Chapter 150 Xiang Dong

◎It hurts his self-esteem and inferiority complex◎

Thinking of what his colleagues in the union had just said about the leader of the Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau and the big boss of Hong Kong City, Zhao Xiangwan turned around and asked Qian Minqiang softly: "What was the situation last September?"

Qian Minqiang gave a brief introduction.

Zhushi Transmission Machinery Factory is an old factory in the province. The transmission machinery it produces, especially the automobile transmission shafts, are well-known throughout the province for their quality. This year, a deputy director named Ai from the Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau took the lead in attracting the famous automobile tycoon Ou Dewang from Hong Kong to cooperate with it. A contract worth several million was signed in one go, and the entire factory was extremely excited.

Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Are there any photos?"

For such a big event, the union must have archived it. Qian Minqiang immediately found a photo, which was a group photo. He enlarged it and put it in a frame.

Among the leaders in the front row, Zhao Xiangwan recognized Qian Guofu, Qian Minqiang, and Xiang Dong. The orange woman standing in the middle was tall and slender, with her body slightly tilted, her lower jaw retracted, her posture upright, and her charm. She must be the deputy director Ai. Hong Kong businessman Ou Dewang had a big belly, wore a short-sleeved white shirt and plaid trousers, and smiled.

As the head of the technical department, Xiang Dong stood in the front row, second from the left. He was tall, well-maintained, handsome, and mature with an artistic air.

Zhao Xiangwan asked Qian Minqiang: "Does Xiang Dong know Deputy Director Ai?"

Qian Minqiang shook his head: "I haven't heard of it."

After asking a few more questions, Zhao Xiangwan saw that Qian Minqiang didn't know clearly, so he said to Zhu Kang: "When you go back, check the resume of Director Ai of the Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau and the basic information of Ou Dewang, and give it to me after you have sorted it out."

Zhu Kang responded: "Okay."

Qian Minqiang asked in confusion: "Why are you asking about this?"

Zhao Xiangwan said, "It's better to be prepared. After all, Qian Yanyan started to love dressing up after meeting Director Ai."

Qian Minqiang was a little skeptical.

[Women, of course, love to dress up. Red skirts were popular on the street a while ago. Good boy, a lot of lesbians in our factory wore red skirts. Seeing that Director Ai was dressed up nicely, it was quite normal for Yanyan to learn to buy clothes from her. What is there to investigate?

I have seen Director Ai before. Actually, if you look closely, she is not young. There are light wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She is just well-maintained, has a good temperament, and knows how to dress, so she looks a little more outstanding. She is a big leader from the provincial capital and works in the investment promotion office. She often deals with Hong Kong and foreign businessmen and has a forward-looking vision. In my opinion, although Yanyan has grown a little fat, she is much prettier than Director Ai. 】

Zhao Xiangwan has his own style of doing things and will not be affected by Qian Minqiang's few grumbles.

When going out on business to help other municipal bureaus investigate cases, it is more convenient to bring a few of your own people with you.

Zhu Kang is not only proficient in footprints, but also has a lot of experience in information collection and organization, so he is very suitable for searching for information. Zhu Feipeng is agile and quick to react, and is good at fingerprints, interrogation, investigation, and witness protection. Ji Zhao is even better, he is one of the best in scene reconstruction and forensic portraiture.

Then, Zhao Xiangwan asked several women in the union office: "Has Qian Yanyan shown any strange behavior recently? It doesn't matter, just say whatever comes to mind."

Zhao Xiangwan smiled, her smile was friendly and gentle. As a female police officer, she brought herself closer to several women in the union and made them willing to talk more.

"I heard, just heard, that Cheng Xinru, the announcer assigned to the radio station a few years ago, was very close to Xiang Gong. I don't know if it's true or not."

"Yes, I heard about it too. It was spread with details, and it was said that Qian Yanyan rushed to the radio station and beat up Cheng Xinru. Yanyan was tall and strong, and Xiang Gong was so scared that he dared not associate with her anymore."

Zhao Xiangwan turned around and looked at Qian Minqiang again: "Is it true?"

There were relationship problems between my sister and her husband, and there was a third party involved. So many people in the factory knew about it, there was no reason why the two brothers wouldn't be aware of it.

