The next day, just as school ended at noon, Lü Qingqing was cornered by Ouyang Wen at the classroom door.
"Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal," Ouyang Wen said, leading Lü Qingqing towards the school gate.
Lü Qingqing rolled her eyes. "Treating me to a meal is an excuse; you actually want to find out about your brother, don't you?"
"Hehe, it's a bit of both, but I'm absolutely sincere about treating you to a meal," Ouyang Wen said, unfazed by his ulterior motive being exposed.
"Hmph!" Lü Qingqing knew it. Ouyang Wen, the devoted brother, was always concerned about Hu Jia's current situation. He must have already visited Hu Jia, likely without getting a good reception, which is why he came to her.
During the meal, Lü Qingqing gave Ouyang Wen a general overview of Hu Jia's condition. Upon hearing that he was not seriously injured, Ouyang Wen's speed of eating increased considerably.
"Do you know Mo Yun?" Lü Qingqing asked Ouyang.
"The teaching assistant at your school?" Ouyang Wen replied.
"Yes, him," Lü Qingqing cursed herself for not being cleverer. When it came to Hu Jia, why was she seeking out Li Yang? Ouyang was the real treasure trove of information.
"I saw his name when I was processing your entry into the Transmission Institute, but I don't know him well or have met him," Ouyang Wen mused. "Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
"Oh, nothing. He's a school teacher, I just asked casually," Lü Qingqing said, a bit disappointed. At the same time, her curiosity about Mo Yun grew.
She made up a couple of excuses. Since Ouyang didn't know this person, there was no need to tell him, to avoid tipping anyone off.
"Were the people who came to move Huang Yuan's belongings that day really from the post office?" Lü Qingqing had also been curious about the case.
"Don't even mention it, those scoundrels," Ouyang Wen grumbled as soon as the topic came up. "They were indeed from the post office, but a bunch of burly men doing the job were very clumsy. Not only did they mess up Huang Yuan's belongings, but they also broke many items."
Ouyang Wen explained that when everyone later inspected Huang Yuan's belongings, they found that Huang Yuan's trunk had been rummaged through haphazardly. The trunk was already damaged, and the contents had gotten wet. The interlayer was filthy.
That's not even the worst part. They had even dismantled Huang Yuan's bedding.
How bizarre!
This wasn't moving; it was demolition.
Lü Qingqing was speechless. Indeed, professional tasks should be left to professionals.
…
Lü Qingqing enjoyed the meal immensely. However, it also served as a reminder: Hu Jia had injured his arm; how would he manage his meals?
Eating out every day wouldn't do, as restaurants used all sorts of seasonings, which would be detrimental to his wound.
So, as soon as school ended, Lü Qingqing rushed to the market, bought bags and bags of groceries, and carried them back.
"Let's just live together from now on. You don't have to worry about anything, just our dinner," Hu Jia said, his face beaming at the table laden with delicious food.
"Get lost! I already have to look after that little one, and now I have to look after you, the old one? Do I have that much time?" Lü Qingqing flatly refused.
"You only need to take care of me. As for Duo Bao, I'll handle him," Hu Jia quickly proposed a solution.
"Heh heh," Lü Qingqing said with a smug smile. "Ask Duo Bao if he agrees? I'm his sister."
To her surprise, as soon as Lü Qingqing finished speaking, Lü Duo Bao shattered her confidence. "I agree! I'm willing to follow brother-in-law."
Lü Qingqing's face turned grim.
How could she forget? She was stern with Duo Bao and forced him to study every day. But Hu Jia would play with him, have fun with him, and they would play shooter games in the room.
Damn it!
An ungrateful brat.
Lü Qingqing slammed her bowl onto the table, her gaze causing Duo Bao to instinctively shift towards Hu Jia.
"Sister, you are my only sister!"
"Hahaha..." Now it was Hu Jia's turn to be smug. "See? Duo Bao has no objections, and I'm indeed inconvenient these past couple of days."
"No!" Lü Qingqing interrupted directly. They weren't even married yet, and he was already trying to restrict her freedom.
And besides, they weren't going to get married.
"Can you bear to see me starve? Even the plain porridge on the street is spicy," Hu Jia continued to persuade her.
Uh...
Lü Qingqing still hadn't agreed, but she no longer said no.
There was hope!
Hu Jia's eyes darted around. "You take care of my food, and I'll take care of your future."
Damn! So mushy.
Lü Qingqing's face instantly turned red. Hu Jia was such a familiar stranger.
You never knew which side of him he would reveal.
"How about this, just while I'm recovering, you cook, alright?" Hu Jia compromised.
"What about the bowls? Who washes them?" Lü Qingqing finally spoke.
Hahaha, it seemed she had agreed.
Hu Jia pushed Lü Duo Bao forward. "Him!"
…
Hu Jia didn't know, nor did he care, how Lü Duo Bao felt at that moment. He only knew he was feeling exceptionally pleased.
Hearing the sound of Lü Duo Bao washing dishes from the kitchen, Hu Jia quietly lit a cigarette.
As soon as he struck the match, Lü Qingqing's gaze flickered over.
Fine!
He put it out.
"Ouyang came to see me today. He's very concerned about you," Lü Qingqing said, trying to mend the relationship between the two brothers.
"Oh," Hu Jia had already guessed as much, given that it was his brother.
Seeing Hu Jia's indifferent attitude, Lü Qingqing lost interest in talking further and then shifted to discussing Huang Yuan's case.
This time, Hu Jia didn't interrupt haphazardly but listened quietly to the entire account.
"What are you thinking?"
"I remember you once said that Huang Yuan's family lived in good conditions."
"Yes, my classmate said her husband gave her all his money, so her clothing and food were the best."
"Then why was the trunk she brought to the dormitory in such a dilapidated state?"
Huh?
Hu Jia's question stunned Lü Qingqing.
Yes, why hadn't she thought of that?
"Also, why did water get into the trunk?"
"I heard someone knocked over a cup of water while packing things."
"How big would a cup have to be to get the entire trunk wet?"
Lü Qingqing was stunned again. Hu Jia's two consecutive questions were practically telling her that something was fishy.
"Third, who dismantles bedding when moving things? Does dismantling bedding make it easier to carry?"
Hu Jia tapped his finger on the table. "The only explanation is that those people weren't there to move things, but to look for something."
The trunk was originally fine, but the interlayer was intentionally damaged, leading it to be mistaken for a broken trunk.
The water in the trunk was not an accident but deliberate. Since the trunk's interlayer was made of fabric, wetting it thoroughly would reveal if anything was hidden inside, especially thin items like paper or currency.
Dismantling the bedding was the same.
These three actions were sufficient proof that those people were not only looking for something but that the item was very small, inconspicuous, yet very important.
And the only possibility for something to be suspected of being placed in the trunk's interlayer was paper!
Lü Qingqing suddenly stood up.
She had found it. The reason why Huang Yuan and her husband were murdered had finally been uncovered.
It wasn't for money, nor was it a love triangle; it was for an object.
Important paper items, besides banknotes, could be deeds to property, land certificates, or handwritten items like promissory notes, IOUs, letters, etc.
"You truly live up to your reputation as a detective. Just by me relaying a few words, you've figured this out." This time, Lü Qingqing was genuinely impressed by the man in front of her from the bottom of her heart.
Hu Jia smugly swayed his head. "Of course. In this world, there's no case that I, Hu Jia, cannot solve."
Tsk!
So boastful!