The Vanished Wife (21)
To his surprise, the old director became even more confused and said, "Madam, are you mentally ill? I don't understand what you're saying. My name has always been He Xin, not Ms. Jin. As for how you plan to return to your hometown, I don't know either. You'd better find another way."
Qin Man found it strange that the old dean in front of her looked very much like the noblewoman in the Jin family's photo album, only she looked a bit older.
Qin Man went to great lengths to explain that she meant no harm, but the old dean still refused to acknowledge that he was Jin Mingyue. Instead, he became increasingly impatient and looked at Qin Man as if she were an idiot.
Qin Man felt that the old dean's expression and demeanor did not seem fake. Could it be that they had really found the wrong person?
If that's the case, there are only two days left, and I don't know if we can find the real Jin Mingyue in such a short time.
Qin Man had no choice but to say, "Excuse me, I've disturbed you. I'll take my leave now."
Qin Man took Qu Chen away and met up with Xie Wei, who was hiding in the shadows.
Xie Wei asked, "How did it go?"
Qin Man recounted what had just happened.
Xie Wei said, "There are two possibilities. First, the old director is indeed not Jin Mingyue. Second, she is Jin Mingyue, but her acting is so good that she fooled you. Think about it, she ran away from home and hid in a nursing home for decades; there must be a special reason. Therefore, she would never reveal herself in front of strangers."
Now, we need to quickly determine which scenario it is.
How do you determine that?
“We can chat with the elderly people in the nursing home and take the opportunity to get information out of them.”
Xie Wei and Qin Man devised a brief plan.
Then, they went into the nursing home and chatted with different elderly people. They mainly asked the director how long he had been at the nursing home, his family situation, where he usually went, and so on.
Many elderly people don't know how long the director has been there; they only know that the director was already there when they arrived.
As for her family situation, the director seems to have no family and stays in the nursing home all the time. Whether she's working or resting, she rarely goes out.
If we need to make purchases, an assistant will handle it.
Only one centenarian said that when he came, the current director hadn't arrived yet. The director came to the nursing home about 30 years ago, when she was working as an assistant.
However, from then on, she rarely went out and only took care of matters inside the nursing home. Any errands that required going out were handled by the former director.
Several years later, the original dean passed away, and the current dean, "He Xin," became the new dean, and has remained so ever since.
Because many of the elderly people in this nursing home are widowed or abandoned, they rarely receive visits, receive little government funding, and the government doesn't really manage personnel appointments or dismissals.
That's why the current Dean He Xin has remained in her position, even now that she's quite old, without a successor. No one seems to care that she's not looking for a successor.
However, according to the centenarian's recollection, the living conditions at the nursing home improved significantly after He Xin came. Before her arrival, the elderly residents ate very simply, dressed even more simply, and some even had only one set of clothes per season.
However, after He Xin arrived, everyone's living standards improved significantly, and the facilities in the nursing home were built to be better and better.
Qin Man asked the centenarian, "Was Dean He Xin called He Xin when she first came here?"
The old man said, "Yes, how can a person's name be changed? Her name has always been He Xin."
"Do you know where she came from, what she did before?"
"I have no idea."
Has anyone come looking for her all these years?
"It seems not."
Qin Man took out a camera containing photos of Jin Mingyue when she was young, taken by her while everyone was looking at the photo album earlier. The camera was taken from the Jin family.
She showed the centenarian a photo of Jin Mingyue when she was young and asked, "Did He Xin look like this when she first came here?"
The old man said, "I don't know... I can't recall what Dean He Xin looked like when she was young. However, the person in this photo does look very similar to the current dean, only the dean is a bit older."
"Haven't you known the dean for thirty years? How could you not remember what she looked like when she was young?"
"I don't know either... When I try to recall her from the past, her appearance is always blurry, and I can't remember any details at all."
"When did you first develop an impression of her appearance?"
"Six or seven years ago... she already looked like an old woman back then. I have no recollection of what she looked like before that."
Qin Man found it strange, but assumed it was because the old man was too old to remember things from the past. That wasn't surprising.
"Besides you, is there anyone else who remembers the situation when Dean He Xin first arrived?"
"I should say that I was the only one who witnessed Director He Xin come to the nursing home. All the other elderly people came in after me, and those who came in at the same time as me have already passed away."
"Has Dean He Xin changed in recent years?"
“I feel like her memory is getting worse; sometimes she forgets things. For example, she gets us breakfast, but after going to the restaurant, she forgets what she came there for and just walks out, and things like that. Other than that, it seems like nothing else.”
Seeing that there were no more clues, Qin Man took her son and left with Xie Wei. On the way back, Qin Man didn't forget to use B City's currency to buy Qu Chen two sets of clothes.
They returned to the Jin family's guest room and recounted what had happened.
Jian Tanxi asked, "What should we do if Jin Mingyue refuses to acknowledge her identity?"
Qin Man: "Maybe that old dean isn't Jin Mingyue?"
Professor Pan pondered for a moment and said, "No, I think she should be Jin Mingyue, but she has Alzheimer's disease and has forgotten her true identity and name."
Xie Wei said, "Alzheimer's? Is that true?"
Professor Pan: "Jin Mingyue is a human being, and at her age, it's normal for her to have Alzheimer's. The centenarian said that Jin Mingyue has been forgetting things frequently lately and her memory has deteriorated, which are symptoms of Alzheimer's."
