No.14 Disciple: Death Puzzle

Chapter 44

Zhuo Qingshan and You Tao looked at each other, and she could see from You Tao's confused eyes that You Tao didn't understand An Youlin's actions even more.

The man led them to the living room. The style of the living room in apartment 203 is quite different from that in the room next door.The artistic sense of household items here is not so strong, everything has a warm and nostalgic atmosphere, but everything is clean and orderly.

On the wall of the short corridor inside the apartment door, there is a New Year picture of a fat baby embracing a carp. The New Year picture is not directly pasted on the wall, but is framed in a very thin frame.Through the corridor, you can see many old-fashioned cabinets in the spacious living room. The portraits reflected in the mirrors on the cabinet doors are blurred and distorted.

Under the stairs leading to the second floor is a dark chest of drawers with several photo frames standing on it.Next to the chest of drawers, an old-fashioned radio sits on a low table covered with a tablecloth.Next to the radio was a sewing machine, the head of which was covered with a red floral cloth.

The man brought An Youlin and the others to the sofa and sat down. Zhuo Qingshan glanced at the back of the sofa. It was covered with a hand-crocheted white curtain with interlocking patterns on it.There is a plate of fruit on the coffee table opposite the sofa.The tissue box next to the fruit plate and the TV remote control are all wrapped in old-fashioned protective sleeves.These old-fashioned objects reminded Zhuo Qingshan of the carefree days when she lived at her grandmother's house during the summer vacation when she was a child. "Is there anything you can do?" The man sat on the opposite sofa, frowning at An Youlin, and he seemed to have seen that An Youlin was the leader of these groups. "Look! Your home is great. These furniture are not only practical, but also never outdated. The style is unique!" An Youlin praised, "Like the ones in foreign countries? What style are they in Europe?"

"Baroque?" Zhuo Qingshan said casually. "Yes, yes, baroque style! Ours is also a style, but many people don't understand it, so the decoration is nondescript." As he said, An Youlin pointed to the cabinet next to the door, "Many old people Carpenters can still put furniture together without using a single nail, which is stronger and more durable than furniture made with nails! I’m so envious!”

Hearing An Youlin's rambling words, the man didn't know how to answer for a moment. He first said "thank you" awkwardly, and then explained: "The old lady was reluctant to throw away the old furniture, so I followed her way. They all moved in."

"Too filial, big filial son!" Amid An Youlin's nonsense and praise, the man's attitude softened a bit.You Tao introduced everyone's identities, and the man introduced that he was Sui Yumei's son, named Sun Yunlong.Sun Yunlong is a businessman and is often away from home, only coming back for a day or two every month.

"I heard that the old lady accidentally found the body and was frightened, so I rushed back to Xijing by plane."

As soon as Sun Yunlong finished speaking, Zhao Xiaolin came to the living room with a transparent glass jug filled with cold boiled water, and she poured a glass of water for everyone.When Sun Yunlong's cup was almost full, he nodded to Zhao Xiaolin.

"You guys came to visit today, what's the matter?" Sun Yunlong didn't allow others to intervene, "The police have already asked my mother to find out about the situation a few days ago, so I don't think there is anything else to say."

You Tao said a few words as a matter of routine, meaning that he still needs to know some things from Sui Yumei, and hoped that Sui Yumei could cooperate.

"Forgive me for being helpless!" Sun Yunlong took out a cigarette case and ashtray from under the coffee table, and he handed the case to An Youlin, who took out one and lit it. "My mother was frightened, and she has been resting in her room for the past two days. I asked the nanny to make calming soup for her, otherwise she would not sleep well." Sun Yunlong took a puff of cigarette, "So, I don't want her to think about it again. start something so terrible."

Zhuo Qingshan felt Sun Yunlong's determination, An Youlin flicked the ashtray on the edge of the ashtray, and said in a flat tone: "Brother, how long has your nanny been working here?"

Sun Yunlong hesitated for a while, and said, "Xiao Zhao has been working here since I brought my mother to Tangning Mansion."

"It seems that she works very neatly. She graduated from a regular training school, right?" An Youlin asked. "Xiao Zhao is a graduate of a famous university, and later became a professional nanny and studied in a nanny school..."

An Youlin nodded, and put out the cigarette butt on the bottom of the ashtray: "Since Xiao Zhao is so good, why doesn't the Lingtang agree with you two being together?"

