heart poison

"Qian Chuangjiang, 20 years old this year, has a dull personality. He was often bullied by Qian Maojiang when he was a child. Now that he is an adult, he lives under the light of his second brother Qian Fengjiang." Hua Chong took over the conversation, "It's a pity that I will go today" Shanweitang', I couldn't meet him."

"Now we only know from other people's words that Qian Chuangjiang was bullied by Qian Maojiang, and the extent is not clear." Liu Zhiqin sat by the bed, "But judging from known examples, Qian Maojiang was bullied by violence. Obvious tendencies, young age, cruel means, this kind of person is not like a person who will be merciful. On the contrary, he bullies his classmates outside, and he may treat his two younger brothers even worse at home. Living in a violent environment for a long time, a person ——Especially young children are prone to mental distortions.”

"Assuming that the murderer is Qian Chuangjiang, then the two motives we have drawn up before can be matched." Hua Chong walked around the room, "First, he is taking revenge on Qian Maojiang; second, Qian Maojiang dead, in the family relationship, he is undoubtedly the beneficiary."

"For a 10-year-old child, the consideration of whether to benefit is too adult." Liu Zhiqin corrected, "On the contrary, when he is bullied to the extreme, his desire for revenge will be extremely strong."

"I have read the transcripts of the interrogation ten years ago. According to Qian Chuangjiang, he was at home on the day of the incident. It is not known whether Qian Maojiang was out. The police did not list him as a suspect from the beginning to the end, so naturally they believed his words .But..." Hua Chong stood still, "Actually, no one can prove that he is telling the truth."

"If the scope is expanded, Qian Fengjiang's suspicion is not small. After all, Qian Maojiang bullied more than Qian Chuangjiang." Liu Zhiqin looked at Hua Chong, "There is no evidence to prove that there is only one murderer."

"Theoretically, it is true, but I met Qian Fengjiang today. How can I say that his behavior and mental state don't look like he has killed people before." Hua Chong paused after speaking, "But this is just my feeling."

Liu Zhiqin stood up, drew the curtains that were blown open by the wind, leaned against the window and said, "Just looking at their motives, they might have killed Qian Maojiang, but why the other four were killed together? I can't quite figure it out. By the way, when you came out of the fungus hall, you said you had a new idea, what new idea?"

Hua Chong was stunned for a moment, then patted his forehead, "I almost forgot."

At that time, he was going to tell what he thought of while chatting with the proprietress, but suddenly a group of chasing children rushed out from the side of the road, all wearing cartoon character masks, animal headgear, and some holding windmills in their hands. While running, he shouted: "Let the river lanterns go, let the river lanterns go!"

Hua Chong was hit by a little boy, and the little blue windmill fell to the ground and fell apart instantly.Hua Chongben thought he was in trouble with a brat, and he had to either pay for the windmill, or spend the whole night coaxing him.In the end, the little boy was very polite. Although he was about to cry when he saw the windmill falling apart, he took a few steps back and bowed to Hua Chong in apology: "Brother, I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

Hua Chong is a little ashamed to be called "brother" by a little boy in his 30s.

Liu Zhiqin picked up the broken windmill and assembled it in two clicks.

The little boy was so happy that he took the windmill and insisted on giving the tiger ears on his head to Liu Zhiqin.

"Thank you." Hua Chong accepted it on behalf of Liu Zhiqin, and when he saw the children running towards the river, he became interested, "Brother Liu, have you ever seen the river lanterns?"

"I saw it when I was a child." Liu Zhiqin asked, "Do you want to see it?"

"go?"

"Let's go."

The river lantern festival in late summer is very lively. There are many small stalls selling river lanterns by the river. The most common one is 5 yuan a piece, a paper boat with a small candle stuck inside, and the most expensive one is 100 yuan. Delicate, it looks like a flower in water when lit.

Tourists buy almost all 5 yuan, not because they are greedy for cheap, but just for fun. For the same money, you can buy many lanterns for 5 yuan, and you can only buy one expensive one.

Hua Chong bought two 10 yuan ones, walked to the shore with Liu Zhiqin, and found a place with few people.

