"So you still haven't figured out how Yue Guangping's gun was lost at that time?" Yang Mei asked in a muffled voice as she ate Hainan chicken rice while sitting cross-legged in the back seat.
"Meimei, you are a big girl, can you pay attention to your appearance?" Yan Xie rubbed his forehead and turned back from the front passenger seat, with a disgusting look of love and helplessness on his face: "Look at you, an unmarried girl, eating without manners. There are green onions stuffed between your teeth, and your hair is almost falling into the meal, is it not oily?"
"I can get married if I pay attention to my appearance?" Yang Mei rolled her eyes.
Yan Xie said, "Why can't you? Dad will give you a thatched cottage, a tricycle, and 888 yuan in cash as a dowry…"
Yang Mei immediately leaned over to the driver's seat: "Brother Jiang! Let's live together, the Yan family is bankrupt!"
Yan Xie hurriedly pushed her to the back seat, "Go away, dad changed his mind and decided to let you stay in the boudoir for the rest of your life!"
Jiang Ting calmly looked ahead, turning a deaf ear to everything that was happening around him, and the car sped forward on the highway smoothly.
Xi Hanxiang, 62 years old, was a resident of the Yuejia Village, under Gaorong County.
Gaorong County was not too far from Gongzhou. It took them only three hours to drive there. After arriving at the county, they walked to Yuejia Village and arrived at the house of the head of the village when it was close to dinner.
Qi Sihao couldn't ask for leave because of today's meeting, so he had to stay in the city bureau while appearing calm, but in reality, he was frightened. Only the three of them rushed to Yuejia Village — this was a sparsely populated village. Because it was close to the big city Gongzhou, young and middle-aged people especially women have all gone out to work, and the newly built small buildings in the village were mostly empty nesters with left-behind children.
People like them who were used to criminal investigation work knew that it was very abrupt for one or two strangers to appear in a small place. If three of them appear at the same time, the news would spread from one end of the village to the other in an instant. So after the discussion, they decided to keep Yang Mei, a woman with high heels, red lips, and a very different style, in the car. Jiang Ting was wearing sunglasses, and Yan Xie was carrying the cigarettes, wine, and gifts bought on the way, in his hands as they walked to the destination.
Previously, Qi Sihao found out the specific address of the housekeeper through the local police station. Xi Hanxiang's house was a three-story white-walled building with a very distinctive rural self-built villa style. The ground was covered with large stones and cement mortar. The whole building looked pretty new. There was a child in a red sweater playing at the door. Seeing Yan Xie approaching, he looked curiously.
"Come here!" Yan Xie waved at him: "Come here and call me uncle, then I'll give you a candy!"
The child wiped his hand on his trousers and hopped down the steps. Yan Xie took out a package of imported chocolates from the gift bag, threw it to him, and pointed to the white wall building, asking, "Is there an adult here?"
The child ran back like an arrow: "Grandma—grandpa—!"
Yan Xie didn't understand: "What?"
Jiang Ting said: "Grandma and grandpa. Xi Hanxiang should be his grandma."
The child got into the door like a loach. After a while, the wooden door opened again, and a dark square-faced woman stuck out half of her body. Her doubtful gaze swept over the two of them: "…You are…"
Yan Xie blocked Jiang Ting with half of his body, stepped forward, and took out the police badge from his pocket.
"Sorry, Aunt Xi." Although his actions were tough, his words were very gentle and polite: "We are the former subordinates of Chief Yue Guangping. I want to ask you about Old Yue."
Five minutes later, the First-floor living room.
"Both, my daughter and her husband, went to the city to work, and the old man and I were at home, busy with our work and looking after the children." Xi Hanxiang sat on the sofa coldly, and she pushed the gift bag back in front of Yan Xie: "I will not accept the things. If you have something to ask, hurry up, I'm still busy."
Obviously not cooperating.
"..." Yan Xie and Jiang Ting looked at each other. The latter was still wearing sunglasses indoors and shook his head invisibly at him.
"Cough, it's like this." Yan Xie was very experienced in interrogating suspects, but in the face of a hostile aunt in her 60s who was very combative at first glance, he was inexplicably a little clueless, so he cleared his throat: "We heard that you have been working in Old Yue's house for eight or nine years, is that true?"
The aunt spat out a word: "Yes."
"Then you should know Old Yue quite well?"
