After the meal, Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had been reborn.
He felt that he might as well stay in prison, at least his ears wouldn't have to suffer.
And Ling Yao finally couldn't stand the smell emanating from his body, so he rushed him to take a bath as soon as he finished eating.
"Wash me up, and eat with old classmates with all your fleas. You're so embarrassed!"
Ling Yao dragged him upstairs and lowered his voice abruptly.
"Be honest, what did you do last night, why did you come back dirty and smelly!"
Ling Shu innocently said: "It's nothing, I just fell after a fugitive."
Ling Yao had an expression of disbelief on her face, but because there were guests, she poked Ling Shu's forehead hard and did not ask any further.
Ling Shu thought about it for a while, then pulled her and asked, "Sister, has my brother-in-law told you recently that you have encountered any difficulties at work, or have offended anyone?"
Ling Yao was puzzled at first, then nervous.
"No, what's the matter, did something happen to your brother-in-law?"
"Don't be nervous," Ling Shu casually said nonsense, "Recently, our top boss fought with his peers. He lost the fight and was arrested on a random charge. I'll take care of my brother-in-law by the way."
Ling Yao: "Don't scare me, he's fine. He was in a good mood when he got home from get off work yesterday. He even went to Boss Chang to buy my favorite Napoleon cake."
Ling Shu: "It's alright, alright, then I'll go take a bath, and I'll take the surname Yue back to our middle school alma mater to see."
"Don't have the old surname Yue!" Ling Yao grabbed him and whispered, "The family is getting along so well now, and the family is not bad, it's hard to remember the feelings of the old classmate and come to see you, you have to appreciate it, hurry up Get this friendship back, and maybe even you will have to help Tang Tang to find your daughter-in-law in the future!"
Ling Shu: "Can he help? Help me dig a hole and find you a sister-in-law with a crooked melon and cracked jujube?"
Ling Yao gestured to hit him, but Ling Shu flashed quickly and disappeared behind the bathroom door.
He deliberately procrastinated, dawdling in the bathroom for almost an hour before getting out.
Yue Dingtang actually sat in the same position all the time, and his posture didn't change much.
"Do you need a glass of water before going out? You spent the night outside last night. If you are tired, you can rest for a while before going out." He greeted him warmly and cared.
If it wasn't for the part in the interrogation room, Ling Shu would really think that the other party was an old classmate who valued love and justice.
"I have to sleep for a few hours, so how can I keep you waiting?"
"It doesn't matter, anyway, I'll stop by your house for dinner after the time, anyway, eldest sister will definitely not mind."
Ling Yao didn't notice the turbulent undercurrent between them, and he responded repeatedly, leaving him to come back for dinner later.
Only Ling Shu could hear the threat implied by the other party's words.
Looking at each other, the two of them could see from the other's expressions that they were not sincere, and they were full of hypocrisy.
…
Most of the dead people these days are parked in their homes and waited to go up the mountain for burial, and those who have no family and no family can only be pulled to Yizhuang.
Du Yuning's situation is a bit special.
She died in a murder case, and the impact of her identity is not small. Even if no one in the Yuan family can come forward to collect the burial, it is impossible to throw it in the suburbs. Under the coordination of Smith, the body was temporarily stored in a hospital next to the patrol room. In the freezer.
After a lapse of two days, the weather was cold and the ground was freezing, and the corpse was not much out of shape, but the overall color was pale and blue and white, and it lost its vitality.
The two stood on either side of the corpse and looked down, speechless for a moment.
Yue Dingtang was the first to break the silence.
"There are already newspapers reporting what happened to the Yuan family, and Smith will definitely not be able to hold back for long."
"If the real culprit cannot be found, under the pressure of public opinion, it is difficult for the arrest house to hand over the suspect pointed to by the existing evidence in order to explain it to the top."
"It's very difficult to bail you out, and I spent a lot of time talking about it."
"There's not much time left for you."
In the presence of the dead, he tried to keep his tone as indifferent as possible.
No matter how many grudges he and Ling Shu had in the past, at least they both have a common purpose now.
Ling Shu walked around the corpse twice, his expression solemn, and he looked carefully, as if he didn't hear what Yue Dingtang said at all.
"She's changed a lot."
Yue Dingtang moved his lips, wanting to say, can a person's life change much before and after death
But he soon knew he had misunderstood.
The change Ling Shu said was not this kind of physical change.
"In the past, she was very naive, longing for the outside world, and always said she wanted to look everywhere, but she didn't have the courage to make it happen."
