The Plough

others for looking down on us.”

Yue Chunxiao: “So I'm definitely not going to Nanjing.
Your brother-in-law and them are facing wind and rain outside, eating little and wearing less.
But those people in Nanjing are indulged in luxury and pleasure all day.
I'm afraid that if I go there, I won't be able to help myself and start blaming people and scolding, which would affect your brother-in-law's career.
It's better to stay at home comfortably, go out for a walk, and visit old friends.”

She complained a lot and Yue Dingtang listened patiently.
After all, if they had to go abroad again, the whole family didn't know when they could meet again.

“By the way,” Yue Chunxiao used chopsticks to poke a soup dumpling and the juice flowed out with a fragrant smell.
“When I went out for afternoon tea today, I ran into Ling Yao.
You remember, your old classmate Ling Shu's sister.”

Yue Dingtang's hand, which was holding a bowl of soup, froze.

“What's wrong with her?”

Yue Chunxiao: “Nothing, I only found out when I returned this time.
She married a small clerk in the city government.
She hasn't changed, but her situation has.
Sigh, thinking of the glory and prestige of the Ling family back then, now it's gone.
She still tried to maintain her appearance as a rich lady in front of me, but I pierced through her without mercy.”

Yue Dingtang: “I remember you two were quite friendly before, weren't you?”

Yue Chunxiao chuckled: “You don't understand women.
She wants to suppress me, and I want to suppress her.
Do you get it?”

Yue Dingtang concluded: “Superficial, phony friendship.”

He then quickly stepped aside, dodging the grab from his sister.

Yue Chunxiao continued wistfully: “I still remember when we were in school, Ling Yao changed clothes every day, never a piece worn twice, and the handbags and perfumes that weren't available in China yet, she already had someone bring them back from the West.
But now, look at the checkered qipao she's still wearing, it's so worn out you can see the fuzz.
You can imagine what kind of life Ling Yao's living now! That said, how is your old classmate Ling Shu? Have you kept in touch with him?”

Yue Dingtang: “Not often.”

Yue Chunxiao: “As the saying goes, friendships from school days are the most precious.
If you ever have time, why don't you invite him to our home for a chat, and reminisce about the old days.
I've always liked that child since he was small, so smart and pretty.
If it weren't for his family's financial difficulties, who knows, he might be doing better than you!”

Yue Dingtang: “What's wrong with you? On one hand you hate his sister, and on the other you want me to invite him home.”

Yue Chunxiao laughed: “How is that contradictory? Hating his sister doesn't mean hating him.”

Yue Dingtang put down the bowl of soup.

“I'm afraid that might disappoint you.”

Yue Chunxiao was puzzled.

Yue Dingtang: “Ling Shu has been dragged into a murder case, he is the biggest suspect.”

Yue Chunxiao was shocked: “Then Ling Yao…”

’

Yue Dingtang: “She should not know about this yet, the news has been suppressed by us, newspapers are also temporarily forbidden to publish the news, otherwise, with the identity of the deceased, it is likely to cause a stir.”

Yue Chunxiao: “Impossible, Ling Shu was such a well-behaved child when he was in school, I still remember…”

Yue Dingtang: “The deceased was Du Yunning, you also know her, an old classmate of Ling Shu.”

Yue Chunxiao was speechless.

“I have finished eating.”

Yue Dingtang stood up, ready to go upstairs to his room.

“Little brother.”

Yue Chunxiao stopped him.

“Ling Yao, I don't like her, but I don't have any deep grudges, after all, we are old classmates, now that Ling's family is like this, Ling Shu is the only male in Ling's family, what if this matter turns out to be wrong?”

Yue Dingtang: “The case happened in a public concessionary area, I will help Smith follow up, now we are still in the stage of evidence collection.”

Yue Chunxiao was silent, and sighed again.

“What kind of thing is this? It's almost the new year, if Ling Yao finds out, I'm afraid the sky will collapse.”

Yue Dingtang walked up the stairs and glanced back one last time at the table full of steaming home-cooked dishes and Yue Chunxiao who was frowning at the table.

Back in his room, after washing up, he should have gone to bed for a rest since he had to go to school to mark papers tomorrow.
But Yue Dingtang was tossing and turning without any signs of sleep.

The phrase “Ling Shu is the only male heir of the Ling family” kept running through his mind.

He grabbed the pocket watch from the bedside table and it showed it was already midnight.

Yue Dingtang rubbed his nose, sat up and took off his wrinkled silk pajamas, slowly changing into a suit.
He then called for a servant.

“Fourth Young Master, do you have any orders?”

“Go and call the driver, I’m going out.”

“At this hour?”

“Mm, go.”

’

___

Just as he entered the guardhouse, Shen Renjie rushed up.

Yue Dingtang already had an impression of this slightly plump Chinese guard.

“Mr.
Yue, it's so late, why are you still here?”

Shen Renjie's face was devoid of the pleasure of sucking up from last time, and his lips barely managed to stretch into a forced smile.

Yue Dingtang was filled with suspicions.

“The case of Du Yunning, I have come up with some details, and I want to ask the suspect, can you help me bring out Ling Shu?”

“This…” Shen Renjie looked embarrassed.

Yue Dingtang: “What, not possible?”

Shen Renjie: “No no, you see, it's so late already, it's almost midnight.
Why don't we do it tomorrow? At least let the suspect have a good sleep, and it will be clearer when they remember it tomorrow, right?”

Yue Dingtang had heard many stories about the methods used by the guardhouse against suspects.

Although he had never seen it with his own eyes, Yue Dingtang knew that most of them were true.

There are countless ways to make someone submit—Make people want to die, make people want to live, and make people unable to seek life and unable to seek death.

“I don't know when the police officers became so lenient towards suspects, they even make a distinction between day and night to investigate cases.”

Under his sharp gaze, even the tip of Shen Renjie's nose was sweating in the cold winter.

“Uh, then you wait a bit.
I will go and have them bring the person here!”

“No need.”

He stepped past Shen Renjie and walked towards the prison in the back.

“I'll go and get him myself!”

___

Author says: “Here it comes, the scallion oil noodles are here!”