NOS Chapter 41
by VolareIt was 7:30 in the evening. Meng Changqing had just returned from his shift at Qianjinping, his body chilled to the bone. He was rubbing his hands, eager to get into the office, when he bumped headfirst into Guan Yao.
“Hey, Captain, what brings you here?” the young officer asked in surprise.
Guan Yao was carrying a lunchbox, but his expression was extremely serious. He strode to the desk, casually turned on a computer, and quickly logged into the internal system.
Meng Changqing leaned over. “Captain, what are you doing?”
Guan Yao didn’t say a word.
Meng Changqing watched as his fingers flew across the keyboard, and in less than half a minute, he had pulled up Yu Chunming’s electronic file from the system.
“Captain, why are you looking up Officer Yu?” Meng Changqing asked, greatly puzzled.
After all, everyone at the Linchang Police Station had already thoroughly examined Yu Chunming’s electronic file when he joined the force. Everyone knew what was in it. So why was Guan Yao suddenly looking into it?
“What’s Yu Chunming’s birthday?” The circle on the screen was still spinning, but Guan Yao couldn’t wait to ask.
Meng Changqing was taken aback, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Guan Yao asked again, “Did Yu Chunming tell you before that he was also from One Zero Three Forest Farm?”
This time, Meng Changqing immediately responded, “Yes, Officer Yu did say that.”
Guan Yao took a deep breath, his eyes faintly red.
“Captain…” Meng Changqing was startled. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” Guan Yao stared intently at the screen. “I just want to know him…”
*Click!* A photo of Yu Chunming in his dark blue uniform appeared on the screen. Immediately below, the first line of his personal information showed several numbers: March 5th.
“March 5th…” Guan Yao’s heart suddenly sank.
“March 5th, that’s still early. Captain, are you in a hurry to celebrate Officer Yu’s birthday?” Meng Changqing asked, clueless.
Guan Yao slowly sat down in his chair. At this moment, he finally realized what he had been thinking.
He suspected that Yu Chunming was Jiang Xin.
This idea was not unfounded. On the way from the Municipal Bureau to the Linchang Police Station, Guan Yao had repeatedly conducted “detailed deductions.”
In Jiang Min’s photo album, there was a photo of her with a man who looked very much like Yu Zhenshan. The background was Zhui Ri Yuan in the suburbs of Songlan. Jiang Min said that the man was her ex-husband, the ex-husband Wang Yi mentioned who was “a high-ranking official in the provincial capital.” At the same time, a gossipy colleague who came from the Songlan Provincial Department to handle the case said that Yu Zhenshan’s ex-wife was from Za Mu Er, and not only was she from Za Mu Er, but she was also involved in the arts, and had been labeled as having “poor conduct.” It was rumored that Yu Chunming was this ex-wife’s child.
So, what if Jiang Min was Yu Zhenshan’s ex-wife, and Yu Chunming was Jiang Min’s child?
Guan Yao suddenly remembered that Yu Chunming had said when he first arrived that he was thirty-two years old this year. Thirty-two years old…
That matched Jiang Xin’s age perfectly. Jiang Xin was born on July 17th of the year following the Za Mu Er 9.24 fire. Guan Yao’s grandmother was the one who took Jiang Min to the hospital when her water broke.
But—
Yu Chunming’s birthday was March 5th, almost five months earlier than July 17th. Five months… A tiny difference could mean a world of difference. Pushing it back, Jiang Min had already left her ex-husband and returned to Songlan for more than a year when Jiang Xin was born. Could Yu Chunming still be Jiang Xin?
Guan Yao’s mind was a mess. He couldn’t sort it out, couldn’t understand it, and couldn’t figure out why things were so coincidental.
Reason told him that Yu Chunming was definitely not Jiang Xin, but emotionally, Guan Yao was unwilling to believe it. He tried to dissect the situation, attempting to find every clue hidden beneath Yu Chunming’s actions and expressions. But when he saw the numbers “March 5th,” all his previous analysis immediately became meaningless.
Yes, how could Yu Chunming be Jiang Min’s child? He clearly seemed like he had never met Jiang Min.
So, how could Yu Chunming be Jiang Xin? Jiang Xin was dark and skinny, with crooked teeth when he smiled. He wouldn’t dare to say a word back even if someone punched him ten times. How could he be like Yu Chunming, so arrogant, handsome, and always looking down on people?
Guan Yao rubbed his eyes. He thought, I’m really daydreaming.
Back at home, Yu Chunming didn’t ask why he had sent a message at 6:30 saying he was ready to get off work, but didn’t step through the door until after 8:00.
Naturally, Guan Yao didn’t mention it either.
He silently put down the lunchbox, glanced at the notes Yu Chunming had spread out on the table, and then asked, “Did you find anything new in Jiang Min’s photos or Ai Hua’s diary?”
Yu Chunming was focused on organizing the review he had painstakingly written. He casually replied, “No, it’s still the same as this morning.”
Guan Yao sat down beside him, his gaze somewhat complicated as he scanned the other man’s unusually good complexion today. “When I was at the Municipal Bureau meeting this afternoon, I heard those loose-lipped colleagues gossiping, saying that our Deputy Director Yu had quite a connection with Za Mu Er when he was young.”