The small river has become a meandering strip of light, and the river lights collide with each other, flickering on and off, and drifting downstream.

"Do you want to make a wish when setting off the river lantern?" Hua Chong took out the lighter, pressed it twice, and the flames shot up, reflecting in the eyes of the two.

Liu Zhiqin was holding two river lanterns, his facial features looked softer than usual under the weak light.

He smiled lightly, "Many people put out river lanterns to express their memory of their deceased relatives and friends."

Hua Chong's eyes swayed with the firelight, and said softly: "Really."

This doesn't seem like a question.

So Liu Zhiqin didn't answer either.

After lighting the candles, Hua Chong took one of them, "Okay, I can put it away."

Liu Zhiqin squatted down and let it go lightly, and the river lantern was carried away by the current.

Hua Chong imitated his movements and let the river lantern out.

The two river lanterns were next to each other, and they floated to the middle of the river in a short while.

Neither of them spoke, nor did they get up, they were still squatting on the shore, silently watching the sea of ​​lights.

The first one who turned sideways was Liu Zhiqin. He looked at Hua Chong and felt that the other person's eyes were extraordinarily bright, as if the lights of the entire river were gathered in his eyes.

After a while, Hua Chong also looked at him.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

After that moment, they looked away simultaneously.

Hua Chong stood up, stretched his waist, "I'm going back."

On the way, Liu Zhiqin asked, "What wish did you just make?"

"I hope the brother who passed away rests in peace." Hua Chong said in a low voice, "What about you?"

Liu Zhiqin pursed his lips and said after half a minute: "I didn't make a wish."

Hua Chong laughed, "Then why don't you give it to me, and I'll make it for you."

"What?"

"Let's think about it, um..."

Liu Zhiqin stopped in his tracks and looked at Hua Chong with deep eyes.

Hua Chong actively took up the task of making a wish, but for a while, he didn't think of what wish to make for Liu Zhiqin, so he could only say, "I'll think about it later."

But now, it was the case that needed to be considered.

"That wooden house, we thought it was the place where the teacher physically punished the students, but according to the wife of the mushroom shop, the wooden house may be the scene of many bullying incidents. For the murderer, there may be a special meaning there." Hua Chongdao: " Because that is where Qian Maojiang and others bullied their classmates."

Liu Zhiqin bowed his head in thought, "Qian Zhiguo mentioned the three bullied people who impressed him the most, Lu Jiaojiao, Qian Menghu, and Zhang Mi. These three people no longer live in Luoguan Village. The proprietress just now had her back burnt." , is definitely very serious bullying, but Qian Zhiguo has no impression..."

"This is the key point I thought of." Hua Chong clenched his right hand into a fist and beat the palm of his left hand lightly and rhythmically, "Qian Maojiang set fire to and burned the girl. The nature is so bad. As the principal, why doesn't Qian Zhiguo have an impression? He remembers Luo Hao smashed Zhang Mi's head with a brick, remember that the proprietress was burned by Qian Maojiang?"

Liu Zhiqin responded quickly, "Two possibilities——Qian Zhiguo is lying; Qian Zhiguo doesn't know about it at all."

"There's no need for Qian Zhiguo to lie." Hua Chong stopped beating his palms, "He really didn't know. It happened in the wooden house, and only those present knew. When the proprietress returned home, her injuries were discovered by her family. , the two families are private."

"In this case, there may have been some lesser-known and even more terrifying abuse incidents in that wooden house." Liu Zhiqin thought, "That is to say, there may be someone who has suffered more abuse than Lu Jiaojiao and others. More serious. This person, or this person's relatives, has enough motivation to do something to Qian Maojiang."

"Yes, 'he' did not become a suspect in the previous investigation and escaped various investigations. This shows from the side that the people in the village did not suspect 'him' at all. They believed that 'he' was not charged with money. Mao Jiang and others have bullied him."

Liu Zhiqin frowned, "If the murderer is this person, how should we proceed to investigate?"

Hua Chong thought for a moment, "We have two ideas now. The bright line is Qian Chuangjiang, and the dark line is this person who doesn't leave any traces for us. Also, do you remember that the proprietress said that she was 15 when she was bullied? age?"

