Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Gun and Letter
"...Guo Jianglong, born in an ordinary rural family in Jinghai County, with a junior high school education, joined the county forklift factory at sixteen and worked there for eight years. Later, through an acquaintance, he was introduced to a security guard job in Jingzhou. Eight years later, he resigned again and opened a clothing store and set up a street vendor... You worked by day and stole by night. You patronized every wealthy family in Jingzhou. But the police officer in charge of the search said—Your family is extremely poor, you don't even have three major appliances, and you're still single at forty."
"That's true..."
"Rumor has it, there's a living Lei Feng in Jingzhou's urban village. Whenever a family is short of money, a welfare home is running out of donations, or someone is seriously ill and running out of money for treatment, they'll suddenly find a grant of relief." Ji Yinhe flipped through the case files and tapped his index finger. "Interesting, the hero Guojianglong—"
"Ahem." Guo Jianglong straightened his collar and said modestly, "It's just a small matter, not worth telling others!"
"So why did you become a thief?" Ji Yinhe asked curiously, "To become a hero?"
Guo Jianglong waved his hand. "Well, I didn't think that much about it... You said it yourself, I'm a bachelor, I don't have much to spend, the rest I can just rob people!"
Ji Yinhe raised his eyebrows and stared at the other person carefully.
"—You like being admired by everyone... but you love the thrill of stealing even more, right? If you're just trying to be a hero, why bother doing good deeds without leaving a name behind?"
Guo Jianglong thought for a moment and said, "That seems to be the case! I don't give away everything. Take your mountain bike for example. I knew it was a good one, so I just kept it and rode it myself... Hey, Officer Ji, I'm being so honest. You won't tell the guards that I'm too low-minded, will you?"
Ji Yinhe seemed to be thinking about something, but he didn't say anything. After a while, he muttered to himself:
"For most thieves, their life goals are unclear. They want to make money and live a good life, but they don't know how to achieve them. Stealing is the fastest way to achieve results. Most of them embark on a path of crime for this reason."
Guo Jianglong's supporting role: "Good summary!"
"——But poverty is not necessarily a prerequisite for stealing. Some people who are not short of money will steal for other reasons." Ji Yinhe raised his arm. "For example, you just want to pursue excitement."
“That makes some sense!”
Ji Yinhe took a deep breath and asked, "Then why would someone risk being shot to steal a Buddha head in this case?"
Guo Jianglong shrugged, "Perhaps only he himself understands this motive."
"A motive only he could understand..." Ji Yinhe pondered for a second. "Could it be that he particularly likes Buddha heads? Does he have a collection of them at home? No, this is the only one he's lost in the past ten years... So, what he particularly likes are the old things from the Ming and Qing dynasties?"
Guo Jianglong tutted his words. "That's hard to say. I used to know a guy on the same track. He didn't like anything else but luxury watches. Even if he was wearing tattered pants and rags, he would still wear a smuggled Rolex he stole!"
Ji Yinhe was about to ask another question, but the supervisor had already walked out of the meeting room and patted the iron gate.
"Fifteen minutes are up!"
"Okay." Officer Xiao Ji stood up and nodded to Guo Jianglong. "Thank you for the ideas you provided. They're very helpful."
"What are you thanking me for?" Guo Jianglong laughed. "I often heard your name in the detention center. You're the Jiangtan detective who solved three cases in a row and brought down the richest man!"
Ji Yinhe: “…………”
After he came to his senses, he straightened his back and walked out the door, unable to help laughing.
*
After returning from the detention center, the young detective Jiangtan quickly wrote down the conversation between her and Guo Jianglong, and stood in front of the blackboard to sort out the criminal psychology of the suspect who stole the Buddha head, referring to the theoretical book at hand.
The book "Criminal Psychology" that Lu Zheng gave her said that there are four main motives for thieves:
Economic gain, the desire for power and control, the need for risk-taking and excitement, and a love of a particular culture.
Many petty thefts belong to the first category, while the "Jianglong Dragon" belongs to the third category.
Combining the conversation just now, and the fact that none of the lost cultural relics have flowed into the market - Ji Yinhe picked up the red chalk and first drew a big cross on economic interests.
Since there was no sale of stolen goods, nor was there any money converted into cash to distribute to others like Guojianglong, the possibility of simply taking risks for the sake of excitement is almost ruled out.
Comrade Xiao Ji touched his chin and began to worry about the remaining two options.
