Chapter 79 Red Envelope
Although the case was solved, everyone felt heavy-hearted.
Even Da Zhao lost his usual playful expression, and Liu Yongxin patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Adjust your mentality and leave work quickly. We have provided all the materials needed for this case. Today is the Lantern Festival."
As he was speaking, Xu Dayuan also walked in.
"Let's all leave. What are you waiting for? Don't you want to go home and reunite with your family today? Then I should start arranging the work."
With that said, everyone quickly dispersed. When Zhou Ning walked to Xu Dayuan's side, Xu Dayuan raised his hand and said:
"I'll give you two a day off tomorrow. You can't stand the constant rotation, but remember to keep your phones on."
"Okay, Xu Da, let's retreat first."
After saying that, several people left. Standing outside the second floor of the Criminal Police Team, Zhou Ning looked at the sky and let out a long breath.
Only after seeing what people who have lost their freedom have experienced can you know how happy it is to be able to stand under the blue sky, breathe and daydream so freely.
With his hands in his pockets, Zhou Ning walked quickly to the roadside and bought some fruits and a box of beer.
Then he called a taxi and headed straight to Yuhua Community. The skyrocketing housing prices had put real estate developers into action. Even in winter, the vacant land on the south side of the community had been fenced off, and many large machines were working.
He heard from his second uncle that the second phase of the Yuhua Community project seemed to be built by the same developer. After all, the land was acquired at a low price, so naturally they wanted to take advantage of the price increase to make a fortune.
After Zhou Ning got off the taxi and entered the community, he did not go home but went straight to Building No. 7 on the south side. The house bought by his second uncle was in this building. This house was much larger than his, with four bedrooms and two living rooms. His grandfather also lived here, but there were no neighbors who liked to chat here, so the old man felt a little lonely.
These days, although Zhou Ning was still tortured by the system at night, he could always recall some fragments during the short period of time when he was half asleep and half awake. A woman held his hand, standing on a tall building, looking down together. Although he couldn't look up, he subconsciously felt that it was his mother's hand.
Just staring at the vast expanse of white below, the hand touched Zhou Ning's head and said to him, "Xiao Ning, look, that's your father."
When Zhou Ning was watching, he had already entered the system's training ground, but when he woke up, he always felt that he was not dreaming, but had actually experienced it.
You know, after his parents died when he was ten, he had no memory of anything before the age of ten. Why is that? Is it because he was also injured and lost his memory, or is it that his parents' death was not an accident?
His grandfather and second uncle almost never talked about it, and they didn't even tell him about his parents' occupations. As time went by, he stopped asking questions. It's not that he forgot about it, but he kept the secret deep in his heart. However, this fragment of memory still made him unable to sleep or eat.
Take a deep breath and put these thoughts aside.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door three times. The door was opened by his cousin. Seeing Zhou Ning, Zhou Xiaoyu shouted happily to the back.
"My brother is back!"
Hearing this shout, his second uncle and grandfather stood up and came over. Zhou Ning felt a little embarrassed.
"Grandpa, second uncle, I'm here to have a free meal!"
The old man smiled and said nothing. The second uncle walked over directly with a smile on his face.
"Nonsense, what do you mean by freeloading? Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar year and we have to have a family reunion dinner together. Hurry up and go into the house and wash your hands. Your second aunt is almost ready to cook. I just didn't call you because it was still early. How is your case?"
Zhou Ning nodded, and the old man quit.
"You're talking too much nonsense. Didn't you see that Xiao Ning is carrying so many things in his hands? You let him talk while carrying things?"
Second uncle waved at Xiaoyu with a smile, and Xiaoyu stepped forward to help Zhou Ning take the things. After washing his hands, he went to the kitchen to greet the busy second aunt and cousin Zhou Xiaojun, then hurried to the side of the old man. Second uncle Zhou Xianghua also followed and handed Zhou Ning a cup of hot water.