"Remember, why?"

"15 years old is the age to go to middle school. Luoguan Village has only primary school and no middle school. After graduating from primary school, the children here can only go to middle school in the town. At that time, the traffic in Luoguan Village was extremely inconvenient, and the students had to live and study. I can only return to the village during winter and summer vacations." Hua Chong said.

"Then this can better explain why Qian Zhiguo didn't know about the lady boss's injury. It was a holiday at that time, there was no one in the school, and the wooden house was completely controlled by Qian Maojiang."

Hua Chong raised his index finger, "One more thing, those who left Luoguan Village to go to middle school in the town were not retaliated against."

Liu Zhiqin showed a puzzled expression.

"Qian Maojiang not only accepted younger brothers than himself, but also older brothers. This is what Qian Zhiguo said." Hua Chong said clearly: "When the accident happened, Qian Maojiang was about to be in the sixth grade. He will leave Luoguan Town when he is older. The murderer killed Luo Hao, one of the younger brothers, but let go of the person who is about to go to middle school. What does this mean?"

Liu Zhiqin took a few steps back and forth, "People who leave Luoguan Village no longer pose a threat to the murderer!"

Hua Chong raised his head, "It may also be that he no longer poses a threat to the people around the murderer."

"You mean the murderer wasn't the one being bullied, 'he' was protecting someone?"

Hua Chong was silent for a few seconds, then scratched his hair, "Are we getting more and more confused?"

Liu Zhiqin rubbed his brows, "A little bit. I even have a headache."

"Then come here first today. I just arrived here on the first day, and my understanding of the case is still too shallow. If you diverge too much during this time period, it is easy to go astray." Raise your hands.

Liu Zhiqin noticed his movement, but didn't understand what he meant by raising his hand suddenly.

When he realized what he wanted to do and almost did it, Hua Chong decisively withdrew his hand and smiled substandardly.

Liu Zhiqin: "Huh?"

"It's okay, just move your arms." Hua Chong said as he walked into the bathroom quickly, "I'll use it first, don't you mind?"

Liu Zhiqin shook his head with a smile.

After closing the door, Hua Chong let out a breath.

Just now, because Liu Zhiqin said he had a headache, he almost ran to rub his temples!

In the evening, Liu Zhiqin massaged his shoulders. Subconsciously, he kept thinking about this matter, wondering when he could "return" it back.It seemed like an opportunity just now, but rubbing her temples was not much better than rubbing her hands, it was still too intimate.

He stood under the shower, and the warm water droplets sprinkled on his face, dripping down the lines of his muscles.

This day was busy from morning to night, the brain was constantly receiving and processing information, and my body and mind were already very exhausted. It stands to reason that there was absolutely no way to distract myself from thinking about other things.But after he let go for a while, his mind was filled with Liu Zhiqin——

The appearance of Liu Zhiqin dozing off in the car in the morning; the appearance of Liu Zhiqin adding sugar cubes to his tea in the teahouse in the afternoon; the appearance of Liu Zhiqin standing behind him in the evening, gently massaging his shoulders; At the side, Liu Zhiqin turned his head to look at his appearance...

He leaned on the wet wall tiles in the bathroom with one hand, lowered his head and took a deep breath.

The frosted glass door obscured the sound of the water flow, and the faint rustling sound tickled the heart.Liu Zhiqin hastily packed his luggage, put Hua Chong's backpack away, looked around, and found that he couldn't find anything to do.

At this moment, he should have opened his notebook and looked up Qian Chuangjiang's online shopping records - the game peripherals were most likely bought online, and of course the possibility of buying in physical stores or comic exhibitions could not be ruled out.

But right now, he doesn't feel like working.

After idling for a while, he walked to Hua Chong's bed, picked up the thin coat Hua Chong had taken off, and put his right hand into his pocket.

Two seconds later, he put the thin coat back in place, and there were two more furry things in his hand.

It was the tiger ears forcibly given to him by the little boy.

It can be seen from the clothes and manners that the little boy was born in a wealthy family, and the pair of tiger ears do not seem to be a bargain on the carpet.

