Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Summer White Porcelain Plum Soup, Crushed Ice...
Lu Zheng coughed lightly and lowered his head in panic.
He turned around, took out a white cotton shirt that smelled of laundry soap from the cabinet on the wall, and handed it over without daring to look directly at her.
Ji Yinhe blinked, "What's wrong?"
Without waiting for his answer, she suddenly realized something, lowered her eyes and glanced at the front of her clothes, and instantly understood everything.
Officer Ji is not the kind of girl who gets shy easily, not to mention that the loose button is the first one on her shirt, which is exposed to the sun, that is, the small piece of skin in front of the collarbone.
Nowadays, the world is more open-minded, and girls wearing suspenders, low-waist pants and bikinis are often seen on TV and posters.
The amount of skin she showed couldn't really be considered flashing.
However, seeing Lu Zheng look at it like this really makes people feel a little nervous.
"Ahem... I almost forgot. Teacher Lu is so attentive." Ji Yinhe calmly took the shirt, put it on, and slowly buttoned it up. "Thank you!"
"Well, you're welcome." Lu Zheng turned around in the peaceful golden light, paused for two seconds, and asked, "The case is solved, should we go out and celebrate?"
"...How to celebrate?" Ji Yinhe raised his face with joy, very curious.
Last time he celebrated his birthday, he also took her to eat wontons and pot stickers... What kind of surprise will he give her this time?
Lu Zheng thought for a moment, his lips curled up slightly, "It's so hot out, do you want some sour plum soup?"
"……think!"
*
The Baihua Vegetable Market is located in an alley in the center of Jingzhou City. It is just after get off work. People on 28-inch bicycles throw bamboo baskets full of vegetables into the baskets and ring their bells as they shuttle through the narrow alleys.
It was difficult to drive the Grand Cherokee in, so Lu Zheng parked the car nearby and then led Ji Yinhe to walk together.
In the six months since coming to Jingzhou, Comrade Xiao Ji has been either staying in the office solving cases or rushing to the scene.
It was the first time for her to see such a prosperous scene full of the flavor of life.
The sour plum soup stall was right in the middle of the market. The stall owner was an old lady with gray hair. When she saw Lu Zheng, she smiled kindly.
"Little Lu Zheng, it's been a while since you've been here... Who is this?"
"She's my good colleague and friend," Lu Zheng said calmly. "She's from Jiangtan and hasn't tried our Jingzhou's best summer drink. I just solved a big case today, so I thought I'd invite her over to try it."
Ji Yinhe was filled with anticipation after hearing these words. The stall owner's eyes curved with laughter. She turned around and opened the large vat behind the stall, then brought over two small white porcelain bowls.
The rouge-colored sour plum soup mixed with light golden osmanthus exuded a cool and subtle fragrance in the hot evening breeze. Ji Yinhe took it with both hands and took a sip. The crystal clear ice cubes tapped lightly on the wall of the bowl, and a gurgling sound was heard as it went down his throat.
Just like the wind chime that has been hanging in front of her window for more than twenty years since she was born.
"It tastes delicious!" Comrade Xiao Ji narrowed his eyes and sighed seriously.
Lu Zheng's eyes lingered on her cheek for a moment before he put down the bowl with a smile, "As long as you like it."
Ji Yinhe drank two full bowls before stopping, and praised the stall owner with witty remarks, which attracted countless diners and made everyone around him very happy.
The sound of bicycle bells, hawkers at the evening market, the chirping of cicadas in the treetops, and the lines from "Farewell My Concubine" playing in the Cultural Palace next door all float around. Dieyi shouts from the other side of the big screen - "A month, a day, an hour less, it's not a lifetime!"
However, Lu Zheng's surroundings were surprisingly quiet. It seemed that the only sounds were her eyes and eyebrows that looked extremely lively under the light, and her soft and pleasant voice.
He was stunned for an unknown amount of time before the sour plum soup seller poked his arm and said with a smile, "Don't look at me, I'm not going to run away... If you don't drink it, the ice will melt!"
Lu Zheng said "Oh" embarrassedly and quickly lowered his blushing face.
