Chapter 450: Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong
Looking at Old lady Wei who was about to shoot and kill the eldest daughter-in-law, Lin Qiupu stepped forward to dissuade her. Old lady Wei noticed the threat and immediately pointed her gun at Lin Qiupu. "Don't come here! Retreat!"
Lin Qiupu raised his hands to signal that he wasn’t a threat. "Old lady Wei, listen to me. Murder cannot solve the problem. We as policemen encounter all kinds of homicides every day. Those parties each have their own reasons, just like you. However, did the murder solve their problems? Not one of them did. It only made the problem more serious. Not only did they harm others, but themselves too, and then finally, they lost their reputation!”
Old lady Wei said, "Look at your feet."
Lin Qiupu lowered his head. He had stepped on the blood of the second daughter-in-law. The blood stains were a little sticky because of how long it had been. Old lady Wei said, "Don’t bully me just because I’m old. I’ve already killed her. I know I’m going to go to jail no matter what. Based on my age, I’m afraid that I’ll die in prison before the day of my execution... Young man, whatever you say today would be useless. I must kill these two unfilial sons and then go to see the old man as well.”
The old lady's thinking was more stubborn than the others. At this time, Old Zhang said over the radio, "The SWAT team is already in place at the sniper point. Captain Lin, you should stand aside."
Lin Qiupu looked up and saw a bright flash of light in the opposite window. It was the sniper aiming at them. He took the opportunity to whisper, "You can't shoot without my order."
Positive persuasion was almost impossible. At this time, the old lady coughed. Lin Qiupu asked, "Are you in poor health?"
The old lady waved her hand while coughing. The eldest son’s eyes rolled around once and he quickly stood up to grab the medicine. The old lady took the medication and swallowed one before her cough subsided. She said weakly, "I don’t even know if this body of mine would last until next year... Officer, you don’t know this, but this house is the only thing left from my husband and I. Back then, in order to get a foothold in this city, we struggled through countless bitter obstacles. Now, I know that I don’t have that much more time in me. I know that the house will still fall into the hands of these three unscrupulous children after all. I can’t accept it!"
"Why not sell the house and go to a nursing home?"
"Humph!" The old lady sneered. "I made this request before, but every time I said it, they quarreled and wanted to divide the money, as if it was what they deserved!" She yelled at her two sons. "Don't forget, this is all mine. Stop trying to sink your teeth into my things!"
The eldest son said, "We’re not, we’re not. It’s okay as long as you’re well. We hope you’ll live a long life. I promise I’ll be even more filial in the future.”
The old lady sneered again. "You all crawled out of my stomach. Your lives are mine. Even if I were to kill you, it’s justified by the heavens and earth!"
If this went on, Lin Qiupu was afraid that the conflict would only intensify. He pondered the negotiation plan. He switched to another angle. "Old lady, I don’t mean to blame you. If the child becomes like this, is it not also the responsibility of the parents?"
"You’re saying I’m responsible for this?!" The old lady pointed at him with a trembling hand. "If you want to talk about responsibility, it’s because I spoiled them ever since they were young and held them like babies. I didn’t allow them to do this and that. When they did something wrong and the old man wanted to hit them, I’d always guard them…” She sighed and shook her head. “Why did I treat them so well? In the end, they treated me like an outsider. On my birthday today, all their sentences started with ‘When our mother is dead’. It made my heart go cold!”
"Let me say something, but please don't be angry. In a problematic family, parents have undeniable responsibility. Unfortunately, the mistake has already been made. They have all grown up and have their own family. You can kill them in a moment of stubbornness, but it won’t change anything. For example, the eldest already has a child. If both him and his wife dies, what will Fengfeng do in his life?"
"I can leave my inheritance to Fengfeng."
"It's not a matter of money. A childhood without parents will be affected for a lifetime. Because I’m an orphan myself, I know how painful it is."
The grandson seemed to be the only weakness of the old lady. Her eyes became hesitant. Then, she started coughing again. At this opportunity, the eldest son suddenly jumped up and tried to grab the gun. The people at the scene were shocked.
There was a deafening gunshot amidst the struggle for the gun. The old lady’s body trembled once. The SWAT officer over the radio asked, "Captain Lin, should I shoot?”
"No!" Lin Qiupu shouted. As things were, he couldn’t delay any longer. He quickly rushed up and grabbed the old lady's hand.
The thin old lady actually burst out with amazing power and the gun in her hand couldn’t be grabbed no matter what. She fired several shots and the bullets were all shot at the wall. The eldest daughter-in-law held her head and shivered on the floor in fright.
The police outside kicked in the door. With the help of several policemen, they finally captured the gun and handcuffed the old lady.
Knowing that she was unable to change the situation, the old lady cried and knelt down. The eldest daughter-in-law suddenly stood up like a different person and scolded, "Old immortal[1], you even wanted to kill me. You are way too savage. You’ve lost your integrity! You deserve it!"
"Step back! Step back!"
The police had just persuaded the eldest daughter-in-law away when suddenly a person rushed over unexpectedly and an echo resounded within the house. It turned out that the second son had rushed forward and slapped the old lady.
The second son was trembling with agitation. His eyes revealed his anger. "What right do you have to kill my wife? What right? Do you know how annoying you are? I hate you!”
"Quick, detain him!" Lin Qiupu shouted.
The cuffed second son was still very agitated and shouted while struggling. "Don’t believe her gibberish. She’s not a good thing. Our entire family has been mentally devastated by this woman. Our father died because he got too annoyed with her antics. She came to us and controlled us again. If it were not for her own problems, how could everyone hate her?! Yes, we are thinking about your inheritance because that is the only area where you deserve our attention! You gave us an "unforgettable" childhood. You deserve to not have someone to rely on when you’re old. You’ve lost your integrity. If the gun was in my hand, I would also kill you! Hahahaha!"
"Take him away! Take him away!"
The second son was taken out. The eldest son fell to the ground unconscious. There was a large bloodstain on his shoulders. Lin Qiupu stepped forward to check it. The bullet just passed through the shoulder blades and then shot into the back wall. It shouldn’t be fatal.
The police gave him first aid and contacted an ambulance.
This family was like a pool of mud[2]. Lin Qiupu thought that he could finally relax.
The old lady was crying until her nose ran while she was being taken downstairs. None of her three children came to see her. She looked back desolately and said, "It was supposed to be a happy day, but it ended like this... Look, they won’t care about me in the blink of an eye. Those three ungrateful things!"
Lin Qiupu didn't want to judge who was right or who was wrong at this moment. He was afraid they would not be able to resolve this matter even if they sat down together for a few days and nights. He said, "Don't think about it. You probably won’t see them in the future.”
"Officer, how long will I be sentenced to?"
"I don’t know about that."
"Just say it."
"It should be a long time."
The old lady sighed. "That’s not bad. I won’t need to see their faces again. Officer, do you think I deserve this? Tell me the truth!"
Lin Qiupu didn't know how to answer. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
1. Negative phrase used essentially to describe old people who they feel should just hurry up and die.
2. Their relationships aren’t solid and were exceptionally bad.