Merchant of the Underworld

"I don't know about that..." Lan Hua shook his head and said, "After Shopkeeper Xu answered the phone, he looked very nervous. After hurriedly explaining a few words to us, he left in a hurry. Listen to what was said on the other end of the phone. The voice seemed to be that of a woman."

"Female?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah." Lan Hua replied.

This is strange. The reason why I safely arranged Qin Mengmeng to stay with Xu Er is because this guy is not only a painting fanatic, but also has no interest in sexual matters between men and women. I have never heard of him having any girlfriends. Ah, why did you leave in such a hurry after answering a woman's call?

"Then how did he come back?"

"I took a taxi." Lan Hua said: "At that time, his cell phone battery was out of battery and his wallet was forgotten in the store. I paid the fare in advance."

"How much?"

"57 yuan."

"Big shopkeeper, shopkeeper Xu... what's wrong with him?" After hearing my question so carefully, Lan Hua seemed to have noticed something and asked carefully.

"Nothing, you can go back first." I waved my hand.

"Yes!" Lan Hua bowed to me, then turned and left.

now it's right!

The fare is 57 yuan, and during peak hours, it takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

This is basically consistent with the time Raven returned from the place where she hid the white paper fan. She probably returned in Xu Er's taxi.

However, although I don’t have much contact with Xu Er, I know him very well.

He was very timid, and he was completely unaware from the beginning to the end, otherwise I would have been able to tell at a glance with his emotional intelligence and intelligence.

Raven was probably hiding under the car at that time and following him back.

In this case, the call that called him out was also made by her.

But what could make Xu Er so anxious?

"Oh! Yes! It's his mother."

Xu Er has been working diligently for so many years and never leaves during working hours. The only person who can make him rush back in such a hurry is his mother. After more than 40 minutes of journey, we almost arrived home - last time Li Mazi and I asked Lao Bai to drink, it took a long time for Lao Bai to come. When I asked, he said that there was a calligraphy and painting that he couldn't tell whether it was true or false. He had just come back from Xu Er's house. .

Raven may have tricked him into coming back in the name of her mother just to ride back again in his car.

So how did she leave after stealing the white paper fan?

I walked back while thinking.

As soon as I arrived in front of the store, I figured it out.

It's an ambulance! She left in an ambulance.

It took about 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive at the hospital. During this period, she hid the white paper fan, and then deceived Xu Er into returning home and followed him back.

That means that the place where the white paper fan is hidden is between the hospital and Xu Er's house!

I went back to the backyard and took a look at Ye Suling. The little guy was still sleeping soundly.

Although she was a child, she was much more courageous than most adults. Even if she woke up and didn't find me, she wouldn't scream in fear, so I walked out quietly, carrying it with my back. I opened the door, took a taxi and went straight to the hospital.

First, I went to the front desk and asked, where are the two bloated patients who were sent to me in the afternoon?

As soon as he walked into the inpatient department, he met a boy in the corridor who was left by Xu Er to take care of Qin Mengmeng.

When asked how they were doing, the young man said: "Don't worry, boss, they are fine. They just finished the intravenous drip, and they are all asleep now."

I took out a thousand yuan and handed it to him and said, "You guys have worked hard here to keep me company. Buy more delicious food."

Since they were both asleep, I didn't go in to check. The most urgent task now is to find the white paper fan!

After leaving the hospital, I called Boss Bai and asked about the location of Xu Er's house.

Following the direction he pointed, we walked for dozens of minutes and arrived at Xu Er's house.

This is an old residential building, and there is no real estate guard.

I bought some fruits and supplements from the supermarket on the street and went upstairs.

On the fourth floor of the second unit, to the right, there are a pile of broken cardboard boxes and half a bag of crushed plastic bottles in front of Xu Er's house.

I knocked lightly on the door.

"Who is it?" An old and tired voice came from inside.

Immediately, there was another sound of grinding against the ground.

After several minutes, the door opened a small crack.

Revealing a face full of wrinkles: "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this Xu Ran's home?" I asked.

"Yes." The old lady nodded.

"Oh, aunt, I am his colleague. I heard that he was feeling a little unwell, so I came here to see him." I said and handed over the gift.

The old lady took one look at the gift I was carrying, relaxed her vigilance a little, opened the door, and pretended to complain: "You kid, just come here, why are you buying anything? The second son is asleep, and I am Just go and call him.”

"No, ma'am, I'll go in and sit down and leave." I said.

The old lady was obviously taken aback when she heard that - according to common sense, when people say they are asleep, I shouldn't say: 'That's no trouble, I'll come back another day. ’ Why do you still have to go in and sit down?

But she was just stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly opened the door: "Please come in quickly. You sit down first, and I will pour you tea."

Only then did I realize that her left foot seemed a little inflexible, her toes were afraid to touch the ground, and she had to hold on to the wall with both hands.

The sound of dragging the ground just now was also caused by this.

But the inconvenience was due to inconvenience, and it didn't seem to be a big deal. There was no pain on her face. She probably had a sprained ankle or something.

"Mom, be careful." I said as I sat down in the living room.

The old lady turned to look at me, with a strange expression on her face. She might be thinking: Why is this person so ignorant? Now that you have seen that my legs and feet are not good, why don't you stop me and say, "Mom, don't bother me?" Do you still have to drink this sip of tea?

Actually, I want to take this time to carefully check if there is any Yin Qi in this room.

I thought about it on the way from the hospital.

Judging from the Wusuli River incident, Lina is extremely thoughtful and will never make any useless moves.

This white paper fan seems simple, and the ghost living inside is not too evil, but she must have other intentions!

If she had someone put the paper fan directly into my hand, I would naturally be able to spot the problem at a glance. If this thing is sent to other stores, other store owners may not have the discernment or realize the preciousness of this paper fan, so they will not accept it at all.

Only Xu Er is the most suitable candidate. He can see the preciousness of the paper fan, but he can't tell whether it is a sinister object.

Moreover, it can be seen from the fact that Raven borrowed Xu Er's mother to lead him home, and then followed Xu Er's car back.

They must have done enough homework on Xu Er in advance.

For example, knowing that he is a filial son, if something happens to his mother, he will definitely come back.

He is also very serious about his work. Once he sees that his mother is fine, he will definitely return before closing the door.

So, is it possible that this white paper fan is hidden in Xu Er's house?

When Aunt Xu wasn't paying attention, I tested it with my fingers. There was no fluctuation of Yin Qi in the room at all. It can be seen that the white paper fan is not here.

Aunt Xu’s foot was obviously sprained tonight. This must be part of Lina’s plan. I must not let go of any clues.

I pretended to be nonchalant, sitting in the living room and looking around.

Opposite the shabby sofa hangs a painting of "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painted by Xu Er himself. Against the wall is a broken bookcase with peeling paint, which is full of books on the study of ancient paintings.

The whole room is full of old furniture from more than 20 years ago, which is dilapidated and shabby.

Xu Er works as a shopkeeper at Shufangzhai, and the money he handles every year is no less than tens of millions. Not counting the labor fees for helping people appraise calligraphy and paintings in private, the wages and bonuses alone are hundreds of thousands. How can he live in such poverty?

After a while, Aunt Xu nodded and placed the tea cup in front of me.

"Auntie, as far as I know, Xu Ran earns a lot of money, but why is his life so hard? Are there any difficulties?" I asked straight to the point.

Aunt Xu was stunned again, maybe thinking: What on earth is going on with this person? No one talks like that.

But considering the gift, you can’t just kick me out, right?

After sighing, she sat down on the small chair opposite me and said, "Hey, this is life!"