Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Big baby sentenced to life imprisonment?
Comrade Xiao Ji's feeling of loss only lingered in her mind for a few hours before quickly disappearing.
It’s true that Lu Zheng didn’t contact her, but she didn’t look for him either!
When you think about it this way, they're pretty even.
Probably because I ate too much hotpot in the evening, my stomach was full, so I drank a full cup of milk tea and played in the snow on the street before leaving the table.
When Ji Yinhe returned home that night, he suffered from severe insomnia.
Fortunately, the next day was the weekend, so I could catch up on some sleep.
She simply raised her upper body and reached for the five-fold folding paper on the bedside table.
During this period, this smartphone did not play any role in solving the case.
But Ji Yinhe insisted on rubbing it for an hour every day before going to bed, and discovered many shocking new functions!
Once, she didn't know what she said, but turned on the "voice assistant" function like a spell.
In the dark room, the five-fold screen suddenly lit up, and a friendly female voice rang out: "I'm here."
Even Comrade Xiao Ji, a staunch materialist, was frightened.
The more she dug into this five-fold foldable, the more she discovered. The main interface was covered in dozens of strange icons, like the interface of a pager, but richer and more colorful. She was afraid of damaging this precious gadget, so she found an opportunity to secretly consult Ms. Lian.
Originally, these icons were called applications, and each one had different functions. But now, without internet access, many of them are unusable, and I can only use the downloaded data.
Ji Yinhe knew about the internet; she'd seen it on the news. But connecting to the internet usually required computers, and long cables. How did this little gadget manage to connect to the internet out of thin air?
Lian Qiao said that he couldn't explain it to her, but she would understand it later. Then he took her to enter her fingerprint and facial recognition so that she wouldn't have to enter the password every time.
Ji Yinhe also found a lot of music, videos and photos in the five-fold.
——In addition to the younger Ms. Lian and Old Ji, there are many handsome men and beautiful women that have never been seen before, kittens and puppies, flowers and grasses, food pictures, and a folder called "Come if you dare."
"Mom, what's in here?" Comrade Xiao Ji asked curiously.
Even the ladies were frightened after watching them. “Final Destination, The Grudge, The Conjuring, Gonjiam, The Medium…”
Ji Yinhe frowned, "A horror movie? How come I haven't seen it in the video hall?"
Lian Qiao patted her daughter's shoulder and said, "Because they are so real and scary!"
Comrade Xiao Ji narrowed his eyes, half believing and half doubting.
Although Lian Qiao and Ji Jianguo have been secretive, as an intelligent criminal police officer, she is very suspicious that this five-fold camera may not be a product of this era.
Just like their mysterious origins.
There's been a lot of talk in the newspapers lately about aliens and UFOs. Could my parents be aliens? Superpowers? They can't possibly be time-travelers from the future, right?
Ji Yinhe slapped his forehead, feeling that the imagination space here was really too big.
But my parents must have their reasons for hiding this from me.
The aliens in "ET" come to Earth and have to make great efforts to stay!
Although he decided to keep his guess to himself, Comrade Xiao Ji still watched all those horror movies out of curiosity.
Before clicking on it, she patted her chest and assured Lian Qiao that as someone who studied corpses with Ye Qing every day, she would not be scared and would not even blink!
But when she saw the chinless girl in "The Grudge" and Kayako all over the playground, she still wrapped herself tightly in the quilt in a cowardly manner.
Apart from anything else, the dark picture, quiet atmosphere and creepy sound effects are enough to make people tremble all over!
She closed the folder called "Come if you dare" and vowed never to open it again in her life.
At this moment, the insomniac Xiao Ji quickly and skillfully switched into an application called "Green River Literature City".
There were dozens of books on the bookshelf on the homepage, with covers that were more fancy than those of Hong Kong and Taiwan discs. The titles of the novels were listed below, with many inexplicable words in them that she could hardly understand.
In addition to the bookshelf, this software also has a bookstore and forum interface. Ji Yinhe tried to click on them, but they all showed "Network connection failed".
