Perhaps the man's words wouldn't raise any suspicions in the ears of others, but to Yun Que'er and the others, they were enough to make the man seem highly suspicious.
Either he was just curious and had inquired about how and where Yun Mo Tan got injured, or someone had told him.
In any case, this man was definitely not simple.
Unless he claimed to be a divine being with the power of foresight, it would be difficult for him to clear his name.
Yun Fu Jin and Yun Que'er had a rough idea in mind and quickly left the school and returned to the village.
After getting home, Yun Que'er specifically described the man's appearance and features to Yun Mo Tan.
Upon hearing this, Yun Mo Tan blurted out immediately.
"How could it be him? He's the most honest person I know."
Honest? That remained to be seen.
Judging from his large and stocky build and his fierce-looking face, he didn't seem like a good person.
Thinking that Yun Que'er was judging people by their appearance, Yun Mo Tan quickly explained to her.
"Don't be deceived by his intimidating appearance. He's actually a very down-to-earth and hardworking person. Did you notice the scar on his face? When he was young, he came across a hooligan harassing a young girl on the street. He stepped in to help and got his face cut in the process. A man who would help a stranger, how could he possibly harm others on purpose?"
As he spoke, Yun Mo Tan let out a sigh.
"Moreover, I heard that his mother is seriously ill and has been hospitalized in the county hospital. He has to rush to the county on his bike every night after finishing his work at school. He's so busy with his own family affairs that he hardly has any time to harm me. Besides, we have no grudges against each other. I even donated some money to him a few days ago."
It seemed that the man was indeed innocent and had no reason to harm Yun Mo Tan, but Yun Que'er had a different opinion.
"What's wrong with his mother?" Yun Que'er asked.
"She has liver cancer and is already in the advanced stage. She's only kept alive by medication." Yun Mo Tan let out another sigh. "I had a chat with him when I went to the school cafeteria for my last meal last Friday. He said that his mother only had about a month to live. He wanted to quit his job and go back to accompany his mother. He just wanted to fulfill his filial duty."
Yun Mo Tan's face was filled with pity as he kept feeling sorry for the man's tragic fate.
However, Yun Que'er felt something was off and asked,
"Has the school organized a donation drive for him? He must have spent a fortune on his mother's treatment."
Yun Mo Tan nodded. "He's borrowed money from almost all his relatives and friends. I heard that he even sold his house to pay for his mother's medical bills, but it still wasn't enough. He's been working in the school cafeteria for decades, so the school organized a donation drive a few days ago."
Yun Que'er extracted two pieces of information from Yun Mo Tan's words.
Firstly, the man was heavily in debt and would still have to repay the money even after his mother passed away.
Secondly, the school had organized a donation drive for him, so the school had been kind to him.
For either of these reasons, the man shouldn't have quit his job.
Even if he wanted to be with his mother during her last days and avoid leaving any regrets in his life, he only needed to take a leave of absence.
The school was well aware of his situation and would surely understand and approve his leave. Why did he have to quit his job?
It seemed more like he was trying to run away.
"This is exactly the problem," Yun Que'er blurted out. "Dad, think carefully. Why did he quit his job?"
Yun Mo Tan was taken aback by Yun Que'er's question and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
After thinking carefully for a long time, he finally understood what Yun Que'er meant.
He opened his mouth in surprise. "Yes, why?"
Seizing the opportunity, Yun Que'er asked,
"Dad, think back carefully. Who started the conversation that day? How did he react during the conversation?"
Yun Mo Tan thought for a while and said, "I started the conversation. He seemed quite surprised when I talked to him. I thought it was strange at the time because we were quite familiar with each other. He worked at the teacher's window in the cafeteria, and we often chatted. Later, I thought it might be because he was preoccupied with his mother's illness, and my sudden conversation startled him. Also... he didn't seem to look me in the eye when we were chatting..."
Guilty conscience. This was definitely a sign of guilty conscience!
If he had already decided to harm Yun Mo Tan, then when Yun Mo Tan suddenly stepped forward to talk to him and specifically inquired about his mother's illness, the man must have had a complex mix of emotions.
On the one hand, he had already made up his mind to harm Yun Mo Tan. On the other hand, he felt ashamed because of Yun Mo Tan's concern.
That's why he didn't look at Yun Mo Tan and didn't dare to look at him.
Yun Que'er didn't say anything else and just stared at Yun Mo Tan.
But she didn't need to say more. Yun Mo Tan understood.
Yun Mo Tan just couldn't understand. "Why would he target me? We have no grudges against each other, and our relationship has always been good."
To be honest, Yun Mo Tan had donated the most during the donation drive and had even given him some money privately. Under no circumstances should he have targeted him.
Yun Mo Tan felt heartbroken on the one hand and still held out a glimmer of hope on the other, thinking that perhaps they had guessed wrong.
But whether they had guessed wrong or not could be verified by investigating.
The next day, Yun Que'er and Yun Fu Jin set off again.
This time, their destination was the county hospital.
Upon arrival, they headed straight for the oncology department.
There were quite a few patients here. Most of them were emaciated, indicating that they were already in the advanced stage.
Although they were hospitalized, they were only surviving for a short time with the help of medication.
A small number of them looked no different from normal people and even had rosy complexions. They must have just been diagnosed and still had hope in their eyes, believing that they could be cured.
Yun Que'er couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions as she watched.
With the current medical level, it seemed that many people were doomed to die...
Yun Que'er shook her head and sighed, then continued to observe carefully.
Finally, she saw an old woman who was almost skin and bones in a corner bed. The man taking care of her was the same one they had seen yesterday.
He was carefully wiping his mother's body with a wet towel while whispering something to her. From time to time, he would make a funny face to make her laugh.
However, it seemed that his mother was in great pain and could hardly bear it. She could only manage a weak smile because her son was by her side.
The bed in the corner was in a terrible state. The iron frames at the head and foot of the bed had lost their paint.
The bed sheets and covers were brought by themselves. The stitches were loose, and the color had faded a lot, indicating that they had been used for many years.
It seemed that their financial situation was not very good.
Moreover, all their money had been spent on medical treatment, and they didn't have any extra money for other things. Even the bananas on the bedside table had turned completely black.