Chapter 37 Qingzai actually!
Suddenly, Shengfang, a little girl, had her eyes crooked, her mouth droopy, and her tongue sticking out. She performed a cute ghost with these difficult moves.
Pathologist Ben felt uneasy. He turned around and found Zhu Qing standing behind him. He screamed and jumped far away.
Having worked in forensic medicine for many years, I'm used to being able to dissect a body dressed in red at midnight without fear, let alone someone playing a ghost. But today is different. The tiny baby looks harmless and doesn't seem like the type to play tricks on adults. Besides, my cold-faced madam would never play along with a child's antics…
Unexpectedly, the two of them worked together so well that they terrified him.
It took Ben a long time to recover.
Turning his head, Cheng Xinglang no longer suppressed his smile; now, he openly raised the corners of his lips. The child's eyes crinkled with laughter, revealing his adorable little teeth, as he high-fived his niece in celebration.
Zhu Qing also smiled. This was the first time Dr. Cheng and Ah Ben had seen her smile like this. Her lips curved up, her prank had succeeded, and her previous coldness and aloofness had been completely washed away. She was even more smug than Fang Fang.
"Cheng Xinglang!" Ben was speechless for a moment, and could only glare at his familiar colleague, "You're not helping your own people!"
Who told him to scare Madam's little darling?
"I'll help those on the side of reason, not those on my own side." Cheng Xinglang chuckled, turned off the light, and then closed the office door.
The little devil was scared, and then he actually came to play the "ghost".
Which midnight show did this three-year-old learn to act like a hanged ghost from? We really need to manage kids' TV viewing habits; we can't be too lenient. This was the only constructive thing Ah Ben said tonight, and Zhu Qing kept it in mind. It must have been earlier when Marissa secretly called her girlfriends during work hours, letting Sheng Fang freely switch channels with the TV remote.
The niece told her uncle that she would never let him watch TV as he pleased again.
The children, Sheng Fang, puffed out their cheeks and glared angrily at Ah Ben. He declared that Ah Ben was the most annoying person in the entire Yau Ma Tei Police Station, and that even Weng Zhaolin was second to none compared to him.
Zhu Qing had come to investigate the composition of sleeping pills in the deceased's body, and now that she had the answer, she and Sheng Fang prepared to go home. Just then, Dr. Cheng finished packing up and left work. Ben hadn't planned to leave yet, but the scene of the howling wind was too chilling, so he quickened his pace to catch up with the others.
The corridor was eerily quiet; the silence felt strange.
"Hey, you guys, have a chat!" Ben couldn't take it anymore. "Why aren't you saying a word? It's so quiet, it's scary!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Fangfang continued sticking out his tongue.
Let's play the little hanged ghost again.
Madam doesn't like small talk.
She walked briskly, but when she turned around and saw the children falling, she stopped.
Shengfang discovered that, coincidentally, all four of them, except for herself, had long legs.
When everyone was silent, their steps would unconsciously quicken, and Zai Zai struggled to keep up until Qing Zai suddenly stopped.
She stood still, turned around, and reached out her hand.
The children's eyes lit up with surprise.
Qingzai is holding his hand!
He became his niece's little trinkets, always following her around.
Qingzai's hands weren't cold, and her uncle's heart was even warmer.
He kept his soft, smiling face upturned, unable to describe the feeling of happiness.
My lips are sore from smiling so much.
By the time Ben realized they had gone far away, the uncle and nephew had already disappeared into the distance.
He and Dr. Cheng were left behind.
"Why are you walking so slowly?" Ah Ben patted Cheng Xinglang on the shoulder. "See him off!"
The news spread throughout the entire forensic department: the last time Madam Zhu from the CID was investigating a case, chasing the killer on a rainy night, it was Dr. Cheng who drove her there, the car going so fast it was practically drifting.
According to the reinforcements who arrived later, in the heavy rain, Madam raised her gun and the prisoners were surrounded. Dr. Cheng stood beside her with an umbrella the whole time.
Now that everyone's here, he doesn't know how to seize such a great opportunity.
Cheng Xinglang: "It's so close, what should I give you?"
