Hongjian Village.
South of the development zone.
Villages near the canal.
Boating is very popular in the village, and almost every household owns a boat that runs on the river.
When Guan Feng and his group arrived, Village Party Secretary Lao Li had been waiting in his office for a long time. Upon seeing them, he smiled, offered them cigarettes, shook hands, and greeted them warmly, saying, "Hello! Hello!"
Guan Feng waved his hand and said, "Secretary Li, you don't need to be so polite. I'm here mainly to investigate some matters. Our Officer Zhao just told you, right?"
Secretary Li nodded and said, "I've already told you! I've already told you! You want to ask about Xia Ping, right? He lives in the village, but how should I put it, Xia Ping's situation is a bit special."
Guan Feng asked, "What do you mean?"
Secretary Li said, "Xia Ping has an elderly mother at home who is old and frail. Xia Ping works on a ship and rarely comes home. He only sends money back every two or three months, so you may not be able to get the information from him."
Guan Feng asked, "Has Xia Ping never come back even once?"
Secretary Li said, "Let me think! It's been two or three years since I last came back, but I don't know if I've come back privately."
Guan Feng asked, "How did you know I was sending money?"
Secretary Li said, "Sometimes when we visit the village, I see Xia Ping's mother and I always ask her if she needs any help. She always says that her son sends money back on time and everything is fine."
“I even asked Xia Ping if he hadn’t come back yet, and Aunt Zhang said he hadn’t.”
Guan Feng nodded and said, "Alright! Would it be convenient for you to take us there and have a look?"
Secretary Li invited them, "Come with me!"
Several people followed behind.
A few minutes later.
We arrived at the foot of a single-story building.
Compared to the surrounding two- or three-story detached houses, this bungalow looks rather simple, with some peeling paint on the exterior walls, making it appear as if it has been neglected for many years.
This also fits the initial impression that there is no able-bodied person in the family.
Secretary Li knocked on the door and asked, "Sister Zhang, are you home?"
A moment later.
A shout came from inside the house.
"Are you Secretary Li? Please come in."
Secretary Li explained, "Xia Ping's mother is getting old and her legs aren't very good. Let's go in!"
Guan Feng and the others went inside.
Squeak!
The door was pushed open.
The slightly dilapidated room inside was revealed.
Guan Feng asked the elderly woman sitting in the rocking chair, gently swaying, "Are you Aunt Zhang?"
When Xia Ping's mother saw Guan Feng, she asked, "Who are you?"
Secretary Li introduced, "Sister Zhang, this is from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team. They're here to ask you about something."
Xia Ping's mother asked in confusion, "What is the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team?"
Secretary Li explained, "Just think of it as a warning!"
Xia Ping's mother immediately understood. Her somewhat cloudy eyes stared at Guan Feng, and she asked anxiously, "Has Xia Ping gotten into trouble again? Sigh! I've always said that this child is naughty. Comrade, what exactly happened?"
Guan Feng said, "It doesn't necessarily mean you've committed a crime. We just came to find out what's going on. Don't be nervous, ma'am."
Xia Ping's mother asked, "You can ask them."
Guan Feng asked, "How long has it been since you last saw Xia Ping?"
Xia Ping's mother said, "That's quite a long time! Let me think, he hasn't come back for Chinese New Year since the year before last, it must have been two or three years, right?"
Guan Feng asked, "You haven't missed him since he hasn't come back for so long?"
Xia Ping's mother sighed, "How could I not want to? His father died early, and I dream of holding my grandson as soon as possible, but this child is angry with me and won't come back! In the past two years, when I call him, he always says he's busy. Sigh! I'm getting old and can't reach him anymore, so I'll just let him wander around outside."
Guan Feng asked, "You mean, even though he hasn't come back, you still called him?"
Xia Ping's mother nodded: "I've hit him! Of course I've hit him! I've hit him once every one or two months. He also sends money home on time every month. Otherwise, I would ask the villagers for help to tie him up and bring him back."
Guan Feng asked, "Can we see the call logs?"
Xia Ping's mother then took out the old-fashioned mobile phone from her pocket.
Guan Feng took the phone, unlocked it, and scrolled through the call log. There were almost no calls on it, but a number with the nickname "Da Pingzi" appeared several times. It matched what Xia Ping's mother had said, and the number would call every one or two months.
Guan Feng said, "We need to make a record of this call."
He then said to Huang Lili, "Back up the call logs."
He paused for a moment.
Guan Feng then asked, "Don't you find it strange that he hasn't come back even once?"
Xia Ping's mother sighed, "Every time I urge him to come back and see me, he's reluctant, saying he's too busy on the ship, so I just let it go!"
Guan Feng then asked, "Do you know if he has a girlfriend?"
Xia Ping's mother nodded and said, "I heard him mention it. He said he has a girlfriend and he'll try to bring her home to meet me this year!"
Guan Feng asked, "When did he say that?"
Xia Ping's mother said, "It was during our last phone call."
Guan Feng's expression turned somewhat serious.
It had been exactly three months since our last call.
Is it Chen Qian?
Guan Feng had this guess in his mind.
He asked, "Besides you, are there any other people in the family who are in contact with Xia Ping?"
Xia Ping's mother shook her head and said, "No! Xia Ping was a bad boy when he was young and was disliked by everyone. His relatives were all afraid of him and had long lost contact with him. Officer, tell me the truth, did he really do something wrong?"
Guan Feng shook his head and said, "It's not certain yet! I'll tell you when it's really certain, okay?"
Xia Ping's mother sighed and nodded.
Guan Feng then asked, "In addition, we would like to ask for your cooperation. We need to conduct a DNA test on you. Simply put, we need to collect a few strands of hair for analysis."
Xia Ping's mother said, "Take off your hair? Then you can take it off."
Guan Feng asked Huang Lili to step forward.
Huang Lili put on gloves, took out a transparent plastic bag, plucked a few strands of hair, and carefully put them into the plastic bag.
The group said goodbye to Xia Ping's mother and expressed their gratitude to Secretary Li.
......
On the bus.
Zhao Yang asked, "Captain Guan, do you think Xia Ping is a suspect?"
Guan Feng nodded and said, "When there are too many coincidences, they are more likely to come true! The timing of each one is very consistent, it doesn't seem like a rehearsal. Let's compare the DNA first and see the results."
Zhao Yang nodded and got into the car.
The car starts.
Half an hour later.
The vehicle arrived at the Municipal Bureau.
Guan Feng and Huang Lili handed the hair sample to the technical department. As it was almost one o'clock, they went to the city bureau's canteen for lunch.
Fortunately, the cooks at the municipal bureau's canteen were already used to everyone's irregular lifestyle.
Meals are prepared before 3 p.m.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
