Breaking Through the Clouds

"So this time I still haven't figured out how Yue Guangping lost his gun?" Yang Mei asked while eating Hainanese chicken rice cross-legged in the back seat with her hair tied.

"Meimei, you are a big girl now, can you pay attention to how you eat?" Yan Xie rubbed her forehead and turned her head from the co-pilot, with disgusting love and helplessness on her face: "Look at you unmarried girl, Sitting or not, eating or not eating, there are scallions stuffed between the teeth, and the hair is about to fall into the rice, is it oily or not?"

"I can get married if I pay attention to my appearance?" Yang Mei rolled her eyes.

Yan Yan said: "Why not, Dad will marry you a thatched house, a tricycle, 880 yuan in cash..."

Yang Mei immediately leaned over to the driver's seat: "Brother Jiang! Let's live together, the Yan family is bankrupt!"

Yan Yan hurriedly pushed her into the back seat, "Go, go, dad changed his mind and decided to let you stay in the boudoir for the rest of his life!"

Jiang Ting stared ahead calmly, turning a deaf ear to everything that happened around him, and the car drove forward along the highway.

Xi Hanxiang, 62 years old, is a resident of the second village of Yuejia Village under Gaorong County.

Gaorong County is not too far from Gongzhou. It took three hours by car. After arriving at the county seat, we went to Yuejia Village. We arrived at the head of the village near dinner.

Qi Sihao really couldn't ask for leave for today's meeting, so he had to stay in the city bureau seemingly restrained on the outside, but in real fear, only the three of them rushed to Yuejia Village - this is a sparsely populated village, because it is close to the big city Gongzhou, young and middle-aged especially The women have all gone out to work, and the newly built small buildings in the village have ten rooms and nine empty rooms, and most of them are empty nesters with left-behind children.

People like them who are used to criminal investigation work know that one or two strangers appearing in a small place is very abrupt. If there are three at the same time, the news will spread from the beginning of the village to the end of the village in an instant. .So after discussing, they decided to leave Yang Mei, a woman with high heels, red lips, and a very different style of painting, in the car. Only Jiang Ting was wearing sunglasses, and Jia Yan was carrying the gift cigarettes bought on the way. Wine, etc. Walk to the destination.

Qi Sihao found out the specific address through the local police station before. Xi Hanxiang's house is a three-story white-walled small building with a very distinct rural style of self-built villas. It looked quite new.There was a child in a red sweater playing at the door, and when he saw Yan Xie approaching, he sniffed his nose curiously.

"Come here!" Yan Yan waved at him: "Come here and call Uncle, I'll give you candy!"

The child wiped his hand on his trousers, and ran down the steps bouncingly. Yan Xie took out a pack of imported chocolates from the gift bag and threw it to him. He pointed to the small building with a white wall and asked, "Is your adult there?"

The child ran back like an arrow: "Every family—father-in-law—!"

Yan Mo didn't understand: "What?"

Jiang Ting said, "Grandpa and grandma. Xi Hanxiang should be his grandma."

The child got into the door like a loach, and after a while, the wooden door opened again. A dark square-faced woman poked out half of her body, her suspicious eyes swept over the two of them one by one: "...you are..."

Covering Jiang Ting with half of his body, Yan Mao took a step forward, took out his police card from his pocket and flashed it.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Xi." Although his actions were tough, his words were very gentle and polite: "We are the former subordinates of the old director Yue Guangping. I have some questions about Mr. Yue. I would like to ask you."

5 minutes later, the living room on the first floor.

"Both my daughter and I have gone to work in the city, and the old man and I are the only ones at home, busy with work and looking after the children." Xi Hanxiang sat on the sofa coldly, and she pushed the gift bag back in front of Yan Mo: "I won't accept anything. If you have anything to ask, hurry up and ask, I'm still busy."

Obvious incompatibility.

"..." Yan Yan and Jiang Ting looked at each other, the latter was still wearing sunglasses indoors, and shook his head invisibly at him.

"Cough, it's like this." Yan Xie is very experienced in interrogating suspects, but faced with a hostile aunt in her 60s who is very combative at first glance, she was a little confused for some reason, so she cleared her throat: "Let's listen People say, you have worked in Yue's hometown for eight or nine years, is that true?"

Aunt spit out one word: "Yes."

"Then you should know Yue Lao quite well?"

"do not know much."

