Cooking (III)
With a few days left until January 23, Gu Fang and his team checked Yang Pan's social relationships. Yang Pan works in a shadow puppet troupe, and his main job is to make shadow puppets. The nature of her job is simple and she doesn't need to deal with complicated interpersonal relationships. She gets along well with everyone in the troupe.
Yang Pan’s classmates all said that she was an easy person to get along with and that she had a great talent for painting. Everyone thought she would continue her studies after graduation, but no one expected that she would join the troupe to perform shadow puppetry.
Many people attended Zhan Weiyi's speech at school. They thought it was just an ordinary speech and it was not inspiring. I don’t know why Yang Pan completely devoted himself to the shadow puppetry industry because of a speech.
Gu Fang and Shen Xingyan went to Yang Pan's home together. Yang's mother was sick and Yang's father had aged a lot. The only thing they could do to survive now was to catch the murderer who killed their daughter.
There are many shadow puppets in Yang Pan’s room, some finished and some half-finished.
Gu Fang asked: "Does Yang Pan usually make shadow puppets in his room?"
Father Yang nodded, "Yes, she used to go out shopping, but since she got in touch with shadow puppetry, she no longer goes out shopping. On her days off, she stays in her room making shadow puppets." Father Yang sighed, "I really don't know what she is obsessed with."
Shen Xingyan put on gloves, flipped through the shadow puppets, and took a book off the shelf. It was a book that detailed the process of making shadow puppets, and there were also Yang Pan's notes in the book.
He opened the drawer and found a notebook inside. Shen Xingyan opened it and found it was Yang Pan’s work log.
Father Yang said, "I have read this diary, and there is nothing to refer to."
Shen Xingyan flipped through a few pages, which were all records of what she did every day. She turned to the last page, which was written on October 6, 1995. There was only one sentence: I’m finally going to Nanfu.
"Can we take this journal?"
Father Yang nodded, "As long as you can catch the murderer, you can take whatever you want from here."
Gu Fang opened the closet and found that the clothes inside were all spring and autumn styles. "Yang Pan is here for a week of exchange and study. Didn't she bring any luggage?"
"I did bring some, but not much. Her mother told her that the weather in autumn is changeable and asked her to bring more, but she refused and said it was unnecessary."
Gu Fang pointed at the shadow puppets and said, "She made all these herself?"
Father Yang nodded. "When Panpan was a junior, she suddenly started to play with shadow puppets. She said she had found something meaningful. In order to learn how to make shadow puppets, she followed a master to learn. At first, she didn't know how to use a carving knife, and her hands were full of cuts."
"Who did she learn shadow play from?"
"It seems his last name is Xiao."
"Where do you live?"
"He lives in Qi County. By the way, his name is Xiao Tongzhang. Panpan said his ancestors were shadow puppeteers."
Gu Fang and his party went to Qi County again. At the entrance of Qi County, there was a huge sign that read "Welcome to the Hometown of Shadow Puppets". Going further in, there were various shadow puppets on both sides of the road.
Jiang Shengyu smacked his lips. "This scene is really scary. If you come here at night, you will be scared."
Gu Fangle, "You know what, this size is just like a real person."
Shen Xingyan couldn't laugh at all. She stared at the shadow puppets outside the window, her eyes becoming increasingly gloomy.
They first went to the local police station to check Xiao Tongzhang's address. Unexpectedly, this person was quite famous and the people in the police station knew him as soon as they mentioned his address.
The ancestors of the Xiao family made a living by performing shadow puppetry. Gradually, they became famous and the Xiao family also became prosperous. The Xiao family regards shadow puppets as totems. Every year, while other families worship their ancestors, they worship shadow puppets.
A set of shadow puppets used by the Xiao family's ancestors are still treasured in the ancestral hall.
Xiao Tongzhang was born in the second branch of the Xiao family. The first branch had only one child, Xiao Tongwu. Xiao Tongwu was not doing his job properly. Not only could he not make shadow puppets, he couldn't even memorize the lines of the shadow puppet show.