"I don't know much."
"…Do you know the reason for Old Yue's death?"
As Yan Xie expected, Xi Hanxiang showed a subtle change in expression when facing this problem.
"Heart disease." Her throat slid up and down, and as if in a defensive counterattack, she asked back: "Isn't it normal for people of our age to have problems with their hearts and blood pressure? Why, the person is already safely buried under the ground; can you still pull him out and do an autopsy?"
As expected of an aunt who works as a housekeeper at the police chief's house, she used a particular set of words when speaking.
However, Yan Xie remained silent and simply nodded while repeating, "Heart disease."
Xi Hanxiang rolled her eyes and crossed her strong arms.
"—Do you know anything about Old Yue's interpersonal relationships before his death? Any male juniors who have a particularly close relationship, such as the son of a comrade-in-arms, a nephew who came from his hometown, or…" Yan Xie stared at her face tightly, not letting go of any changes in her micro-expressions. He slowly aggravated his tone with every word: "An illegitimate son?"
When the last word came out, Xi Hanxiang felt like she was electrocuted, and her butt almost jumped off the sofa: "What nonsense are you talking about? The old man passed away, you can't insult his name like this, you— you are just—"
"This is just a normal guess by the police. We found this in Old Yue's house." Yan Xie retrieved the photo of the trench coat from the album on his mobile phone, slammed it in front of Xi Hanxiang, and coldly asked, "Do you know how much this suit cost?"
Xi Hanxiang glanced at the phone screen, trembled violently, and immediately turned her eyes away.
"Sure enough, you also know that this is a gift that Old Yue bought and was going to give to that person." Yan Xie tapped his index finger on the phone and spoke clearly and cruelly: "An old bureau chief spent far more than his usual consumption to buy such a luxurious gift for another young man — if you can't be sure it's a nephew or a child, the police will generate more guesses than you can imagine, many of which will be filthier and more unacceptable than an illegitimate son."
Xi Hanxiang stared and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Yan Xie's calm and sharp words:
"I understand that your concealment may be for the sake of Old Yue's name, but do you really think that he died of a "heart attack"? You were his housekeeper; don't you remember how his heart felt most of the time, whether he took medicine or not, and whether it was serious enough to kill him? Didn't you have any doubts? "
Xi Hanxiang's mouth was still open, but her words seemed to be cut off suddenly, and she stared blankly at Yan Xie.
After a long while, she forced out a few words: "That matter… has something to do with this?"
"Old Yue had received a visitor before his death, and it should be a man with a very close relationship with him." Yan Xie sat back, slightly raised his chin, and looked down at Xi Hanxiang: "After this visitor left, Old Yue was killed. Do you think it has anything to do with it?"
Xi Hanxiang, who was fuming with anger just now, suddenly seemed to have had her spine removed, and she fell softly on the back of the sofa.
Suddenly Jiang Ting, who had always been quiet, opened his mouth, his voice low and gentle: "If I've observed correctly, this building should have been built one or two years ago, at most three years ago, right?"
Xi Hanxiang was confused and subconsciously asked, "So what?"
Yan Xie didn't notice this, so he couldn't help but glance at Jiang Ting.
"Many people in the countryside like to renovate old houses. Even if they usually work in towns and no one lives in their hometown, they will build small buildings that do not lag behind others. Otherwise, they will easily be laughed at by their neighbors." Jiang Ting looked around and said, "I was just thinking about how your small building was built, because as far as I know, your husband was almost incapacitated by severe rheumatism, right?"
"I didn't—"
"I know you won't do anything against the law. After all, Old Yue was the chief of public security. But when Old Yue fired you three years ago, he should have made some arrangements for your old age."
"..." Xi Hanxiang did not speak and seemed to be agreeing silently.
"Old Yue had thought so much for you, why don't you think about him?" Jiang Ting leaned forward slightly and stared straight at her cloudy, red eyes: "Whether Old Yue suffered from a heart attack or was harmed by others, maybe only you can provide the last clue."
Xi Hanxiang was silent for a long time, her arms that were crossed on her chest fell to her sides at some point, drooping slackly. If one looked carefully, her hands were trembling slightly, her fingernails piercing her thumbs.
"It's all him," She suddenly burst out and repeated fiercely: "It must be him!"
Yan Xie became spirited.
