Chapter 44: Unsolved Case

After coming out of Teacher Shen Hongyun's house and seeing that it was almost time for lunch, Xia Mufan brought his team members to Boss Hu's small restaurant.

As soon as Boss Hu saw Xia Mufan and the others, he became very warm and immediately asked everyone to sit down.

During this period, in order to investigate the disappearance of Shen Yitong, everyone often came to this small restaurant to eat. Their attitude was very casual. After sitting down, they ordered a few farm dishes, stood up to serve tea, water, and bowls and chopsticks, as if they were at home.

Boss Hu brought a large plate of cold beef and placed it in front of everyone with a smile: "Thank you for arresting that guy named Xiao. Now the sky above our shop is bluer for the businesses in this row."

The sky turned blue?

It was rare to hear Boss Hu speak in such a literary way, and the diners nearby all laughed.

Thinking of the deceased Shen Yitong, Feng Xiaoyu said: "Boss Hu, you should thank Shen Yitong. If it weren't for her, that power network would never be broken."

Boss Hu sighed, "Shen Yitong was a good girl. We thought she was missing at first, and we all wanted to help Teacher Shen find her. Unexpectedly, what a pity! How could she die at such a young age... We all heard about her story, and there have been many people going to her home to pay their respects these days. My son came home from school and read us the fairy tale she wrote, saying that she was a dragon slayer."

At this point, Boss Hu glanced at his wife who was sitting behind the counter keeping accounts and making change, and said in a low voice: "My wife was so angry that her teeth itched, she cried and cursed, she said that the lives of bad people are worthless, and it's not worth exchanging the lives of good people for them."

The topic suddenly became heavy.

Whenever Feng Xiaoyu thought of the blackened walls and floor of the utility room, she felt choked up. Such a good girl ended up with nothing left. Even Shen Yitong probably didn't expect the result to be so tragic?

Feng Xiaoyu glanced at everyone and said softly, "I feel sick whenever I see a gasoline barrel."

Yu Jing sighed: "Yeah, it's too tragic."

Sun Xianbing gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Zhenwei is the most hateful. Even primary school students know how to sing this song: I found a penny on the side of the road and gave it to the policeman. Ordinary people trust the police so much and turn to them when they have problems. But look at him! He has brought shame to our police."

Gong Weiguo: "People who know and understand the law are the most terrible when they break it."

Hearing this, Xia Mufan said calmly: "So, we have to be good policemen."

From the moment he started looking for his mother, Xia Mushige became deeply aware of the power of the police.

Because she is a criminal police officer, she can easily activate old cases;

Because she is a police officer, the Xinzhang Town Police Station and the villagers in her hometown will cooperate with her;

Because she is a member of the serious crime team, she was able to mobilize the power of the Criminal Investigation Brigade to search for Xu Shumei with all her strength. Yue Yuan even contacted a sister unit for her and arrived at a small mountain valley in Y Province in advance to learn about the situation.

In the case of Shen Yitong's disappearance, Xiao Zhenwei abused his police power.

He forged a resignation letter and a note; he forcibly suppressed Shen Hongyun and classified the case as running away from home; he even interfered with the Criminal Investigation Brigade's vision and tried to win them over and bribe them.

Only by upholding justice in our hearts can we ensure the sanctity of police power.

Xia Mushige had a serious expression, and the other four nodded at the same time: "Yes!"

Although Xia Mufan is the youngest among the five, she has her own charm that makes people follow her involuntarily.

Xia Mufan turned his head and looked at the entrance of the restaurant, which was the main road of the town, with cars coming and going and it was very lively.

“In fact, when we came to Xinzhang Town to investigate the case this year, Shen Yitong was still alive.”

Calculating the time, the Serious Crime Unit 7 came to the Xinzhang Town Police Station to investigate the disappearance of Xu Shumei. Xiao Zhenwei received them warmly and even accompanied them to Xia Muchan's hometown.

It was March at that time, Shen Yitong was still alive, and had just obtained Lu Chengji's account book in exchange for her freedom.

