Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 609 Past Events

They were both on East Street, only an arrow's throw away from each other. When the master and disciple arrived at Tong's house, it was only six quarters past three in the morning.

The sky was still dark, with no stars or moon in the inky sky, only the biting north wind whistling past.

This area was mostly occupied by the residences of government officials, and at this moment, everyone was still asleep. Only a few dim lanterns swayed on the bluestone pavement, casting flickering shadows in the north wind.

Song Ying shrank his neck and exhaled, "Their door is on the other side. The road is very narrow and difficult to walk on. Master, please watch your step and don't fall."

This alley is too narrow for two people to walk side by side.

Doctor Lin gathered his cloak and nodded. Then, remembering that she couldn't see, he spoke again.

Perhaps it was because the child coroner often encountered knocks on the door in the middle of the night. After knocking, the voice from inside was very peaceful, without any trace of anger at being disturbed from sleeping.

The door opened, and the child coroner was surprised to see the person standing outside. "Doctor Xiao Song, why is it you?"

Doctor Lin's gaze fell on his face, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. His features were indeed far from the senior brother he remembered.

She sighed almost inaudibly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant in her sleeve. In the winter, the jade pendant was cold, just like her heart now.

Her sigh was so light that it was almost inaudible, but in this silent winter night, and so close to her, Song Ying and the child coroner could hear it clearly.

The child coroner only then noticed that there was another person. He tilted his head to look, and the candlestick in his hand tilted slightly. The candlelight swayed, illuminating Doctor Lin's face.

"This is... the respected teacher?"

Song Ying nodded and knelt down, "Uncle Tong, my master has something to ask you. May I go in and talk?"

The child coroner was filled with suspicion, but seeing that one was an acquaintance, and the other, though unknown, was a well-known figure, and since they were only two women, there was no need to worry about danger. He stepped aside, candlestick in hand, and ushered them in: "My humble abode is simple. If you two do not mind, please come in and talk."

The child coroner led them to the main hall, lit the charcoal basin, poured hot tea, and then asked, "I wonder what brings you two to visit so late at night?"

Doctor Lin had carefully observed the place all the way in, but saw no trace of familiar furnishings. She took a breath and chose her words carefully: "When I first saw your daughter at the clinic that day, I felt she looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen her before.

Yesterday, by chance, I was reminded that she looks a lot like an old friend of mine."

The child coroner's pupils suddenly shrank, and the fingers on his knees suddenly tightened, blue veins faintly appearing on the back of his hands, and then slowly relaxed.

He pursed his dry lips, a forced smile forming at the corner of his mouth: "Old friend? This is truly strange. How could such lowly people as us resemble Doctor Lin's old friend?"

Without waiting for an answer, he smiled and said, "My little girl is very naughty. Could it be that when she sneaked out to play, Doctor Lin accidentally saw her?"

Song Ying could see that there was something wrong with this reaction, and he couldn't help but feel happy. Maybe he really knew the whereabouts of his uncle!

"Don't be nervous, old examiner. We mean no harm." She pulled out a small portrait from her sleeve and unfolded it. The woman in the painting was wearing a light purple dress and leaning against a carved window frame. She had an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes as bright as autumn water. Her eyes moved as if she had thousands of words to say.

Although she is not wearing any makeup, she has a natural charm.

The child coroner's face turned pale instantly. He bit his lips hard to restrain himself from getting up and kicking them out.

"Her name is Jiang Ruoyun, an old friend of mine. I haven't seen her for decades. I didn't expect to meet her daughter here. It seems we are destined to meet."

Jiang Ruoyun is Ran Shuang's new registered name.

The child coroner clasped his hands together, said nothing, and a look of suspicion flashed in his eyes.

Doctor Lin took out the small portrait of Jiang Yuanfeng and slowly unfolded it. She looked at the child coroner. When the small portrait was fully unfolded, she saw a trace of panic flash across the child coroner's face.

Doctor Lin breathed a sigh of relief, finally finding his clue again.

She took a deep breath and continued, "This is my senior brother. Over the years, I have been..."

Before she could finish her words, the child coroner suddenly interrupted, "Your senior brother? What about him and Doctor Ma?"

"Brother."

"This..." The child coroner opened his mouth slightly, a trace of confusion flashed across his face.

Although Doctor Lin was very anxious, he did not rush him and gave him enough time to sort out his thoughts.

After a while, Song Ying saw that he seemed to have sorted out some of his thoughts, and hurriedly said, "Uncle Tong, we really have no ill intentions. We just want to find our uncle."

The child coroner looked at her, then at Doctor Lin, and slowly exhaled, "I did see him, but I don't know his whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Lin's eyes suddenly lit up with hope, and he leaned forward involuntarily. But the light was fleeting, like a candle extinguished by the wind.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was clear-headed and resolute: "Excuse me, what exactly happened back then? Please tell me the truth."

The child coroner picked up the teacup and took a sip. He didn't know when the tea had become cold. The coolness went down his throat into his stomach. He shuddered, but his thoughts became clearer.

"That was forty-seven years ago. That summer, Dad contracted a serious illness while performing an autopsy and died three days later. The county magistrate said a son should follow in his father's footsteps, so I took over Dad's job.

But I knew very little about autopsies, and I did my job with some difficulty, so nothing much happened the whole summer.

But in the autumn, a murder occurred in a silk shop in the city. The authorities said the case had to be solved within three days, so I had to investigate the case overnight in the charity cemetery.

In the middle of the night, a faint groan suddenly came from a coffin. I was startled and thought it was a zombie, so I ran out screaming.

But if I failed to complete the task, I would lose my head, so I had the courage to go back and check. The coffin was not closed tightly. I bravely pushed it open and found a very beautiful woman lying inside.

Although his breathing was weak, he was still alive.

I gave her some water and hurried back to continue the autopsy, planning to take her to see a doctor at daybreak.

When it was almost dawn, a young man came in. He said that they were brother and sister, and they were being chased by criminals. His sister was seriously injured, but the criminals were still looking for them. He had no choice but to put his sister in the coffin and go out to find medicine under the cover of night.

He begged me not to reveal their whereabouts and said that he would leave as soon as his sister's injury healed.

The funeral home was filled with corpses, some of them malignant. My father had contracted a serious illness during the autopsy. I couldn't bear it, so I invited them to my home to recuperate.

My family has been coroners for generations, and the neighbors avoid us. If you are careful, you won't be discovered.

Later, Wanqiu's injuries gradually healed. One evening, he went out to the mountains to look for medicine as usual, and never returned.