But no matter what, a person who steals cultural relics must have characteristics such as low moral sense, weak empathy, and extreme egocentrism.
As for that little girl Li Tunan, although she seemed a little suspicious, she didn't meet the requirements at all...
"Sister Ji, what are you writing?" Xiao Wu ran in breathlessly. "I know all the characters, but why are they put together so well that I can't understand them!"
"I'm doing criminal profiling."
"Portrait? Aren't these all words?"
"..." Ji Yinhe pointed to the pile of books on his desk, "I just reviewed it with you the day before yesterday - criminal psychological profiling is based on multiple disciplines such as psychology and criminology, and analyzes and hypothesizes the most likely characteristic investigative behaviors of criminals.
Xiao Wu covered his mouth in silence, "... Then, Sister Ji, can this portrait help us figure out who stole the Buddha head?"
Ji Yinhe shook his head and glanced across the blackboard with worry.
"Not yet. There is too little information available right now."
*
Although there has been no progress in the case, the training for the competition cannot be abandoned.
After dinner in the cafeteria, Ji Yinhe pulled Xiao Wu to work overtime together to conduct the first round of review of criminal investigation theory.
Then Tang Ci called him to go to the shooting range of the armed forces in the next district to practice shooting.
Xiao Wu volunteered to go and observe and learn. It just so happened that Tang Ci felt that since he had talked it out with Comrade Xiao Ji, the two of them were no longer suitable to be alone.
So he happily took them both into the shooting range.
The shooting event of this competition is not just about shooting scores, but also about scoring based on the disassembly and assembly of police equipment, shooting accuracy, and the ability to quickly draw guns and shoot in emergency situations.
Jiangtan is an ordinary prefecture-level city. The city police have limited equipment and there are very few situations where they can fire guns. Criminal police usually use large batons when they go out on missions, while the shooting range is equipped with real guns and live ammunition Type 77s.
Xiao Wu had only touched it once before, and was still trying to figure out how to remove the magazine when he heard a few crisp and smooth "click" sounds.
"Captain Tang, wait for us—"
He looked up and saw Tang Ci also looking at the target in the middle with a look of shock.
A row of disassembled gun parts was already placed on the table in front of Ji Yinhe.
“…………”
The shooting range was completely silent. Comrade Xiao Ji took off his earmuffs and looked around in confusion, "Why aren't you two making any noise?"
"Sister Ji, where did you learn this?" Xiao Wu asked in frustration, "Didn't we both go to the same police academy? Actually, I'm your senior!"
Ji Yinhe chuckled, "I was very interested in these police weapons back then. I collected a lot of information from newspapers and magazines, made a few models out of cardboard, and practiced in the dormitory when I had nothing to do—"
Tang Ci couldn't help but clap his hands twice and said sincerely, "It's even better than me, who has been handling real guns for seven or eight years!"
Xiao Wu dismantled the gun unconvinced and said, "Come on, let's compete. I don't believe I can't beat you in anything!"
Fifteen minutes later.
Tang Ci and Xiao Wu held Comrade Xiao Ji's target paper, looked at each other, and sighed at the same time.
"It's okay, it's okay..." Xiao Wu said, touching his chest, "She's not better than me in everything..."
Of the fifteen bullet holes on the target paper, fully half were outside the 8th ring.
Officer Ji puffed out his cheeks and muttered, "I can't help it. I can practice by disassembling firearms, but I can't get real guns and live ammunition. I only get one chance to practice real combat in four years at the police academy, and I happened to have a stomachache and took sick leave that day—"
"It's okay. We didn't miss the target the first time. That's pretty impressive. We still have a month left, so let's practice more!" Tang Ci looked down at his watch. "It's getting late. Let's go."
The three men left the shooting range, wrapped themselves tightly in their cotton jackets in the cold winter night wind, and walked towards the Municipal Bureau.
Xiao Wu stood on tiptoe and asked Tang Ci, "Captain Tang, I think the shooting range at the district armed forces department is still not as good as the police academy. Since we have a car, why don't we go there to practice shooting?"
Tang Ci said, "It's almost the end of the year, and there are a lot of thefts during this period. A few days ago, Cheng Mo and I went to Silihe, and someone's private car was stolen even when it was parked in the courtyard. Two neighboring families were fighting over it. My big jeep doesn't have any paint, so I better be careful."
