Han Tuo was standing on the stepladder, taking out bacon and sausages. Suddenly he heard footsteps on the stairs. He looked back and saw a glimpse of black trouser legs.

An idea popped into his mind, and he immediately hung the bacon at a higher place. Then he jumped down from the ladder, put the ladder in the corner, and rushed into the kitchen by himself, all in one go.

After a few seconds, Luo Xiao came downstairs and walked into the kitchen. She saw Han Tuo wearing a white T-shirt and a black apron, cutting vegetables with his head down. A little dazed.

"Why are you looking at me all the time?" Han Tuo said calmly.

"Who did you learn cooking from?" Luo Xiao picked up a date from the plate by the door and put it in his mouth.

Han Tuo smiled and cut the knife as fast as the wind: "When I was working before, how could I cook? I wasn't picky. Even if the fast food lunch boxes were made like pig food, I would eat them all up when I was hungry. Two years ago... I retired and thought about opening an inn. I learned cooking skills slowly and figured it out by myself."

Luo Xiao didn't say anything. I just felt that the dates in my mouth were a little sweet and a little bitter. That bitter feeling is called the past. You and I have an unknown past.

Han Tuo raised his eyebrows and looked at her: "What about you? Are your cooking skills acceptable?" He looked at Luo Xiao's slender white fingers. Subconsciously, he thought that such a beautiful and light girl must be an amazing cook. "Could he be a hidden master of cooking?" He chuckled.

Unexpectedly, Luo Xiao's face turned red, and he threw the pit of the date into the trash can and said honestly: "The food I made cannot be eaten."

Han Tuo wanted to laugh, but held back for the sake of face.

As if to get back at the point, Luo Xiao emphasized, "But my parents used to cook delicious food. Braised lion's head, steamed fish, stir-fried asparagus tips... they were better than those in many restaurants. At that time, many friends liked to eat at our house. It was because they were so good at cooking that I didn't cook by myself. I think if I had learned it back then, my cooking skills would be great now..."

Before she could finish the last sentence, Han Tuo grabbed her face with a smile and bent down to kiss her. His fingers were still wet and tasted of carrots and corn. His other hand was clasped on the wall behind her. But this was probably the sweetest and freshest kiss Luo Xiao had ever experienced. She was kissed until her whole body was covered with a shivering coolness, as if someone's hand was caressing her. She knew that it was actually his breath.

Only after he kissed her until her face turned red, Han Tuo patted her waist happily and said, "Go, help me get a piece of bacon. I'll make fried bacon with garlic sprouts for lunch. No chili."

"Yeah." Luo Xiao took two steps forward, turned around and saw that he was still looking at her, with a smile that had a few blushes on her cheeks. Luo Xiao came back quickly, raised her head and gave him a light kiss on the face before turning around and walking out.

Han Tuo touched his face. What was it like? It was like there was a happy little man hidden in his heart. He finally emerged from the mountains that had been silent for too long, very bravely and eagerly for happiness. And she came at this moment, like a pool of water, tempting him to jump in.

On the other side, Luo Xiao climbed up the stepladder as he instructed and was struggling with the bacon. But the fat was hanging so high that she couldn't reach it even if she stood on tiptoe at the top of the stepladder. After trying several times, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He turned around and saw Han Tuo leaning against the kitchen door, smiling with his head down. I immediately understood: this guy did it on purpose.

How childish!

Luo Xiao said unhappily: "Come and get it yourself." He pretended to come down. Han Tuo took two steps forward and grabbed the ladder step: "No, I just washed my hands. How about you jump up and see if you can reach it. Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you from below."

"Really?" Luo Xiao looked at him doubtfully.

"Yeah." Han Tuo held his chin with one hand and looked at her, "How about you try jumping first? Come on, come over here."

Luo Xiao's face became slightly hot again, and he whispered, "You did it on purpose."

Han Tuo's voice was even lower: "Oh, you know."

…

Inside the house, in the palm-sized area, the kitchen and the corridor, the two men had been dawdling inside for the entire morning. Even the stepladder that I bought from the second-hand market for 50 yuan was used by the boss as a prop to tease girls. If this continues, I'm afraid that the flowers, grass, potatoes and cabbages in the yard will all be left with ambiguous traces of love.

Xiaomei squatted in the yard, silently watering the flowers on the ground.

I can't hear, I can't see, I can't feel...

There shouldn't be any onlookers when they are just beginning to fall in love and are hiding in a small dark room to talk about their love. Although Xiaomei is an experienced person, the boss's move was so shameless that she felt shameless...

