Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 391 Visiting Mr. Qin

At 5 p.m. that evening, Zhou Yi arrived at the agreed-upon location, the staff quarters of a certain government agency.

After showing his identification and registering his information, the security guard at the entrance let him in.

He carried a bag of fresh fruit and knocked on a door.

"Coming, coming!" came the voice of an old woman from inside the house.

After a while, the door opened, and an elderly woman wearing glasses opened it with a friendly smile.

The warm yellow light inside illuminated Zhou Yi standing in the corridor.

"Hello, may I ask who you are...?" Zhou Yi was about to ask in a humble tone.

The old lady smiled and asked, "Is that Xiao Zhou? Old Qin is cooking in the kitchen, come in quickly."

The person Zhou Yi contacted today was Qin Beihai, a leading figure in the province's forensic medicine industry.

This was the only person he could think of who might be able to help him.

Although they had only met once, Qin Lao's professional competence and personal charm impressed him, so he decided to give it a try.

He called in the morning, but Qin Beihai answered immediately. He was clearly surprised to learn that Zhou Yi had come to the provincial capital, but he sounded very happy.

He said he was holding a seminar in a neighboring city and had a presentation to give later, but he would be returning to the provincial capital this afternoon.

Qin Beihai gave him an address and told him to come to his house around 5 p.m.

Zhou Yi was flattered by Qin Beihai's attitude. He hadn't expected the other party to invite him to his home, even though they had only met once.

The old lady warmly pulled Zhou Yi inside and then closed the door.

"You must be my teacher's wife? I'm so sorry for coming here so suddenly. I bought some fruit for you and Mr. Qin." Zhou Yi said, quickly handing over the fruit in his hand.

The old lady smiled and said, "You're already here, why bother buying anything?"

"This is my first time visiting. I'm just expressing my goodwill; it's not anything particularly valuable," Zhou Yi said apologetically.

The old lady casually took it and gestured for Zhou Yi to sit down.

At this moment, Qin Beihai, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, came out of the kitchen: "Zhou Yi is here?"

He was just as energetic and had a booming voice as he had last met.

"Mr. Qin, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Not at all, I'm very happy that you came," Qin Beihai asked. "Can you eat spicy food? Two more dishes would be perfect."

Zhou Yi laughed and said, "It's alright, I can eat it."

"That's good, have a seat for a while." After saying that, Qin Beihai went back into the kitchen.

This is somewhat in contrast to his authoritative demeanor at work.

At this moment, the old lady brought over a glass of water, handed it to Zhou Yi, and said with a smile, "Little Zhou, please sit down, don't just stand there."

"Thank you, Madam." Zhou Yi quickly took the water glass and sat down.

He glanced around the house briefly. It was a two-bedroom apartment, not very big, and the decor was rather old, but it was very clean. There wasn't much stuff in the house, and everything was arranged quite neatly.

The Qin couple lived in a staff housing building belonging to a government agency, but this agency was a cultural department, not a public security department, which meant it was Mr. Qin's wife's workplace.

Judging from her age, the old lady must have already retired, since female cadres retire at a relatively early age.

Zhou Yi didn't know the old lady's surname, and it wasn't appropriate to ask her presumptuously, so he could only call her "Master's Wife," which was safe and could also help to build a closer relationship.

The old lady was petite and wore glasses, but she stood very straight, exuding the air of an old-fashioned intellectual.

Considering the place they lived in, she was probably a highly educated and respectable woman.

"Little Zhou, how old are you this year?" the old lady asked with a smile.

"I'm twenty-three this year," Zhou Yi quickly replied.

The old lady then asked Zhou Yi some questions about his personal life, such as what his family did and his work situation, to which Zhou Yi answered truthfully.

But what struck him as odd was the way the old lady looked at him—with a sense of admiration and satisfaction.

Zhou Yi was in a daze. Logically speaking, this was the first time she had met Qin Lao's lover. Qin Lao had only met her once before because of the dismemberment case in Donghai Community.

The old lady wouldn't be that enthusiastic, would she?

Zhou Yi even had a misconception: could it be that the old couple had a daughter who wanted him to become their son-in-law?
But then I thought about it again and realized that the possibility was very small.

Putting aside whether a leading figure in the field of forensic medicine and a retired female cadre from a cultural institution would act so hastily.

Judging from their ages alone, they are at least sixty-five years old. If people of their generation had normal childbearing habits, their children would be at least thirty or forty years old.

He couldn't understand it at all, but the old lady's intense gaze made him even more puzzled.

Soon, Qin Beihai invited the two to dinner.

Zhou Yi wanted to help serve some dishes, since he needed their help anyway and was the junior.

But the two elderly people wouldn't let him do it, which made him feel very embarrassed.

Aren't Mr. Qin and his wife being a little too enthusiastic?
It must be said that Old Qin's cooking skills are really good. For Zhou Yi, who had been eating fast food for several days in a row, this was a welcome improvement in his diet.

The old lady's smiling remark left Zhou Yi speechless.

The old lady said, "My husband Qin hasn't cooked in a long time. We usually just eat whatever's available at the company cafeteria. Come on, Xiao Zhou, eat more."

