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墨書 Inktalez
The moment Ziya saw the statue of Guan Yu, Severe Cold also noticed it. They both understood one thing: the owner of this house had once sought refuge here, leaving behind some papers and letters that were too hurriedly stacked, along with a photograph. They could even view it on their phones.
"If that's the case, how did Li Darwen die from drinking chemical alkali? Li Darwen's death occurred in the Storage Room," Severe Cold pondered for a moment.
"How could he have gone to the Storage Room to die? One possibility is that he saw someone or that there was something urgent he needed to attend to," Ziya murmured.
The two sat beside a round table, with Ziya placing the Box on it. Both felt a sense of unease, unsure of what was inside. They exchanged glances, and ultimately, it was Severe Cold who opened the Box.
The lid of the Box wasn't locked; it simply had a pair of fish-shaped bronze clasps holding it shut. Severe Cold pressed the clasps open, and with a 'click', the Box opened. As soon as it did, Ziya and Severe Cold stared at its contents nervously. Inside lay a yellow satin lining, atop which rested a diary with a gilded cover.
As Ziya flipped to the first page, elegant handwriting appeared before her eyes, causing her face to flush instantly...
"Love Diary, Our Secret" was followed by some Arabic numerals: "January 15... February... March..."
"What does this mean?" Severe Cold asked, bewildered. Ziya understood perfectly; this was a girl’s record of her menstrual cycle.
"Don't ask; I know what this is. Let's look at the second page!" Ziya said, but her mind was racing with thoughts about the diary's owner: 'Her period came on January 15th, didn't come in February, didn't come in March... so she must be pregnant... Is she Li Darwen's wife?'
The second page read: "After several checks, it was finally confirmed successful..." Severe Cold's large eyes beneath his thick brows were clouded with confusion as he tried to decipher the meaning.
"What... what does this even mean?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this is a pregnancy journal. Is it Li Darwen's wife? But..." Ziya fell into a state of bewilderment.
"Well, it might be the pregnancy record of Li Darwen's wife," Severe Cold agreed.
"No, look at this," Ziya hurriedly nudged a piece of paper from the round table in front of Severe Cold and continued, "Do you see if the handwriting on this matches the notes?"
"It should be the same person's handwriting, but the words on this paper express resentment, while the notes are written in a tone of joy. How could one person express two such different emotions?"
"Let's keep looking!" Ziya already had a tentative answer in mind but wasn't completely sure enough to voice it. She flipped to the third page.
The third page read: 'I am so happy; I think about nurturing a new life, and my heart is truly excited. Unfortunately, I can only be your little aunt... but I cannot be your mother.'
"I understand now; the one who is pregnant is another woman, not Li Darwen's wife. Look! This line—'I can only be your little aunt'—is written from the perspective of Li Darwen's wife's sister."
Ziya nodded; this was what she had anticipated. However, since neither the notes nor the paper bore any names, she hesitated to jump to conclusions. Now that Severe Cold had said it too, it seemed confirmed.
"She must be seven months pregnant!"
"Right, let's keep going." Severe Cold was somewhat excited; he hadn't expected what seemed like a simple matter to become so complicated.
Ziya turned to the fourth page: most of it recorded the changes of the baby in the womb. She didn't explain anything to Severe Cold but quickly flipped through the pages.
On the next page, it read: 'I woke up from a deep sleep, and the child is gone; suddenly, the house feels so empty. Sister, Darwen, your hearts are truly cruel. I will find you no matter where you run; I will find you and my child.'
Ziya closed the notebook and pondered for a moment before saying, "This means that her sister took the child away without telling her. So, do you think the woman we saw in Li Darwen's car is his sister-in-law? If so, where could she be? Did she go back? Or... is her name in the graveyard behind?"
Severe Cold shook his head and said, "No, according to the elders, after that woman arrived, she was never seen again, nor was Li Darwen's wife. Her name is not on the tombstone; there are only the graves of Li Darwen and his wife, while the rest belong to the elders of our Village."
"Let's assume that Li Darwen's wife couldn't have children, so..." Ziya felt a bit embarrassed, his face reddening as he couldn't finish his thought. However, with the conversation reaching this point, Severe Cold understood immediately. He furrowed his brows deeply before continuing.
"The child was born by my sister, but what does that have to do with Li Darwen? Whose child is my sister's? But this doesn't clarify anything; how do we know the child isn't completely unrelated to Li Darwen by blood?"
"Wait a minute, Li Darwen hid this notebook in this bookshelf. Was it not locked or intentionally concealed? Wasn't he afraid his wife would see it?" Ziya posed his lingering question.
"Right, there should be more clues we need to find in this study, like photo albums or something," Severe Cold suggested. As he spoke, both of them turned their gazes toward the desk where the statue of Guan Yu was placed.
When they rushed to the desk and saw several drawers, they were taken aback. All the drawers were locked; they needed to figure out how to open them quickly.
When two exquisite photo albums were found inside one of the drawers, Severe Cold and Ziya felt their hearts racing. The moment they opened an album, Ziya was stunned... "This... is the woman who appeared in the bathroom... she... she came into the water..." Ziya's face turned pale as he hurriedly pointed at a woman beside a man.
"She is Li Darwen's wife. Did you see her?" Ziya's words shocked Severe Cold. His delicate face tightened as he slightly trembled while holding the photo. He thought to himself: if this is indeed Li Darwen's wife, what does that imply? According to the elders, Li Darwen's wife hanged herself; what grievance could there be? Could it be that she was harmed by her husband and thus could not rest in peace?
"Damn..." Severe Cold muttered under his breath, cursing himself for being so gullible. Yet recalling Ziya's earlier state, it was clear that no ordinary person could fake such a reaction.
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