"...Do you know the reason why Yue Lao passed away?"

As Yan Yan expected, Xi Hanxiang showed a subtle expression change when faced with this question.

"Heart disease." Her throat slid up and down suddenly, as if defending and counterattacking, she asked stiffly: "Isn't it normal for old people of our age to have problems with heart blood pressure? Pull it out and do an autopsy?"

As expected of the aunt who works as a nanny at the chief of the public security bureau's house, she uses a set of words when she speaks.

But Yan Xie didn't accept the move, just nodded and repeated: "Heart disease."

Xi Hanxiang rolled her eyes and embraced her strong arms.

"—Then do you know anything about Mr. Yue's interpersonal relationship before his death? Male juniors who are particularly close, such as the son of a comrade-in-arms, the nephew from his hometown, or..." Yan Yan stared at her face, not Ignore any changes in micro-expression, and slowly increase the tone word by word: "Illegitimate child?"

When the last three words came out, Xi Hanxiang felt like getting an electric shock, and almost jumped up from the sofa: "What nonsense are you talking about? Even if Lao Yue passed away, you can't insult his name like this, you——you are just—" —”

"This is just a normal guess by the police. We found this in Yue's hometown." Yan Xie pulled out the photo of the windbreaker from his mobile phone album, slapped it in front of Xi Hanxiang, and asked coldly, "Do you know that this formal suit should be How much is it?"

Xi Hanxiang glanced at the phone screen, trembled violently a few times, and immediately looked away.

"Sure enough, you also know that this is a gift bought by Mr. Yue to give to that person." Yan Yan tapped his index finger on the side of the phone, speaking clearly and cruelly: "An old bureau chief spends far more than I usually spend. Buy such a luxury with the money you are used to, and give it to another young man as a gift—if you can’t be sure that it is a nephew, the police will have more guesses than you can imagine, and many of them will be more dirty than illegitimate children. Much dirtier and more unacceptable."

Xi Hanxiang stared and opened her mouth, before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Yan Mo's calm and sharp words:

"I understand that your concealment may be for Yue Lao's posthumous fame, but do you really think Yue Lao died of a 'heart attack'? You are his nanny. How is his heart like? Should he take medicine? Is it really serious? The point of death, don't you know this? Have no doubts?"

Xi Hanxiang's mouth was still open, but the roar seemed to be cut off suddenly, and she stared blankly at Yan Mo.

After a long while, she forced out a few words: "What does this have to do with that...?"

"Elder Yue once received a tenant before his death, and it should be a man with a very close relationship with him." Yan Xie sat back, raised his chin slightly, and looked down at Xi Hanxiang: "After this visitor left, Elder Yue was killed. Yes. Do you think it matters?"

Xi Hanxiang, who was swollen like a fighting cock, suddenly fell limply on the back of the sofa as if his spine had been pulled out.

Suddenly, Jiang Ting, who had been very quiet all this time, spoke in a low and gentle voice: "If I'm not mistaken, this building should have been built a year or two ago, no more than three years ago, right?"

Xi Hanxiang was so confused, she subconsciously asked, "So what?"

Yan Mao didn't notice this, and couldn't help but glance at Jiang Ting.

"Many people in rural areas like to renovate old houses. Even if they usually work in cities and no one lives in their hometown, they will build small buildings that do not lag behind others, otherwise they will be easily laughed at by neighbors." Jiang Ting looked around and said: "I was just thinking about how this small building in your house was built, because as far as I know, your wife was almost incapable of working due to severe rheumatism, right?"

"I do not have--"

"I know you won't do anything against the law. After all, Mr. Yue is the chief of the Public Security Bureau. But when Mr. Yue fired you three years ago, he should have made some arrangements for your later life."

"..." Xi Hanxiang didn't speak, as if she had acquiesced.

"Elder Yue has thought about so much for you, why don't you think about him?" Jiang Ting leaned forward slightly, staring straight into her cloudy and red eyes: "Did Elder Yue have a heart attack or was he killed by someone else?" , maybe only you can provide the last clue."

Xi Hanxiang was silent for a long time, her arms tightly hugging her chest fell to her sides at some point, drooping loosely, if you look closely, her hands were trembling slightly, and her nails were pinching her thumbs.

"...It's all him," she burst out three words suddenly, and repeated fiercely: "It must be him!"

Yan Mo's spirit lifted.