At noon, Xiaomei, filled with anger and shame, went out to find food by herself. Only Han Tuo and Luo Xiao were left at home, and they had a delicious meal of stir-fried pork with garlic chives and bok choy. After eating, Luo Xiao volunteered to wash the dishes. Han Tuo leaned back in the recliner on the porch to take a rest, and suddenly he felt that the courtyard looked much more pleasing to the eye. After thinking about it, I realized that Xiaomei, the big light bulb that had been standing there for the whole morning, finally knew how to avoid it.

Rumei is teachable. Han Tuo decided to give her a 10 yuan salary increase starting next month.

"I'm going to clean up over there in the afternoon and may be back very late." Luo Xiao's voice came from the kitchen. Over there is the house she just rented.

Han Tuo said, "I'll come to see you after I finish my work this afternoon."

"Don't go if you're busy. I can handle it myself." Luo Xiao paused, "You've already helped me a lot."

Han Tuo turned his head and looked at the kitchen door, whispering, "What's more? We are still a long way from having a result, so it's not much."

His voice was a little soft, and Luo Xiao couldn't hear it clearly amid the sound of the faucet: "What?"

Han Tuo smiled and said, "Nothing. Take your time to wash. I'll go out and pick you up for dinner in the evening."

Luo Xiao gently wiped the edges of the dishes with a rag, and felt like laughing when he heard him call himself "brother". She calculated carefully in her mind that his birthday was on the inn's license documents, so he was four years older than her.

This man is sometimes cold and sometimes cute. Sometimes sharp, sometimes dull. Even Luo Xiao herself didn't expect that he would kiss her a few days ago. But sometimes, when she thought about it, and then thought about the day they first met, and thought about his misty and deep eyes looking at her in the morning mist, she suddenly felt that it was so natural that they would kiss each other one day.

However, on this day, Han Tuo did not come to have dinner with her as promised. Of course, Luo Xiao didn't have time to care. The new house was quite big. She spent the whole afternoon cleaning it, but she only managed to tidy up a small corner. When she was so busy that her waist was aching, she looked up at the sky and found that it was already seven or eight o'clock. Han Tuo hasn't come yet. She called him on her cell phone, but no one answered. Luo Xiao didn't care. He threw his phone aside, sat on a pile of sundries, ate a small piece of bread and drank some water, which was his dinner.

It gets dark much later in YN than inland. At this time, dusk fell, the rosy clouds stretched out, the mountains looked like people, and the water looked like a dream.

Luo Xiao lowered her head and ate for a while. She had been experiencing such loneliness and solitude for more than a year. But at this moment, the feeling is different. There is a person, just at the foot of the mountain, like floating clouds, like the sea, who gracefully occupies her life.

Luo Xiao knew that the eternal loneliness in his heart could not be saved. Even Han Tuo can't do it.

But this time, she wanted to be happy so much. She hoped that God would open his eyes and let her escape this time.

It's rare to meet a Han Tuo in the world. She knows.

His every move and gesture is him, and so is the sunrise and sunset. Ever since he opened the door and took her in in the heavy rain that day, she really couldn't bear to let go.

——

In the afternoon, Han Tuo went to the police station. If for no other reason, the case would remain unsolved, and he would naturally be worried about it all the time. He was also not very confident about the efficiency of the small town police in handling cases.

Sure enough, as soon as I walked into the police office, I saw Xiao Tan and a few others there with sad faces.

“Hey, Brother Han, Brother Han… We looked for the suspect as you said, but we couldn’t find him.”

Han Tuo sat down slowly, and asked the policeman next to him to pour him a cup of tea, and then asked slowly: "What's the situation?"

"There are surveillance cameras on several streets near the deceased's home, but no suspicious people were captured. They were just the street vendors or tourists every day." Xiao Tan said, "We also inquired about the deceased's relationships with women and finances. He divorced his wife a few years ago and had an affair with the factory's accountant. But when we found the accountant, she was shocked. She was on duty at the factory that day and had an alibi. Her body shape and feet didn't match. In terms of finances, the deceased had no debts or disputes. Oh, by the way, he had sex with prostitutes a few times, but they were all settled. He wouldn't be killed for that. His ex-wife went to work in the province a long time ago and has nothing to do with this case."

Han Tuo thought for a moment, lit a cigarette, and said, "It means that the crime was committed by an acquaintance."

Xiao Tan and others were stunned.

Han Tuo brushed off the ash from his cigarette and smiled faintly, "The wind leaves no trace, but people leave traces. The murderer doesn't have the ability to fly to heaven or earth, how could he escape your sight? It's very likely that he is an acquaintance who was overlooked by you.

