Chapter 793: The Stolen Ancient Painting

The assistant said, “Boss says this painting is very valuable. If auctioned, it could easily buy out the entire pawnshop.”

As the assistant finished confirming the lost item, he had already tidied up the scattered items back onto the shelves. Lin Qiupu noticed there were calligraphy, antiques, and curiosities inside, so he asked, “What kind of business do you do here?”

“We deal in valuable items for pawn. Unlike the pawnshop across the street that does everything and even lends at high interest rates. The boss is a cultured person who likes antiques. He used to be in appraisal and made some money from it. He opened this pawnshop mainly to acquire antiques and resell them.”

At the mention of running a pawnshop, Lin Qiupu recalled something and asked, “Have you received a bone china bowl here?”

“Officer, you know about that story too?” The assistant was pleasantly surprised. “Yes, we did receive one. The boss said it was a scam playing on superstitions. He didn’t believe it, didn’t pay for it, and nothing unlucky happened.”

Lin Qiupu thought to himself, “After all these years, this legend still circulates in pawnshop circles. Its vitality is indeed astonishing.”

This reminded him of certain rumors circulating online. The propagator had been arrested, and authorities had debunked them, yet these rumors spread quietly like viruses, with some still believing them, absurd and eerie.

“I’d like to see this bowl,” Lin Qiupu said.

“Just a moment,” the assistant said.

After a brief absence, the assistant returned with a bone china bowl, dirty and with rice residue inside. It turned out Mr. Shen used it to feed his dog. Lin Qiupu thought to himself, “Could this case be related to this rumor again?” He asked, “When was this received?”

“It was when we first opened a few years ago. I heard it from the boss. I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”

Lin Qiupu nodded. He thought, “So it seems this case has nothing to do with the bowl.”

Back then, he had exhausted himself for several days investigating this bowl matter. Thinking of this, Lin Qiupu felt like laughing, yet he also remembered Song Lang, feeling melancholic.

“I’ll borrow this bowl,” Lin Qiupu said.

“You can take it. It’s just junk. We’ve wanted to throw it away,” the assistant replied.

Lin Qiupu pondered and asked, “By the way, is this painting owned by Mr. Shen or by a customer?”

The assistant checked the ledger and handed it to Lin Qiupu. It clearly stated the painting titled “Mountain Retreat XX” by the Yuan Dynasty artist Qian Xuan. The date of pawn was three days ago, pawned by someone called “Cao Mengde” in quotation marks.

“Who is Cao Mengde?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“I don’t know. The boss wrote it himself.”

Cao Mengde? The hero of the nation? A man of valor?

Lin Qiupu wondered if it could be this figure, whom people dared not even name. He remembered an episode from seven years ago where Lietuo pawned a painting at Taiyang, swapped out by He Jun for a fake. Could he have pawned another painting this time, only for it to be stolen?

Lietuo seemed to have bad luck. Each time he pawned something, it went through twists and turns. But the act of pawning a painting itself was strange. Considering Lietuo’s wealth and influence, why would he repeatedly need money to this extent?

These matters perplexed Lin Qiupu, so he temporarily set them aside. Besides, he needed to investigate if “Cao Mengde” referred to Lietuo.

Having asked everything he needed to, Lin Qiupu asked the assistant to leave a contact, instructed others to withdraw, and needed to find a way to distract Lin Dongxue. He couldn’t be too obvious, or else his sister would become suspicious.

So Lin Qiupu cleared his throat and said, “Dongxue, go to the telecommunication bureau and check Shen Liqun’s call records.”

“You’ll wait for Old Chen?”

“Yes, he’s come too late. We’ll hear what he has to say and then go to the station. Let’s meet there.”

Lin Dongxue smiled, “Since when did you start respecting Old Chen’s opinions so much, Captain? You’re actually waiting for him to arrive!”

“Being modest. Hurry up!” Lin Qiupu complained.

After everyone left, Lin Qiupu paced to the pawnshop entrance, lit a cigarette—Song Lang used to smoke this brand. Since Song Lang went missing, he unconsciously started smoking this brand because its scent made it seem like Song Lang was nearby.

Unknowingly, it became his favorite brand. Of course, he didn’t have the same addiction as Song Lang. Once, Song Lang jokingly said he wasn’t smoking, but eating smoke.

As he brought a ZIPPO lighter to his lips, Lin Qiupu turned his head in surprise. Standing beside him, smiling, was He Jun, who said, “I saw you earlier. You guys were handling a case, so I didn’t come over to say hello.”

“You remember me?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“How could I forget you? Back then, when I was forced to eat glass by Feng Zi, you saved me. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but now I really want to thank you.” He Jun grinned, showing a set of healthy teeth.

“That long-haired man is called…”

“Liu Feng, one of Lietuo’s stepsons.”

“You dare mention that name now?”

“What’s there to fear? This old bastard has caused us trouble over the years.”

“Trouble for you?”

“Let’s not talk about that now.” He Jun waved his hand and pointed inside. “What’s going on? Has Mr. Shen been killed?”

“Yes, we’re still investigating.”

“Liu Feng did it!” He Jun mysteriously lowered his voice.

“You saw it happen?”

“I’m sure of it. If you find out it’s him, I’ll explain my reasons.”

He Jun seemed to know something or was simply guessing blindly. Lin Qiupu took out his phone. “Leave your contact.”

After exchanging contacts, He Jun added, “Lin Officer, aren’t you curious why Jingjing and I are together?”

“Like attracts like?”

“That’s quite an astute observation!” He Jun chuckled. “Actually, after I found out she was trying to frame me back then, I was furious. I wanted to retaliate, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. After all, it was better than nothing for a while. That incident hit me hard, so I left, wandered around, and ended up mingling in pawnshops and loan sharks these years. This circle is small, and I often hear about her. It’s not easy for a woman to manage Taiyang Pawnshop alone. Can a woman easily gain a foothold in this line of work? They say time heals all wounds, and I gradually forgave her for what she did. After all, she was pitiful at that time. Then I came to help, and with my help, Taiyang finally thrived in the past two years…”

“And then you two rekindled your old flame?” Lin Qiupu continued the conversation.

“Together every day, feelings naturally grew. It was a matter of time.”

At that moment, He Jun’s gaze shifted to a car parked by the roadside. When Chen Shi got out of the car, He Jun froze for a moment. “Hey, isn’t that…?”