She flipped through the novels on the bookshelf that could be opened. The stories were so exciting!
——In addition to men and women in love, the protagonist is not in love with anyone, and there are also men and men, and women and women in relationships.
Ever since she met Gong Xie, who is popular with both men and women, she has come to understand this orientation that is not recognized by the mainstream society, and has adopted an attitude of respect and blessing.
But now, she didn't read novels for entertainment.
There is a novel on the bookshelf called "The Lost Real Daughter of the 1970s Returns". She just read the beginning last night and found out that the heroine of the story is called Su Yue, the second female lead is called Su Yiyun, and their parents are called Su He Chuman.
——His life experience is exactly the same as Su Yue, whom she knew in real life!
It’s a pity that I had to pay online after reading this novel for a short while.
The female supporting character named Aunt Lian just appeared and I couldn’t read the following chapters!
But no matter what, this is such a coincidence!
Ji Yinhe read the free chapters several times again, then lay on the bed in frustration, feeling like his brain was about to explode.
Could it be that Ms. Lian is neither an alien nor a traveler from the future?
But the characters in this novel jumped out of the book and came to the real world?
If Lian Qiao is really a character in the novel of Green River Literature City, then does Lao Ji come from the so-called - a certain point Long Aotian?
No, no, no... Ji Yinhe shook his head frantically.
——This is ridiculous, this is ridiculous!
*
The weekend ended quickly, and on Monday Ji Yinhe went to work with dark circles under his eyes. As soon as he stepped onto the stairs, he ran into Director Rao holding documents in his hand.
"Come on, Xiao Ji, it's a good idea to meet you!" Rao just handed over a stack of documents. "It's your chance to show off! Before the Lunar New Year, on the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, the provincial department is hosting a province-wide criminal investigation competition for the public security system. I've discussed it with several deputy directors, and the number of participants is exactly five, so your team will be perfect!"
Ji Yinhe's eyebrows jumped when he looked at the big words on the red-headed document.
...Go to the provincial department! Maybe I can meet detectives from our sister units and see their even more advanced investigative techniques?!
This practical competition is the first one held by the entire Handong Public Security System. It will be held in Jingzhou and last for three days.
The competition focuses on real, complex and difficult cases, and examines the professional qualities and coordinated combat capabilities of the participating teams through theoretical exams, simulated on-site investigations, field investigations, physical evidence extraction, combat shooting and other work links.
"I heard that the Provincial Public Security Bureau and several well-known domestic experts in criminal technology will be invited to serve as judges!" Rao Zhenghao encouraged, "Let Tang Ci guide you to prepare well!"
"Yes, sir!"
Comrade Xiao Ji saluted with a snap, ran into the office, posted the document on the top of the blackboard, and then repeated Rao Zhenghao's words to everyone.
Tang Ci read the details carefully and frowned as he said, "We still have plenty of time, but these five stages require us to compete in pairs. With the four of us plus Ye Qing, how should we divide the time?"
Ji Yinhe raised his hand first, "Except for the overly professional autopsy and trace examination, I should be able to do everything."
She had already proved with her own strength that this statement was not an exaggeration, and no one objected.
Tang Ci nodded and began to arrange the troops: "Xiao Ji, you prepare for the theory test and combat shooting; Xiao Wu, the theory test and on-site investigation; Cheng Mo, the field investigation and physical evidence collection, Ye Qing prepares for on-site investigation and physical evidence collection, and finally it's me... There's one spot left for both field investigation and combat shooting, which is perfect."
Ji Yinhe calculated silently in her mind that this meant she had to review theoretical knowledge with Xiao Wu and prepare for fighting and shooting with Tang Ci.
These two items were her strengths in the police academy. Although fighting and shooting were put together, they actually had to be competed separately, which was equivalent to preparing for three events.
Seeing that no one was talking, Tang Ci asked, "Any questions?"
Everyone immediately answered: "No problem!"
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, hesitated and rubbed his head. "Theoretical exam... I might not be very good at it. I'm really afraid of exams. I get diarrhea as soon as I'm in the exam room!"
