Even at the police station, Lin Shuyue still hadn't recovered from the shock she felt. Before turning in the diary, she flipped through the pages and took photos of every page.
After leaving the police station, Lin Shuyue went to a photo studio and had all the photos in her camera developed. Then, based on the information Wen Ying had given her, she went to Wen Ying's parents' home.
Her family lived in an old-style residential building on the first floor, with a small courtyard at the back. When Lin Shuyue arrived, Wen Ying's son and daughter were playing games with their grandparents. Wen Ying was not there, but Wen Ying's mother saw Lin Shuyue and shouted into the house, and Wen Ying came out soon.
Wen Ying must have been sleeping, her hair was messy. Seeing Lin Shuyue, she was surprised: "Xiao Lin, why are you here? Come in and sit down."
There was a small door at the back of the yard, and Wen Ying opened it and came out.
Lin Shuyue pulled out the newly developed photos from her bag and handed them to Wen Ying. "We were just in the basement, and I took out a locked notebook. I opened the lock. This is a locked diary. I thought I should show it to you."
Wen Ying was stunned and hesitated for a moment before she took it. "Thank you, Reporter Lin."
"You're welcome. I'm going back now." Lin Shuyue waved to Wen Ying and left.
Wen Ying watched Lin Shuyue leave, then looked down at the photo. This one was placed in front of her, carefully selected by Lin Shuyue. The diary in the photo was an article in which Zhong Jiali was asked to oppose her. Wen Ying was shocked and flipped through the photos faster.
•••••
Lin Shuyue went straight home. Lou Fengqin and the others were there. Lin Shuxing's belly was almost three months old, and her pregnancy reaction was almost over. Because she had done nothing during this period and just stayed at home without doing much work, Lou Fengqin made delicious food for her every few days. She had gained some weight, but this weight made her look better.
The two of them were sitting in the living room eating melon seeds. Seeing Lin Shuyue come back, Lin Shuxing was very happy: "Ah Yue, why are you back only now? Tell me quickly, what happened between you and that policeman?"
Lin Shuxing had been extremely curious since Lin Shuyue left with the soup the day before yesterday. She had wanted to call and ask, but she held back. After all, it was more interesting to ask in person about this kind of thing.
"What else could it be? It's just what you think it is."
Although Hang Jiabai took Lin Shuyue out and caused her to be seriously injured and lying in the hospital, Lou Fengqin blamed Hang Jiabai at that time, but now that so much time has passed, Lou Fengqin has figured it out. It was entirely Lin Shuyue's own fault that she was injured, and it really couldn't be blamed on Hang Jiabai.
After listening to Lin Shuyue's words, she said, "If the relationship is confirmed, you bring him home for dinner."
"Okay, I'll arrange it when I get back from the capital." It was already past five o'clock, and Lin Shuyue felt very hungry: "Mom, is there anything to eat? I'm so hungry."
"Yes, yes, yes. Please sit down first. I'll serve you some." Lou Fengqin immediately stood up and went to the kitchen. Lin Shuyue put her bag on the cabinet behind the door and sat down on the sofa with her arms and legs spread out.
Lin Shuxing poured her a glass of milk. Lin Shuyue looked over and Lin Shuxing said, "This is the fresh milk your brother-in-law ordered. You should drink some too. It will nourish your body."
Luo Zhengjun wanted to supplement his wife's nutrition, but there were so many growing children at home. He couldn't just let them watch Lin Shuxing drink while they didn't, right?
Luo Zhengjun didn't want his brothers and sisters to think he and Lin Shuxing were stingy, so he simply ordered a large three-liter container of milk, ensuring that Lin Shuxing could drink it while also ensuring that the rest of the family could drink it. Lin Shuxing didn't like drinking milk much, but she had to drink it for the sake of her children. However, in order to drink less herself, she always tried to get others to drink more.
Lin Shuyue naturally accepted her sister's kindness. She tilted her head back and drank the milk. Lou Fengqin also came in with a bowl.
"I made pork ribs and radish soup today. We still have some leftover rice from lunch, so the soup with rice is delicious." There were pickles and peppers made by Lou Fengqin on the coffee table in the room, so the soup with rice didn't feel bland.
Lou Fengqin made a new dish of pickled peppers. The peppers were as long as fingers, and they were pickled sweet and sour. Combined with the spicy taste of the pickled peppers themselves, they were very appetizing. In addition, there was also a batch of pickled ginger.
The young ginger was produced in the yard of the house bought by Bai Wenhua next door. Lou Fengqin plucked it just as it grew and before it got old, and soaked it in soy sauce and wine. It tasted amazing.
After finishing the six-inch bowl of noodles and rice with soup, Lin Shuyue finally felt relieved.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lou Fengqin went to the kitchen to cook. After Lin Shuxing asked Lin Shuyue if she had anything to do in the evening, Lin Shuyue took her to the store.
After getting in the car, Lin Shuxing said to Lin Shuyue, "Your brother-in-law and I have discussed it, and we have decided to build a second floor above the store. When the baby is born, our family will live on the second floor, which will be more spacious."
