Chapter 44 Chapter 44 I can do it on my own!
“…” Xiao Wu picked up a brown paper bag and went back to the table to work in frustration.
After two days of sorting, Ji Yinhe listed all the more than ten cases involving cultural relics on the blackboard.
The case name is written in chronological order on the left, with a vertical line drawn in the middle. The right side is filled in according to the location of the theft, the cultural relics involved, the age of the cultural relics, the situation of the criminals or suspects, etc.
"It looks very clear at a glance!" Cheng Mo, who was passing by, praised.
"Hehe, I learned this from my parents."
Ji Yinhe said this, but in his heart he was thinking about the five-fold bag in his cross-body bag.
There is an application called WPS on it. Don’t use it to make spreadsheets too quickly!
Unfortunately, this is in the office, so I can't take out the five-fold coin and play with it openly.
She turned her gaze back and stared at the large blackboard in front of her in deep thought.
Before 1985, most of these stolen cultural relics belonged to the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, with some also from the Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties. The thefts were concentrated in several sites around Jiangtan.
However, in the last decade, some cultural relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties have appeared.
More than half of the cases were never successfully recovered!
Ji Yinhe slowly touched his chin, feeling that the Buddha head theft case might be linked to the scholar's tomb theft case.
Although it was a Qing Dynasty tomb, she carefully observed the epitaph that day. The owner of the tomb was born in the Shunzhi period and had several late Ming Dynasty items on hand, so the possibility was quite high.
While she was still thinking about it, Xiao Wu had already proposed a joint case to Tang Ci.
But this time he did not agree directly.
Ever since Lu Zheng returned to the provincial department, Ji Yinhe felt that Captain Tang's temper had changed a lot.
Perhaps because there have been fewer serious cases recently, his emotions have been quite stable. He always thinks twice before doing anything and speaks softly, unlike before when he would bang the table and glare at anyone.
At this moment, Tang Ci calmly asked, "Can you be sure that Huo Zongping's stolen Buddha head is an authentic Ming Dynasty artifact?"
Xiao Wu thought about it and said, "I can't..."
Ji Yinhe sighed and continued, "He didn't seek expert appraisal, but only asked some folk experts to look at it. There is indeed a possibility that it is a fake."
"Yes." Tang Ci nodded and walked towards the blackboard. "I looked through the Cultural Relics Bureau's yearbook. In recent years, Jiangtan's archaeological work has been concentrated on Ming and Qing dynasty tombs. Perhaps it is precisely because of the extensive development that cultural relics from this era are frequently stolen."
Comrade Xiao Ji thought for a moment and said, "In other words, the relationship between these two cases hasn't formed a sufficiently logical chain... Xiao Wu and I have to continue looking for clues."
"--right."
Director Rao, carrying a large teacup, strolled in from outside. "It would be best if we could combine the cases, but tracing cultural relics is a very complex and specialized job. Even Shi Yun had to work with colleagues from the Cultural Relics Bureau back then. It's completely different from the trace investigation of ordinary criminal cases."
Ji Yinhe recalled the news he had read in the Handong Police Newspaper a few days ago and asked, "I heard that the provincial department has already been equipped with special cultural relics police. Will our municipal bureau also have them?"
Rao Zhenghao shook his head. "It's difficult. You have to select from professional colleges. You won't be able to catch up with the case on hand in a short time."
"Okay..." Comrade Xiao Ji sighed and clenched his fists, "I can do it on my own!"
*
With a give-it-a-give mentality, when he returned home in the evening, Ji Yinhe still planned to reveal a little about the case to Old Ji and Ms. Lian.
However, no one knows what big thing the Heye Street Sub-district Office is busy with recently. Comrade Ji Jianguo works overtime more hours every day than Officer Ji, and comes home later and later every day.
Ms. Lian still looked busy with her own business and didn't ask a single question about her husband's whereabouts.
But every night I would leave a pot of light and heartwarming chicken porridge on the stove.
This winter, Comrade Ji quickly became plump.
"...I want to lose weight!" Ji Jianguo sat at the dining table and pushed the bowl of porridge away with a fearless attitude. "Don't let anyone stop me. I'm going to show off my eight-pack abs!"
