Chapter 515 (2/2)

Lin Dongxue told the others to leave first. She went upstairs with the wife. The second floor was a small attic. Although the area was as large as the store below and there was an extra balcony, the ceiling  was very low. The bed there was directly on the ground and all kinds of boxes around were packed full. For a full family to live here, it would indeed be a little crowded.

Lin Dongxue thought that it seemed smaller than the place she was renting right now.

The wife said guiltily, ”It's a mess in the house, sorry. Do you want some water?”

”No need!”

The wife asked the child to play on the side. There weren't any chairs, but the floor was wiped clean. The two of them sat cross-legged on the floor. The wife said, ”He has a bad temper, but it's not entirely his fault. In the first few years when we got married, he wanted to start a career outside, but he didn't have any savings after working hard for a few years. He was working for other bosses. So, he could only come back to inherit his father's restaurant. You may not know that although this shop only sells breakfast, it has a lot of work every day. They have to buy and prepare materials during the day. They get up at four in the morning to prepare to open the shop. There is no rest all year round. The pressure is a bit heavy and he would drink some alcohol when he was down. Sometimes, when he feels emotional, he would start-”

Lin Dongxue stretched out to brush the wife's hair away. ”Is this what he did?”

The wife nodded. ”He's under great pressure. On the other hand, I feel that he has a tendency to be violent. I heard that he lived under a very violent environment from an early age. His grandad would hit his dad, hang him on a tree and use a rattan cane to beat him. His dad would also hit him quite hard. The neighbors all know this. You may not be able to understand that feeling. Generally, if a man has a conflict with his wife, it may just be some arguing and it will be fine after some venting, but he's different. He will acc.u.mulate anger in his heart and burst out suddenly. For example, I miscalculated the accounts a while ago, causing him to check the accounts for a whole night. Little Chi and I fell asleep. He called me to the balcony. Every time he calls me to the balcony, I get scared, but I don't dare resist. He kicked me down and started beating me. If I cried or screamed, he would put more strength into it, so I always just clenched my jaw and stopped moving. It would be fine once he vented it all out.”

Lin Dongxue understood. ”He has a personality flaw and he will only express his dissatisfaction with his fists and feet?”

The wife nodded silently. Her eyes turned red. ”However, even though he has a bad temper, he certainly won't kill people. I can guarantee this.”

”Why have you been defending him this whole time? If something like this happened a single time with ordinary couples, they'd probably divorce. Have you been enduring silently this whole time?”

The wife lowered her head and fell silent. Lin Dongxue could tell that she had ”adapted” to this kind of life. Habits really were a terrible thing.

”After all, I already have a child. I want to stay until Little Chi grows up. Maybe the situation will get better. He's already in the fifth grade this year, and he's about to start junior high. It's a crucial year. If there's a change in family circ.u.mstances, it wouldn't be good for the child.” The wife's words were full of helplessness.

”Do you know what the situation is with those bones?”

The wife shook her head. ”He takes care of everything in the shop. I just help with the accounts and do the housework.”

”Your father-in-law has been missing for two years. Did the father and son quarrel before the disappearance?”

”I have no impression of it. The relations.h.i.+p between the father and the son has always been very rigid. It's almost impossible to communicate without quarreling. Quarrelling is already the norm in this family. The father-in-law has a worse temper than him. When I lived together with him, I was worried every day, especially during the time after I had given birth. My father-in-law always told me to do this and that, and he'd scream at me if I said anything wrong. I really wanted to die at that time, and then I realized that I had postpartum depression.”

Recalling these sad memories, the wife wiped tears away with a handkerchief.

”What did the father-in-law say and do before the disappearance?”

The wife recalled, ”It seemed like my father-in-law was often away from home for some time. He'd always reek of alcohol on his return. He had already handed over the shop to my husband at that time. He didn't worry about it and wandered around every day... One day, he suddenly didn't come back. Two days later, my husband said that he would post missing persons notices. Officer, you wouldn't really arrest him, would you? If he's gone, this family is over. Little Chi and I really won't know how to survive on. I beg of you to please look past it.”

Lin Dongxue comforted her. ”Things are still under investigation. Don't think about it in the most negative way. I'll inform you as soon as there's news.”

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