Chapter 56 "The Deliveryman" My aunt's uncle, oh no, our aunt's uncle...
Jian Dieda continued to look at Sun Dali, and everything seemed to be getting closer to the answer.
Sun Dali was still upset when he saw Jian Dieda staring intently at the gold belt buckle on his waist. Sun Dali pulled up his pants indignantly: "What the hell are you looking at? I'm going to sit down and play on my phone too. You're not even clearing the table. Let's see who Ninth Brother punishes first when he gets back."
Sun Dali walked towards table number 2. Jian Dieda was still observing Sun Dali's physique. Today, Sun Dali had a gold belt around his waist, a gold necklace around his neck, and he used a Gionee mobile phone. These external accessories were enough to show that Sun Dali had a secret stash of money, or that he was very willing to spend money on himself.
In addition, Jian Dieda noticed something: Sun Dali's phone case had half a shredded RMB note stuck to it, and inside was a piece of yellow paper with a talisman pattern.
Regarding the combination of banknotes and talismans, most people would assume it's for attracting wealth. However, Jian Dieda saw something amiss. He believed that Sun Dali was warding off misfortune because there's a saying in Feng Shui that money on the roadside is often deliberately thrown away by people who want to change their luck or ward off disaster. Similarly, deliberately damaging the money itself, like burning ordinary banknotes, could also be a way for the person to drive away the bad luck associated with the money.
Through this observation, Jian Dieda inadvertently concluded that something was wrong with Sun Dali.
In the afternoon, Zhong Yinghuai returned.
"Have you eaten?" Boss Zhong's tone was like an interrogation, and Jian Dieda could clearly hear the subtle, ambiguous undertones in his question. Why didn't you wait for me for dinner today?
Jian Dieda, dressed in men's clothing, said obediently, "Then sit down and eat with me. I'll keep you company. Xiangxiang and Dali are not here either."
For the first time, Zhong Yinghuai enjoyed the sight of his well-behaved child. He loosened his suit jacket for a business dinner and casually tossed aside his cigarette case and car keys.
He smiled and hugged Jane, saying, "I have some major breakthrough to tell you."
Jane Diedda: "What?"
“My uncle said… oh, it was my uncle who helped us think of a solution… that’s why I’ve been drinking with him until now.”
Zhong Yinghuai's appearance makes it hard to believe he came from a rural background, or that his parents died early and he was raised by relatives. Today, he returned to his village, and his aunt and uncle specially invited his cousin, a family member who works in the provincial capital and works in the police force, to come over for drinks. Zhong Yinghuai bought hairy crabs and wine at his own expense. His cousin, having heard about the Jian Dieda family case, also told Zhong Yinghuai, his ninth brother, about some strange things behind the disappearance case at Nanping Junior High School.
Now that he's back, Jian Dieda immediately asked upon hearing this, "What's strange about the middle school disappearance case?"
Zhong Yinghuai wiped the oil off his face and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard that the disappearance of these two female students from Nanping Middle School is not the first time a woman has been murdered in recent years. The police cannot spread anxiety, but the forensic doctor, based on the on-site investigation of the first body, found that it may have been done by the same person, and that this person does it several times a year. Don't you think we are lucky? We may have saved Xiangxiang from a seasoned killer. It's really a blessing from God."
As expected, Jian Dieda had long suspected that this case was a serial crime. The problem was that this also explained why the map was too early and why the deaths of the corpse and the girl from Nanping Middle School did not match.
After that, Zhong Yinghuai talked about the victim in the first case. This female victim used to rent a place nearby. The house was only 200 meters away from Brother Jiu's Noodle Shop. The woman worked as a nighttime bathhouse worker for many years. According to the police records, her customers, her boss, and her boyfriend were also summoned.
Her boyfriend, in particular, was placed under close surveillance for several years.
The evidence is that many people around them said the same thing. The neighbors told the police that at first, the couple got very tired of each other. The woman had a seductive voice and kept the neighbors awake every night. The man was so loud that he probably peed on his shoes. Later, the sweetness wore off and they started talking about trivial matters and everyday squabbles.
This young woman's job was not respectable to begin with. She had been with her boyfriend for many years and had long been willing to give up everything to get married. She didn't dress up, saved money, and had fallen out with her family.
But the two drifted apart, and every time they came back from work, they would argue even about food.
The girl wanted to eat the noodles in the boy's bowl. The boy reluctantly pushed the bowl towards her so she could eat. The girl ate the noodles with gusto, as if showing off their affection. The boy exploded and started cursing, saying he didn't want to eat the rest of the bowl and felt nauseous. The girl, however, didn't seem to notice anything and felt that the boy was inexplicably distancing himself from her.
Much later, the girl learned from secretly looking at her QQ chat history that the man was afraid she had syphilis.
After all, it was a bathhouse, and everyone said the girl used to be a prostitute.
The boy felt increasingly uncomfortable and didn't want to have sex at night, so he wanted to break up. The girl immediately turned hostile and complained, "Do you know how much I sacrificed to get you into school?"
The man panicked that night, thinking, "Damn it, am I looking for a wife or a mother?"
You're a prostitute anyway.
Why should I be responsible for you?
I won't take responsibility, okay?
Before the man left, he said that all his vibrant and fulfilling dreams in this life were because he was trapped in this dilapidated house. He added that once he left this woman, he would be free.
