Chapter 169 Guo Guo
The next day was Saturday.
Early in the morning, Xia Mufan led all members of the Serious Crime Unit 7 to Xing City.
Han Ying came to Hui City on a business trip for an interview. Before leaving, she left the parrot with her cousin Qi Xiaoman. Xing City is about three hours' drive from Hui City. The Serious Crime Unit 7 set out early in the morning and finally arrived at Qi Xiaoman's rental house around noon.
Qi Xiaoman’s rental house is only about 20 meters away from the railway track. It is an old residential building built by Xing City Freight Station for its employees. The 5-story brick-concrete building has some red bricks on the wall that have turned gray, and the ivy on the gables on both sides has turned yellow, revealing the mottled cement walls, giving it a sense of age and decay.
Walking up the stairwell covered with advertisements, Han Ying arrived at the house where Qi Xiaoman rented. After knocking on the door for a long time but no one answered, she took out the key and opened the door.
While opening the door, Han Ying explained: "Normally, Xiaoman lives alone in this room. She left a spare key with me, but I seldom come in when she's not at home. Today, because I brought you guys with me, I used this key to open the door..."
It can be seen that Han Ying respects other people's privacy very much. Even though she is as close to Qi Xiaoman as a sister, she will keep an appropriate distance. This sense of distance makes people feel comfortable.
When I opened the door, the room was very tidy. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with very little furniture and simple decoration. But Xiaoman decorated the house with care, using small floral curtains, pink cushions, and a large bouquet of flowers on the coffee table, adding a touch of feminine warmth and softness to the rental house.
As soon as Han Ying entered the house, she looked around for the parrot.
I walked around from the living room to the bedroom and then to the balcony, but I didn't know where the parrot was, let alone the birdcage.
Han Ying glanced at her watch and felt something was wrong. She muttered to herself, "Strange, it's almost twelve o'clock. Xiaoman usually cooks at home on weekends. Why hasn't she come back today? Did she take her parrot for a walk?"
Han Ying was about to go out to look for her, but she heard a weak voice coming from the door: "Cousin, you..."
A thin and pretty girl stood in the stairwell, staring at the open door in a daze.
Han Ying smiled immediately when she saw it, ran to the door, held the girl's hand and shook it: "Xiao Man, where have you been? I was just about to look for you."
The weather was cold, and Qi Xiaoman was wearing a thick cotton jacket with a plaid cardigan on the outside. Even such thick and heavy clothes looked loose. Her face was a little pale, she had a row of thick bangs on her forehead, and two small braids. She dressed very simply and did not look like a fashionable girl in the big city at all.
Perhaps it was because there was a stranger standing in the room. Although it was the house she rented, Qi Xiaoman stood at the door and didn't dare to come in. She looked a little timid.
Qi Xiaoman was holding a bird cage in her right hand. In the cage was a tri-colored macaw with bright yellow, red, and green feathers. Its claws were grasping the horizontal bar in the middle of the cage. Its pair of black bean-like eyes looked around, and it was obvious that it was a naughty fellow.
Han Ying knew her cousin was timid, so she didn't ask her where she had been. She took her arm and led her into the house, introducing them as they walked: "Xiao Man, these people are police officers, from the Seventh Serious Crime Unit of the Hui City Criminal Investigation Brigade. The strange things the parrot I bought said might be related to the child abuse case. They took it very seriously and drove all the way from Hui City to investigate the case."
Qi Xiaoman's eyes were full of vigilance against strangers. She hid behind Han Ying with a little resistance: "Will the police really care? I just went to the police station, and they said that what the parrot said doesn't count as evidence, and they can't open a case for investigation based on my guess."
Han Ying had inexplicable confidence in Xia Mufan: "Don't worry, Xiaoman, these police comrades are different. They are very responsible and have a strong sense of justice. They said they will help us."
Xia Mufan showed her police ID: "I am Xia Mufan. If there is a case of child abuse, we will investigate it to the end."
