Chapter 13: Hidden Feelings

The thin-faced old lady waved her hand. “I can’t say for sure about this. I wouldn’t dare guarantee it for you randomly!”

My home is in the building up front. In this area, there’s only this pavilion, so I usually come here. I didn’t know Deng Qingrong well originally, but every time I see her, she’s alone—either picking vegetables outside or knitting yarn. Anyway, I’ve never seen anyone coming to find her, or her and her son seeing guests off or in, it feels quite quiet at the mother and son’s doorway, with no one coming or going.

“Is it about her son? Doesn’t her son have any close contacts, like a girlfriend or something?” Ning Shuyi asked from another angle. “Deng Qingrong’s son is named Chang Junchao, right? Isn’t he already over thirty? At this age, even if unmarried, there should generally be some fixed relationships, right?”

I had assumed the answer would be simply yes or no, nothing difficult to reply to, yet the old ladies in the pavilion—who had argued with differing opinions and sparks of heat earlier—suddenly all wore expressions of embarrassment and awkwardness.

“What’s wrong?” Ning Shuyi asked with a smile. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, this has nothing to do with you,” the curly-haired auntie said gently, quickly turning back and lightly patting Ning Shuyi’s arm. “You’re doing this for work; what could be right or wrong! Mainly… I heard from people in the neighboring building that Deng Qingrong and her son… it’s uncertain whether they met with an accident…

We feel that the deceased holds greater weight, and involving that kind of… that kind of matter that can be considered family scandal… it just doesn’t seem appropriate to spread it outside.”

Ning Shuyi glanced at Huo Yan, whose eyes carried some doubt as well.

The implied meanings in the old ladies’ words earlier had seemed to suggest they were merely nodding acquaintances with the tenant’s mother Deng Qingrong, lacking any deep understanding. Yet now that they spoke, it appeared as though everyone present knew the so-called “family scandal” of that household.

The round-faced auntie had probably never particularly esteemed Deng Qingrong to begin with. Her earlier remarks, though polite, carried an unmistakable undercurrent of superiority.

Being reprimanded several times by the thin-faced old lady earlier, her mood was far from pleasant. Seeing these people all cloaked in secrecy, she straightened her posture slightly.

Ning Shuyi noticed the unremarkable gesture but said nothing, silently waiting for the auntie to continue.

The round-faced auntie proved unable to contain herself. Sitting upright for a moment, seeing no one notice, she finally spoke: “People say family scandals should not be spread outside, meaning they should not be carried from within the home to the outside, right? As for the small matters in Deng Qingrong’s family, weren’t those all things she mentioned herself outside to us? Besides, this is not us privately inquiring and then spreading it everywhere to her. Moreover, now the police are here to inquire about the situation—who among us truly knows what is happening? If we believe we are acting in her best interest and refuse to help spread her family scandal further, saying nothing and then causing trouble, our consciences could never rest easy!”

When she said this, aside from the thin-faced old lady giving her a displeased glance, the others seemed to take it in, appearing hesitant and exchanging glances as if debating whether to speak.

Ning Shuyi observed the moment and opened her mouth: “Aunties, please don’t worry. Everything we learn during our investigation is strictly confidential and will not be shared with the parties involved in any way that could cause harm.”

“You see! The young lady has already spoken!” the round-faced auntie immediately agreed.

“Actually, it’s not simply fear of spreading the family’s scandal outside that makes us reluctant. It’s really…” The curly-haired auntie looked troubled, glancing at Ning Shuyi and then at Huo Yan beside her with an awkward smile. “This matter is rather difficult to know how to begin! Especially for you, a young lady whose age doesn’t seem very great—perhaps just over twenty? And there’s a grown man here as well… Although we are all old ladies, it still feels somewhat embarrassing. If you were a young wife in your thirties or forties, it would be easier to open your mouth about this…”

“Auntie, there’s no need for hesitation. Our line of work has far more experience than you imagine,” Ning Shuyi replied with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Hearing this, the curly-haired auntie could no longer evade, so she awkwardly cleared her throat, leaning slightly toward Ning Shuyi and lowering her voice: “Deng Qingrong’s son… he’s not a real man. According to what his mother says, there’s a problem in that area; it doesn’t work.”

This caught Ning Shuyi somewhat off guard. She had not expected the “family scandal” these old ladies spoke of to be so explosive!

Seeing Ning Shuyi remain silent, the curly-haired auntie quickly added, “Hey, did telling you this make you feel awkward?”

“No,” Ning Shuyi shook her head. “I want to know why Deng Qingrong would share such private matters with you.”

“It wasn’t that she deliberately wanted to share this kind of thing with us. It was once when we were together chatting while working, and the conversation somehow turned to Deng Qingrong’s sorrows, so we brought it up.”

The curly-haired auntie sighed deeply. “That time, a neighbor sister here had her daughter bring a boyfriend home to meet the parents. The young man was tall and handsome, and we heard he was doing well in his work and family matters, so everyone was envious, thinking her child had found an ideal partner. As we chatted, it drifted toward Deng Qingrong’s family. Deng Qingrong had been the subject of others’ gossip about her own child’s choice of partner and marriage, yet she remained utterly quiet from start to finish, saying nothing. Someone asked her, ‘Your son is already grown, isn’t he? Does he have someone?’ ‘Why have we never seen him bring a girlfriend home?’ Because we all knew Deng Qingrong’s son had lost two children earlier and only managed to keep this one, he must be treasured—there was no reason not to hurry and arrange for him to marry and have grandchildren! At that moment someone chimed in, saying they knew some suitable young women and could introduce them for matchmaking. As we spoke casually, tears welled in Deng Qingrong’s eyes, startling us all. We asked what was wrong, if there was some difficulty she needed help with, and everyone offered suggestions and advice together.”