"Is it a matter of distance? They live nearby, but you take the long way. Do I need to teach you this?"
"Serves you right for not having a boyfriend!"
After getting into the car, Cheng Xinglang glanced at his watch and said, "They should be home by now."
Ah Ben's expression was complicated.
We've arrived. Shall we stay at the guardhouse?
...
The kids are most encouraging of my niece to go shopping.
Qingzai should treat herself better.
Aunt Ping really didn't expect this—
The first item Zhu Qing proactively added to the home was a large whiteboard.
A large whiteboard was delivered to her door. Aunt Ping had the deliveryman put it on the balcony, dusted it, and set up a small table next to it with a whiteboard eraser and markers. Her house had truly become a mini police station conference room.
Qingzi went to work, and Shengfang was the first to use the whiteboard, excitedly.
"Aunt Ping, you can write on it."
"Write what?"
Shengfang was either delivering meals to the police station or picking up his niece from work downstairs. He had heard his colleagues and Inspector Weng mention the case more than once, and he had memorized all the clues.
Many of the characters are familiar to the children, but they cannot write them.
Now, please ask Aunt Ping to do it for me.
"Multiple stab wounds, fatal wound to the left chest, suspect's fiancée, piano teacher..."
Aunt Ping became increasingly confused as she listened, and stopped writing.
What kind of things are in a child's head? It's not good!
"Young master, we don't write these scary things."
Fangfang wanted to help Qingzai organize the clues and write them all on the whiteboard so that they could start working immediately when she returned.
After hearing this, Aunt Ping's eyes filled with a kind smile. She never expected that the young master who used to throw tantrums at the slightest disagreement would become such a considerate uncle.
Aunt Ping put away her marker and continued chatting with the young master, following up on the topic.
The influence of adults on children is subtle and gradual. In the past, Old Master Sheng always acted superior, and Sheng Fang, standing on the third floor of the villa on the hillside, would look down at him with disdain. Since Qin Lizhu always talked about money, he also came to believe that money was omnipotent.
Even now, in his heart, his niece is the most amazing madam...
Thus, Shengfang had a new goal: to become a righteous police officer.
"But Qingzai said I was too young and couldn't take me with her to solve cases."
Aunt Ping asked with a smile, "Did she say when it would be possible?"
“Anyway, Qingzai said that two- or three-year-olds won’t do.” Sheng Fang counted on his fingers, his eyes filled with hope, and said firmly, “Maybe four years old will be fine.”
Four years old...
Soon!
...
A person's back was captured by CCTV footage from the theater ticket office opposite the old-fashioned telephone booth in North Point.
From her slender figure and delicate fingers to even her gait, she bore a striking resemblance to the deceased's daughter, Fang Yayun. Suspiciously, she deliberately wore a baseball cap and loose, unisex clothing, clearly intending to conceal her identity. The police immediately shifted their investigation focus, making this pianist a prime suspect.
"Fang Yayun lives alone. When she won her first international Grand Prix, Fang Songsheng gave her an apartment."
"The father and daughter have always had a good relationship. Fang Yayun has mentioned more than once in media interviews that everything she has now is due to Fang Songsheng's strict upbringing. I think it's unlikely that she would kill her father for a man."
"But Fang Yayun's family has a telephone, and the symphony orchestra she belongs to rehearses at a fixed venue with a telephone, so it's very convenient for her to contact anyone. If she had nothing to hide, why would she deliberately disguise herself and travel so far away—just to make a phone call and chat with her father?"
"It's said that her mother passed away early and she relied on her father for support, but Fang Songsheng was actually very busy before and didn't have much time to take care of her. Fang Yayun's grandmother raised her, and she has always been closer to her grandmother."
Zeng Yongshan frowned: "Yesterday at the home of the deceased Fang Songsheng, the old lady mentioned that Fang Songsheng took a phone call and started ironing his shirt. At that time, Fang Yayun's expression was not quite right."
At that time, Fang Yayun and Zeng Yongshan were having a good chat, but when the old lady suddenly came out, her expression changed slightly.
However, because the two police officers helped her conceal the news of Fang Songsheng's death, she did not make things difficult for them and remained relatively cooperative.
