Chapter 26 Sun Guangsheng
With the assistance of comrades from Rongyang Town Police Station, Xia Mufan soon met Sun Guangsheng.
Sun Guangsheng's home is located on the west side of the main road in Rongyang Town. It is a three-story brick-concrete building with beige tiles on the walls, aluminum alloy sliding windows, light green glass, Roman columns at the door, and a grand porch. The interior is decorated magnificently.
There are two big dogs in the Sun family's yard, tied to the fence railings with iron chains. They start barking wildly when strangers approach.
The police station had called in advance, and Sun Guangsheng hurried out of the house when he heard the noise. The man was nearly fifty years old, with a big belly and slightly bald hair. He wore a brown leather jacket, a thick gold ring on his right index finger, and a gold chain around his neck. He had the temperament of a nouveau riche.
As soon as he saw the group of people in police uniforms, Sun Guangsheng immediately stopped the barking dogs, took out high-end cigarettes from his pocket with a smile on his face and began to distribute them: "Come on, come on, police comrades, please have a smoke."
He greeted the comrades from Rongyang Town Police Station in a familiar manner, looking like a family of police and citizens.
The comrade from the Rongyang Town Police Station waved his hand to refuse the cigarette and introduced Xia Mufan and his group to Sun Guangsheng: "These are the criminal police from the serious crime team of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Hui City Public Security Bureau. They want to find you to understand the situation."
Sun Guangsheng smiled as he welcomed everyone into the living room, and asked the nanny to serve tea and water. While he was busy, he asked attentively, "What does the police comrade want to know?"
The Sun family's living room is two stories high, open and spacious, with shiny marble floors, dazzling crystal chandeliers, and a large porcelain painting of magnolia and winter jasmine behind the leather sofa, exuding an air of wealth.
Before the arrival of the Serious Crime Unit 7, they had already gained a clear understanding of Sun Guangsheng's household registration information and family situation, and had also formulated a corresponding investigation plan.
As soon as he sat down, Gong Weiguo looked around and asked first: "What is Mr. Sun doing? How can you be so rich?"
Sun Guangsheng's smile froze: "Isn't this thanks to the spring breeze of reform and opening up? I made a little money from the clothing wholesale business."
Gong Weiguo said, "Oh," and said, "I know that Mr. Sun has three stores in the White Lion Wholesale Center."
Sun Guangsheng didn't know the purpose of the serious crime team's visit, and he was nervous, but he didn't dare to show any uneasiness on his face. He smiled and said, "It's just a small fight, just a small fight."
Gong Weiguo continued to ask with a straight face: "When was the store registered with the industrial and commercial department?"
Sun Guangsheng replied: "June 1988."
Gong Weiguo asked: "When did you finish building this house?"
Gong Weiguo's questions were all over the place and difficult to understand. But Sun Guangsheng felt like a net was being cast towards him.
Because he didn't know the ins and outs of the situation, he decided to play dumb: "I don't remember exactly when the house was built, it's been a while. At the beginning, it was just a simple renovation. The one you see now was renovated in 1992."
Gong Weiguo glanced at him and said, "There is an approval record when the construction application was submitted. It doesn't matter if you forgot the time. I know." After saying that, he turned and glanced at Feng Xiaoyu.
Feng Xiaoyu nodded in agreement and took out a stack of photocopied materials: "This house was approved for construction in June 1983, and the main structure was completed in March of the following year."
Sun Guangsheng has been doing well in the town these days. He has a good relationship with the relevant persons in charge of the police station, housing and construction department, industrial and commercial department, tax department, etc. Of course, he knows the truth that "a higher-ranking official can crush a person to death."
Seeing that the other party was well prepared, but he didn't even know the purpose of the serious crime team, he became more and more nervous and had to answer honestly: "Ah, yes, yes, the house was built in 1983 and we moved in in 1984."
Gong Weiguo asked: "Where did you live during the six months of building the house?"
Sun Guangsheng tried to recall the past: "Yes, I rented a house in the town."
"Which town?"
"Xinzhang Town."
"Why did you want to build a house in Rongyang Town?"
Yeah, why move from one town to another? Sun Guangsheng was suddenly stuck at this question.
Because you can always meet familiar faces in Xinzhang Town, and it is not good to cheat your own people;
Because Rongyang Town is close to the railway station, it is convenient to move supplies;
…
Can you explain these reasons? Of course not.
