The Plow

After a meal, Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief, as if 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 bear the smell emanating from his body, and drove him to take a bath just after eating.

"Wash me up, and eat with my old classmates with fleas all over, you are so kind!"

Ling Yao dragged him upstairs and suddenly lowered his voice.

"Tell me honestly, what did you do last night, and why did you come back so dirty and smelly!"

Ling Shu said innocently: "It's really nothing, I just fell after chasing a fugitive."

Ling Yao showed a disbelieving expression on her face, but because there were guests, she poked Ling Shu's forehead vigorously, and did not ask any further questions.

Ling Shu thought for a while, then pulled her back and asked, "Sister, has brother-in-law told you recently about any difficulties you encountered at work, or who did you offend?"

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 babbled casually, "Recently, our boss and his colleagues fought among themselves. We lost the fight and were charged with random crimes and arrested. I'll take care of my brother-in-law by the way."

Ling Yao: "Don't scare me, he's fine, he came home from get off work yesterday in a good mood, and went to Lao Dachang to buy my favorite Napoleon cake."

Ling Shu: "Okay, okay, then I'm going to take a shower, and I'll take the surname Yue back to our middle school alma mater to see."

"Don't be old with the surname of Yue!" Ling Yao grabbed him and said in a low voice, "He's doing so well now, and his family background is not bad, it's hard for him to still miss his old classmate's affection for coming to see you, you have to appreciate it, hurry up Bring back this friendship, and you may even have to ask Dingtang to help you find a wife in the future!"

Ling Shu: "Can he help? Help me dig a hole and find you a crooked sister-in-law?"

Ling Yao made a gesture to hit him, but Ling Shu flashed swiftly and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

He deliberately procrastinated, dawdling in the bathroom for almost an hour before going out.

Yue Dingtang actually sat in the original position all the time, didn't even change his posture, his expression showed no sign of impatience.

"Do you need to drink 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 asked about his health and caring.

If there was no part in the interrogation room, Ling Shu would really think that the other party is an old classmate who values ​​love and righteousness.

"I have to sleep for several hours, so how can I keep you waiting?"

"It's okay, anyway, I'll stop by your house for dinner after time, anyway, my eldest sister will definitely not mind."

Ling Yao didn't notice the turbulent tide between them, so he agreed repeatedly, asking him to come back for dinner with him later.

Only Ling Shu could hear the threat hidden in the other party's words.

The four eyes met, and the two of them saw insincere words from the other's expression, and the hypocrisy was full of hypocrisy.

……

These days, when people die, most of them are parked at home waiting to be buried in the mountains, while those who have no family and no family can only be taken to Yizhuang.

Du Yuning's situation is somewhat special.

She died in a homicide case, and her status had a big impact. Even if no one in Yuan's family can come forward to collect her body, it is impossible to hastily throw it in the suburbs. Under Smith's coordination, the body was temporarily stored next to a hospital not far from the patrol house. In the freezer.

Two days later, the weather was cold, and the body was not out of shape, but the whole body was pale and pale, and it no longer had the vitality of life.

The two stood on both sides of the corpse, looked down, and were speechless for a while.

Yue Dingtang was the first to break the silence.

"Some newspapers have already started reporting what happened to the Yuan family, and Smith will definitely not be able to suppress it 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 to the higher authorities."

"It's very difficult to bail you out, and I spent a lot of time talking about it."

"There is not much time left for you."

In front of the dead, he tried his best not to sound so cold and unkind.

No matter how many grievances and grievances he and Ling Shu had in the past, at least the two of them now have a common goal.

Ling Shu walked around the corpse twice, with a serious look on his face, and looked at it 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 not change much before and after death.

But he soon realized that he had misunderstood.

The change Ling Shu mentioned was not this kind of physical change.

"In the past, she was very naive, longing for the outside world, and always said that she wanted to look around, but she didn't have the courage to put it into practice."

"I still remember one time when we found a nestling chick on the mountain behind the school. Du Yuning held the chick and said that he would wait for its mother to come and look for it, and wait until dark."

