Reservoir Dogs chapter 20
Guessing
Jiang Chengyuan neither got angry nor surprised. He just raised an eyebrow slightly, “Oh?” It seemed he wanted to hear him explain more.
Xiao Zhou continued earnestly, “There’s a detail in this case. After Xu Juan gave birth, she didn’t feed the baby, almost starving it to death. The police thus believed she suffered from postpartum depression, leading to a rejection of the child.”
“After experiencing difficult childbirth, her husband’s infidelity, and the inability to return to work, she attributed all the chaos to this child. The reason she wanted to jump off with the child was because she hated the child and wanted to kill him, thinking that the child’s birth had ruined her life.”
Jiang Chengyuan calmly said, “True, Xu Juan had an unplanned pregnancy and suffered a lot due to being an older mother. Her health deteriorated, she stayed indoors all day, avoiding contact with the outside world. Facing a child who cried 24 hours a day, it was easy for her to collapse mentally.”
Xiao Zhou shook his head, “But it’s not just that. Xu Cuiping said that her sister almost miscarried during pregnancy and later quit her job to protect this child. Although the child’s arrival was deliberately planned by Zhou Jun, she cherished this child.”
“If she hated the child, she wouldn’t want to see him after giving birth. Denial and distancing would be the first reactions. However, according to Zhou Jun, after returning home, she stayed by the child’s side, not allowing anyone near. She personally took care of feeding, changing diapers, and didn’t let anyone intervene.”
Xiao Zhou lowered his eyes, giving an example of what he had seen, “In the neighborhood where I used to live, there was a stray cat that had lost a litter of kittens and often cried all night. Until one day, it brought back a newborn mouse and raised it as its own child, even though it was emaciated and hungry, it would feed the mouse first. Tigers don’t eat their cubs, motherly love is innate, and even if she goes crazy, there are few exceptions.”
Jiang Chengyuan followed his words and asked, “So what do you think happened?”
Xiao Zhou paused, then said, “I think Xu Juan’s actions were not out of dislike, but out of fear and protection. Not feeding her child was out of fear of poisoning; not allowing anyone near was out of fear of harm.”
“After giving birth, Xu Juan stayed at home all day and didn’t communicate with the outside world. Besides the nanny, her only contact every day was her husband. Although her husband was often away, the nanny was chosen by Zhou Jun for her, so at that time, there was actually only one person by her side, Zhou Jun.”
Jiang Chengyuan nodded in agreement, “So you think she was afraid of Zhou Jun?”
Xiao Zhou said, “Yes, Zhou Jun cheated, embezzled public funds, and had a prenuptial agreement with Xu Juan. Fearing divorce, he had a motive for murder. He must have done something to frighten Xu Juan, making her so vigilant. I even suspect that during that postpartum period, Xu Juan might not have stayed home willingly but was under the threat of death, essentially confined at home.”
Jiang Chengyuan raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, seeming to find his speculation interesting, “So you think Zhou Jun may have done something to harm Xu Juan in the past, and later imprisoned her, leading to a conflict between them, premeditated murder, and ultimately the fall from the building.”
Xiao Zhou nodded, although he wasn’t entirely sure himself, “Perhaps, but this is just speculation. The police have not found evidence in this direction. However, a mother who loves her child so much would never pull her child to die together. No one would willingly harm their own child, unless someone was deliberately plotting murder.”
Jiang Chengyuan held the cigarette in his mouth, then further questioned, “But from the testimony of the people around, Xu Juan has always been strong-willed, while Zhou Jun is weak and incompetent. Not only has there been no sign of domestic violence, but he also listens to Xu Juan and even flatters her. When Xu Juan stayed at home, initially, including Xu Cuiping often went to see her. If she was really threatened or even imprisoned, why didn’t she ask for their help, and what exactly was she afraid of?”
Xiao Zhou paused, lowering his eyes, “This is also something I can’t figure out. I just feel that Zhou Jun is not innocent.”
The room fell silent for a while. Jiang Chengyuan’s gaze fell on Xiao Zhou, scanning his submissive appearance with his head down, and then slowly smiled, “Your arguments make sense, but I also have a guess. You might as well listen.”
Xiao Zhou raised his head, focusing on him.
Jiang Chengyuan said, “From the perspective of the incident, if Zhou Jun intentionally committed murder, why would he appear at the scene and become the prime suspect? And if it was an accidental crime, the location on the open balcony lacks soundproofing and cover, often accompanied by disputes and pushing, but the neighbors next door neither heard nor saw anything.”