Sun Guangsheng could only give a high-sounding reason: "Rongyang Town has a good business atmosphere."
Gong Weiguo didn't care about his answer and moved the timeline forward again: "In 1983 in Xinzhang Town, what about 1982?"
Sun Guangsheng nodded: "Also in Xinzhang Town."
"What about '81? What about '80?"
Sun Guangsheng was a little confused by the question, but he continued to nod his head: "I think...right."
Having interrogated many prisoners, Gong Weiguo has considerable experience. When humans lie, they make up stories according to the normal timeline. If you ask them in reverse timeline, they will make many mistakes. Gong Weiguo deliberately asked questions in reverse order about Sun Guangsheng's career path in order to force out the truth behind how he made money.
The feeling of the big net cage above his head became stronger and stronger, but Sun Guangsheng was not sure what the serious crime squad detectives wanted him to do.
If it is a matter of tax evasion, then it should be the responsibility of the tax department;
If it is a matter of product quality, then it should be the responsibility of the industrial and commercial department;
When the serious crime squad detectives come to your door, it can only be a major case.
Thinking of this, Sun Guangsheng's heartbeat began to speed up, his throat felt a little tight, and he spoke without the calmness and enthusiasm he had at the beginning.
"I was old at that time, neither married nor employed. My parents always scolded me at home, and the villagers disliked me. I thought it was boring, so I made up my mind to make a living. From 1980 to 1982, I worked odd jobs in several towns. I moved bricks at construction sites, worked as a mason, washed dishes in hotels, and helped in the kitchen. After making a little money, I found that women's money was the easiest to make, so I bought a batch of women's clothing from the city and sold them at the town market. After a while, I had more and more money, so I thought about building a house and settling down."
It sounds like an inspirational story.
——The village second-rate guy repented and vowed to impress his relatives, so he worked hard and finally found a business opportunity and made money.
However, Gong Weiguo was not so easily fooled.
"How long have you been doing odd jobs? When did you start reselling clothes?"
This problem gave Sun Guangsheng a headache.
"What? Have you forgotten the story of your struggle back then?" Gong Weiguo deliberately mocked him.
Sun Guangsheng could only smile bitterly and answer: "It's been a while, I almost forgot. I worked for about a year. Then in the spring of 1981, I started selling clothes and made a little money."
“How much money did you make?”
This topic was a bit sensitive, and Sun Guangsheng was obviously a bit reluctant: "Comrade police officer, do I have to report to you how much money I make?"
Gong Weiguo was still very serious: "When you returned home in December of 1981, the villagers of Santang Village said that you invited a troupe to perform on stage, and also bought a truckload of fireworks with your own money, and donated 1,000 yuan to the village committee. For this, the village gave you a big red flower and a certificate of honor for being a millionaire, right?"
The invisible net covered the whole sky and earth, and Sun Guangsheng felt suffocated. After a long while, he replied, "Well, I was just showing off."
Sun Xianbing said just right: "You have to have strength to show off."
Sun Guangsheng realized that something was wrong, but since he had already said this, his defense seemed futile.
Gong Weiguo continued to ask: "How much did you spend on buying land and building a house in Rongyang Town in 1983?"
"About thirty thousand."
In the 1980s, prices and wages were low, and ordinary workers only earned 40 or 50 yuan a month. However, it only took Sun Guangsheng three years to gain a foothold in the town, and he spent more than 30,000 yuan to build a three-story building. How could he make so much money by selling women's clothes?
“How much did it cost to renovate in 1992?”
"About 40,000 or 50,000..." Sun Guangsheng glanced at Gong Weiguo subconsciously after he finished speaking. "Well, I don't remember exactly, maybe 70,000 or 80,000."
"You bought the shop in 1988 and started selling clothes there. You renovated it in 1992. It took four years, right?"
"Yes."
"Seventy or eighty thousand in 1992 is worth about the same as thirty thousand in 1983, right?"
Sun Guangsheng's forehead began to sweat: "Not bad, about the same."
"As the saying goes, the beginning is always the hardest, but you are different from others. Do you have any tricks here?"
It took more than a year to go from doing odd jobs to becoming a millionaire, and it took two years to build the house, but it took four years from opening the store to decorating it.
All things are difficult at the beginning, but Sun Guangsheng had an easy start, which is obviously unreasonable.
Sun Guangsheng laughed dryly: "Maybe I'm lucky."