Xiao Wu said "Oh" as if he suddenly understood.
"You two should be more careful on your missions these days." Tang Ci looked at the dimly lit city bureau building and smiled. "If we hadn't been so careless, Guo Jianglong wouldn't have stolen Xiao Ji's mountain bike last time!"
The two young policemen nodded in unison.
——"Okay!" "Got it!"
*
Just as Ji Yinhe was searching for clues during the day and practicing shooting at night, New Year's Day 1996 arrived quietly.
Jiangtan is located between the north and the south. The climate is not extremely cold, but it is not very warm either. Although snow cannot accumulate, the winter is wetter and colder than elsewhere because it is next to the water.
Neither the city bureau nor the house had heating, so they could only rely on burning coal briquettes to provide a meager warmth. When Ji Yinhe got off work, the fire in the center of the living room was still burning, and a small pot of crucian carp and tofu soup was bubbling on it. The fresh aroma of fish and the fresh fragrance of green onions filled the room.
"Wow!" Comrade Xiao Ji glanced at his father who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching TV. "Is this soup made for me?"
"Of course! The temperature has dropped significantly in the past few days. I only have this one precious baby like you. What if she gets frozen?" Lian Qiao helped her take off her scarf and handed her a bowl and spoon. "Go drink it quickly. After that, take a hot bath and go to bed."
"Okay! Mom is so nice!" Ji Yinhe happily lifted the lid of the pot. "Oh, I practiced shooting tonight, and my hands are still greasy from shooting."
"I'll do it!" Ji Jianguo threw down the remote control, went to the kitchen to get her a hot towel to wipe her hands, and then picked up a package from the table.
"Here, this is for you."
“……?” Ji Yinhe put down the towel and took it in a daze.
Who is this person? Why would they send the package to my home instead of the municipal bureau?
She turned it over and saw a letter stuck in the package.
The sender was Lu Zheng.
Maybe the fire in the house was too strong, the towel that Lao Ji brought was too hot, and the crucian carp and tofu soup was too hot.
Ji Yinhe suddenly felt his cheeks getting a little hot.
She shook the package gently and heard a rustling sound inside.
Comrade Lao Ji coughed artificially and said, "Why are you so stunned? Why don't you open it and take a look?"
Lian Qiao also brought a bowl of crucian carp soup and sipped it slowly. "I made a bet with your dad that what Teacher Lu sent must be food!"
"I don't think so. The delicacies of Jingzhou can't compare to what my wife cooks. This is just showing off one's skills before an expert!" Old Ji shook his head. "It must be clothes! Or small accessories!"
"That wouldn't require such a large box!" Lian Qiao urged her daughter. "Stop wasting time and open it!"
"...Okay, then I'll open it!" Comrade Xiao Ji ripped open the brown paper on the outside of the package with his bare hands.
It turned out to be two square gift boxes of the same size stacked together.
A portion that is really delicious, Jingzhou Mozisu.
The other one, on the other hand, had nothing to offer, with only four words written on the outer packaging: Xiazhou Specialty.
Ji Yinhe blinked, put down the gift box and picked up the letter on it.
When I opened the letter, I could smell the faint scent of ink, and the handwriting written in fountain pen was quite neat and beautiful.
Comrade Xiao Ji concealed his slightly rapid heartbeat and read along the following lines: "I am glad to hear from you. It is as if we are meeting in person."
Lu Zheng came up and explained her doubts of the past few days - it turned out that he hadn't contacted her for so many days because he was transferred to Xiazhou by his superiors as soon as he returned to Jingzhou.
First, he took on a national security case that needed to be kept confidential, and then he was asked by the local municipal police to give a lecture at the police academy.
He was not released until two days ago.
Lu Zheng had heard that the Jiangtan City Bureau's Serious Crime Squad had signed up for the system competition, so he asked her how her review was going, whether she had finished reading the books, whether she needed help borrowing books from the provincial department library, and whether there were any cases she wanted to discuss.
Finally, the two items sent with the letter were mentioned:
Mozisu is the gift box given by the provincial department for the New Year this year. The word "Handong" is printed on the wrapping paper, which makes it look very impressive. She was asked to take half of it to the office and share it with the team, and the other half can be placed in Lianjie Snack Shop, so that every diner can feel the extraordinary network of Boss Lian.
As for the box of specialties, he saw it by chance when he was on a business trip in Xiazhou. He thought it looked very similar to her, so he sent it over as well.