Liu Zhiqin pinched it, and it felt good.

The boy gave him this cute special product, thanking him for his "rejuvenation" and repairing the broken windmill, but he wanted to wear them on Hua Chong's head.

Thinking of this, the corners of his lips lifted upwards.

At this moment, the bathroom door opened, and Hua Chong shook the towel and said, "Yo!"

Liu Zhiqin raised his head, put the tiger ears on the bed as if nothing had happened, picked up the change of clothes he had prepared, "Is it done? Then I'll go wash it."

"Wait, wait!" Hua Chong blocked his way, with a sly smile, "What were you playing just now?"

"It's nothing."

"I've seen it all, you're playing with tiger ears."

Liu Zhiqin said calmly, "I just looked at it casually."

"You all laughed."

"Have it?"

When Hua Chong hid in the bathroom, his heartbeat was still a little fast, but after taking a bath for more than ten minutes, he quickly adjusted his mentality, and became the leader of the serious crime team who was usually flawless.Even in the face of Liu Zhiqin, he was able to handle it with ease - at least on the surface.

He stretched out his hand and pressed Liu Zhiqin's shoulder, "Brother Xiao Liu, sit down."

The hot air and the aroma of the shower gel came together, Liu Zhiqin's thoughts froze suddenly, and when he realized it, he was already sitting on the edge of the bed.

And Hua Chongzheng was holding a tiger ear, gesticulating in front of his eyes.

"..."

Hua Chong tried to clip the tiger ears on top of his head, but his hair was too short to clip.

"Flower Team." He raised his eyelids and looked at Hua Chong from below.

I don't know if it was too close at this time, or the atmosphere was too ambiguous, a flash of electricity went through Hua Chong's mind, and he paused, "Huh?"

"Don't try it, you won't be able to catch it." Liu Zhiqin stood up, Hua Chong reflexively took a step back, pinched the tiger's ears, and sighed: "Unfortunately, this is the first time I've seen such a gadget."

"Why don't you try?" Liu Zhiqin smiled lowly, "Your hair is longer than mine, so you can clip it."

Hua Chong instinctively refused, "I won't pinch."

"Huh? Why?"

"Too funny."

Liu Zhiqin raised an eyebrow, "Then did you pinch me just now?"

Hua Chong felt wronged, "The little boy gave it to you."

"But you took it."

"..."

"Let's try, anyway, no one else saw it."

One minute later, Hua Chong stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself with a pair of tiger ears in the mirror, expressionless, while Liu Zhiqin, who was next to him, smiled very funny.

"Stop laughing, go take a shower." Hua Chong threatened while picking his ears, "Don't tell anyone else!"

"I want to take a picture."

"no!"

Liu Zhiqin had no choice but to put down his phone, and walked slowly into the bathroom.

Hua Chong didn't move, he heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, so he clamped back the ear that had been removed, then took his mobile phone, and quickly took a picture.

It's not smug, it's just because it's the first time I wear this kind of child's stuff, and I feel playful and interesting.

The next day, under the coordination of local officials, the families of the victims Qian Yuanbao, Qian Xiaozi, and Luo Hao came to the police station.

Ten years have passed, and the pain of bereavement has faded for several farmhouse owners who have become rich.Like Qian Qing's mother, they welcome the police to re-investigate the case, but they are not particularly excited. It seems that when a person dies, he is dead, when the matter is over, it is over, and the living must live well.

"Aren't they too indifferent?" Zhang Mao also participated in the interrogation this time, and when he came out of the interrogation room, he complained: "I have seen so many families of the victims, but I have never seen anyone as ruthless as them! It was their son who died!"

"So many families of the victims?" Hua Chong glanced at him, "How long have you been a police officer?"

"I just said it casually!" Zhang Mao followed, "Flower Team, isn't their attitude normal?"

"How can it be normal? Crying, thanking us for investigating the case ten years ago?"

"That's not going to happen, but at least you should be excited, right?"

"You don't know them well enough." Liu Zhiqin said, "Their reactions now are normal."

Zhang Mao was puzzled, "Why?"