"I still remember a time when we found a nestling nestling in the mountain behind the school. Du Yuning held the nestling and said that he would wait for its mother to come to find it, and then wait until it was dark."
"Sometimes when she passes by and sees poor people begging, she will definitely give out pocket money to give a share, even if I say that those people may be manipulated by beggar gangs or youth gangs, she said that these people may be forced to beg out of their own hands. , but if a cent of the money they get can go into their own pockets, or leave their children to eat, clothe and study, it may also save a life.”
"When she was studying, she also wrote a good poem, which was often recited in public by the Chinese teacher, and her classmates copied it. Everyone said that she would definitely become a talented woman like Lu Bicheng in the future."
"But these,"
Ling Shu raised his head and looked at Yue Dingtang.
"I don't see the slightest shadow on Du Yuning after many years of reunion."
Ling Shu's deepest impression of Du Yunning was that when Ling Yao came to propose marriage, Du Yuning's father was sitting on the sofa, but with a condescending attitude, he said that the Du family was ready to marry the Yuan family.
At that time, Du Yunning was hiding behind the pillars under the grape trellis in the outdoor garden, full of tears, looking at Ling Shu sadly, seeing Ling Shu showing the passion of a young man, and asking her if she would like to be with him Going abroad to study abroad, directly cut off the relationship with the family, like many young people nowadays, full of ideals, living a new life.
He still remembers Du Yuning's answer to this day—
No, I can't. Ling Shu, this is my home, my parents, I have no choice.
"So, she didn't have the courage to leave the house with me before. After enjoying the glory and wealth of the Yuan family for so many years, she is even less likely to want to be with me."
Having said this, Ling Shu frowned.
"However, this corpse is indeed her. Just now I thought that the guess that she was feigning death to escape was wrong."
Yue Dingtang: "Do you still remember the property list she showed you, what was the handwriting like? Can you copy it?"
Ling Shu shook his head: "If I can see it again, I should be able to recognize it."
Yue Dingtang: "After you explained that day, I have already sent someone to ask. No one in the Yuan family has seen where Du Yunning's property went, nor did she have any dealings with any bank manager or pawn shop clerk during her lifetime. , After she broke up with you from the coffee shop, she went back to Yuan Mansion until she was found dead in her room."
Ling Shu: "Where is the Yuan family's property, is it missing?"
Yue Dingtang sighed: "I don't know, I can't calculate it. The Yuan family's property inventory has been very confusing these years. The account book in the old housekeeper's hand doesn't match at all, and they can't tell which ones were sold by Yuan Bing. Splurge, which ones are taken by the servants. In this case, as the hostess, if Du Yuning wants to do something, it's easy."
Ling Shu: "That person may be from the Yuan family, or maybe Du Yuning met outside."
Yue Dingtang: "Go and ask the Yuan family first."
Ling Shu: "Is the Yuan family sealed up?"
Yue Dingtang: "The Yuan Mansion has two buildings, the front and the back. The main building in the front is now sealed, but the rear one is still reserved for the Yuan family's servants. They are guarded by patrols. They cannot leave without authorization until the case is investigated."
Perhaps seeing Du Yunning's body again, both of them were shocked.
No one said anything along the way, until the car stopped outside Yuan Mansion.
Outside, there were a few people hanging out with cameras to probe their brains. At first glance, they looked like newspaper reporters.
The other party saw Yue Dingtang and they walked in, and immediately came up to meet him and wanted to interview.
Yue Dingtang waved his hand and said nothing, and the patrolling separated them immediately and escorted them to the small building behind.
The Yuan family has a big business and built a small two-story building for the servants to live in. There is not much difference except that the rooms are cramped and the conditions are not as luxurious as the main building in front.
Since Yuan Bingdao's death, Yuan Bing has not been good at business management. The Yuan family is not as good as before, and the original room has been vacant. Now, including the housekeeper, there are only six servants in the small building. Du Yuning's personal maid, Alan, is the most special among them. One.
"I remember you. Once Yunning asked me to meet and brought you along. As far as I know, she and her family have long since cut off contact. You should be someone she trusts a lot." road.
Alan first smiled shyly, then shook his head and made a gesture.
The housekeeper knows sign language and acts as an interpreter next to him.
"Alan said she couldn't deserve your compliment."
Ling Shu: "What did your wife do after returning from the cafe the day before the accident?"
The people in the patrol room must have asked this question before, Alan didn't even have to think about it, and the butler answered quickly.