"Until she casually mentioned that there were two telephones at home—" Zhu Qing recalled, "Yongshan, there are two telephone lines at home, didn't Fang Yayun mention that?"
"She's so stupid. She let it slip herself and then threw a tantrum at us. I don't know who spoiled her. I used to really like her." Zeng Yongshan pouted and said to everyone, "You have no idea how awful she looked yesterday! She gave us the cold shoulder, pushed Zhu Qing and me to the door, and even said she was going to complain to the police station. Who does she think she is!"
“These artists have very eccentric temperaments; you never know when you might upset them.”
"Zhu Qing, when did you arrange with the newspaper reporter to get the recording of Fang Yayun's interview?"
"Six o'clock in the evening," Zhu Qing said, "at a Western restaurant in Causeway Bay."
Zeng Yongshan rested her cheek on her hand and sighed heavily: "Why is it like this again?"
The case of the skeletons in the fireplace of the villa on the hillside reveals that the kind treatment the universally praised son-in-law showed to Miss Sheng was for personal gain; all he did was to acquire the entire Sheng family business.
In the latest case, Li Ziyao, in order to escape a life of hardship, approached the deceased Fang Songsheng. Before her marriage, she dated her ex-boyfriend. The man, sitting in the interrogation room, said in a mocking tone, "He won't lose out if someone offers themselves to him."
Now, the elegant pianist, who once shared beautiful memories with his first love, was separated from her. His first love is doing well now, but she's engaged...
The love story in the film is so poignant, but in real life, it's a completely different story.
"What's so special about this? Yongshan, there are even cases of people dismembering themselves for love."
"After working in this line of work for so long, you encounter all sorts of things, how can you still be so naive!"
...
As evening approached, Fangfang saw the sunset again.
Before they knew it, Aunt Ping had been bringing the toys from the hillside over in trip after trip. The little one spent every day surrounded by toys and had really become a toy enthusiast.
However, he has recently been promoted in the family hierarchy, so he can no longer just play around like he did when he was a child.
This is called indulging in trivial pursuits and neglecting one's duties.
He also has to take care of his niece.
Fangfang was immersed in a sea of toys, just minutes before she was scolding Qingzai—
"We work during the day and at night, 24 hours a day!"
At this moment, Qingzai returns and wants to take him to a Western restaurant for dinner.
"Really?!" Fangfang jumped up. "That's great!"
Aunt Ping smiled again when the child came in to change into his handsome clothes.
“Sometimes she’s smart and capable, and sometimes she’s silly,” she said. “When I got your call, I put the food I was going to cook for dinner back in the fridge. It’s so late, and I’m still busy in the kitchen. The young master didn’t even notice.”
"Knock knock knock—" The young master knocked on the wall and poked his little head out, "Don't you dare tell on me."
Zhu Qing: "I didn't complain, I'm praising you."
"Liar!"
Aunt Ping walked into the house: "Young master, can you change your clothes by yourself? Let me help you."
"Aunt Ping, let him do it himself."
With a click, Fangfang closed the door.
If you're going to do it yourself, fine. It'll take a long time, so just wait patiently!
Qingzai told Fangfang more than once that she should take care of her own affairs.
Sometimes the little guy wants to be lazy, but he has to obediently listen to his niece's authority. He changes his clothes very slowly; some shirts have collars that are too small, and the little guy struggles to put them on, only to find they're on backwards, and then angrily puts them on again. But gradually, Shengfang has figured out a pattern. For example, if he accidentally puts his clothes on backwards, he doesn't need to take the whole thing off; he just needs to grab the collar and twist it around.
These are all common-sense life lessons that the three-year-old managed to figure out with great difficulty under his niece's strict supervision.
I don't know how much time passed, but then Shengfang made her dazzling appearance.
Zhu Qing said she was going to take him to a Western restaurant, and Aunt Ping, upon receiving the call, hurriedly prepared his outfit. Now, Fang Fang was dressed neatly and meticulously, looking exactly like a young master attending an important occasion, with a smug look on his face, and his delicate, fair face made people want to pinch it.
"Set off!"
...
I didn't realize how formal the dress code was until I came here.