"Is it possible to tell what the case is this time? I heard that Chief Zhu from the Port Police Station went to the branch twice in the past two days, and Chief Sun scolded him. People from the agency went to the cafeteria to eat and were all talking about this. What was the reason?"
The old man coughed and kicked his second son.
"You are a logistics manager, why are you asking about this every day? Stop believing everything you hear."
"Okay, okay, old man, you are right. Let's satisfy my curiosity. What is this case?"
Zhou Ning smiled and put down the teacup.
"It's a murder case, and it's still within the jurisdiction of the Port Police Station. However, the case is a bit complicated, and there are many people involved. The wife was instigated by her husband's mistress..."
Zhou Ning narrated the case briefly and concisely. After listening to him, the old man frowned and kept poking the ground with the walking stick in his hand.
"If you have a little money, you can burn it. If you don't have money, you can just dig for food in the dirt every day, and you can't afford to offend such a vixen. But it's a pity for the child."
My second uncle also kept sighing.
"Let me tell you. Xiao Ning won't hold it in his heart. From now on, when you finish a case and feel upset, come home and tell me and your grandfather about it. Don't hold it in and get sick, or it will be more trouble than it's worth."
At this time, Second Aunt brought up a fish and shouted to Zhou Ning:
"Don't listen to your uncle's speech. Xiao Ning, hurry up and help your grandfather come over to eat. Your uncle was on duty on New Year's Eve, so we didn't have a reunion dinner. Today is the day when we have the most people. Hurry up and come to the table."
Everyone sat down, with the old man on Zhou Ning's left and his second uncle on his right. Beer was poured in front of the three of them. The old man had high blood pressure, so they didn't dare let him drink white wine. The old man picked up the glass.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lao Er's family. You have taken care of me, an old man, and raised Zhou Ning. You also paid for his education and helped him buy a house. I know this well. You are a contributor to the Zhou family. When the old house is demolished, I will give all the money to you instead of Lao Er. Take this first."
As he said this, he handed a passbook to Second Aunt. Second Aunt was always hot-tempered, and her eyes turned red after being teased by the old man. However, she kept a stern face and pushed the passbook in front of the old man.
"Grandpa, you can't give up. You are the one who makes the decisions at home. Besides, Zhou Ning is grown up and still so sensible. I feel very proud of him. After all, I raised him. What's the difference between him and my own child? It's just that these two things are not up to standard."
As he said this, he glared at Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Xiaojun. The two of them suffered out of nowhere, and Zhou Ning didn't dare to say a word.
"Here's 200,000 yuan, just take it. Xiaoyu is the same age as Zhou Ning, but her birthday is a few days younger. She's been dating her boyfriend for over a year. I know you don't have much spare money, and Xiaojun is about to graduate, so it's not a small expense."
Zhou Ning knew that it was his turn to express his opinion.
"Second aunt, if grandpa asks you to take it, then just take it. You will be the manager from now on. Grandpa and I don't have any money, so it's fair to ask you for it."
Second Aunt smiled and rolled her eyes at Zhou Ning.
"Okay, then I'll keep it for you. Even if Xiaoyu gets married, it won't be us who will take care of it. I've prepared her dowry, but Xiaoning is a worry. How's your contact with Teacher Xia?
She came to visit me last time. Although she brought me some local specialties, anyone with a discerning eye can see why. She graduated from CAFA and is very pretty. You haven't expressed your gratitude yet, have you?"
After Second Aunt finished speaking, she poked Second Uncle with her elbow, and Zhou Xianghua quickly followed suit:
"Your second aunt is right. We were wrong about Cheng Li before. But this Teacher Xia knows everything about her. Her father is from Qindao University, and her mother works in the Education Bureau. She is definitely from a scholarly family!"
Zhou Ning's face felt hot, he couldn't escape the compulsory course during the New Year.
"We gradually got to know each other. Teacher Xia is a nice girl, pretty and gentle. I asked her for help before and she had no complaints. As for how far we can go, I don't want to make a conclusion so early.