"The so-called 'adopted son'!" Xi Hanxiang gritted her teeth: "I just said that such a big wild species suddenly jumped out, and I don't know what kind of ecstasy soup, so that Yue Lao came back happily and wanted to recognize him as an adopted son. ? What is it that is not a lie? Who knows if it is Yue Lao's species?!"

Yan Xie and Jiang Ting looked at each other, and immediately asked, "Who is it?"

"I don't know, I've never seen this person." Xi Hanxiang shook his head: "It was half a year before Li Yue passed away, he suddenly started to mention that he wanted to adopt an adopted son. Although he may want to save face... he didn't say it directly, but I heard The underlying meaning and excitement seemed to be that the person was his own when he was young. I had never heard him mention it for so many years, and somehow I got in touch again. I was worried at the time whether it was a liar or not. There are a lot of liars these days, right? But Lao Yue drank some kind of ecstasy soup, and kept saying that it was impossible to admit his mistake, he knew it very well in his heart!"

——It is very clear in my heart.

Yan Xie looked at Jiang Ting, and a thought flashed through both of them at the same time: Could it be that a paternity test was done?

It is impossible for a position like Yue Guangping to go to do a paternity test. No matter what, it cannot be completely hidden, and the rumors will definitely leak out, causing a fatal blow to the official reputation.But if there is no such ironclad proof as a paternity test, what makes a public security chief firmly believe in the paternity?

"Has Mr. Yue described what this person looks like?" Yan Yan asked.

Xi Hanxiang concentrated on recalling for a moment, then shook her head regretfully.

"Then before Yue Lao passed away, did he have any unusual reactions or actions?"

Yan Yan's question probably hit the nail on the head. As soon as he finished speaking, Xi Hanxiang immediately began to rub his hands, as if hesitating to speak, and made up his mind after a long while, and popped out a sentence: "I don't know how to say anything now. It affects the things behind Yue Lao, right? Like funerals, farewell ceremonies..."

Yan Xie said: "You don't have to worry about this, it's been three years since Lao Yue's funeral."

"That's good, that's good." Xi Hanxiang lowered his head and said, "Yes... One day in the middle of the night, I heard Yue Lao crying and calling someone..."

A police chief and deputy mayor crying and calling in the middle of the night?

Yan Mao's muscles tightened, and even Jiang Ting involuntarily sat up slightly.

"During that time, Mr. Yue was very busy. He left early and returned late every day, and often locked himself in the study mysteriously. At first I didn't pay much attention. After all, Mr. Yue was busy most of the time during his lifetime—until late one night. , five or six days before Yue Lao passed away, I was suddenly awakened by the sound of wailing coming from the study, and I quietly stood by the door of the study to listen..."

Xi Hanxiang paused with difficulty, Yan Yan stared at her closely: "Did you hear something?"

"Yes, but in fact, after repeating those few sentences, Mr. Yue said... 'I'm sorry for Team Jiang, don't cover me with the national flag, I don't deserve it'!"

The two were stunned at the same time.

Jiang Ting's expression was completely blank.

"How could it not cover the national flag? It's such an honor, how could he say that about himself?" Xi Hanxiang twisted her rough fingers, and looked at them back and forth anxiously: "You said, would that guy called Team Jiang Could it be his adopted son? Elder Yue felt that he had never raised him and felt sorry for him, so he was unwilling to cover the national flag? And the last visitor that Elder Yue received before his death could be him. He harmed Elder Yue so that he could steal The property of the Yue family?"

The house was quiet.

Xi Hanxiang was terrified by the uncertain expressions of the two policemen on the opposite side, and hurriedly stammered, "I don't know more, but I'll tell you the truth."

"...you don't have to be afraid, this is a very valuable clue." Yan Xie finally recovered his voice from the shock, and subconsciously picked up the enamel teacup and took a big sip - there was still Xi Hanxiang floating on the water because watching them There was a slight oily stain that was not washed off on purpose, but no one reminded him: "By the way, do you know who the old Yue called late at night?"

Xi Hanxiang said blushingly: "I don't know, I'm just a nanny, how can I know so many things. But I vaguely heard Yue Lao calling that person... called..."

After thinking for a while, she hesitated and said, "...Old Lu?"

With a clatter, the enamel teacup in Yan Xie's hand fell firmly on the table.

·

Two 10 minutes later.