"That so-called 'adopted son'!" Xi Hanxiang gritted his teeth: "That big wild species suddenly jumped out of nowhere, and I don't know what kind of ecstasy soup he poured him so that Old Yue came back happily and wanted to recognize him as his adopted son. If that wasn't scamming then what? God knows if he was really Old Yue's own son?!"
Yan Xie and Jiang Ting looked at each other and immediately asked, "Who was he?"
"I don't know, I've never seen that person." Xi Hanxiang shook her head: "It was half a year before Old Yue passed away that he started mentioning that he wanted to adopt a son. Although he may be trying to save face… and didn't say it directly, I listened to it. From the implication and excitement, it seemed that the person was his own seed when he was young. I have never heard of him for so many years, and I don't know why he suddenly contacted him again. I was worried about whether he was a scammer or not. There are so many scammers these days, right? But Old Yue, I didn't know what kind of ecstasy soup he drank, kept saying that it was impossible to correct his mistake, and he knew it very well in his heart!"
—He was very clear in his heart.
Yan Xie looked at Jiang Ting, and both of them had a thought in their hearts at the same time: Could it be a paternity test?
It was impossible for Yue Guangping, a person with such a high position, to run for a paternity test. No matter what, it couldn't be completely concealed, and the wind would definitely flow out, causing a fatal blow. But if there was no such ironclad evidence as a paternity test, what made a public security chief have no doubts about the parent-child relationship?
"Has Old Yue described what this person looks like?" Yan Xie asked.
Xi Hanxiang recalled for a moment and shook her head regretfully.
"Then, before Old Yue passed away, did he have any unusual reactions or actions?"
Yan Xie's question was probably on point. As soon as he finished speaking, Xi Hanxiang immediately began to rub her hands, as if she wanted to say something. After a long while, she made up her mind and murmured: "What I say now will not affect the things behind Old Yue, right? Like the funeral and farewell ceremony…"
Yan Xie said: "You don't have to worry about this. It's been three years since Old Yue's funeral."
"That's good, that's good." Xi Hanxiang lowered her head and said, "Yes… One day in the middle of the night, I heard Old Yue crying and calling someone…"
A police chief and deputy mayor, crying and calling in the middle of the night?
Yan Xie's muscles tightened, and even Jiang Ting sat up slightly involuntarily.
"During that time, Old Yue was very busy. He went out early and returned late every day, and he often locked himself in the study mysteriously. I didn't pay much attention to it at first. After all, Old Yue was busy most of the time before his death — until one night, five or six days before Old Yue died, I was suddenly woken up by the loud cries coming from the study, so I stood by the study door lightly and listened…"
Xi Hanxiang paused with difficulty, and Yan Xie stared at her firmly: "Did you hear something?"
"Yes, but it's actually just a few words repeated over and over again. He said…"I'm sorry for Captain Jiang, don't cover me with a national flag, I don't deserve it'!"
The two were stunned at the same time.
Jiang Ting's expression was blank.
"How could he not be covered in the national flag? That's such an honor, how could he say that about himself?" Xi Hanxiang twisted her rough fingers and looked at the two of them uneasily: "Tell me, the one called Captain Jiang, could he be his adopted son? Old Yue felt that he had never raised him and was sorry for him, so he was unwilling to be covered in the national flag. Could the last visitor that Old Yue received before his death be him? He hurt Old Yue so that he could steal the Yue family's property?"
The room was quiet.
Xi Hanxiang was very panicked by the uncertain faces of the two policemen on the opposite side and quickly stammered to make up for it: "I don't know more about it, I'm telling you the truth."
"…You don't have to be afraid, this is a very valuable clue." Yan Xie finally recovered his voice from the shock and subconsciously took a big sip from the teacup — there were still microscopic microbes floating on the water that Xi Hanxiang deliberately didn't wash off because she was unhappy with them, but no one reminded him: "By the way, do you know who Old Yue called late at night?"
Xi Hanxiang said sternly: "I don't know. I'm just a housekeeper, how can I know so much? But I heard Old Yue call that person…call…"
She thought for a while, then hesitantly said, "…Old Lu?"
With a clang, the teacup in Yan Xie's hand fell firmly onto the table.
...…
Twenty minutes later.
"The details you told us today, including our visit, are highly confidential. For your personal safety, please don't mention it to anyone. Do you understand?"