After saying that, he lay down on the ground and started doing sit-ups.
"Dad, there are so many ways to do sit-ups!" Ji Yinhe held a bag of melon seeds and squatted beside them while cracking them.
"What sit-ups? I'm doing this with ripped abs! ... Hold the melon seeds away!" Ji Jianguo snorted, glancing at her. "What are you doing squatting here so late at night instead of reading? Tell me... What's going on that requires your father's help?"
"Well, I just encountered a case..." Ji Yinhe briefly described what happened today, and then asked, "Dear Dad, have you ever heard of this kind of cultural relic theft case before~~~?"
Ji Jianguo stopped what he was doing, "...I don't think so, how about you, wife?"
Lian Qiao, who was watching TV with a cucumber on her face, thought for a moment, "What kind of cultural relic is it?"
"The ones we know about now include a Buddha head," Ji Yinhe said, counting on his fingers. "There are also four treasures of the study, such as pens and inkstones... They probably all date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties."
"Wow, they're going to Tingquan to appraise treasures!" Lian Qiao muttered, "This guy is quite bold. Do you want to perform Grave Robbers' Chronicles or Antique Bureau Midgame?"
Ji Yinhe blinked, "What are these, Mom?"
"Oops..." Lian Qiao covered her mouth lightly and said perfunctorily, "Tingquan is a treasure appraiser from our hometown. He's very good and has a very accurate eye. Grave Robbers' Chronicles and The Antique Bureau Mid-Game are just some stories your dad and I heard from others when we were young!"
"……All right."
Since he couldn't get any clues, Ji Yinhe had to put down the melon seeds and go back to his room.
In addition to the case, the big competition before the New Year was still hanging over her head. She changed into sportswear and practiced boxing in front of the mirror.
There was a knock on the door.
Lian Qiao looked at her with a smile, "Have you been under a lot of pressure lately? You didn't talk much during dinner."
"Actually, it's okay..." Ji Yinhe made a gesture to stop, thinking that he was actually waiting for Old Ji to come back, thinking about how to ask him questions at the same time.
Lian Qiao took her hand and pressed two tickets into her palm. "These are gifts from diners today. The city museum is holding an exhibition on life in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with several national treasures... Isn't the case you're solving about Ming and Qing cultural relics? Go and relax, maybe you can help!"
"Okay! Thank you, Mom!"
Ji Yinhe closed the door, stared at the three words "Life Exhibition" on the ticket, and puffed out his cheeks.
It's unlikely that a Buddha head would appear in an exhibition with this theme...
It's nice to be able to relax on the weekend, but now there are two tickets. Who should she go with? Teacher Lu is not in Jiangtan...
Stop, stop, stop!
Ji Yinhe straightened his back and took a breath, not understanding why his thoughts went to Teacher Lu!
*
The next morning, Comrade Xiao Ji knocked on the door of the autopsy room with the ticket.
Since there have been no murders recently, Ye Qing doesn't have to stay up late to work overtime. At this moment, she is standing in front of the window tending to her flowers and plants.
Ji Yinhe showed her the ticket and smilingly invited her to visit the museum together.
But Ye Qing lowered her head and whispered, "Maybe not on the weekend, I have something to do..."
"What's the matter?" Ji Yinhe looked at the blush on her ears and started gossiping, "Are you going on a date?"
Ye Qing swallowed lightly and nodded, "Hmm..."
In Ms. Lian's words, forensic doctor Xiaoye has some social phobia. Ji Yinhe didn't expect that she would become a friend without making any noise!
Some small details from her daily work suddenly popped into her mind, and she asked with a teasing look on her face, "With the silent Brother Cheng in our team?"
Ye Qing's eyes widened in panic, "How did you know that?"
"Of course—intuition!" Officer Ji shook his index finger. "I'm a recognized crime-solving genius in the bureau!"
——After all, the silent Brother Cheng has become more talkative and loves to laugh, and he often takes the initiative to stay and work overtime, which is hard not to arouse suspicion!
Ye Qing lowered her head and smiled. "Okay, little genius, you're here just in time. Could you give me some advice on what to wear for the weekend? I have a dress, but I'm afraid it'll look too... that. How about I just wear a shirt and khakis like I usually wear to work—"
Ji Yinhe looked at her slightly plump figure and snapped his fingers. "You wear a white coat all day long. It's a rare opportunity to go out and have fun. Of course, you have to look your best!"