This really surprised Zhou Yi. What was going on? Was he being treated so well?
"Mr. Qin... another case has occurred in Hongcheng. I wonder if you've heard about it?" Zhou Yi asked tentatively, since they were almost halfway through their meal and it wouldn't be appropriate not to ask.

Qin Beihai nodded: "Are you talking about the Hongda case?" Zhou Yi was immediately delighted. Sure enough, it was the right decision to find Qin Beihai. Someone of his level would definitely know about the case, and the mention of "Hongda" was enough to confirm that the deceased was a student at Hongda University.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to ask about the situation, Qin Beihai said, "We have a family rule that we don't talk about work during meals."

This made Zhou Yi swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue; he couldn't be so oblivious.

"Little Zhou just said his grandfather was a veteran of the War of Resistance against Japan," the old lady said to Qin Beihai.

Qin Beihai was surprised: "Really?"

When Zhou Yi saw him looking at her, she nodded.

"You fought against the Japanese?"

"Yes, we fought against both the Japanese and the foreign devils."

"Oh dear, your grandfather is truly worthy of respect. Give him my regards when you get back."

Zhou Yi nodded quickly.

"I was too young when the Japanese surrendered, only thirteen years old. I didn't have the chance. It's a pity. It's a pity I wasn't born a few years earlier," Qin Beihai said, shaking his head.

What do your parents do for a living?

"They were all steelworkers."

"Oh, the working class, huh? Good, good, good." Qin Beihai said "good" three times in a row. "Your family background is quite impeccable."

Zhou Yi could understand Qin Beihai's reaction. His generation was the first generation of young adults after the founding of the People's Republic of China. They had witnessed the devastation of the old society and devoted themselves to the new society. They respected the traditional working class from the bottom of their hearts and did not think that they were superior to others.

This reflects the noble character of the older generation of nation builders.

After dinner, at Zhou Yi's insistence, he washed the dishes.

He went to the old couple's house for a meal, and felt incredibly ashamed for not doing anything.

Outside the kitchen, Qin Beihai and the old lady watched Zhou Yi's retreating figure. Their eyes were filled with complex emotions: loneliness, bitterness, relief, and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or nostalgia). Their gazes seemed to transcend time and space.

"Does it look like it?" Qin Beihai asked in a low voice.

The old lady nodded: "They look alike, the eyes are similar, and the mouth is somewhat similar too."

Qin Beihai sighed softly, "It's been twelve years..."

Zhou Yi was washing the dishes when Qin Beihai asked, "Zhou Yi, where do you live?"

This question reminded Zhou Yi that he hadn't found a hotel yet, so he casually replied, "I'll find a hotel nearby in a bit."

"Since you haven't booked a hotel yet, why don't you stay here tonight?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yi was startled and turned her head to refuse.

But then Qin Beihai said, "Play a game of chess with me, and have a chat."

This sentence made him change his mind. He had been here for so long, and all they had done was eat and chat. The most important thing hadn't been mentioned yet.

"That's not really appropriate, I'm afraid it might disturb you and your wife."

The old lady smiled and said, "No need to bother you, the second bedroom is empty, I'll change your sheets."

Zhou Yi was completely baffled by what happened at Qin Beihai's house today, so he stayed there in a daze.

After tidying up the second bedroom, the old lady picked up a book and went into the master bedroom, saying, "You two can chat slowly."

The old lady's kind appearance reminded him of his own grandmother.

On the balcony, a light was on, and Qin Beihai was setting up a sandalwood chess set, beckoning to him.

"Zhou Yi, how's your chess skill?" Qin Beihai asked, gesturing for him to stop standing.

Zhou Yi sat down properly and replied, "So-so."

Qin Beihai laughed and said, "It's alright. To be honest, I'm also a terrible chess player. Come on, let's have a game."

The two began to play chess under the lamplight.

But Zhou Yi's mind wasn't on the game at all; he was thinking about how to start the conversation, so he made several bad moves and Qin Beihai captured several of his pieces.

Suddenly, Qin Beihai spoke up: "I have a student who has been sent to assist with the dismemberment case in Hongcheng."

"Is it forensic doctor Shen?" Zhou Yi was referring to Shen Zhaoxing, whom he had met before.

"It's not Xiao Shen, it's someone else, surnamed Wang."

Zhou Yi learned that in his previous life, the provincial capital had indeed sent a forensic doctor named Wang to provide technical support in autopsies. He just didn't expect that Wang was also Qin Beihai's student. The title of "a pillar of the state" was indeed not just a casual remark.

"Mr. Qin, to be honest, I'm not on the list of members of the special task force for this case." Now that things had come to this, Zhou Yi had no choice but to get straight to the point.

But Qin Beihai beat him to it and asked, "So you want me to recommend you to the task force?"

Zhou Yi nodded solemnly.

"Zhou Yi, do you know why you're not on the list of members of the special task force?"

Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "Maybe I'm not qualified enough."

Qin Beihai reached out and pushed one of his pieces forward, eventually placing it and forming a checkmate against Zhou Yi.

Old Qin said, "You've been anonymously reported."

(End of this chapter)