Grocery Store No.514

“How is it? Is the beancurd in this restaurant delicious?” Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an eagerly.

Ling Hua’an could naturally hear the expectation in Jiang Chengyan’s tone, he nodded and said, “not bad.”

“Hehe, right. I’ll always go to this restaurant when I’m free. Although the restaurant is not big, it is very clean and tastes good, especially the salty one. If you like it, I’ll bring it to you often in the future.”

“En, did you not sleep last night?”

Jiang Chengyan glanced at Ling Hua’an with a guilty conscience, “the recent case is rather difficult, so I have insomnia.”

Ling Hua’an said in disappointment,  “I thought you had insomnia because you missed me.”

“It’s …… because I miss you.” Jiang Chengyan’s voice was so small that he couldn’t even hear it himself.

Ling Hua’an chuckled,  “you are so busy at work. If you can’t rest well, it’s easy to have an accident.  If you have insomnia, listen to the music I sent you.”

Jiang Chengyan feels so happy, “If you don’t tell me, I forgot about it. That song is really amazing. Although I don’t understand the lyrics, as long as I listen to it, I will feel calm even when I feel very irritable. What is the name of this song and who sang it?”

“I sang it, the song’s name is ‘Meditation Mantra’.”

Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an in surprise but he felt a little annoyed, “you sang that? I actually didn’t even recognize your voice.”

“It’s not surprising. Lu Hao and Yan Yu have heard of it, and they didn’t even know it was me.”

Jiang Chengyan felt a little sour in his heart and said, “So I’m the last one.”

Ling Hua’an paused for a while and joked, “Oh, is it because I put too much vinegar, why did I sense a sour smell?”

“I’m jealous, can’t I?” Jiang Chengyan said cautiously while looking at Ling Hua’an.

“Okay, jealousy proves that you care about me.” Ling Hua’an paused and said, “Captain Jiang, in the future, say what you want directly, just like just now, don’t let me guess. I’m afraid that I won’t guess it right and make you sad, okay?”

“En.” Jiang Chengyan hesitated for a moment and said, “then you and Yan Yu ……”

“I’ve already talked with Yan Yu, he will be my most trusted friend and we will not have any other relationship. I think it’s done with my matter, then let’s talk about yours. Be honest, is there any ambiguous person toward you in your team?”

“No!” Jiang Chengyan replied almost subconsciously.

“You’re not even thinking about it, this answer of yours is a bit perfunctory.” Ling Hua’an intended to tease him.

”Jiang Chengyan explained in a serious tone, “really not! We are usually busy without touching the ground, and we don’t even have time to sleep. We don’t have time to think about things.”

“Then are you lying to me when you say you miss me?”

Jiang Chengyan was stunned for a moment, then reacted immediately, “Hua’an, you are teasing me again!”

“Okay, hurry up and eat, I have something to tell you after eating.”

After the two of them finished breakfast, Jiang Chengyan took the initiative to wash the dishes. After returning, he sat back and asked curiously, “Hua’an, what are you going to say?”

“Did you find another female corpse in Xihua Mountain yesterday?

Jiang Chengyan frowned and asked, “Hua’an, how did you know?”

“They also disemboweled the victim to remove the baby, the same method as Shen Xin’s death, right?”

Jiang Chengyan’s eyebrow frown even tighter, “Hua’an how did you know about this information.”

“Would you believe it, if I said it was the woman you found last night who told me?”

Jiang Chengyan was stunned and looked at Ling Hua’an in silence, seeing that he did not seem to be joking. He asked with a complicated expression, “Hua’an, are there really ghosts in this world?”

“I know you don’t believe it.”

“Hua’an… I.. don’t be angry,” Jiang Cheng Yan felt uneasy and held Long Hua’an hand.

Ling Hua’an patted his hand smoothly, he smiled, “It’s normal for you not to believe, why should I be angry? After all, ordinary people can’t see them.”

Jiang Chengyan sighed with relief and said, “So you can see them?”

Ling Hua’an looked at Wang Lei behind Jiang Chengyan and said, “There is one behind you.”

Jiang Chengyan turned his head subconsciously but saw nothing. Ling Hua’an took out a small bottle from his pocket and said, “this is bull tears. Put a drop on your eyelids, and look again.”

Jiang Chengyan half-heartedly took the small bottle, opened the cap, and put a drop on his eyelids. After he opened his eyes, he looked back again and saw Wang Lei behind him.

Wang Lei smiled and greeted, “Hi, Captain Jiang, we finally met.”

Although Wang Lei was smiling, Jiang Chengyan was still stunned. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The door of the store was closed and it was impossible for anyone to come in. There was obviously nothing just now, but out of thin air, there was one more person who appeared, which had made him believe Ling Hua’an words.

Then a question suddenly appeared in his mind. Jiang Chengyan looked at Wang Lei and asked, “You have been here all the time, then we…did you see it too?”

Wang Lei nodded and said, “I saw it.”

Jiang Chengyan’s face looked like it was engorged with blood, he said in embarrassment, “Hua’an, you obviously know he’s here, why are you still ……”

“What’s the matter? It’s not shameful.  I’m not afraid or embarrassed. I also can kiss you on the road. Don’t you like it? Or do you care what others think of us?”

Jiang Chengyan quickly answered, “No, since I choose to confess, I am ready to be with you. I don’t care what others think. It’s just… I just think this is a very private matter, and I don’t want to be seen by others.”

Liang Hua’an smiled in relief, “then the next time we kiss, I will tell him to go out.”