“Xu Juan was diagnosed with postpartum depression. I visited her doctor who diagnosed her. From her medical reports, symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, hallucinations, and delusions. Your analysis just now was good, but besides being murdered, there is another possibility for a mother to take her child to die, which is despair.”
“Just as you said earlier,” Jiang Chengyuan’s voice was low, “postpartum depression is often not due to not loving the child, but rather loving the child too much. Wanting to give them a perfect life but failing to do so. As a new mother, constantly dealing with a crying baby and countless trivial matters gradually wears one down. Eventually, in despair, they may choose to end it all.”
“According to the nanny’s testimony, Xu Juan was very clumsy as a new mother. She often accidentally made the baby cry and lacked some basic knowledge. She felt incompetent as a mother and couldn’t return to her career. This once strong-willed woman began to doubt herself, feeling defeated and pessimistic.”
“Gradually, these emotions spread. Xu Juan felt guilty towards her child, developed postpartum depression, and even paranoid delusions. She imagined a demon harming the baby, causing the crying, as a way to absolve herself.”
“As time went on, her symptoms worsened. She started being afraid of people approaching, eventually even denying the baby food. Due to Zhou Jun’s betrayal, she harbored resentment towards him, subconsciously envisioning him as the culprit.”
“That day, perhaps her illness flared up, or maybe she encountered a trigger. Seeing Zhou Jun return, her fear intensified, and in her madness and despair, she jumped off the building with the baby.”
“Morally, Zhou Jun is flawed. He did things against social norms. But if he didn’t commit murder or a crime, can we convict him solely based on character flaws and incomplete information? Should he be imprisoned just because he’s not a good person?”
Xiao Zhou felt a chill down his spine. After listening, he couldn’t find a reason to argue, “So, Zhou Jun is innocent?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s lips curled slightly, a hint of cunning in his eyes, “Maybe. From the current police investigation, there’s not enough evidence to convict. There are many loopholes that could support a defense of innocence.”
Jiang Chengyuan stood up and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, “One more thing. If you know Xu Cuiping, you should know she didn’t get along well with her sister. Xu Cuiping was a compulsive gambler, losing all the family assets and owing millions in debt. Xu Juan helped her out twice, but Xu Cuiping didn’t change, so Xu Juan cut ties with her.”
“Later, Xu Cuiping was hounded by loan sharks. Her husband couldn’t take it and hanged himself at home, leaving behind a widow and a kid. Xu Cuiping once dragged her husband’s corpse to Xu Juan’s company to cause a scene. Xu Juan gave her nothing and called the police.”
“Xu Cuiping’s determination to seek justice for her sister is mainly because, besides Zhou Jun, she’s the only heir to Xu Juan’s estate. Since both Xu Juan and her child are dead and if Zhou Jun is convicted, she gets all her sister’s wealth, clearing her debts and starting anew.”
Jiang Chengyuan smiled at Xiao Zhou’s shocked expression, “Have you thought about this? If Zhou Jun was afraid of Xu Juan divorcing him and taking everything, why would he kill his own baby? Whether it was a crime of passion or premeditated, pushing both wife and child off the building doesn’t make sense.”
Xiao Zhou was speechless, “But at that time, besides Zhou Jun, no one else was there. Xu Cuiping didn’t have the time or opportunity to do it.”
Jiang Chengyuan slowly replied, “But doesn’t she have a motive to falsely accuse? Her testimony would be deemed unreliable. Also, if we consider this theory, Xu Cuiping had a motive to kill. Xu Juan was already extremely fragile. Though Xu Cuiping wasn’t present at the scene, what about before? You mentioned she frequently visited Xu Juan later. They had severed ties long ago. Why reconcile at the last moment? Anyone could have been the final trigger. Can you clearly distinguish who’s right or wrong?”
“The police are hesitant to transfer the case to the prosecution because of insufficient evidence to charge anyone. If neither Zhou Jun nor Xu Cuiping can be conclusively implicated, it leaves the possibility of suicide.”
Jiang Chengyuan paused. “You can take what I said as a defense strategy for this case and tell Xu Cuiping. See if she still thinks it’s worth pursuing.”
Author’s Note:
This wasn’t intended to be a crime investigation story, so the way the case is described might be a bit unusual…