Chapter 1192 - 1164: Directly Related to This Thing (Fourth Update)

Chapter 1192: Chapter 1164: Directly Related to This Thing (Fourth Update)

Yu Minglang blinked at the price, while Dalong secretly enjoyed his reaction.

Look!

His sister always said he lacked aesthetic sense, but even his brother-in-law, a double master’s degree holder, likely thinks this item isn’t worth the price, right?

But the next second, Yu Minglang showcased his astounding thick skin. He walked up to Qian, took one of the items, toyed with it carefully, and then dramatically inhaled.

"Wow, on closer inspection, a rich artistic aura comes over me, filled with postmodern aesthetics and an abstract style. Hmm, not bad at all, just worthy of my wife’s noble, elegant, and refined taste!"

Whoa! Dalong was so stunned by Yu Minglang that he collapsed onto the sofa. Xiaoqiang gave Dalong a smug look, the little fool should learn a bit! When dealing with women, especially those who hold grudges and are petty, remember the principle of praising instead of speaking the truth!

"Brother-in-law, don’t your conscience hurt when you’re lying like this?" Dalong couldn’t take it anymore; was his brother-in-law too indulgent with his sister? How could he even compliment something so clearly bought at a high price as a scam?

"I’ve always told you to read more! Look, I see this and can immediately say this item displays the essence of thousands of years from top to bottom, praising your sister for gathering a hundred rare gems from the world. From just this item, one can feel the myriad forms of life, while all you can say is she’s a spendthrift!"

Yu Minglang mercilessly mocked his younger brother-in-law. How terrifying is ignorance!

Qian watched the two clowns coldly. Xiaoqiang, that guy, was also insinuating that she was a spendthrift! But she wouldn’t stoop to their level!

Just then, her uncle Qi Yue, who owned an antique jade shop, called.

"Uncle, did you see the photo I sent? Have you confirmed the origin of this item? Hmm, okay, got it."

Qian chatted for a while then hung up, sitting on the sofa and pondering with her eyes closed.

She had just sent photos of the two items to her uncle. The answer he gave was similar to the store clerk’s but more detailed.

Uncle said the pattern is from a neighboring country’s handcrafted wooden items, and indeed, they’re not expensive. The store definitely overcharged Qian.

But Uncle also provided another valuable piece of information: this kind of pattern is a totem from a local village and only exists there.

Qian tried hard to connect the clues. In her mind, it seemed like random bits of information were floating, an answer was about to emerge.

Why was she interested in this totem? Because when she saw it at Mu Xiaofeng’s house, she found it familiar. Where had she seen it before?

Qian opened her eyes, ready to discuss it with Yu Minglang, hoping he could help her organize her thoughts. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Yu Hu and Dalong putting the wooden carvings on the floor, placing them left and right in front of her. Yu Minglang even bent down, pretending to perform a ritual, and Qian’s mouth twitched.

"What are you doing?"

"I feel a holy aura around my wife; these things are like the boy and girl attendants under you, we’re worshipping you for good luck~"

Like circulating this koi for luck...

Qian kicked him, making Dalong laugh.

"Did brother-in-law flatter the wrong way?"

Qian thought that if she ever stopped being a psychologist, she could definitely write a book called "The Joy of Silly Young Folks." Her husband’s antics are endless!

"Come to the small bedroom; you go make dinner!" Qian pointed at Yu Minglang, instructing him inside.

"Sis, you’re abusing a patient. I’m down to one leg, and you still want me to cook?" Dalong complained.

"Your leg is lame, but your hands can still move, right? Can’t you use crutches to do it?"

"No worries, Dalong, you watch some TV. After your sister and I finish talking, we’ll go out to eat."

Qian glared at Yu Minglang, "You spendthrift man! Going out doesn’t cost money?"

"..." Xiaoqiang glanced at the two lousy wooden pieces Qian was holding, thinking, with what you’ve spent on these, you could have gone out to eat several times; who’s the real spendthrift here?

But once inside the room, after Qian shared her doubts with him, Yu Minglang also became serious.

"The way you said it, I do find these things a bit familiar too."

"But I can’t for the life of me recall where I’ve seen them... How about this, let’s try to remember together and see if we can find any clues."

Qian took out a piece of paper and started drawing a timeline, marking the time she last saw Mu Xiaofeng’s little box and the events that happened recently. Because there have been many recent events, the two found it hard to pinpoint anything for a moment.

Yu Minglang massaged Qian’s temples, "Don’t stress it. If you can’t remember now, just take your time. I’ll go cut you some fruit."

Qian sat alone in front of the computer, feeling puzzled.

Xiaoqiang had a photographic memory, anything he saw once should have left an impression, yet this time he had no reaction. What’s going on?

The feeling of having the answer on the tip of her tongue but being unable to express it was quite unpleasant. Qian felt a bit defeated, thinking back to when Xiaoqiang was undergoing post-war psychological trauma, she was sitting here with the same troubling feeling looking for a solution—wait, last time?!

Qian suddenly remembered.

The last time Xiaoqiang had an incident, she was sitting in front of the computer sending a help request to Qio Yu Xuan, but before sending it, what did she do?

"Sis, are the clothes that need washing in the bucket in the bathroom?" Dalong asked, holding the clothes he had changed out of.

"Yes! Laundry!!" Qian exclaimed, slapping her forehead, causing Dalong to jump in fright.

"Oh my, what happened to my sister? Brother-in-law, do you think my sister is like those people in martial arts films who go insane and want to hit themselves to death?" Dalong asked as Yu Minglang returned from cutting fruit.

Xiaoqiang glanced at Qian’s actions, "Hmm, it does seem a bit like it."

At this moment, Qian couldn’t be bothered with the two of them. She started rummaging through things wildly.

This wasn’t the first time such a scene had unfolded at home. Every time Xiaoqiang saw his wife rummaging destructively, he would get a headache.

His wife was an incredibly intelligent person, but she seemed to pour all her attention into work and study, so she could be careless about some things in daily life, occasionally forgetting where she put things, leading to a chaotic search like this.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nothing, just some materials for my work—Xiaoqiang, why don’t you take Dalong to the cafeteria to get a few dishes? We won’t go out to eat today."

Yu Minglang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He understood—his wife wanted to send him out deliberately, but the considerate Xiaoqiang didn’t ask why, he just took Dalong along.

As soon as they left, Qian resumed her frantic search.

Qian finally understood why Xiaoqiang, possessing such a keen sixth sense, hadn’t reacted to the wooden carvings she had bought—it was because the Balan incident had had a huge impact on Minglang. Although she had cured him, Xiaoqiang was subconsciously avoiding this issue.

So now, what she was looking for was the photo Balan had left before his death. She finally remembered—on the day she was doing laundry for Xiaoqiang, she had found a photo. The woman in that photo had the same pattern on her clothing as the carvings.