Chapter 83

On Tuesday, May 30th, the much-anticipated Children's Day for the elementary school students was just the day after tomorrow. Indeed, it was much-anticipated, but not in a good way, because there was no holiday. Moreover, various activities that were nothing but a burden to the students made Children's Day something that few children truly looked forward to. It was more like a festival where children entertained adults, and the term "much-anticipated" was not at all misplaced.

During the morning reading session on that day, something happened in Class 1, Grade 6 of the Experimental Elementary School: Jiang Xiaolong returned! Jiang Xiaolong, who had returned to the classroom, looked very tired, with a slightly pale face. The other students seemed a bit uneasy about his return, as they had heard about the incident at his home. Everyone was a bit afraid, and for a moment, no one was willing to talk to Jiang Xiaolong.

However, a few bold and curious boys, without much hesitation, approached Jiang Xiaolong to ask why he had been absent from school. Hearing their questions, He Ping almost burst out laughing. They directly asked Jiang Xiaolong if there were ghosts at his house, if his whole family had been scared crazy, and if they had all been admitted to a mental hospital.

He Ping looked at Jiang Xiaolong, who wore glasses and had a crew cut, with great interest. He was curious about how Jiang Xiaolong would respond to these questions and how he would react upon hearing them. Clearly, He Ping was not the only one interested in these questions. Although the other students did not approach Jiang Xiaolong, almost everyone's attention was on him.

As expected, upon hearing the boys' questions, Jiang Xiaolong's face immediately changed. It had been pale, but now it turned ashen, and he even trembled a bit. His eyes showed a hint of fear, clearly thinking of something unpleasant. The boys who asked the questions realized that the situation was not right and felt a bit regretful. Just as they were at a loss, a voice came from outside the door:

"Everyone, sit in your seats! No whispering! Read your books properly and don't meddle in other people's business. If you have the time, focus on your grades!"

Along with the voice, a tall, thin man in his fifties with graying hair and glasses entered the classroom. He wore a white shirt and dark blue pants, carrying a few books. He was their homeroom teacher, and coincidentally, although He Ping had forgotten his name, he remembered his surname, which was Ban. The students often called him "Old Ban," both for his surname and his position.

"Jiang Xiaolong!" Old Ban scanned the class, and seeing that everyone had quieted down, he said to Jiang Xiaolong, whose face was still ashen, "Come out for a moment. The rest of you, continue with the morning reading. Zhao Yukuo, you're in charge of maintaining discipline."

Old Ban called Jiang Xiaolong out, which was understandable. After such an incident, even with treatment and counseling, it was still too heavy a burden for a young student. Moreover, it was unclear if Jiang Xiaolong had heard about his uncle Jiang Deming's death. All these things together could potentially ruin Jiang Xiaolong. Although Old Ban was not particularly fond of Jiang Xiaolong, who was already quite cunning at a young age, he was still a student in his class and could not be ignored.

Jiang Xiaolong and Old Ban left, and with the topic of conversation gone, there was nothing much to talk about. They had already discussed Jiang Xiaolong's situation to death over the past few days, and they did not know about Jiang Deming's death. Therefore, everyone returned to reading their books, or at least pretended to.

At this moment, He Ping quietly poked Zhao Yukuo's arm. Seeing Zhao Yukuo turn around with a questioning look, He Ping whispered, "Is your dad a police officer?"

Zhao Yukuo nodded. Many people knew this, as her father had come to school for parent-teacher meetings in his police uniform, so many students knew that Zhao Yukuo's father was a police officer.

"Is he the captain of the city police's criminal investigation team?"

Seeing Zhao Yukuo's puzzled expression, He Ping chuckled to himself. He had made a mistake. Although Zhao Yukuo knew her father was a police officer, she, as a young student, did not understand his specific position. Even if she did, her father probably thought it unnecessary to explain his position to his elementary school daughter. So He Ping changed his question: "Is he a leader in the police department?"

This time, Zhao Yukuo nodded. Although she did not know his exact position, she had seen other police officers treat her father with respect, so she knew he was a leader. However, she was still a bit puzzled. What did He Ping have to do with her father? Why was he asking about her father?

He Ping took out a sealed envelope and said, "When you get home today, if you see your dad, give him this. I think he won't be home for lunch, so if he's not there, give it to him when he gets home in the afternoon. In any case, as soon as you see him, find a chance to give it to him. If he asks what it is, tell him it's from me and contains information about a case he's currently investigating."

Zhao Yukuo felt her brain was not enough to process this. Her father was a police officer, and in the eyes of elementary school students, police officers investigated cases. But what did this have to do with He Ping? How did he know which case her father was investigating? And where did he get this information? Perhaps she had not reacted quickly enough, but she subconsciously took the envelope from He Ping and prepared to put it in her backpack.

"Love letter! It's a love letter, right?"

A sudden shout from behind made He Ping pause. Then he immediately realized that sixth grade was the age when children started to understand the differences between boys and girls. At this age, children were very sensitive, and he had underestimated their curiosity about gossip. No one else had heard his conversation with Zhao Yukuo, but from their perspective, he had given her an envelope and whispered to her, and she had put it in her backpack. This was clearly a love letter, and these two were definitely up to something!

He Ping was at a loss, wondering what kind of situation this was. If he really wanted to confess, would he use a love letter? Even if it were a love letter, wouldn't he use a better envelope, like the scented, patterned ones sold in the store near the school? The envelope He Ping gave to Zhao Yukuo was a plain brown envelope he had found in his parents' bedroom, usually used for official letters. No matter how awkward, no one would use such an envelope for a love letter!

With this shout, the whole class turned their attention to them. He Ping did not care; he did not even bother to explain. A bunch of kids, what did they know about love letters? However, Zhao Yukuo's face had turned red from her neck to her ears.

[PS: Second update of the day!]