"Sometimes when she sees poor people begging, she will definitely give a share of pocket money. Even if I say that those people may be manipulated by beggar gangs or green gangs, she said that these people may be forced to beg because of involuntary help. , but as long as a penny of the money they get can go into their own pockets, or leave it for 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 by the Chinese teacher in public, and the classmates passed it on to copy 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 haven't seen a single shadow of Du Yuning after reuniting for many years."

Ling Shu's deepest impression on Du Yuning was that when Ling Yao came to propose marriage, Du Yuning's father sat 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 Yuning was hiding behind the porch pillar under the grape arbor in the outdoor garden, with tears in his eyes, looking at Ling Shu sadly, and seeing Ling Shu showing the passion of a young man, he asked her if she would like to be with him When you go abroad to study abroad, you sever ties with your family directly, and like many young people nowadays, they are full of ideals and live a new life.

He still remembers Du Yuning's answer——

Can't, I can't.Lingshu, this is my home, my parents, I can't help it.

"So, she didn't have the courage to leave the house with me before, and after enjoying the prosperity and wealth of the Yuan family for so many years, it is even more impossible for her to want to be with me."

Speaking of this, Ling Shu frowned.

"However, this corpse is indeed her. My guess that she faked death to escape just now was wrong."

Yue Dingtang: "Do you still remember the list of belongings she showed you, what was the handwriting like, can you imitate 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 the whereabouts of Du Yuning's property. , after she broke up with you from the coffee shop, she went back to the Yuan mansion until she was found dead in the room."

Ling Shu: "Where is the Yuan family's property, is it less?"

Yue Dingtang sighed: "I don't know, I can't calculate it. The inventory of the Yuan family's property has been very chaotic these years, and the account book in the old housekeeper's hand doesn't match at all, and they can't tell which ones were pawned by Yuan Bing Splurge, which ones are taken by the servants. In this case, as the hostess, Du Yuning, if he wants to do something, it's easy."

Ling Shu: "That person may be from the Yuan family, or Du Yuning may have met outside."

Yue Dingtang: "Go and ask Yuan's family first."

Ling Shu: "Is the Yuan family sealed off?"

Yue Dingtang: "Yuan Mansion has two buildings, front and back. The front main building is now sealed, but the rear one is still reserved for the servants of Yuan's family, and is guarded by patrols. They are not allowed to leave without authorization until the investigation of the case is clear."

Xingxu saw Du Yuning's body again, and both of them were shocked.

No one spoke a word along the way until the car stopped outside Yuan's mansion.

There are a few scattered people outside with cameras hanging on their heads, who can be seen as newspaper reporters.

When the other party saw Yue Dingtang and the others walked in, they immediately came up to him for an interview.

Yue Dingtang waved his hands without saying a word, the police then separated them and escorted them to the small building behind.

The Yuan family has a big business, and they specially set up a small two-story building for the servants. Except that the rooms are a bit cramped and the conditions are not as luxurious as the main building in front, there is not much difference.

Since Yuan Bingdao's death, Yuan Bing was not good at management, and the Yuan family was not as good as before, and the original rooms were much vacant. Now there are only six servants in the small building, including the housekeeper. 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 has cut off contact with her natal family a long time ago. You should be someone she trusts quite a bit." When Ling Shu saw her, he immediately road.

Alan smiled shyly at first, then shook his head and gestured.

The butler understands sign language and acts as an interpreter.

"Alan said she didn't deserve your compliment."

Ling Shu: "The day before your wife's accident, what did you do after you came back from the cafe?"

The people in the patrol room must have asked this question. Alan didn't even need to think about it, and the housekeeper answered quickly.

"She said that Madam didn't seem to be in a good mood, and she didn't eat a few bites of dinner. She said she was tired and wanted to rest. She didn't dare to go in and disturb her. She knocked on the door at night and asked Madam if she wanted some supper. Madam came back and said no, It wasn't until noon the next day, which is the time Madam usually wakes up, that she went to wake Madam up and found out that something had happened."

Ling Shu: "Did she have any close friends during her lifetime?"

The old housekeeper: "Madam often goes to banquets, but she rarely invites people out alone. I have never heard that she has any boudoir friends. On the contrary, recently, she mentioned a Mr. Ling twice."

