Chapter 10: Lip Reading
But why does he pretend to be hard of hearing
Contact with the old man not only failed to dispel Shen Yuan's suspicions about him, but on the contrary, Shen Yuan became even more convinced that this old man was not ordinary
Old Qu was silent, drinking on his own. Shen Yuan realized that when he said that, his voice was not loud enough; perhaps he hadn't heard it. Shen Yuan gave a wry smile, chose not to say anything further, and sat beside the old man, watching him drink. Old Qu took a few sips of wine, then picked up a chili pepper and took a bite, looking quite pleased.
Shen Yuan did not hold back and followed the old man into the house
Old Qu held a long iron shovel in his hand, gently stirring the coal in the furnace to spread it evenly. He then leaned the shovel against the ground, using one hand to support it while the other hand grabbed a towel of indeterminate color draped around his neck to wipe the sweat from his forehead
The old man's hearing is problematic, and he is not deliberately concealing this fact. Shen Yuan just noticed that the mobile phone was on silent mode.
Shen Yuan asked, "Isn't it close to the dissection room? Can't you hear any noise at all?" Lao Qu, who was just about to take a sip, put down the teapot upon hearing Shen Yuan's loud question, saying, "No, my hearing is not good. If it weren't for your loud shout, I wouldn't have known what you were saying at all."
Old Qu is adding coal to the large furnace, seemingly unaware that Shen Yuan has already arrived behind him
Just as he turned to head back into the house, he saw Shen Yuan, seemingly startled. His twisted face twitched twice, and he did not speak, merely gazing at Shen Yuan
The old man must have some connection to the outside world, but why does he choose to mute it? Is he afraid that the sound might disturb others? That seems unlikely, as there is no one else in this corner besides him. The reason for his muting is likely quite simple: he does not need the ringtone at all, because he cannot hear it!
Shen Yuan directly returned to his residence. In fact, he did not have any classes in the afternoon. He reported today, and the school has not arranged any courses for him in the next couple of days. Even the work at the affiliated hospital will only begin tomorrow.
Shen Yuan arrived at the southeast corner of the medical school, a place that indeed felt somewhat eerie, especially with the towering pines and cypresses that added a chilling atmosphere.
hetushu.com.com Shen Yuan awkwardly smiled and said: "I am somewhat afraid, I heard that the deceased is still the former head of the dissection room?" This time, his voice was amplified again
Shen Yuan took out a cigarette and handed it to him, while Lao Qu tilted his head and reached out to take it: "What did you just say?"
As one grows old, life seems to lack any prospects, and such days are already quite good, aren't they? Old Qutou's words seemed to be a monologue, while Shen Yuan merely smiled, saying nothing. Engaging in conversation with this old man is quite a laborious task
He carefully examined the room, which was quite simple, with some old furniture; even the mobile phone that the old man had thrown on the table was an outdated model.
Thus, his only means of communication with the outside world is through another function of his mobile phone, which is text messaging
There was a musty smell in the room, but Shen Yuan did not even furrow his brow as he sat down on the small stool
Shen Yuan approached Old Qu and raised his voice to repeat what he had said. Only then did Old Qu respond, "Oh, Director Shen, this cigarette isn't cheap, is it?" Shen Yuan smiled and said, "Old man, I saw you swinging that shovel just now; you seem quite strong!" This time he spoke loudly. Old Qu lit his cigarette and said, "I swing it every day. At first, it felt heavy, but I got used to it."
Shen Yuan reviewed all the materials obtained by the police regarding this case from the Southern Town. Upon seeing the information about that old informant, his intuition told him that this old informant must be harboring unknown secrets.
Shen Yuan looked again at the neatly stacked coal blocks in the boiler room: "Did you do all this yourself?" Old Qu nodded: "Well, they bring the coal and dump it over there; the rest is my own business. Actually, it just takes some effort. Effort goes and effort comes, doesn't it? Besides, talking isn't tiring. This pile of coal can keep me going for four or five days, and I only need to move it once every four or five days. Usually, I just add coal to keep the fire in the furnace going."
Shen Yuan shook his head: "I'll pass, I have class in the afternoon. This can't be your lunch, can it?" Shen Yuan looked around the room and saw no leftover soup or food.
Old Qu Toudou finished the liquor in the small teacup and poured some more: "You came to familiarize yourself with the environment, right? Have you been to the dissection room?" This question was clearly directed at Shen Yuan, and his eyes were also fixed on Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan shook his head, and Old Qu Toudou let out a cold laugh: "Are you scared? Did you hear that someone died there?"
Hmm, Director Zeng, sigh, I don't know who he offended to have suffered such a fate. Director Zeng is a good person! Old Qu let out another long sigh: "The world is unpredictable; no one knows what tomorrow will bring"
The deep grievance did not disturb him; it quietly watched from behind him.
After speaking, he walked towards his small room. After taking a few steps, he turned around and said: "It's only noon, there's still some time before the afternoon class starts. Why not come and sit for a while?"
A smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face: "Hello, my surname is Shen, and I am the new head of the autopsy room." Shen Yuan's voice was not loud, and Old Qu responded with an "Ah," indicating that he probably did not hear clearly what Shen Yuan had said.
He did not go to the laboratory building, but instead headed to the boiler room where the strange old man lived
Shen Yuan did not stay long before taking his leave. Although he did not look back, he felt a pair of old, haggard eyes behind him staring intently at his back
If Ling Li had witnessed the scene just now, he would surely have been astonished, as the conversation between Old Qu and Shen Yuan was entirely normal from beginning to end. Old Qu did not speak in a disjointed manner as he did when conversing with Ling Li.
The information provided by Zhen Nanfang indicates that this old man is a solitary figure, without any relatives, and he rarely interacts with anyone. Even the people at the medical school have little contact with him. What is he using his phone for? Is it merely to check the time? No, there is also a small alarm clock placed by the old man's bedside, and the time on the clock is very accurate
"Would you like a bite?" Lao Qu turned to Shen Yuan, his gaze quite indifferent.
Shen Yuan noticed that the old man remained very calm, yet his gaze would always turn towards him. When Shen Yuan spoke, the old man's eyes would fixate on his face without moving. Shen Yuan suspected that the old man had completely lost his hearing, but he could clearly understand what was being said. The reason was simple: he could read lips
Old Qu did not engage in pleasantries with him. He picked up half a bottle of wine from the broken cabinet and grabbed a few dried chili peppers from a dustpan on the small table. In his room, he used a small electric stove. He pushed the switch on the wall up to turn it on, and the stove lit up. Then he threw the dried chili peppers onto the stove and used a pair of chopsticks to stir them. When the peppers were nearly roasted, he pulled down the switch, placed the roasted peppers into a small bowl, sprinkled salt on them, and poured wine into a small tea cup. The electric stove lit up, and then he threw the dried chili peppers onto the stove again, using the chopsticks to stir. When the peppers were nearly roasted, he pulled down the switch, placed the roasted peppers into a small bowl, sprinkled salt on them, and poured wine into a small tea cup.