Chapter 156: Lunch Box

"If he were still alive, he wouldn't have left me alone." Zheng Aiyuan said, already sobbing and unable to speak.

Liu Tong helped her sit back in the chair, and Qi Fei moved a stool and sat opposite her.

"I want to know, where did you find him, can I see him again?" Zheng Aiyuan's eyes were full of expectation.

Liu Tong and Qi Fei looked at each other, seemingly not knowing how to answer.

Qi Fei made up his mind not to let Zheng Aiyuan see the kneeling old Ye, and grabbed before Liu Tong: "You know, in order to find clues, we need to check old Ye's remains first. After everything is over, we will arrange for you to see him for the last time. However..." His voice became heavier, "You have to be mentally prepared." He had to wait for forensic doctor Xiao Tao to process Ye Ming's skeleton into a lying-flat posture.

Zheng Aiyuan's lips trembled slightly, muttering: "As a police family member, I can be mentally prepared."

After waiting for her to calm down, he said: "We came here this time, on the one hand, to tell you the news of old Ye, and on the other hand, to continue to investigate the 'Mirror Demon Case'."

Hearing the three words "Mirror Demon Case", Zheng Aiyuan's murky eyes suddenly widened. Her mouth trembled: "You haven't given up yet..."

"Yeah, when you came to find me two months ago, I said that we would not give up on old Ye, and naturally we would not give up on the case he was investigating. I think this is also old Ye's last wish."

"However, if he didn't investigate this case, he wouldn't have died." Zheng Aiyuan said, and the tears at the corners of her eyes fell again.

"I know you have been questioned many times, but this time, we are sure that old Ye has found the suspect, so I hope you can recall again, was there any special situation before old Ye went missing?" Qi Fei could only force himself to harden his heart and ask.

Unexpectedly, when Qi Fei asked this question, the expression on Zheng Aiyuan's face suddenly changed.

As if, for this question, she had been prepared for a long time.

Zheng Aiyuan stood up tremblingly and walked toward her wardrobe.

In this nursing home, everything was prepared by the nursing home, only that suitcase, the canvas on the surface was worn out, and it looked like Zheng Aiyuan brought it from home.

She pulled open the suitcase, took out all the clothes, pulled open the hidden compartment with a zipper, and took out an aluminum lunch box that was shining with oil.

She held the aluminum lunch box with both hands, and the mood that had just calmed down began to surge like the water that had just closed the gate.

"I'm sorry, I haven't told anyone about this thing for 42 years. Because old Ye warned me before he went missing that I couldn't mention this thing to anyone, unless it was confirmed that he was dead..." Speaking of this, Zheng Aiyuan choked up again, "I pray every day, praying that there won't be a day to hand it over to you. I once fantasized that one day old Ye would come back, and I could return this thing to his hands..."

She put the lunch box on the table and stroked the lid lingeringly: "This is the only thing old Ye left for me. He said that if one day it is confirmed that he is dead, give this to the person who can solve the Mirror Demon Case. Now it is handed over to you."

"Have you never opened it?" Qi Fei asked.

Zheng Aiyuan shook her head: "No, he said don't open it. For more than forty years, I have never forgotten his entrustment for a moment. No matter what is inside, I believe it is a precious clue he wants to hand over to his comrades. I..." As she spoke, she dragged her old body and knelt down tremblingly.

"I beg you, you must find the real murderer of the Mirror Demon Case. I know that if this case is not solved for one day, old Ye will not be able to rest in peace!" She said, already in tears.

Liu Tong and Qi Fei stepped forward to help her up and accepted this precious evidence.

As soon as the two returned to the police station, Wu Shanqiu seemed to have been waiting for them for a long time. Seeing them go upstairs, she immediately greeted them.

"Captain Liu, Brother Fei, we have analyzed the copper button that old Ye was holding, and we have found something." She said, but unlike her previous joy at everything, this time, there was no joy of progress on her face.

Liu Tong looked at her, concerned: "What's wrong? It's not good to have progress, why are you still frustrated?"

Wu Shanqiu pouted, obviously very disappointed with this result: "I thought the button old Ye desperately preserved was at least from the killer's clothes. But after comparison, we found that this kind of copper button is the copper button on our bureau's police uniform in 1983. After further investigation at the church excavation site, we found other similar buttons, and inferred that they should all be from old Ye's police uniform. At present, we have contacted and found the buttons of the old police uniform in 1983. Comparing their alloy proportions, if there is no accident, it should be that batch. That is to say, the button old Ye was holding in his hand when he died was from his own clothes."

Compared to Wu Shanqiu's disappointment, Qi Fei didn't think so: "No, you have to believe in old Ye. Since he did this, it must have important significance."

Wu Shanqiu's gaze fell on the lunch box that Qi Fei was holding carefully in his arms: "You went to find old Ye's survivors, and you also brought back lunch from people?"

Liu Tong laughed: "How many people still use this kind of lunch box these days? This is also left by old Ye."

Wu Shanqiu opened her eyes wide after hearing this: "Is it related to the case? Did Sister Zheng give it to you?"

Liu Tong and Qi Fei nodded in unison.

Wu Shanqiu looked puzzled: "That shouldn't be. Sister Zheng comes to the police station every year. Such an important clue, why hasn't she mentioned a word for so many years?"

"This is also what old Ye requested." Qi Fei said.

"Ah, I don't understand." Wu Shanqiu was confused.

"Understand or not, just see what's inside."

In 1983, Nancheng, the fireworks of the New Year illuminated the entire night sky.

On the faded window of Xinhua Department Store, the gilded art characters "Celebrate the Spring Festival" were peeling off in the cold wind.

The collar of Ye Ming's military green overcoat was frozen with ice, and he stepped over the snow pile that had not melted by the street—the red brick wall was covered with snow, and the slogan of the joint defense team to clear out vagrants was written in white paint on it.

The loud noise of the popcorn stall across the street exploded at this moment, and the crowd in blue cotton-padded jackets swarmed up, and aluminum lunch boxes and grain coupons flew in the steam.

Ye Ming glanced at the crowd scrambling, only one person was not keen on joining the fun and walked toward the other end of the square.

That was the direction out of the city. Ye Ming was not in a hurry. He probably knew where this person would go on this day.

The glass of the public phone booth was mostly broken, and Ye Ming put in the third five-cent coin before connecting to the police station switchboard. He reported his location to the microphone, and the passing Dongfeng truck was playing the crackdown propaganda broadcast: "Severely and quickly, catch them all in one net!"

The sonorous female voice of the broadcast and the phone noise were twisted together, covering the dull sound from the old church in the distance. The ignored arch was pushed open, startling a group of crows... ===== CHAPTER 157 =====