Chapter 33 I Want Your Tongue (IX) Six Fingers
Han Jianye felt that this discovery had narrowed the scope of their search for the murderer.
"That's great, Shaozhen." Han Jianye praised her generously.
Mai Shaozhen held the crucial report in his hand and responded with a smile: "I hope this clue can help you solve the case as soon as possible."
She patted Han Jianye's shoulder gently and added half-jokingly: "Xiaobai is my younger brother. He is working under you now. Please take care of him."
Han Jianye turned his gaze to Ye Bai, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he responded easily: "Don't worry, can I still eat him?"
Mai Shaozhen said half seriously with a hint of joking in his tone: "To be honest, with your temper, I really don't believe it."
Han Jianye snorted, looked at Ye Bai again, and then said to Mai Shaozhen: "Your brother Ye Bai has a bad temper, how could he let himself be wronged."
Then, he turned his head, casually placed his right hand on Ye Bai's shoulder, and said, "Let's go, brother Ye Bai, your sister Shaozhen asked me to take good care of you."
The two walked out of the door together. Ye Bai gently removed Han Jianye's hand from his shoulder and said calmly, "Sister Shaozhen was just joking with you. Why should you take it seriously?"
Han Jianye crossed his arms in front of his chest, stared at Ye Bai deeply, and asked: "Then tell me, have I ever bullied you?"
Ye Bai looked directly into Han Jianye's eyes and asked, "Why do you ask that?"
"Then why do you always have a stern face?"
Ye Bai replied calmly: "Is there?"
"No?" Han Jianye asked back.
Hearing this, Ye Bai lowered his head slightly and calmly reflected that his mood today was indeed too cold.
In the system they are in, offending the leader is undoubtedly a taboo.
After a moment of contemplation, he finally realized his mistake, then looked up at Han Jianye with a hint of apology in his tone: "So... do you want some vitamin tablets?"
Han Jianye suddenly chuckled and broke the silence: "Ye Bai, every answer you give is always unexpected."
Ye Bai's voice became much softer, and he patiently explained: "Vitamin tablets need to be taken on time every day."
"Then what?" Han Jianye asked.
"Take it after meals, two pills at a time."
Han Jianye's face showed a subtle change, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He seemed to always find fun in Ye Bai, but this time he chose to give him a way out: "So, what next?"
Ye Bai's voice was calm and rhythmic. He asked again: "Then... do you want to eat now?"
Han Jianye's smile became even more pronounced. Instead of refusing, he stretched out his hand and motioned Ye Bai to put the vitamin tablet into his palm.
Ye Bai thought Han Jianye would be angry and refuse, but the other party unexpectedly stretched out his hand.
Han Jianye took the vitamin tablet and casually threw it into his mouth, saying as he walked, "Are there no other flavors? I'm tired of the orange flavor."
Ye Bai responded helplessly: "This is not candy, you can choose the flavor."
The two of them walked and talked, as if the unpleasantness just now had never happened. Their voices echoed in the corridor, creating an unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere.
At the same time, they came to an important data conclusion through a number of scientific analyses including the appearance characteristics, particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XRP) and microbial community of red soil.
Of the seven red soil samples collected from different locations, only two samples had the same geological origin as the red soil at the site of the old house.
The two samples were the samples brought back from the construction site by Liao Wei and Qi Xiaolei, and the sample extracted by Han Jianye from the puddle at the gate of the scrap yard.
Their data analysis results were completely consistent with the red soil samples found in the old house.
Liao Wei and Qi Xiaolei were very excited. Liao Wei said to Captain Han anxiously, "Captain Han, I suspect the murderer is probably someone from the construction site. I think the sample you brought back was taken back from the construction site by the scrap yard owner to fill the puddle."
After listening to Liao Wei's analysis, everyone felt that his inference made some sense.
Therefore, they decided to send additional staff to conduct a more detailed check on the personnel on the construction site.
The investigation focused on the following characteristics: height approximately between 170 and 175 cm, wearing size 41 shoes, left-handedness, and possible extra deformed finger on the right thumb.
Su Wan led the team to the construction site for a detailed inspection, while Han Jianye and Ye Bai went to the scrap yard in Wuliu Village.
The scrap yard is not large, about 100 square meters, and is home to a family of four: old father Shi Mikun, son Shi Baoyang, old mother Li Jiaohua and little grandson Shi Kangkang. The child's mother passed away shortly after giving birth to Shi Kangkang.
When Han Jianye and Ye Bai arrived at the scrap yard, they saw Shi Kangkang, wearing open-crotch pants, playing with sand at the door.
Shi Kangkang seemed very lively. He was not afraid of strangers. He looked up and gave them an innocent smile without saying a word. Then he ran excitedly towards a man, who was most likely his father Shi Baoyang.
Han Jianye showed Shi Baoyang his police ID and began to ask some questions.
At first, Shi Baoyang seemed a little nervous, but when the topic turned to the sand used to fill the puddle at the door, he smiled awkwardly and explained: "My father and I secretly shoveled two truckloads of sand to fill the puddle in our village after dark, waiting for everyone at the construction site to leave. I didn't expect that we were still discovered. I'm really embarrassed."
Ye Bai noticed that Shi Baoyang was about 178 cm tall and was used to working with his right hand, so he asked about his shoe size.
Shi Baoyang answered honestly: "39 yards."
After patrolling the scrapyard and finding nothing unusual, they prepared to leave.
When Han Jianye and Ye Bai were about to walk out of the gate of the scrap yard, Su Wan's phone rang in time.
Su Wan reported on the other end of the phone: "Captain Han, we have conducted a thorough inspection of the construction site. There are a total of 25 workers working on the site, including 6 women and 19 men. Most of them are about 1.7 meters tall, and 15 of them wear size 41 shoes. But as far as I know, there are no left-handed people among them. I have also confirmed with the contractor that there are no workers on the construction site with six fingers on their right hand."
Hearing this information, Han Jianye frowned and asked, "Are you sure there are no omissions? Are there any workers who didn't come to the construction site today? Or workers who suddenly didn't come to work in the past few days?"
Ye Bai stood quietly beside Han Jianye, listening to the conversation on the phone.
Just then, his attention was attracted by a scene: a man riding an electric bike with a woman on the back seat was driving towards them, and then the two of them entered the scrap yard together.
In the brief eye contact between Ye Bai and the man on the bike, he caught a hint of fluctuation in the other's eyes. This subtle change made Ye Bai feel something was wrong.