Chapter 122: Looking Up Almost Scared Her to Death

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Looking Up Almost Scared Her to Death

Granny Sun’s face was pale, obviously frightened by the news. The killer was in the city, but the police didn’t specify his exact location. He could be hiding anywhere. Anyone living and working in the city could become his next victim.

Seeing her panic, Yun Zhen comforted her softly, "Grandma Sun, don’t be afraid. The killer might be caught soon."

"I hope so." Granny Sun was a bit absent-minded. Fortunately, a few customers came to buy popcorn, temporarily distracting her.

Yun Zhen also laid out her merchandise. Making money was the most important thing in the world! She took out her blackboard and changed the price of the handmade solid wood jewelry boxes to five hundred. Today, she brought fifty small wooden ornaments, thirty wooden hairpins, three three-tier jewelry boxes, and forty crocheted dolls.

As soon as the items were set up, customers came to buy.

A woman in a bright red sweater stepped forward, picked up a jewelry box, and smiled curiously. "Wow! This is so beautiful! Miss, are your jewelry boxes really entirely handmade?"

Yun Zhen opened the payment QR code on her phone and propped it up next to the blackboard for the customers’ convenience. She answered the woman’s question, "Of course. And they are solid wood jewelry boxes, made of wood inside and out without any metal parts."

The woman examined it thoroughly. "The texture is nice, with a kind of natural beauty. It’s rustic yet delicate, and even the clasp mechanism is wooden. My younger sister is getting married in a few days, and I prepared a set of traditional gold wedding jewelry for her. I originally wanted to buy a few velvet boxes to hold the jewelry, but seeing yours while shopping today, I think they are much more suitable. When I get back, I’ll custom-order a velvet inner pad and put the gold jewelry inside."

She then glanced at the price and added, "Five hundred for one? That’s not too expensive. Plus, buying a pair for such a joyous occasion adds to the festivity. One thousand is acceptable. It’s just a pity that the three boxes aren’t a matching set."

While paying, she requested, "Miss, please pack all three boxes for me. Two for my sister’s wedding dowry, and one for myself to keep."

Yun Zhen hadn’t expected all three jewelry boxes to sell out right from the start. Overjoyed, she said, "Alright, please wait a moment." She quickly packed the three jewelry boxes into exquisite small bags she had specially bought.

"One thousand five hundred yuan received!"

Hearing the payment notification from her app, Yun Zhen handed the items to the woman and saw her off with a smile. "Take care."

The remaining wooden hairpins and wooden fridge magnets sold out within an hour. Many young people bought the hairpins in pairs and the magnets in sets of three or four. Although the crocheted dolls didn’t sell as fast, they too were bought up one by one after the wooden crafts were gone.

Yun Zhen waved her hand. "Grandma Sun, I have to go to work now. See you tomorrow."

"Oh my, your business is so good. At this rate, you’ll be able to open a store once you come of age," Granny Sun praised.

"Opening a store isn’t that easy. Right now, I just plan on making a bit more money." Yun Zhen smiled. She wanted to earn more so she could eventually build a large courtyard house for every family in her village.

Granny Sun chuckled heartily. "What a hardworking child!"

Yun Zhen went to work at Sister-in-law Liu’s vegetable stall. Li Mei had arrived a bit earlier than her and had been playing on her phone for quite a while. She was patting her chest, looking extremely frightened.

Yun Zhen asked with concern, "Meimei, what’s wrong?"

Li Mei’s face was solemn. She took a deep breath, leaned in, and whispered, "Yun Zhen, I was just watching a video. Guess what I saw?"

Yun Zhen was puzzled. "What did you see? You look so scared. You didn’t see the killer, did you? Was he caught?"

It would be wonderful if he were caught, Yun Zhen thought. Then she would be able to go shopping at the farmer’s market and the flea market again.

Li Mei shuddered. "I did see the killer, but he wasn’t caught. He killed again! This time, he slaughtered his own sister’s entire family!

"I heard his sister was even a mid-level manager at some company. Before he went to the psychiatric hospital, she provided for him, giving him food and drink. He had previously committed theft and robbery, and his sister was the one who bailed him out every time he ended up at the police station for injuring people. Later, when he murdered a neighbor, he was supposed to go to prison and catch a bullet. But his sister pulled strings and sent him to a psychiatric hospital instead. Even though he lost his freedom, at least he didn’t have to die.

"But he escaped from the mental hospital, got into an argument with someone, and killed a real estate boss. Then he tracked down his sister’s family and hacked his sister, brother-in-law, and his own nephew to death. He probably held a grudge against his sister for putting him in the hospital."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "The way a lunatic’s brain works is just different from an ordinary person’s. If it weren’t for his sister back then, he would have caught a bullet long ago. Do you think she regrets it now?"

Hearing this, Yun Zhen broke into a cold sweat. She swallowed hard. "It’s too late for regrets!"

Li Mei nodded. "Her in-laws, her husband, her son, and even herself—all hacked to death by her own brother. It’s what she deserves for shielding a murderer. It really is too late for regrets now."

"When did this happen?" Sister-in-law Liu suddenly asked quietly from behind them.

Li Mei jumped in fright. "Sister-in-law Liu, how come you don’t make any sound when you walk? You scared me to death."

She then answered her question, "It happened just this noon. It’s all over the internet right now. The police are under a lot of pressure, too. They said whoever provides a valid clue about the killer will get ten thousand yuan. And if someone can track him down, they’ll be rewarded two hundred thousand once the police catch him! It was only one hundred thousand yesterday!"

The bounty had been increased! If someone could find the killer and help the police catch him, the victims’ families were offering eight hundred thousand, plus the police’s two hundred thousand—that was a total of one million yuan. They would become a millionaire overnight! However, this money wouldn’t be easy to get. One wrong move and they would lose their lives!

Sister-in-law Liu sighed, "For such a major criminal case, the police actually doubled the reward!"

Li Mei mentioned, "I heard his sister lived in the South City District. My home is right on the edge of the South City District. Looks like I need to go home earlier after work from now on."

After hearing this, Yun Zhen thought she should hurry home earlier too.

After work, Yun Zhen headed straight back to her dormitory, just like yesterday.

THUD!

Just as she entered her residential complex carrying a bag of vegetables, she collided head-on with a tightly bundled-up man. She was almost knocked flying, and the bag of vegetables dropped to the ground. She quickly picked it up.

She apologized sincerely, "I’m sorry, I was walking too fast."

The man was obviously startled as well. He glared at her fiercely without saying a word, but Yun Zhen sensed a dangerous aura from him. She guessed this man was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

When she looked up, she was almost scared to death!

In the dead of winter, she often saw people who were afraid of the cold wearing long padded jackets, covering themselves tightly from head to toe with attached hoods on their heads and weird masks on their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed. The man in front of her completely concealed himself in a black padded jacket and wore a mask, leaving only his eyes and forehead exposed.

Yun Zhen had a good memory, and Li Mei was someone who loved to share things. From yesterday to now, she had seen the killer’s mugshot on Li Mei’s phone more than once. She remembered that the killer’s eyebrows were broken in the exact same spot on both sides, and there were many deep wrinkles in the middle of his forehead from frowning. Most importantly, there was a small black pockmark under his left eye.

The man in front of her matched this description perfectly!