The letter was very subtle, but Comrade Xiao Ji could hardly suppress the slightly raised corners of his lips.
"Mom, this is Mozisu. Teacher Lu asked you to take half to the store." She pushed the first gift box to Lianqiao, then grabbed the letter and the other box and rolled into the bedroom like a tornado.
"...Hey, kid!" Ji Jianguo looked up, "You haven't had your soup yet!"
"What do you know!" Lian Qiao kicked her husband and whispered, "Stop interfering in girls' affairs!"
“…”
In the room, Ji Yinhe sat down by the window and took a deep breath.
What kind of fabric is produced in Xiazhou that makes Lu Zheng feel that it looks so similar to her!
Carefully open the cardboard box - an exquisite little rabbit doll appears before your eyes.
She stretched out the finger that had just been pulling the trigger and poked its ear very lightly and slowly.
The pink and white fur is as soft as clouds, the big black eyes are open, and two big white teeth are exposed in the grinning mouth, showing a clever and cunning spirit.
Ji Yinhe smiled and tilted his head to pout at the mirror.
...It looks quite similar to this little rabbit.
She gently took the little rabbit out, placed it on the table and looked at it for a while, then picked it up and walked to the bed.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally placed it in the farthest corner of the bedside table, trying to cover it up.
Well, anyway, I can see it as soon as I raise my eyes, that’s enough!
Comrade Xiao Ji finally poked the little rabbit's nose, then returned to the table and sat down. He took out a stack of letter paper, took off the cap of his fountain pen, and dipped it in the ink bottle.
"...Thank you, Mr. Lu. I'm already in the second round of review. I also practice fighting and shooting regularly. The latest case—"
She wrote carefully, stroke by stroke, but suddenly remembered the case of the stolen Buddha head and stopped writing.
...Would you like to ask Lu Zheng for advice?
But Director Rao said that cultural relics cases are different from other criminal cases, and general trace detection technology is difficult to use.
Besides, she's the Jiangtan Little Detective! How could she even ask others for her ideas on solving a case?
The dim light shone on her smooth and bright forehead. Ji Yinhe wrinkled her nose like a little rabbit and wrote the four words "Everything is going well" on the letter paper.
*
On the other side of the wall, Ji Jianguo was also sitting at the table opening a letter.
Just looking at the name above, he sighed deeply.
Lian Qiao asked softly, "Are they again?"
"Hmm..." Ji Jianguo rubbed his brows. "I'm really envious of you on this matter... If there really is a transmigration bookstore, I'm going to file a complaint. Why is it that you're in a physical body while I'm in a spirit? The original owner left behind this mess, and it's been over 20 years and they still can't get rid of it."
Lian Qiao patted her husband's biceps comfortingly.
She was wearing a pair of blouses and lying at home listening to "The Return of the Lost Daughter of the Seventies" when she suddenly entered the world of the book along with her five-fold cell phone.
Fortunately, both her parents died early, so she devoted herself to her career of exploring gourmet restaurants and had no worries. In this world, there was no original owner, so she just had to follow the tasks assigned by the system and follow the plot.
But Ji Jianguo is different. He is a transmigrated soul. The original owner was a young man from a county town who was not favored by his parents. He was the eldest son in the family and dropped out of school at a young age to make a living. Because of his good driving skills and steady personality, he was noticed by Gong Chenggong and became a full-time driver.
In that era, the original owner started working early, so when the movement to go to the countryside was in full swing, his younger brother, who was very much loved at home, was forced to join the Northeast Corps and lost several toes due to freezing in the snow and ice.
The original owner's parents felt that Ji Jianguo owed his younger brother his whole life.
Even though he later gave them money, got angry, and broke off the engagement, they always came to Jiangtan to harass him and Lian Qiao's peaceful and happy life by saying things like "You've become rich following Mr. Gong", "You've married a beautiful wife", and "You've got a stable job at the street office".
"What are they going to do this time?" Lian Qiao sipped her night wine before bed. "Didn't they just send someone to warn them last time?"
"...I heard Yinhe was admitted to the Municipal Bureau, so I came to celebrate for her." Ji Jianguo sneered, "Who knows what good intentions he has!"
He picked up a pen, tore off a piece of paper and began to write back.
"I told them they don't need to come, and even if they do, I won't let Yinhe see them!"
