You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 378 The Red Butterfly!

December 8, 1998, early morning.

Inside the Third Brigade's office.

Li Yang ultimately betrayed their revolutionary friendship by moving the stove over and placing it at the back of the office.

A pot of raw tea was simmering on the stove, the red-hot coals emitting a dazzling flame, and wisps of white smoke billowing from the stove spout.

Outside the window, the snow was falling heavier and heavier, pattering against the windowpane with soft sounds.

Indoors, under the incandescent light.

A group of people sat around a stove, their postures projected onto the wall by the light, remaining motionless.

On the wall hang two banners presented by the victim's family in the case of the taxi driver's murder, as well as a group photo of the Third Traffic Police Brigade and the taxi drivers, framed in a wooden frame.

Wu Kai repeatedly gestured to Yang Jinwen, asking him to choose one of the two banners and send it to the top leader's office.

Even if it's a plaque that says "Solving cases like a god, serving the people," or this one that says "Guardians of the people, fearless."

But Yang Jinwen ignored him. Not only did he disagree, but everyone in the Third Brigade disagreed as well.

A few hours earlier, the Third Brigade had inspected the site, but due to the darkness and heavy snow, the survey conditions were very difficult.

At Yang Jinwen's suggestion, Li Song's body was first transported to the funeral home, and a shed was set up at the scene of the murder to cover the snow.

As for the perimeter of the wasteland, a cordon was set up and guarded by officers from the local police station, prohibiting anyone from approaching. A second survey was planned to be conducted after daybreak.

At this moment, Yang Jinwen and Wu Kai were talking outside the office, discussing tomorrow's investigation mission, before Wu Kai left first.

Yang Jinwen opened the office door, stepped inside, and left the door open to prevent poor air circulation and the accumulation of carbon monoxide in the room.

In cold regions, the use of coal for heating in winter, coupled with poor indoor ventilation, resulted in more deaths than the number of murders committed at the time.

If someone accidentally falls asleep near a coal-fired stove in a confined space, the next morning, when the rest of the Qincheng Detachment arrives at work, they will find that the Third Brigade has been completely wiped out.

Beside the stove.

Besides the three teams sitting around, there were also Du Feng, the victim's 'family member', and the girl Du Nansong.

Yao Weihua picked up the stove, took the white porcelain cup handed to him by Feng Xiaocai, poured a cup of raw tea, and handed it to Du Feng.

"Old Du, have some drink, it'll warm you up."

Du Feng nodded and handed the teacup in his hand to Du Nansong, who was sitting next to him.

"Girl?"

Du Nansong clasped his hands tightly together, clenched his teeth, and stared intently at the gleaming lump of coal in the stove with his dark eyes.

She wiped away her tears from time to time; the gap in her upper lip resembled a scar on a tree trunk.

"Girl?" Du Feng called out softly again.

Du Nansong raised his right hand and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.

"Dad, how could Second Uncle have died?"

Du Feng sighed: "Girl, don't overthink it..."

Du Nansong shook his head: "Dad, it was me who killed Second Uncle, it was me who killed him!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jinwen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Seeing him standing to one side, Feng Xiaocai stood up and gave him her seat.

Yang Jinwen shook his head, dragged out a chair, sat opposite Du Nansong, leaned forward slightly, and stared at the girl.

"Your name is Du Nansong?"

The girl's gaze remained fixed on the red-hot coal, her eyes unblinking.

Du Feng replied, "Officer, her name is Du Nansong, and she is my daughter."

Yang Jinwen nodded and asked, "What was her relationship with the victim, Li Song?"

Du Feng sighed, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Yao Weihua handed him a cigarette and said, "Old Du, this is the captain of our Third Brigade. As you can see, this case is being handled by our Third Brigade. Don't have any reservations, just say what you need to say."

"I know." Du Feng nodded and took the cigarette Yao Weihua offered him.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the firelight, and murmured, "Li Song is my old comrade-in-arms. He has been working in the detention center since he retired from the army."

On November 3, 1979, he found an abandoned baby girl in a garbage dump.

Li Song raised this girl for several years. Because he was a bachelor with no wife or parents, it was inconvenient for him to take care of a girl, and people liked to gossip. So, I adopted her. That's why the girl calls Li Song "Second Uncle."

Yang Jinwen looked at Du Nansong: "You just said that you killed your second father..."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Feng straightened up, raised his voice a few decibels, and said sharply, "Officer, you can't say that! My child has been traumatized and is talking nonsense. Her second uncle's death has nothing to do with her!"

Yao Weihua quickly comforted him, "Old Du, don't get agitated. We're asking about the case! Li Song was shot and killed, and the other one is still in the hospital being treated. She was stabbed three times. Even if our Captain Yang has doubts, he won't doubt that this young girl could do something like this."

Du Feng let out a breath and nodded.

Throughout the entire process, Yang Jinwen didn't look at him, but kept his eyes fixed on Du Nansong.

