Chapter 155 The deceased's emotions are relatively stable.

The next day, Chen Mo, who had just arrived at the East District Inspection Bureau, was summoned to Zhou Peiwen's office again.

Hearing the knock on the door, Zhou Peiwen looked up from a pile of files, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples.

His head felt heavy; he hadn't slept well at all last night, and all he could see when he closed his eyes was Zheng Changkong's face.

I finally managed to transfer two trusted confidants from the General Administration, thinking they would be easy to use since they were part of my own team.

The first mission resulted in one death and one injury.

Who wouldn't be furious in this situation?

Yesterday, I praised Zheng Changkong to a few people in Team Three, saying he was a veteran inspector, experienced, and reliable...

The words were spoken in the morning, but the person was changed at night.

Zhou Peiwen wiped his glasses with a cloth, his gaze unconsciously sweeping around the office.

Is the feng shui bad? Should we find a feng shui master to take a look?

He stared at the half-dead, half-red asparagus fern in the corner for two seconds before finally fixing his gaze on Chen Mo.

"You three teams will come with me to the Hou family later."

"Go to the Hou family?" Chen Mo, sitting at his desk, was secretly delighted, but his expression remained calm. "What for?"

Zhou Peiwen glanced towards the door and lowered his voice: "The Hou family's case was closed last night."

"I know," Chen Mo said. "Wasn't the evil spirit already killed?"

"right."

He pushed a piece of paper over, saying, "After all, the second son of the Hou family got into trouble in our jurisdiction. Although he makes a living on Japanese soil, he's still one of our comrades."

"Now that the case is closed, our investigation bureau should still show up and make a statement."

Chen Mo took the paper without saying a word.

The merit points earned by their three teams are printed on it.

Zheng Changkong and he each received 500, while Liu Ruyan and the other two women each received 200.

Wu Gan's share, which had no merit points, was directly converted into silver dollars, which they then gave to his family.

"Let's go, it'll show more sincerity if we go sooner."

Chen Mo stood still, not moving. "What would you say if you went?"

"What did they say?" Zhou Peiwen straightened his uniform. "Just say that the bureau has come to offer their condolences, that the evil spirit has been killed, and that they should take care of themselves."

"As for anything else, you don't need to tell me."

Chen Mo nodded, folded the form, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave.

In the corridor, sunlight slanted in, shining on the faded green painted wainscoting.

The office door of Team Three was open. Liu Ruyan was reading a book at her seat, while Fang Yingxia stood next to her talking.

As he entered, the two of them looked up at the same time.

"Director Zhou asked us to go with him to the Hou family to offer our condolences." Chen Mo walked over and placed the paper on Liu Ruyan's table.

Fang Yingxia glanced down, her gaze lingering on the merit points column for two seconds before she simply pursed her lips.

This was her first time earning merit points, but unfortunately, losing a teammate greatly diminished her joy.

Liu Ruyan closed the book, picked up the paper, scanned it, folded it, and put it in the drawer.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"Now," Chen Mo said, "Director Zhou is waiting for us at the door."

Fang Yingxia straightened her clothes, took a couple of steps, and then suddenly stopped.

"What should I say when I get there?" she asked. "I... I've never been to a place like this before, and I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing."

Chen Mo glanced at her and said calmly, "You should comfort his father."

Fang Yingxia nodded, waiting for what was to come.

"Just say that although your son is dead, the deceased is still in relatively stable emotional condition, so don't be too sad."

Fang Yingxia was taken aback.

The room was silent for two seconds.

"..." She blinked, as if wondering if he was serious.

Liu Ruyan burst out laughing, then quickly stopped, though her shoulders were still trembling slightly.

Fang Yingxia's face flushed red. "Is this how you offer condolences?"

"What's wrong?" Chen Mo's face remained expressionless. "Tell his father to calm down, is there anything wrong?"

"That...that's not the right way to be lenient."

When Liu Ruyan raised her head, her face had returned to normal, but a hint of a smile remained in the corner of her eyes.

Don't listen to his nonsense.

She glanced at Chen Mo, her eyes carrying a hint of reproach.

Chen Mo ignored the two of them, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk out.

"Just go. He has two sons, and it's only one who died. It's not like the sky is falling."

Fang Yingxia stood there, looking at his back, then at Liu Ruyan.

Liu Ruyan picked up her hat from the table, put it on her head, and pressed down the brim.

"Let's go. Don't say anything when we get there, just follow us."

Fang Yingxia nodded, but as she walked to the door, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "So... what exactly did they say?"

Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at her, annoyed. "You can say whatever you want."

"Just don't talk like Chen Mo."

------

The car drove towards the Japanese concession.

