After resting for a night, Qu Xiaotang got up early in the morning and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast for them. Afraid that they would not be used to eating bread, she also specially boiled a pot of porridge.

When the breakfast was set on the table, Qu Xiaoyan walked down.

"Sister, you got up so early?" Qu Xiaoyan yawned and looked at Qu Xiaotang.

Qu Xiaotang nodded, pulled out a stool and sat down: "Xiaoyan, are there any clues about my uncle's matter?" I didn't ask you yesterday, I don't know what the situation is. ”

"I have a little bit of a clue now. The clues given by Brother Jing Shuo are still quite helpful, and after I read it, I analyzed something with Brother Luo. Qu Xiaoyan said with a smile.

"It would be nice to help. But Xiaoyan, have you probably figured out what to do next? Qu Xiaotang took a sip of porridge and asked.

Qu Xiaoyan sighed: "Now we can only study my father's painting first, and we can't do anything else." ”

"I still want to go to Xicheng to see it, and I always feel that my uncle didn't just leave a painting. I always felt like there was something else waiting for us. Qu Xiaotang said firmly.

"Early, you're all so early." Shen Xin took Luo Hao's hand and walked downstairs.

Qu Xiaotang hurriedly asked, "Are you still planning to go to Xicheng today?" ”

"Shall we?" Shen Xin glanced at Luo Hao.

Luo Hao nodded: "Xiaoyan, you said yesterday that you wanted to stay and study this painting. Then let's go separately, the three of us go to Xicheng, you study hard at home, and keep in touch at any time. ”

"Okay, Brother Luo protects Sister Shen Xin and my sister." Qu Xiaoyan said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, let's have breakfast first, shall we?" Qu Xiaotang greeted.

"Okay, I smell the fragrance early in the morning." Shen Xin pulled out the chair next to Qu Xiaotang and sat down, and they tacitly did not mention last night's incident.

After breakfast, Luo Hao took Qu Xiaotang and Shen Xin out of the door.

After driving to Xicheng, the three of them came to the office of a director in charge of logistics in Xicheng. This was only found out yesterday when Qu Xiaoyan looked through the information.

Qu Xiaotang knocked on the door, and after getting a response from the people inside, she pushed the door open and walked in.

"You're ......" the director pushed his glasses and looked at the stranger in front of him.

"Hello, we're here to ask you about someone. My uncle came to Xicheng more than ten years ago, and there has been no news of him since then. So we know that you are specifically responsible for recording these files, so we have come to you to check them. Qu Xiaotang said politely.

The director was puzzled: "Your uncle? This is that these files are replaced every five years, and more than ten years ago, they have long been lost. ”

"Huh? Do you know a man named Luo Peng? He was a painter. Shen Xin took over.

"You said Luo Peng? You ......," the director's eyes widened.

Qu Xiaotang saw that his reaction was wrong, and hurriedly stepped forward: "You know, right?" Please, Luo Peng is really important to us, please tell us the truth. ”

"Evil, Luo Peng is long gone. After all these years, why did you come to him? When the director mentioned Luo Peng, his expression was not very good.

"Director, what do you mean by that......" Qu Xiaotang stood in place.

"Don't you understand? Little girl, Luo Peng has already died, died in the autumn ten years ago. The director waved his hand.

When Qu Xiaotang heard this, he retreated again and again in disbelief. When she leaned against the cold wall, she came back to her senses: "How is it possible? How could my uncle ......"

"I don't know exactly what the situation is. But I know that Luo Peng is a good man. But after all these years, why hasn't any of you come looking for him? It's not that I said, now that people have been gone for so many years, where are you going to find them? The director sighed.

"No, Director, are you lying to me? My uncle obviously just ran away from home, how could he ......" Qu Xiaotang still couldn't accept it.

The director sighed: "How dare I lie to you about such a big thing?" Back then, I was the only one who was good friends with him, and during that time, we drank a few glasses of wine every day, didn't I know him well enough? But you, who claim to be his family, don't even know if he is dead or alive? ”

"We ......" Luo Hao didn't know what to say.

"When Luo Peng first came to Xicheng, he was very embarrassed. Or did I take him in and give him a place to live. He was a stubborn man who didn't want to say what he did. Later, when I saw him painting in the backyard, I realized that he was a painter. But then, the smile on his face diminished every day. The last time I saw him, he said he was sorry for his family, but he couldn't go back. He said he couldn't live anymore and had to make his own sacrifices. I couldn't stop him, I could only watch him leave. The director sighed.

Qu Xiaotang shook his head: "What about later?" Is he really dead? ”

"There are some things that you might as well find out for yourself. Luo Peng's home lives at the end of the alley next to my office, and this is the key to his home. When he left, he said that if one day his family came back to him, he would give them the keys to find them themselves. If no one ever looks for him, bury the key in the earth and seal everything in the dust. The director took out a key and put it in Qu Xiaotang's hand.

Qu Xiaotang pinched the key in his hand, only to feel extremely distressed.

After leaving the director's office, they walked through the end of the alley to the last residence.

It looks like no one has lived in it for more than ten years.

When Qu Xiaotang opened the door, dust came to her face, and she sneezed several times.

When he stepped into the house, Qu Xiaotang saw a painting in the center at a glance.

It was a painting of my uncle and aunt and Xiaoyan when she was a child.

They were a family of three, smiling wantonly in the sunshine.

Qu Xiaotang stepped forward and gently touched the painting. It was as if through this painting, she could even see her uncle sitting in front of the drawing board, painting with a smile.

"Xiaotang, let's go inside and have a look, shall we?" Shen Xin stepped forward and said to Qu Xiaotang.

Qu Xiaotang nodded and followed them into the house.

The furnishings in the room are simple, but most of them are paintings.

"Let's split up, what's there?" Luo Hao suggested.

Qu Xiaotang nodded: "Then Shen Xin, you go to the corridor and take a look, Officer Luo, you go to the backyard." I'm here in the front hall, let's look for it together, it's hard work. ”

"It's okay, let's go." Shen Xin pulled Luo Hao to act separately.

Qu Xiaotang covered his chest and looked at the paintings hanging on the wall, almost all of which were personal portraits of his aunt. Every day when he couldn't see his aunt, his uncle looked at the portrait and thought about things.

After so many years, he didn't go back to see his favorite girl.

"Why?" Qu Xiaotang muttered to himself.

She leaned back slowly, and when her back hit the wooden wall in the center, it bounced off. A small wooden box was slowly pushed out, and Qu Xiaotang was almost dumbfounded.