Xia Mufan blamed himself a little: “If I had paid more attention at that time and intervened earlier, maybe Shen Yitong could have survived.”

Feng Xiaoyu raised her hand, gently pressed it on the back of Xia Mufan's hand, and said gently: "I don't blame you. If you weren't there, who would know that they had done so many evil things? We tried our best to seek justice for Shen Yitong, that's all."

Sun Xianbing also said: "Yes, we are not gods. At that time, we didn't even know who Shen Yitong was. It was impossible for us to intervene in advance."

Boss Hu knew the whole story best. While pouring tea for Xia Mufan, he said, "Xiao Xia, don't say that. I remember that it was you who asked me about Shen Yitong's disappearance. If you hadn't asked me one more question at the time, Mr. Shen was such a noble person that he might have swallowed all the suffering by himself and would not have been able to help Shen Yitong get justice."

Xia Mufan shook his head and said nothing more.

In fact, Shen Yitong had made arrangements.

Even if Xia Mufan had not intervened, Shen Hongyun would have noticed the problem and found the evidence she left when he saw the fairy tale in "Composition World".

It is worth dying for to dare to dethrone the emperor.

Based on Shen Hongyun's character, he will fight to the death. When things get out of hand, Lu Chengji, Xiao Zhenwei, Wu Tong and others will not be able to escape.

Seeing that Xia Mufan was in a bad mood, Sun Xianbing hurriedly said to her, "Okay, Xiaoxia, the case is over. Let's relax and have a good meal."

He then said to Boss Hu: "Boss Hu, since you want to thank me, why not give me something practical?"

Boss Hu nodded repeatedly: "From now on, whenever you come, you will get a 20% discount!"

For a small business, a 20% discount is indeed a huge discount. Sun Xianbing was very satisfied and said to Yu Jing, the accountant: "Big Yu, I saved you money again."

Yu Jing glanced at him and said, "How can you save money for me? Our business trip is paid by the government."

Gong Weiguo took a piece of beef with chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth: "It's all at public expense. Aren't you tired of saving money? Let's eat quickly."

Feng Xiaoyu said to Gong Weiguo in a bad mood: "Your food allowance is fixed, isn't it better to save a little?"

Xia Mufan had been carrying guns during this period of time, and as a team leader her nerves had been tense. Today she finally handed in her gun, and she relaxed. She sat leisurely in the chair, watching them arguing with each other.

Gong Weiguo turned around and saw Xia Mufan lazily sitting aside. She was completely different from the vigorous look in the interrogation room. It was as if she had suddenly changed from a fierce tiger to a lazy cat. He couldn't help but pout at Sun Xianbing: "Look at our team leader Xia. Wasn't she like this when she was in the police station before? She was too lazy to move when there were no cases?"

Sun Xianbing thought about it and it seemed to be true, so he smiled and nodded: "Yes. When Xiao Xia first arrived at the police station, she often sat in the office and stared out the window in a daze."

Gong Weiguo wanted to tease Xia Mufan into talking, so he asked, "Xiao Xia, what are we going to do next?"

Xia Muhong said simply: "Wait."

Gong Weiguo: "What are you waiting for?"

Xia Mufan glanced at him sideways, as if he was a little annoyed by his talkativeness.

Sun Xianbing knew Xia Mufan very well, and he immediately helped her connect: "Wait for the new case."

Boss Hu brought over two more stir-fried dishes, and the table became lively again, with everyone starting to eat.

Gong Weiguo said: "The brigade has not had many cases recently. I see that their fifth and sixth groups are idle and are sorting out files."

Yu Jing was not in a hurry: "Then you can take a few days off. I've been busy with the case of Shen Yitong's disappearance recently. I'm exhausted from running around. The car also needs maintenance."

Yu Jing was responsible for driving, commuting between the city and Xinzhang Town every day, which took four or five hours each way. It did feel a bit tiring.

Feng Xiaoyu's eyes lit up: "Xia Xia, can we take a few days off? It just so happens that my mom wants to introduce me to someone, but I haven't had time to meet her."

