The two policemen followed the hotel owner through the noisy alley and came to the small hotel with a faded sign.
The veteran policeman leading the team glanced at the narrow front desk and the creaking stairs and frowned.
"Upstairs, in the room at the back of the second floor, room 204."
The proprietress lowered her voice and pointed to the corner of the second floor, "He must be in the house right now."
The old policeman nodded and motioned his young colleague to follow.
The old wooden stairs under their feet groaned under the weight, which was particularly harsh in the quiet afternoon.
Arriving at the door of Room 204, the old policeman raised his hand and knocked on the door. His knuckles hit the thin door panel, making a dull sound.
There was silence in the room for a while. Lin Yaqin was lying on the bed, sulking.
When I heard a knock on the door, I thought someone was knocking on the wrong door!
This shabby hotel has poor soundproofing, and people often find themselves in the wrong room. She turned over and ignored him.
Unexpectedly, the knocking on the door continued stubbornly, one after another, with an implication that no one could refuse.
Lin Yaqin was annoyed by the noise, and a surge of anger rose up. She shouted angrily: "Why are you knocking? Are you trying to kill me?! Who is it?"
The boss lady's hoarse voice came from outside the door, "I'm here to check the room! Open the door quickly!"
Lin Yaqin was extremely impatient, but she still cursed and walked towards the door in her slippers: "What are you checking? Didn't I just pay the rent? Is this going to end..."
She didn't give up her words and opened the door! As she moved, the door creaked open a crack.
When Lin Yaqin saw clearly that standing outside the door was not only the proprietress, but also two police officers in neatly dressed uniforms, the impatience on her face froze instantly and turned into horror!
It was almost an instinctive reaction, and she subconsciously slammed the door shut!
But the old policeman was experienced and had already anticipated this.
A foot wearing a Warrior shoe quickly and powerfully got stuck in the crack of the door, and at the same time a big hand pressed on the door, preventing it from closing.
"Comrade Lin Yaqin," the veteran police officer's voice, steady and intimidating, came through the crack in the door. "We are from the police station and are conducting a legal investigation of migrant workers. Please cooperate and open the door."
Lin Yaqin froze in place, her face pale, and her fingers gripping the door handle were white at the joints from the force.
However, the door had already been held by the old policeman and could not be closed at all.
The police officer said something polite, then opened the door without question and walked into her small, messy room.
Lin Yaqin watched as two police officers came in. She subconsciously took two steps back, her back against the cold wall, her face as pale as paper.
The old policeman's sharp eyes quickly scanned the room.
There were clothes scattered on the bed, leftover cheap bread on the table, and a pile of new clothes in the corner of the bed. The whole space was very discordant.
"Lin Yaqin, according to public security regulations, we are now questioning you according to the law." The old police officer's voice was calm but carried unquestionable authority. "Please show me your household registration and temporary residence permit."
Lin Yaqin's lips trembled, and her eyes darted around in panic: "Identity, identity card... I, I left it in my hometown and didn't bring it here..."
"Didn't bring it?" The old policeman's voice carried a pressure that should not be underestimated!
Lin Yaqin was frightened, her lips trembling, her eyes wandering around in panic, and she frantically searched in the tattered luggage bag.
After a while, he tremblingly took out his household registration paper and handed it over anxiously: "Here! Is this okay? Household registration! I have a household registration! I'm not an illegal resident!"
The hotel owner, who had been hiding behind the police and watching the excitement, was suddenly startled when she saw this situation.
This woman really does have a household registration certificate, so why did she keep evading the request to register her identity? Is she hiding something?
She just reported to the police that she was an illegal resident. What if the police think that this woman has some formalities and that she is making a fuss and reporting a false alarm, or they blame her for making a false report without verifying the facts, and implicate her as well?
She runs a small business and can't afford any trouble!
In a hurry, she didn't care about anything else and pointed at Lin Yaqin and said, "Comrade Public Security! Don't be fooled by her!
What's the point of having an old household registration? What does it prove? Don't all migrants in the city need to apply for a temporary residence permit these days? She doesn't even have a temporary residence permit. If that's not a problem, what's the problem?
This has been happening to me for almost two months now. There must be something wrong with her!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, as if the louder she spoke, the more reasonable she seemed!
"Besides, who knows if her household registration is real or fake? Even if it's real, she's sneaky and dirty every day, always causing trouble, making my place a mess. This can't be fake, right?
The neighbors can all testify! Such a person is a disaster to us if he stays here! You must be very careful and discerning! "
Her series of quick and urgent rebuttals actually made Lin Yaqin's problem clear!
The young police officer had to record it again, and while recording, he asked, "How long have you been in Ji City? Where do you live? What is your occupation?"
"No, not long... I'll live here... doing odd jobs..." She spoke incoherently, with beads of sweat oozing from her forehead.
"What kind of odd jobs do you do? Which unit do you work for?" The old policeman pressed on.
"It's just... serving dishes in a restaurant and helping people look after the shop..." Lin Yaqin's voice became smaller and smaller as she spoke, and it was obvious that she was lacking confidence.
The old policeman walked to the wall and looked at the piece of paper next to the table, which had the addresses Shangjiju Primary School, Government Compound, and Mule Hutong written on it.
He turned to the trembling Lin Yaqin and said, "According to the information we have, not only did you fail to register for temporary residence, you also repeatedly disrupted order in places such as the government primary school and the government compound.
Harassing others seriously affects public order."
"I didn't! I just went to see the child..." Lin Yaqin hurriedly defended herself in a sharp voice.
"Please cooperate with us," the old police officer interrupted her. "Come back to the police station with us now for further investigation."
"I won't go! I haven't broken any law!" Lin Yaqin suddenly became excited and wanted to rush to the door, but was stopped in time by the young policeman.
"Please calm down!" The old police officer raised his voice, "If your behavior is indeed not illegal, we will let you go after the investigation is complete.
But if you continue to resist law enforcement, we will have no choice but to detain and deport you."
Under the majestic gaze of the public security personnel, Lin Yaqin finally collapsed and her last resistance collapsed.
She trembled and staggered out of the small room where she was temporarily staying, accompanied by two policemen on her left and right.
When passing by the front desk, the proprietress quickly lowered her head and pretended to keep accounts, not daring to meet her eyes.
The police car was parked at the entrance of the alley, and Lin Yaqin was taken into the car amid the neighbors' whispers and pointing eyes.
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