"so little?"
In the iron box where Alan's savings were stored, there were only a dozen or so pieces of silver dollars.
Yue Dingtang looked up at the housekeeper.
"How much is Alan's daily salary?"
The housekeeper did not hesitate: "Three yuan a month, food and lodging are all in Yuan's house."
"How long has she been at Yuan's house?"
"It's been five or six years since she married with my wife."
"She spends a lot of money on weekdays?"
"Impossible, she has always been thrifty, and she refused to buy a new one when the head rope was broken, and she continued to use it by connecting it on both sides."
"Since you are diligent and thrifty, after five or six years, how can you only save this little?"
The old butler naturally couldn't answer.
Shen Renjie was afraid that Yue Dingtang would misunderstand, so he took the initiative to explain.
"Mr. Yue, we know that this case is taken very seriously. After the Yuan family's belongings were seized, the brothers didn't dare to move at all. What they were originally, what they are now, no more, no less, these things were originally in the iron box. !"
Yue Dingtang hummed, he also believed that the people who arrested the room did not have the courage to do anything on it now, otherwise, once the progress of the case was affected, these people would not be able to eat and walk around.
Ling Shu picked up the iron box.
The box, which advertised the candy, was rusted and the colors worn, showing some years.
However, a cover was carefully woven with wool around the box, and the corners of the box were tightly covered. Although the wool cover was not very delicate, the roughest and cheapest thread was used, but in terms of Alan's living conditions, this It was the best treasure she could think of.
This also shows that she attaches great importance to this box.
There must have been the savings that she had worked so hard to save over the years. She was half-living, helpless, and the only thing that could comfort her a little was the hard work earned from these labors. If someone wanted to deprive her of it. It must be more serious than killing her.
If neither the arresting house nor the old housekeeper took it personally, then there are only two situations.
"One is that Alan squandered all the money by himself. It must be that she got more money, so she doesn't need to care about this savings. The second is that Alan's relatives suddenly appeared, making her willing to spend money on each other."
Yue Dingtang suddenly said: "Why is it a relative, can't it be a lover?"
Ling Shu: "Where did your lover come from?"
But the next moment, Yue Dingtang's words completely silenced him.
"Hong Xiaoguang."
Ling Shu never associates Hong Xiaoguang with Alan.
Because in the descriptions of many people, this young man is handsome and extraordinary. Although they found in the other party's temporary residence that Hong Xiaoguang was not as knowledgeable as others thought, as long as Du Yunning is willing to immerse himself in the beautiful dreams he weaved, others will always call him Don't wake her up.
And Alan, it's better to start.
This maid, who can't speak and can't read, can't even live after leaving the Yuan family. She has met the nobles of the Du family all her life, but it is also related to the Du family who buried her in the end.
If there is a person who can speak softly to her, can communicate with her in skilled sign language, give her unprecedented care, and let her feel the warmth she has never felt in anyone, like a ray of sunshine shining into the dark all year round. The prison cell, the people in the prison cell must be forgiven, and they will feel a new life.
Yue Dingtang's words opened a new door for him.
"Where's the key?" Yue Dingtang asked the old housekeeper, "Where is the key to the entrance to the cellar?"
"At the master's place. The key was made into a pendant, and the master didn't even know it was a pendant, so he gave it to a good dancer. After I found out at the time, I hurriedly told my wife that it was a family heirloom left by the old man. , Madam came forward and went to get the key back, and the key has been stored with Madam since then." The butler looked tired, "But after Madam's accident, I never saw the key again."
All the details and trivial clues are connected in series, and Ling Shu has a complete prototype.
Hong Xiaoguang and his behind-the-scenes master learned about the Yuan family's underground gold secret vault from a certain way, so they took the opportunity to approach each other, and according to Du Yunning's preferences, fabricated a person whose appearance, personality, hobbies and talents were in line with her imagination, and took her step by step. .
Perhaps in the process of getting along with the two, Hong Xiaoguang kept brainwashing Du Yunning, using the beauty of the future to compare the cruelty of reality to let Du Yuning escape from the gorgeous cage of the Yuan family. elopement.
That's why she came to Ling Shu. As the number of times increased, she revealed more and more that she wanted to leave the Yuan family.
Ling Shu recalled that at that time, Du Yuning had already been completely disappointed with Yuan Bing, and she was no longer nostalgic for a life of splendid clothes and beautiful clothes, and she did not look like a fake. Obstacles on the road.
As for Ling Shu, at that time he thought that Du Yuning still had an old love for him, so he avoided it, for fear of breaking up with a married woman, but he didn't expect that Du Yunning was just using him as a pretense to make a plan.