Jian Tanxi: "So, if we cure her Alzheimer's disease, she won't be able to remember her own name and what she's been doing all these years?"
"That should be true."
"It's not a big problem. If we give her some health pills, she might recover."
Professor Pan nodded: "We should act quickly and give the old dean his health pills. But we can't all go at once, or we'll alert the other group of players."
Jian Tanxi said, "I have a way. I'll go this time."
Jian Tanxi took the sound-preserving leaf from Qin Man and then whispered a few words to Qin Man.
Then, Jian Tanxi opened the door and said loudly, "Sister Qin Man, are there really a lot of beautiful clothes on that street?"
Qin Man said, "Yes, Xiao Chen bought his clothes there."
"I want to go shopping. Give me the rest of your money."
"Then you should spend your money wisely, because other people might want to buy things later."
"good."
Jian Tanxi took the B City currency from Qin Man and walked out confidently.
Then, she took a taxi to the nursing home.
After arriving at the nursing home, she went to see the old director and said that she wanted to send her relatives over, but wanted to try the food at the nursing home first.
The old dean said, "No problem, I'll take you to the cafeteria when lunch is served."
Jian Tanxi said, "I've just eaten, so I just need some of your snacks."
"Okay, there are cookies on the table, you can try them."
Jian Tanxi picked up the smallest cookie, put it in her mouth and tasted it; it tasted good.
Then, she picked up a cookie, secretly slipped the health pill inside, and handed the cookie to the dean: "Dean, you have one too."
"good."
The dean ate the biscuit without realizing it, and the health pill also went into her stomach.
After a while, the dean suddenly frowned and then put her hand to her head. A complex expression of surprise, bewilderment, and melancholy appeared on her face. She said nothing, only sighed.
Jian Tanxi asked, "Ms. Jin Mingyue, have you remembered your past?"
The old dean was surprised: "Who are you? How do you know my real name?"
"I am a quest taker who came to City B to complete a mission. I can only leave if I find the real Jin Mingyue and obtain her recording. Otherwise, my companions and I will be punished by the God of God and may very well die."
Jin Mingyue asked in surprise, "Is that so? Now that you've found me, you should be able to leave safely, right?"
"No, I also need to obtain your recordings, which clearly state where you went and what you did during the time you were missing. That will be enough."
"No problem, that's easy. But do you have recording equipment?"
"Yes, it's this leaf."
Jian Tanxi displayed the sound-preserving leaves.
Jin Mingyue exclaimed in surprise, "So it's this leaf... Another one of your companions came to see me before, also with this leaf. At that time, I had already forgotten my real name. I might have had Alzheimer's before, but I don't know why I'm better now."
"Because I just gave you a health pill."
"Health Pills? I've heard of them. Apparently, they're pills developed by the Ou family in City A. They haven't been released to the market yet, so only the Ou family has them..."
"Yes, I took it from the Ou family by chance."
"Thank you...you cured my illness, it's only right that I help you with something."
Jian Tanxi was overjoyed, never expecting things to go so smoothly.
She opened the audio recording and asked, "Ms. Jin, where did you go and what did you do during the years you were missing?"
"I've spent all these years in nursing homes taking care of the elderly. I started as an assistant and later became the director. I used my own savings to improve the nursing home's environment, food, and the elderly's clothing, etc. That's about it."
Jian Tanxi closed the recording page and said, "Recording these is enough. However, there are still some questions I want to ask myself. Why did you run away from home back then?"
"I was the richest man in City B back then, but you don't know, even the richest man has his troubles. I've always encountered all sorts of troubles, such as people not repaying loans, malicious competition from rivals, and friends who only want to spend my money, etc. I've also survived many assassination attempts, at least once or twice a year."
Moreover, I discovered that my beloved husband was only with me for money. Now in middle age, I find I have almost no close friends, no one I can confide in. My husband and I are infertile and have no children.
At that time, I felt lost in life and didn't want to live like that anymore. I wanted to change my way of living. The former director of this nursing home had received a favor from me, so I asked her to help me hide my identity, and she agreed.
So, one day thirty years ago, I secretly left home and, after many twists and turns, came to this nursing home.
Because the nursing home is relatively remote and rarely visited by outsiders, and the elderly residents don't go out, I can hide here and almost never be discovered.
I also had a device to conceal my appearance; once someone saw my face, they would quickly forget it. So, in the first few years, the people at the nursing home couldn't remember what I looked like. Even when the police came knocking, they couldn't provide any clues. That device could be used for decades, until it stopped working six or seven years ago.
However, my disappearance case was abandoned six or seven years ago, and all the other parties involved have passed away, so I no longer need to hide my appearance.
I try not to go out. Anyway, I've already transferred some of my assets here, so I have everything I need. Even if I'm short of daily necessities, the former dean will go out and buy them.
This nursing home has a basement that only I and the former director knew about. The basement was filled with my luxury items, such as handbags, jewelry, expensive wines, and haute couture clothes. Sometimes I would go to the basement, put on those luxury items, indulge myself, and then take them off.
When I returned to Earth, I became an ordinary assistant again. Later, the former dean passed away, and I became the new dean.
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and forgot my real identity. He Xin is an alias I used; for all these years, I thought it was my real name.
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