Qian Minqiang's face didn't look good, but he nodded: "That's true."

Huo Zhuo was a little surprised: "Why didn't you tell the police about this?"

Qian Minqiang explained: "This happened five years ago. At that time, Yanyan and Xiang Dong had a fierce quarrel and they fought at home. Yanyan has a hot temper and can't tolerate any sand in her eyes. She knew that Xiang Dong and the young announcer were flirting with each other and she was not willing to listen. She rushed to the broadcasting station and slapped the Cheng guy twice. This matter caused a big fuss at that time."

Huo Zhuo asked: "And then?"

Qian Minqiang said: "My eldest brother and I tried to mediate the quarrel, and we all sat together to negotiate. Cheng Xinru cried and said that it was not true, and that Yanyan should not hit anyone, and asked her to produce evidence. Yanyan said that someone saw her and Xiang Dong hugging each other, and she also gave Xiang Dong a scarf and hot soup. Yanyan was swearing non-stop, and her momentum was amazing. Xiang Dong knew he was in the wrong, so he had to apologize, saying that he should not accept gifts from unmarried women, and should not get too close to Cheng Xinru. However, he and Cheng Xinru said the same thing and refused to admit that he had done anything that was not good for the family or Yanyan."

At this point, Qian Minqiang glanced at Zhao Xiangwan and said, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhao Xiangwan nodded.

Xiang Dong meant that he had at most cheated on her emotionally, not physically. Unless he was caught in bed, he would firmly deny having an improper relationship with Cheng Xinru.

Huo Zhuo stamped his feet in anger: "Such an important clue, why didn't you tell me? In this way, at least Xiang Dong and Cheng Xinru have a motive to kill."

Qian Minqiang said: "At that time, Xiang Dong signed a confession and bowed to Qian Yanyan in front of us two brothers to apologize. His attitude was very sincere. He said that he was only temporarily confused by Cheng Xinru's youth and beauty, and his vanity was at work, so he allowed Cheng Xinru to approach him. He said that he would never associate with Cheng Xinru in the future, and would keep his distance from other women. He would be loyal to Yanyan and responsible for his family to the end."

At this point, Qian Minqiang sighed, "We are men too. Killing someone is not a crime. Xiang Dong has even signed a confession and apologized so sincerely. What else can we say? Xiang Dong and Yan Yan are married and have a son. Are they really going to get divorced? In life, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It doesn't matter if you make a mistake. You can still be a good comrade if you correct it, right?"

Zhao Xiangwan asked in a somewhat stiff tone: "So, you let Qian Yanyan forgive Xiang Dong? There was no punishment?"

Qian Minqiang nodded first, then shook his head: "Forgiveness, yes forgiveness, but there is also punishment. My eldest brother transferred Cheng Xinru from the factory to the sales point in the county. As for Xiang Dong... after all, he is Yanyan's husband and Chengsi's father. We can't do it too badly. We punished him by sending him to the workshop for training for half a year, and he was promoted to section chief after he came back."

Zhao Xiangwan looked at Qian Minqiang: "Is Qian Yanyan happy?"

Looking back, Qian Minqiang didn't know how to answer this question. He spent a long time before saying, "There was a period of time when Yanyan lost a lot of weight and learned to play mahjong. As soon as she got off work, she would play mahjong with a few sisters to pass the time. But during that time, Xiang Dong still behaved well. Even if Yanyan ignored him, he would greet her with a smile, pick up Chengsi, help him with his homework, and learn to cook and mop the floor. No matter how late she came back, he would wait for her."

There was a hint of sadness in Zhao Xiangwan's eyes.

When a man cheats, it is the woman who bears all the psychological pressure. The man may think that he has returned to his true love and the woman should forgive and let it go, but he does not know that once this thorn is planted, it is difficult to pull out.

Qian Yanyan seems to be playing mahjong for fun, but in fact she is avoiding being with Xiang Dong. She doesn't know how to be in the same space with her husband, and she wants to escape from the suffocating and painful home.

Zhao Xiangwan asked Qian Minqiang seriously: "What I'm asking is, is she happy?"

The death of his sister almost caused Qian Minqiang to have a mental breakdown during this period. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could only see Qian Yanyan's round face.