If Du Yuning and Hong Xiaoguang really eloped at that time, the witnesses who had made appointments with Du Yunning a few times would be enough to make Ling Shu fall into a quagmire, and Du Yunning had already escaped from the shell, and I don't know where he was happy.
But all of the above are Du Yunning's wishful thinking.
She failed to elope, but instead killed Qingqing.
Ling Shu was indeed dragged into the trap she laid, but now she has become the person who helped her track down the real murderer.
The old housekeeper has worked hard all his life for the Yuan family, but now he can't even fulfill the request of the master on his deathbed.
"I can take you to the lower cellar entrance, but I really don't know where the key is."
"It's not too late, let's go now." Ling Shu said.
There are many dreams in the night, and Yue Dingtang also thinks so.
But the two of them plus the old housekeeper were obviously weak.
In case of encountering the murderer from last time again, I am afraid that both of them will have to take a break.
Yue Ding don Juan turned to Shen Renjie.
Without waiting for him to speak, the latter said: "Mr. Yue, I can go together, do you think you need to bring two more brothers?"
If according to the old housekeeper, the ground floor is full of gold, there is no guarantee that someone will not be able to control it. Yue Dingtang understands the virtues of most of the people in the patrol house in the concession. Like Shen Renjie, there are a lot of observant people who are greedy for petty people. There are also many people who are cheap and misunderstood the overall situation. There are also many foreign arrests, who claim to be superior to others based on their skin color.
In contrast, Shen Renjie is more reliable.
"No, you turn back and give me a gun. I have to take self-defense, prepare first, and we will set off in half an hour."
Shen Renjie stood at attention: "Yes! I'll prepare now!"
While Shen Renjie went to get the gun, Ling Shu seized the time to question the old housekeeper.
He could see that the latter was out of energy, and his thoughts had begun to drift. If he was later, he might not be able to answer the question.
"When your wife went out, did Alan follow you?"
"Sometimes follow, sometimes not."
"When to follow and when not to follow?"
"I think about it... When Madam went out to a banquet, Alan was not allowed to follow. I once heard her tell others that Alan could not speak, for fear of being rude and being laughed at by the ladies. In the early years, there was another A-Qing in the Yuan family. She is fluent in words, and she speaks smartly. Madam loves to take her with her when she goes out, but then the Yuan family is not as good as the day, and the master is completely defeated by smoking, and Ah Qing is free, so she will leave the Yuan family."
The old butler was really old and babbled, and it was easy to get off topic when he talked about it.
Ling Shu had to remind him: "You haven't said yet, when will Madam bring Alan?"
The old housekeeper: "My wife sometimes goes out to buy things and needs help to carry them. For example, when she goes to a department store or makes an appointment with a friend, she will bring Alan with her."
Ling Shu: "What friend did she date, do you remember?"
The old housekeeper: "I don't dare to ask about this, but once she quarreled with the master, and the master said something ugly, saying that she didn't have any friends at all, and it was all an excuse to see an adulterer for an affair."
Ling Shu: "Then how did your wife answer?"
The old housekeeper smiled bitterly: "Madam said that the master is not benevolent, and she doesn't have to be chaste. Even if she has an affair, it will be forced by the master. But in my opinion, these are all angry words. Yingyingyanyan has never broken, and the master has never thought of marrying another new person. It's just the master's temperament... Hey! I can't say for sure, if the old man was still alive, the master would have restrained a lot, and it would not be today! "
Yue Dingtang said lightly: "You can't take care of your old man when he is still alive. Even if he is alive, he is old and old, so what can he do? When I was a child, I thought he was an only son, so it was inevitable that he would love him more, even if he made some small mistakes, It can also be tolerated, and over time, small mistakes become big mistakes, and the tolerance also increases, and finally mistakes are made by others.”
Yuan Bingdao is not a good person. When he was in Sichuan, he never did a good thing for the people of Sichuan. Instead, he used his power to loot a lot of local wealth. Even this gold that fell from the sky, he never thought about it. Take it out to do good, except for a small part of the subordinates, the rest will be full of personal pockets, so if you end up today, the Yuan family will be destroyed, which is also a due reward.
But these unfinished words, when facing the old housekeeper, Yue Dingtang did not say it again.
The housekeeper understood in his heart, but he was unwilling to admit it and face the reality.
When the two were relatively speechless, Ling Shu broke the silence.
"When was the last time your wife took Alan out, do you remember?"
The housekeeper thought hard and said uncertainly, "It seems to be No. 23."