Han Ying also said, "Yes, Officer Xia is a criminal investigation expert from the provincial department, and is particularly good at communicating with animals. If our parrot sees her, it might be able to say more."
The badge on the officer's ID card shone with a sacred and solemn light. Qi Xiaoman relaxed a little and nodded meekly: "Hello, Officer Xia. I am Qi Xiaoman."
After introducing herself, Qi Xiaoman handed the bird cage to Xia Mufan: "This is the parrot."
Xia Mufan took the birdcage and opened the door. The parrot in the cage hesitated for a moment, tilted its head and looked at Xia Mufan, as if thinking about whether to fly out.
The door of the rental house was closed and the windows were all screened. Even if the parrot was let out, it couldn't fly far. Xia Mufan smiled and said to the parrot, "It's okay, come out and get some fresh air."
The parrot understood what Xia Mufan said and was a little surprised. It tentatively jumped down from the horizontal bar and moved step by step towards the open door of the birdcage.
[Are you really going to let me out?] 】
[You're not lying to me, are you?] 】
[When I come out, you will definitely use the net to catch me and pull my feathers for fun. 】
After hearing what the parrot said, Xia Mufan guessed that the environment it once lived in was full of violence and deception, and he felt a little sorry for it. She kept smiling and her voice became softer: "Don't worry, I'm not lying to you. Come out for some fresh air and go in when I tell you to."
Xia Mufan has a special magic that makes animals feel close to him and trust him. After getting her assurance, the parrot flapped its wings without hesitation and flew out of the cage door.
Seeing the parrot really fly out, Han Ying and Qi Xiaoman were both startled: "Hey, why did it run away?"
When Han Ying bought this parrot, it was already seven or eight years old. It had had an owner before and had been raised for more than a month, but the owner was not very familiar with it. Han Ying and Qi Xiaoman usually did not dare to let it out and kept it in a cage. Suddenly they saw the parrot fly away and they were startled.
Han Ying looked at Xia Mufan: "If you let it out, what if it runs away? We still have to rely on it to provide clues for this case."
Xia Mufan waved his hand: "It doesn't matter."
The parrot flapped its wings and flew around the room, chirping happily as it flew, making the sound of a train crossing the tracks: "Woo--Kuangqi! Kuangqi!"
There is something inexplicably funny about a parrot imitating the sound of a train while flying.
But if you could understand what this parrot said, I'm afraid no one would find it funny.
Xia Mufan's eyes were bright and he followed the parrot with his gaze, listening to what the parrot said with his ears perked up.
[The train is coming, hide quickly.] 】
[Xiaoxiao, don’t cry. Wait until the train passes and he won’t hit you anymore.] 】
[I’m sorry, mom can’t protect you anymore. Xiaoxiao, you must protect yourself well in the future. 】
After hearing the parrot's words, Xia Mufan's heart sank.
It seems that Xiaoman's initial worries were correct. The parrot's little owner is named Xiaoxiao. When his or her father beats someone, he or she will use the sound of a passing train to cover up the sounds of beating and crying.
Judging from what the parrot said, it was probably imitating what its hostess, Xiaoxiao's mother, said. She said she couldn't protect you. Was she really killed by her husband?
Knowing that the animal he would be facing was a parrot, Xia Mushi prepared a bag of nuts in advance, including pine nuts, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds. She first put a sleeve on her right hand, then took out a handful of nuts, spread them out in her palm, and held them high up: "Come down, I'll give you something delicious."
When the parrot saw the nuts, its eyes lit up, and it flapped its wings and flew towards Xia Mufan. It hooked its claws on the sleeve and landed steadily on her arm. It stretched out its long sharp beak and pecked at the nuts in her hand.
As it ate, the parrot made a pleasant gurgling sound from its throat.
[You are such a good person. My master hasn't fed me these for a long time. 】
Xia Mushi looked down at the parrot and asked in a chatty tone, "What's your name?"
The happy parrot opened its mouth and made a strange sound: "Hot pot, hot pot."
Xia Mufan smiled: "Your name is hot pot, the kind that can be eaten?"