Zhuo Qingshan and You Tao couldn't understand An Youlin's meaning for a while, and they looked at each other in blank dismay.On the contrary, Sun Yunlong looked at An Youlin in surprise, and then quickly looked away.

"Or," An Youlin lowered his voice, "Does Lingtang not know about this relationship at all?" Hearing An Youlin's words, Zhuo Qingshan and You Tao looked at each other.Looking at Sun Yunlong again, he picked up the cup and took a sip of water in a daze. "How did you find out?" Sun Yunlong's voice was dry, and he didn't look like he had drunk water just now. "Leave my mother to the nanny, and she only comes back once a month. If it's an ordinary nanny, how can you feel relieved?" An Youlin said cheerfully. "Just based on this?" Sun Yunlong pretended to be calm.

"How is that possible?" An Youlin leaned forward, "There is a good saying, 'True love is hard to pretend.' If two people are in love, it is really impossible to pretend that they are heartless. Between you and Xiao Zhao, there is There's a little rapport and eye contact that shouldn't be there."

Sun Yunlong smiled awkwardly and acquiesced. "But what's the reason why you dare not tell Ling Tang about your relationship?" An Youlin looked towards the kitchen, the layout of the restaurant and kitchen was similar to that of apartment 204, "I guess, it must have something to do with Xiao Zhao ? You left Xiao Zhao at home to take care of Ling Tang, is it also for Ling Tang to accept Xiao Zhao slowly?"

"My old lady is conservative, Linlin is from a rural background, and she doesn't want me to find a wife from a rural background."

After listening to Sun Yunlong's explanation, Zhuo Qingshan showed an incomprehensible and even slightly contemptuous look on her face. She never thought that almost 21 years have passed in the 20st century, and there are still people who care about other people's backgrounds?

Sun Yunlong glanced cautiously at the stairs leading to the second floor, he called Zhao Xiaolin out of the kitchen, and signaled her that the others present already knew the secret.Zhao Xiaolin was taken aback at first, but Sun Yunlong comforted Zhao Xiaolin not to worry.

"Brother, by the way, I just want to talk to Lingtang, and I promise not to scare her." An Youlin added, "Look at you, if you come back for a day or two occasionally, do you have to go out again tomorrow? If I come again at that time, and you are not at home, if I say something inappropriate in a daze, isn't it too good..."

Zhuo Qingshan could hear An Youlin alluding to the relationship between Sun Yunlong and Zhao Xiaolin.Sun Yunlong smiled and said, "Forget it, I have worked in government agencies before, and I know that some jobs are helpless, let alone public security work." Sun Yunlong asked Zhao Xiaolin to ask Sui Yumei to come downstairs for soup, and a few minutes later , Sui Yumei, who was wearing a silk shirt, came downstairs.Sui Yumei looked haggard, seeing everyone sitting on the sofa, she asked casually, "Xiaolin, these people are..."

An Youlin first stood up and helped Sui Yumei to walk to the single sofa next to the tea table: "Oh, auntie, look at you, you must have not had a good rest these two days, and your face is a little pale, please sit down and rest for a while Son."

Sui Yumei didn't admit that she was born, she stroked An Youlin's arm and said, "Isn't it, how scary, when I close my eyes, I see that woman in front of me... It's too scary!"

After Sui Yumei sat down on the sofa, Sun Yunlong introduced everyone to her mother.Zhao Xiaolin went to the kitchen to bring soothing soup, Sui Yumei quickly finished the soup.Hearing that An Youlin wanted to talk to her about the scene when Yang Ping's body was found, Sui Yumei didn't shy away from it.

Sui Yumei said that when she came back from her morning exercise, she heard harsh music coming from apartment 204, so she wanted to remind Yang Ping to keep her voice down and take care of the neighbors around her.Sui Yumei found that the door was unlocked, so she opened it and walked into Apartment 204.She asked loudly if anyone was home, but the cries were drowned out by the Radetsky March.

"I'm an old woman, how could I know what kind of radio in her house could make such a big noise. I covered my ears and walked into the living room, thinking to turn off the radio for her first. In the end, I saw flowers on the floor. Yang Ping was lying on it." Sui Yumei's eyes shivered, "I didn't know she was dead, I thought she didn't know what tricks she was playing, so she walked over..."

Sui Yumei screamed in fright when she found out that Yang Ping was dead, her screams were still drowned out by the music.Sui Yumei, who couldn't hear her own cries for help, fell to the ground in panic. She climbed out of apartment 204 and went to the corridor until she was found.

(End of this chapter)