"So few?"

In the iron box where Alan's savings were stored, there were a dozen silver dollars scattered here and there.

Yue Dingtang raised his head and looked at the housekeeper.

"How much is Alan's daily salary?"

The housekeeper did not hesitate: "Three yuan a month, food and accommodation will be at Yuan's house."

"How long has she been at Yuan's house?"

"I must have been married to my wife for five or six years."

"She usually spends money lavishly?"

"Impossible, she has always been thrifty. Even if her hairband broke, she wouldn't buy a new one. She even connected the two ends to continue using it."

"Since you are diligent and frugal, how can you only have this little savings after five or six years?"

Of course the old housekeeper couldn't answer.

Shen Renjie was afraid that Yue Dingtang would misunderstand, so he took the initiative to explain.

"Mr. Yue, we know that this case is taken very seriously. After the Yuan family's belongings were confiscated, the brothers did not dare to touch them at all. Whatever they were before is what they are now, no more and no less. These things were originally in the iron box. !”

Yue Dingtang snorted, he also believed that the house arresters would not have the guts to do anything about it now, otherwise if it affects the progress of the case, these people will be left with nothing to eat.

Ling Shu picked up the iron box.

There was an advertisement for candy printed on the box, but it was already rusty and the color was worn, and it could be seen that it had some age.

But a cover was carefully woven with wool around the box, and the corners of the box were tightly covered. Although the wool cover was not very delicate, using the roughest and cheapest thread, but considering Alan's living conditions, this It was already the best thing she could think of to cherish.

This also shows that she attaches great importance to this box.

The savings she had worked hard to save over the years must have been stored there. She had been homeless for half her life, and the only thing that could give her some comfort was the hard work she had earned through her labor. If someone wanted to deprive her of it, It would definitely be more serious than killing her.

If neither the housekeeper nor the old housekeeper keeps it for himself, then there are only two situations.

"First, Alan squandered all the money on his own, which must mean that she got more money, so that she no longer had to care about her savings. Second, Alan's relatives suddenly appeared, making her willing to spend the money on him."

Yue Dingtang suddenly said: "Why are they relatives? Couldn't they be lovers?"

Ling Shu: "Where did you find your lover?"

But the next moment, Yue Dingtang's words completely silenced him.

"Hong Xiaoguang."

Ling Shu never associated Hong Xiaoguang and Alan together.

Because in many people's descriptions, this young man was extraordinarily handsome. Although they discovered in each other's temporary residence that Hong Xiaoguang was not as knowledgeable as others thought, as long as Du Yunning was willing to immerse himself in the beautiful dream he weaved, others would always call him Don't wake her up.

As for Alan, it's even easier to start.

This maid who couldn't speak or read couldn't even survive without the Yuan family. Her whole life was to meet the nobles of the Du family, but the person who buried her in the end was also related to the Du family.

If there is someone who can speak softly to her, communicate with her using skilled sign language, give her unprecedented care, and make her feel the warmth she has never felt from anyone, it will be like a ray of sunshine shining into the dark year-round. Prison, the people in the prison must be forgiven and suddenly feel reborn.

Yue Dingtang's words opened a new door for him.

"Where is the key?" Yue Dingtang asked the old housekeeper, "Where is the key to the cellar entrance?"

"The key was made into a pendant at the master's place. The master didn't know it was a pendant, so he gave it to his beloved top dancer. When I found out about it, I quickly told my wife that it was a family heirloom left to her by the old man.

, Madam then came forward to get the key back, and the key has been kept with Madam since then." The housekeeper looked tired, "But after Madam's accident, I have never seen this key again."

All the details and trivial clues were connected together, and Lingshu had a complete prototype.

Hong Xiaoguang and his mastermind behind the scenes learned about the Yuan family's underground gold vault through some means, so they took the opportunity to get close to the other party. According to Du Yunning's preferences, they made up a person whose appearance, personality, hobbies and talents matched her imagination, and gradually captured her heart.

.

Perhaps in the process of getting along with each other, Hong Xiaoguang continued to brainwash Du Yunning, using the beauty of the future to contrast the cruelty of reality, making Du Yunning more and more interested in escaping from the gorgeous cage of the Yuan family. He finally made up his mind to follow Hong Xiaoguang

elopement.

This is exactly why she came to Ling Shu. As the number of visits increased, she increasingly revealed her desire to leave the Yuan family.

Ling Shu recalled that at that time, Du Yunning had been deeply disappointed with Yuan Bing. She no longer cherished the gorgeous clothes and the life of revelry, and her expression and behavior did not seem to be hypocritical. She did not expect that the romance she pursued wholeheartedly would actually lead to death.

Obstacles on the road.

As for Ling Shu, at that time he thought that Du Yunning still had old feelings for him, so he avoided him for fear of losing his connection with the married woman, but he did not expect that Du Yunning was just using him as a cover to set up a plot.

If Du Yunning and Hong Xiaoguang really eloped at that time, the witness evidence of several dates with Du Yunning would be enough to put Ling Shu in the quagmire. Du Yunning would have escaped from his shell long ago, and he would be happily living somewhere.

But all of the above are Du Yunning's wishful thinking.

She failed to elope successfully, but instead cost Qingqing her life.

