WWY Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Where’s the medicine? Tuxi Ling suspects Lan He is a donkey…

Chapter 13: Where’s the medicine? Tuxi Ling suspects Lan He is a donkey…

Si’nian He was utterly dejected. After thinking in the study for a while, he decided to leave the house temporarily.

Perhaps, he and Lan He both needed to cool off.

He put on his coat and left the study. He hesitated whether to tell Lan He, but he heard something falling to the ground in Lan He’s bedroom.

Lan He was always steady and wouldn’t clumsily knock things over.

“Brother,” he knocked on the door in a presentable manner, tentatively saying, “There’s a lot going on at the company, so I won’t be back for a few days. Call me if you need anything.”

There was no response.

“Brother, are you inside?” Si’nian He’s hand hovered on the door panel as he frowned. “Can I come in?”

Still no response.

Something was wrong!

Si’nian He rushed in and saw Lan He huddled on the bed, his face pale. His collar was soaked with sweat. His chest rose and fell weakly and laboriously, like a cat about to breathe its last.

He had seen him have an attack once, but it wasn’t as serious as this. He panicked immediately.

“Brother!” He rushed to the bedside. “Where’s the medicine? Brother!”

Lan He didn’t respond. Si’nian He ran to rummage through his coat, but couldn’t find it. He ran back and slapped his face hard, his eyes reddening with anxiety, shouting, “Brother, where’s your medicine, the medicine!”

[Where’s the medicine? Young Master Lan, where’s your medicine? Oh dear, really!]

In a daze, Lan He finally heard Si’nian He’s shout, which seemed to overlap with a voice in his mind.

He barely opened a slit in his eyes, his pupils reflecting his horrified expression.

“Medicine…” He pondered for a few seconds, then mumbled sluggishly, “Used… up…”

Si’nian He cursed, feeling a moment of despair, but then seemed to remember something. He rushed downstairs to his own room, fumbled for a medicine bottle at the bottom of a drawer, and hurriedly ran back upstairs.

Aunt Long almost collided with him and quickly asked, “Young Master Si’nian, what’s wrong?”

Hearing Si’nian He shout “Call an ambulance,” she immediately understood that Lan He was having an attack. She quickly put down the feather duster in her hand, wiped her hands, and went to make the call.

Si’nian He ran back to Lan He’s side, calling “Brother” incessantly, while pouring a dozen small pills into his palm, prying open his mouth, and shoving them in.

“Brother, don’t swallow, hold them in your mouth!”

Lan He was still conscious and indeed didn’t swallow. He leaned on his shoulder, closing his eyes in pain.

He used his fingers to wipe the sweat from Lan He’s temples, but Lan He instinctively dodged away, accidentally shrinking into his arms.

Seeing his breathing gradually become steady, Si’nian He sighed in relief. “Brother, the ambulance will be here soon.”

Lan He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still unfocused, his voice weak. “No need, I’m fine.”

Si’nian He was nervous. “You should go to the hospital for a check-up.”

Although he was still in pain, Lan He insisted on his own opinion. “I can already imagine what the test results will be. Don’t bother. Have Jiu Ya buy me some emergency medicine. I want to rest.”

Si’nian He understood that he was telling the truth and sighed. “It’s my fault. I overlooked it. I should hire a new family doctor.”

“Okay, you arrange it.” Lan He struggled to sit up. “Help me pour a glass of water.”

Seeing that he seemed to have really recovered, Si’nian He obediently went to pour water. He inadvertently saw the express delivery box that had just arrived on the table. He glanced inside and was immediately stunned.

In the box, the hamster’s chest was rising and falling very weakly. It had been suffocated in the delivery box for a long time. The prolonged suffocation had caused its organs to fail, and its half-protruding eyes looked up in despair.

A chill ran down his spine. He inexplicably felt that this hamster was a bit like the Lan He from just now. Moreover, he seemed to understand why he had suddenly had an attack.

Stealing a glance at the waybill on the outer packaging, the sender’s name was blank. Someone had used a few strokes to sketch a tree-shaped drawing, like the masterpiece of a mischievous child.

He tested the water temperature through the cup and brought it back to Lan He, observing his expression and asking, “Brother, who sent that package?”

Lan He slowly drank the water, mouthful by mouthful, drinking the whole glass. He pursed his lips and said, “I don’t know.”

“Live animals can’t be sent through normal channels, right? I’ll check with the courier company!”

Si’nian He was about to make a call, but Lan He stopped him. “No need to check.”

Si’nian He was unwilling. “Why not call the police? Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease! Aren’t you close to that Detective Ling? Give him a call?”

“Leave it alone. It’s just a boring prank. Besides, with Jiu Ya around, what’s there to be afraid of?” Lan He raised his eyes to scrutinize Si’nian He. “Si’nian, how do you have the medicine I used to take?”

He spread his hand, with the small medicine bottle he had just dropped on the bed in his palm.

Si’nian He smiled awkwardly. “Oh, it seems like you forgot it on the dining table last time, so I picked it up. I forgot to return it to you. I didn’t expect it to come in handy!”

“Is that so?” Lan He nodded. “How lucky. I just ran out of medicine. I’ll keep it for now.”

At this moment, the siren of an ambulance came from outside. Si’nian He got up. “Brother, I’ll go and talk to them. I still think they should come up and give you a simple check-up so we can be at ease.”