Xi Hanxiang held the door frame with one hand and couldn't stop nodding like a revolutionary martyr ready to die heroically.
Yan Xie thanked her solemnly, helped Jiang Ting, and turned away to leave.
"Wait…wait," suddenly Xi Hanxiang stuck out her neck as if she couldn't help it: "This police officer with glasses, you…"
Jiang Ting stopped on his steps.
Xi Hanxiang looked at his thin and straight back: "Have I seen you somewhere before?"
After a few seconds, Jiang Ting turned his face away and showed her a barely visible smile:
"You must be mistaken."
Xi Hanxiang nodded suspiciously.
...…
"How likely do you think that the person Yue Guangping called was Chief Lu?" Yan Xie asked.
At the end of October, the sun went down early, and when they came out of Xi Hanxiang's house, it was already completely dark. When it gets dark in the countryside, apart from the moonlight, only the lights from the windows of the houses illuminate the dirt road. Every step leading to the village was full of pits, so Yan Xie held Jiang Ting in his arms as they walked forward.
"It's quite big. I remember seeing those two chatting at a celebration banquet before, and they were chatting quite happily." Jiang Ting gathered his clothes and put his other hand in Yan Xie's coat pocket unceremoniously, saying: "Go back and check the graduation schools and work experience of Chief Lu and Yue Guangping. Maybe we can have more solid evidence."
Yan Xie nodded silently and put his hands in his coat pockets, covering Jiang Ting's slender fingers and frowning. "Why are your hands so cold?"
Jiang Ting was about to pull his hand out, but Yan Xie quickly grabbed it hard.
They didn't know who was using lard to fry bacon, and the fragrance of oil came out from the gap in the window. Jiang Ting took a deep breath and murmured, "It's quite fragrant."
But Yan Xie turned a deaf ear as if he hadn't heard this sentence: "If it is really Chief Lu, the connection between him and Yue Guangping was deeper than we imagined, and it is very likely that he has some knowledge of the inside story of the 1009 plastic factory explosion. Maybe he also knows the reason why Yue Guangping was feeling guilty, and it's even possible…"
"It's even possible to know that I'm still alive," Jiang Ting said quietly.
The two of them didn't speak anymore and walked through the village. From a distance, they saw Yang Mei flashing the car's headlights while sitting inside.
"Yan Xie," Jiang Ting suddenly asked in a very soft voice while walking, "We have always assumed that the young man Yue Guangping was going to give a gift to, the 'illegitimate child' that Xi Hanxiang referred to, was the murderer who came to visit at the last minute. There is also a possibility that this line of thinking was wrong from the beginning, but the last visitor was actually…"
Yan Xie suddenly stood still as if anticipating what he was going to say.
Jiang Ting looked at him in the moonlight but still spit out that name: "—was Chief Lu?"
"..." Yan Xie didn't say a word for a long time. The chill rose from the bottom of his heart to his throat, and after a while, he said, "This possibility cannot be ruled out."
——If Chief Lu was a close friend of Yue Guangping, to whom he could call and cry in the middle of the night, it would make sense to wear long underwear at home, or a hurdle vest, or even shirtless.
But now there were no clues to restore the scene at that time. The two stood face to face in the dark for a while, and Yang Mei finally couldn't help getting out of the car, shouting, "Hey—!" With a sigh, she angrily held her waist: "Yan Xie, what are you doing? Are you deliberately making a fool of yourself in front of me?!"
Yan Xie turned around and said, "We are looking at the snow and the moon! From poetry and songs to life ideals! Do you have any opinion?!"
Yang Mei: "..."
Yan Xie laughed and slapped Jiang Ting's ass again: "You get in the car first, I have something to do."
"You—"
Yan Xie had already taken a few steps in the night, waving his hand without looking back: "My lighter was left at Aunt Xi's house! I'll be back in five minutes!"
"Why did he go?" Yang Mei stepped forward suspiciously: "The lighter was left at that person's house?"
"No, he never took out the lighter at Xi Hanxiang's house."
"Wow! Sure enough, he went to have a private meeting with some village flowers! Surnamed Yan, give me back—"
Yang Mei was furious and wanted to catch up, but she was held down before she could finish her sentence. She turned around and saw a fleeting smile in Jiang Ting's eyes, reflecting the moonlight.
"It's okay, I know what he's going to do."