"Okay!" Ye Qing nodded shyly and asked quietly, "What do you think of him?"
"Hmm..." Ji Yinhe thought for a moment, "As his name suggests, he's quiet, but quite professional. I remember the last time he questioned Ding Tongguang, he kept nagging and nagging, but he hung up on the spot. He was very straightforward and frank. I need to learn from his attitude towards suspects!"
"..." Ye Qing whispered, "I'm not talking about work."
"Ah... I don't know about the rest, but if you like him, just talk to him. If you don't like him, just break up with him!"
"puff--"
Ye Qing's eyelashes trembled with laughter. "Actually, I thought so too, but you're the only one around me who agrees with this... My mom has repeatedly warned me that no matter how much I like someone, I must never kiss or sleep with them, and it's best not to even hold their hands!"
She lowered her voice and whispered softly, "Actually, before I studied medicine, I didn't understand what would happen when two people slept together, or how a baby was born... Later, when I took a professional course and the teacher showed me a model, I realized that girls' urination and childbirth are not the same channel!"
"Yeah..." Ji Yinhe recalled several sexual assault cases he had handled after joining the team, and sighed, "Everyone doesn't pay enough attention to these common sense. Many girls, and even little boys, were violated without knowing what was going on..."
Ye Qing shook her head. "The elders are like they've learned everything on their own. They're so secretive and won't say anything... When I was a kid, it was a school girl who taught me how to wear a sanitary belt. My mom would only tell me not to get my period on the bed or my clothes..."
Ji Yinhe nodded and thought silently.
In comparison, Mr. Ji and Ms. Lian were quite open-minded. They had given her serious sex education when she was very young. However, she was still playful at that time and forgot everything she heard.
Fortunately, her family was well-off, so she started using imported sanitary napkins a long time ago and never had to suffer the pain of using wood ash, straw paper and sanitary belts.
However, she only understood many things later on, and recently gained new insights through the novels in the five-fold "Green River Literature City" - compared to the chastity that girls have to cling to, it seems that sincerity is more rare and precious.
"——In short, no matter what you want to do, it must come from your heart." Ji Yinhe shook the little sister's hand and said with a smile, "I wish you a happy date!"
"good!"
The two policewomen were standing beside the autopsy table, chatting and laughing, when suddenly they heard quick footsteps in the corridor.
Xiao Wu appeared at the door and said with a confused look on his face, "Sister Ji, there's some clue in the case of the stolen Buddha head!"
Ji Yinhe: “……?”
"Huo Zongping called and said he caught a little girl digging in the vegetable patch in front of his house this morning. He asked us to hurry over and arrest her!"
*
Driver Xiao Ji drove to the countryside for the second time. Although he still had some bumps in the road, the overall driving time was a full minute shorter than the last time!
Xiao Wu in the passenger seat didn't look as nauseous as before.
When they arrived at Huo Zongping's house, they found the door wide open and no one was there.
The woman who was still washing clothes by the river kindly pointed and said, "Old Huo is driving his tricycle and taking the little girl to the police station!"
"……ah?"
Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu, who were completely confused, quickly headed towards the county town.
Before I even entered the police station, I heard a commotion inside, with people crying and shouting—
Huo Zongping pointed at several police officers at the police station and cursed: "What the hell are you police officers doing? I've been reporting the case for so long and there's been no progress. I have to catch the criminal myself--"
"I'm not a criminal! I don't understand what you're saying!" The little girl let out a shrill scream, "—Ah! Stop pulling at me!!"
The police officer interjected with difficulty, "Hey, comrades, if you have something to say, please talk it over nicely. The man, please take your hand off the woman's arm!"
"You're not a criminal, so what are you doing sneaking around my door?" Huo Zongping glared at him. "And you're carrying a big bamboo basket on your back. You look very suspicious to me!"
"——Stop arguing!" Ji Yinhe rushed forward, blocking the two of them, and slapped Huo Zongping's hand away. "If you have something to say, let's talk it out. Why are you pulling it?"