For example, women are required to wear skirts and light makeup, while men must wear suits, ties, and leather shoes—a whole series of rules. Sheng Fang Bao Bao was dressed formally, looking like a small business owner, but his niece wasn't dressed up at all. Just when the children thought they were going to be turned away at the restaurant entrance, Qing Zai deftly showed off his CID agent ID.
"Madam, this way please."
"Wow!" Sheng exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "You can do that?!"
Zhu Qing calculated the time and arrived ten minutes early.
At six o'clock, the reporter arrived and pointed to another table not far away before sitting down.
The reporter handed her business card to Zhu Qing: "Hello, Ye Xuelin, reporter from Hong Kong Morning Post."
Hello, Zhu Qing.
Children waited patiently, hoping for a chance to greet their children: "Hello—"
“This little kid…” Ye Xuelin smiled, “is so cute.”
Zhu Qing observed discreetly and discovered that this reporter with a keen news sense had completely failed to recognize Sheng Fang.
Unscrupulous tabloid reporters once climbed a tree to secretly photograph the young master of the Sheng family. Fortunately, they were far away, and the photos were blurry, making it impossible to see his face clearly. Later, things went even further. Paparazzi with no professional ethics blocked the entrance to the villa, disturbing the child's life. Zhu Qing contacted the Sheng family's legal team, and eventually, the photos were published, although the child's face was heavily blurred.
The second round of kindergarten interviews will be in a few days.
If all goes well, Fangfang will start kindergarten like any other child. Zhu Qing doesn't want the rumors about wealthy families to affect her child's growth.
"Let's get down to business," Zhu Qing said.
"I happened to have arranged to meet a friend here today, so I decided to meet here to save myself the trouble of going to another restaurant." The reporter suddenly lowered his voice and leaned forward. "But, let me tell you a little secret: the owner of this restaurant is Fang Yayun's first boyfriend."
"Their past was already mentioned on the phone yesterday."
"I went through all sorts of things last night and finally found a backup of the interview recording from back then."
Ye Xuelin took a voice recorder out of her bag.
The voice recorder's indicator light came on, and she slid the panel and clicked play.
Shengfang looked very interested.
He had wanted a voice recorder for a long time.
"Ms. Fang, may we begin our interview now?"
"Let's begin."
Fang Yayun's voice came through the recorder.
That was an interview seven or eight years ago. She seemed a little awkward in front of the media and didn't know how to be tactful or worldly when answering questions. But as Ye Xuelin said, it was precisely this authenticity that made the interview more natural and valuable.
Ye Xuelin is a friend of Mrs. Mo, so I'll try my best to help her if I can.
In addition to this interview recording, she also brought some interviews with other members of their symphony orchestra.
"This is a draft that my colleague just finished compiling, fresh off the press," Ye Xuelin said. "It's an interview with the cellist in their troupe."
"Has it not been published yet?"
"Of course, it's exclusive; you're the first reader."
Ye Xuelin has moved to the social news section, and this time she specifically asked her colleagues in the entertainment group for this article.
She handed the manuscript to Zhu Qing: "Actually, interviewing these artists is quite frustrating. This cellist, he himself wanted to bring up the conflicts within the orchestra, and when my colleague actually asked him, he got upset."
Zhu Qing took the report.
On the afternoon of the day of the incident, Zhu Qing took a detailed statement from Fang Yayun.
In the statement, she provided her alibi.
On Wednesday morning, from five to six o'clock, Fang Yayun was rehearsing with the symphony orchestra. It's understandable that the orchestra needs time zone adjustment training before an international performance. However, in this unpublished report, the cellist subtly expressed her dissatisfaction with another performer in the orchestra. She said that someone in the orchestra was a full hour late that morning, making everyone wait for her.
Rehearsal starts at 5 PM. If anyone is an hour late...
That means I didn't arrive until six o'clock.
The time of his death highly coincides with that of Fang Songsheng.
Zhu Qing immediately asked, "What is the specific date of the interview for this report?"
“It should be Wednesday,” Ye Xuelin said. “Because the entertainment section is currently doing a series of interviews with their band. They interview one member every Wednesday, and according to the procedure, once the editor-in-chief reviews the article, it is usually published the following Monday. That’s generally how it is.”