The fast food restaurant also has a room, but not only is the lighting poor, it is also very small. Lin Shuxing and Luo Zhengjun are both looking forward to the baby in Lin Shuxing's belly, and they want to give the baby the best.
Although she could stay at home to recuperate after giving birth, and Luo Zhengjun did not object to her living at home, they both still hoped to have their own house.
"Is the money enough? If not, I have some." Lin Shuyue didn't object to Lin Shuxing building a house. Xiasha Village hadn't developed yet, and if it did develop later, perhaps the relocation compensation would be calculated based on the square meters of living space. If they had a second floor, would they get a bigger share when the demolition was completed?
"I have enough money. I haven't spent the 20,000 you gave me before." Before, Lin Shuxing had never checked the money that she have. It was only when she decided to build a house this time that she went to the bank to check when she was consolidating the money in her hands.
When Lin Shuxing saw the 20,000 yuan in the card, she was so moved that she cried that night because her efforts were rewarded. This kind of reward requires not only emotion, but also reality, tangibility, and visibility.
"I've saved quite a bit recently. If it's not enough, tell me and I'll give it to you."
"Okay." Lin Shuxing knew that Lin Shuyue was not being polite. Her eyes were full of smiles. She said, "Knowing that I wanted to build a house, Ah Yang and Pingping came to me and wanted to give me the money they had saved during this period."
Ah Yang didn't have much money before. After returning home, Lou Fengqin and Bai Wenhua would give him pocket money every week. He spent very little of that pocket money and now has saved almost a thousand yuan.
Pingping was even more so. After being found, she even threw away the clothes she had worn that day. She didn't want anything from her previous "home". Lou Fengqin and the others treated Pingping and Ah Yang equally and gave them the same amount of pocket money.
"Xiaoyi specifically asked my mother to lend me 20,000 yuan from her bonus so that I can build a house." Lou Fengqin and Bai Wenhua would also give Zeng Xiaoyi pocket money, but Zeng Xiaoyi was never willing to take more. She only took half of Pingping's.
Now that Lu Yinglan is back, she sends money to Lou Fengqin every week and asks her to pass it on to Zeng Xiaoyi. However, there is still not much communication between the mother and daughter.
The family relationship is harmonious, and Lin Shuyue feels at ease.
The two chatted until they arrived at Xiasha Village. It was already lunchtime, and Luo Zhengjun was serving food to a woman in her forties who was wiping the table with a rag.
Luo Zhengjun saw the two and quickly asked them to go into the room. There were many people in the store, and he was afraid that someone would accidentally bump into Lin Shuxing.
Lin Shuxing took Lin Shuyue to their room.
The room was only a few square meters, with a single bed, a small wardrobe, and a corner filled with drinks and rice. Rain sheets were placed above and below to prevent moisture.
The window of this room is very small, which makes the whole room a bit dark. Although it is brighter when the light is turned on, it is still very narrow.
The two of them sat on the bed. Luo Zhengjun took two bottles of drinks and a basket of fruit, which contained large red grapes. "Ah Xing, have this. The owner of the fruit shop across the street said these are red grapes from Xinjiang. The doctor also said you should eat more fruit. Ah Yue, you have some too."
Luo Zhengjun fell in love with the grapes as soon as they were put on display at the fruit shop next door this afternoon. He bought some and put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh, planning to take them to his mother-in-law's house tonight for his wife. He didn't expect Lin Shuxing to come over. The red grapes were a little cold, but he had just soaked them in water.
"Thank you, brother-in-law." Lin Shuyue thanked Luo Zhengjun.
Luo Zhengjun smiled innocently and hurried out again. Lin Shuyue sat on the bed, eating grapes while chatting with Lin Shuxing, talking about everything under the sun, as if they had endless things to say.
As they were talking, Lin Shuyue fell asleep while lying down. It seemed that sleeping was contagious. Lin Shuxing was still a pregnant woman. Seeing Lin Shuyue sleeping soundly, she also lay down on the bed to sleep. Luo Zhengjun came in once to check on them. Seeing that they were both sleeping, he closed the door and went on to do something else.
Lin Shuyue slept soundly that night. When she woke up, she was a little stunned by the sight of a roof so different from her home. Beside her, Lin Shuxing breathed softly. She pulled out her phone, which had two missed calls. A penguin flashed across the screen. She checked the time; it was already past ten.
Lin Shuyue first went outside to return Hang Jiabai's call, then came back and opened Penguin to start looking at messages.
After replying to the messages one by one, Lin Shuyue arrived at the store. Luo Zhengjun had already finished cleaning and the aunt had gone home from get off work.
Luo Zhengjun was watching TV. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and said to Lin Shuyue, "Ah Yue, are you awake? Is your sister still sleeping?"
"Yes, I think she should be awake soon." Lin Shuyue said as she poured herself a cup of cold tea from the table. Just as she put down the cup, Lin Shuxing came out.
Luo Zhengjun, who had just been sitting and watching TV, immediately stood up and went over to help: "Walk slowly, walk slowly, there is oil on the ground, it's very slippery."