Ling Shu: ...

Yue Dingtang: "What did you say?"

The old housekeeper: "I said that I met an old classmate from the past, and that this Mr. Ling is as handsome as before."

Yue Dingtang raised his chin slightly and nodded at Ling Shu: "He is that Mr. Ling."

The old housekeeper's eyes on Ling Shu immediately became strange, as if a thousand words were spoken in silence.

Ling Shu: ...

He didn't explain it, and he didn't explain it. He simply pretended not to see it.

"I want to take the two of them to the scene of the accident to have a look."

Yue Dingtang nodded: "After the incident, they immediately sealed off the scene, and they didn't even touch the footprints on the window sill."

But he soon discovered that he had slipped his tongue.

It just snowed yesterday, even if there is no wind, the original footprints have been covered with a thin layer of snow that has not completely melted.

Not only that, the wind blew open the half-covered windows, bringing in snow particles and dust, which could be seen even at the foot of the bed.

This is naturally a dereliction of duty by the relevant police officers, but these days, things like this are perfectly normal, and it's useless for Yue Ding and Tang Xinzhi to say it.

Everyone's eyes are all over the corner.

The room is in Du Yuning's favorite style, with gorgeous and luxurious softness everywhere.

Yuan Bing probably didn't like it here, Ling Shu didn't find any male items in the room, and even the wardrobe was filled with Du Yuning's own clothes.

In other words, the two couples slept in separate rooms.

No wonder Yuan Bing knew nothing about Du Yuning's accident.

"Did you not hear anything when the thief came in and out through the window?"

This time Ling Shu asked the butler.

The old housekeeper smiled wryly: "When the old man was here, the house used to have a nursing home. Later, when our old man was in charge, he said that this was a concession, safe enough, and he didn't need so many mouths to eat, so he dismissed many people. Before the accident, the Yuan family There are three male servants who take turns to be on duty at night, and sometimes I will take care of them if there is a lack of people. That night, Sancai had a bad stomach, and Lao De went home on leave, so I temporarily replaced them on duty, but I am too old , I dozed off for a long time in the middle of the night, and when I woke up it was almost dawn, I saw that there was no movement at home, so I didn't take it to heart, who knew that 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 bent back.

Such an old man, not to mention killing people, even breaking a window to escape is impossible.

According to the housekeeper and the maid, Du Yuning usually goes to the coffee shop to drink tea, strolls around the department store, and attends the salon banquet of rich wives.

If we talk about enmity, at most it is a verbal dispute with the wives. Women, there are many things that make the stumbling block play petty temper, but it is absolutely impossible to go to the point of murder.

"I heard from the first policeman who arrived here that—"

Yue Dingtang walked to the bed and stretched out his hand to open the drawer.

"They saw the drawer was ajar."

Ling Shu subconsciously asked: "What's inside?"

Yue Dingtang: "There is nothing missing. Oceans, jewelry, and gold watches are all there."

Ling Shu: "Then rule out that the murderer came in purely to seek money and kill."

Yue Dingtang hummed: "Actually, we have already asked the question you asked them just now."

He didn't stop Ling Shu, but also wanted to see what new discoveries he could make.

The old butler and the maid stood at the door neatly, waiting for the two of them to inspect the room before going downstairs with the patrol.

Ling Shu thought of Du Yuning's three letters, and was about to ask something, when he heard a lot of movement behind him.

He turned his head, just in time to see the maid slipping down the stairs with her foot missing.

The other party was completely tilted, but fortunately the patrolman was quick to grab her, otherwise the old housekeeper in front of her would definitely suffer.

"What's the matter, you can't even go down the stairs!" The police scolded.

The maid, Alan, seemed to have never heard of it. She looked terrified and panicked, and turned her head suddenly, as if seeing something extremely frightening.

Ling Shu looked in her direction, and found that the door they had closed just now had opened again at some point.

The wind blows open the gauze curtain by the window, and the lights and shadows flicker and flicker, and the snowy air blows coldly from the open room to the stairway.

In a trance, there seemed to be a figure beside the bed, but it seemed to be just an illusion, like a phantom created by the rising and falling gauze curtain.