On the way back, the snow was not cleared, and walking in the snow left footprints every step of the way.
Lu Anran didn't speak for a while, until Yun Qi broke the silence and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Stopping and standing not far from Village Chief Yin's house, Lu Anran raised his head and looked over. His voice dispersed in the cool breeze and was tainted with a hint of coldness, "Who is telling lies, Widow Wang or Mrs. Wei?"
Yun Qi stood holding a fan with his hands behind his back. The wind blew the pine waves, and the clouds came and went, all of which became the style on his eyebrows. He smiled slightly, showing all kinds of romantic charm, and his understatement was full of the uninhibited frivolity of playing in the world. , "Half truths and half lies, occasionally."
Lu Anran didn't call this stunning bewitcher, and said hesitantly: "We have been speculating that Yin Tianxiang died outside. How did the murderer bring such a heavy barrel back with the body? When I saw that thing just now, I suddenly felt I had an idea.”
Yunqi flicked the fan pendant and said casually: "Oh?"
Lu Anran: "On the day Yin Tianxiang died, you told me that there was not only a lot of water in his room, but also something else."
Yun Qi looked at the sky, tapped his back with the handle of the fan, and thought back: "The second son of the Yin family seems to be afraid of the cold. Are there many charcoal basins in the house?"
"Yes." Lu Anran suddenly turned around and looked at Yun Qi, "Even if the room was ten times bigger, there wouldn't be so many charcoal pots needed, let alone if they were lit together and the smoke would fill the room, how could they still stay there. "
Yun Qi rolled his eyes slightly: "You mean, it's like the ice board that Widow Wang gave her child to play with?"
Lu Anran's eyes lit up with a bright light, and there was a hint of eagerness and joy, "If you water it with water to make an ice panel, and then use snow water to cast a few rollers under the tub, it won't take long in such a cold weather, right? That's it, right? Once it's done, the tub can be pushed no matter how heavy it is. Once the charcoal basin is burned in the room, the body will be destroyed and no trace will be left."
The more I thought about it, the more this happened, and I couldn't help but get more excited, "That's why there is so much water in the room, not because it overflowed from the tub, but because the ice cubes underneath melted."
"What you said makes sense, but there is a problem." Yun Qi had never seen Lu Anran, who had always been calm and composed, so excited. He couldn't help but feel a little fun, and couldn't help but want to attack him, "It makes a lot of noise, why? Although it has been avoided by the eyes and ears of the Yin family, we still go by the original guess that the murderer is the Wei family."
Lu Anran calmed down a little, "When Su Su and Mrs. Yin died, Mrs. Wei looked frightened, but not panicked."
Yun Qi spread his hands: "You are having a conflict with yourself."
Lu Anran gently rubbed the Kunlun soft jade with his palms, and the warmth gradually spread to his limbs. His tone had returned to calmness, and he said: "Wei's words were unclear, and Widow Wang was hesitant. What are they hiding? What."
Yun Qi raised his eyebrows and chuckled: "In a small village, there are many people hiding ghosts in their hearts, and strange things happen constantly." After saying that, he changed the topic and added a bit of mystery in his ridicule, "First the rocks collapsed, and then the bridge cables The fracture is just like a dragon trapped in a shoal, calling every day to respond. Can you tell me which god this Yinjia Village has offended?"
While the two were talking, a loud voice from the side suddenly interrupted, "Oh, no wonder the magpie screamed all the way. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Yun and Miss Lu halfway. These two nobles are not like Gaoyang in the clouds. The bright moon in the sea, the big golden phoenix on the high branch, I met it, but I also want to get some luck from you two."
It is said that nine and a half of the ten sentences a matchmaker says should not be heard, and the other half are probably only true for the last name. Sometimes the matchmaker said that the man in the family had some minor defects in his legs and feet, and when he saw him he found that he had no legs. Another matchmaker said that the girl in the family couldn't see clearly and was blind as a result.
So Mrs. Tian yelled in such an exaggerated way, Yun Qi and Lu Anran still said hello with a smile out of politeness.
"The relationship between the young couple is really good. Standing together is like what people say in ancient Chinese literature about fish, water, and dumplings thrown into the stream." Mrs. Tian looked at the two of them kindly like a god, nodding with satisfaction from time to time, as if There is quite a sense of accomplishment that she brought together.
Yun Qi pointed the air with his fan and corrected him: "The love between fish and water is as deep as glue and paint."
Sister-in-law Tian made an ouch, clapped her hands and said, "We country people are vulgar, but the young master can still speak. He can speak four words and four words, which sounds very profound. Miss Lu will be lucky in the future."
Lu Anran's eyebrows twitched: "We don't..."
Yun Qi cut off the conversation and asked with a smile: "Sister-in-law Tian is going to Village Chief Yin's house?"
"Alas..." Mrs. Tian sighed and curled her lips and said: "These things happened to the village chief's family. We are all from the same village and we should help each other. According to me, if you bury the deceased early, you should also let the deceased rest in peace. Is it possible that you still want to fight with a ghost?
However, the village chief has an idea. He is keeping silent now, saying that the road to the village will be open in a day or two, and then someone from the Yamen will rush over to find out clearly. "
Sister-in-law Tian grabbed the handkerchief and patted it on her body. She glanced at Village Chief Yin's house, leaned over and said in a low voice: "Let me tell you two the truth. We all need a way to survive. Every family has a chance to survive." The village chief didn't want help from us, so I thought about asking him when he would be able to get through. I went to the next door to settle the marriage first. It would only take a day or two to get back and forth, and by then the yamen would have almost finished settling the case. This is not...hey, both ends are on fire."