“Next time? “Jiang Chengyan’s ears were red. He glanced at Wang Lei and asked, “Hua’an, why is he with you? Listening to what you said, has he been following you all the time?”

“Yeah, he’s my night employee and gets to be my eyes.”

“Doesn’t that mean that he saw everything that happened between us before?” Jiang Chengyan suddenly came back to his senses, “then you also knew long ago that I gave you more money before?”

Ling Hua’an really couldn’t hold back and said with a light laugh, “I know, Wang Lei told me all about it.”

“And you still hit me that night?” Jiang Chengyan’s heart feels aggrieved.

“That day you were entangled by Jiang Changping’s ghost. Laoban has to hit you to save you.”

“If I tell the truth, you won’t believe it, so I have to do it.”

“Jiang Changping? So the clues you gave me were also told by him?”

“The ghost who died in vain will forget their memories before death. Yan Yu helped me find those clues.” Ling Hua’an said frankly, “But, for Jiang Changping’s head is in Xihua Mountain, he remembered it himself.”

“So it was you who guided us to Jiang Changping’s head?”

“More than that, the identity of the headless corpse was also confirmed by Laoban on purpose for you.”

“So, that IOU is a fake?”

“It was fake, but then Jiang Changping signed another one for me. I helped him resolve his grievances and helped him reincarnate. That was the payment he gave me.” Ling Hua’an did not try to conceal anything.

Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an in silence, such a large amount of information he needs to digest for some time before his brain can function properly.  Ling Hua’an understood how he felt, and didn’t rush him, so he stayed with him quietly.

After a while, Jiang Chengyan asked in aggrieved, “Hua’an, does Yan Yu know all these things?”

“En, he’s my business partner. He knows everything about me.”

Jiang Chengyan said in jealousy, “So I’m the last one to know.”

Ling Hua’an said amusedly, “If I told you before, would you believe it?”

Jiang Chengyan thought for a while, then shook his head honestly, “I probably won’t believe it.”

Ling Hua’an stretched out his right hand and said, “Hand.”

Jiang Chengyan was startled. He looked at Wang Lei a little embarrassed, but in the end, he stretched out his right hand to hold Ling Hua’an. He said blushing, “What’s wrong?”

Ling Hua’an looked at Wang Lei, who was watching the show, and said, “If you eat too much dog food1, you have to endure it.”

Wang Lei was taken aback for a moment and then said in a low voice, “what… then you guys talk… I will go out for a walk.”Under Jiang Chengyan’s gaze, Wang Lei came out through the wall, and Jiang Chengyan also noticed that Wang Lei’s whole body was floating in the air and his feet didn’t touch the ground at all. Now he completely believed it, and his three world views2 were reshaped today.

Ling Hua’an held Jiang Chengyan’s hand and said in a serious tone, “Jiang Chengyan, today I ask you one last time, are you ready to be with me? If not, I can give you time. But if you answer today, no matter what happens in the future, unless I agree, you will only be with me for the rest of your life. So what is your answer?”

Jiang Chengyan held Ling Hua’an’s hand tightly and said with the same seriousness, “Hua’an, from the moment I opened my mouth to confess my love, I was ready to be with you. I’m very happy that you can accept me, so I swear that no matter what happens in the future, I won’t leave you.”

Ling Hua’an raised the corners of her mouth, interlocks their fingers, and said with a smile, “Okay. This is what you promised yourself, so you can only be mine in this life.”

Jiang Chengyan feels sweetness inside his heart and can’t help raising the corner of his mouth, “You can only be mine.”

Ling Hua’an kissed Jiang Chengyan’s hand and said, “Private matters are finished, then we talk about the case. If the case is closed early, you can also rest early. You have to read me the history books you bought me.”

Thinking of those history books, Jiang Chengyan was a little embarrassed, “I just wanted to buy you more books, it didn’t mean anything else.”

”Jiang Chengyan’s words were clearly typical of ‘300 silver taels, not hidden here3‘. Ling Hua’an couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “En. I believe that at that time Captain Jiang must not yet like me.”

Jiang Chengyan was even more embarrassed and said, “Hua’an, you’re teasing me again!”

“Okay, let’s get down to business.” Jiang Chengyan looked so embarrassed that Ling Hua’an decided to stop and asked, “Do you still have no clue about the identity of the female corpse yesterday?”

Speaking of the case, Jiang Chengyan returned to normal from zero IQ almost instantly, “because the body was bloated, it’s hard to recognize her face. Also there is no ID around, so now we still can’t determine her identity.”

“The victim’s name is Su Meiqi. She lives in the east apartment on the 5th floor, Unit 1, Building 9, Ping’an Community. She is from Yuancheng and came to Huacheng to work. She used to be a cashier at the Meihua supermarket chain. She quit her job after she became pregnant and lived alone. So even if she died for so long, no one would called the police.”

“Did she tell you all this? And where is she?”

“Because he killed people, she was taken to hell.”

“Killed people? Who did she kill? “Jiang Chengyan’s concern was always from the standpoint of a police officer.

Ling Hua’an said amused, “I don’t know. I’m not a God, I don’t know everything.”

Jiang Chengyan asked impatiently, “Then did she say who the murderer was?”

~~~

dog food means public display of affection ↺Note: “三” means “three,” and “观” means “point of view.” Chinese netizens use “三观” to refer to “价值观” (values), “人生观” (life philosophy) and “世界观” (world view), which are more or less the same thing. “毁” means “to destroy.” The phrase is used when netizens want to complain about something very disappointing that has left them disillusioned. ↺to reveal what one intends to hide ↺