Before Xiang Dong cheated on her, Qian Yanyan had a bright and cheerful smile, her laughter was as clear as a silver bell, and she had no worries. After Xiang Dong cheated on her, even if Qian Yanyan smiled, her eyes always showed her worries, as if she had grown up a lot overnight.

Facing Zhao Xiangwan's eyes that seemed to see through people's hearts, Qian Minqiang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He closed his eyes and forced himself to suppress the sadness in his heart: "No, she is not happy."

Yes, just as Min Chenghe said, Qian Yanyan is not happy.

Even though the family conditions are good and they have no worries about food and clothing; even though they have two older brothers who are in charge and Xiang Dong can't make any waves, but... love is love, and not love is not love, and you can't pretend.

After being betrayed, Qian Yanyan no longer trusts Xiang Dong.

If there is not even the most basic trust between husband and wife, living together is really a torment.

Zhao Xiangwan's casual words touched Qian Minqiang's heart with guilt. If it weren't for the fact that he was in the union office and if it weren't for the fact that he was surrounded by colleagues, Qian Minqiang really wanted to cover his face and squat in a corner to cry.

His sister is dead!

Killed inexplicably.

But he didn't even realize that his sister hadn't been truly happy in recent years.

He thought that by criticizing Xiang Dong and letting him return to his family, Qian Yanyan would be happy and they would live happily together until old age. However, he ended up killing her.

Qian Minqiang took several steps back until his back was leaning against a desk before he could stand firmly.

His face turned pale, and his lips trembled for a long time before he uttered: "I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it..."

It is hard to buy early knowledge in this world.

If I had known that Xiang Dong's cheating would make my sister so miserable, I would have let them divorce and kicked Xiang Dong and Cheng Xinru out of the factory together, leaving them to fend for themselves.

It is better to suffer a short pain than a long one. Even if Qian Yanyan is sad and reluctant at that time, even if there may be some discussions in the factory, but... after getting through it, the strong and cheerful Yanyan will definitely find the happiness of life again.

Zhao Xiangwan actually had no intention of blaming Qian Minqiang.

九十年代思想相對傳統，對婚姻的要求，穩定占第一位。波折難免有，出軌也能原諒，只要回歸家庭、婚姻穩定，就代表人生是成功的。

錢民強與錢國富兄弟倆，出發點肯定是好的，對妹妹也是真心實意地疼愛。只是他們錯估了項東，也不懂錢豔豔。

趙向晚深深地看了錢民強一眼：“化悲痛為力量吧。”

錢民強莫名有一種被安慰到的感覺，內心輕松了一些，點點頭：“好。”後悔也沒有用，不如努力把殺害妹妹的兇手繩之以法，以慰妹妹在天之靈。

趙向晚對他說：“程欣如是一條重要線索，你把她的基本情況告訴祝康，我們一起去見見她。”

有事做，會讓人安心。

錢民強很快就接受了趙向晚的指揮，将祝康拉到一旁，将所有信息交代給他，并着手打電話聯系縣城銷售點，詢問程欣如是否在店裏上班。

從工會辦公室出來，霍灼下意識地問趙向晚：“接下來去哪？”

連霍灼自己都沒有察覺到，趙向晚已經迅速掌控了主動權，連他這個刑偵隊長都開始主動詢問趙向晚的安排。

趙向晚道：“我們見見項東吧。”

這個當事人，聽得耳朵起繭，也該見一見了。

技術科科長辦公室很大，身穿黑色套頭毛衫、棕色皮夾克的項東招呼大家坐下，又讓助手送來熱茶，看到身穿制服的警察除了霍灼之外，還有幾張陌生面孔，目光微斂。

項東很尊重錢民強，喊了一聲二哥之後，請他坐在單人沙發，自己則站在他身邊。

霍灼随意問了幾個與錢豔豔生死事宜有關的問題，項東一一回答。

項東面帶戚容，聲音裏透着傷感與眷戀。

他的聲線很穩，眼神清明，和慌慌張張、結結巴巴的闵成河相比，明顯闵成河更可疑。

趙向晚坐在椅中，擡頭看着項東，認真觀察他的一舉一動。

與照片上所看到的一致，項東的确長了一張看不出年齡的臉。臉型微長，眉清目秀，頭發濃密烏黑，剛才與他握手的時候，他的手掌綿軟，顯然很少做家務。

——這是一個沒有經歷過多少生活磨難與風霜的男人。同樣，他也是婚姻的受益者。

想來也是，錢家在珠市傳動機械廠很有背景，錢豔豔的父親是廠裏唯一一個八級鉗工，為人熱情善良，帶出來的徒弟遍布全省，很有聲望。錢豔豔的兩個哥哥也是得益于父親的福蔭，在廠裏當上了領導。

