference room.
"Let's prepare for how to face the media," Old Shao suggested.
The corridor was long and deep, sunlight streaming through and casting dappled shadows that flickered like stripes on a zebra. Xu Yiman turned back and looked toward the end of the corridor. Through the glass door, she caught sight of Deng Xiangyu's couple sitting beside the conference table.
She saw a scene like this: Deng Xiangyu's mother was slumped over the table, her back rising and falling as she continued to cry. Meanwhile, Deng Xiangyu's father pulled over some dry food and vegetables, tears streaming down his face as he took large bites of the bread and vegetables.
Tears fell onto the bread and into the vegetables; he ate heartily, the tears mixing with his meal.
Life is unpredictable, and all beings suffer.
Old Shao said to Yuan Jun, "Prepare all the materials. I will face those media outlets. This case has stirred up quite a commotion, and the higher-ups want us to solve Deng Xiangyu's case and catch the murderer. But after investigating thoroughly, it has been confirmed that Deng Xiangyu committed suicide, and there is no murderer."
"No murderer means there is no murderer," Jiang He interjected. "Just state the facts."
"Indeed, we must state the facts," Old Shao nodded. "Yuan Jun, notify everyone that we will hold a press conference early. After that, we need to investigate something more important."
"What is it?" Yuan Jun asked.
"Find out who wrote the 'murder' note," Old Shao replied.
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