Gong Weiguo interrupted him: "No, I never believe in the word luck."
Sun Guangsheng was a little annoyed by his questions, and finally showed a hint of edge: "Comrade police, you keep asking me questions, and you keep asking me how much money I make. The country says that some people are allowed to get rich first. Every penny I make is hard-earned money. Is this not okay?"
Gong Weiguo laughed.
His teeth were snow-white, and his smile was full of righteousness and sunshine, which hurt Sun Guangsheng's heart.
"Comrade Sun Guangsheng, don't be anxious. Come, come, let me help you sort out your history of success and see if there is anything you need to add."
"In the spring of 1980, you ran away from home and never heard from you again. You worked odd jobs for a year, and in the spring of 1981, you started reselling women's clothing and made your first fortune, right?"
Sun Guangsheng nodded: "Yes."
"In the twelfth month of 1981, which was the beginning of 1982, you returned home as a millionaire, showing off your wealth everywhere. In 1983, you built a house in Rongyang Town, in 1988 you bought a storefront to open a clothing store, and in 1992 you renovated it. Now you are a major taxpayer in Rongyang Town."
Sun Guangsheng continued to nod.
Gong Weiguo's eyes suddenly became sharp: "What were you doing during the four years from 1984 to 1988?"
Sun Guangsheng responded quickly: "I didn't have a store at that time. I just bought goods from the south and sold them at the market in town."
"Same as before?"
"Yes."
“Do you make a lot?”
"More or less."
“How much can you earn per month?”
"Sometimes two or three hundred, sometimes five or six hundred."
Gong Weiguo suddenly raised his voice: "You are lying!"
Sun Guangsheng tried his best to explain: "I didn't."
Gong Weiguo sneered, "In the early 1980s, the market economy had not yet been fully formed and prices were low. According to the money you earned from 1984 to 1988, you only had 3,000 or 4,000 yuan in your hand from the spring of 1981 until you returned home in December. How could you be worthy of the title of a millionaire?"
Sun Guangsheng never expected that the trap set for him by the serious crime squad detectives was actually here!
He said he made a few hundred dollars a month before opening the store;
He said he worked odd jobs for a year after leaving home;
He admitted that he showed off when he returned home and was touted by the villagers as a millionaire.
The funding gap was too big for him to argue.
Sun Guangsheng's face became paler and paler, his legs began to tremble, and he became somewhat unsteady on his feet.
Seeing Sun Guangsheng's hard shell crumbling, Gong Weiguo sneered, "Making money from women is not just about selling women's clothing, right?"
Sun Guangsheng felt extremely guilty at the moment and did not dare to look up at the police. When he heard what Gong Weiguo said, he could only weakly defend himself: "I, I just sell clothes. I am a serious businessman..."
Xia Mufan didn't say anything. She emptied her mind, held her breath, and listened quietly to the movements outside the house.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Woo-woof!"
Two big dogs were locked to the railings outside the house and unable to move. After barking at passers-by, they started chatting.
[I hate the police the most.] 】
[I heard from my master that in the past, people who engaged in speculation and profiteering would go to jail. 】
[So now he concentrates on clothing wholesale.] 】
Speculation?
In the early 1980s, the market economy was not yet mature, and markets were strictly controlled in various places. Tampering with materials could be criminalized. According to relevant laws and regulations, those who disrupted the market order were subject to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention if the circumstances were serious, and could be fined not less than one times but not more than five times the illegal gains.
Gong Weiguo shouted, "Sun Guangsheng, we already have evidence of your crime. If you tell the truth now, you can get leniency."
As the police pressed on, Sun Guangsheng's psychological defenses completely collapsed: "I'll tell you, I'll tell you! After I left my hometown in 1980, I didn't do odd jobs everywhere. Instead, I followed a man called Brother Hu on a long-distance trip, selling electronic products from the south to the provincial capital. I made more than 10,000 yuan a year. Later, I also sold clothes, watches, shoes... Anyway, I sold whatever had a big price difference."
Gong Weiguo groaned in silence: After all this time it's just speculation and profiteering, isn't it trafficking in women?
He still didn't give up and continued to ask: "People in your village said that you make money from women, and you also patted your chest to guarantee that anyone who needs a wife will come to you. Why?"
Sun Guangsheng smiled bitterly and said, "I was just bragging for fun. I met a lot of women when I was out there, and later when I was selling women's clothing, I hired a few female salespeople, so I made such big claims."