Yu Chunming looked up, calmly and frankly thinking to himself, *Who said something about it to him? Was it Wang Zhen, or Na Fei? Or is it because of that photo that he finally became suspicious of me?*
But clearly, whether it was gossip or suspicion, all Guan Yao dared to do at the moment was test the waters. He was cautious, apprehensive, afraid of really asking something, and perhaps, afraid of not asking anything at all.
This contradictory and hesitant demeanor made Yu Chunming feel playful.
He deliberately replied, “I did spend some time there.”
Guan Yao’s eyes lit up immediately, and he asked further, “I heard Meng Changqing say that you said you’re also from One Zero Three Forest Farm?”
“Yes,” Yu Chunming replied casually. “I lived in the Songlan Forest Farm Family Compound, you know… near Yuya Avenue, quite close to the Wu Na River.”
“Yu, Yuya Avenue?” Guan Yao was first delighted, then stunned. “Songlan?”
“Yes, the One Zero Three Forest Farm’s Songlan Office, didn’t you know? Songcheng Building is right inside it,” Yu Chunming replied.
“Oh, oh right…” The heart that had been lifted up suddenly sank again, but he still couldn’t help but ask, “Then when did you come to Za Mu Er before?”
The corners of Yu Chunming’s mouth slightly lifted, a half-smile playing on his lips. “I’ve been here twice. Once after getting into college, I stayed for about half a month, and once after I started working.”
Guan Yao was a little disappointed, but he had to tell himself that this was a normal answer. He withdrew his gaze from Yu Chunming and didn’t ask any further.
Yu Chunming, however, continued, “Both times I came to Za Mu Er, it was to look for someone, but unfortunately, I didn’t find them either time.”
“Looking for someone?” Guan Yao’s heart instantly leaped up again. He asked, “Who were you looking for?”
Yu Chunming looked at him and smiled faintly. “A friend, but when I came to Za Mu Er to look for him, I found out that he had already left here many years ago.”
Guan Yao opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond to this. Yu Chunming didn’t continue. He folded the review he had written neatly and handed it to Guan Yao. “Here, Captain Guan, I wrote it stroke by stroke.”
Guan Yao hastily took the review.
Yu Chunming leaned over to lift the lid of his lunchbox. “What kind of dishes did the Municipal Bureau’s cafeteria have tonight?”
Guan Yao was absentminded. “Sauerkraut blood sausage, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and braised potatoes, eggplant, and peppers.”
Yu Chunming came closer and sniffed the aroma of the food, then said, “I don’t like scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”
“Don’t like scrambled eggs with tomatoes?” Guan Yao was preoccupied with other matters, and he said irritably, “Always so picky. You don’t like this, you don’t like that. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like scrambled eggs with tomatoes…”
Speaking of this, he suddenly stopped short because Guan Yao remembered that he had indeed met someone who didn’t like scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and that person was Jiang Xin.
In fact, for their generation, there weren’t many picky eaters. After all, when they were young, there weren’t many things to choose from, let alone this popular dish. As for why Jiang Xin didn’t like scrambled eggs with tomatoes, it was purely because of Jiang Min.
Back then, ever since Jiang Min was expelled from the cultural troupe and Jiang Min’s second husband, Qin Tian’s father, Qin Zhun, died in an accident, the family’s situation became difficult. Jiang Min wanted to smoke and drink, and the little savings she had accumulated were spent like water. Life became increasingly difficult.
Jiang Xin, a four or five-year-old child, was at the age where he craved everything. Sometimes, he couldn’t resist and would secretly run to the back kitchen of the unit’s cafeteria under the guise of helping out. Over time, the people in the No. 2 Factory’s logistics department recognized him, and no one would mistreat a child, so they basically let him be.
However, Jiang Min didn’t like this. She was a “respectable” person who “cared about appearances.” She had been a “big star” who performed on stage, so how could she tolerate her own child doing this kind of thing outside after she had been kicked out of the forest farm?
So, one day when the cafeteria improved its meals and served a large pot of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Jiang Xin was happily holding a bowl behind Guan Yao’s grandmother when Jiang Min came. She first knocked over Jiang Xin’s bowl, then slapped the “disappointing” child off the table, ordering him to go home immediately.
Jiang Xin started to cry, but after realizing what he would face when he returned home, he stopped crying. He smelled the scent of the Vegetable juicehanging on his clothes and suddenly didn’t want to eat anything.
Guan Yao had a deep impression of this incident because he was in the cafeteria of the No. 2 Factory that day and personally watched Jiang Min grab Jiang Xin’s ear and drag him home.
So, why didn’t Yu Chunming like scrambled eggs with tomatoes?
Guan Yao watched as he slowly put the food in his mouth, then seemingly unintentionally looked at himself, urging himself to sit down quickly.
“You’ve been busy all afternoon, aren’t you hungry?” Yu Chunming asked.
