Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 15.2

Chapter 15.2

When He Zhuyun saw Yu Hongdou, she showed a sweet smile and said, “Senior Yu.”

Hearing that, Yu Hongdou’s footsteps became slower. ‘Why are these two sisters-in-law still here? Didn’t they only have classes in the morning? 

She smiled and said, “Ms. Duan, junior He, you are going home?” She slowly used her body to cover the basket of the bicycle to not let them see the coat. 

“I was going home, but then I saw my second brother at the school gate, so I stopped to talk to him for a little while.” He Zhuyun said.

Duan Mingyi saw Yu Hongdou and quickly remembered who she was. “Isn’t this the classmate who gave my sister sweet-smelling candy last time?” 

‘Oh, this person has a good memory.’ Yu Hongdou said.

When He Yunqin heard the voices, he looked back and saw Yu Hongdou and Yu Chongyi walking together, with something held under Yu Chongyi’s arm. 

He watched carefully, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He put his cigarette down and told He Zhuyun to go home with her sister-in-law because he had something else to do.

He Zhuyun asked, “Didn’t you say that you were waiting for someone? Did they arrive?”

After hearing this, Duan Mingyi looked at Yu Hongdou with surprise. She thought for a bit and then took He Zhuyun’s arm and said with a smile, “I think that person has arrived. Your body can’t handle hunger, so let’s go home and eat first. Your second brother is a grown man and won’t get lost.”

He Zhuyun didn’t expect that her second brother was waiting for Yu’s brother and sister. She looked at them for a while but finally got into the car with Duan Mingyi.

When the driver started the car, He Zhuyun put her head out from the window and said, “Remember our plan. Second brother, we need to go home in the afternoon and talk about Mom’s birthday.” 

He Yunqin smiled and replied, “Okay.”

He Zhuyun said goodbye to Yu Hongdou and told her she would see her the next day.

He Yunqin looked at Yu Chongyi and Yu Hongdou when the car was far away and said, 

“Mr. Yu, Tongfu Lane is not far from here. Why don’t you take her home?”

Last night, after thinking for so long, Yu HongDou thought of working with He Yunqin, but by the next day, the other person’s attitude had changed. 

At first, she was confused, but then she realised that her brother was more straightforward than her, so He Yunqin might have decided to ignore her.

Yu Hondgou, who was annoyed with that person’s attitude, looked at her brother with a pout and whispered, “Hey, didn’t you promise to take me out for dinner this morning? There’s a restaurant right next to us in Ningbo. The food is delicious; let’s go eat there.” 

Yu Chongyi understood his sister’s intentions and quickly told He Yunqin. “My sister is worried about Yuqi’s situation. If she can’t find out how the case is going, I’m worried she won’t even be able to eat well.”

He Yunqin didn’t want to accept that, but with a glance from Yu Hongdou, he had to listen to Yu Chongyi. “Let’s go.”

They went to the restaurant and ordered some food. 

While they were waiting for food, Yu Chongyi shared what he found in the morning with He Yunqin.

“Apart from the clothing store at the train station, the jewellery store that Yuqi went to after leaving the tea party that day was originally the property of the Yuan family. But after he got divorced, he gave the store to his ex-wife. Yuqi had ordered a necklace for her mother at the store, and she had gone there that day to pick it up. After she came out of that shop, she had vanished into thin air.”

He Yunqin: “Then that jewellery store entrance is where Pan Yuqi went missing. I went there in the morning, and there were a lot of people there. In addition to a few shops, there was also a big store. I asked the workers in a few stores nearby, and they all said they didn’t hear anything weird last Saturday.”

Yu Chongyi was surprised and asked, “Mr. He, why did you check out the jewellery store?”

He Yunqin poured himself some tea and said, “We don’t have much time or many clues. If we want to find Pan Yuqi quickly, we have to follow her driving route from Saturday to track her down.” 

Hearing what the two men said, Yu Hongdou then added, “So Mr. He has been investigating all morning. Did you find anything else?”

He Yunqin replied in a relaxed way, “Yes, I know that Wang Meiping was not only killed, but the way she died was very strange. It was like part of some old rituals, and the body was messed with.”

He thought Yu Hongdou would be afraid and run away after hearing those words. But it didn’t happen. Instead of that, she frowned and asked with curiosity, “Why was she killed like that? Did she die three months ago, or did she die after three months?”

He Yunqin noticed Yu Hongdou’s calm expression and was surprised for a few seconds. He looked at her for a while, leaned back, and replied, “Miss Yu, you will know the answer after the case is solved.”

Yu Hongdou saw that He Yunqin was clearly avoiding her question. “I thought that with Mr. He’s ability, you could find it easily. It turns out that there are times when you are not capable,” she said with a little sarcasm.

Yu Chongyi realised the two of them were going to quarrel as soon as they met, and fearing that things would get ugly, he quickly pulled his sister’s clothes under the table.

But Yu Hongdou didn’t feel that. ‘Hmph…this man… Before I kick him out of this, it seems he’s going to kick me out.’

He Yunqin looked at Yu Hongdou across the table, and Yu Hongdou also looked at He Yunqin with provocation.

Finally, He Yunqin decided to give in. He put down the teacup and said, “Let me be the host, and I should apologise to Miss Yu.”

Yu Hongdou raised her face and smiled. “It’s rare that Mr. He is so straightforward. How can I resist, Mr. He’s kindness.” Then she called the waiter and ordered more food.

The food in this restaurant was very expensive, and one meal was worth a month’s food for an ordinary family. So that’s why Yu Hongdou chose this restaurant purposefully.

Yu Chongyi was puzzled by his sister’s attitude, but he said politely, “Mr. He, my sister has a bit of a temper, but she has always been able to distinguish between serious and not serious. I think she was worried about her cousin Yuqi just now, so the words were so offensive. Mr. He, don’t take them in heart.”

He Yunqin just smiled and didn’t speak.

He Yunqin took a chopstick, dipped it in water, drew something on the table, and said, “Mr. Yu, you have been a police officer for three years. Have you ever seen such a weird weapon in the past when handling cases?”

Although Yu Hongdou flicked through the menu, she secretly glanced at the pattern drawn by He Yunqin.

Yu Chongyi shook his head and said, “No. And I think the murderer doesn’t seem to care about that wooden nail. Otherwise, according to common sense, the murderer would hide it. Why did he leave clues? So there must be something.”

“The reason?” He Yunqin said, “I will go to Wang Peter’s in the afternoon. He has a lot of information; maybe I will gain something.” 

Yu Hongdou thought for a while, turned to look at her brother, and said,” There is a club in the school that studies mysterious events. The president is Qin Xuekai from the Department of Political Science. The club has been established for many years, so he should have a lot of information on hand. I will go back to school to find him in a while, and if I find anything, Brother, where can I find you?”

Have a nice day!