Fortunately, with the cover of sour plum soup, all the beautiful colors can be explained.
When he raised his head again, Expert Lu had regained his usual calm demeanor.
He reached into the bag beside him, pulled out a large box, and handed it to the other person in a casual manner.
"...For me?" Ji Yinhe was very surprised.
"Well, open it and take a look." Lu Zheng said quietly, "I think it can be useful for your case."
Since it was related to work, Ji Yinhe did not refuse. He wiped the condensed water droplets on his hands and then respectfully took it with both hands.
Five seconds later, she opened the package and froze in her tracks.
"Is this... a mobile phone?"
"Yeah." Under the gossipy eyes of the sour plum soup seller, Lu Zheng said calmly, "Being a pager can't make instant calls, so this is more convenient."
Comrade Xiao Ji scratched his forehead and said, "...But this is too expensive. I saw the price when I passed by the department store a few days ago, and it cost 20,000 yuan!"
She thought for two seconds, then handed the box back solemnly, "Teacher Lu, I can't accept it."
"Of course." Lu Zheng seemed to have anticipated her reaction and calmly crumpled up the receipt in his bag. "Because... I didn't buy it."
"ah?"
"The police gave me one, and my family just happened to give me another." Lu Zheng said calmly, "I don't need two phones for myself."
"ah……"
"Take it." Lu Zheng said firmly, "If you encounter anything during the mission, you can contact me immediately."
Ji Yinhe slowly puffed up his cheeks.
I thought to myself that what he said... seemed to make some sense.
Being a police officer, there wasn't much shyness. Comrade Xiao Ji took the box with a grateful look on his face. "Since this is for the case, just consider it a loan from you! When I save enough money, I'll..."
"Don't give me money." Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly. "Doesn't Boss Lian often send you delicious food? ... If you can bring me a portion to try, that would be enough."
"No problem, leave it to me!" Ji Yinhe patted his chest proudly, "From now on, whatever you want to eat, I'll treat you!"
Lu Zheng's smile deepened, "Then save my number to the speed dial area now."
"Okay, okay!" Comrade Xiao Ji pushed the bowl aside, buried his head in unpacking the package, and began to ponder this square black brick.
But the more she studied it, the more she felt something was wrong.
——This operating interface and interaction method is just a simplified and clumsy version of the five-fold!
Could it be that what Ms. Lian handed over to him... was a more advanced, thinner and more advanced mobile phone?
Ji Yinhe calmly squeezed the cross-body cloth bag containing the five folded coins twice.
This matter has been bothering her for a long time. She silently made a decision in her heart - the next time she returns to Jiangtan, she must catch Old Ji and Ms. Lian and ask them for an explanation!
*
But before that, she had something else to do.
The fans in the provincial prison were whirring. Ji Yinhe wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the unruly prisoner opposite him.
"I've always been curious about how murderers are made," she said, crossing her arms. "In the latest case I handled, the murderer didn't even have a clear motive."
"Maybe human nature is evil?" Situ Feng casually turned the chain on his wrist.
"Well, it's possible." Ji Yinhe pondered, "She has a history of animal abuse since she was a teenager. I think... she might be addicted to harming weak lives."
Situ Feng hummed, "It's not an isolated case. The murderer who was taken to be shot last month, I heard he liked to kill rabbits."
"..." Ji Yinhe closed his eyes, allowing himself to experience Wu Sijia's feelings, and slowly said, "To abuse, hurt, and control weak animals, to see their fear, pleading, and despair... At this moment, the murderer feels that he has a supreme power over life and death."
"Power?" Situ Feng snapped his fingers playfully. "Or maybe it's to vent stress."
"No." Ji Yinhe shook his head firmly.
Next to her was the research materials that she and Lu Zheng had compiled from foreign journals over the past few days.
A 1986 paper from Country A stated that one-third to one-half of the murderers surveyed had abused animals in their childhood.
A study in Country B in 1987 showed that many sexual offenders admitted to having abused animals when they were young.
In 1996, earlier this year, an FBI paper stated that in domestic violence cases, more than 70% of perpetrators had threatened to kill or abuse pets at home, and more than half of them carried out this behavior.
