Chapter 88 Visit
Beicheng East District Police Station.
The car came to a smooth stop on the side of the road. The right window faced the police station’s old, black iron gate, with the words “Serve the People” painted in white on it.
The three-story brick-and-mortar building had exposed red bricks, with only a layer of cement plastered on the corners.
The glass door on the first floor was open, and occasionally uniformed police officers would go in and out. The words "Reception" could be seen in blue letters above the door.
"We...we're just going to...go in like this?"
The biggest thing Zhang Guixiang has experienced in most of her life is taking the train to Beicheng.
Suddenly being told to go to the police station, she was so scared that she trembled all over before she even went inside, and she didn't even dare to open the car door.
"Get out of the car!" Old Ma pushed her, her tone calm and steady: "We haven't done anything wrong, what are you afraid of!"
"Xiao Mu said he'd be here soon and told us to go find the person first," Chen Yun said.
My original intention was simply to ask if Xiao Mudong District Police Station had any acquaintances there, so I could find out what was going on.
Unexpectedly, after receiving the call, Xiao Mu said he would come in person, which made Chen Yun feel a little embarrassed to trouble him.
"Then let's go in first," Old Lady Ma decided.
In the reception hall, which reeked of sweat and mildew, two uniformed policemen sat dozing behind the window.
There was no air conditioning in the lobby, and the two old electric fans were so loud that they could drown out the footsteps of several people walking.
Zhang Guixiang shrank back even further behind Granny Ma, feeling timid.
"Hello, comrade." Chen Yun stepped forward and asked loudly through the small window, "Hello, police officer, we are the family members of Ma Cuifen and Jin Decai."
“Ma Cuifen…”
The young policeman was jolted awake and hurriedly searched for the names in the register.
“Ma Cuifen… is illegally operating gambling machines and is in the detention room on the second floor.”
The police officer raised his eyelids and glanced at Chen Yun, a fleeting look of unspoken words passing through his eyes.
Chen Yun said "thank you" and, guided by the young policeman, walked through the lobby and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Office at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Chen Yun asked him again about what he had said in the lobby. The middle-aged policeman, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, had an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
"The temporary detention room is at the end of the corridor."
The old policeman stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, picked up the "Public Security Administration Regulations" from the table, and walked out.
"I'll take them to see the suspect; you're in charge of educating them."
The veteran police officer was explaining things to his colleagues in the office, pointing to a corner as he spoke.
Chen Yun then noticed two blond-haired youths in the corner of the office, each with one hand handcuffed to an iron bar, sitting dejectedly on a long wooden bench.
"Old Xiao just called me. I'll take you to meet Ma Cuifen and Jin Decai..."
As we walked toward the detention room, the veteran policeman first introduced himself.
Xu Ping, the head of the police station.
Yesterday, the police station received a tip from the public that an arcade on Luogu Road was suspected of operating gambling machines.
Xu Ping personally led a team to investigate the arcade and indeed found four unplugged slot machines in its storage room.
Jin Decai and Ma Cuifen were immediately taken back to the police station for interrogation.
The two denied that their arcade was involved in gambling, insisting that they did not buy the slot machines, claiming they were only stored in a warehouse by a friend.
When the police inquired with the friends the two men mentioned, the friends denied the allegations.
That so-called friend runs a legitimate business that has absolutely nothing to do with video game consoles.
Comparing the two sides' accounts, it was obvious to the police whose story they believed.
"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. If they tell the truth, they'll at most get a fine and be detained for fifteen days to settle this matter. What good does dragging it out do them?"
As soon as Xu Ping finished speaking, the door to the detention cell was pushed open.
The room was divided into two sides by an iron fence. Several wooden stools were placed against the wall, and Jin Decai and Ma Cuifen each lay on one of the stools.
It seems like she's sleeping, or perhaps she's sulking after a fight.
Jin Decai's chest heaved violently, and his breathing became disordered.
Ma Cuifen placed her hands over her eyes, and suppressed sobs escaped through her arms.
Xu Ping walked to the iron fence and tapped it with his notebook: "Your family members are here. If you have anything to say, say it quickly."
"Cuifen!" Old Ma walked shakily to the fence and grabbed the iron bars: "Cuifen, what's wrong with you!"
After a bumpy ride to the police station, and quite a fright, Old Ma was so exhausted that her face was drained of color, and her breathing became increasingly labored.
"Mother, what brings you here!"
Ma Cuifen sat up abruptly, ignoring the tears on her face, and rushed to the iron fence in a panic.
"You brat, you even ask me why I'm here!" Old Ma's hand slipped through the fence and slapped Ma Cuifen a few times. "The police station even called your brother's company!"
"mother."
"Please sit down, ma'am." Xu Ping handed a stool to Ma's mother and then pointed to Ma Cuifen: "Your mother is here too. Answer my questions honestly from now on."