Lin Shuxing was annoyed by him: "I'm thirsty and want to drink some water."
It was a bit cold at night, so the two sisters slept under the quilt. When they woke up, they both felt a little hot and had dry throats.
"Yes, yes, I'll pour it for you." Luo Zhengjun specially boiled a pot of water, which was just warm now.
Lin Shuxing drank a glass of water generously: "Going back?"
"Wait a moment, I ordered some meat and it will be delivered right away."
"Why hasn't it been delivered yet? Why has it been so slow these past two days?" Lin Shuxing was a little dissatisfied. The meat used in her shop was all ordered from a meat processing plant. That meat processing plant used to be a public-private joint venture. After the reform and opening up, the meat processing plant was returned to an individual, but its reputation has remained unchanged.
After the store opened some time ago, someone came to the store specifically to promote the meat. Luo Zhengjun went to see the meat in person and felt that the quality was better than what they bought at the meat market. Although it was a little more expensive, Luo Zhengjun still ordered it.
The meat used to be delivered around nine o'clock, but now it's past ten o'clock and still hasn't arrived. Lin Shuxing is a little dissatisfied.
Luo Zhengjun didn't think it was any different whether it was earlier or later. He said, "I also bought some big bones. When the time comes to braise them, I'll send some back to you."
"Okay." The couple sat together and chatted affectionately. Lin Shuyue couldn't bear to watch and took out her phone to send a message to Hang Jiabai.
Hang Jiabai was currently monitoring Zhong Jiasheng. They had already joined the group they'd seen on the website today, but hadn't been approved yet. They'd checked the Bailing Club that Wenying had mentioned, but there wasn't a single club with that name in all of Pengcheng. There were two similarly named clubs, but they were both foot massage parlors. They'd inspected them and found nothing illegal.
And they couldn't find anyone in that circle for a while because it was too niche. People with this XP hid themselves very well.
At this time, Zhong Jiasheng was their only chance of success. They had already changed shifts twice since this afternoon, but Zhong Jiasheng still hadn't emerged from the villa, remaining extremely patient.
After a few words, a white van stopped at the door. A man in his thirties got out of the driver's seat and opened the truck door. Luo Zhengjun and Lin Shuxing walked out of the store.
"Brother Lu, why are you the one delivering the goods?" Lin Shuxing hadn't come to the store so late at night for a long time.
Brother Lu glanced at Lin Shuxing and said with a smile, "The delivery guy, Ah Shuai, quit. He called and didn't come. I couldn't find the delivery guy for a while, so I had to come by myself."
Lin Shuxing said "oh", and Luo Zhengjun went with him to move the meat and bones. After moving, he took out the delivery note and gave it to Luo Zhengjun. Luo Zhengjun counted the money and gave it to Brother Lu. Brother Lu counted it and confirmed that it was correct, then left.
The car drove past Lin Shuyue. Lin Shuyue watched him drive away, and then she saw a round blue label on the taillight of his truck.
Lin Shuxing's eyes narrowed, as he felt like he had seen this icon somewhere before.
Luo Zhengjun soaked the large bones and meat in water. This step is mainly to remove the fishy smell from the meat. Once the blood is soaked out, the meat will not have any fishy smell no matter how you cook it.
After closing the door and turning off the lights, Lin Shuxing drove them home. On the way back, Lin Shuyue kept thinking about the pattern. The moment the car stopped, Lin Shuyue finally remembered. She had seen the pattern on the surveillance camera on Xingfu Road during the day.
She now wants to find out what the pattern is and whether it was put there by the murderer or the deceased.
"Sister, can you give me Brother Lu's phone number? I have something to ask him."
Lin Shuxing didn't think much about it and directly forwarded the call to Lin Shuyue.
Lin Shuyue arrived at the room and called Brother Lu. Brother Lu was still delivering the goods. He was confused when he received Lin Shuyue's call. He even stopped the car on the side of the road to check.
After looking at it, he said, "I've never seen this pattern before. Could it be Ah Shuai's work? It's so annoying. He used to be such an honest person, but how could he quit his job just because he didn't agree with me? I've been so busy these past few days."
Lin Shuyue thanked Brother Lu and asked for his specific location. After being told by Brother Lu, Lin Shuyue drove there. For the sake of Lin Shuxing and Luo Zhengjun, Brother Lu waited by the roadside. Lin Shuyue took a photo and told him Ah Shuai's address and contact information before driving to the next customer's home.
Lin Shuyue sat in the car, looking at the round blue border with a black band in the middle and a round blue bell in the front. The shape was very similar to a necklace with a letter ring.
Lin Shuyue exported the picture and sent it to Wenying's email address. She then called Wenying and drove to the place where Ah Shuai lived as mentioned by Brother Lu.
She has already made a preliminary judgment about Ah Shuai's identity. One is that he is the Skin who posted the message, and the other is that he is also one of the victims like Zhong Jiali.
Lin Shuyue had a hunch that the second one might be more likely.