Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

The photo shows a young Yukiko holding a baseball, pretending to throw it. The moment her curly hair is blowing against the wind makes her look very playful and cute.

Beside her was a younger version of Hiromi Yabuuchi, also making the same gesture, and a fat man wearing a baseball uniform and a baseball cap whose face was obscured.

Lin Xiaofeng shook his head. "We can't confirm much based on this photo alone. Although the two are similar in build, body shape can be altered."

"It doesn't prove anything."

Yukiko was instantly discouraged; she had thought she would find the clue before Lin Xiaofeng this time.

But the next second she suddenly punched the air and excitedly said:

"correct!"

"I remember during that baseball tournament, Guangmei's (bhbe) uncle got his foot stepped on by an opponent's spikes and had to stay in the hospital for a short time!"

"Xiao Feng, do you think this is an important clue?"

Seeing Yukiko's smug expression, Lin Xiaofeng chuckled and said, "You win this time, but I didn't know any of these things. That's too unfair."

Yukiko chuckled, took Lin Xiaofeng's hand, and led him towards the door.

"Alright, alright, Xiaofeng, stop daydreaming. Let's hurry up and check if Uncle Yifang has any scars on his feet."

The two of them informed Hiromi Kazuuchi about the matter.

"Yukiko, you are so smart!"

Uncle Yifang had to get several stitches at the hospital back then, and even after decades, there should still be scars left.

"As long as we can check whether there are any scars on his feet, we can confirm his identity!"

Seeing the photos and Yukiko's explanation, Hiromi Yabuuchi was reminded of the stories from that time, and her eyes shone brighter as she spoke.

Finally, he hugged Yukiko.

"Thank you so much, Yukiko!"

Yukiko looked at Lin Xiaofeng with a smug expression, as if she were announcing her victory.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaofeng could only shake his head and say, "Guangmei, I think you should go and take a look. This way, you won't disturb the other party."

"Uh-huh."

Shortly after, Hiromi Yabuuchi appeared at the door of Yoshifusa Yabuuchi, carrying several cups of tea.

After thinking for a while about what she would say later, Hiromi Yabuuchi opened the shoji door to the bedroom.

"Uncle Yifang, would you like a cup of tea?"

Yabuuchi Yoshifusa smiled kindly, "Oh, it's Hiromi. Come in quickly."

"Um……"

As soon as Yabu Rei entered the room, without taking more than two steps, her hands began to tremble. As she approached Yabu Rei's room, she accurately struck his foot.

Carlos, the black bodyguard next to Yoshifusa Yabuuchi, hurriedly tried to help, but Hiromi Yabuuchi had already taken a towel from the table and was wiping his ankles.

"Uncle Yifang, let me help you clean up..."

Lifting up the trouser leg of Yabuuchi Yoshifusa, who was crying out in pain, one could vaguely see a deep scar on his right ankle.

Hiromi Yabuuchi felt a mix of emotions in her heart at that moment.

In that case, he really is Yifang's uncle...

She felt both relieved that her family hadn't been targeted by scammers and a slight sense of loss...

After absentmindedly wiping the tea stains off Yoshifusa Yabunouchi, Hiromi Yabunouchi left.

540. The Murderous Intent Fifteen Years Ago

As soon as they reached the corner, Yukiko grabbed her hand and asked curiously, "Hiromi, how are you?"

"The one in the room"

Is this person really your adopted uncle?

Hiromi Yabuchi glanced at Lin Xiaofeng, whose expression was indifferent, shook her head, and said, "It's true. He is indeed Uncle Yifang. The scar on his ankle is almost exactly the same as the one I remember."

Yukiko wasn't sad at all; in fact, she was very happy. "Haha, I knew it! That person is Uncle Yoshifusa. I felt like I recognized him the moment I saw him."

"If you had believed me back then, none of this would have happened."

Hiromi Yabuuchi looked at Yukiko helplessly; only an outsider like her could think that way.

As her uncle who had been gone for 30 years, Hiromi Yabuchi's feelings for him had long faded, but now she was going to enjoy the fruits of her family's hard work.

She is indeed somewhat psychologically unbalanced.

The rest of the family had never even seen him before. It would be strange if they could immediately treat him as a family member at such a sensitive time.

Lin Xiaofeng patted Yukiko on the shoulder and said, "This is Hiromi's family matter. Let's let her discuss this with her family first."

"As for us, how about we just stroll around here?"

Yukiko readily agreed, saying, "Then let's go."

……

Courtyard.

The Yabuchi family members gathered together again, while the rest of the world seemed to have become a silent place.

"I didn't expect this ancient well to still be there..."

Seeing the well in front of her, Yukiko felt a pang of sadness.

Sensing the unusual tone in her voice, Lin Xiaofeng asked, "Is there something wrong with this well?"

"This..."

Yukiko hesitated, but considering his identity, she finally spoke, "This is the well where Hiromi's mother died..."

“Guangmei was very sad when she told me, so I remember it clearly. Guangmei’s mother went missing on a snowy day and was later found dead in this well.”

"Guangmei and I used to drink the water from here often when we were little..."

"Thinking about it now, it's really terrifying."

Lin Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow slightly, "So Guangmei's current mother is her stepmother?"

"That's right, she was my father's second wife."

Hiromi Yabuuchi's voice came from behind.

Yukiko spoke up, "Hiromi? You two have already reached an agreement so quickly?"

Hiromi Yabuuchi shook her head with a wry smile. "There's nothing to talk about. Everyone is unwilling to accept that a complete stranger will inherit our family's assets, and they've already started arguing about it."

