False evidence

Chapter 99 Password
"You still don't believe me?"

"At this point, what good does it do whether I believe it or not?"

I shoved the monkey aside, grabbed my raincoat, and went back to the attic.

I tossed the raincoat to Yan Fengwei, took out two palm-sized red lanterns from my bag, lit them, and handed them to him and Meng Zhen respectively.

"Put on your raincoat, take your lantern, and go to the outside terrace."

I rolled my eyes and continued, "Before four in the morning, stay in the southeast corner, and the lantern must not go out!"

Meng Zhen looked into the lantern and asked, "This candle stub is so small, can it last that long?"

Yan Fengwei said confidently, "We definitely can!"

He turned to me and explained, "I got these two pieces of wax from a tomb raider. Don't be fooled by their short length; they've been spiked with something, so they can burn for at least a day and a night. That scoundrel surnamed Zang owes me a favor from years ago, so he certainly wouldn't cheat me."

"That's fine. Just do as I say, keep an eye on the lanterns, and don't worry about anything else. Also, after midnight, no matter what noise you hear, even if I call you, don't make a sound."

I told the two of them to go to the terrace now.

Yan Fengwei nodded, then hesitated for a moment before saying to me, "Brother, I'm telling you the truth, don't be angry. I know you genuinely want to help us, but I can also tell that you're not even half-baked in this area. In short, do your best. If it doesn't work... you... you guys should leave! We're not even close, you don't need to risk your life for me!"

"Stop talking so much nonsense!"

I shooed the two of them out of the house, returned to the middle of the room, picked up the old tiles one by one, walked to the table, and rearranged them on the table.

Pidan leaned up behind me and poked my back: "Hey, why are you so fickle? You change your mind so easily? I remember when we were in the hospital, you were trying to pick me up, but after we got out, you didn't even send me a WeChat message. And now, you were acting like a complete idiot just a moment ago, but now you're acting like a completely different person?"

She lowered her voice and asked, "Tell me honestly, are you really schizophrenic?"

I looked up at the monkey, who shook her head slightly, her meaning clear—she herself did not know that the so-called extreme yin day was also her life-or-death tribulation.

Pidan, ever the restless one, seeing that I didn't speak, pointed to the pile of tiles and asked, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting now? Building a house with tiles?"

"It's not building a house, it's creating a niche."

I examined the pointed-roofed 'tile house' for a while, then took out a memorial tablet from my bag.

The memorial tablet had no inscription, and the lacquer was obviously newly applied. Although it was small, it felt quite heavy.

I couldn't help but raise my voice and ask, "Are you sure this is the memorial tablet I want?"

Yan Fengwei replied from the terrace: "It's definitely genuine rosewood! The wood was sourced for me by Zhao the Cripple, who carves seals at the west end of Dongtai Gate. It's made by Li the Coffin Maker at the east end. Back when cremation wasn't practiced, Old Li really did make coffins!"

"It seems you're quite popular."

I placed the memorial tablet in the 'tile house' and then took out a string of copper coins from my bag and handed them to Pidan.

"Keep this safe."

What is this thing used for?

I said, "These are Five Emperor Coins, which can ward off evil spirits and dispel bad luck."

Pidan rummaged through the bag and looked at it: "Just one string? If you give it to me, what will you do? I remember Third Grandma saying that you are one of their targets."

I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You're wearing the Five Emperors Coins, and I'm carrying you, so we'll both be safe, right?"

Before she could react, I placed the incense burner that Yan Fengwei had prepared inside the threshold leading to the terrace, poured in millet, lit three incense sticks, and inserted them into the burner.

The monkey finally couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything else? At least give me one, I'm feeling really uneasy."

I pulled out a wooden sword, about a foot long, that looked like an art piece, and raised my voice to ask, "Is this sword really made of peach wood?"

Yan Fengwei responded from the terrace, "Absolutely! This is for Old Wang's house next door to ward off evil spirits!"

Then he raised his voice eight octaves: "It's not my neighbor, it's Old Wang who runs the shop next door!"