Ma Cuifen sighed impatiently, "We're telling the truth."
"What a load of bull! The stuff is right under your nose, and you're telling me you don't know... You run an arcade, don't you even know that slot machines are illegal?"
Ma Cuifen took a deep breath and lowered her head.
"Cuifen..." Chen Yun had just opened her mouth when there was a knock on the door of the interrogation room.
"Please come in."
"Director Xu." Xiao Mu walked in with a smile and patted Xu Ping on the shoulder: "It's been a while since I've seen you. You've aged so much!"
“Our local police station is nowhere near as comfortable as your city bureau.” Xu Ping was only briefly pleased by Xiao Mu’s appearance before quickly realizing, “Your friend?”
“This is my sister-in-law.” Xiao Mu introduced Chen Yun to Xu Ping: “She’s the former platoon leader Gao, do you remember her? She’s Gao’s wife.”
"Company Commander Gao?"
Xu Ping certainly remembered that the news of Gao Ming giving up his demobilization opportunity to his wounded comrade spread throughout the entire regiment headquarters, and their regimental commander regretted not keeping this capable assistant.
Even though the man had been demobilized for several years, Xu Ping could still hear the regimental commander and political commissar mentioning his name in the regimental office.
"So she's Company Commander Gao's wife!"
"Hello, Director Xu." Chen Yun's smile was somewhat awkward, clearly because the detention room was not a good place for small talk: "My name is Chen Yun."
"Let's get down to business first." Xiao Mu's smile faded, and he placed his hat on the table. "What's their situation?"
As soon as Xu Ping finished speaking, Ma Cuifen immediately interrupted, sounding aggrieved.
"I really didn't know there were slot machines in the arcade. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have let Boss Xu put the machines in our warehouse!"
Xu Ping said, "We investigated the Mr. Xu that Ma Cuifen mentioned. He's a legitimate businessman who runs a small shop, and the surrounding shops all said they haven't seen any slot machines in his shop..."
"It's him! Boss Xu said he was just borrowing my warehouse to store Sega game consoles for a few days, and he'd be taking them away this Friday!" Ma Cuifen hurriedly defended herself.
Xu Ping sighed: "Then you need to produce evidence!"
What's the use of just crying foul? The machine was found in the arcade, and Mr. Xu doesn't admit to having anything to do with it.
Police officers also need to rely on evidence when handling cases; they can't just let the two go based on Ma Cuifen's words alone.
"Boss Xu?" Chen Yun felt that the title was somewhat familiar, and quickly searched his memory for the corresponding memory: "He's Boss Xu who sells game consoles to you."
"That's him!" Jin Decai exclaimed.
Xiao Mu immediately seized on the key phrase in Chen Yun's words: "Did Boss Xu also run an arcade before?"
Ma Cuifen quickly recounted in detail how Boss Xu sold them game consoles a few years ago.
"Why didn't you say anything during the interrogation?" Xu Ping asked.
Ma Cuifen was taken aback, and replied blankly, "Didn't we say that...?"
"It happened six years ago. Even if you bring it up, it would be very difficult for you to find out whether he actually ran an arcade. Six years ago, very few privately owned shops had business licenses."
“Xiao Mu can prove that he ran an arcade, and that the arcade had these kinds of slot machines,” Chen Yun suddenly said.
Six years ago, Gao Yi stole money from his family to go to the arcade. When Gao Fei went to the arcade to get a refund, he was not only refused but also had his hand injured by the arcade.
Gao Ming reported Boss Xu to the police station, but Xiao Mu personally went to the arcade to negotiate compensation.
After a brief moment of surprise, Xiao Mu quickly realized what had happened and clapped his hands: "So it was him!"
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether we can prove that Mr. Xu ran an arcade. We can tell whether they are going to buy groceries just by observing the flow of people in and out of the convenience store."
Based on what Ma Cuifen just said, Chen Yun deduced that the reason why Boss Xu temporarily stored the machine in their warehouse was either because he had nowhere else to put it, or because he heard rumors and sent the machine away in advance.
She didn't believe that Mr. Xu would give up so easily, having made a lot of money using this kind of machine six years ago.
Therefore, it is highly likely that the convenience store was just a front, and a real illegal arcade was hidden inside. The police conducted a hasty investigation but then nothing more was done, and the arcade is probably still operating.
Just like Xu Ping said, as long as Ma Cuifen and her husband admit that the slot machine belongs to them, they will eventually be released after being fined because the machine is unused.
Xu Ping: "..."
While listening to Chen Yun speak, he secretly sized up the young-looking woman.
She could understand why the police officers in charge of the investigation at the police station hadn't thought of it... Xu Ping considered even more possibilities.
Perhaps Ma Cuifen did mention that Mr. Xu used to run an arcade, but rather that there was no record of it.
Thinking of this, Xu Ping's expression immediately turned serious, and he strode to the table and opened the interrogation records.