"She said that the madam didn't seem to be in a good mood, and she hadn't eaten a few bites of dinner. She said that she was tired and wanted to rest. She didn't dare to go in to disturb her. She knocked on the door at night and asked the madam if she wanted a late-night snack. It wasn't until noon the next day, when Madam usually got up, that she went to wake up Madam and found out that something was wrong."
Ling Shu: "Did she have any close friends before her death?"
The old housekeeper: "My wife often goes to dinner parties, but she seldom asks people out alone. I have never heard of her having any boudoir friends, but recently, she mentioned a gentleman surnamed Ling twice."
Ling Shu: …
Yue Dingtang: "What did you say?"
The old housekeeper: "I met an old classmate from the past, and said that Mr. Ling is as handsome as ever."
Yue Dingtang raised his chin slightly and nodded at Ling Shu: "He is that Mr. Ling."
The old housekeeper's eyes when he looked at Ling Shu immediately became strange, as if a thousand words could not be said.
Ling Shu: …
He didn't explain it, and he didn't explain it. He simply didn't see it.
"I want to take them both to the scene of the incident to have a look."
Yue Dingtang nodded: "After the incident, they immediately blocked the scene, and they didn't even move the footprints on the windowsill."
But he soon found himself slipping.
It snowed just yesterday, and even if there was no wind, the original footprints were covered with a thin layer of snow that had not yet melted completely.
Not only that, the wind blew open the hidden window, and snow and sand were carried in, even at the foot of the bed.
This is naturally the dereliction of duty by the relevant patrol, but these days, such a thing is normal, and it is useless for Yue Ding and Tang Xinzhi to say it.
The eyes of the people were all over the corner.
The room is the style that Du Yuning likes, and there is a gorgeous and extravagant softness everywhere.
Yuan Bing probably didn't like it here. Ling Shu didn't find any male items in the room, and even the clothes in the wardrobe were Du Yunning's own clothes.
In other words, the two couples slept in separate rooms.
No wonder Yuan Bing didn't know anything about Du Yuning's accident.
"Did you not hear any movement when the thieves came in and out through the window?"
This time Ling Shu asked the housekeeper.
The old housekeeper smiled wryly: "When the old man was there, the house originally had a nursing home. Later, our master said that this is a concession and that it is safe enough. We don't need so many mouths to eat, so many people are dismissed. Before the accident, the Yuan family There are three male servants who take turns to be on duty at night. Sometimes there is a shortage of people, and I will also take the top. That night, Sancai had a bad stomach, and Lao De came home from leave, so I temporarily replaced them on duty, but it was not useful when I was old. , In the middle of the night, I took a nap for a while, and when I woke up, it was almost dawn, and when I saw that there was no movement at home, I didn't take it to heart, who would have known such a big thing would happen."
He was nearly seventy years old, his hair was all white, and his long robe could not support his slightly hunched back.
Such an old man, let alone murder, is impossible to escape by breaking the window.
According to the housekeeper and the maid, Du Yuning usually goes to coffee shops to drink tea, browse department stores, and attend salon banquets held by rich ladies.
To talk about feuding, at most it is a bickering with the wives, women, there are many things that make the stumbling child play a small temper, but to the point of murder, it is absolutely impossible.
"I heard from the patrolman who got here first—"
Yue Dingtang walked to the bed and reached out to open the drawer.
"They saw this drawer half-open."
Ling Shu subconsciously asked, "What's inside?"
Yue Dingtang: "No less. Oceans, jewelry, gold watches are all there."
Ling Shu: "Then rule out that the murderer just came in to make money and kill."
Yue Dingtang snorted: "Actually, we have already asked the question you asked them just now."
He did not stop Ling Shu, but also wanted to see what new discoveries he could make.
The old housekeeper and the maid stood at the door, waiting for the two of them to inspect the room before going downstairs with the patrol.
Ling Shu remembered Du Yuning's three letters, and was about to ask something when he heard a lot of movement behind him.
He turned around, just to see the maid slipping down the stairs.
The other party's whole person was crooked, but fortunately, the patrolman quickly grabbed the person, otherwise the old housekeeper in front of her would definitely suffer.
"What's the matter, can't you go down the stairs!" The patrol scolded.
The maid, Alan, seemed to have never heard of it. She looked terrified and turned back suddenly, as if she saw something extremely terrifying.
Ling Shu looked in her direction and found that the door that they had closed just now was opened again at an unknown time.
The wind blew open the gauze curtain by the window, and the light and shadow overlapped with each other.
In a trance, there seemed to be a figure beside the bed, but it was just an illusion, like a phantom created by the ups and downs of the gauze curtain.