False evidence

Chapter 430 Rekindling the Bond (15)

Upon entering the shop, the first thing I saw was the paper clothes on the counter.

It was a rather unconventional women's dress, white with red lace and patterns, resembling a wedding gown in style. Although made of paper, it was more exquisite than any ordinary real dress.

I put the paper clothes away and took Gu Haitao home.

Upon learning of the situation, Tong Xiangnan asked Lao Zhan and Pidan's mother to rush to the hospital to help.

Gu Haitao finally calmed down a bit, but suddenly said he wanted to go to the market to buy vegetables.

“Actually, every year when I pay respects to Qiaomei, I cook her signature dish. Although I don’t have much skill in it, but…”

"It's a memorial service, I suppose."

I expressed my understanding and drove him to the nearby market.

Then, I went to a well-known local shop and bought some pan-fried buns.

It is said that this was Ji Qiaomei's favorite local snack during her lifetime.

When I got home, there were two more people in the house.

One was Chen Zudao, whom I hadn't seen in a long time;

The other was Jiao Tong, a mute man who took care of his daily life.

I approached Chen Zudao with great difficulty; he is over a hundred years old and truly a centenarian.

Although I don't particularly like him, I still treat him with great respect when I need his help.

Gu Haitao, or rather Luo Yinsheng, really isn't very good at cooking.

Seeing that he was picking vegetables in a mess, I had no choice but to go over and help him.

Wei Lan maneuvered her wheelchair over, looked at the groceries we had purchased, and said:

"It seems like you're going to cook dishes from my hometown?"

I was stunned for a moment, then realized that she seemed to be from the Sichuan-Yunnan area.

With such a large group of people arriving, we still needed to eat dinner. I didn't think Gu Haitao had the skills to cook a meal that would suit our tastes, so I asked her for cooking tips.

Jiao Tong may not be able to speak, but he is definitely a master at cooking.

At Chen Zudao's suggestion, he also went into the kitchen to help.

And so, with Wei Lan giving oral instructions, Jiao Tong as the head chef, and Gu Haitao assisting, I ended up having nothing to do.

Gao He pulled me aside and asked, "Why did you gather such a large group of people here when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?"

I know he asked that because Xie Xiaohuan's car accident and that paper dress aroused his professional vigilance.

More importantly, it's rather strange that all these people are gathered together today.

After thinking about it, I decided to tell him the whole story.

Gao He glanced at the kitchen and said incredulously:
"You're saying the current Gu Haitao isn't the real person? But a wealthy businessman named Luo Yinsheng?"

“I know this is hard to accept, but it’s the truth.”

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother Gao, I'm telling you all this because I want to ask you for a favor."

Gao He raised an eyebrow: "I've figured it out, otherwise you wouldn't have told me so readily. So, what do you want me to do?"

I said, "If you don't have anything too important to do these next couple of days, could you stay with us?"

"Are you worried about Gu Haitao or Luo Yinsheng?" Gao He reacted very quickly.

"I can't quite put my finger on what I'm worried about, but Luo Yinsheng's identity is definitely somewhat special."

I handed Gao He a cigarette and lit one for myself. "I visited Luo Yinsheng at the sanatorium. He's now Gu Haitao. Luo Yinsheng's daughter-in-law, Zhang Xueli, was also there."

Although Luo Yinsheng was unable to speak, he still possessed some ability to move and express himself. However, he used hints to reveal his true identity. Moreover, he seemed quite anxious.

I recounted the details of the sanatorium again. After listening, Gao He pondered for a moment and said:

"Whether he is Luo Yinsheng or Gu Haitao, he can't speak now, but he can move his hands and make phone calls. During your meeting with him, a number with four 6s called you again. But he himself wasn't holding the phone."

Could I assume that he did call you the first time, but someone later discovered he had made calls and took his phone? Since phones are password-protected these days, is it possible that the person who took the phone then hired someone to crack the password and call you?

I said it's very likely.

When the call first went through the "four 6s" (a reference to a specific online gambling platform), the conversation between Luo Yinsheng's son, Ji Jiabao, and his daughter-in-law, Zhang Xueli, had nothing to do with filial piety towards their father-in-law. Instead, they were only concerned with the right to dispose of the property.

Gao He nodded. "This is the first time I've heard the name Luo Yinsheng. I shouldn't be involved in something like Gu Haitao and him switching identities. But when it involves a certain amount of assets, I really can't pretend I don't know."

I thought to myself, "No wonder they're called guardians of the people; their vigilance is just too high."

I had thought about it before; Luo Yinsheng had now become Gu Haitao, or rather, Gu Haitao possessed all of Luo Yinsheng's memories. This included his bank account number and password.

Gu Haitao didn't have Luo Yinsheng's bank card or anything like that, but nowadays ATMs don't require cards.

If he really needed money, he could have used an ATM or the internet to withdraw and transfer funds from Luo Yinsheng's personal account.

Luo Yinsheng considered this perfectly reasonable, but Gu Haitao was suspected of stealing other people's assets.

So, no matter what, with Gao He by your side, many things that were previously unclear may not be so difficult to explain in the future.

Dinner was incredibly lavish, with seven dishes and eight bowls filling the table, all featuring Sichuan and Yunnan flavors, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, making everyone's mouths water.

Gu Haitao stared blankly at the dishes on the table for a while, then got up to get some wine.

I grabbed him and frowned, saying, "Don't you even know what day it is today? You're still drinking?"

Gu Haitao murmured, "Every year at this time, I get drunk. I lean against the tombstone... until dawn."

Tong Xiangnan said, "We can't drink at the dinner table, can we? If you want to drink, go to the grave."

Chen Zudao picked up his chopsticks, gestured with them, and then put them down again.

He repeated this several times, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

I shook my head inwardly, but still went to get two bottles of wine.

The centenarian giant was overjoyed at the sight and insisted on drinking with me.

I resolutely refused and wouldn't let Erpang drink it either.

Just then, two people were heard speaking simultaneously, one on the stairs and the other at the table:
"I'm done. I want to have a drink."

"Let me have a couple of drinks with the old man."

The person who came downstairs was the young man named Bian Yaoshuang, who was brought by Xiao Shensan.

The one who spoke at the table was actually Wei Lan.

Wei Lan nodded slightly to me and said, "I can drink a little."

Seeing the deep meaning in her eyes, I quickly poured her a glass.

Bian Yaoshuang came up to me and smiled slightly: "Everything's done. Aren't you going up to take a look?"

As he spoke, he picked up the bottle and, surprisingly, blew the entire bottle down in one go.

I would like to go and 'inspect the project,' but it doesn't seem appropriate right now.

Seeing his impressive drinking capacity, Chen Zudao's eyes lit up and he said, "Kid, you have a good capacity for alcohol! Come on, drink with me!"

Bian Yaoshuang smiled and immediately drank with him.

Wei Lan also downed her drink in one gulp.

I was terrified, afraid she would drink too much and cause problems, but she gave me a look that told me not to worry.

Gao He glanced around, then suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered:
Why do I suddenly have this feeling that a storm is brewing?

(End of this chapter)