After parting with Su Xiaoyan in the town, Su Chen took another hour-long drive to the city.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of West Street, I heard the faint sounds of gongs, drums and cymbals.
Su Chen looked around. It was only seven o'clock and there were not many pedestrians on the road, but they all looked normal and did not think it was unusual.
That's right, Cuicheng has always been very particular about funeral etiquette. So even though it was early in the morning and the sound of gongs, drums and cymbals was deafening, disturbing many people's sleep, no one complained.
Walking along the street, the bustling market yesterday now only has a few breakfast carts.
Baozi, steamed buns, rice noodles, pot edges...
Su Chen was starving at the moment, so he sat down and ordered a bowl of hot pot for fifty cents and a fried dough stick for thirty cents.
Just as I was chewing the food happily, someone sat down in front of me.
"Lao Zhang, give me a bowl of potside and put more coriander in it."
The boss uttered an "ah," turned around, and began pouring noodle soup. Then he asked, "Officer A-Mao, has Aunt Niu's daughter really been found? Was she beaten to death by her husband and buried in the stove?"
The person in front of him hummed, "We did find him, but the exact cause of death hasn't been investigated yet. Old Zhang, we dare not say anything."
"I know, I know. You have to be careful. Oh, Aunt Niu, you're so pitiful. She's sending someone young off. I saw her last night, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts."
When Lao Zhang said this, diners at several nearby stalls echoed him.
"Isn't it? I heard he's only in his fifties, but if you don't look closely, he looks like he's in his seventies or eighties."
"In fact, I was even more pitiful in the past few years. I was just holding my breath to find my daughter, and I looked strong. But now that my daughter has been found, the breath I held is gone, and I am completely exhausted."
"Pah, pah, pah, what do you mean by listless? Who hired this listless mage?"
"Who else could have invited them? The Lin family. Ah Yu and Ying Ying are childhood friends. They contributed both money and effort yesterday."
"Oh, if Yingying had married Ah Yu back then, she wouldn't have died..."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Ah Yu has a wife and children. But if you ask me, that young man yesterday was a real fortune teller. Yingying has been missing for four or five years, right? Aunt Niu not only went looking for her herself, but also reported the case to the police, but she still couldn't find her. He pinched his fingers with his hands and even figured out that she was buried in the stove. He's really amazing."
"What boy? That's the Master."
"Yes, yes, it's Master, look at my mouth~"
…
Su Chen felt a little hot in his ears when he heard the topic shift to himself and the flattery.
Ah Mao in front of him kept shaking his head.
These neighbors are so superstitious.
What master? If he were to say, it must be a coincidence, probably just a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
Although he hadn't been at the scene yesterday, he'd been interrogated and confirmed his involvement. He'd told him that the fortune teller was most likely an eyewitness to Yingying's murder, and he'd been feeling uneasy all these years, trying to find a way to tell Grandma.
However, when he thought of Abao, who admitted to murder after having a bruised face and nose after a major memory restoration operation, A-Mao couldn't help feeling a sense of emotion.
Yingying died unjustly!
With her conditions back then, she could have found a better partner, but she chose to fall for Abao from Jiangwei. Abao's family was poor, and Yingying suffered a lot after marrying him. She even lost two children. She helped Abao build a house.
Unexpectedly, Abao took advantage of Yingying's work in the city and hooked up with a widow.
It was a hot summer day. Yingying vomited suddenly while working. She went to the hospital for a check-up and found out she was pregnant. She asked for leave and returned home happily. However, when she opened the door, she saw two white figures. Yingying wanted to divorce, but Abao refused. During the quarrel, Abao pushed Yingying hard and her head hit the rake in the corner. Blood gushed out and she died. Abao was scared and it was the widow who suggested that he hide the body.
Initially, Yingying's body was hidden in the widow's house. During the initial investigation, who could have imagined that a widow could harm Yingying? She hadn't even looked carefully at her home.
After the storm died down, Abao went to buy two piglets and used the excuse of cooking pig food. One dark and windy night, he built a stove and buried Yingying's body inside.
Last year, the widow was washing clothes by the river and accidentally slipped and fell into the water and drowned. Originally, if Ah Bao had kept this secret, no one would have known about it. Unexpectedly, it was revealed by someone.
A-Mao thought about the whole process and guessed that the fortune teller might have seen A-Bao building the stove that night.
Thinking of this, Ah Mao met Su Chen's gaze and subconsciously greeted him: "Brother, do you work here? Why are you here so early?"
Su Chen shook his head: "I'll set up the stall."
"Setting up a stall? What are you selling?" Abao asked casually.
"Fortune-telling."
A Mao's expression changed slightly, and he squinted his eyes and looked at Su Chen carefully.
He was about thirty years old, with short hair, but not the popular slicked-back style. He had a thin face and very fair skin. He was wearing only a sweater in this cold weather, and his pants were very thin...
Poor, but...
These eyes are very clean.
A Mao has been working in the police station for more than ten years. He has seen all kinds of people, both good and bad, but this is the first time he has seen such clean eyes, as clean as the eyes of a newborn baby.
He subconsciously became close to her, but his mind told him that fortune tellers these days were mostly scammers.
Can a liar be pure and clean?
That's definitely not possible.
A Bao subconsciously questioned him, "What's your name? Where are you from?"
Su Chen had heard Lao Zhang call him Officer Amao before, so he naturally knew his identity and did not feel disgusted. He smiled and replied, "Su Chen, from Niuwei Village, Liangshan."
"From Liangshan?" Ah Mao frowned, as it was a bit far from the city. "Why are you setting up a fortune-telling stall in the city? I'm telling you, the police station I'm at is right next door, and you're not allowed to lie."
Su Chen nodded: "Don't worry, officer, it won't happen."
Does this mean I still need fortune telling?
The desire to cheat people out of money is still alive!
Ah Mao looked at Su Chen again. Even though this kid had set up a fortune-telling stall yesterday, even if it was just one time, he still found Yingying's body accurately. He couldn't use this as an excuse to get angry. But if this kid really set up a fortune-telling stall today, he would come to check it out and catch him red-handed.
I grew up in this area, how can we allow scammers to do whatever they want here?
The pot-side paste was served, steaming with white steam.
A-Mao smiled at Lao Zhang, picked up the spoon and took a sip.
"Well, Lao Zhang, your seafood hot pot is still the best. Your cooking skills are as good as ever. It's not like Lao Ye's. I went to eat his braised noodles yesterday and it was so salty that I almost died."
Old Zhang chuckled, "You mean Old Ye? I'm sure you lost the taste in your tongue because you were sick a while ago. It's nothing serious. You'll be fine after a rest."
"I haven't dared to eat it for a while. Mmm, it smells good!"
Su Chen pressed the fried dough sticks into the side of the pot and stirred it, then put it in his mouth and took another bite happily. Suddenly, he frowned and turned to look in the direction of his grandma's house.
Why did the sound of the gongs and cymbals suddenly become so intense?
Is there something wrong with the ritual?
You shouldn't.
Although Yingying was pregnant when she died tragically and was filled with resentment, her resentment should be dissipated now that Abao has been arrested.
Thinking of this, Su Chen quickly ate the remaining dough sticks, paid the money, and walked towards his grandma's house with the remaining half of the fried dough sticks.