The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 197: The Morgue Under the Spring Festival

The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month was the Lunar New Year.

The goose feather snow, as promised, failed to stop people's yearning and enthusiasm for New Year's Day. The long street in front of the government office was still crowded with people, and their silver-amour outfits were covered with snow and had soon turned into mud.

"Bullsh*t!"

As soon as Qiu Yunfei jumped out of the carriage, a few mud spots fell on his buckskin boots. He gave a dirty scolding. The driver rolled up his sleeve to wipe it, but he had been pushed by him, and he shouted, "Don't pay attention to me, hurry to drive the carriage to the back!"

The man, naturally, didn’t dare provoke him. He was busy and obediently led the carriage.

Qiu Yunfei then stepped into the government and went to the morning call to report.

"Yo, you came here early enough today!"

The petty officer taking the attendance quickly presented the booklet with both hands, pointed to the top blank, and said with a smile, "You can sign here. I have recorded everything down, and I’m sure that you will be the first one in our office!"

What kind of flattery has Qiu Yunfei not seen since he was young?

Even an expression needed to be more. He pulled out his brush, signed his name, and left without saying a word.

The petty official of the morning call enthusiastically sent him in, until he saw Qiu Yunfei's back disappear behind the moonlit door and his face collapsed. He turned back and spat viciously, "How arrogant!"

However, Qiu Yunfei walked all the way, and no matter how others saluted and greeted him, he ignored all of them, stepping on the creaking snow and heading straight to the backyard of the government.

When he arrived near the morgue, his face became hotter. Before he entered, he shouted, "Lao Xu, look what I have brought you!"

Lao Xu was the corpse examiner of the Central Judicial Office.

At this time, he was sweeping snow in the yard. He was wrapped in a patched cotton-padded jacket, and was wearing bald boots under his feet, but his head was combed meticulously.

Hearing Qiu Yunfei's cry, his dull face flashed some doubts. He looked up and saw that Qiu Yunfei had rushed in from outside. He couldn't help frowning, saying, "Didn't you say you wanted to take a day off today?"

"What day off! There are a bunch of relatives coming to the house at dawn, taking me as an excuse to talk nonsense. I'm tired of it. I'd better come here and hide in peace!"

Qiu Yunfei shrank, grabbed the broom in Lao Xu's hand, threw it out of the gate, and said, "In addition to you and me, there are not many living people in the courtyard all day long. What's the need to keep sweeping?"

Lao Xu calmly picked up the broom and smiled. "Anyway, I’m also being idle."

With that, he was ready to start sweeping the snow again.

Qiu Yunfei grabbed the broom again and threw it at the corner of the wall. He said gloomily, "I beg you, stop sweeping, will you? Speak with me, there’s something stuck in my heart!"

Qiu Yunfei's eyes were always high. Even among the other same-level Yamen officials, only a few people could get into his eyes. But in the past half a month, he has been living with Lao Xu day and night in the morgue, and he has become close to him.

It could only be said that the relationship between them was incredibly tight.

Hearing what he said, Lao Xu went forward and put the broom in place again, then pulled the sheepskin cover off his hand and said with a smile, "These days, you keep saying that you are depressed, and I don't know when can you be happier."

"What when?"

Qiu Yunfei gritted his teeth and said, "When I come up with an idea and let the man surnamed Sun kneel in front of me and call me grandpa, that’s when I will be pleased!"

With that, he waved his hand again and said proudly, "I won't have to do the stupid inspection then. You don't have to work as a corpse examiner either. Come back with me to eat delicious food and drink. I'm sure I won’t mistreat you!"

Lao Xu smiled noncommittally at the words, rubbed the mud off the soles of his shoes on the steps, and walked into the room first.

The courtyard was quite spacious. There were three main rooms with air leakage, and in the middle was the main morgue. As for the wing rooms on both sides, the corpse examiner could use them at his own will.

The place that Lao Xu chose was the farthest from the place where the corpses were buried, and it was also the place where he used to rest.

Knowing that Lao Xu liked to be clean, Qiu Yunfei hurriedly rubbed off the soles of his shoes and followed him in.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw that Lao Xu was twirling three sandalwood sticks from the incense box, preparing to insert them into the incense burner in front of the shrine. He then quickly waved his hand and said, "Well, I'm used to the ghostly smell of this bloody place. Keep your treasure for others!"

After saying so, if it was summer and there were dead bodies left in the hall for seven days, it was estimated that the boy wouldn’t dare enter the courtyard door with the smell of corpses.

Lao Xu was silent again, stuffed the sandalwood back, and then sat opposite Qiu Yunfei with his hands folded, waiting for him to speak.

Every time he faced such a dull expression, Qiu Yunfei was a little angry at first, then began to be discouraged. He finally said with insufficient confidence, "Believe me, I'm sure I can let that Sun kneel and beg for mercy one day!"

He then said indignantly, "My father is mad. He forced me to come here to do some stupid inspection. He asked me to practice and learn with Sun. How many things can I learn by guarding the f*cking morgue all day?"

He leaned back in his chair and didn't know what was in his arms. Suddenly, they heard two jingle sounds.

"By the way, I have brought good things with me today."

Qiu Yunfei sat up straight again, took out two celadon gourds from under his cloak, handed one to Lao Xu, and said proudly, "Here, the number one red wine aged for 60 years can stand tall in the glass!"

Lao Xu was not polite. He reached for the green porcelain bottle, carefully pulled out the plug, and sniffed it hard. He looked intoxicated.

Qiu Yunfei laughed and was about to make fun of him, but when he saw Lao Xu say nothing, he pressed the plug back.

Qiu Yunfei could not help but frown, saying, "What's wrong with you?"

Lao Xu shook his head and said, "It snowed yesterday. I'm afraid we have no time to drink now. Let’s wait until the evening..."

"Lao Xu, Lao Xu! Come out to receive the bodies!"

Before his voice fell, he heard someone shouting outside.

Old Xu put the pot of wine in the corner and waited to receive the bodies. Qiu Yunfei ran out early and shouted with a straight face, "Son of a bitch, who let you come here to cry for your soul?! Why don’t you hurry and send it inside!"

The servants of the Department of Health and Welfare obviously didn't expect that this guy would still have his duty in the morgue. One by one, they were busy smiling as they carried two frozen bodies into the morgue.

Qiu Yunfei also followed casually. He looked at the two corpses and then cursed, "It's another pair of alcoholics. This smell... Did they enter a jar of wine?"

He was waiting to take the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone and record the origin of the two corpses, but he saw Lao Xu's eyebrows locked on the lying body and constantly checking it as if he had found some big secret.

"What's the matter, Lao Xu?"

This was the first time Qiu Yunfei saw Lao Xu have such an expression in front of a body. He quickly leaned up and asked, "Do you recognize these two dead ghosts?"

Lao Xu shook his head and said positively, "Don’t you always want to see Mr. Sun's ability to solve a case? Today, there is a chance!"