In some corner we can't see, through some kind of communication, the murderer and the deceased have hooked up. The deceased was a shrewd small boss and would not be fooled so easily. He must have had several contacts with the murderer. Then it was natural that the subsequent home invasion and murder case happened. ”

"oh……"

"Investigate more carefully," Han Tuo said. "Even if it's someone in this small town whom we know very well, we should carefully screen them. All women who meet the suspect's conditions should be investigated. I have a feeling that the murderer this time will not be among the accountant, the lady, or the ex-wife you just mentioned. It may be someone we have never expected. This is interesting."

"Yeah!" The young policemen were confused and excited by what Han Tuo said.

Han Tuo asked again: "When will the police from above arrive?"

Xiao Tan replied: "It rained a few days ago and the road collapsed. The people from the provincial department should be here tomorrow."

——

That day, Han Tuo stayed in the police station until late at night before returning to the inn.

The moment I stepped into the door, I looked up and saw the bright moon. Then I remembered that I was so busy that I forgot the time and missed my date with Luo Xiao. I took out my cell phone and saw a missed call from her.

On nights when there is a case, the blood in the body feels both cold and hot. But this feeling has been gone for too long. Just like a destined road, even if you are far away from it, it is still under your feet all the time.

Han Tuo looked up and saw that the lights in her room were off. Probably already fast asleep. Han Tuo didn't want to disturb her, so he went back to his room and went to sleep. I was still thinking, what should I make for her tomorrow?

It was not until the next morning that Han Tuo realized that Luo Xiao had not returned home all night and was not in the room at all. When asked about this, Xiaomei rubbed her eyes and answered, "I don't know. I went to bed at 12 o'clock yesterday and thought she was back. Is she still working on the house over there? Boss, why don't you keep an eye on your girlfriend and come to ask others what they are doing? Oh, I get it. I'm a novice, so I understand."

Han Tuo: “…”

I didn’t want to waste time talking to her, so I called Luo Xiao’s cell phone, but no one answered. So we left the inn and went up the hillside.

Soon they arrived at her dilapidated cafe.

The door was closed, but there was a light inside, and a figure could be vaguely seen lying beside the table. Han Tuo felt relieved. He took a look at the wall and realized that it was not very high. Even Luo Xiao could probably climb over it by himself. He laughed in his heart, climbed over the wall in an instant, landed in the yard, pushed open the door, and saw Luo Xiao lying on the table in a crooked manner, sleeping soundly.

Han Tuo took another look around the yard and found that everything was very tidy and orderly. She threw away all the old furniture, and the floor was spotlessly clean. After a little renovation and purchasing tables, chairs and equipment, Luo Xiao Coffee Shop can be opened.

Perhaps it was the gentle morning light that caused Han Tuo's heart to feel soft. Looking at Luo Xiao again, there were some smears of dust on his fair face and the glove on one hand was still on. Even in his sleep, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Han Tuo squatted down in front of her and asked softly, "What are you worrying about in your dream..."

Of course she didn't wake up, she just frowned slightly. Han Tuo lowered his head and pecked her lightly on the lips. I thought that this girl might have to work all night to clean the whole yard.

This woman is really good at managing the household. Thinking of this, Han Tuo felt a little proud. He looked around and finally sat down in a chair next to her. I made up my mind that when she woke up, I would scream "Ah Woo" and give her a scare. Then take advantage of her fright and hug her. Kissing endlessly. The calm little girl he kissed also felt like him, "her heart was filled with emotions when she saw her."

It’s a nice thought. Han Tuo just leaned back in his chair, holding his chin with his hand, staring at the face of his new girlfriend, feeling that he had overlooked something.

Not long after, the phone rang. Luo Xiao next to him moved but still didn't wake up. It seems that I was really exhausted last night.

Han Tuo picked up the phone immediately and walked into the yard until he was far enough away from her before speaking: "Hello, Xiao Tan, what's up?"

Xiao Tan was obviously panicking: "Han, Brother Han... Last night, another person died! Killed! The same way as Xie Hua! It was done by the same person, a serial killer!"

Han Tuo was startled and said quickly: "I'll be right there."

Xiao Tan was still trembling over there and said, "But your judgment is correct. The people from the provincial department have arrived and their findings are the same as yours. Starting today, they will check all the thin women in the town with size 37 feet and 165-175 cm tall, regardless of whether they are locals or tourists, and conduct a dragnet search. Checkpoints have also been set up on the roads out of the town. In addition, the people from the provincial department want to see you."

Han Tuo replied: “I understand.”

After hanging up the phone, he looked up and saw Luo Xiao in the room. Suddenly my heart was shocked.

He knew that he felt something was wrong just now.

When both murders occurred, Luo Xiao was alone and had no alibi.