Chapter 51 Happy New Year
The journey home felt incredibly short to Yu Hao. Neither of them spoke, but Luo Xue chattered non-stop, still savoring the joy of the New Year's Eve dinner. Luo Xue crouched on Yu Hao's back, humming the nursery rhyme she'd just learned from the Spring Festival Gala. Though she had grown into a graceful young lady, she still seemed like a child in front of Yu Hao and his mother. Yu Hao could even smell the faint scent of strawberry shampoo in her hair, the same sweet, milky aroma he'd had when he'd first held little Luo Xue twelve years ago. "Uncle Yu, Sun Lei said he'd teach me how to carve a butterfly!" Luo Xue suddenly leaned into his ear, her voice soft and increasingly reminiscent of her mother, Luo Xin. "Really? Then you should study hard," Yu Hao replied with a smile, his eyes involuntarily glancing at Luo Xin, who was walking beside him. Her hands were tucked into her down jacket pockets, her chin buried in her scarf, revealing only her eyes, which flickered in the light of the fireworks. "Sun Yong... he's a nice guy," Yu Hao muttered, his voice a little muffled by the wind. Luo Xin paused, then continued, "He's a good man." Her words were flat, emotionless. Yu Hao was about to say something when Luo Xue suddenly shouted, "Mom, look! Beautiful fireworks!" A brilliant streak of fireworks streaked across the night sky. Luo Xin looked up, and Yu Hao took the opportunity to glance at her again. He noticed a glint in the corner of her eye, as if tears had flowed at some point, gleaming like diamonds under the fireworks, and Yu Hao felt a pang of pain. Downstairs, Luo Xin took Luo Xue. As Yu Hao was about to leave, Luo Xue rubbed her eyes, yawned, and whispered, "Uncle Yu, would you like to come in and sit for a while?" Yu Hao was startled, then replied, "No." He patted Luo Xue's head, "Uncle has something else to do." He looked at Luo Xin, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and finally uttered only one: "Get some rest early." Luo Xin nodded and turned to walk down the hallway. The moment the security door clicked shut, Yu Hao heard Luo Xue yell from inside, "Mom, is Uncle Yu unhappy?" He leaned against the wall and pulled out his cigarette case, only to find the last cigarette left. The lighter clicked three times before igniting, the flame quivering in the wind like a dying insect. Instead of heading home, he headed towards the village entrance. The playground was deserted, its snow punctuated by black holes from fireworks. A few teenagers ran around holding rockets, their laughter echoing through the empty space. Yu Hao found a sheltered step and sat down, cloaked in the darkness. His smoke rings were blown away by the wind. "Captain Yu?"
The journey home felt particularly short to Yu Hao. Neither of them spoke, except for Luo Xue, who kept talking, still savoring the joy of the New Year's Eve dinner.
Luo Xue lay on Yu Hao's back, humming the nursery rhyme she had just learned from the Spring Festival Gala. Although she had grown into a beautiful young lady, she was still like a child in front of Yu Hao and her mother.
Yu Hao could even smell the faint scent of strawberry shampoo on her hair, just like when he first picked up little Luo Xue twelve years ago, with a hint of sweet milky fragrance.
"Uncle Yu, Sun Lei said he would teach me how to carve butterflies!" Luo Xue suddenly leaned close to his ear and said in a soft voice, her tone sounding more and more like her mother Luo Xin.
"Really? Then you have to study hard." Yu Hao responded with a smile, but his eyes involuntarily glanced at Luo Xin who was walking beside him.
Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her down jacket, her chin buried in her scarf, leaving only her eyes exposed, flickering in the light of the fireworks.
"Sun Yong...he's a nice guy." Yu Hao made small talk, his voice a little dispersed by the wind.
Luo Xin paused, then walked forward again: "He is a good man." She spoke calmly, without any emotion.
Yu Hao was about to say something when Luo Xue suddenly shouted, "Mom, look! What beautiful fireworks!"
A brilliant streak of fireworks happened to streak across the night sky. Luo Xin looked up, and Yu Hao took the opportunity to take another look at her. He found that there seemed to be a light in the corner of her eyes. She didn't know when she had shed tears, and they flashed like broken diamonds under the fireworks. Yu Hao felt a little distressed.
When they got downstairs, Luo Xin took Luo Xue. Yu Hao was about to leave when Luo Xue rubbed her eyes and yawned, saying softly, "Uncle Yu, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Yu Hao was stunned for a moment, then replied, "No." He touched Luo Xue's head, "Uncle has something else to do." He looked at Luo Xin, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and finally he only said one sentence, "Rest early."
