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墨書 Inktalez
Wang Guihua welcomed a few people inside.
Old Shao glanced at the clock and said, "It's just past seven. I was worried you hadn't finished work yet."
Wang Guihua smiled and replied, "School isn't that strict. Our school lets out at six-thirty in the afternoon. But nowadays, the kids have a lot of pressure. After school, they often have to attend tutoring or extracurricular classes, so they end up busy until after nine."
As they entered the room, they saw a girl sitting on a stool with an open notebook on the coffee table. It turned out she was doing her homework. The girl looked about seven or eight years old, diligently writing each stroke without looking up as the others walked in, clearly engrossed in her work.
"This must be Li Weiwei," Xu Yiman remarked. "She’s very cute."
Wang Guihua chuckled and gently approached Li Weiwei. "Weiwei, go back to your room to do your homework. Mommy needs to talk with these uncles and aunts. Remember how I taught you to hold your pen? Make sure you sit properly; otherwise, you'll hunch over."
Li Weiwei picked up her notebook and replied, "Got it, Mommy. I still have some reciting to do later."
Wang Guihua patted Li Weiwei's head and said, "Yes, practice a bit more until you know it well."
Li Weiwei nodded and went into her room.
Wang Guihua poured tea for everyone while Shao the Elder said, "We've already visited once before, so let's skip the pleasantries this time. We're here to discuss matters regarding Li Erdan."
Sighing, Wang Guihua said, "I've been divorced from Li Erdan for quite some time now; Li Weiwei has adjusted to this life. To be honest, I really don't want to hear about Li Erdan anymore. Our relationship is what it is; if he needs money, I can help him, but he can't interfere in my life."
Wang Guihua touched her neck and added, "Whether Li Erdan is guilty or not, we have nothing to do with each other anymore."
Old Shao glanced at Jiang He, who returned the look.
In that moment of eye contact, Jiang He suddenly felt something different. He realized he understood Old Shao's thoughts for the first time through his gaze. A feeling he couldn't quite describe stirred within him, bringing him unexpected joy.
Jiang He spoke up, "How soundproof is Li Weiwei's room?"
Wang Guihua was puzzled by Jiang He's question. She turned to glance at the closed bedroom door and replied, "It's fairly soundproof. Why, what do you need?"
Upon hearing Wang Guihua's response, Jiang He continued, "Since that's the case, I'll be straightforward. May I take a look at the wound on your neck?"
Wang Guihua frowned. She looked at Old Shao, who was also watching her intently. Confused, she placed her hand on her neck. The adhesive plaster was stuck to her skin, and she slowly peeled it off, grimacing in pain.
However, kind-hearted Old Shao did not stop her; instead, he watched as she continued to remove it.
As Wang Guihua peeled off the plaster from her neck, everyone finally saw the wound. It appeared to be a cluster of green pus-filled spots. It seemed that Wang Guihua had pricked them with a needle herself and covered them with the plaster, preventing them from swelling further.
"That necklace you wore last time was beautiful," Jiang He remarked. "Did Li Erdan give it to you?"
Wang Guihua scoffed and said, "I'd be happy if Li Erdan didn't ask me for money. There's no way he would give me anything. I bought this myself."
"You should recognize this," Old Shao said as he turned to Xu Yiman, gently pointing at the spots on Wang Guihua's neck.
Xu Yiman examined the green spots on her neck closely and nodded. "Of course I know about it; it's just… how did it end up here?"
At that moment, Jiang He confirmed his suspicions. He addressed Wang Guihua, saying, "I found too many unusual things in a single man's home. For instance, why does he have matching items for couples? There are women's slippers in his house, two pillows on the bed, and even toiletries meant for women."
"Romantic relationships are normal, but his attempts to hide it are not," Jiang He stated seriously. "It feels like a classic case of 'there's no silver here,' but at that time I didn't know who this person was, so I didn't think much of it."
Listening to Jiang He, Xu Yiman was equally perplexed by what he was saying.
She asked, "Jiang He, what are you thinking?"