Huo Zongping cursed, "Why are you police only here now?!"
“…” Xiao Wu rolled up his sleeves and wanted to go up and beat someone up, but was stopped by Ji Yinhe.
"Comrade Huo, insulting the police is illegal. The first time, we can consider it as you not understanding the law. If you do it a second or third time, I will ask you to go to the detention center."
“…”
Ji Yinhe protected the little girl behind him and said calmly, "And your case isn't the only one we have on hand. The Municipal Bureau is quite far from Shannan Town, and it takes at least an hour to drive here. We rushed here as soon as we received the call."
"..." Huo Zongping took a puff of his cigarette, stared at the sky and the earth, not daring to look at anyone, and snorted.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Wu took out his police officer ID and handed it to the police officer at the police station.
The noise in the police station yard was really outrageous. Passersby gathered at the door, thinking they were involved in some big dispute.
The police quickly cleared a meeting room and let them in for questioning.
The little girl wiped her tears and sobbed.
Huo Zongping on the opposite side rolled his eyes and wanted to spit smoke rings in her face.
Ji Yinhe had no choice but to keep the two apart and pointed at the old man's nose and warned: "If you want to smoke, go outside. If you continue like this, I will arrest you for disrupting the order of the investigation!"
Huo Zongping then put out his pipe in anger.
"Tell me about it." Officers Xiao Ji and Xiao Wu, who were both having headaches, sat down in the middle and asked the little girl softly, "What's your name? What's going on?"
The little girl said fearfully, "My name is Li Tunan——"
Huo Zongping crossed his legs. "Hey, Tunan, you're quite a cultured person! You've been eyeing my precious baby for a long time, right?"
"..." Li Tunan shook his head. "It's the 'boy' part. My family lives in Shuangdun Town on the other side of the river. I'm the third of five girls in my family. My parents hope to have another brother, so—"
There was silence in the small conference room for a few seconds, and Ji Yinhe's voice became softer: "Little sister, what are you doing in Xiangfuhe Village today?"
"My parents are out working, and there's no food at home." Li Tunan pulled a bamboo basket from the ground and showed it to her. "I want to dig some sweet potatoes and sell them. I heard that people in the city like to eat roasted sweet potatoes in winter."
Xiao Wu rummaged through the bamboo basket and said, "There are indeed only a few small sweet potatoes. How much can they be sold for..."
"You must have stolen my Buddha head, and you're here to dig something else!" Huo Zongping slammed the table. "There are no sweet potatoes in my fields. Why are you here instead of digging in Shuangdun?"
Li Tunan started crying again, feeling wronged. "The land over there has been divided up by others, and I can't compete with them... Uncle, I shouldn't have gone into your vegetable garden, but I didn't dig up anything!"
"He's young but doesn't look like a habitual criminal. He steals and lies!"
"——Okay, okay, stop arguing!" Ji Yinhe made a STOP gesture with a headache, "Shut up!"
Now, although no one spoke, one of them cried even louder than before, and the other almost broke the broken long table in the police station into pieces.
"Sister Ji, what should we do..." Xiao Wu came over and asked, "How about we take our little sister Tunan back to the city—"
Ji Yinhe said nothing and stood up by holding the table.
"You said it yourself, Li Tunan doesn't look like a repeat offender." She stared into Huo Zongping's eyes. "Your Buddha head is a treasure, and it was hidden in such an ingenious place like the vegetable garden. This shows that the person who stole it either has a personal grudge against you, or has scouted the area beforehand, and it's likely not their first theft."
Huo Zongping insisted on arguing, "You're right. You don't know if she's been a thief before... Maybe she's been here before, and I just discovered her this time!"
Li Tunan was shocked: "Brother, how can you slander me?"
Seeing that they were about to start arguing over the same old things again, Ji Yinhe slapped the table hard.
"Comrade Huo, seeing is believing. Tu Nan doesn't have a Buddha head in her hand, and her explanation is also tenable. Even if your speculation is true, without actual evidence, we can't arrest her for a trumped-up crime—"
Comrade Xiao Ji made the final decision: "Everyone go home first. We will do our best to solve the case as soon as possible."
*
After watching Tu Nan and Huo Zongping walk away, Ji Yinhe took Xiao Wu back to the car.