The parrot got anxious and pecked Xia Mufan's mouth lightly: "Guoguo, Guoguo."
This time Xia Mufan heard it clearly: "Oh, Guoguo, the Guo in nut."
The parrot nodded: "Yes, Guoguo."
Han Ying was stunned watching from the side, eyes full of envy: "Strange, this parrot usually ignores us, why is it so obedient when it sees Officer Xia?"
Sun Xianbing puffed out his chest with pride: "Our team leader is good at dealing with animals, and I'm not bragging. The team leader has three pets at home who are very obedient and can help us solve cases. Even the few gray magpies in the yard of our police station can follow her instructions."
After raising the parrot for a month, Han Ying never knew its original name was Guoguo. She didn't expect Xia Mufan to be able to chat with it so naturally. Han Ying was simply full of admiration for Xia Mufan's ability: "That's great, Officer Xia, please ask Guoguo if what we were worried about before is true?"
Xia Mufan raised his hand to straighten the small feathers on the parrot's head, and asked gently: "Guoguo, what is the name of your little master?"
The parrot Guoguo called out happily: "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao."
"Ah, Xiaoxiao." Qi Xiaoman cried softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "That poor child is called Xiaoxiao."
Xia Mufan asked again: "What's your mistress's name?"
The parrot tilted its head: "Mom, Mom."
Xia Mufan sighed softly. This parrot was not as intelligent as the starling Fa Cai. It only knew that the hostess was Xiaoxiao's mother, but did not know her name.
Xia Mushi asked: "How is mom now?"
The parrot was stunned for a moment, its wings drooped, its head drooped, and a hint of fear flashed in its eyes.
Han Ying felt something was wrong and asked Xia Mufan softly, "What happened to Guoguo? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Xia Mufan reached out and gently patted Guoguo's wings, trying to calm it down: "Don't be afraid, we are safe now. There are no bad guys who beat Xiaoxiao here. Let's go catch the bad guys, okay?"
There seemed to be a power in Xia Mufan's voice. The parrot, which had been depressed just now, suddenly raised its head, looked at Xia Mufan, and made a cooing sound from its mouth.
【Dad is very bad and always beats Mom. 】
[My mother was beaten so hard that she bled a lot and her face turned red. 】
[Xiaoxiao is crying. The train is whistling, but no one hears it. 】
[Mom was silent and motionless. Dad kicked her under the bed and called her a stinky bitch. 】
[Dad took a knife and chopped Mom into pieces. 】
Xia Mufan felt a chill run down his spine as he heard this, and his expression became increasingly serious.
Feng Xiaoyu looked on at the side, a little confused, and reached out to touch Xia Mufan: "Xia Xia, what's wrong with you?"
Before Xia Mufan could reply, the parrot suddenly opened its mouth and began to speak in a shrill voice, like a child imitating an adult: "Red mother, stinky mother, so many mothers!"
After shouting back and forth several times, the parrot changed its tone again and began to imitate the man's deep voice and shouted: "Shut up! If you shout again, I'll kill you too."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of several people in the serious crime team changed. They looked at each other: Could it be that we guessed right, and the parrot's owner was involved in the murder case?
After a while, the parrot changed back to the spy's voice at the beginning and cried out tremblingly: "Don't kill me, don't hit me."
This time, everyone heard it clearly. It was not the "don't get involved" or "white goose" that Han Ying heard at the beginning, but the clear and clear words: "Don't kill me, don't hit me."
This time, no one could sit still.
Qi Xiaoman grabbed her cousin Han Ying's arm tightly: "They are police officers and your friends, right? Tell them to save that child Xiaoxiao. I went to two police stations this morning, but they didn't believe me at all and told me not to joke."
There was a hint of fear in Qi Xiaoman's eyes. She gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down, but her body still trembled uncontrollably.