"...Killing one's own kind is a dehumanizing act. Unless one is mentally ill, few people would cross this line from the start." Ji Yinhe tapped his fingers on the table. "So this is a gradual escalation process, usually starting with the cruel killing of animals, and then gaining the ability to control the life and death of others."
"Yeah." Situ Feng nodded. "Interesting, keep going."
"..." Ji Yinhe frowned, trying to focus his thoughts on the perpetrators. "I think that after several killings, their threshold for pleasure has increased, which drives them to further absorb the power of evil... The expansion of evil leads them to commit even more evil crimes, just like Wu... The perpetrator in the previous case, her last victim, had no vested interest in her and she committed the harm purely for fun..."
Situ Feng looked at her and smiled, "Sure, little police officer, you can't get anything out of me."
Ji Yinhe stood up, his eyes shining, "Thank you for your help, I will tell the prison guards to make sure you have good food and drink while in prison!"
Situ Feng: “…”
Comrade Xiao Ji returned to the provincial department without stopping, thinking only of recording these views and compiling them into a paper.
It would be even better if this could be published to make people aware of the relationship between animal abuse and murder, so that they can prevent it from happening.
She was lying at the table writing furiously. Zhao Zhuoqun walked over and took a look while chewing a peach.
"Want to vote for the Provincial Public Security University?"
Ji Yinhe bit the pen and shook his head, then took out an envelope and solemnly wrote down the address of the capital.
"You have great ambition!" Zhao Zhuoqun gave him a thumbs-up. "I wish you success!"
…
The thin envelope, carrying Officer Ji's hopes, drifted to the far north. Meanwhile, on televisions in every household in Handong Province, the news of the provincial crackdown team's bravery in solving the flight attendant murder and corpse case was playing.
Ji Yinhe's face, whose beauty and temperament can still be seen even with blurred features, appeared on every TV screen.
Following behind was Lu Zheng, a tall and strong man with an extraordinary figure.
For a time, the streets and alleys of Jingzhou were filled with stories about the handsome men and beautiful women in the provincial and ministerial departments who were protecting social security.
Zu Yongxin, who was very satisfied with this, called a meeting with the Criminal Investigation Bureau and decided to fulfill his promise to the young police officer. He instructed Ji Yinhe to summarize the two cases after joining the crackdown team and prepare to apply for major awards this quarter.
The picture on the TV flashed, and it changed from the investigation of the corpse destruction case to the scene of Ji Yinhe wearing a police uniform and going on stage to receive an award and title.
Next to her smiling face, there suddenly appeared a three-star shoulder badge, emitting a dazzling light.
*
At the same time, Jiangtan.
As the sky darkened, only the neighbors Aunt Chen, Uncle Wu and the last few customers were left in the snack bar.
After work, Ji Jianguo sat with Lian Qiao behind the lobby bar, watching the news while sorting out the account books.
Ji Yinhe's face flashed across the screen, and Aunt Chen and Uncle Wu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Yinhe is a really good kid!" "Indeed, she's a shining light on our Heyedi Street!"
Ji Jianguo and Lian Qiao were never modest when it came to the neighbors' praise for their daughter, and they accepted it all with a smile.
After Aunt Chen and Uncle Wu left, Ms. Lian poked her husband's arm.
"You said that the two people who abducted Wu Sijia to Jingzhou were called Che Xiaozhen and Wang Bo. They were both human traffickers, but I haven't seen them in 'The Lost Daughter of the 1970s Returns'... Could they be the characters in 'River City Storm, Industry is King'?"
"...?" Ji Jianguo shuddered, thought for a moment, and then nodded, "I've heard of it vaguely."
In the empty snack bar, the couple looked at each other, and the same uneasy thoughts popped up in their minds at the same time.
Wu Sijia’s disappearance occurred more than ten years ago.
If Wang Bo and Che Xiaozhen really belong to the world of "River City Storm, Industry is King", but they also intersect with Yu Yexiang in "The Lost Daughter of the Seventies Returns" -
The fusion of these two worlds happened earlier and deeper than they realized.
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