Du Nansong's face was pale in the firelight. She nodded: "I killed my second father. It was me. If it weren't for me, my second father wouldn't have died."

Yang Jinwen asked, "Tell me about it."

Du Nansong closed his eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately: "This morning, I went to the shelter to find my second father, thinking of going with him to help those homeless people."

My second uncle picked me up; if it weren't for him, I would have died long ago.

Over the years, I've kept thinking back to what my second uncle was thinking when he picked me up.

Therefore, I want to follow him to help others.

I went with him several times, driving that van, going from house to house looking for homeless people, people with mental illnesses, people with disabilities, or people abandoned by their families.

They are just like I was back then, very pitiful. If no one helps them, they might starve to death, freeze to death, or be persecuted by others.

This morning, I went out with my second uncle and Ping Ge. My second uncle was driving the silver minivan that was in the wasteland.

In the morning, we took three people to the shelter: two homeless children and a mentally ill woman.

Because of the heavy snow and cold weather, the homeless people we used to see on the streets suddenly disappeared.

Second Uncle was very worried about their situation, especially around the Weihe Bridge, where there were many homeless people with poor health.

When we were taking back the shelter at noon, my second uncle only ate two steamed buns for lunch. Then he took Ping Ge and me to the supermarket to buy some food and warm blankets, all of which were bought with his salary.

On the way there, my second uncle warned me never to feel sympathy for anyone, even if they were pitiful.

Because in his 22 years of work, he has witnessed too many tragic events.

A mentally unstable homeless woman was bullied by other homeless people, which led to her pregnancy.

Every year, my second uncle helps these homeless women by taking them to the hospital, but there are so many of them that he can't help them all.

Women and children, in particular, are often bullied by others, and those bullying them are not strangers, but homeless people just like them.

Therefore, Second Uncle and Brother Ping often got into arguments with those homeless people and were even surrounded by them.

When we arrived at the Weihe Bridge this afternoon, my second uncle told me to stay in the car while he and my brother went into the bridge to deliver food to the people there.

I was standing at the bridgehead of the Wei River, next to the van, when I saw my second uncle and brother Ping not only bring them food and blankets, but also help them clean the stove and set up a snow-proof tent under the bridge.

Just then, I saw an old woman, leaning on a tree branch, walking towards me from the bridge.

She was wearing a found shoe and a sock on the other foot, and her clothes were very thin; she was shivering from the cold.

She was also carrying a burlap sack and limping.

There were some cookies in the car at the time, so I thought I'd give them to her.

I had just gone to my car to get it when I saw a red sedan pull up and stop next to the old lady.

Two men got out of the car and stopped the old woman. I don't know what they said to her, but I saw her trying desperately to walk forward. However, the two men dragged her into the car without saying a word.

The car drove away in an instant, and I didn't quite understand what happened.

When my second uncle and brother Ping came out of the bridge, I told him about it.

Ping said it might be the old lady's family. There are too many cases like this, where family members abandon their elderly mothers and drive them out of the house.

But my second uncle didn't think so. He said that if someone can afford a car, they must have plenty of money.

My second uncle seemed to know something; I think he might recognize these two people.

He thought for a while and then told me to go home first, while he and Brother Ping drove to take a look.

The car had driven quite a distance; I didn't know where my second uncle could possibly find those two people.

I really wanted to go with them, but my second uncle wouldn't let me.

Later, my second uncle took Ping Ge away, and I went back to the shelter.

During this time, I stayed in the shelter until evening when the police station called to say that my second uncle and brother Ping had gotten into trouble, and then I…

At this point, Du Nansong broke down in tears, covering her face and sobbing loudly.

"...I called my dad...I'm the one who killed my second uncle. If I hadn't told him about this, he wouldn't have even contacted those two people. It's all my fault, all my fault!"

Because of her cleft lip, and because Du Nansong's emotions were not very stable when she spoke, her account was not very clear.

Even so, the image of the victim, Li Song, became more vivid in the minds of the members of the Third Brigade.

Without a doubt, he was a good man, and his death stirred up anger in the hearts of Yao Weihua, Maozi, and Cai Ting.

All three men had serious expressions and remained silent.

The group sat around the stove, the bright firelight shimmering on their faces.

In Yang Jinwen's mind, the image of Li Song's body being lifted onto the hearse flashed through his mind.

He wore an open military overcoat, his yellow sweater stained orange with blood, and his face was gaunt and his beard unshaven amidst the swirling snow.

But the black gloves he wore, with red butterflies printed on the back, were his only remaining attachment to the world!
Now, the girl is wearing the same pair of gloves, each embroidered with a butterfly wing. When her hands are together, they resemble a red butterfly in flight!
The girl's cries echoed in the Third Brigade's office, the sound drifting through the window and swirling in the swirling snowflakes.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle..."

(End of this chapter)