Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Lian Jie's Assistance at the Snack Shop
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
The steamer rumbled across the dark river, gray smoke belched out of the chimney, and the night, torn apart by the wind, climbed up from the dilapidated window eaves and shone into the small cabin.
A woman in a silk shirt and wavy hair was sleeping on a messy bed. Her hand was sweaty and her pager lit up, and a few words popped up:
"The police have arranged to speak with Secretary Wang tomorrow. Run away immediately."
The woman started awake and rushed onto the deck, pushing the dozers.
"Master! Master!" She pulled out a thick stack of money from her bag. "I want to leave Jiangtan. Can I leave tonight?"
The master looked at her awkwardly.
"Manager Li, I'm a businessman, how could I possibly be so hard on money? But there's been a murder in the city right now, and the police are investigating closely. Besides, where can I go in the dark? I'll go out and check the situation tomorrow morning and leave in the afternoon, okay?"
The woman gritted her teeth and took off a large gold chain from her neck.
"Leave at noon, please!"
-
It was almost six o'clock, the sky was just getting light, and the Municipal Public Security Bureau was still immersed in the silent dawn.
Suddenly, there was a creaking sound, and the iron door of interrogation room No. 3 was pushed open from the inside.
Tang Ci walked out from the darkness and stretched towards the faint morning light outside the corridor.
After a whole night, his eyes were dark and a layer of Artemisia annua beard grew on his chin.
Cheng Mo followed behind him, also looking haggard.
"Captain Tang, what should we do next?" He said hoarsely, rubbing his eyes. "We've said everything, good and bad, but why won't Old Liu be persuaded? How about we learn from Hong Kong movies and use some torture to extract a confession?"
Tang Ci stretched his neck and said, "If you want to be fired, just say so."
Cheng Mo was silent for a moment. "It's such a shame to finally catch a suspect and let him go like this."
Tang Ci stared at the pale blue sky outside the corridor and sighed softly.
The suspect Lao Liu, whom they arrested yesterday, was still being held in the interrogation room. At present, apart from telling them that he worked as an accountant in a cold drink factory, he claimed to know nothing else.
He did not admit that he had delivered dry ice to Zhang Hongbo, and as for the steel tanks that appeared at the compressor factory and were discovered by Ji Yinhe yesterday, he simply said that it was "passing by" and "coincidence."
Tang Ci threatened him with his job, but he wasn't afraid. "I'm going to retire in a few days anyway, and my son has a business in the south, so he's not short of money! Just tell the cold drink factory to fire me!"
This is not a good thing. If we can't get any useful information, we won't be able to arrange the direction of the team's investigation and investigation work for today.
Tang Ci had a worried look on his face. He sat in the police compound for a while, smoked a cigarette, then went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed water on his face.
There were voices outside.
Ji Yinhe was carrying a bag, her playful short hair fluttering in the morning breeze, and she was talking to Cheng Mo.
Seeing Tang Ci coming out, he greeted him with a refreshed look.
"Good morning, Captain Tang!"
"Good morning." Tang Ci glanced at his watch. "It's only seven o'clock. Why are you here so early?"
Ji Yinhe couldn't confess that she woke up at three in the morning excitedly after hearing the clue given by Old Ji. She couldn't wait to check the compressor factory's accounts at dawn.
However, the public security department has an established process, so she cannot act rashly. She must first find a way to prompt Tang Ci, find relevant clues, and obtain permission before she can check the accounts openly.
In addition, she didn't have her mountain bike, and in order to catch the first bus, she didn't even have time to eat. As a result, she arrived a full hour earlier than the working time.
As a result, when they entered the Municipal Bureau, they heard Cheng Mo say that they didn't get any information out of him the whole night!
Officer Ji perfunctorily explained why he came so early, tapped the ground with his toes, and asked cautiously, "How about I give it a try?"
Tang Ci and Cheng Mo looked at each other.