Seeing that his son had no interest in shadow puppetry and his grandson was not capable of anything, Xiao Tongwu's grandfather could only look for a successor from the side branch, and he chose the smart and sensible Xiao Tongzhang. Xiao Tongzhang was not very talented, but he was very hardworking and practiced non-stop day after day.
Old Master Xiao was very pleased and passed on his legacy to Xiao Tongzhang before he died.
Xiao Tongzhang became the head of the Xiao family. The shadow puppet industry of the Xiao family further expanded under his leadership, and the shadow puppets made by the Xiao family became a major symbol of Qi County.
Everyone who comes to Qi County will bring a set of shadow puppets with them. The value of Xiao family's shadow puppets has risen sharply, and some shadow puppets are even sold at a high price of hundreds of thousands.
The Xiao family also has a special performance troupe with nearly a thousand people. Compared with them, the troupe in Chengdu is simply dwarfed.
Xiao Tongzhang was about 40 years old. He wore a Tang suit and had a string of Buddhist beads around his wrist. The corners of his mouth were always slightly raised, and he looked very approachable. He picked up the covered bowl, shook his wrist a few times, raised his arm, and poured tea into the Jianzhan.
Gu Fang smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao is really elegant."
"I like drinking tea, and I've learned a little bit, which will be convenient for entertaining guests. Captain Gu, what is the matter that you came to see me about?"
"Do you know Yang Pan?"
"Yang Pan? You mean the little girl who is obsessed with shadow puppets?"
"Yes, she once learned to make shadow puppets from you."
"Our Xiao family got its start by making shadow puppets. Many people come here to see us, but I can't entertain everyone. As for Yang Pan, I see that she really likes shadow puppets and has talent, so I let her go to the factory to learn."
"How long have you studied?"
"It will take about a month. She has talent. She has learned the production process and just needs to practice her skills."
"Isn't that how you learned it?"
Xiao Tongzhang laughed, "Yes, we were not like now. If we didn't have a skill, we would have no way to make a living. In order to survive, we had no choice but to force ourselves to learn."
"When was the last time you saw Yang Pan?"
"It was a long time ago. Before she left, she came to say goodbye to me. I remember it was raining that day. It should be summer. Yes, it was summer. She came during the summer vacation of her junior year. She said she would graduate in a year and she wanted to work in the shadow puppet industry in the future. She also asked me if she could come to my company, but I refused."
"Why do you refuse?"
"Children nowadays only get interested in things for a short time. I'm afraid she won't like it after she comes, and I'll have to waste my energy to train her."
Seeing that he couldn't get any important information out of him, Gu Fang stood up and said, "Then we'll leave first. If you remember any information related to Yang Pan, please contact us."
Xiao Tongzhang agreed and personally escorted them out.
…
As the last ray of sunlight in the sky was setting, it was too late to rush back to Chengdu. Gu Fang decided to stay in Qi County for one night and return to Chengdu the next day.
A few people found a hotel and booked three rooms. Shen Xingyan and Gu Fang each have one room, and Jiang Shengyu and Qiu Ming have one room.
After running around all the time, everyone was tired, so they went back to their rooms to rest after dinner.
Shen Xingyan lay there for a while, his mind full of shadow puppets. He remembered to drink some water and found that the thermos was empty, so he took it out and was about to ask the front desk to replace it with a full one. Then he heard them talking about Xiao Tongzhang. Shen Xingyan's heart moved, and he stood aside quietly.
The one who spoke was an older sister, who looked about the same age as Xiao Tongzhang. She was eating melon seeds while speaking with a rather disdainful tone, "Don't think that Xiao Tongzhang is very prosperous now. He suffered a lot when he was a child. He was born to his father's concubine outside. When he first returned to the Xiao family, no one liked him.
The old man of the Xiao family didn't even let him sit at the table to eat, nor did he allow him to call him grandpa. He even said that he would never let Xiao Tongzhang enter the family tree in this lifetime. ”
The little girl listened with fascination, "Then how did he become the head of the Xiao family?"
“It was fate. Xiao Qingyuan, the eldest son of the Xiao family, was very talented. Old Master Xiao had high hopes for him and even sent him abroad to study, hoping that he would return and carry forward the Xiao family.