"How about I switch with you?" Cheng Mo said, "You go and participate in the field investigation—"
"Grades aren't important." Tang Ci raised a hand and said sternly, "Xiao Wu, theory has always been your weakness. As your instructor, I hope you can take this opportunity to catch up on the lessons you missed in the police academy and improve your professionalism!"
His real thought was: he planned to apply to Director Rao for a transfer after the new year. Although Section Chief Ding and others wanted Ji Yinhe to be promoted to deputy team leader, with her ability and talent, she would definitely not stop there, but would move on to the provincial department or even the ministry.
The team has no successors, so in addition to Cheng Mo, we have to train someone who can take on the responsibility.
This competition is a great opportunity for everyone to boost morale and strengthen their abilities!
"All right……"
Seeing Tang Ci being so stubborn, Xiao Wu sat down in the office with a sad face.
Ji Yinhe secretly came over to comfort him, "Don't worry! I have the book that Teacher Lu lent me. We can review it together later!"
Ye Qing also sat down next to him. "If you're afraid of diarrhea, I'll prescribe you an antidiarrheal medicine on the day of the exam."
Xiao Wu's expression had indeed eased considerably. "Thank you, Sister Ye Qing, thank you, Sister Xiao Ji... By the way, could Teacher Lu be one of the judges for this competition?"
"It's possible." Ji Yinhe nodded slowly, with a hint of joy in his eyes.
Just now I was so excited about going to the provincial department to see the world, but now I realized that I can also see Teacher Lu whom I haven’t seen for almost two months!
Ji Yinhe immediately became motivated. He sat back at the table, took out a pen, marked a date on the calendar, and then carefully calculated the days to arrange his review.
Just as she was writing furiously on the paper, the phone in the inner room rang.
Tang Ci said a few words to the other side, then walked out with a piece of paper.
"The branch has transferred two cases to us. There was a gang fight in Silihe. Cheng Mo, you will come with me later."
"good."
"There's another theft case in Shannan Town, Changwu County... Xiao Ji, didn't you solve a case there last month? You know the people and the place well, so I'll leave this one to you and Xiao Wu." Tang Ci handed her the note in his hand, "Here's the phone number of the person who reported the case. Call them first to ask about the situation."
"Okay!"
After a while, Ji Yinhe called Xiao Wu together, and the two sat down by the phone and dialed the number.
"...Alas, you police officers finally called me. I've been reporting the case for so long!" The man opposite sounded very unhappy.
Ji Yinhe asked in a good-tempered manner: "Perhaps your case is quite special and has been transferred from the branch to the municipal bureau. Can you tell me the details? Your name, address, and what exactly was lost?"
The person on the other end muttered impatiently, "Huo Zongping, Group 2, Fuhe Village, Shannan Town."
Ji Yinhe exclaimed in his heart, what a coincidence, isn’t it? Chen Ma’s family also lives in this town, she is indeed familiar with the place!
Xiao Wu quickly wrote down the information and asked again, "What exactly did you lose? How much is it worth?"
Huo Zongping sighed, "It's hard to say, but it's a big treasure..."
——Big baby?
Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu looked at each other. Could it be that someone was missing?
Ji Yinhe sat up straight, his expression serious. "Comrade Huo, please explain the situation clearly so that we can make a judgment."
"Hmm..." Huo Zongping hesitated, "Why don't you all come over? You'll know everything once you come. It's hard to explain this in person!"
“…”
Well, since the other party has said so, it seems I have no choice but to go first.
Ji Yinhe asked the fleet for a Santana and went to Shannan Town with Xiao Wu.
However, this was the first time that the two of them had partnered up for a field mission. In the past, they had always worked with a large group, either riding in Tang Ci's big jeep, or driving by Cheng Mo or other police officers.
This time, after getting the key, Ji Yinhe habitually threw it into Xiao Wu's hand -
The other party looked at me pitifully and said, "Sister, I don't know how to drive yet!" Then she turned her butt and got into the passenger seat.
Ji Yinhe held the key he threw back and stood next to the driver's seat, a little dumbfounded.