Jiang He turned to Xu Yiman and said, "No matter how we ask, Li Erdan just won't tell us where the Jewelry went. I always felt that Li Erdan was lying. He dug up the Jewelry and gave it to his family; we all know where that Jewelry came from, so Li Erdan is afraid we might want it back."
"But now I don't think that anymore. Indeed, someone else dug up that Jewelry," Jiang He replied.
Hearing this, Xu Yiman suddenly remembered something. She looked at Jiang He and asked, "What about that Jewelry?"
Jiang He responded, "That's right, just as you guessed."
After a pause, Jiang He continued, "If anyone had the closest relationship with Li Erdan—not the best, but the most intimate—it would have to be a colleague who also drives a Hearse. Over the past five years, Li Erdan has hidden all the Jewelry he took from corpses in one place, but there is actually a loophole in this."
"What loophole?" Yuan Jun asked at this moment.
Jiang He answered, "Because driving a Hearse is usually a two-person job. If Li Erdan were the only one profiting from the corpses, the other person would definitely notice. This person has three options: either report it, which would likely get Li Erdan fired; or turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it; or simply join in on the scheme."
Jiang He slowly elaborated, "So the question arises: which option did this person choose?"
Yuan Jun said, "Li Erdan wasn't fired, so it's not the first option. But since Li Erdan didn't expose him either, it can't be the third option. So it must be the second; he turned a blind eye and condoned Li Erdan's actions."
Jiang He shook his head and nodded at the same time. "That's right. However, this person is far more cunning than Li Erdan realizes. He has always known that Li Erdan was profiting from corpses and that Li Erdan has necrophilic tendencies. But this person never acted because once things are exposed, he can distance himself from it. Until then, he can benefit from Li Erdan."
Everyone listened to Jiang He's speculation as he continued, "In fact, this person already knew where Li Erdan was hiding the Jewelry. Once Li Erdan's actions were exposed and realizing that these Jewelry pieces would eventually be confiscated by the police, he went to that location first and dug up the Jewelry."
"That way he could take many items without anyone noticing and no one would suspect him," Jiang He said while looking at Wang Guihua across from him. "Moreover, he could use these Jewelry pieces as favors to win some people's goodwill."
"Five years ago, when Li Erdan started working as a Hearse Driver, something inexplicable happened—he developed a gambling addiction. He lost all his savings and soon after divorced his wife. I think the issue was probably more complex than just a lack of common ground between the two."
Jiang He stared at Wang Guihua, who seemed somewhat at a loss. She kept touching the wound on her neck, which appeared to be quite itchy.
Jiang He slowly said, "This person is Li Erdan's colleague, another Hearse Driver—Wang Da. If I'm not mistaken, that necklace should have been given to you by Wang Da. He had dinner at your house once, and that's when you got to know each other."
"In the course of your life afterward, you felt that Wang Da was more suitable for you than Li Erdan. Your marriage with Li Erdan was arranged by your parents; there was a significant age difference and not much common language between you two. But with Wang Da, it was different—you shared a common language and got along better. Wang Da came from a poorer background and wasn't married, while you had a child. You both clicked instantly."
After a pause, Jiang He continued, "The green blisters on your neck are a result of Wang Da's influence. I don't know if your relationship with Wang Da is genuine or merely to satisfy needs. However, Li Erdan collected those Jewelry pieces not for you to wear; he hoped to leave something behind for his family."
Xu Yiman also spoke up: "Items that have come into contact with corpses can easily become contaminated with fungi from the body. If they haven't been thoroughly cleaned, those fungi can react on the human body, causing blisters, itching, or skin ulcers. That's why we must always wear gloves and masks when handling corpses and disinfect afterward."
After pondering for a moment, Xu Yiman added, "Li Erdan was relatively lucky or perhaps had stronger resistance; he wasn't infected by the fungi. But Wang Guihua, it's clear you've been affected."
Wang Guihua's eyes widened as she asked, "The necklace that Wang Da gave me cost him thousands of dollars—was it originally from a corpse?"
Several people nodded in agreement.
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