...
Fangfang thought they were out for a Western meal.
But to his surprise, his niece only came to the Western restaurant to borrow a phone!
The child stood next to Qingzai, twirling the telephone cord with his chubby little hands as he listened to her report to her superiors.
"Fang Yayun's timeline, which runs from five to six o'clock on Wednesday morning, simply cannot stand up to scrutiny."
"She was an hour late, arriving at the symphony orchestra at six o'clock. Because Fang Yayun did not leave the rehearsal afterward, the orchestra members did not bring it up again."
"Just now, Ye Xuelin, a reporter from Hong Kong Morning Post, asked her colleagues in the entertainment section. The cellist in the orchestra had a conflict with Fang Yayun before. She felt that Fang Yayun stole her thunder, which is why she expressed her dissatisfaction during the interview."
Fang Yayun had a certain motive for murder, and it was she who called Fang Songsheng to invite him to the music store early in the morning, plus there were some loopholes in her alibi.
“Inspector Mo,” Zhu Qing said, “After verifying the testimonies with the cellist and the other members of the orchestra, can we bring Fang Yayun to the police station for questioning?”
At this time, Zhu Qing is not the only one out there working hard.
Other officers also stayed on duty, and a group of them went to North Point to check if there were any other surveillance videos that captured the suspect's face.
Mo Zhenbang called Zhu Qing back from that old-fashioned public phone booth in North Point.
After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll have someone else follow up on Fang Yayun's lead. Do you remember the sleeping pill ingredients mentioned in this morning's meeting?"
Zhu Qing went to the forensic department last night just for this test result.
"I remember, it was a prescription sleeping pill that was sold overseas."
Mo Zhenbang: "Focus on investigating Li Ziyao."
Li Ziyao's adoptive parents used to run a foreign trade business, traveling back and forth between China and other countries.
Although establishing a connection based solely on this point seems a bit far-fetched, Li Ziyao's alibi is so perfect, with each link seamlessly connected, as if meticulously crafted and flawless.
Mo Zhenbang remained deeply troubled by this.
“I’ve reviewed the statements; Li Ziyao has known her current roommate since she was a teenager. You should start from this line and investigate her childhood experiences.”
That day, Sister Xin Xin came to our house to see Zhu Qing.
She didn't mention what happened after she was adopted at the age of fourteen, and Zhu Qing didn't press her for details.
The answer seems quite clear.
At that time, Zhu Qing chose to remain silent as a friend.
Now, Officer Mo has given the order: she is a police officer, and Li Ziyao is a suspect.
“I’m coming over now,” Zhu Qing said.
Informal questioning like this is not normally required by regulations to have two officers present. However, because of the personal relationship between Zhu Qing and Li Ziyao, the presence of two officers during the questioning could demonstrate the neutrality of the proceedings.
“Causeway Bay, right? I’ll have Haozai go to your place,” Mo Sir said. “To avoid the other side accusing us of ‘leading testimony’ when we go into legal proceedings. We’ve encountered this kind of trouble before.”
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Qing noticed that her uncle was staring at her expectantly.
"Why don't you go home first?"
"don't want!"
"Should I have Aunt Ping come and have Western food with you?"
"don't want!"
The uncle only wanted to learn the oath-making gesture from his niece on TV, with two fingers held very close together.
He promised that he would never cry, make a fuss, or argue, and would be a quiet apprentice.
"What's so fun about following me..."
He waved his little hand dismissively and said maturely, "Don't worry about that."
...
At 7 p.m., Li Ziyao's roommate should not be home.
Haozai and Zhu Qing almost went straight to Lan Kwai Fong, but luckily Haozai found the reservation number for that bar in advance and called the public relations person. It turned out that she had taken the day off because she was not feeling well.
That way, they didn't make a wasted trip.
Fangfang had visited the deceased's home before, but this was her first time visiting the suspect's home, which was a completely new experience for her.
The child found everything fascinating, so to keep him from getting too bored, Zhu Qing tore a page from her notebook.