After explaining, Sun Guangsheng sat down on the sofa dejectedly: "Comrade police, I admit that I made money by speculation when I first started, but that was not my fault. I can only blame that era. Now the country encourages opening up and revitalization. Is it meaningful to bring up the problems of the past?"
Gong Weiguo looked at Xia Mufan.
I thought I had caught a big fish, but I didn't expect it to uncover a case of speculation and profiteering from more than ten years ago. Sun Guangsheng was not wrong. Now that the market economy is active and local barriers have long been broken down, there is no point in pursuing his past of speculation. After all, everyone's goal is to find Xu Shumei, not to bring down Sun Guangsheng.
For a moment, Xia Mufan's heart reached the bottom.
Any criminal act has a beginning. If Sun Guangsheng made his first fortune by trafficking women, then he is the biggest suspect in his mother's disappearance.
But now, the facts are in front of us - Sun Guangsheng's first pot of gold came from speculation and he did not participate in the trafficking of women.
His mother disappeared on March 11, 1980, and Sun Guangsheng ran away from home at the same time.
While his mother had no news and her life or death was unknown, Sun Guangsheng embarked on the road to making a fortune.
Is it all just a coincidence?
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and Xia Mufan looked at Sun Guangsheng, his eyes becoming dim.
Sun Guangsheng is a well-known second-rate guy in the village. He doesn't like to do farm work and hangs around in the fields all day long. He flirts with young girls and wives when he sees them. No matter how his parents and brothers persuade him, he refuses to do any real work. Why did he suddenly repent and decide to do something on March 11, 1980?
There must be an opportunity that drives the development of events.
Thinking of this, Xia Mufan leaned forward and changed the subject: "What happened to you on March 11, 1980 that prompted you to make up your mind to leave the village and start a career?"
March 11, 1980? Sun Guangsheng's pupils shrank slightly and his eyes began to wander.
Gong Weiguo had seen countless prisoners in the interrogation room and was very familiar with such micro-expressions. He immediately shouted, "Tell me! What on earth did you encounter that day?"
Sun Guangsheng opened his mouth and closed it again.
Gong Weiguo sneered and challenged him: "What's so shameful about this? You have the guts to admit that you were engaged in speculation, but why are you hesitating about such a simple question?"
Sun Guangsheng's expression suddenly became a little coy: "I met two women that day, one poor and one rich. The poor one was obviously prettier, virtuous and hardworking, but she didn't live a good life. The rich one looked ordinary, with an arrogant face, but she drove a small car and acted like a rich and arrogant person. I felt at the time that this world was unfair."
He paused and said, "After all, isn't it all about money? I was scolded by the villagers and no girl wanted to marry me, isn't it because I'm poor?"
Sun Guangsheng became more and more excited as he spoke. Just as he was about to express his feelings, he was interrupted by Xia Mufan.
Xia Mufan leaned forward, staring at Sun Guangsheng, his heartbeat getting faster and faster, and his voice was urgent: "Who is the poor woman you saw?"
Sun Guangsheng felt a little painful because of the eagerness in Xia Mufan's eyes. He couldn't help but look at her suspiciously. After a careful look, he was suddenly stunned for a moment: "Your last name is Xia?"
Xia Mufan did not hide it: "My name is Xia Mufan, and I am Xu Shumei's daughter."
Sun Guangsheng looked at Xia Muchan seriously, trying hard to find a trace of Xu Shumei on her face. After a long while, he shook his head: "You, you don't look like her. You look more like Xia Manyin, the heartless girl. But... your hair is as thick and black as hers, and you are also quite tall."
Sun Guangsheng was clearly looking at Xia Mufan, but his focus was not on her.
His thoughts passed through Xia Mufan and traveled back to that day sixteen years ago.
Xia Mushige took a deep breath and tried to calm his heartbeat. Her intuition told her that Sun Guangsheng must have important clues about her mother's disappearance.
What exactly happened that day? Why did my mother disappear for no reason?
After a few breaths, Sun Guangsheng spoke: "It's been sixteen years. I didn't expect you were still looking for her. I thought no one in this world remembered her anymore."
Xia Mufan narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his eyes moved with his twists and turns, making them look more vivid and clear: "I have been looking for her, please help me."
Sun Guangsheng looked into the distance and slowly recounted the past events.
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