Today's case makes me even more afraid of marriage. Two childhood sweethearts who have known each other for more than 20 years have ended up like this. It really makes people afraid of marriage. Second Aunt, I know you are worried about me, but can we just let things take their own course?"
The old man looked at Zhou Ning and waved to Second Aunt.
"Okay, Xiao Ning has his own ideas. His job allows him to see the ugliest side of the world. It's not a bad thing to have this idea. At least he can take his future life more seriously and be responsible to the girl. Let's start eating!"
Hearing the old man's support for him, Zhou Ning was a little bit unbelievable, because he knew that it was the old man urged Second Aunt to help Zhou Ning arrange a marriage. Today really surprised him.
The old man picked up a piece of fish, and everyone started eating with chopsticks, but soon the topic turned to Zhou Xiaoyu.
Zhou Xiaoyu’s boyfriend is Cui Guanglin, who is also a teacher at No. 1 Middle School like her. Zhou Xiaoyu teaches English, while her boyfriend is a chemistry teacher and also a class teacher. He is five years older than Zhou Xiaoyu, which is what Second Aunt is most dissatisfied with.
But there was no point in being dissatisfied. Xiaoyu was satisfied, and the two had a good relationship. Cui Guanglin's family was already preparing for the wedding.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Ning took out a bulging red envelope and handed it to Zhou Xiaoyu. Zhou Xiaoyu was confused and looked at Zhou Ning in confusion.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"I'm busy with work, and when I have a case, I work non-stop for days, so I can't help you much. I want to buy you some dowry, but I'm afraid that what I choose won't suit your taste, so I'll just give you money to choose it yourself. Don't worry, I have money."
The old man smiled with satisfaction, but the second uncle and aunt were anxious and asked Xiaoyu to give the money to Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning waved his hands, then put down his chopsticks and said seriously:
“I didn’t have so much time before, so I didn’t tell you. Before New Year’s Day, I received a manuscript fee. It was for a paper I co-authored with Dr. Lu from Qindao University. It was published in an international forensic science journal. It was quite generous.
In addition, a few years ago, I signed a formal contract with Qindao University to jointly develop a facial restoration system technology software. I have 20% of the ownership. You don’t have to worry about money in the future. You can take it steadily. After all, you have called me brother for so many years. "
Zhou Xiaojun came over with a grin on his face and stretched out his hand towards Zhou Ning.
"Brother, where's mine?"
Second Aunt slapped Zhou Xiaojun on the head, her eyes glared at her and her voice rose several notches with anger.
"Why are you making trouble? It's not easy for your brother to make money, and he just started working and hasn't established himself yet. Zhou Ning, we have received your kindness, you can keep the money, save it well and don't spend it carelessly."
The old man coughed, and everyone fell silent.
"Xiao Ning has grown up and become sensible. He knows how to care for his sister and you two. This is something to be happy about. I know how careful he is. Besides, this is a good thing to do. The family doesn't need to be so fussy about it. Just let Xiao Yu take it.
I heard Xiao Ning talk about the software. Just work hard with Qindao University. Don't rush for quick success or delay your work. We all support you."
After hearing what the old man said, no one said anything else. Xiaoyu put the red envelope away. Zhou Ning pursed his lips and held back the question he was about to ask. This was not the right time, so they should talk about it later when they had time.
"Then I'd like to thank you, brother. When you have time, I'll bring Cui Guanglin to meet you, and you can check it for me."
Second Uncle's face was a little dark. Zhou Ning held back his laughter. The obstruction of his biological parents was useless. It was obvious that she wanted him to help lobby.
"Okay, there's no problem with the meeting, but it has to be done according to the political review standards. I'll help you check on behalf of my second uncle and second aunt to see if this guy can stand up to scrutiny!"
Xiaoyu's face turned red and she stamped her feet in anger.
"Brother, you're going too far!"
Second uncle and second aunt gave Zhou Ning a thumbs up, agreeing very much with his idea.
"Investigate, we must investigate thoroughly!"