Who to introduce? After Feng Xiaoyu said this, the young people's topic immediately shifted from the new case to Feng Xiaoyu.

Yu Jing is 26 years old and still unmarried. When Feng Xiaoyu mentioned blind dates so calmly, he nodded and said, "Blind dates are good. You can get to know each other well."

Sun Xianbing was quite curious: "Xiaoyu, what kind of person did your family introduce to you?"

Feng Xiaoyu smiled shyly: "He said he worked in the tax bureau and was three years older than me."

Gong Weiguo straightened his back and said, "Hey, Xiaoyu, I'm one step ahead of you this time. My girlfriend and I plan to get our marriage certificate this November."

As soon as Gong Weiguo said this, Sun Xianbing immediately turned to look at him: "Ah, you have a girlfriend?"

Gong Weiguo said, "Yes, my aunt introduced him to me. He's an elementary school teacher and has a nice personality."

Feng Xiaoyu asked, "Didn't you just meet during the Chinese New Year this year? Why are you in such a hurry to get the marriage certificate?"

After saying that, Gong Weiguo glanced at him and said, "Xiaoyu, don't blame me for not reminding you. If you want to get married, hurry up. There are three collective housing buildings in our bureau, with 168 households. Registration has already begun. Once the list of these 168 households is finalized, all employees can queue up again according to their financial resources to get housing. As long as you are married, you can get at least a two-bedroom, one-living-room house."

Feng Xiaoyu suddenly realized: "I was wondering, recently the young people in our brigade have been anxiously looking for Sister Liu from the union to introduce them to a date."

Sun Xianbing had only been in the Criminal Investigation Brigade for two or three months, and he had not yet met many people. He had no idea about the housing allocation policy in the bureau: "Why are you in such a hurry? You can apply for a house after you get married."

Gong Weiguo shook his head: "You don't understand. Our municipal bureau includes the General Administration, Criminal Investigation Brigade, Special Police Brigade, Traffic Brigade... several units, and the family quarters are all in one place. Housing has always been tight. When it comes to building collective housing, I don't know how many people are waiting with their necks stretched out to improve their housing conditions. In the past, everyone waited slowly, and they would always be allocated a house after their qualifications were improved. But now the national policy has changed. I heard that many cities in the south are carrying out housing system reforms. The era of unit welfare housing distribution may be over. Who knows, this time our bureau distributes housing is the last time. If you want a house in the future, you have to buy it on the market."

He paused and said, "It's better to hurry up sooner rather than later. Just listen to me, and you won't go wrong."

When hearing about buying a house, Feng Xiaoyu had a lot to say: "During the Chinese New Year this year, my brother got married and his company didn't have a house, so my parents thought about going to the city to see if they could buy a new house. They went to several newly developed communities, where one square meter cost 500 or 600 yuan, and a house cost tens of thousands. Although the house in our company is not as big as the ones on the market, and the conditions are average, it doesn't cost a penny, how great is that."

Gong Weiguo and Feng Xiaoyu have been in the Criminal Investigation Brigade for a long time, and they are much more familiar with the unit's welfare policies. Today's conversation was also a heart-to-heart talk between colleagues, and Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing felt a little nervous after hearing it. The two looked at each other helplessly: "But, we just arrived, and we are not qualified for a room."

Gong Weiguo suggested to them: "Once the 168 households are moved, everyone will have to queue up again for housing. Although you two came late, as long as you are married, you are eligible for housing. How about this. I will talk to my girlfriend and see if there are any unmarried female teachers in her unit who can introduce you two to one?"

Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing were both shy and felt a little embarrassed: "Well, let's talk about it later."

Xia Mufan listened for a long time and suddenly interrupted: "Are you not eligible to get a house if you are not married?"

Gong Weiguo: "Yes. If you are single, you can only get a single dormitory, not a suite. After all, you will have higher requirements for housing after you get married and have children."

Xia Mufan didn't want to get married, but she had a mother, and her mother wanted an independent kitchen and, of course, a unit suite, so she asked, "No special cases?"