"The details you told us today, including our visit, are highly confidential. For your personal safety, please don't mention them to anyone again, understand?"

Xi Hanxiang supported the door frame with one hand, and kept nodding like a revolutionary martyr who died heroically.

Yan Xie solemnly thanked him, and helped Jiang Ting to turn around and leave.

"Wait... wait," Xi Hanxiang suddenly poked his neck out as if he couldn't help it: "This police officer wearing glasses, you..."

Jiang paused.

Xi Hanxiang looked at his thin and straight back: "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

After a few seconds, Jiang Ting turned his face and showed a barely visible smile to her:

"You must be mistaken."

Xi Hanxiang nodded suspiciously.

·

"How likely do you think the person Yue Guangping called was Director Lu?" Yan Yan asked.

At the end of October, the sun goes down early, and when I left Xi Hanxiang's house, it was already completely dark.When it was dark in the countryside, except for the moonlight, only the lights from the windows of each house illuminated the dirt road. Every step leading to the village was full of potholes, so Yan Xie kept holding Jiang Ting in his arms. go forward.

"It's quite big. I remember seeing these two people chatting at the celebration banquet before, and they had a good chat." Jiang Ting rolled up his clothes, put his other hand in the pocket of Yan Yan's coat, and said: "Go back and check the graduate schools and work experiences of Lu Ju and Yue Guangping. Maybe there will be more tangible evidence."

Yan Xie nodded and said nothing, put his hands in his coat pockets, covered Jiang Ting's slender fingers, frowned and said, "Why are your hands so cold?"

Jiang Ting made a gesture to pull it out, but Yan Xie quickly pulled him back.

I don't know who is using lard to fry the bacon, and the savory aroma comes out from the crack of the window. Jiang Ting took a deep breath and murmured: "It's quite fragrant."

But Yan Yan turned a deaf ear, as if he didn't hear this sentence: "If it is really Director Lu, the connection between him and Yue Guangping is deeper than we imagined. It is very likely that he has some knowledge of the inside story of the 1009 plastic factory bombing, and knows that Yue Guangping is so What is the reason for the guilt, it is even possible..."

"It's even possible to know that I'm still alive," Jiang Ting said quietly.

The two of them didn't speak any more, they walked through the village step by step, only to see Yang Mei flashing the headlights in the car from a distance.

"Yan Xi," Jiang Ting said in a very soft voice as he walked suddenly, "We have always assumed that the young man Yue Guangping was going to give the gift to, the 'illegitimate child' that Xi Hanxiang called, was the murderer who came to visit at the last minute. But There is no possibility that this line of thinking was wrong from the beginning, the last visitor is actually..."

Yan Yan seemed to have anticipated what he was going to say, and suddenly stood still.

Jiang Ting looked at him under the moonlight, and still spat out the name: "—is it Director Lu?"

"..." Yan Yan didn't make a sound for a long time, the chill rose from the bottom of his heart to his throat, and he said after a long while: "This possibility cannot be ruled out."

——If Ju Lu is a close friend of Yue Guangping who can call and cry in the middle of the night, then it is reasonable to wear long johns for the reception at home, or a hurdle vest or even shirtless.

But now there is no clue to restore the scene at that time. The two stood face to face in silence for a while in the night. Finally, Yang Mei couldn't bear to get out of the car, opened her voice, "Hello!", crossed angrily. Upper waist: "Yan Xi, what are you doing, are you deliberately messing around in front of me?!"

Yan Yan turned around: "We are looking at the snow and the moon! From poems and songs to life ideals! What's your opinion?!"

Yang Mei: "..."

Yan Yan laughed, and slapped Jiang Ting's butt again: "You get in the car first, I have something to do."

"you--"

Yan Yan had already entered into the night three steps at a time, and waved his hands without looking back: "I left the lighter at Aunt Xi's house! I'll be back in five minutes!"

"Why did he go?" Yang Mei stepped forward suspiciously: "Is the lighter a disgrace?"

"No, he never took out the lighter at Xi Hanxiang's house."

"Wow! Sure enough, I met Xiaofang at the entrance of the village and went to a private meeting! The surname Yan, you tell me—"

Yang Mei was furious and wanted to chase after her, but she was held down before she finished speaking. She turned her head and saw Jiang Ting's eyes reflected in the moonlight's delicate smile:

"It's okay, I know what he's going to do."