Han Ying's arm was a little painful from being pinched by her cousin. Thinking of Xia Mufan's reminder that Qi Xiaoman might have suffered domestic violence or abuse, which was why she reacted so violently, Han Ying's eyes dimmed, a sour emotion surged up, and her throat choked a little: "It doesn't matter if the police station doesn't accept this case. Officer Xia said that he will handle it to the end. Don't worry, Officer Xia is very powerful. If we work together, we will definitely find a way to rescue Xiaoxiao."
Han Ying's warm embrace gradually stabilized Qin Xiaoman's emotions. She looked up at Xia Mufan with pleading eyes: "Officer Xia, you are a capable person. You must understand what the parrot is saying, right? I suspect that the child's mother has been killed, and I am also worried that the child will not live long. I beg you, you must rescue him."
Xia Mushi nodded solemnly: "Okay."
Now Xia Mufan has determined that behind the parrot is a murder and dismemberment case and a child abuse case, and the murderer is most likely the middle-aged man with a beard and a drunken body that the store owner saw.
The question now is, how can we find this child named Xiaoxiao?
Gong Weiguo stared at the parrot and could not help but urge it: "Guoguo, my good Guoguo, please say more. Where do you live? What landmark buildings are there? What is Xiaoxiao's father's name? What is her mother's name? Please, say a few more words."
The parrot Guoguo didn't understand what he said. It shook its head and lowered its head to peck at the nuts in Xia Mufan's hand. It picked up a sunflower seed, and with a deft movement of its tongue, it cracked the shell open, rolled out the seed kernel inside, and ate it happily.
The parrot looked very cute while eating, but no one was in the mood to appreciate its cute appearance. Feng Xiaoyu was anxious and clasped her hands together at it: "Guoguo, please say a few more words. Think carefully about where you lived before? Which district, which street, which community?"
Animals are sensitive to human emotions. The anxious mood of the crowd affected the parrot Guoguo. It suddenly stopped cracking melon seeds, spread its wings and flew up, making cooing sounds as it flew.
[So noisy, so noisy, so scary]
[It’s time to eat.] Xiaoxiao, hide quickly. 】
Xia Mufan frowned at the parrot's nervous look. She glanced at everyone and said, "Don't worry, give Guoguo some time. Are you hungry? Let's go to a restaurant nearby and order some food. Guoguo and I will stay alone for a while."
As the host, Han Ying immediately started making arrangements when the topic of dinner came up: "There is a small restaurant downstairs, it's clean, sanitary, cheap and good quality. Come on, I'll take you there."
Xia Mufan pulled out a bright red apple from his pocket like a magic trick and coaxed it, "Guoguo, are you thirsty? Eat some fruit."
Parrots are omnivores and their favorite food is nuts and berries. It is difficult to find berries for them to eat in the middle of winter, but they can still take a few bites of apples.
Since being resold, Guoguo has basically been kept in a cage, and his diet mainly consists of grains. Xia Mufan not only brought it fragrant nuts, but also crispy and delicious apples. Guoguo was immediately conquered. It circled twice in the air, and once again landed on Xia Mufan's arm, then lowered its head and pecked at the big apple. The parrot's beak was very sharp, and it drilled a hole in the apple in one go.
Xia Mufan had a parrot standing on his right arm and an apple in his left hand. The man and the bird walked out of the rental house first.
Han Ying hurriedly called Gong Weiguo and others: "Let's go, let's go down together."
Xia Mufan watched Han Ying and the others walk into a small restaurant, and she took the parrot to a small flower bed opposite the restaurant.
There are some daffodils and roses planted in the small flower bed, but because of the cold weather, only some withered and yellow branches and leaves can be seen. Only two plum trees bloom in the cold, and the branches are dotted with dazzling red plum flowers.
Xia Mufan raised her hand slightly, and the parrot understood what she meant. It flapped its wings and flew away, then perched on the branch of the red plum tree.
Xia Mufan brought the apple to the parrot's mouth. Guoguo took another bite, and the juice splashed. It blinked its eyes, feeling extremely happy.
Is there any bird that doesn’t yearn to fly, or any animal that doesn’t love freedom?