Lan He nodded. “Okay, go ahead. And throw away the stuff in the box for me. Keep the box.”

Si’nian He was stunned and looked at the cookie box again. “Brother, do you like eating this brand of biscuits? I’ll have them send more.”

Lan He maintained a cold expression. “No need. I don’t like eating them.”

After Si’nian He left, he brought the bottle to his face, gently stroking the bit of red on the bottle stopper, a hint of chilling light flashing in his eyes.

It was a spot of red paint.

He remembered clearly that a few months ago, he accidentally splashed paint on his clothes while painting, and everything in his pockets was ruined. Under emergency treatment, the ceramic medicine bottle was wiped clean, but the surface of the stopper, which was made of fabric, was not spared.

Later, he placed this paint-stained medicine bottle on the windowsill of his studio.

–

Tuxi Ling suspected Lan He was a donkey, kicking people out of the car at the slightest disagreement.

Although he knew he wasn’t a good person at heart, he didn’t expect him to be so quick-tempered, not showing any consideration.

He was full of anger, took out his phone and sent him a bunch of fake, empty, and flowery words. When he realized he was being sentimental and wanted to withdraw them, he had already missed the two-minute window of opportunity.

He waited anxiously for Lan He’s ridicule and scolding, but instead, he was met by a highway patrol officer.

After showing his credentials and briefly explaining the situation, the police brother helped him get to Renchao Village outside the west suburbs.

Renchao Village is a small village of only seven or eight hundred people by the sea. The fishermen used to make a living by fishing, but now they engage in large-scale fishing. The villagers are extremely polarized, with some raising ships, some contracting the sea, and some going to the city to work.

By the time Tuxi Ling arrived, it was already dark. As soon as he entered the village, he saw a huge, bright incandescent lamp in the distance. It was their standard lighting equipment for nighttime field investigations, and countless insects were “flapping” their wings around the light.

From time to time, villagers gathered to watch the excitement, making way for them, but the roads were narrow, and the car moved very slowly, finally reaching the vicinity of the scene.

Tuxi Ling thanked the police comrade and asked Shengbo Xia, who came to greet him, “How is it?”

Shengbo Xia was overjoyed. “It’s definitely Qin Man’s hideout. We really found something! Ling, you should go in and take a look. Even his ID card is here!”

The snow-white light illuminated the entire small courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, various items were neatly arranged on the concrete floor. Tuxi Ling saw several items that he had been concerned about – seat belt buckle, spare car tools, tripod, car key.

There was also a pen, sunglasses, car air freshener, rearview mirror pendant, baseball bat, window breaker, mobile phone, wallet, and a rolling suitcase.

The investigators were trying to open the suitcase. This suitcase was quite advanced, with a double password, and the two of them were sweating profusely.

Usually, the police try to preserve the evidence intact, so they didn’t want to force it open.

Seeing this, Tuxi Ling went over to help. He knelt on the ground, listening and feeling, and opened the box in a few strokes.

Shengbo Xia: “Wow, wow! Our Ling’s lock-picking skills are first-class. Even if you lose your job in the future, you can set up a stall!”

Tuxi Ling pretended to punch him: “Stop talking nonsense!”

Two investigators from the Evidence Section also smiled and gave him a thumbs up, taking out the items from the box one by one and placing them with the other evidence.

Tuxi Ling put on gloves, picked up the phone and tried it, but the screen was black.

Shengbo Xia leaned over: “It’s out of power.”

Tuxi Ling asked, “Why not charge it?”

Shengbo Xia touched his face: “These things were just found in the cellar. Well, we haven’t had time to charge the phone yet. I’ll go get the charger!”

Tuxi Ling stroked a deep scratch on the side of the phone, lost in thought.

Shengbo Xia quickly brought the charger back from the police car, followed by a wrinkled old man, a typical person who lived by the sea, his wrinkles deepened by the sea breeze.

“Ling, this is Village Chief Wu of Renchao Village!”

Village Chief Wu took a few steps forward and respectfully stretched out his hands: “Oh, leaders! What a mess this is, causing you so much trouble!”

Tuxi Ling quickly grasped his hard hand: “You’re too polite. We’re the ones causing you and the villagers trouble! Actually, I have some things I’d like to ask you about!”

Village Chief Wu slapped his thigh: “I happen to have something to report to the leaders too!”

He looked around, grabbed Tuxi Ling’s arm. “Let’s go, let’s go, haven’t had dinner yet, right? Let’s have a few drinks at my house, and chat while we eat!”

Shengbo Xia couldn’t help but laugh.

Tuxi Ling glared at him, shook the phone in his hand, and signaled him to put on gloves and take it to charge.

“We have discipline, let’s just talk here!”

“At home, at home the food is already made, don’t be polite, police and people are one family!”

The two tugged back and forth a few times. Wu Li, who passed by them, couldn’t stand it anymore: “Uncle Wu, just tell them quickly, we’re still busy solving the case!”

Hearing this, Village Chief Wu smiled awkwardly. “Okay, then I’ll say it. I just want you to help find a child!”

Tuxi Ling was stunned. “A child is missing? Why didn’t you report it earlier?”

Village Chief Wu hesitated for a moment, his eyes rolling around as he looked at the dark crowd outside the courtyard wall. “Well, we didn’t think so much before. If the police hadn’t come today, our village wouldn’t even know this child was missing!”