After turning a few corners, the signs on both sides of the road gradually began to have more Japanese characters, and the storefronts became lower, turning into Japanese-style lattice doors.

The Hou family's residence is located east of the intersection of Miyajima Street and Akashi Road.

Chen Mo looked out the car window. When he arrived last night, the door was empty, but today a funeral couplet with black and white characters on white paper has been added.

The four characters "please accept my condolences and take it easy" were pasted up neatly and correctly.

The gate was open.

Several rickshaws were parked at the entrance, and the drivers were gathered in the corner smoking, no one was speaking.

Two men in gray cloth gowns stood by the door, their waists bulging. When their car stopped, their eyes were fixed on them.

Zhou Peiwen got out of the car, straightened his collar, and nodded to the two men.

The two people didn't say anything, they just stepped aside to clear the doorway.

Chen Mo followed behind, and as soon as he stepped one foot across the threshold, his eyes began to dart around.

The courtyard has a typical Japanese layout, yet it exudes Chinese refinement.

Directly opposite the main gate is a screen wall made of blue bricks, with a relief carving of pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity, which is currently draped in a white silk cloth.

After passing the screen wall, the courtyard suddenly opens up.

There are two rows of side rooms on the left and right, with their doors and windows tightly closed, and white paper lanterns hanging under the eaves.

A breeze blows, and the lanterns turn gently, the character "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") on them appearing and disappearing intermittently.

The doors to the main hall were wide open, and one could see that a mourning hall had been set up inside.

The dim light of the incense and candles illuminated the black-and-white photograph in the center, showing Hou Jianwen, in his thirties, wearing a long gown, with a faint smile on his lips.

Several people dressed in mourning clothes knelt on both sides of the mourning hall, their heads bowed, their faces obscured.

Someone was sobbing softly, their cries were very low.

Chen Mo shifted his gaze from the mourning hall to the depths of the courtyard.

There was a side room on the west side, the door was ajar, and a little light shone through the crack. There were shadowy figures moving inside, as if someone was talking in a low voice.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, someone tugged at his arm.

"Be more cautious."

Zhou Peiwen lowered his voice, his brows furrowed, "Don't look around."

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless, but unfortunately he couldn't find the location of the array's core.

He was unsure whether the formation was active during the day, and dared not release the shadow puppet.

The group walked toward the mourning hall.

As soon as they arrived at the door, a middle-aged man in a gray cloth robe came out to greet them and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Who are you all...?"

"From the East District Inspection Bureau," Zhou Peiwen said, bowing slightly. "I've come to offer incense."

The man nodded, stepped aside to lead them inside, and introduced himself as the steward of the Hou family, surnamed Sun.

The head of the family, Hou Zhenyue, is overwhelmed with grief and his health is failing. He is resting in the backyard and is unable to receive guests. Please forgive him.

A fleeting hint of disappointment crossed Zhou Peiwen's face, but he quickly concealed it. "Of course, of course. We understand the old gentleman's grief over the loss of his son. Please ask Butler Sun to convey our condolences from the Inspection Bureau."

Steward Sun agreed and led them to the altar.

The incense had been prepared in advance, three sticks bundled together, neatly arranged on the incense table.

Chen Mo picked up three sticks, lit them with the candlelight, bowed three times casually, and then put the incense sticks into the incense burner.

He looked at the black and white photograph on the incense table, and Hou Jianwen's face blurred for a moment in the wisps of smoke.

Don't worry.

Your husband will be coming to keep you company soon.

It's always best for the whole family to be together.

Zhou Peiwen also offered incense and said a few polite words, nothing more than that the dead cannot be brought back to life, please accept my condolences, and that if there is anything the bureau can help with, please just ask.

Butler Sun responded to each request, his face always bearing that standard polite smile.

As the group left the mourning hall, Zhou Peiwen stood at the door and glanced into the courtyard.

Hou Zhenyue never appeared.

On the way back, he didn't say a word, just drove silently, his expression neither good nor bad.

Chen Mo found it somewhat amusing; the man's son had just died, so why would he have time to bother with you?

Besides, even if you become familiar with the Hou family, it won't make a difference.

As the car passed the entrance of the Zhenyi Division headquarters, Chen Mo suddenly spoke up: "Director Zhou, stop up ahead."

Zhou Peiwen turned to look at him.

"I have something to take care of, you guys go back first."

Zhou Peiwen glanced at him but didn't ask what was wrong.

........

Chen Mo stood by the roadside, watching the car turn the corner and disappear into the traffic.

He turned around, glanced at the gate of the Zhenyi Division headquarters, put his hands in his pockets, and slowly walked inside.

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