Once Guoguo, who had been locked in a cage for a long time, was released, he was surrounded by his favorite flowers and plants. The scent of apples and plum blossoms mixed together. The joy of sudden freedom made him feel very happy.
Xia Mufan successfully gained the favor and submission of the parrot, and the man and the bird began to communicate smoothly.
Xia Mushige asked: "Can you find your old home?"
The parrot shook its head.
[Can’t find it.] My dad put me in a cage and drove me to a pet store to sell me. I don't remember the way. 】
Xia Mushige asked: "Do you still remember your old home?"
Guoguo shook his head and looked around.
[I was brought home by my mistress when I was very young. I was usually kept in a cage and rarely went out to play. 】
[It's similar to here, with flowers, trees, and many old houses. The houses are crowded and there are many people. 】
It seems that the place where it used to live was also an old residential area. Xia Mufan thought for a moment and continued to ask: "Do you know where your previous home was?"
There was a hint of doubt in Guoguo's eyes.
What is a place? 】
Parrots have an IQ of 65, which is considered smart compared to other birds. But Guoguo did not receive enough training, and he rarely went out and had little experience, so he didn't even know the name of the neighborhood. He thought hard for a long time and finally said only one thing.
[There is a swing, Xiaoxiao likes it very much. 】
An old neighborhood with swings? There are still too few clues.
It seems that we can only start from the parrot's perspective and try our best to find clues that are beneficial to the police.
"How old is Xiaoxiao this year?"
[When I was three years old, I watched him being born. He was so small, soft and cute. 】
“Has Xiaoxiao gone to kindergarten?
[I don’t have money to go to kindergarten and my dad won’t let me. 】
"What does Dad do?"
[My father has a car. He drives out at night and comes back in the morning. I saw it from the window. 】
"What kind of car?"
【It’s yellow, and there’s a light on the top that lights up. 】
It looked like a yellow taxi.
Night shift taxi driver? The search area was narrowed again, but it was still very broad.
"What does Guoguo remember?"
[The weather was very hot. Dad broke his leg and lay at home swearing and smashing the pot. 】
"Why did you break your leg? Was it a car accident?"
Hearing the familiar term "car accident", Guoguo suddenly became excited.
[Yes, car accident.] Dad was in a car accident and broke his leg. He couldn't hit anyone, and Xiaoxiao and her mother were very happy. 】
The weather was very hot, so it should have been August or September. A night shift taxi driver had a car accident in August or September. This may narrow the scope a little.
"What does mom usually call dad?"
The parrot tilted its head and imitated a woman's voice and cried out, "Empire, Empire, don't hit me."
Xia Mufan asked again: "Did you hear clearly? Is Dad's name Dingguo or Diguo?"
The parrot continued to shout: "Dingguo, Dingguo."
This time Xia Mufan heard clearly that the night shift driver's name contained the word Dingguo.
"What does Dad usually call Mom?"
The parrot blinked its eyes, opened its mouth, and called out in a low voice: "That whore, damn woman, bitch!"
Xia Mufan's eyebrows jumped when he heard this. He didn't expect that in the family where the parrot lived, the woman married her husband and had children, but the parrot was not even addressed by his name in daily life.
Xia Mushige asked: "Have you ever had any guests at home?"
The parrot shook its head.
[No one came, everyone was afraid of Dad.] 】
Xia Mufan asked a few more questions, but the parrot only remembered the layout of the house. It was an old house with two bedrooms and a small living room. The male owner loved to drink, and the female owner did housework and took care of the children every day. She seldom went out and had no friends or relatives. No wonder no family members called the police and no one found out after so long.
Xia Mufan stood up and patted the parrot's head: "Don't worry, I will help you find your old home. Just follow me during this time."
The parrot is nostalgic. Although it has food and water now and can get a short period of freedom, it grew up with Xiaoxiao and has always been thinking about him. When it heard that Xia Mufan wanted to help it find its original home, it immediately flapped its wings with joy and cried out.
[Okay, I’ll go with you to find Xiaoxiao.] 】
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