...Then just go for it.
She took a deep breath, recalled the movements her driving school teacher had taught her, and stumbled out of the police station.
The roads in Jiangtan city are straight and well-equipped with traffic lights, so the journey was quite smooth.
But Changwu County is a mountainous area, with a long winding mountain road. When passing a small village, the road surface changes from cement to gravel.
Ji Yinhe's heart was in his throat all the way, and his foot was about to cramp when he stepped on the brake.
Fortunately, she had a safe journey. Even after leaving the mountains, she felt that her driving skills had returned and she bravely increased the speed.
Finally, with a smooth side parking maneuver, Comrade Xiao Ji successfully parked the Santana right under the big tree at the entrance of Fuhe Village.
"Well, I really need to practice more!" She clapped her hands proudly and looked to the side. "How do you feel?"
Xiao Wu let out a weak sigh of relief and lowered his paw from the armrest above the car door.
"Sister, stop practicing..." He touched his chest, "I almost vomited."
"Rookie!" Ji Yinhe waved his finger, threw down a word he learned from Old Ji, got out of the car with a swagger, and walked towards the second group of Xiangfuhe Village.
*
“…Actually, what I lost was a Buddha head.”
It was the off-season for farming in the small village in early winter. Huo Zongping sat on a small bench at the door of his house, pinching the sparks in his pipe and uttering a few words in a low voice.
Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu, who were squatting opposite him, stared at him with wide eyes and were stunned for several seconds.
If they heard correctly, this thing is no ordinary treasure!
This big baby might be sentenced to life imprisonment!
"...Buddha head?" Ji Yinhe asked in a deep voice, "The Buddha head you're talking about, is it the head of a Buddha statue? The kind exhibited in museums?"
"Ah, not that big, very small." Huo Zongping gestured, "It's the size of an egg. I asked a teacher on the mountain to take a look. It's from the Ming Dynasty, made of stone, there's no mistake."
Ji Yinhe scratched his forehead and said, "Then, how did you get this Buddha head? And how did it disappear? Tell us in detail."
Xiao Wu took a deep breath, held a pen and paper, and was ready to go.
"Ah..." Huo Zongping took a puff of his cigarette and sighed slowly, "This story has to start from decades ago..."
"My ancestors were not of good origin. Don't look at me now, I am a poor peasant. I went to a private school when I was young and was the third son of a landlord. There were a few old things in my family, but unfortunately they were all lost in the war and the escape—"
"Get to the point!"
Huo Zongping uttered an "oh," and said, "I just wanted to say that I do have a good eye for good things... It was probably in the year 7172. I went to the mountains to chop wood alone, and got lost in a snowstorm. I came across a dilapidated temple. There were many Buddha statues in the temple, big and small, crying and laughing—all with only bodies and no heads!"
"...I spent the night in the temple. The next morning, the wind and snow had stopped. I thanked the Buddha for his protection. As I walked out of the mountain gate, I found a small Buddha head on the side of the road. The carving was extremely delicate and it looked very old. Isn't it amazing? I thought at the time that the Buddha must have seen my sincerity and left it for me!"
Ji Yinhe didn't find it strange. As a staunch materialist, he never believed in supernatural things.
The movement was so vigorous at that time that no one could go to the temple to chisel off the Buddha's head. It fell on the way and was picked up by this person.
Huo Zongping was still trapped in the past. "I got such a great treasure for nothing! I didn't dare sell it for money! I thought about handing it over to the country, but living in that era, my social status was not good, and it might bring trouble to myself and my family. So I thought again and again and decided to just wrap it up and bury it in a jar in the northeast corner of the vegetable patch."
"Here." He pointed to a patch of land outside. "That's where, early in the morning three days ago, I discovered someone had dug out my treasure and stolen it."
Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu looked in the direction of his finger—
Sure enough, there was a big pit in the vegetable field not far away, and the soil next to it was piled up into a small slope. The color looked slightly darker, and it was indeed dug out not long ago.
Ji Yinhe turned his head back and thought for a moment with a frown, "Have you told anyone about picking up the Buddha head?"