The uncle immediately understood: "This is my notepad!"
Besides the notepad, Fangfang also had a note-taking pen, which Haozai gave her.
With everything ready, he sat on the sofa in the suspect's living room, his short legs no longer wobbling, looking completely serious.
"Oh dear," Li Ziyao's roommate said with a teasing smile, "a young police officer has also arrived."
"You two have made another wasted trip; Li Ziyao has gone out."
This roommate, Luo Weiwei, spoke with the same sarcasm as before when mentioning Li Ziyao.
"Now that I have money, I'm going shopping everywhere." She gestured with her chin toward Li Ziyao's room. "Look at all those designer bags on the table. I got some free gifts with my cosmetics purchase yesterday, and they even asked if I wanted them... Can't I just buy them myself? Who cares?"
Haozai: "We've come to find you."
"Looking for me?" Luo Weiwei sat down, crossed her legs, casually picked up a cigarette from the coffee table, glanced at the child out of the corner of her eye, and sighed.
She tossed the cigarette pack back: "What a hassle."
When Luo Weiwei mentioned Li Ziyao last time, she didn't say a single nice thing.
This time is no exception.
"Her adoptive parents? Of course I know them."
"In my opinion, she was just brainless. She was already fourteen years old back then. She should have stayed in the orphanage for a few years. She would have been an adult soon and could have gone out to work. Instead, she had to go with her adoptive parents and go to her adoptive family. That was like going from one hell to another."
“We met in Lan Kwai Fong when we were both teenagers, and she told me everything.”
"Nothing special, just like in the movies. The couple is infertile, and the wife insists on adopting a beautiful little girl from an orphanage. Guess why?"
Haozai and Zhu Qing's expressions changed.
“You guessed right, of course it was to please her husband,” Luo Weiwei said. “A beautiful fourteen-year-old girl, she suffered a lot. They originally wanted to take her abroad, but Ziyao quickly realized something was wrong, so she kept delaying. But she was still a child, how could she delay? Her adoptive father was unhappy, so he beat her. And since business was bad at that time, he blamed her.”
Luo Weiwei looked up and glanced at the two police officers.
Shengfang was listening, tilting his head as if he understood but not quite, his little hand holding a pen, doodling on his own "notepad".
“Her adoptive mother hated her from the very beginning,” Luo Weiwei said. “You could say she was jealous, but in their family, the man in charge makes the decisions… Anyway, Li Ziyao had a tough time those years, covered in injuries, but her face was so pretty that they couldn’t bear to hit her.”
"It's abuse, it's quite pitiful."
"Growing up in an orphanage was bad enough, tsk tsk..."
Sheng Fang understood: Qingzai's childhood best friend had been beaten.
He looked at his niece with concern, but he couldn't read her emotions in her eyes.
My niece has always been so professional.
"Going to school? No way. They won't let her go to school. They brought her home not so she could live a life of luxury. She should be grateful if she has food to eat."
"Later, her adoptive parents went bankrupt and felt that Li Ziyao was a jinx."
"Her adoptive parents died when she was seventeen."
Zhu Qing: "How did they die?"
"have no idea."
"Later, Li Ziyao dropped out of school and met me in Lan Kwai Fong."
At this point, Luo Weiwei frowned.
"She's never done this kind of work before. She's clumsy and doesn't know how to say nice things, so she always offends customers."
“Back then, Li Ziyao was very timid. She was always shy when talking to anyone and was often bullied. I taught her how to do makeup, drink alcohol, and smoke... She learned to fit in with us, speaking loudly and smoking a cigarette, but she still looked very young.”
"This line of work isn't easy. But I never imagined that so many years would pass in the blink of an eye."
"A few years ago, she met Dai Feng. I thought she had found a good match, but I never expected that... they still broke up."
At this point, Luo Weiwei lowered her eyes.
She held the lighter, lit it again and again, then let go.
Even in full bloom, I want to play.
Zhu Qing warned him with her eyes, "How can a child play with fire?"
Fangfang turned her little head away.
She's meddling too much!
Finally, Luo Weiwei said a few words for Li Ziyao.
"Yes, Li Ziyao had an unhappy childhood. Did she kill someone because she was unhappy?"
