Chapter 83 Yin Peach Blossom (13) "Ah, Mr. Xu, you've come to see me..."
Xie Tan was originally drowsy, but thanks to the book in his hand, he was able to fall asleep.
Although Director Jiang teaches a relatively easy course like College Chinese, Xie Tan suspects that she is too busy with her work as a counselor and librarian, and that her knowledge base is probably at the level of someone who could teach professional courses in many disciplines.
She recommended a wide range of art history books to Xie Tan, covering everything from Chinese and Western art, ancient and modern, from basic introductions to specialized studies, and even some rare ancient books that are hard to find on the market.
Xie Tan: Actually, he wasn't that studious.
He initially looked for books to complete his professional assignments, but later he looked for books out of curiosity about the previous homeowner and wanted to know what the previous homeowner studied.
The book in his hand was an ancient text, tucked away in a corner of the university library, and almost no one borrowed it.
Compared to the other two books whose titles are incomprehensible, the content of "The Source of Mountains and Rivers" is also obscure and old-fashioned, but it is still somewhat understandable. The book explores how calligraphers and painters can cultivate their minds and bodies, observe the scenery with their hearts, and create an ideal landscape.
He reads these theoretical works to pass the time, without really engaging his mind; they only have a hypnotic effect.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly saw a small turtle drawn on the edge of the book page.
This passage perfectly illustrates that the exquisite beauty of calligraphy and painting is not limited by size. The entire world and even a single leaf embody the wisdom of heaven and earth. Even a tortoise's shell patterns possess their own mystery. Its contractions and expansions, its crawling rhythm, its lifespan, and so on, all encompass the laws governing the changes of the sun and moon.
Beside this serious and profound classical Chinese text, a small turtle with its flip-top lid sprawled out, its eyes like mosquito coils, its tongue sticking out, looked so comical that it was almost a provocation, which made him laugh for no reason.
As he looked up, he saw Mr. Xu Jinbo, a corporate slave who had repeatedly failed but never given up, walking along the winding path toward Building 9.
Even from a distance, and not being able to see clearly, one could still tell that he had a look of resignation to his fate.
Today is Saturday.
That must have been tough.
Xie Tan touched the little turtle drawn in the book, gently closed it, and asked, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
Xia Wujin sat on the single sofa next to Xie Tan, while Lu Jinzhao sat on the futon in front of the sofa. The two of them had just defeated the game boss and were giving each other a high five from a distance. They even insisted on dragging Xie Tan, who hadn't played the game, to join them in the celebration.
Xie Tan reached out perfunctorily and patted the air.
Lu Jinzhao tilted his head back, resting it on Xie Tan's thigh, and blinked as he said, "There's a piece of meat left in the fridge. How about stir-fried pork with chili peppers? And some stir-fried shredded potatoes? And the leftover braised beef from yesterday."
Xia Wujin stood up on his own initiative: "Then I'll go cook rice and prepare the dishes."
Under Mr. Good Home's rule, even the young ladies are not allowed to eat takeout for every meal, not even Michelin-starred restaurants. They can cook for themselves!
These words came from Lu Jinzhao alone, because the other two couldn't cook at all. The young lady ate the chef's cooking every day, while Xie Tan's skill level was limited to instant noodles and fried eggs.
So the two, who couldn't cook, took turns preparing ingredients and washing dishes, even though Lu Jinzhao said he could handle it all by himself.
But the other two also said they wanted to feel involved.
These words came from the young lady alone, and Xie Tan merely gave a perfunctory reply, thus blocking Lu Jinzhao's attempt to take over the entire situation.
Lu Jinzhao exclaimed, "Ah! But we've run out of oil, I'll go out and buy some..."
He was about to get up and put on his coat when Xie Tan pressed his shoulder down. Xie Tan used the support to stand up first, placing the book on the windowsill: "I'll go. I'll go to the stationery store to buy some grid paper. Do you need anything else?"
Xia Wujin raised his hand, his eyes sparkling: "That peach juice from yesterday was delicious."
"Then I'll have sparkling water and jelly, Ah Tan, you know what I mean!"
"knew."
Xie Tan put on his coat, carried the trash downstairs, and glanced at 602 as he passed by.
He really did want to buy a laptop, so he went through another door and didn't run into Mr. Salaryman.
He wasn't in such a hurry, because Mr. Corporate Slave would probably have to knock on the door for a long time.