Gong Weiguo is indeed a know-it-all in the unit: "Yes, the bureau once issued a document to set aside several talent housing units in order to attract and retain special talents. Although forensic doctor Gu is single, he was allocated a large house with three bedrooms and a living room. We are so envious of him."

Xia Mufan thought for a moment: "Then, how can one become a special talent?"

Seeing her eagerness to try, Gong Weiguo couldn't help but laugh: "If you make great contributions, solve major cases, and win national medals, you should be considered a special talent."

Feng Xiaoyu pursed her lips and smiled: "Xia Xia, forensic doctor Gu was given a house because he has a high degree and assisted the provincial department in solving several major cases. The bureau was afraid that he would run away."

Xia Mushige nodded slowly.

Perform great deeds, solve major cases, and win national medals? Okay.

On the way back, the scenery outside the window kept changing.

The fields in May are green.

Birds are singing on the telephone poles.

Xia Mufan's mind is full of performing great deeds and solving major cases, but now he doesn't even have a new case. How can I find new cases?

Waiting for the report?

Firstly, I don’t know whether the case is challenging enough, and secondly, I don’t know whether it will be Group 7’s turn.

Xia Mufan suddenly remembered what Gu Shaoqi had said to her on the rooftop: "We will encounter many cases, not only the problem of incomplete evidence chain, but some even make you unable to start, and eventually become unsolved cases."

A light bulb went off in Xia Mufan's head: Yes, why should we wait for a big case to fall upon us? We can also challenge old cases that we couldn't solve before.

If it cannot be solved, it means there are few clues and the difficulty is high.

An unsolved case is a pain in the heart of every investigator.

If it breaks, wouldn't that be a great achievement?

Thinking of this, Xia Mufan turned his head and looked at Feng Xiaoyu, who was in charge of the documentation work: "Xiaoyu, are you familiar with the people in our brigade's archive management office?"

Feng Xiaoyu nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Xia Mufan: "Go and ask around, is there any unsolved case in the brigade recently?"

As soon as these words came out, Gong Weiguo turned his head from the co-pilot seat and asked: "Unsolved case?"

Feng Xiaoyu and Gong Weiguo said in unison: "Yes!"

Xia Mufan saw the two people were excited and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with you two?"

Gong Weiguo raised his eyebrows excitedly: "There is a case in our bureau that has been reopened every year and never solved. It has become a thorn in everyone's throat."

Feng Xiaoyu grabbed Xia Mufan's hand and said, "Xia Xia, if you can solve this case, Forensic Doctor Gu will definitely expose you!"

Xia Mufan pulled his hand away: "What does this case have to do with Forensic Doctor Gu?"

Feng Xiaoyu looked at her: "You don't know? I saw that the forensic doctor treated you differently from others. I thought you knew it a long time ago."

Xia Mufan: "Forensic Doctor Gu treats me differently from others. How come I don't feel that?"

Feng Xiaoyu said: "Forensic Doctor Gu doesn't talk much, but he talks a lot when it comes to your case. Also, last time we moved the furniture over for Shen Yitong's case, Forensic Doctor Gu was obviously not from the Physical and Chemical Laboratory, but he was always there to help, and he even offered to do a grease test."

Xia Mufan: "Forensic doctor Gu is the head of the technical department. It's normal for him to be in the physics and chemistry room."

Feng Xiaoyu sighed, "You don't understand. Forensic Doctor Gu has only been close to Captain Yue for many years since he came to the brigade. He never talks to others about anything other than work. In the past, the union chairman wanted to introduce him to a girl, but he just coldly replied that he was not interested, which made the union chairman very embarrassed."

Xia Mufan raised his hand to interrupt Feng Xiaoyu's wandering thoughts: "Okay, stop, just talk about the case." I'm really impressed. He can relate everything to finding a partner.

Feng Xiaoyu: "Yes, the case. The victims in the case are the parents of forensic doctor Gu, so..."

Xia Mufan was shocked: "What? Forensic Doctor Gu's parents were murdered?"