Chapter 90
Chen He entered a state of divergent thinking and could no longer control his brain which was full of sparks.
She pointed in the direction of the backyard:
"For example, someone sneaked in through the back gate. That gate might not have been locked at the time, right?"
Boss Niu hesitated. "The front door is closed. People can only enter and exit through the back door. The people guarding the store usually lock it before going to bed... It shouldn't be locked at 8 o'clock."
Chen He's eyes were pitch black:
"So, while Qiu Song was cooking in the kitchen or taking a shower in the bathroom, it's entirely possible that someone came in through the back gate and slipped into the workshop. This person first poured some gasoline on the ground..."
She shook her head again. "No, there's no need to pour it. You said the oil drums back then were made of plastic. All you need to do is use a dagger or a screwdriver and poke the plastic drums!"
She clenched her fist, pretending to hold a sharp weapon, and stabbed the oil drum: "This way, the gasoline in the drum will spill all over the floor."
Boss Niu couldn't help but shudder, as if she might puncture the iron barrel. He continued tremblingly, "Then this person walked to a place with no oil, threw a cigarette butt on fire, and ran away?"
Chen He nodded gravely: "Yes. Then Qiu Song discovered the fire and ran over from behind to try to put it out. At this time, the explosion occurred and the roof collapsed..."
Boss Niu shook his head: "Impossible."
"Why?"
"I have repeatedly told him that life is more important than anything else, people are more important than equipment, and if there is an accident, escaping is the most important thing.
"He's a very careful person, and he knows the dangers of gasoline. When he sees a fire, he won't try to put it out. He'll just run as far as he can and call 919."
"You have a point." Chen He tilted his head and thought for a moment, "In that case, the murderer shouldn't have set the fire on the spot. He could have set a timed ignition device—
"It's not difficult. Anyone with a deft hand can use a children's clockwork toy and a plastic lighter to make an automatic ignition device with a delayed ignition time."
She pointed to the gap between the two oil drums and said, "I think it's a good place to put it."
Boss Niu's eyes gradually changed as he looked at her.
Chen He was so excited that she couldn't help but add details: "Maybe it can even make music. The murderer wound the spring a few times and slipped away from the backyard. The toy's music started playing... maybe a nursery rhyme.
"For example: I searched and searched for a friend, and found a good friend...
"If Qiu Song, who is in the kitchen or bathroom, hears it, he will definitely come over to check it out."
Chen He traced his finger across the air, indicating the route Qiu Song might have taken. "He walked here from the back door, stepped into the gasoline, saw the toys, and before he could react, the nursery rhyme just happened to reach its last line.
“You are my good friend…
"The spring goes all the way down, I press the lighter's ignition button, a flame pops out, and with a bang..."
Chen He opened her arms and raised her head, only to see that Boss Niu had retreated a distance away from her at some point.
"Uncle Niu, why are you standing so far away?"
Boss Niu looked at her strangely: "Nier, what do you do? You wouldn't dare to do anything illegal or criminal!"
Chen He then realized that he had accidentally entered a state of thinking and looked like a psychopath, which scared people. He quickly said, "How dare I, how dare I, I just like to daydream."
"It's over," Boss Niu complained. "How am I going to sing 'Looking for a Friend' to my granddaughter from now on?"
"Sorry, I can't control my brain sometimes."
Boss Niu glanced at her forehead and said, "Tsk tsk, you better be careful. It's very dangerous."
Chen He rubbed his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to ask, besides Qiu Song's illegal smoking, is there any other possibility of causing the explosion?"
Boss Niu touched the goose bumps on his sturdy arms and said, "I originally thought I didn't have any, but now that you've mentioned it, I can't guarantee it anymore."
Chen He laughed: "Don't be nervous, my assumption just now is actually not true. Because clockwork toys have metal parts, if there is even a little residue, the police will find it."
She pinched her chin, her mind wandering again. "Well, this method is indeed too risky and not very practical. So, perhaps there are other possibilities..."
Boss Niu's face changed: "You want to..."
Chen He turned to look at the window on the other side of the wall. The window was very high, about four or five meters above the ground, and the sash was open.
She raised her arm and pointed, asking, "Was that window there originally?"
"It was there before. The wall didn't collapse after the explosion, it just cracked. The window was left alone during the repairs."
"It's not convenient to open and close it at this height."
"This is for ventilation. You don't need to close it. Even if it rains, there's nothing nearby that won't get wet."
Through a few rusty window bars, looking diagonally upwards, you can see the dark windows of another building next door some distance away.
She asked, "Why aren't there panes in those upstairs windows?"
Boss Niu glanced over and said, "It's an unfinished building. No one has taken care of it for more than ten years."
"More than ten years... So, this unfinished building was there when the accident happened?"
"yes."
"Is there anyone inside?" She stared at the dark, hanging hole-like window of the unfinished building.
"Who could be here? At most, there's a homeless person living here."
She narrowed her eyes and said, "If someone stands there, wouldn't they be able to see this place?"
Boss Niu shuddered: "No!"
He stopped her decisively, "Please stop talking, I still have to watch the store at night, it's so scary!"
Chen He's thoughts were still unclear, but he finally withdrew his magical powers: "Don't be afraid, just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Hey, you're such a weirdo."
Chen He sat back on the small stool, sipping the fragrant flower tea, though the stems were rough, and asked, "Uncle Niu, you said Qiu Song was already a skilled car mechanic when he came here. Was he in this business before?"
"I've worked in another company." Boss Niu lowered his head and poured tea.
"Which one?"
"...Jinda Auto Repair Shop." Boss Niu hesitated for a moment, but still said it.
"Then why did you come here?"
“That company went bankrupt.”
“How could it go bankrupt?”
"How would I know? Everyone does their own business, and I'm not familiar with it."
Chen He glanced at Boss Niu and noticed the evasiveness in his expression, feeling that he was deliberately avoiding the topic.
She pressed him a few more times, but Boss Niu was even more reluctant to speak: "Don't ask about our local business affairs."
Chen He didn't dare to ask any more questions and thought of finding out through other channels later.
She changed the subject: "So, besides you, does Qiu Song have any contact with anyone else here?"
Boss Niu thought for a moment and said, "There is a little kid who often comes to play with him."
"Who is it?"
"The son of Aunt Qi's Liangpi family." Boss Niu pointed across the street, "See that big locust tree? The one with the big knot?
"There was a small cart selling cold noodles under the tree at the time. The owner was about my age, a widow with a son. Everyone called her Aunt Qi.
"She's not from here, and her health isn't very good. Her son attends a health vocational school here, and if I were to stay alone in my hometown, I wouldn't be able to worry about either of us, so we decided to come here together."
"It's not easy for them. They make the cold noodles together the night before, mix the seasonings, and pack them into bags. During the day, when my son goes to school, Aunt Qi sells the cold noodles across the street.
"Qiu Song often buys her cold noodles, and after a while, he became familiar with Juanmao..."
Chen He was stunned when he heard this: "Curly hair?"
"Oh, that child has naturally curly hair, so his nickname is Curly. Aunt Qi called him that, so we all followed suit. We never asked his real name, Curly just comes naturally."
Chen He naturally thought of Song Zhou's scroll.
What a coincidence.
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