That's how the girl disappeared. Her boyfriend only found out when he came back to get his things and called the police because there was blood on the street stall outside.
Initially, the couple's conflict leading to the runaway did not constitute a case, as the police station did not have sufficient manpower.
Many years later, the girl's boyfriend was no longer in the city, and coincidentally, like Jane Dieda, she still hadn't found him.
“The police have checked on your boyfriend, and he hasn’t been back recently,” Zhong Yinghuai told him. “But this has created a big problem. If your sister was really taken away by this murderer, then she may have seen the killer’s real face.”
Sitting next to him, Jian Dieda leaned on Zhong Yinghuai's shoulder and replied, "Yes, but she wasn't killed on the spot, so she must still have a chance to survive."
Zhong Yinghuai turned to comfort him, "That's right, little detective. We still need to trust the police, but I also believe that you have the ability to protect your family after overcoming danger twice."
Zhong Yinghuai also said, "Moreover, I'm not the kind of man in the first story, that coward who sucks women's blood and then curses the blood as dirty. Ninth Brother can change that."
"Although it's hard for most people to accept that I suddenly changed my sexual orientation at the age of thirty, and I still have a lot of bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, and playing the lottery, I can change for you because I'm prepared to have a family but no offspring."
When Jian Dieda heard this, he felt a warmth in his heart.
Zhong Yinghuai hugged Jian Dieda.
His embrace was warm and strong, making Jane Dieda's face flush and her heart race.
Therefore, Jian Dieda decisively chose to reveal all his suspicions about Sun Dali.
Zhong Yinghuai didn't speak at first, but he's been busy lately. He shook his head and said, "In the past, I would have believed the people around me and thought you were just being idle and overthinking things."
But ever since Xiangxiang's incident that night... Zhong Yinghuai changed his mind and truthfully told Jian Dieda many things.
It turned out that all three employees owed the boss a lot of money and had received advances on their wages.
Zhong Yinghuai was considering his pride as a man, and he was also easy to talk to; he didn't intend to ask for the money to help with the shop's operations. Jian Dieda even felt that if he suggested it, this spendthrift old man would say, "Forget it, everyone has their difficulties. They've been with me for so long, how could I mistreat them?"
Now they are much more vigilant and no longer trust their surroundings.
The two began searching every corner of the noodle shop.
Jane found a free facial treatment card from Alice Beauty Salon, along with a pink beaded hair tie that smelled nice.
In addition, the handwritten receipts for the two times Lao Ji borrowed money from Zhong Yinghuai were placed under the kitchen knife board. Sun Dali had bought many lottery tickets that he had scratched off but never won, and the back of the tickets was covered with swear words written in ballpoint pen.
The evidence still seemed insufficient, but Jian Dieda felt that even the drawers of the noodle shop, including the ledgers, receipts, calculators, and staples bound with rubber bands, held hidden dangers. He decided to continue searching, believing that the evidence must still be in the neighborhood, and he had to find the bloody handprints immediately.
Night deepened once again.
At eight o'clock the next day, Zhong Yinghuai still had to go to see an acquaintance for advice.
He'd been busy with work these past few days and hadn't had time to think about Jian Dieda's meals, so the two agreed that they would get up at seven the next morning and Zhong Yinghuai would make braised chicken feet and shrimp oil noodles for Jian Dieda.
Zhong Yinghuai: "Brother will braise a pot of chicken feet for you to hold and gnaw on. Don't worry, it'll be so tender that the meat will fall off the bone with just a touch."
People with good skills are truly blessed to be pampered every day. Jian Dieda was so hungry just listening to that, and from that moment on, he was already silently looking forward to tomorrow.
He couldn't help but wonder if he could just ask Zhong Yinghuai for dragon meat now, and the men would all cook it for him without caring about the cost.
Just as I was thinking, my phone case moved beside my ear. I looked and saw that it was Zhang Mei calling around nine o'clock.
The background noise is filled with arguing; it seems the older sister's mother is still causing trouble, and they've even blocked the doorway.
Investigating a case is one thing, but investigating a case is another.
The character settings between the mother and son are also real.
Jian Dieda, imitating Zhong Yinghuai's concern for his mother, asked, "Mom, have you eaten dinner?"
Zhong Yinghuai showed him through his actions that family members always care about each other's basic needs and solve problems. He felt that a mother needs her son's concern when she is in trouble.
Zhang Mei didn't say a word.
Jian Dieda then said, "Mom, I miss you. I can't come home at this crucial time. Is there something you need?"
Zhang Mei took a long time to say this time: "Xiao Shi, your boss was so concerned about your ID card that day. Was he going to use it to report the theft at your store?"
Jane touched the back of her head: "Hmm."
Zhang Mei's tone was harsh: "You can't give it to him, find it for me now."
Jane Dieder: "I can't find it."
Zhang Mei sensed something was wrong: "Are you lying to both sides? I'm your mother. He can't know you're underage. You dropped out of school, got into fights, stole things, and if people find out, you're still pretending to be an adult. How can you stay and work? Maybe we should avoid making trouble—"
The documents can't be hidden any longer; Jian Dieda found Zhang Mei's idea strange.
“Mom, no.” Jian Dieda remembered his interrupted confession yesterday. He sat up and said, “Whether to call the police or not is a matter for the store. You should go about your business. If the police come to the house for preliminary screening and you need help, then I will go home.”
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Author's Note: My waifus are here!
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