*
On the first weekend after New Year's Day, Comrade Xiao Ji finished reading a book at home and suddenly remembered the museum tickets that Lian Qiao had given him a few days ago.
Calculating the time, the museum’s Ming and Qing life exhibition will close in a few days.
Ji Yinhe poked the little rabbit on the bedside table, picked up the phone and called Ye Qing again.
"...Okay!" Medical Examiner Xiao Ye said softly on the other end of the phone. "I have some free time today, and I'd like to go out for a walk."
Ji Yinhe noticed a hint of levity in her tone and asked, "I've been busy reviewing these past two days and haven't had time to ask you... Did your date go well?"
"..." Ye Qing coughed and said after a few seconds, "Let's talk about it when we meet at the museum."
"Okay, okay!" Comrade Xiao Ji put down the microphone with a gossipy smile.
The museum is in the city center. There must be a cultural event going on today. There is a red carpet and a stage in the square in front of the museum. Many children are admiring the photos of the exhibits on the display boards, and there are also newspaper reporters taking pictures with their cameras.
“It’s so lively…”
Ji Yinhe sighed, then put his arm around Ye Qing.
Two policewomen in plain clothes chatted and walked into the exhibition hall affectionately.
The Ming and Qing Life Exhibition was on the first floor. They happened to catch up with a group of tour guides and followed the group to tour the exhibition hall.
Although I didn’t see the Buddha’s head, I learned a lot of useful new knowledge.
For example, there are several cultural relics that, although produced in the early Ming Dynasty, were all found in tombs that are only one or two hundred years old.
In the glass corridor in the very center of the exhibition hall, there is a very eye-catching copper candlestick of a fortune-attracting fairy.
The guide explained, "This is the most precious first-class artifact in this exhibition. It's a national treasure, permanently on display at the National Museum in the imperial capital and rarely loaned out... Come and see! The quality and craftsmanship are incredibly exquisite, and the fairy's face is incredibly lifelike! It's said that a Qing Dynasty prime minister loved it so much he took it into his tomb, where it was finally brought back to life by an archaeological team!"
There were exclamations all around, and even though Ji Yinhe was not very familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty, he let out a soft "Wow!"
"Usually, these candlesticks are cast in pairs. Unfortunately, we've only unearthed one, and the other is still sleeping in the long river of history. I hope we can meet the other fairy soon!"
…
It was already noon when Ji Yinhe and Ye Qing came out of the exhibition hall.
Since they were not allowed to eat in the museum, they sat on a bench outside, sipping expensive bottled Wahaha mineral water and discussing where to eat later.
Just then, a commotion was heard coming from the corridor not far away.
As police officers, Ji Yinhe and Ye Qing immediately went over to check the situation.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened - a young man in a black woolen coat and a cross-body canvas bag was probably so engrossed in admiring the cultural relics that he accidentally knocked down a little boy who was passing by.
The little boy immediately burst into tears, causing everyone around him to stop.
"I'm sorry!" The young man quickly squatted down and apologized to the little boy and his parents in a gentle manner, "Are you okay, kid?"
The parents were quite understanding. After checking everything, they said, "It's okay. There are too many people here today. You didn't do it on purpose."
"That's good." The young man stood up and touched the little boy's head.
The little boy's mother happened to see the words printed on his cross-body canvas bag.
"...Handong University? Are you a student at Handong University?"
"No." The young man touched his chin awkwardly, "I'm a teacher."
"Wow! Xiaobao, don't cry. Look at your brother! He's already a university professor at such a young age. We, Xiaobao, should learn from him!"
The little boy really stopped crying and asked curiously, "Big brother, are the university teachers coming to see the exhibition too?"
"Yes." The young man smiled and said to the boy's parents, "I have to go to the seminar, so I'm leaving now."
"...Okay, you're busy!"
The family of three watched the young man walk towards the museum gate, and lowered their heads to teach their little baby to become such a great adult.
The onlookers also expressed their relief at the warm resolution of this "minor accident".
Ji Yinhe, who was standing not far away, frowned.
Although this person is kind and gentle to children, his eyes look quite cold and selfish.
Furthermore, the "Handong University" printed on his bag was particularly conspicuous, as if it was intentionally meant for the other party to see...
"What's the matter?" Ye Qing asked in confusion.
"...Nothing." The young man's back disappeared in the cold wind outside the door. Ji Yinhe withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Let's go."
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