Chapter 145: Shifting the Blame to Big Brother—Simple and Safe

“No, no, that can’t be right!”

Shopkeeper Liang still couldn’t believe that Old Cao was dead. He tried to find flaws in Constable Liu’s words.

“The last time Kang An died, the killer even left behind a written confession to expose his crimes. Old Cao, at most, was just a little greedy. That’s not a crime worth killing someone over!”

“If someone was going to kill, it would be to rid the world of evil. What reason would they have to kill Old Cao?”

Outside, Bai Yun’an, who was crouched down eavesdropping, nodded vigorously. Exactly!

Kang An got killed because he was a despicable scumbag!

Why would anyone want to kill Manager Cao?

“You’re really so sure that killing Kang An was about justice? What if the guy’s just a serial killer? Those so-called ‘evidences’ about Kang An’s crimes could have been completely made up.”

Constable Liu had his own theory, and it wasn’t entirely without merit. But…

Outside, Bai Yun’an: …

This guy’s brain is wasted on law enforcement. He should be writing fiction.

What a professional pot-stirrer.

Still, Constable Liu’s words weren’t entirely baseless.

Maybe the person who killed Manager Cao was thinking the same thing.

Kill Manager Cao, then pin the murder on the one who killed Kang An.

If we speculate about the motive, it’s not that hard to guess.

First, maybe it was just a personal grudge against Manager Cao. A private vendetta, nothing more.

Second, like Constable Liu said, maybe it really is a serial killer who gets a thrill out of killing and dismembering. If that’s the case, there’ll probably be another “Corpse Brother” showing up soon.

Third…

“Not again!!!”

Bai Yun’an suddenly sensed his big brother’s presence and remembered that their second brother was still in the courtyard.

Got it. Big Brother must have tracked the energy signature left on Second Brother.

The energy signature Big Brother had left on him earlier had been erased by the system not long after they left the house.

Bai Yun’an quickly found a place to hide, ready to watch the show unfold.

Following the spiritual energy trail from Second Brother, Bai Yunqi didn’t charge in recklessly either. He also picked a spot to hide and observe what was happening inside the house.

Outside the courtyard, one person hid to the left, another to the right.

Inside, Shopkeeper Liang insisted on going with Constable Liu to the yamen to see for himself.

He had to confirm with his own eyes that Old Cao was really dead.

“Xiao yunxing, hurry and go buy some ink. Once you’ve got it, go straight home. Don’t go wandering around, understand?”

“Okay.”

Bai Yunxing answered obediently.

But the moment he turned around, he ran straight toward the place where Kang An used to live.

Who actually goes out to buy ink, seriously?

Besides, he didn’t even have any money.

Bai Yunqi clicked his tongue. “Tsk… Looks like our little second brother isn’t so simple after all…”

Not following them out, running back and forth—what exactly is going on in that little head of his?

He had to follow and find out.

Watching Big Brother leave as well, Bai Yun’an felt like the whole household was descending into chaos.

Big Brother was strong, but simple-minded. He did things in a straightforward, almost naive way.

Second Brother might be weak, but every move he made was full of mystery. No one could figure out what he was really after.

Poor Bai Yun’an…

He had to hide items in his spatial storage that didn’t belong in this era, win over his little sister, and now even fend off Big Brother with his strength.

And now he couldn’t even rest his brain. He had to dig into Second Brother’s secrets too.

Lying flat and doing nothing? Not an option.

Only when everything is in your own hands can you feel truly safe.

Wait a minute!

Bai Yun’an suddenly halted mid-step. Wasn’t Big Brother supposed to be with Juanjuan?

Now Big Brother was following Second Brother, and he was following Big Brother, so… where was Juanjuan?

…

Juanjuan sat alone in the courtyard, glancing at the gate from time to time before sighing. Her small body curled up, and she rested her cheek on her knees.

“Sigh…”

Second Brother ran off.

Third Brother ran after Second Brother.

Big Brother ran after both of them.

She was the only one left at home, watching over their still-sleeping parents.

There were bad people out there. Without Big Brother by her side, she didn’t dare follow Tiezhu and the others around.

Forget bad people—even a random older kid could easily beat her up. No contest.