"The old woman gave her money and a house, and in the end, she killed her?"
"She had no motive to kill anyone. You police officers can't just wrong an innocent person like this."
Zhu Qing was recording her words without even looking up: "If I remember correctly, you suspected last time that Li Ziyao killed Fang Songsheng."
"Just a casual remark." Luo Weiwei gave an awkward smirk. "Madam, you're joking. Do you think I can just say who committed murder? I might as well become a judge!"
...
It was not even eight o'clock when we left the suspect's house.
On the way home, with the company of children, the buzzing in my ears was a bit noisy, but my empty heart felt filled.
"Blooming," Zhu Qing asked, "Do you want to go to the Temple Street Night Market?"
My niece wants to take her uncle to the Temple Street Night Market.
After all, she had promised him a Western meal, but then suddenly changed her mind and only gave him a pork chop bun to tide him over. How could a young master like him eat so haphazardly?
"Qingzai, is this compensation?"
"It's compensation."
What Qingzai didn't know was that her uncle didn't have much to look forward to when eating Western food.
He went out happily because he had become his niece's little follower.
What Fangfang really needs is just companionship.
Shengfang jumped up, raised her two little hands high in cheers, and pointed to the entire night market—
"Qingzai, can you make up for every delicious treat?"
Zhu Qing: "This is extortion."
The little one smiled and said, "Talking nonsense and extortion are illegal."
The night market is so lively at this time. It's my first time here, and I have to stop and look at each stall for a while.
Keung Kee Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab, Fat Kee Shark Fin Soup, Kau Kee Fried Pork Intestines...
Each stall is named after a person.
"Beautiful lady, would you like your fortune told?" An old man at a fortune-telling stall waved his hand. "We're destined to meet. I'll give you a free reading."
As the uncle and nephew passed by his stall, they discovered that even fortune-telling stalls had to be named "Tao's Marriage Lamp".
“Qingzai, his surname must be Tao.” Fangfang turned to the fortune-telling stall and politely declined, “No need, Master Tao.”
Zhu Qing laughed.
"Qingzai, if we open a shop, what should we call it?"
"Qingzai Fruit Shop?"
"Let the kids play mahjong!"
The niece and uncle chatted about such trivial questions with great interest, laughing incessantly.
Zhu Qinghe and Sheng Fang only realized this at this moment—
Their names are surprisingly similar!
"We get along so well! Qingzai, why is your name like this?"
"Dean Guo said that it rained heavily that day."
After the case of the skeleton in the fireplace was solved, Zhu Qing learned that it had rained heavily the day Sheng Peishan accidentally lost her at the textile factory.
A kind person found her and took her to the eaves of the orphanage. When Director Guo found her, the baby was dressed cleanly, neither crying nor fussing, only her face was splashed with rainwater.
"Dean Guo hopes that my future will always be filled with sunshine."
"That's why they gave me this name."
"It's a blessing," Fangfang added cleverly, "a blessing for sunny days every day!"
"And you?" Zhu Qing countered, "Do you know why your name is 'Blooming'?"
“Of course! Daddy said—” Fangfang lowered her voice, mimicking Grandpa Sheng’s tone, “Life is about knowing when to hold back and when to let go!”
The name Shengfang carries the earnest expectations of her parents.
Just like when Dean Guo named her, although he was not good with words, he conveyed the most sincere blessings.
All those beautiful wishes are hidden in names...
Zhu Qing suddenly remembered the two transcripts she had been repeatedly reviewing.
Li Ziyao's name at the welfare home was Xinxin.
After being adopted, her adoptive mother changed her name to Li Ziyao, but the registration staff made a mistake and registered her as "Li Ziyao".
In comparison, the name "Li Ziyao" has a much better meaning.
Like oysters, they are rare and precious.
If the adoptive mother was resentful at the beginning of the adoption, why would she have put her heart into giving her this name?
But what kind of evidence is that?
Whether you looked forward to her arrival and whether you treated her well afterwards are not the same thing.
"Qingzai, I want to eat this!"
Passing by the shaved ice stall, I felt a crazy urge to indulge.