Ling Shu was indeed dragged into the trap she set, but now he became the one who helped her track down the real culprit.

The old housekeeper has worked hard for the Yuan family all his life, but now he can't even fulfill his master's dying instructions. He is already exhausted both physically and mentally, and his face has a clear look.

"I can take you to the lower entrance of the cellar, but I really don't know where the key is."

"Without further delay, let's set off now." Ling Shu said.

The nights are long and the dreams are many, Yue Dingtang thought the same way.

But the two of them, plus the old housekeeper, were obviously a bit weak.

If they encounter the murderer from last time again, I'm afraid both of them will have to take a break.

Yue Dingtang looked at Shen Renjie.

Before he could speak, the latter took the opportunity and said, "Mr. Yue, I can come with you. Do you think you need to bring two more brothers?"

If we follow what the old housekeeper said, the underground floor is full of gold, there is no guarantee that someone will be unable to control it. Yue Dingtang does have some idea of ​​the virtues of most people in the patrol house in the concession. There are many people like Shen Renjie who are observant and greedy.

There are many people who misunderstand the overall situation for their own convenience, and there are also many foreigners who, relying on their skin color, claim to be superior to others, do not take Chinese people seriously at all, and may not be willing to listen to Yue Dingtang's command.

In comparison, Shen Renjie is more reliable.

"No, please give me a gun later. I'll take it with me for self-defense. I'll prepare it first. We'll set off in half an hour."

Shen Renjie stood at attention: "Yes! I'll get ready right now!"

While Shen Renjie went to get the gun, Ling Shu took the time to question the old housekeeper.

He could see that the latter's energy was low and his thoughts had begun to wander. If it were later, he might not be able to answer the question.

"When your wife went out, did Alan follow her?"

"Sometimes I follow, sometimes I don't."

"When to follow and when not to follow?"

"Let me think about it...when my wife went out to a banquet, she wouldn't let Alan follow me. I once heard her tell others that Alan couldn't speak, and she was afraid that she would be rude and be laughed at by the ladies. In the early years, the Yuan family also had a Qing. She was fluent in writing and clever in speaking, and my wife loved to take her with her when she went out. But then the Yuan family became worse and worse day by day, and the master smoked cigarettes and was ruined. Ah Qing was free, so he left the Yuan family."

As expected, the old housekeeper was getting old, chatty, and easily went off topic when he talked.

Ling Shu had to remind him: "You haven't said yet, when will Madam take Alan with her?"

Old housekeeper: "My wife sometimes goes out to buy things and needs help carrying them. For example, when she goes to a department store or makes an appointment with a friend, she will take Alan with her."

Ling Shu: "What kind of friends did she make an appointment with? Do you remember?"

Old housekeeper: "I don't dare to ask about this, but one time she had a quarrel with the old man, and the old man said very unpleasant things, saying that she didn't have any friends at all, and it was all an excuse to meet the adulterer and have an affair."

Ling Shu: "Then how did your wife answer?"

The old housekeeper smiled bitterly: "My wife said that since the master is unkind, she does not have to keep her virginity. Even if she had an affair, it was because of the master. But in my opinion, these are just angry words. After all, the master is nostalgic for his wife, otherwise she would have been outside these years. My love has never ended, and I have never thought about marrying someone new. It’s just that my temper... Hey! I can’t say, if the old man was still alive, he would have restrained himself a lot, and wouldn’t be in the situation he is today. !”

Yue Dingtang said lightly: "Your old man couldn't control him when he was still alive. Even if he is still alive, what can he do if he is old? When he was a child, he felt that he was an only son, so he would inevitably love him more. Even if he made some small mistakes, They can all be tolerated. Over time, small mistakes turn into big mistakes, and the tolerance level also increases, and eventually you mislead others and yourself."

Yuan Bingdao is not a good person. When he was in Sichuan, he never did a good thing for the people of Sichuan. Instead, he used his power to plunder a lot of local wealth. He did not even think about this gold that fell from the sky. He took it out to do good deeds, except for a small part distributed to his subordinates, and the rest was used to enrich his own pockets. The end he ended up in today, with the Yuan family destroyed and everyone dead, is a deserved reward.

However, Yue Dingtang did not say these unfinished words again when facing the old housekeeper.

The housekeeper himself knew it, but he just didn't want to admit it and face the reality.

When the two of them were speechless, Ling Shu broke the silence.

"When was the last time your wife took Alan out? Do you still remember it?"

The housekeeper thought hard and said uncertainly: "It seems to be the 23rd."

Ling Shu: "Don't act like it, think about it carefully."

Housekeeper: "I remembered, it was indeed the 23rd, because Alan came to me that day and said he wanted to buy some New Year things for himself while he was out with his wife, so he asked me for leave and came back later. She For so many years, I haven’t said anything about buying myself anything during the Chinese New Year. I looked at her pitifully, so I agreed.”

January 23rd, two days before New Year’s Eve.

That day was the last time Ling Shu and Du Yunning met.

But he didn't see Alan.

Maybe Alan had already taken leave and left at that time, or maybe Du Yunning didn't want her to be around, so he sent her away as an excuse.

There are many coincidences in this world. If everything happens to coincide, it is not accidental, but inevitable.

While talking, Shen Renjie came back.
To be continued...