Miss Forensics – Chapter 57.1

Past

In the latter half of the night, Lin Yan found herself sleeping comfortably, but Song Yuhang was feeling uncomfortable. She was half in a dream and half awake until daybreak. When she woke up early in the morning, her arms were numb. She moved slightly, and Lin Yan followed by curling up next to her.

One hand was tugging at her shirt’s collar, the other hand rested on her waist, and his legs were on her thighs. His sleeping position was not very honest.

The shirt collar was slightly loose, and Song Yuhang noticed it inadvertently, and her breath caught.

As the outside world was getting brighter and the rain had stopped, faint voices could be heard from outside.

Song Yuhang pinched her nose and said, “Lazy cat, it’s time to get up.”

Lin Yan subconsciously slapped her palm across and it landed on her face, muttering something in her mouth, telling her not to make noise.

Song Yuhang chuckled, grasped her hand, and pinched it, saying, “If you don’t get up soon, someone will be here.”

Lin Yan, still half-asleep, opened her eyes drowsily, rubbed her eyes, slightly dazed. When she finally saw Song Yuhang’s face, she suddenly pulled her hand back and tried to get up.

Song Yuhang held her without letting go and said, “Just a little longer, just a little longer. Didn’t you hold me all night last night?”

Lin Yan, embarrassed and angry, had her wrist held firmly, and without thinking, she tried to bite her.

Song Yuhang hid, and the bedsheets were thrown into a chaotic mess.

When Duan Cheng entered the room, he happened to see her pressing Lin Yan beneath her, with Lin Yan biting her shoulder. Duan Cheng, holding an enamel basin¹, covered his eyes with one hand and, with an exclamation of ‘Aima!,’ quickly took a step back as if he had stepped on a landmine.

Both individuals on the bed turned their heads to look at him, and Lin Yan’s hand gripped a mechanical baton.

Duan Cheng swiftly retreated, nodding and bowing, closing the door for them, saying, “You can continue, continue, I didn’t see anything.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the mechanical baton slammed against the door with a loud thud.

At the same time.

“Pa!” Song Yuhang covered her face and sat up, looking very wronged, because she couldn’t speak properly due to the pain.

“Lin Yan, didn’t we agree not to slap faces?”

Lin Yan gave a cold snort, got out of bed, and sat on the edge, fastening the buttons of her shirt. “Old habits die hard. Deserved to be slapped.”

Song Yuhang opened her mouth and watched as Lin Yan meticulously buttoned her shirt, slowly tilting her head back. Regardless of how you put it, there was a hint of that ‘something’ in the gesture.

She still missed the feeling of the hand pinching the back of her neck, pouting.

Lin Yan’s temple pulsed for a moment, and she immediately fastened the topmost button, picked up her mechanical baton, and stormed out of the room with a murderous air.

Duan Cheng was squatting by the well, gossiping with the others, speaking animatedly. When he saw her approaching from a distance, he dropped the enamel cup he was holding and ran around the house beams.

“Sister Lin, Sister Lin, I’m sorry, it’s not… it’s not, I really knocked on the door, I knocked on the door! It’s just that you didn’t hear, ahhhh, Murder! Help me!!!!”

Listening to the cries and howls outside, Song Yuhang shook her head, smiled helplessly, and prepared to tidy up the bedding to return it to the elderly woman.

Last night, it was pitch dark, and Song Yuhang couldn’t see much. However, now as she touch this blanket, she find it exceptionally clean and neat. The pattern is simple, but the stitching is delicate, with not a single loose thread. It doesn’t look like it was handmade.

She looked around this rundown thatched hut, and she couldn’t imagine the elderly woman living here could afford such a blanket.

She bent down, turned on her flashlight, and carefully examined the blanket. After flipping it over, she finally found a small label at the bottom: Jiangbei Weaving.

Song Yuhang took out her phone and took a picture.

* * *

In the autumn, there is a lot of farm work to be done. If the elderly woman were to work alone, she would be busy until late at night. But now, several young and strong laborers have arrived. Early in the morning, the police officers, along with another police officer (the one from Wuli Town), have gone out to herd sheep.

Zheng Chengrui helps split firewood. He might be a bit on the plump side, but he still has some strength. As for Fang Xin, she carries a basket and helps the elderly woman gather fruits, vegetables, and tend to the garden, including fertilizing.

Lin Yan finishes her morning routine and, with nothing else to do, she picks up some stones and sits on the porch, targeting the frogs that are frolicking in the garden after the recent rain. She occasionally throws a few at Duan Cheng’s head, thoroughly enjoying the game.

Duan Cheng, with teary eyes, says, “Captain Song, Sister Lin not only has a lot of energy but also has a tendency for violence. How have you put up with her for so long?”

Song Yuhang’s handprint is still visible on her face because it’s swollen, and she speaks with some difficulty, almost incoherent, on the verge of tears.

“Let’s not talk about it. Let’s repair the door…”

Chasing after girls is indeed quite challenging. It not only requires a strong mental fortitude but also a robust physique.

As they finished speaking, two more stones suddenly flew through the air and hit them on the head.

Lin Yan held the stones and said in a displeased tone, “Do you think I couldn’t hear it?”

Both of them turned their faces away at the same time.