Ling Shu: "Don't act like it, think about it again."
Butler: "I remembered, it was indeed the 23rd, because Alan came to me that day and said that he wanted to buy something for himself during the Chinese New Year while going out with his wife, so he took a leave of absence from me and came back later. She For so many years, I haven't said to buy anything for myself during the New Year, but I saw how pitiful she was, so I agreed."
January 23, the first two days of New Year's Eve.
That day was the last time Ling Shu and Du Yuning met.
But he didn't see Alan.
Maybe Alan had already left on leave at that time, maybe Du Yuning didn't want her to be by his side and excused her away.
There are many coincidences in this world. If everything happens to be coincidental, it is not accidental, but inevitable.
While talking, Shen Renjie came back.
He handed Yue Dingtang a handful of sluts.
This is the most commonly used police pistol nowadays. The official name is Browning M1910. Although it is larger than the palm mine, it is also more practical than the palm mine.
"It's full of bullets, just tried it, don't worry! I've already called the other two brothers to go with them and let them guard outside the Yuan Mansion. If there is any movement, let's shout inside, and they will immediately will come over."
Shen Renjie is very considerate, everything has been imagined.
Yue Dingtang nodded and put the gun and holster under the coat.
Ling Shu smiled but not smiled: "Old Yue, you are a teacher, and you are so skilled in loading guns, you are not ambiguous at all!"
Yue Dingtang asked strangely, "Don't you put it like this?"
Ling Shu: "I'm a policeman."
Yue Dingtang nodded: "The learning ability of a genius is always stronger than that of a police officer who waits to die. Are you right?"
Ling Shu: …
Yue Dingtang patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be jealous, if you want to learn how smart I am, I can teach you the secret when you come back."
Ling Shu twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to chop off his hand, secretly thinking, don't plant it in my hands later, or I will definitely kill you!
…
Yuan Mansion.
The two small buildings that were once prosperous were dark and quiet under the thick night.
The houses in this area are already expensive, even if there were people living next door, after several murders happened, those who could move out had already moved out, and those who couldn’t move also went to stay with relatives and friends temporarily. Come back when the storm is over.
Originally, the Yuan family's servants were locked up in the first floor, and there were still some lights after night, but after they were taken away and imprisoned, there was a lifeless silence here, which seemed quite bluffing at first glance.
"I asked people to come back to watch before the dinner, why is there no one left?" Yue Dingtang frowned.
Hearing the dissatisfaction in his tone, Shen Renjie hurriedly said with a smile: "They must be slacking off. I will definitely report to the boss to punish these people properly when I look back. Don't have the same knowledge as them!"
Yue Dingtang did not speak.
Ling Shu found that his hands were in his pockets, and the pockets were exactly where the gun holster was.
The old butler led them into the small building in front.
Ling Shu found him walking straight to the servant's room where Alan was alive.
"Is the cellar entrance here?"
"Yes, it's under the bed." The housekeeper pointed to the bed where Alan slept before, "Open the bed and the entrance to the cellar is below."
Ling Shu asked Shen Renjie, "Has anyone searched this place before?"
Shen Renjie: "Yes, we've searched them all. The cellar is not a secret. There are a lot of pickles under it, but we didn't find the entrance to the lower level."
The old housekeeper: "Although the Yuan family has a cook, Alan takes care of the pickles at home, and the entrance happens to be in her room. It is easy for her to get in and out, but the entrance to the secret vault is very hidden, so it is impossible for her to find it. "
Ling Shu didn't believe the old housekeeper's words. After all, the other party was getting old and easily lost his normal judgment ability.
Like Alan, he doesn't even have a talking friend in the Yuan family, so he must focus his energy on repetitive work day after day, such as making pickles.
The loneliness and boredom made her feel every corner of the cellar for a long time, and it was not uncommon to find the entrance to the secret vault.
The so-called impossible is only within the scope of the old housekeeper's cognition.
Ling Shu's injuries were not healed, and he "escaped" from the hospital. It was impossible for Shen Renjie to let Yue Dingtang do it himself, so he took the initiative to lift up the plank, and sure enough, a stone stair appeared below.
"I went down once, and I followed the housekeeper. Mr. Yue, you are the last, housekeeper, come and lead the way."
The old butler was walking in front with a cane, still muttering.
"I haven't been here for a long time. In the past, Alan took out the pickles and sent them directly to the kitchen..."
The lamp in Shen Renjie's hand swayed with his steps, moving forward little by little in the darkness.
In Ling Shu's view, the darkness below is more like a huge monster, ready to devour the little light that remains.