When he returned with his things, he indeed ran into Xu Jinbo in the hallway. Xu Jinbo was looking at the door of 602 and muttering something to the person inside.
There was also a neighborhood committee auntie nearby, muttering things like, "It's been five days already, why isn't the mourning tent being taken down yet?" She was more like a group of people than a single person, creating a chaotic scene.
Later on, Xu Jinbo's mosquito-like voice was completely drowned out by the older woman.
The room was quiet and silent.
The two people outside the door, with their contrasting styles, had tried both soft and hard tactics, but received no response.
Xie Tan recognized this woman; she was the one who most actively helped search for the lost child in the neighborhood during the Joker episode, and she was the one who called the convenience store owner.
Because of the key ideas he provided, the older woman had a very good impression of him. Seeing that he lived alone in an empty old house, she often thought of him and greeted him whenever she saw him.
Although the older woman had a somewhat harsh appearance and seemed difficult to get along with, she was actually a kind-hearted person. However, when she got angry, she could be quite rude.
Xu Jinbo is gentle by nature and can keep getting turned away without complaining, but the older woman has a tough temper.
The regulations were clearly written, and she had notified everyone beforehand that the body would be kept in state for a maximum of three days.
But it's been five days now, and this isn't the first time she's come to remind them, but the family is pretending not to hear, slamming the door and giving her attitude, without offering any explanation.
She understands their loss of a daughter; can they at least understand her job?
Now things are really messed up. Her anger just won't subside, and she's even taken it out on Xu Jinbo.
"And who are you? I've never seen you before! What's wrong with people these days? Even non-residents dare to park their cars here like it's an open-air parking lot! Parking lots even charge fees! Now that non-residents can come in, what if someone breaks into a house? Am I supposed to be responsible for that?! What are you doing here? You're so timid and you can't even speak clearly. Speak!"
Xu Jinbo only said that he was from an insurance company, but when asked about the purpose of his trip, he hesitated and was indeed suspicious.
They blocked the road and made a scene. Xie Tan was afraid of being accidentally hurt, so he leaned against the railing of the walkway and waited for them to finish.
But just then, Xie Tan saw that the door to room 602 was ajar.
This time, it happened silently; the crack in the door was pitch black, and neither of the two people outside noticed.
The shadow from the crack in the door crevice crept up onto the facade, and a slender, sharp black handprint slowly extended, approaching Xu Jinbo.
So Xie Tan took a step up the stairs, pretending he had just returned and encountered this scene: "Ah, Mr. Xu, are you here to see Jinzhao?"
Xu Jinbo and the old woman stopped together, including the black handprints on the door.
"Oh, it's Xiao Xie. Haven't you had lunch yet?"
The older woman's expression suddenly softened; after all, in her eyes, this was just a beautiful, autistic, lonely child. Then she looked at Xu Jinbo with suspicion: "You know Xiao Lu?"
Xu Jinbo is unlucky. He's been in Heshun Community for four days and has missed Lu Jinzhao every time. He has no idea that his angel lives upstairs.
Xie Tan also looked over.
Xu Jinbo felt a jolt when he met Xie Tan's deep eyes.
He had to say that the boy was very handsome... but "very" wasn't enough; it was the only word he could think of given his limited vocabulary.
But when he first saw it, his heart trembled, just like he always felt when he was about to encounter something strange... It was the aura of another dangerous world.
Even more...than the first time he knocked on the door of 602, when he saw that eye peeking through the crack in the door...
"Mr. Xu?" Xie Tan called out again.
Xu Jinbo jolted awake again and nodded repeatedly: "Yes...yes, I'm here to see classmate Lu! To thank him for his help last time."
The old lady was wondering what his relationship with Lu Jinzhao was, but now she knew—it was someone that kid had helped doing good deeds.
She glanced at him a few times, reluctantly let him go, and after exchanging a few words of concern and care with Xie Tan, her anger had long since subsided, and she left.
Halfway there, as if realizing something, she suddenly turned around and looked at 602.
Was there something on that door just now?
Huh? It's tightly closed. I must have misread it.
This time, the old lady really left.
As the door closed, the handprint lightly touched Xie Tan's arm. Xie Tan didn't even stop; he was already walking upstairs. Seeing that Xu Jinbo hadn't moved, he turned back to look at him and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
"Huh?" Xu Jinbo asked in surprise, tensing up again... He thought Xie Tan was just helping him out of a predicament.