"This is a village, not a city. More than 20 or [-] years ago, family planning could not be implemented effectively here. Luo Hao and others are not only children, and there are other brothers and sisters in the family." Liu Zhiqin patiently explained, "They encountered Unexpectedly, the parents are naturally grieved, but the degree is far less than the "lost child" you often see in the city. And after so many years, the lives of the survivors have undergone tremendous changes, and they have subconsciously accepted life without them. At this time When we investigate the case again, it is tantamount to breaking a certain balance. For the living, there will be psychological conflicts. One is to hope that the truth will be revealed, and the other is to vaguely fear that the delayed truth will affect the current satisfactory life."

Zhang Mao still couldn't understand, "Is that so?"

"What else can I do?" Hua Chong said as he walked towards the stairs, Liu Zhiqin followed behind him.

"Where are you going?" Zhang Mao asked.

"Don't follow me." Hua Chong raised his hand, "Sort up the record of the inquiry just now, I want to read it tonight."

It takes more than ten minutes to walk from the police station to the "Shanweitang". Under pressure, the two brothers Qian Fengjiang and Qian Chuangjiang have agreed to assist the police in the investigation.

On the way, Hua Chong said, "You were too subtle in what you just said, and you couldn't convince Zhang Mao."

Liu Zhiqin smiled, "This case needs to be investigated for a while, and he can think about it by himself. If he talks too much suddenly, he will feel that human nature is too dark."

"Not at all." Hua Chong shook his head, "The Luo family and the other Qian families received a large pension because of their son's death. This money was the capital of their fortunes later on. It can be said that, except for the Qian Maojiang family, this Several families would not be doing so well now if their sons had not died. I don’t think it’s incomprehensible for their inner conflicts and outward indifference, because people are inherently selfish.”

Liu Zhiqin was silent for a moment, and said with emotion: "The one who most hopes to solve this case is probably Xiao Chengxin."

"He's going crazy." Hua Chong pointed forward, "Here we are."

Seeing Hua Chong, Qian Fengjiang was taken aback for a moment, and his expression quickly changed, "Aren't you..."

Hua Chong smiled honestly and said, "I just came to Luoguan Village yesterday, and I haven't started handling the case yet, so I played a guest role as a tourist for a day. I'm on business today, so I'm here to ask you about the situation, um... the criminal police."

Qian Fengjiang couldn't hold back, and uttered a rude sentence in the local dialect. Hua Chong ignored him, turned his gaze, and looked at Qian Chuangjiang who was beside him.

Compared with the suave and country-style Qian Fengjiang, the dark and strong Qian Chuangjiang looks like a coolie.He was born rough, and his clothes were completely different from Qian Fengjiang's. As soon as he met Hua Chong's eyes, he looked away almost dodgingly.

Qian Fengjiang was very anxious, and when he thought of what Hua Chong heard yesterday, he felt uneasy.Liu Zhiqin observed his expression, and lightly touched Hua Chong's elbow.

Hua Chong understood, and said to Qian Chuangjiang: "I met the second young master yesterday, and today I mainly want to chat with you, let's change the room, how about we have a few words alone?"

Qian Chuangjiang raised his head, his eyes were dull.

Qian Fengjiang breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately arranged: "There is an empty room next door, I will take you there."

Hua Chong raised his hand, "No need."

Then he looked at Qian Chuangjiang, "You are also the boss here, so you should take me there."

Qian Chuangjiang stood up and walked out without saying a word.

Qian Fengjiang looked sideways, Liu Zhiqin Qu raised his index finger, tapped on the edge of the table, and said to him, "Shall we chat too?"

In the afternoon of Luoguan Village, the weather was fine, and various farmhouses were preparing for the evening meal. Tourists went to Xulu Mountain in groups to seize the best seats for concerts and barbecue conferences in advance.

But Los Angeles, which is two hours away by car, is covered by dark clouds.

In the pouring rain, a drenched young couple rushed into the Zhaobeng Street Police Station in Mingluo District. The man anxiously shouted, "Police, I want to report the crime." The woman's eyes were red and she was crying.

"What's the matter?" said a policeman.

The man stepped forward and threw himself on the desk, his voice hoarse, "Our daughter is missing!"