"Sister, is that it?" Xiao Wu asked as he fastened his seatbelt. "We drove two hours back and forth, it was such a hassle, and all we do is mediate a quarrel between the people?"
Ji Yinhe shook her head. "No... Although I asked Li Tunan to go back, I don't think she is completely without suspicion."
"Why didn't I see that?" Xiao Wu asked stupidly, "I thought she was quite pitiful!"
"Although Huo Zongping's vegetable garden has no gate or lock, it's surrounded by ditches and bushes, so it's not easy to get in." Ji Yinhe tapped the steering wheel with his long fingers. "Can you tell what kind of vegetables he grows in his garden?"
"Yes! Corn and cabbage!"
"Yes, you can see that a little girl who was born and raised in the countryside can dig sweet potatoes into the cornfield?"
"Yeah!" Xiao Wu suddenly realized and clicked the seat belt buckle. "Then why are we still sitting here? Hurry and get her back!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? We can't arrest anyone without evidence!" Ji Yinhe stopped him from opening the car door. "Besides, I've already told the police station to help keep an eye on us. It's like the city bureau is pulling in more people!"
"..." Xiao Wu took a deep breath, "Sister, could you tell me in advance next time? Although I'm not as smart as you, compared to you, I really look like a fool!"
"Okay, okay!" Ji Yinhe laughed, then stepped on the accelerator and drove the car as if it was about to shoot out.
Xiao Wu almost vomited on the spot.
An hour later, Santana pulled up in front of the city police building.
"Go back to the office and tell Captain Tang first. I have something else to do."
Xiao Wu was confused, "Where are you going, sister——"
"City Detention Center!"
Ji Yinhe opened the car door, threw the key to Xiao Wu, turned around and went into the carport and got on the Tianhong 90.
Comrade Xiao Wu stood there in a daze.
"What? ...Detention center?"
*
The gray-green walls were mottled, and dim light shone in from above the large iron window. In the dusty air, a group of prisoners in prison uniforms were operating sewing machines.
No one spoke in the huge detention center workshop, only the machines were squeaking tirelessly.
The iron chain clanked, and a correctional police officer opened the door with a stern face and shouted, "...Crossing River Dragon!"
"arrive!"
"Come out! Someone's looking for you!"
A burst of ridicule immediately rang out in the workshop—
"Hey, which case of the thief has been uncovered again?"
"I'm counting! I've searched for it twenty-eight times in two months!"
"After being on the run for so long, I heard that a policewoman actually found him!"
"Tsk, isn't that Xiao Ji?"
…
"Quiet!" the guard shouted sharply, handcuffing Guo Jianglong. "Meeting Room Number Three, fifteen minutes."
"Meeting room?" Guo Jianglong was a little curious. "It's not an interrogation room..."
"Stop talking nonsense and leave!"
"Oh oh..." Guo Jianglong was taken over with a confused look on his face.
Through the iron railings of the meeting room, he actually saw an unexpected face.
"Hey, Officer Ji!" Guo Jianglong sat down at the table and said eagerly, "What brings you here? The police station has returned your mountain bike, right? I was pretty careful when I rode it, so I don't think you've damaged it—"
"...Guo Jiang Long." Ji Yinhe interrupted him, "I have something important to talk to you about."
"Your orders."
Ji Yinhe took out a pen and paper and asked seriously, "You've been in the underworld for so many years, do you know the person who stole the Buddha head?"
"Buddha's head?" Guo Jianglong's eyes widened in surprise. "Is this true or false? Which brother is so bold? I have to meet him!"
"Don't be so joking." Ji Yinhe frowned slightly, "There was a theft in Changwu County. Someone had stolen a Buddha head hidden in a vegetable garden."
"Wow!" Guo Jianglong touched his chin, "But I've never heard of anyone so brave..."
"Okay." Ji Yinhe closed the confession book and pressed the end button of the tape recorder with a click.
Guo Jianglong looked regretful, "Officer Ji, you're leaving now? There are still fourteen minutes left. Why don't you stay a little longer?"
"No." Ji Yinhe took out a set of case files from his bag, leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.
"——What we are going to talk about next is the real business."
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