Chapter 184 Avoidance

Chapter 184: Avoidance

Shen Qingye placed the thermos on the old cabinet, casually glancing around.

The main room was simple, with only a few tables, chairs, and stools—not much to look at.

Her gaze slowly settled on the long table near the corner of the wall.

There, propped up, was an old-fashioned tobacco pipe.

Beside her, Yue Lingchuan’s voice asking reached her ears: "Uncle, have you always lived alone?"

Lao Litou chuckled. "Yes, yes. After my parents died, this house has been mine alone."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "Is it convenient for you? Living by yourself, cooking or boiling water must be difficult, right?"

Lao Litou groped the thick wooden cane in his hand and replied, "What’s inconvenient? I’ve been blind for so many years... Every few days, the neighbors come by to check on me, make sure I’m alright. Occasionally, Dajun and the others drop by too, bringing me things. I get by."

Dajun was the village chief. Hearing this, he chuckled, "We’re all from the same village—it’s only right. When I was a kid, Uncle and Auntie took good care of me too."

Yue Lingchuan’s smile remained unchanged. "A place this close-knit is rare these days." He paused, then added, "But from what you said earlier... were you not born blind?"

Lao Litou shook his head helplessly. "No."

"My eyes... I was too reckless as a child. Around seven or eight, I fell from a height and hit the back of my head. Things were rough back then—nothing like the medical care we have now. My parents could only take me to the local bonesetter. They managed to fix my head, no lasting damage, but then my eyes stopped working."

"Back then, there was nothing we could do. No money for a hospital visit, so we had to accept it. At least I was otherwise healthy, no serious problems."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "And you never got it checked afterward?"

Lao Litou sighed. "At first, there was no money. Later, when life got a little better, I figured there was no point. So many years had passed—I was used to it. Besides, even if I saw a doctor, it might’ve been a waste. So I just lived with it."

"I see." Yue Lingchuan nodded, then asked curiously, "So your vision... is completely gone?"

Lao Litou replied, "Completely. Not a glimmer."

Yue Lingchuan pressed, "Light? No reaction to sunlight or anything?"

Lao Litou said with a grimace, "None."

"If there’d been even a little reaction, I wouldn’t have given up—would’ve seen a doctor. But with nothing at all, I didn’t dare hope..." He shook his head and let out a heavy sigh.

Yue Lingchuan studied his cloudy, lifeless eyes, his own gaze flickering slightly.

By now, the sun had set, and night was falling. Soon, it would be completely dark. The room was already darkening, making it difficult to discern expressions. Yet the old man remained unbothered, as if entirely unaffected by it.

Shen Qingye leaned against the table in the living room, squinting, drumming her fingers against her arm as her thoughts spun.

If he was the killer, how had he managed to murder Ding Dayong, a grown man?

Was it pure chance? Or—

Was he not really blind?

If so... why would he pretend to be blind?

Suspicions piled up. Shen Qingye’s face tightened as her eyes searched the room.

The forensic report indicated that Ding Dayong's cause of death was a blunt object strike to the back of the head, meaning the killer used some item to hit him there.

What could it have been?

Lao Litou's home isn’t particularly large. Upon entering, there’s a courtyard, with the kitchen to the left and the central room directly ahead, where they currently are. To the right of the room is a small side room. Shen Qingye had glanced inside earlier and noticed a bed with signs someone lived there, likely where Lao Litou usually slept. Outside the central room, near the right side, there was another room, but its door was locked and covered in dust, clearly hadn't been used in years. It might have been where Lao Litou’s parents lived before they died.

If Ding Dayong had targeted Lao Litou, intending to break in and steal, the locked and long-unused room on the right would have made the central room and the adjacent side room the most likely targets.

In other words, this could very well be the crime scene.

The old smoker’s words also supported this theory.

If so… what was the weapon?

It’s unlikely Lao Litou knew someone would rob him. In such a situation, if he wanted to retaliate, he would have had to use whatever was at hand.

What could it have been?

With others present in the room, Shen Qingye couldn’t be sure whether Lao Litou was truly blind or not, so she couldn’t act rashly or question the old man directly. She had to deduce it herself.

Something close at hand…

Her gaze swept across the room before narrowing and abruptly settling on the cane in her hand.

That cane—

Upon closer inspection, it was a straight, slender wooden cane, carved from a tree trunk. The lower end was only about two inches (5 cm) in diameter, seemingly insufficient to inflict fatal damage to the back of a person’s head.

However, the cane thickened from bottom to top, growing thicker toward the handle, where there was a smooth, rounded knob roughly the size of a child’s fist.

Rather than just a cane, it resembled a cross between a cane and a club.

An object solid enough to hold his weight could certainly harm someone else.

Moreover, such an item would always be close at hand, never too far away.

Shen Qingye’s breath slowed.

Yue Lingchuan continued questioning, “Do you remember that incident right before New Year’s last year?”

Lao Litou thought for a moment. “—Oh, you mean the incident involving the Ding family boy from Rongshu Village?”

Yue Lingchuan nodded. “Yes.”

Lao Litou shook his head. “I don’t remember much about that.”

“After it happened, Police Officers came to ask me about it. If I’d known anything, I would’ve told them right away, wouldn’t I?”

Yue Lingchuan pressed, “You didn’t hear anything?”

Lao Litou said firmly, “No.”

He pointed to his ears. “I might be blind, but my hearing is sharp. Normally, I’d definitely notice any noise around me.”

“It’s usually dead quiet around here, especially at night. If someone had sneaked in, I would’ve heard them!”

“But as far as I remember, everything here has been peaceful. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, not even the village kids coming around to play much.”

“I see.” Yue Lingchuan sighed, glancing subtly at Shen Qingye. When she gave him a slight nod, he withdrew his gaze and said, pretending to give up, “We have the gist now. Thank you for your time today, sir.”

Lao Litou chuckled, "No, no, the officer's just doing their job."

"Thank you for your understanding," Yue Lingchuan said as he stood up. "We should get going now, sir. Don't bother getting up."

Lao Litou rubbed his cane and quickly rose to his feet. "Ah, you two be careful now. Sorry we couldn't offer better hospitality."

Yue Lingchuan made some small talk with him before heading toward the door.

Shen Qingye quickly caught up, following behind Yue Lingchuan. Lao Litou also stepped out to see them off, his sightless eyes staring ahead, though his face remained cheerful.

It had gotten pitch black outside, with no lights around. The village chief walked ahead, muttering, "Ah, didn’t expect it to get so late. Didn’t bring a flashlight either."

Yue Lingchuan replied casually, "Don't worry, we came prepared."

He then turned and called out, "Xiao Shen—"

Shen Qingye responded with an "Eh," quickly producing a medium-sized flashlight from her pocket. With a flick of the switch, the path ahead instantly lit up.

Lao Litou watched from behind, his smile never faltering. But the next moment, the flashlight beam abruptly swung toward him, shining directly into his face!

Lao Litou’s pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively turned his head away. The moment he completed the motion, his heart sank.

He was caught.

Lifting his gaze, he saw Yue Lingchuan, who had barely taken two steps, smiling as he asked, "Old Li, weren’t you blind?"

"What are you dodging for?"