錢豔豔雖然是家中老小，家裏寵愛萬分，但并不嬌慣，她做事利索能幹，廚藝出衆，盡心盡力照顧項東與兒子。因此項東才能游刃有餘地奔職稱、奔事業，評上高工、當上科長，住着廠裏分的、裝修舒适的三房一廳，還能騰出時間來出出軌。

項東唇薄而無棱，唇角微微向下，不笑的時候給人一種淡情寡義的感覺。

他說話的音調很平穩，有些刻意。

提到錢豔豔的名字時，項東的瞳孔微縮，這代表厭惡。

——誠如闵成河所言，項東嫌棄錢豔豔。

這真是一種悲哀。

明明項東是婚姻的得益者，明明項東能夠有今天，與錢家人的幫助分不開，但他卻看不上錢豔豔。

相識、結婚十餘年，項東并不愛錢豔豔。

但是，趙向晚并沒有聽到項東的心聲。

這是一個心機深沉的男人，不會輕易在人前展露內心。

霍澤問的問題并不尖銳，項東回答的時候沒有什麽負擔。

“豔豔被殺，我也很難過。”

“這幾天只要回到家，看到家裏的一切，滿腦子都是她，眼淚根本止不住。所以我來上班，換個環境，心情好受一點。”

“你們查出什麽了嗎？兇手是不是闵成河？真是知人知面不知心啊，闵成河是豔豔的師弟，是我岳父的高徒，平時豔豔要是有什麽事，只要打個招呼他就會過來幫忙，誰知道……唉！”

錢民強聽項東回答得滴水不漏，最後還不忘往闵成河身上潑髒水，內心的憤怒實在壓抑不住：“項東！你說話要憑良心。闵成河這個人老實本分，就像我弟弟一樣，怎麽可能殺豔豔？倒是你，飽暖思淫欲，誰知道有什麽龌龊心思！”

項東長嘆一聲。

“二哥，你們對闵成河那麽維護，我能夠理解，其實我也不願意相信是他幹的。豔豔去世大家心裏都很難過，但是……咱們一家人能不能不要這樣你怪我、我怪你？于事無補，反而親者痛、仇者快。

我能夠有什麽龌龊心思呢？我和豔豔夫妻十四年，我們倆一點一點把家建設起來，我對她的情感難道你不知道嗎？我在珠市沒有其他親人，二哥、大哥，你們就是我最親近的親人。現在警察同志既然找上門來，我們應該勁往一處使，為警察提供更多的破案線索，早日把兇手緝拿歸案，對不對？”

說得真好。

如果不是有闵成河的直覺，如果不是知道項東出軌，大家都得被項東的話語感動。

錢民強此刻早就認定了是項東殺人，哪裏肯在這裏聽他花言巧語。他厲聲喝斥道：“項東！你告訴警察，是不是在外面有了人，所以想害死豔豔？”

霍灼看了趙向晚一眼。

【讓錢民強這樣直接喊破，行不行？會不會影響到你的審訊？】

趙向晚輕輕擺了擺手，用嘴型說了句：沒事。

俗話說得好，亂拳打死老師傅，就讓錢民強親自上陣，看能不能激得項東吐露一星半點的心聲。

項東的心髒漏跳了一拍。

“二哥，你是不是受到的刺激太大？我怎麽可能害死豔豔，她是我的結發妻子，是承嗣的親生媽媽！”