Luo Xin nodded and turned to walk towards the corridor.
The moment the security door clicked shut, Yu Hao heard Luo Xue shouting from inside: "Mom, is Uncle Yu unhappy?"
He leaned against the wall, took out his cigarette box, and found that there was only one cigarette left in it.
The lighter clicked three times before it lit, the flame trembling in the wind like a dying insect.
He didn't go home directly, but walked towards the village entrance. The playground was empty, and the snow was covered with black holes burned by the fireworks.
A few half-grown children were running around holding sky rockets, and their laughter echoed in the open space.
Yu Hao found a step sheltered from the wind and sat down, hiding himself in the darkness. The smoke rings he exhaled were blown away by the wind.
"Captain Yu?"
Yu Hao turned around suddenly and saw Liu Bing standing not far away with his sleeves tucked in, an unlit firecracker in his hand.
"Liu Bing." Yu Hao put out his cigarette and moved aside. "Why are you here?"
Liu Bing pointed at the firecrackers in his hand and said, "What else can I do? Come and set off some fireworks." He came over and sat down, spitting on the ground. "I just saw you sending Luo Xin home at the door of Xiao Fang's barber shop. Captain Yu is really a thoughtful person."
Yu Hao didn't respond. He knew Liu Bing was a well-known nosy person in the village. He could be seen eavesdropping on things everywhere, from Uncle Zhang's chess and card room to Aunt Liu's wonton shop.
"Xiao Fang? She didn't go back to her hometown?" Yu Hao asked.
"Yes, she gave me the key to the store and told me to take care of it. Tonight is New Year's Eve, so I turned on the lights in her store to make it lively." Liu Bing explained.
Yu Hao nodded. This person was quite particular.
"Are we seeing any progress in the case?" Liu Bing rubbed his hands, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I saw you went to Sun Yong's house tonight. Is there something wrong with that kid?"
"What? Are you still staring at him?"
"It's not really a stare, I just think he's a little weird. You know, Captain Yu, I have a very accurate sixth sense." Liu Bing's expression revealed an inexplicable naturalness when he spoke.
"Oh, really?"
"Of course not, Captain Yu, just tell me, how is the case going? I'm really worried about this case." Liu Bing was a little impatient.
Yu Hao smiled and said, "Almost there, a breakthrough." He didn't say much, but took out an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it over, "Keep it up."
Liu Bing took the cigarette, his eyes shining like searchlights: "Of course! Of course!"
Yu Hao leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Can you help me?"
"You say!" Liu Bing patted his chest, "Climb a mountain of sword and plunge into a sea of fire..."
"No need to go through so much trouble." Yu Hao interrupted him, his eyes sweeping across the shadows at the edge of the playground, and he whispered a few words in Liu Bing's ear.
"Ah?" Liu Bing was a little surprised. "Is it okay?"
"No problem, you can give it a try. As for safety, don't worry."
Liu Bing hesitated for a moment, but still patted his chest and said, "Please rest assured, Captain Yu, and the government. We will ensure that the political task is completed." Yu Hao patted his shoulder and said, "Just do it." He smiled and turned to walk towards the alley.
There was a loud sound of fireworks exploding behind him. He looked back and saw Liu Bing jumping in the snow with firecrackers in his hand.
Yu Hao put away his smile and sighed deeply.
Another round of fireworks rose in the night sky, illuminating the uneven roofs of Nan'an Village. Yu Hao knew that this New Year's Eve was not over yet, and some things had just begun.
*
The sunlight on the first day of the Lunar New Year shines through the gaps in the curtains, casting a dazzling streak of light on the floor.
Yu Hao was woken up by the continuous vibration of his mobile phone, and densely packed New Year greetings messages kept popping up on the screen.
He sat up, rubbing his swollen temples. The empty wine bottle on the bedside table fell to the side, and the remaining wine stains at the bottom of the bottle spread out into a small dark area on the wooden table.
After leaving Sun Yong's house last night, he drank half a bottle of white wine at home, but he couldn't get drunk. His mind was full of Luo Xin's eyes, like a hook quenched in fire, making him uneasy. He shook his head and stood up.
"Happy New Year, Captain Yu! Please return to the team on time on the second day of the New Year and ensure that the mission is completed!" Lu Chao's message was filled with the enthusiasm unique to young people.
Yu Hao replied "Happy New Year", put down his phone and went into the bathroom.