"Boss, one shaved ice, please," Zhu Qing said. "What flavor do you want?"
"casual!"
"Mango flavor, I guess."
The shopkeeper took the money, the shaved ice machine roared, and the mango shaved ice was piled up like a small snow mountain. Finally, a paper umbrella was stuck on top.
There was a folding table next to the stall. Zhu Qing held a bowl, and Fang Fang took two spoons. The uncle and nephew sat down. The child was already very hungry and ate with great relish.
"It's so sweet!"
Zhu Qing also took a spoonful.
She finished the whole bowl of mango shaved ice and smiled contentedly.
"Qingzai, they won't let me eat mangoes. This is the second time I've eaten one!" Fangfang held up two fingers.
"Why?"
"Because I'm allergic to mangoes."
Zhu Qing looked shocked.
When Fangfang first ate mango, it was a nutritionist with little experience feeding him complementary food. After just one small bite of mango, the baby's eyes swelled up like walnuts and his lips swelled up like sausages.
Later, the family doctor tested him for allergens and found that the young master of the Sheng family was allergic to mangoes.
"What do we do now... should we go to the hospital?"
"Let's observe for a while, it will be quick."
The uncle and nephew didn't bother to eat anything else and sat by the shaved ice stall on Temple Street waiting for their allergic reaction to occur.
Time passed second by second.
"Qingzai, is it swollen?"
"No."
Every time the uncle and niece looked at each other, it was to check if they had an allergic reaction.
But each time, Qingzai just shook her head.
Slowly, she relaxed.
The name given to Li Ziyao by her adoptive parents doesn't prove anything.
However, there are still too many things that don't make sense.
Zhu Qing continued to recall.
From the moment she and Haozai first stepped into Li Ziyao's house, the evidence to be investigated was already blatantly presented before them.
A photo with her ex-boyfriend, an insurance policy on the table...
Later, following this lead, Li Ziyao and Dai Feng provided airtight alibis.
Just as Zeng Yongshan jokingly said, Zhu Qing had read Li Ziyao and Dai Feng's statements so many times that she could even recite them by heart.
"I know, I know what's wrong!" Zhu Qing exclaimed excitedly, "It's the tattoo on her boyfriend's wrist."
Sheng Fang was very familiar with that tattoo; as Fang Sir, he had participated in arrest operations.
"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.
Incidentally, the child touched the corner of his mouth, and it was still not swollen.
"We don't have birthdays."
"The director found us at the gate of the orphanage and had no idea of our exact birth dates!"
Since he doesn't have a birthday, why would Dai Feng, who was once deeply in love with Li Ziyao, have such a precise number tattooed on his head?
The little mouth of the flower is wide open.
Qingzai actually—
No birthday!
Shengfang doesn't remember any of her birthdays.
But I vaguely know that his birthday is a big day for his family.
He received many gifts, everyone sang him a birthday song, and he made a birthday wish around a multi-tiered cake.
As for Qingzai... no one ever celebrated her birthday.
I feel so wronged.
The flowers drooped their heads.
A tiny child, yet so deeply saddened.
Zhu Qing, however, remained engrossed in the case.
In fact, the police have not found any substantial evidence regarding Li Ziyao's life after being adopted.
Those speculations that they were "not doing well" or "may be unhappy" were initially just their subjective guesses. With Li Ziyao's guidance, they were eventually confirmed by her roommate.
Zhu Qing thought of another possibility.
Going back further, what if Li Ziyao's unfortunate childhood experiences were all carefully fabricated?
Is her relationship with her roommate really strained?
Perhaps even her roommates are helping her.
My roommate Luo Weiwei said that Li Ziyao's childhood was indeed unhappy, but so what?
Does an unhappy childhood justify murder?
If it's the other way around—
After being adopted, Li Ziyao lived a very happy life. Could she have had a motive to kill?
Zhu Qing is solving a case, her blood boiling with excitement.
Shengfang was also solving the case; she patted her short legs and suddenly realized the truth.
"In the shaved ice—" Fangfang pointed at the owner and said in a childish voice, "there's no mango at all!"
The shaved ice shop owner turned away guiltily, chuckling.
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