In terms of qualifications, Ji Yinhe has just graduated for more than a month and has not yet undergone any special interrogation training.
But she had only been in the team for one day and had already found several breakthroughs in solving the case. Maybe she really had some new tricks.
"Okay, you try." Tang Ci said, "Cheng Mo and I will go in with you."
Ji Yinhe pushed the iron door of the interrogation room, pulled out the interrogation chair, and sat down leisurely.
"Good morning!" She laughed energetically. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Old Liu with dark circles under his eyes: "..."
"I stayed here the night before last. It's actually quite good. As long as you lower your waist a little, you won't feel so sore when you wake up..."
Old Liu was stunned for two seconds, but immediately a series of loud rumbling sounds came from his stomach.
"Haven't you had breakfast yet?" Ji Yinhe looked at him sympathetically. "It's a bit early now. The cafeteria won't open for another twenty minutes. Do you want vegetarian, meat, or red bean paste buns? Soy milk is salty. Would you be accustomed to it with pickled mustard greens and fried dough sticks?"
A trace of disdain flashed across Old Liu's face, and he waved his hand proudly, "No need!"
Cheng Mo asked Tang Ci in a low voice, "Why is Xiao Ji always chatting with him about family matters? Is this okay?"
Tang Ci made a gesture to silence him.
Ji Yinhe observed Lao Liu's expression and had an idea in mind.
She casually asked him what kind of food he liked, then suddenly changed the subject, "Your taste doesn't seem like that of Jiangtan. Where are you from?"
Old Liu probably felt it was nothing worth hiding, so he replied, "My ancestral home is Liujiang."
"No wonder!" Ji Yinhe nodded, "Okay, our cafeteria is about to open, I'll go have a bite first."
After saying that, she stood up and left the interrogation room.
Tang Ci and Cheng Mo followed him out confused.
"I have a solution, but I have to leave for a while." Ji Yinhe walked out of the office building. "I lost my bicycle, and it's the morning rush hour for buses. Can anyone lend me a bicycle for a ride?"
Tang Ci tilted his head to look at her for two seconds, then took out a key from his pocket.
"Can you ride a motorcycle?"
"Yes!" Ji Yinhe's eyes sparkled.
Tang Ci pointed to a bright red motorcycle in the corner. "It belongs to the team. The engine broke down before, and I asked someone to fix it. If you can ride it, there's no need to rush to return it—"
Tianhong 90 runs fast and makes little noise. Although the shock absorption is a bit poor, the workmanship is quite solid. It is even more eye-catching than Giant!
Ji Yinhe grabbed the keys and got into the car. With a buzz, he rushed out of the Municipal Bureau in a handsome manner like a red lightning.
Tang Ci watched her disappear outside the door, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise slightly.
Cheng Mo suddenly raised his hand and patted his shoulder.
"Old Tang, you're really nice to Xiao Ji!"
*
The red motorcycle stopped steadily outside Lianjie Snack Shop.
This shop was bought by Lian Qiao two years ago. Although it has Jiangtan flavor, the main feature is the spontaneity of the restaurant. They frequently develop various kinds of food and have limited new products every month.
The food is delicious, and coupled with the boss's "hunger marketing", the neighbors spread the word, and Lianjie Snack Shop became famous throughout the city and even the province.
It is said that even leaders from Handong Province would come here to try it when they came to Jiangtan on business.
Lian Qiao regards this snack bar as her own business. Over the years, many people have come to ask for prices to open branches, but she always refuses with a roll of her eyes and is determined not to sell her recipes.
The snack bar also serves breakfast, but it is run by helpers and apprentices because Ms. Lian has the habit of staying in bed. On days when she doesn't need to develop new flavors, she usually comes late in her high heels after 7:30.
When Ji Yinhe walked in, he saw his mother sitting in the lobby leisurely eating breakfast with a basket of soup dumplings and old duck soup.
"mom!"