Guan Yao tried his best to analyze a trace of abnormality from his actions, but unfortunately, the criminal investigation master with expertise in investigation and counter-investigation did not give the half-way-out-of-the-house law enforcement team leader this opportunity. Yu Chunming casually explained, “When I was a kid, the auntie at home often burned the food, and the scrambled eggs with tomatoes I ate before I went to boarding school always had a burnt smell. This is pretty good, the Municipal Bureau’s cafeteria is still better than ours.”
Guan Yao’s mood fluctuated greatly several times within ten minutes, and now he had lost even the desire to ask further questions. He mechanically replied, “The old auntie who cooks in our cafeteria is like she’s killing someone to sell salt every day, the food is so salty.”
Yu Chunming smiled. “Isn’t this when you clamor for her to cook something special for you?”
Guan Yao snorted and pushed the vegetable stew soup in front of Yu Chunming. “Here, this is the dish that Captain Wang ordered yesterday, and the Municipal Bureau’s cafeteria arranged it today.”
Yu Chunming raised his eyebrows, not commenting on Wang Zhen’s overly familiar behavior. He picked up the lunchbox and tasted the soup. “My master’s wife makes this well. When I first joined the force, Captain Wang often brought it for us.”
“Then what? Why did it stop later?” Guan Yao asked.
“Later,” Yu Chunming smiled, revealing a bit of schadenfreude, “Later, his master’s wife divorced him.”
Wang Zhen was not Yu Zhenshan. This man was now sitting in the Za Mu Er Municipal Bureau, and no one dared to express his gossip, so even though people had been here for more than a day, Guan Yao’s understanding of him was still limited to the “urban myth” he had once heard.
Yu Chunming saw Guan Yao’s curiosity at a glance, and he very considerately continued, “His master’s wife is a very nice person, but you have to know that no woman can stand this kind of husband who is not home for three hundred and sixty-five days a year, three hundred and sixty-six days. So later, they divorced, and after the divorce, he never remarried.”
Guan Yao touched his nose and said as if possessed, “That’s right, so sometimes it’s better to handle things internally.”
Yu Chunming’s hand holding the chopsticks froze. “Is this the conclusion that Officer Guan has come to after talking about teachers and doctors for so many years, and none of them worked out?”
Guan Yao didn’t know how Yu Chunming had turned the conversation to himself, and he began to equivocate. “My work isn’t as busy as your Songlan Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Team. If Za Mu Er hadn’t had a major case this year, we would have started hibernating by now.”
“Once you go to the Songlan Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Team in the future, won’t you be busy?” Yu Chunming said.
Guan Yao’s face tightened. “Did I say I was going? You’re teasing me every day.”
Yu Chunming was intentionally insensitive. “Go ahead, maybe you’ll solve your personal problems there. Let Captain Wang introduce you to someone, he’s matched up several couples.”
Guan Yao blurted out, “Were you and Han Chen also matched up by him?”
As soon as this was said, both of them fell silent, quieter than the other. In the whole house, there was only the sound of eating and chewing food. Yu Chunming and Guan Yao had a tacit understanding that neither of them would continue.
Finally, Guan Ning’s phone call interrupted the awkward silence. She had just settled down in the training base today, and had to hand in her phone after tonight. So, Guan Ning, who had only remembered her old uncle when she needed living expenses, had a rare pang of conscience and made a call to Guan Yao.
Guan Yao was overjoyed, and even after hanging up the phone, he still had a smile on his face.
But at this moment, Yu Chunming suddenly said, “Does Guan Ning look a lot like her mother?”
Guan Yao was stunned. “How do you know?”
Yu Chunming pointed his chin at Guan Na’s portrait in the living room. “Isn’t that right?”
To be honest, you couldn’t tell at all just by looking at this photo. First, because the old photo was distorted, and second, because Guan Ning was more rounded. Unless you had seen Guan Na in person, it would be difficult for anyone to recognize the resemblance between the two.
But Yu Chunming said, “Guan Ning’s eyes are very similar to her mother’s, especially the corners of her eyes, they both point upwards.”
Because of these eyes, Guan Na’s childhood nickname was “Little Fox,” and the children in the forest farm compound often called her that. Guan Yao’s grandmother was superstitious and felt that this nickname “offended” the immortals, so she often told Guan Yao to keep an eye on those children and not let them shout it indiscriminately.
As for Guan Ning, because of her round face, even if the corners of her eyes pointed upwards, it wouldn’t seem too abrupt. From childhood to adulthood, no one except Guan Yao had ever thought that she looked like Guan Na.
Therefore, when he heard Yu Chunming say this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
“How did you see that?” Guan Yao blurted out.
Yu Chunming looked calm and composed. “It’s so obvious, how could you not see it? It’s okay if other people can’t see it, but how could I not see it?”
Guan Yao stared at him seriously and nervously. “Do you have an extra eye?”
“What do you mean by an extra eye?” Yu Chunming laughed. “This is a basic skill of criminal investigation. Even the most blurred surveillance footage, I can recognize it at a glance when I put it in front of a real person, let alone this photo of your family. It’s just that I don’t have a talent for drawing, otherwise I would have learned sketching.”
Guan Yao slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
That’s right, that’s right, every answer from Yu Chunming was so seamless, so where was the problem?