"You thought of that too?" Xiao Mu walked over and tapped the table lightly with his index finger: "You're acting like a blind man as the director, letting your subordinates easily manipulate you."
Someone at the police station had contact with Mr. Xu. The interrogation records not only deliberately downplayed Mr. Xu's role in the case, but also shifted the focus of the conflict to the fact that Ma Cuifen's arcade license had expired and had not been renewed.
“That’s true.” Xu Ping slammed the interrogation record down, rubbing his chin with his right hand. “The notice was just issued to crack down on gambling-related game machines, and the next thing I knew, Boss Xu had delivered the game machines to Ma Cuifen’s game arcade warehouse. You tell me… his information network is much better than mine!”
"This is serious. Let's contact the bureau by phone!"
Xiao Mu never expected that simply helping out with a small matter would lead to so much trouble, especially since it was pointed out by the "non-professional" Chen Yun.
It's really embarrassing to talk about...
Xu Ping nodded.
“Ma Cuifen and Jin Decai will have to stay at the police station tonight. You can come pick them up tomorrow morning,” Xu Ping said.
Xiao Mu put on his hat and said gently, "Don't worry."
Ma's mother and Zhang Guifen were completely confused. It had only been about ten minutes since they came in, and the mother and daughter hadn't said a word, making it seem like they were about to leave.
"Chief, my daughter may be a little simple-minded, but she's timid and wouldn't dare do anything bad. You must trust us!"
“Auntie.” Chen Yun held onto Ma’s arm and winked at her: “Director Xu said he’d come to pick them up tomorrow morning, so let Cuifen and the others wait here tonight.”
Xiao Mu smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Auntie!"
As for Ma Cuifen and Jin Decai, no one explained the key details to them.
By the time Chen Yun explained the intricacies to Old Lady Ma, they were already in front of the police station.
Xu Ping used the excuse of going out to catch up with an old friend to leave the police station and then drove off in his official car.
Chen Yun drove Ma Laoniang and Zhang Guixiang back to the company, then had dinner at Gaolan Restaurant before driving home.
After the setting sun had fallen behind the wall and the temperature had dropped, more and more people came out for a walk.
Chen Yun carried the sandals that Gao Lan had bought for Gao Tiejun and Dong Qiaoying, and walked slowly through the alley.
"Xiao Chen, you just got off work?"
"Has Dr. Chen eaten?"
"Little Chen..."
Many people greeted him along the way, but a sudden shout broke through the crowd, quickly making Chen Yun turn his head to look.
"Dr. Chen."
"You still have the nerve to come here?" Chen Yun stopped and looked at the slightly disheveled Cui Niang with a half-smile: "You really have no shame at all!"
Judging from the two fresh bloodstains on Cui Niang's face, she had probably just been beaten up by the Li family.
“My aunt and uncle may disown me, but Li Huguo is their son. How could they be so heartless…”
"Come and see!" Chen Yun suddenly raised her voice and waved to the neighbors who were scattering to cool off: "Everyone come and see, Li Huguo's mistress still dares to come to our door!"
"It really is Cui Niang!"
The elderly people quickly gathered around. It didn't matter what Cui Niang's purpose was in talking to Chen Yun; she was now the center of attention.
"I heard that Li Huguo has been removed from the family genealogy. How dare he come back?"
"I've lived most of my life and this is the first time I've ever seen a concubine dare to come to my door."
"Other people's concubines are brought into the family properly, while she's at most a mistress, the kind that can't be brought into the public eye!"
"Li Huguo is divorced."
"So what if we get divorced? Do you think Li Zhong will let Cui Niang into the family?"
The old men and women were a hundred times better at being sarcastic than Chen Yun. In no time, Cui Niang's face turned bright red, and she stammered, wanting to say something but unable to open her mouth.
Chen Yun pursed her lips and took the opportunity to slip out of the crowd and into her own yard.
"Mom, where's Li Shuaishuai?"
"They're doing their homework inside!" Dong Qiaoying, unaware of what was happening outside, was sitting at the doorway brushing a straw mat. "The three kids watched TV all day, and your dad only called them back inside to do their homework after dinner."
"Mom, Gao Lan bought you and Dad a new pair of sandals."
"It's not like we don't have sandals to wear, why buy new ones?"
That's what she said, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She happily took the sandals and put them on.
“I’ll go inside and check on them. If I don’t keep an eye on them, I won’t be able to write three lines all night.”
Aunt Liu didn't have time to renovate the two rooms she sold, so they've temporarily become the children's study.
Every word Chen Yun and Dong Qiaoying said reached the ears of the three of them.
Just moments before the door was opened, the three of them were frantically sweeping sunflower seed shells and watermelon rinds onto the ground.
creak—
Chen Yun stepped on the watermelon rind and immediately fell forward, kneeling on the ground.
My pants were instantly soaked with... watermelon juice and sunflower seed shells.
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