"Absolutely not!"
Huo Zongping patted his chest with a solemn oath, his voice rising high, "My big baby, of course I have to hide it well!"
His high-profile assurance made all the neighbors on both sides look over.
Ji Yinhe lowered his eyes suspiciously.
——Huo Zongping values the Buddha head so much that he keeps calling it a big treasure, and his voice becomes uncontrollably higher every time he mentions it. It is impossible for him not to tell anyone a word.
She suspected that everyone in Fuhe Village and even half of Shannan Town knew about the existence of his Buddha head.
Xiao Wu finished writing the last sentence, threw the notebook into the cloth bag, and stood up. "Sister, shall we go?"
"Let's go." Ji Yinhe stood up and dusted off the dust. "Comrade Huo, let's go out and investigate. If we have any other questions, we'll call you."
"Comrade police officer, please don't tell anyone that I lost the Buddha's head—"
Even as they reached the gate of the courtyard, Huo Zongping did not forget to catch up and give some instructions.
Ji Yinhe said perfunctorily and went to take a look at the northeast corner of the vegetable garden.
——It was just a big pit. The newly turned soil was very moist, with a thin layer of frost on it. It was really hard to see what was going on.
So she put her hands in her pockets and staggered onto the path along the river.
The village is nestled between mountains and rivers, and Xiangfu River is the main source of domestic water. Even in the afternoon, there are several women squatting by the river with basins and washboards, washing clothes.
"Sister!" Ji Yinhe greeted her familiarly, squatted down and asked, "Are your hands cold working in such a cold weather?"
"It's freezing! How could my hands not be freezing!" the woman sighed. "But the clothes need to be washed. The men in the family have to go out to earn money, and the children have to go to school. We can't go out naked, right?"
"Sister, you've worked so hard. Go home and soak your hands in some hot water and apply some clam oil!" Ji Yinhe sincerely took out two from her bag and handed them over.
The woman thanked him repeatedly.
Ji Yinhe took the opportunity to ask, "By the way, why is no one working at Huo Zongping's house across the street?"
"That person is an old bachelor!" The woman looked her over carefully. "Oh, you must be Officer Ji who came last month, right? My sister-in-law's second aunt and Chen Ling are old friends. I hear them talk about this amazing and cool policewoman in the city every day!"
Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu looked at each other and laughed.
"Yes, I'm Xiao Ji, and this is my colleague Xiao Wu."
"Hey, two police officers are here!" the woman said gossipingly. "Are they here for the Huo Zongping family incident?"
Ji Yinhe smiled, "You know that too?"
"Of course!" The woman picked up a wooden stick and began beating the clothes on the large bluestone. "His most precious treasure! A Ming Dynasty Buddha head. He'd go to the market every now and then to brag about it. Sometimes he'd say it was made of gold, sometimes he'd say it was the size of a pillow bun... but he'd never show it to people to see what it actually looked like!"
Xiao Wu chuckled beside him, and Ji Yinhe kicked him.
"Sister, no one in the village has ever seen the Buddha's head, and he never told me where he hid it, right?"
"Yeah, how can I say that!" The woman shook her head.
Ji Yinhe lowered his eyes. He originally wanted to ask if any strangers had recently entered Xiangfuhe Village and asked about anything related to the Buddha head.
But Huo Zongping was such a loudmouth, and everyone in the village knew about it, so it was hard to say who spread the news that he had a Buddha head.
She stood up and said, "Okay, thank you."
"Hey, Officer Ji," the woman called out, leaning over. "Did someone steal his Buddha head?"
Ji Yinhe didn't know whether to say yes or no, so he smiled bitterly and made a hushing gesture.
Unexpectedly, the woman clicked her tongue and shook her head, "This isn't the first time!"
"What?" Xiao Wu asked, "Has the Buddha head been stolen before?"
"It's not his!" The woman waved her hand and said vividly, "This area of ours used to be a mass grave. Last month, someone dug up a tomb, but it wasn't the grave of anyone important. The county sent people here to do some archaeological work. They said they found several cultural relics. The project won't be finished anytime soon. The relics were only left in the ground overnight—"
She clapped her hands and spread them out to the sides. "It's gone!"