While they were talking, the elderly woman brought a bowl of freshly cooked goat’s milk from the kitchen and gestured for her to drink.

Lin Yan was taken aback and said, “This…”

The elderly woman insisted and placed the bowl in her hands, making empty-handed gestures, with a slightly anxious expression.

She knew that the city girl, although delicate, had a good heart, and she might not be accustomed to the food in the countryside. Therefore, in the morning, she specially squeezed some goat’s milk for her to drink.

The events of last night were still vivid in Lin Yan’s memory. She felt a bit embarrassed and, seeing that no one was watching her, she discreetly took a small sip from the bowl.

It was surprisingly delicious, not overly sweet like cow’s milk. Lin Yan wasn’t sure what the elderly woman added while cooking, but there seemed to be a hint of tea fragrance, perfectly balancing the gaminess of the goat’s milk.

Lin Yan really liked it and her eyes lit up with a smile.

Seeing her enjoyment, the elderly woman also smiled contentedly. After Lin Yan had finished the first bowl, the elderly woman patted her hand and went back to the kitchen.

Lin Yan didn’t understand her intentions until she returned with another bowl, holding a cloth soaked with well water, and pointed towards Song Yuhang, indicating that Lin Yan should take it to her.

Lin Yan hesitated, “I don’t want to go…”

The elderly woman firmly handed the bowl and cloth into her hands, gently pushing her forward a few steps.

In front of the elderly woman, Lin Yan couldn’t bring herself to act, so she took a few reluctant steps forward.

Song Yuhang had already noticed her.

“Here,” Lin Yan reluctantly extended her arm, offering it to her.

Song Yuhang leaned against the swaying wooden door, her hands not empty, and said, “I won’t drink it; you have it.”

“Drink it if I offer it to you!” Lin Yan’s spoiled temperament flared up again. Duan Cheng chuckled, and just as Fang Xin called them for dinner, he handed all the responsibility over to Song Yuhang and quickly ran away.

Outside the door, only two people were left.

Song Yuhang laughed, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. “Look at me, I really can’t relax. If I let go, the door might collapse.”

In the morning, Lin Yan had made a gap in the kitchen door using her mechanical baton. So they had brought some wood and fashioned it into a wooden plank. Since the door was already on the verge of falling apart, they decided to dismantle it and repair it from scratch.

Thinking about this, Lin Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable and averted her gaze. “Then turn around.”

Song Yuhang put down the iron hammer in her hand, not understanding what was happening. Nevertheless, she turned around as Lin Yan suggested, leaning her back against the door.

“What’s going on?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yan had already brought the bowl to her lips. “Drink it.”

Song Yuhang was taken aback, and a soft smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She sipped it delicately from Lin Yan’s hand. When she reached the bottom of the bowl, due to the height difference, Lin Yan had to raise her toes slightly, carefully holding the bowl to avoid spilling it on Song Yuhang.

Inside the house, Duan Cheng was using chopsticks to pick at the noodles in his bowl and, through the crack in the door, commented, “Looks like she’s feeding a dog.”

The grassroots police officer sighed, “Captain Song and Dr. Lin really have a great relationship.”

A few people knowingly laughed and the police officer was puzzled. He asked, “Why are you all laughing? Isn’t it true?”

Fang Xin nodded seriously and said, “I think you’re right. The close bond between Captain Song and Dr. Lin is truly admirable, like a sisterly revolutionary friendship.”

Several people couldn’t stop laughing, and the police officer became even more bewildered. He had no choice but to join in the laughter with them.

As the bowl of goat’s milk reached the bottom, Song Yuhang felt content, with a warm feeling in her stomach. She licked her lips, as if she hadn’t had enough.

In the early morning, the sunlight was beautiful, and the rays filtered through the trees. Occasionally, you could hear the calls of frogs and the sounds of insects, with lush greenery all around. Water droplets from the leaves fell into small puddles, creating ripples.

In such an environment, even the most agitated feelings would become remarkably calm.

Lin Yan was no exception. In fact, she didn’t like Song Yuhang at first.

She thought Song Yuhang was old-fashioned, inflexible, and overly meddlesome, always trying to right wrongs. Their worldviews and approaches to life were miles apart.

However, as they spent time together in recent days, Lin Yan slowly discovered her strengths.

Behind the old-fashioned demeanor is the day-to-day dedication to one’s professional work, strict and serious.

Behind the inflexibility is the mark of a true gentlewoman, doing as one pleases while staying within bounds.

Behind the meddling to right wrongs is a deep-seated kindness that runs in her bones.

Gentle, kind, meticulous, serious, practical, occasionally revealing a youthful spirit, and always maintaining a passion and original intent for life.

All the positive adjectives Lin Yan can think of can be used to describe her.

On this morning, she suddenly felt a deep and long-lasting affection, growing gradually stronger.

Even the uneven, somewhat prickly short hair behind her ears became charming to her.

Lin Yan took a step closer.

Song Yuhang turned around, asking, “What—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her face felt a cool sensation. Lin Yan had gently placed a towel on her face, crumpled it and pressed it back and forth, whispering, “Does it hurt?”

The well water was very cool, but her heart felt warm.

LP: It’s happening! (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)