Who would have thought that after Xiao Qingyuan came back, he actually refused to take over the family business, saying that he wanted to develop emerging industries. He also brought back a woman with blond hair and green eyes, which made Mr. Xiao very angry.
He was forced to drive away the foreign woman and arranged a new marriage for him. Xiao Qingyuan was unwilling and refused to get married. Old Master Xiao forced Xiao Qingyuan to marry his later wife because he threatened to commit suicide. ”
The little girl sighed, "Feudal dregs are killing people."
Shen Xingyan disagreed. If Xiao Qingyuan really liked foreign women, he would not let Old Man Xiao drive her away. In the final analysis, he did not love her enough.
She quietly put down the thermos and stood behind the little girl to listen.
The eldest sister saw her, smiled, and rolled her eyes at the little girl, "What do you know? Xiao Qingyuan went abroad to study with the money given by Mr. Xiao. He doesn't know anything except being a young master. If he is kicked out, how will he live? Besides, wasn't it always like this before? Parents decide and matchmakers decide."
"And then?"
"Xiao Qingyuan's wife is from a scholarly family, well-educated and well-mannered. After a long time, Xiao Qingyuan fell in love with his wife."
The little girl's face darkened. "What's going on? He gave up on that foreign woman so quickly."
Shen Xingyan smiled, as expected.
The eldest sister patted her forehead and said, "You think this is a TV drama? There are not so many affectionate men."
The little girl cried out, covering her forehead, "You hit me again, tell me now!"
"Later, Xiao Qingyuan's wife became pregnant and gave birth to Xiao Tongwu. Xiao Tongwu was very intelligent. He could read at the age of three, recite poems at the age of five, and was able to draw without a teacher. Old Master Xiao was very happy. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Xiao Qingyuan's wife suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away. Xiao Qingyuan was devastated and no longer cared about his son.
Old Master Xiao had no choice but to teach him personally, but for some reason Xiao Tongwu seemed like a different person. He no longer recognized the words he knew before, could not recite poems, and the paintings he drew were all monsters. They were very scary. Old Master Xiao called a doctor, who said that Xiao Tongwu had been traumatized and whether he could recover in the future depended on God's will. ”
The little girl sighed again, "What a pity for such a good family."
“So, a home with a woman is called a home. If Xiao Qingyuan’s wife hadn’t died, Xiao Tongwu wouldn’t have been stimulated. Maybe he would be the head of the Xiao family now, and what would Xiao Tongzhang have to do with him.”
Shen Xingyan agreed, "When did Xiao Qingyuan's wife die?"
"I don't know. It's been many years. Xiao Tongzhang is already over 40."
"What about Xiao Tongwu?"
"Him? I heard that he committed hooliganism in the 1970s, and Xiao Tongzhang found a way to get him out. Xiao Tongzhang said that Xiao Tongwu had ruined the Xiao family's reputation, so he kicked him out of the Xiao family, and no one has seen him since then."
Shen Xingyan frowned in thought, felt a gaze on him, looked up and saw Gu Fang standing in the corridor. He must have heard the story of the Xiao family as well.
Gu Fang winked at Shen Xingyan, and Shen Xingyan followed him into the room.
Gu Fang: "What do you think of what she said?"
"Rumors are usually a mixture of truth and falsehood, but the story lines are pretty much the same. The death of Xiao Qingyuan's wife was a turning point. If she were still alive, Xiao Tongwu would still be the smart Xiao Tongwu, and Xiao Tongzhang would still be the illegitimate son who couldn't see the light of day."
"In a big family, internal strife is inevitable. At that time, Guo Jia had just established the family, and everything was in ruins. If there was a hidden reason behind the death of Xiao Qingyuan's wife, Xiao Tongzhang could not escape responsibility."
"It just so happens that Yang Pan has been here before."
Gu Fang frowned and thought, "If it is such a coincidence, this case is not a simple murder. But Yang Pan came here during the summer vacation of her junior year. It has been more than two years. If Xiao Tongzhang wanted to kill her, why did he wait until a year later?"
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