Sister-in-law Tian is a straight-tempered person who speaks and does things very quickly. After saying a few words, she hurried in to find Village Chief Yin, leaving Yunqi and Lu Anran behind.
The snow was blowing in the early wind, and the white plum blossoms on the trees trembled slightly, blowing the brocade cloth covering Lu Anran's face. She raised her hand and rubbed her nose.
"Sister-in-law Tian is also a wonderful person." Yun Qi said.
Lu Anran thought about being misunderstood by Widow Wang and Sister Tian today, and that the person in front of him was the culprit. He couldn't help but sarcastically said: "Not as good as the prince's literary talent."
But it was obvious that Lu Anran had misjudged Yun Qi. Not only did he accept it calmly, but he also held a fan and bowed with his fists, saying as he should, "You're welcome."
Lu Anran stepped across the threshold of the courtyard. Thinking of something, he turned back and handed the Kunlun nephrite back to Yun Qi.
Yunqi rubbed it with his fingers, and there was still a hint of warm fragrance on it. He said nonchalantly: "It's just a gadget."
Lu Anran smoothed his sleeves with his backhand and said sternly: "Although the prince doesn't think anything of it, you and I are not relatives. I really can't accept this gift with a clear conscience. The prince just lent me a favor, which is already the prince's kindness. If I want to push the envelope, it’s my fault, and it will inevitably go against the Lu family’s teachings.”
Yun Qi tsked at the empty door, as if his teeth were sore, "I'm not usually a very well-behaved person, but when I'm well-behaved, I'm even more pedantic."
—
The bodies of Su Su and Mrs. Yin were moved to the Buddhist Hall, the place where Mrs. Yin prayed most devoutly during her lifetime.
The Buddha fell, and three incense sticks were lit again in the incense burner, but this time it was not to pray to the Buddha, but to offer sacrifices to the deceased.
Lu Anran stepped forward and offered a stick of incense to the deceased. He took a few steps back and looked at the small group of children, thinking of what Yun Qi said to her not long ago.
"Guan Yue went to check out the place where Su Su's accident occurred. People had moved their hands and feet there and looked at the solid ground. In fact, it was empty. They were filled with dead branches and grass and covered with snow. If someone stood on it, they would definitely step on the ground and slip. Fall off a cliff.”
"Although it was recovered afterwards, Guanyue can tell the traces of turning from the softness and color of the soil."
Chunmiao squatted beside her and burned paper money. She followed Lu Anran's gaze and recited Amitabha silently in her heart, saying, "My lady has been out for a long time, and when she came back she said she wanted to pay homage to the two grandsons. Not to mention that Village Chief Yin's family is also heartless. I don’t know what to think about Miss when I look back.”
Lu Anran didn't speak, Chunmiao thought to herself: "But this child is pitiful. Earlier she was secretly raping and playing tricks on the slave and she was very disgusted. Now she suddenly disappeared, and the slave felt very uncomfortable. Now I will burn more for you. Count the paper money, you use the money to bribe the judge of hell, and you will be a good child in your next life."
After chattering like this for a long time, the paper money was burned. Chunmiao dusted off the scraps and stood up, "Miss, let's go."
Lu Anran glanced outside: "Wait a minute."
Chunmiao doesn't understand. Does the young lady still want to keep vigil for others?
Just as he was thinking about it, Village Chief Yin appeared at the door. When he looked inside, he unexpectedly saw two people and said in a bad tone: "Why are you here?"
Chunmiao rushed in front of Lu Anran and said unconvinced: "Our lady is kind..."
"Chun Miao." Lu Anran called out. Chun Miao stopped talking before she looked at Village Chief Yin, "I want to go to the room of Yin Tianxiang and his wife again."
After Yin Tianxiang's accident, the room was locked by Village Chief Yin. He intended to wait for people from the Yamen to come and see it, but he kept it locked for several days.
"Miss Lu!" Village Chief Yin stood at the door, shouted with a sullen face, and then said: "Since you are passers-by, I have also accepted your money. It is not easy to renege on your words. You can take advantage of it here, but any other Yin The affairs of our village have nothing to do with Miss Lu."
Lu Anran's eyes were always calm, but there was a rare sharpness in his eyes, "Yin Tianxiang's brain was severely injured, so there was no sign of struggle when he died. A few foreign objects were found in his mouth and nose, indicating that he was pressed in the snow. He died of suffocation in the ground, not in the bathtub in his room as we saw.
Let’s talk about Mrs. Yin. She knelt in front of the Buddha statue every day to pray sincerely, but the Buddha statue suddenly collapsed. But I found that the original mechanism of the base of the Buddha statue was artificially damaged, so the Buddha statue was unstable and could fall down with just a slight push.
And Susu, why did a child like her suddenly appear there in the middle of the night? We checked and found that the cliff mouth was loose and soiled. It was obvious that someone had done it deliberately. Who would plot against a child to this extent? "
Village Chief Yin listened to so much all at once, and seemed to be unable to bear it. His body swayed, and he held on to the door frame and gasped for a long time. His voice suddenly became hoarse: "What do you want to say?"
Lu Anran took a step forward: "These are all well-documented. Does Village Chief Yin still think that ghosts are causing trouble in the dark?"
Village Chief Yin did not speak for a long time, with his head hanging down. His back was arched overnight and was not as straight as before. When he calmed down his breathing, he gritted his back molars and said: "The ghosts and gods will come to collect them one day, and the evildoers will be judged by the Yamen, so there is no need to work." Miss Lu took the trouble."
Lu Anran's eyes narrowed slightly, and his clear voice was like pouring cold water on someone's head. "The murderer has a well-planned plan and all the tricks. If he doesn't stop now, Village Chief Yin wants to bet on who will die next?"