Juanjuan looked at her skinny little arms. “When will I finally grow up…”

“Dough balls? Juanjuan, you want to eat dough balls?”

Bai Tian yawned and stretched as he walked out, still groggy. The sudden sunlight made him squint, and his whole face looked crumpled.

Juanjuan: …

She looked at her dad and sighed again.

She meant she wanted to grow up!

Not that she wanted to eat dough balls!

But she didn’t say anything. If she said she wanted to grow up, Dad would definitely ask why.

“Yeah, I want dough balls.”

Juanjuan nodded. Now that he mentioned it, she did kind of want some.

Bai Tian yawned again. “No problem! I’ll make you some tonight!”

【Investing in Shiwei Restaurant really paid off. Now I can learn a couple dishes from the chef for free!】

Of course, it was just some simple home-style cooking.

As for the secret recipes, it wasn’t just that the chef wouldn’t teach them—even if he did, Bai Tian wasn’t sure he could learn them properly.

“What does ‘no problem’ mean?” Juanjuan asked curiously, looking at her dad with wide eyes, hoping for an explanation.

Usually, when her parents mumbled things she didn’t understand, she had to hold back her questions. But now that he said it out loud, she wasn’t going to miss the chance to ask!

Bai Tian replied, “It means ‘sure thing.’”

As he spoke, he made a hand gesture like he was grabbing something. “No problem, piece of cake.”

Juanjuan nodded, committing it to memory while muttering to herself to help it stick.

“No problem means sure thing…”

While Juanjuan was still mumbling, Bai Tian had already pushed open the door to his sons’ room.

“Dad…”

Juanjuan had just opened her mouth when she saw her dad standing dumbfounded in the doorway, turning to look at her.

His handsome face wore a calm but numb expression.

“They ran off again.”

It wasn’t even a question. It was a statement.

After spending so much time with them, Bai Tian had pretty much figured out what kind of people his three sons were.

Juanjuan nodded and was just about to speak when someone walked in through the door—it was Third Brother.

“Dad, you’re awake!”

Bai Yun’an walked in casually, showing no sign of guilt at being caught.

Bai Tian asked, “Where did you go?”

“Bathroom, of course! If you don’t believe me, ask Juanjuan—she heard it.”

Juanjuan nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

She had indeed heard it, but she also knew Second Brother had snuck off to do something big. That part, she couldn’t say.

Bai Tian looked suspicious. “And the other two?”

Bai Yun’an blinked. “Second Brother left a note for you guys!”

Bai Tian: “Where?”

“Right here!”

Jiang Dai walked out of the room holding a piece of paper and handed it to Bai Tian. “It was on the table. You didn’t even look!”

Then she crouched down and smiled warmly at her daughter. “Juanjuan, what did you do for lunch?”

Juanjuan, who had almost run off with her brothers but got tossed back home by Big Brother: …

If she told the truth, she’d probably get scolded.

Luckily, Bai Yun’an reacted fast.

“Originally, Big Brother was going to take us out to play, but Second Brother refused. Juanjuan and I couldn’t resist Big Brother’s temptation and followed him.”

“But we hadn’t gone far when I got a stomachache and had to find a place to go. Juanjuan probably thought it wasn’t safe to be out at noon, so she came back on her own!”

In just two sentences, he casually dumped all the blame onto Bai Yunqi.

Then he turned to Juanjuan. “Right, Juanjuan?”

Juanjuan nodded. That sounded about right… but something felt off.

Bai Tian gritted his teeth. “That’s definitely something Goudan would do!”

“Dad, Mom, my stomach still hurts. I’m gonna go lie down!”

Bai Yun’an made a quick exit, brushing off the mess like it was nothing.

【I used to feel bad about shifting blame to a kid, but Big Brother doesn’t count as a kid.】

【Prejudice really is a mountain¹. I’ve been acting all obedient just so I could dump the blame when needed. Big Brother causes trouble all the time, so pinning it on him feels totally natural.】

【That’s why keeping up appearances is so important.】

Juanjuan stared in disbelief, feeling like she’d just learned something incredible.

But…

She looked toward the door.

If Big Brother’s coming back, then the sky must be about to fall.

---

Translator’s Notes