Xie Tan left only a casual remark: "I thought you came for the ghost in room 602."
Xu Jinbo was shocked. What? How did he know...? No, is there really something ghostly about 602?!
He hurriedly followed, but seeing Xie Tan's indifferent face, he dared not ask any questions for the time being.
He didn't expect that Lu Jinzhao really lived upstairs.
Lu Jinzhao was also taken aback and greeted them warmly, but as they approached, his first glance fell on Xie Tan's arm.
Something grabbed at him there. His eyes darkened for a moment.
But when Xie Tan looked over, it was that familiar smiling face again.
The enthusiastic male college student invited his friend to dinner and showed great concern for Xu Jinbo's situation, asking what had happened.
Xu Jinbo was somewhat surprised.
Although it wasn't the first time the angel had heard his endless complaints and lamentations, and had tried to comfort him, the angel generally didn't ask him anything.
Perhaps out of consideration for his pride, Lu Jinzhao treated him with a sunny and warm attitude as usual. Then, under the influence of love, he couldn't help but take the initiative to complain.
Today he actually asked me what happened. Does he look that bad?
Ugh, I feel like crying again.
The three children at the table all seemed more mature than him, looking at him with warm or quiet eyes, accepting him and waiting for him to speak.
He sniffled, complaining that he didn't look like a real adult, and sobbed as he talked about the obstacles he was facing at work.
It turns out he wasn't an insurance salesman, but an insurance investigator who came to verify the tragic car accident involving the daughter of resident 602, to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the claim and prevent insurance fraud.
Xie Tan had heard some details from Lu Jinzhao. The accident happened at the downhill intersection outside the southern residential area. The truck's brakes failed, and it hit Xiao Lin, who was on her way home. Neither the driver nor Xiao Lin could be saved. It was an unfortunate accident.
Unfortunately, the driver was all alone; his parents had died long ago, and he had no wife or children. He used to be a homeless man.
He died cleanly, and the 602 family couldn't even find anyone to hold a grudge against or attack him, let alone claim compensation.
Coincidentally, Xiaolin's adoptive parents had bought her personal accident insurance.
Not every accident insurance claim needs to undergo rigorous investigation. Xia Wujin frowned: "An accident occurred in a short period of time?"
“This is the first point of doubt.” Xu Jinbo said with a bitter face, holding his water glass. “This insurance was purchased ten years ago, right after Xiao Lin was adopted and left the orphanage. It has the highest coverage of 200,000 yuan.”
Due to regulatory restrictions on death benefits for minors, the total death benefit for minors under the age of 10 cannot exceed 200,000 yuan across all insurance companies, and for minors aged 10 to 18, it cannot exceed 500,000 yuan.
After adopting the child, the couple bought the maximum coverage of 200,000 yuan. When the child turned 10, they applied to increase the coverage to the maximum of 500,000 yuan.
It's understandable that a couple who are the breadwinners of the family would buy themselves high-value accident insurance or their children low-value accident insurance that focuses on accidental medical treatment.
But buying personal accident insurance for an adopted child who has no source of income and is only seven years old seems rather strange.
If an accident occurs in the short term, there is a high suspicion of insurance fraud. However, since things have been peaceful for so many years, the scope of the investigation has been stretched out, which actually reduces the possibility of insurance fraud.
Xie Tan, however, felt there was another possibility: perhaps they knew when they adopted the child that he might be destined for a calamity.
Xu Jinbo investigated the couple's financial situation and found that they were just two ordinary office workers with no unusual financial pressure or large debts.
However, during the investigation of interpersonal relationships, there were some rumors of a cold relationship between the parents and daughter, suggesting that Xiao Lin may have some psychological problems.
"So the policyholder is indeed the suspect after all?" Lu Jinchao asked.
Xu Jinbo shook his head: "No, the car accident is the most suspicious right now. I visited medical units and relevant units, and the car accident is not as simple as the case is said to be closed. There are actually other hidden stories."
Xie Tan propped his head up: "Not an accident?"
"……no."
This was the first time Xie Tan had spoken during the conversation. Xu Jinbai glanced at him subconsciously, feeling that Xie Tan's tone wasn't questioning and his expression seemed like... he already knew, and was simply stating a given fact.
Xu Jinbo wore the most pained expression, with a hint of fear hidden beneath: "The car accident wasn't done by a human... I mean, it's very likely haunted."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