The man in the mirror had sunken eye sockets, his stubble had turned blue, and the red bloodshot under his eyes spread like a spider web.
He turned on the faucet, and when the cold water hit his face, the biting chill sobered him up a little. His heart, which was gripped by the case, could not relax at all.
The bread maker in the kitchen made a ding sound, and he lay back on the sofa with a piece of bread in his mouth, and picked up the file thrown on the coffee table.
In the photo, the edge of the knife wound on Wang Shun's chest is neat, and Sun Wei wrote next to it: "The blade width is 3 cm, and the insertion angle is 15 degrees upward."
Another photo shows Guo Zhong curled up in the snow, with a dagger on his chest gleaming coldly. Lu Chao wrote the note "stride length 75 cm, footprint depth 4 cm, estimated weight around 80 kg."
These numbers spun in his mind like a puzzle, gradually forming the outline of Sun Yong.
This taciturn man hid all his gentleness in his clumsy actions, like a wolf guarding its lair, calm but with a hidden edge.
His feelings for Luo Xin are more than just neighborly care.
Perhaps it was because he saw Wang Shun's entanglement with Luo Xin that he wanted to kill him, Yu Hao thought to himself.
"That bastard Wang Shun..." Yu Hao cursed in a low voice and poked Wang Shun's photo hard with his fingertips.
Yu Hao's mind unconsciously recalled the events of that night. Luo Xin came to his house under Wang Shun's threat. Wang Shun asked her to drink with him. After drinking, he dragged Luo Xin to his bedroom...
Yu Hao didn't dare to think further. How many times had this happened?
Thinking of this, he slapped himself hard again. Why didn't he realize it before?
Uncle Zhang said that on the night Wang Shun died, Sun Yong was playing mahjong in the chess and card room. He went to the bathroom in the middle of the game and stayed there for more than twenty minutes.
It only takes five minutes to walk from the chess and card room in Nan'an Village to the rental house 202.
It was enough time, enough for a man blinded by rage to carry out a well-planned killing.
It is very likely that before committing the crime, Sun Yong happened to see Liu Feng climbing over the wall into Wang Shun's house to steal money, so he had an idea and put the blame on Liu Feng.
But how did the fingerprints get on the dagger? This was something he could never figure out.
Where is Guo Zhong?
Yu Hao picked up the photo of Guo Zhong. This landlord who always smiled had too many calculations in his eyes.
When he opened the brothel, he must have had leverage over many people, and Luo Xin might have been one of them.
After Sun Yong killed Wang Shun, would Guo Zhong discover something?
Maybe he saw Sun Yong coming out of Room 202 late at night, maybe he found out about the relationship between Sun Yong and Luo Xin, or maybe it was evidence he didn't have at the moment and wanted to use it to threaten Sun Yong, which ended up bringing him a fatal disaster.
The on-site investigation records stated that Guo Zhong had a brief conversation before his death, and there were two sets of footprints intertwined on the snow.
It is very likely that Sun Yong pretended to agree to Guo Zhong's request and took action when he was off guard.
"We have the motive, the timing matches, and the characteristics match..." Yu Hao pinched his brow, his knuckles turning white, "But where's the evidence?"
Could it be that Sun Yong bought rooms 201 and 202 and renovated them just to destroy evidence?
Yu Hao remembered Liu Bing's words about Sun Yong personally swinging a hammer to smash the wall, and his heart skipped a beat. What was he smashing? Was there something wrong with the wall?
He couldn't figure it out, but he felt that the truth should slowly emerge.
The phone rang again. It was a message from Sun Wei: "Happy New Year."
Yu Hao replied, "Thank you, and I wish you a happy new year too."
Outside the window came the sound of children setting off firecrackers, crackling and revealing the excitement of the New Year.
Yu Hao felt cold all over. He seemed to see Sun Yong standing in front of the wall of Room 202, hammer in hand, smashing it down again and again. The wall dust fell down, covering up those shameful traces.
He stood up, walked to the window and opened the curtains. A thin layer of snow accumulated on the roofs of Nan'an Village, and the sunlight shone on it, reflecting a dazzling light.
From a distance, a faint smoke was coming out of Luo Xin's chimney. It must be Luo Xue pestering Luo Xin to make breakfast.
Yu Hao took a deep breath and decided to put the case aside for now. After the team returned on the second day of the Lunar New Year, there would be plenty of time to investigate.
He picked up his phone, found Luo Xin's number, hesitated for a long time, and finally just sent a "Happy New Year".
But he didn't receive a reply message. He waited for a long time but still didn't receive one.
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