Ji Yinhe hurriedly asked, "Where is the tomb?"
"Go upstream along the river. When you see the big locust tree, turn left and walk a few miles. You'll find it!"
The two men followed the instructions and trekked up.
The county archaeological team surrounded the tomb with plastic woven cloth, but no one was working inside. Only an old man in a straw hat was sitting on a rock eating a sesame cake.
After hearing their story, the old man shook his head and said, "This is a solitary tomb from the Qing Dynasty. Based on the burial objects we've unearthed, we can tell that the tomb's owner was probably a frustrated young scholar who died in a foreign land and therefore couldn't be buried back home."
Ji Yinhe asked, "It is said that this tomb was robbed right after it was dug?"
"Yes," the old man said, "a few broken brushes and two inkstones, not worth much money. We reported the situation to the police station, but no one came to inquire about it."
Tracking cultural relics is a difficult task in itself, and the resale has been rampant in recent years. Last time, Director Rao went to the capital for a meeting and visited Panjiayuan. After he came back, he said that it was a complicated place and if he went into details, he would be put in jail.
Faced with the sigh of the old man from the archaeological team, Ji Yinhe could only remain silent.
*
After returning to the Municipal Bureau, Ji Yinhe gave Tang Ci a brief report on the case.
Then he turned around and went downstairs to the office of Team 4.
"...Captain Shi." Ji Yinhe looked at the policewoman's neat, dashing, yet friendly face and asked seriously, "I heard that you have worked in Team 4 for many years and have extensive experience in forest police... I'd like to ask if you have encountered similar cases while carrying out forest-related missions in the mountainous areas."
"Hahaha, I've been working at the Municipal Bureau for so many years, and this is the first time your Serious Crime Squad has come to me to inquire about a case." Shi Jun crossed his arms. "But you definitely found the right person. In the early years, the divisions of police forces weren't so detailed. We forest police worked alongside the Cultural Relics Bureau and did a lot of work."
"That's great! This is my first time handling a theft case, and it's a Buddha head theft case. I have no idea where to start." Ji Yinhe smiled and took Shi Jun's arm, shaking it gently. "Captain Shi, please give me some advice! Next time, I'll bring you beef pot stickers and not give them to Captain Cui, Captain Ma, and the others!"
"No wonder Chief Rao, Section Chief Ding, Team Leader Tang, and Team Leader Cui praise you all the time. You're so sweet and driven! I'd like to transfer you to our Team 4, too!"
Shi Jun patted Ji Yinhe's hand, turned around, took down a few thick brown paper bags from the filing cabinet, and blew away the dust on them.
"Comrade Xiao Ji, all criminal cases involving cultural relics in Jiangtan since the 1950s are all here."
Ji Yinhe saw that he had an idea and immediately asked, "Captain Shi, can I move all of these... back to the office to study?"
"Yeah." Shi Jun smiled and nodded, "Don't mess it up, don't lose the materials, and just remember to return them to me!"
"We female comrades are the best. We help each other and unite and love each other!"
Comrade Xiao Ji bowed slightly to Shi Yun, and then grunted as he carried the brown paper bag back to the team's office.
"Get to work!" She patted Xiao Wu, who was dozing off on the table.
"Sister Ji, where did you get all these files?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened in surprise. "Are they all related to cultural relics? Why didn't I see any in the archives?"
"Our team also has some case files that are not open to the public." Ji Yinhe sat down behind the table and opened the top paper bag. "This is borrowed from Team Four. Wash your hands before touching it. Don't lose anything. I have to return it."
"Captain Shi Jun, she's actually willing to lend it to you and even agreed to let you bring the files back?" Xiao Wu sighed. "Two years ago, we took on an arson case. Old Tang, Old Che, Old Cheng, and I fought tooth and nail, but we couldn't get Captain Shi to even open the cabinet door!"
Ji Yinhe smiled and shook his finger.
"—You men, no."
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