She jumped over and screamed, which scared Ms. Lian.
"Why are you here?" Lian Qiao wiped her mouth. "Are you bringing breakfast for your colleagues at the police station?"
"No!" Ji Yinhe sat down next to his mother, his face sincere, "Dear Mr. Lian, I want to ask you for a favor!"
Lian Qiao laughed, "Okay, Officer Ji, go ahead!"
"Mom, didn't you cook snail noodles at home when I was a kid?"
Ji Yinhe leaned over to his mother's ear and whispered something.
*
"Why hasn't Xiao Ji come back yet?"
Outside the interrogation room, Tang Ci looked at his watch anxiously.
"Chief Rao will be here later. I need to ask you about the progress of today's case." Che Zhiwen, holding a teacup, looked gloating. "Xiao Ji, this girl, is smart, but she's too reckless! We police don't solve cases by talking—"
"Team Tang!"
The red lightning stopped in the yard. Ji Yinhe jumped out of the car and took out several stacked aluminum lunch boxes from the back seat.
"What are you doing?" Che Zhiwen wrinkled his nose. "You ran out to get food so early in the morning? Wow! What's that smell?"
Ji Yinhe ignored him and handed the food bag to Xiao Wu. "Take these beef potstickers and eat them. I'm going to get back to work!"
She picked up her lunch box and walked into the interrogation room calmly.
Old Liu was almost starving. He sat down in front of the little girl and opened all the lunch boxes, revealing the sour bamboo shoots and fish, stewed duck feet, fried snails and boiled noodles.
The whole room was instantly filled with an indescribable smell, a mixture of fragrance and stench, which made people want to avoid it for a moment, but they couldn't help but twitch their noses and take a few more sniffs with a frown.
The dishes didn't look particularly good either. Each bowl was covered in a layer of deep red oily soup, as if the chili peppers at Lian Jie's snack bar were free.
"Who the hell is blowing up the toilet again?" Che Zhiwen roared through the window.
No one answered him, but Tang Ci, Xiao Wu and Cheng Mo stood at the door of the interrogation room, looked at each other, and pinched their noses.
"Don't bother with those tasteless guys." Ji Yinhe found a pair of chopsticks and wiped off the burrs on them. "Old Liu, let me tell you, this Hechi boiled noodles is delicious. I think snail noodles are spicy but easy to get greasy. You need to put a lot of water spinach to make them refreshing. But the three-fresh soup base of boiled noodles takes more than ten hours to cook. It's so delicious..."
She buried her head and ate heartily, as if she were tasting the most delicious food in the world.
The three people standing at the door all showed expressions of disbelief.
But what surprised them even more was that—
Old Liu, who was standing behind the interrogation table, was staring at the food in front of Ji Yinhe, tears streaming down his face.
"I've been away from Liujiang for decades, and I never thought I could smell the flavor of my hometown again!" Old Liu choked up, "Young comrade, can you give me..."
"No." Ji Yinhe sniffed because of the spiciness.
"Just give me a taste..."
"Oh, you know the rules." Ji Yinhe didn't even raise his head, "You can only eat in the cafeteria."
Old Liu's stomach growled strangely. As he watched her chewing the duck's feet with relish, the tears in his eyes grew bigger and bigger.
"Actually, you've confessed everything you need to. Once you get out of the detention center, you'll still have a chance to eat noodles again." Ji Yinhe looked sympathetic. "Otherwise, we can only treat you as a murderer and ask you to be shot."
The second half of her sentence was pure intimidation. Tang Ci had tried this trick last night, and it didn't work at all.
But at this moment, Lao Liu grinned and saliva flowed out uncontrollably.
"Then I'll give you some, can you show some leniency..." He looked at Ji Yinhe who was unmoved, and there was a hint of tears in his voice, "I, I'll confess everything, okay! You have to give me a bite today!"
Ji Yinhe put down his chopsticks and clapped his hands.
"You tell me first."
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