"I didn't want to listen anymore, so I came here to see the camellias, but I didn't expect to see you all."

"Actually, there's another story about the well and the camellia, I wonder if you'd be interested..."

Hiromi Yabuuchi looked at Xiaofeng Lin.

Without hesitation, Yukiko replied, "Of course I'm interested. I'm currently working on a new script, and hearing more stories might come in handy."

Seeing Lin Xiaofeng nod slightly, Hiromi Yabuuchi slowly said, "This camellia tree was planted by Uncle Yoshifusa before he left. Yukiko, you know that camellias were my favorite flower when I was a child."

“My mother would pick the first flower of my favorite bloom for me every year, but the camellias didn’t bloom that winter.”

"That's why my mom was so anxious for the flowers to bloom, and she accidentally slipped and fell..."

Yukiko embraced her grieving old friend, "Hiromi..."

Hiromi Yabuuchi shook her head with a wry smile. "It's alright, Yukiko. Fifteen years have passed; I'm used to it now."

“My mother was still holding a camellia in her hand before she died, so I take the camellia as a symbol of my mother. Whenever I am upset, I come here to talk to myself.”

"correct……"

Hiromi Yabuuchi suddenly looked at Lin Xiaofeng and said, "Xiaofeng-kun, since you are a high school detective, there is something else I would like you to investigate."

· ······Requesting flowers· ····

Seeing the look in her eyes, Lin Xiaofeng had a premonition that this matter might not be such a simple inheritance dispute...

"Go ahead and tell me. Now that I'm here, I'll resolve your issue properly before I go back."

"Yes, thank you for your help."

Having already been released by Yuuki Yume, Hiromi walked to the well in the middle courtyard, placed her hands on the railing to prevent her from getting too close, and looked at the still clear well water, saying:

“I remember that my mother’s brother was present at my mother’s funeral that winter.”

“He has always claimed that my mother’s death was not an accident.”

"But..."

.... ... ....

"Murder!"

Under the moonlight, Hiromi Yabuuchi quietly turned around, her face showing no doubt, but certainty!

Yukiko's red lips parted slightly, and she said blankly, "Hiromi, are you saying that Auntie didn't fall into the well and die on her own, but was murdered?"

Hiromi Yabuuchi tiptoed and plucked a pink and white camellia from the tree, then chuckled to herself, "I wonder what Mom would think if she knew that Dad remarried right after she left..."

"..."

Lin Xiaofeng pressed down on Yukiko's shoulder and said to Hiromi Yabuuchi in his memory, "Hiromi, I will help you investigate this matter, but we cannot conclude whether there is anything suspicious yet."

"you……"

"I know."

Hiromi Yabuuchi began, "The most important thing right now is the issue of inheritance. As for the cause of my mother's death, I only have some guesses in my mind, and I would like to ask Kofu-kun to answer them for me."

"If my uncle hadn't said something like that, I probably wouldn't have kept this matter in mind all this time."

"In addition, in the past few years, my father has also made an unprecedented appearance here to watch the camellias bloom with me. I couldn't help but take that remark, whether unintentional or not, to heart."

Lin Xiaofeng nodded silently and said, "Well, in that case, Yukiko and I will go back to our room first. You all probably still have things to discuss."

541. Gentle Yukiko

"Little Wind Dove, Lin, why won't you let me speak? Hiromi, right now you really need my comfort." As soon as they entered the room, Yukiko, who hadn't spoken the whole way, knelt down opposite him in dissatisfaction.

Lin Xiaofeng shook his head, pouring her a cup of tea he had just warmed before leaving, and said, "What she needs right now is the truth. I think she'd be happier to find out the truth about her mother's death than to receive comfort."

Upon hearing these words, Yukiko's expression instantly vanished. She stood up, moved to Lin Xiaofeng's side, and knelt down again, her face full of worry, and said:

"Xiaofeng, do you also believe what Guangmei said about her mother being murdered?"

"This happened 15 years ago, so even if there were any clues, they probably wouldn't be found by now."

"Now that you've agreed, what if..."

Lin Xiaofeng picked up his teacup, took a sip of warm tea, and said leisurely:

“Anyone who has done something bad will definitely leave clues. If we analyze who benefited after Aunt Yabuuchi’s death, the suspects 4, 6, and 7 will naturally come to mind.”

"If you ask me, these old cases are actually more interesting."

"Benefited..."

She murmured two words, then suddenly Yukiko's eyes widened. She glanced instinctively at the outside of the room and saw that everything was still quiet. Yukiko whispered:

"You mean Hiromi's stepmother, Yabuchi Machiko?"

Lin Xiaofeng glanced at her and said, "She's just one of them, and the most superficial one at that. The deaths of members of wealthy families can never be explained simply as a matter of course..."

"Look at this."

Lin Xiaofeng took out several crumpled pieces of paper from his pocket.

Despite the numerous creases, Yukiko immediately spotted the name of Hiromi Yabuuchi's husband, Hidekazu Yabuuchi, on the top loan slip.

Seeing Lin Xiaofeng take it out at this moment, she subconsciously felt something was wrong.

Yukiko then pulled out a second, a third, and a fourth slip, all of which were very similar and belonged to Hidekazu Yabuuchi.

The borrowers are a diverse group.

However, the repayment dates on these loan receipts were surprisingly consistent, all set for the day after tomorrow.

Even Yukiko found the total amount above to be outrageous, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.