"Isn't that just like Old Wang next door!" The monkey rubbed his hands together as he looked at the peach wood sword.

I casually tucked the wooden sword into my waistband, took a clay pot out of my bag, and handed it to him: "Brother Monkey, you stay upstairs. Watch the incense burner, and make sure the incense doesn't go out. You also keep an eye on this pot. In a little while, no matter whether I come up or not, as soon as you hear me shout 'burn,' light the paper money in your bag and add it to the pot."

"Should I burn paper money for you?" The monkey glanced at me sideways. "Should I break the basin for you?"

"Stop fooling around! If you really want to fall..."

"I'll smash your grandpa!"

...I called to Pidan to come downstairs with me, and we went to the kitchen on the first floor.

When we went down to the basement, it was still a mess.

Looking at the broken porcelain shards scattered on the ground, Pidan asked me, "Did the bald guy used to run a business in JDZ? Otherwise, where did all this porcelain come from?"

"No, his wife used to own a flower shop..."

As I told her about the love story of the homeowners, I squatted down in front of the second shelf and moved the bottom row of cardboard boxes one by one.

Lift the plywood covering and pry open the floor tiles underneath, and you'll immediately see a safe hidden underground.

"Is that bald guy a rat? How come he's so good at hiding things?" Pidan shook his head and exclaimed. "He's a bit ugly, but if you ask me, he's actually quite loyal. Just now, when he told you to leave him alone, I was a little touched."

I turned my head away and said, "Don't worry about me, just go!"

Pidan stared wide-eyed, opening his mouth but saying nothing: 'Get lost!'

Looking at her exquisitely beautiful face up close, I couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "Do you know Wu Zetian? Do you know Empress Dowager Cixi?"

“You veterinarians may have a bad history, but you’re not all idiots, are you?” Pidan tilted his head and looked at me.

I leaned closer to her: "Stop talking nonsense. There's a saying—'If a woman isn't ruthless, the country won't be stable.' Just tell me honestly, do you love the country?"

She didn't speak, but just glanced at me sideways.

I stepped back slightly, then pointed to my cheek with my pinky finger and asked, "Am I beautiful?"

"puff……"

Pidan finally couldn't hold back any longer and shoved me with a laugh: "Are you out of here? Get to work! Don't forget there are two people out there getting soaked in the rain and wind!"

I couldn't help but laugh: "That bald guy is really something. Not only does he know how to hide things, but he also sets up this kind of password. Doesn't he feel ashamed..."

As I spoke, I pressed a series of numbers on the keypad of the safe, muttering "I love the country, but I love the beauty even more..." and pressing the first character of each word in pinyin.

With a soft "bang," the safe popped open a crack.

"What are you waiting for? Open it and see what treasures are inside!" Pidan said, leaning his head closer.

I took a deep breath...

After a moment, Pidan couldn't help but shudder. "What are you doing? Why aren't you breathing? Are you trying to scare me?"

"call……"

I let out a long breath and said, "I'm not holding my breath, I'm terribly holding it in. If you come any closer, I'll definitely kiss you on the cheek."

"You're shameless and have no nose!"

Pidan slapped me on the back of the head. "Stop dawdling and hurry up and get that vase!"

I've come to terms with it.

The moment I met this girl, I felt like it was an eternity.

At first, I was worried because I was going through a lot of bad luck and might lose myself at any time, so I tried my best to avoid contact with her.

The monkey reminded me.

The woman I fell in love with at first sight is already terminally ill.

This doesn't mean it gave me any one-sided confidence, nor does it mean it brought us closer based on shared misery.

My current proactiveness is even suspected of being 'frivolous'.

It's just that I suddenly realized that, taking all factors into account, the sheer cruelty of reality combined cannot compete with the passage of time...

"I...I like you..."

I hurriedly said something and frantically opened the safe.

I don't know if Pidan heard my confession clearly, nor did I have time to see her reaction.

Because, the moment the safe was opened, a gust of cold wind swept out and hit my face directly...

(End of this chapter)