項東擡眸看向霍灼，平靜的面容終于有了裂縫，心聲也随之洩露。

【警察懷疑我？】

【我有不在場證據……】

【他們沒有證據。】

聽到這裏，趙向晚目光低垂，就是他！就是項東幹的！

但是，沒有證據。

當務之急是尋找證據。

錢民強不是警察，他才不管什麽證據不證據，霍地站起，上前就是一拳頭。

“哐——”

項東被這一拳砸得向後一仰，半邊臉頰赫然青紫起來。

“二哥！”

他不敢置信地看着錢民強，捂住臉叫了起來，“你打我做什麽？我說了，不是我幹的！”

錢民強把今天的憤怒盡數化成了這一拳，大罵道：“我管是不是你幹的！老子就是想打你。我們那麽信任你，把豔豔嫁給你，她為你生兒子、打理內務、給你買衣服、鞋子，把你打扮得跟二、三十歲的年輕人一樣時髦，可是你呢？你是怎麽對她的？你把豔豔還給我，你賠我妹妹！”

這麽大的動靜，驚動了行政樓的人。

技術科科長辦公室的門口，站了一堆人。看到錢民強打項東，都覺得解氣，悄悄議論起來。

“該打！”

“自己的老婆被害了，還每天穿得這麽精致來上班，看着跟沒事人一樣。”

“錢豔豔可惜了，嫁了個沒心的男人。”

“以後啊，女人都要對自己好一點，別把男人當成寶。”

面對這些火辣辣的目光，項東的臉脹得通紅，緊閉的心門也再次開了一條縫。

【只知道埋頭做家務！】

【錢家人，強勢、厲害，沾上就甩不脫。】

【滾啊！都給我死！】

項東的內心，深藏着對錢家人的憎恨。

這是他最黑暗的一面，絕不輕易示人。

是時候出擊了！

趙向晚緩緩站了起來。

她的腰杆挺得很直，雙手握拳，目光銳利無比。

“項東，你家庭條件怎麽樣？”

項東看着趙向晚，沒有馬上回話。

被錢民強打、被同事議論，項東此刻內心不再平靜，面對警察的詢問，他的态度也開始不配合。

“你是誰？”

項東不喜歡趙向晚的眼神。

霍灼在一旁沒好氣地說：“你不要管她是誰，好好回答她的問題！”

項東這才耐着性子說話：“這位警官同志，你說的家庭條件，到底指的是什麽？”

趙向晚說：“我聽說，你父親是小縣城毛巾廠的工人，母親是家庭主婦，家裏有五個孩子，三個兒子、兩個女兒，你是老二，對嗎？”

項東深吸一口氣：“是啊，怎麽了？”

趙向晚斜了他一眼。

這一眼透着濃濃的鄙夷，令項東眉頭一跳、胸口發悶。

趙向晚說：“在小縣城裏，這樣的家庭條件，算是很糟糕吧？毛巾廠住宿條件有限，一家七口人擠在小屋子，轉個身都困難。父親一個人拿工資，養活七口人，吃得飽嗎？”

童年時光湧上心頭，項東牙槽緊咬。

擁擠的卧室、三兄弟睡一張床，每天都能聞到腳臭味，半大的小子，胃口像無底洞一樣，他永遠都吃不飽，只有讀書才能讓他暫時忘記饑餓。

後來知青下鄉，項東想着去農村好歹還能吃口飽飯，所以，他主動報了名。

可是，農村勞作的艱辛，是他預想不到的。

He lived in a cowshed, drank pond water, ate sweet potatoes, and there was always endless work to do: plowing the fields, cutting grass, planting rice, harvesting rice, planting sweet potatoes... His back was burnt until the skin peeled, his hands were covered with blisters, and his whole body ached. He never wanted to endure such hardship again.

After much difficulty, the college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, and Xiang Dong was successfully admitted to university.

After being assigned to the Zhushi Transmission Machinery Factory, Xiang Dong met Qian Yanyan. Seeing her admiring eyes and hearing that her father was the only eighth-level clamper in the factory, he knew that the opportunity to change his destiny had come.

He never wanted to live the same way he had before.

Zhao Xiangwan continued, "Marry Qian Yanyan, and now you have a financial supporter in the transmission machinery factory. Your life will be getting better and better, right?"

These words, like a steel needle, pierced Xiang Dong's self-respecting yet inferior heart.