gentry

Chapter 45
A police detective took Hovans into the gloomy Man Ting Fang.Mama Qi sat on the ground with disheveled hair.

The police detective pointed to the crazy woman on the ground: "That's her."

Hovans leaned over: "Mom Qi, did you hear me?"

Qi's mother hung her head and did not respond.

The police detective pouted and shook his head: "It's useless, this old woman has been crazy for a long time."

Hovans thought for a while, and leaned into Qi's mother's ear: "A guest is here."

Qi Ma's eyes lit up suddenly, and she raised her head: "Is there a visitor? Where is it?"

Hovans said softly, "I'm here."

Qi's mother looked at Hovens with bright eyes: "What's your last name?"

"Don't you remember me?"

Qi Ma thought for a while: "You are... Mr. Zhang?"

Howens smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Qi's mother beamed: "Oh, rare visitor, long time no see."

"I haven't been here for a long time, and Man Tingfang has become different."

Qi's mother nodded again and again: "Yes, yes, I spent a lot of money to renovate."

"Mom, won't you show me around?"

"well……"

Afterwards, Mama Qi pointed at the air while leading Hovens to the spooky inner lobby.

"Our "Man Ting Fang" is the first-class voiceless small class on this street. The girls of mine are proficient in everything from piano, chess, calligraphy, calligraphy and painting to playing and singing. They can also play two western pianos and three foreign songs. First of all, they are all my precious daughters who are not selling themselves, if you want guests, it depends on your sincerity..."

Mama Qi looked around while talking.

The dilapidated and gloomy Mantingfang seems to have restored the lively scene of the past with feasting, feasting and singing.

Qi's mother's eyes lit up, as if she also saw the young Qi Xin, Qi Yue, Qi Xue, and Qi Meng walking towards her in a beautiful manner.

At this time, Luo Fei and Xiao Man had already reached the river.

Luo Fei walked quickly, Xiaoman followed behind.

"What are we looking for?"

"I was negligent. I should have waited for the murderer to show up at Sun Qixue's house, instead of running to Suzhou to find a crazy old woman. I killed her."

Xiaoman comforted: "I can't blame you, you made it clear before you left that it was Ye Changqing who dismissed the post without authorization."

Luo Fei walked to the river, closed his eyes and said silently: "I don't want to be born in the same year and the same month, but I want to die in the same year and the same month..."

Xiaoman looked surprised: "Ah, what are you talking about?"

Sudden!Luo Fei took a step towards the river, Xiaoman rushed forward and hugged him.

"Let go of me, what are you doing?" Luo Fei yelled, but his body felt an indescribable feeling, like an electric current brought him back to a certain moment in the past.

"Even if you make a mistake, you don't need to seek death."

Hearing Xiaoman's voice, Luo Fei came back to his senses: "Who said I want to seek death?"

"Then why did you jump into the river?"

Luo Fei shook his head: "Didn't you see that I was thinking about the mood when Man Tingfang's four famous men threw themselves into the river?"

Xiaoman let go of her hand: "This is where they threw themselves into the river?"

Luo Fei nodded: "Yes, the case files say that the upper reaches of the Weiqing River are 500 meters away from the Magu Temple. This should be the right place. Qi Xue died, Qi's mother went crazy, and all the clues back then were broken. We must find out what Qi Xue is hiding from us."

Luo Fei found a stone and threw it into the river.

"What did you hear?"

"Plop?" Xiaoman picked up a stone and tried to throw it into the river.

Luo Fei nodded: "A plop means the water here is not deep."

Immediately, Luo Fei pointed out that there was a Chenmu River less than 500 meters away from here, "It's much deeper than here, why choose a shallow river if you want to die?"

"Do you suspect that they committed suicide from the beginning?" Xiaoman guessed.

Luo shook his head: "Qi Xue said that the three of them were rescued by passing boat people, but this river is so shallow that it is not suitable for boating at all, and they will run aground."

"Maybe they were washed downstream and rescued by boat people?"

Luo Fei thought for a while, then turned around and left.

Xiaoman followed closely behind: "Hey, where are you going?"

The two came to the farmland not far away.

Luo Fei went to the edge of the field and pulled up a scarecrow.

"Why do you take other people's things casually? You are stealing."

Luo Fei shook the scarecrow and pressed down on Xiaoman: "No, it's borrowed."

Luo Fei tied a stone to the scarecrow.

"What are you doing, murdering a scarecrow?" Xiaoman said.

Luo Fei weighed the weight, nodded, and directed himself: This proportion is similar to that of the human body.

After Luo Fei finished speaking, he threw the scarecrow into the water vigorously. The scarecrow sank and floated in the water a few times, and quickly drifted along the current. "The current is so fast, hurry up and keep up."

Luo Fei followed quickly along the river, and Xiao Man followed closely.

The two came downstream, running all the way, panting.

"Can't catch up, your victim is washed away."

"No, it's there."

Luo Fei pointed out that there was a small bridge in front of him, and the bridge piers blocked the scarecrow.

"If you throw yourself into the river upstream and you are not familiar with water, you will be washed all the way here soon. Xiaoman pointed to the boat in the big river ahead."

"After crossing this bridge and entering the big river ahead, it is possible to be rescued by boat people."

Luo Fei walked onto the bridge and looked at the scarecrow in the water under the bridge. The scarecrow was about to fall apart.

"However, even if he is rescued at this time, I am afraid that his body will be completely shattered."

Luo Fei turned over and stepped over the bridge railing, trying to catch the scarecrow in the water.

Xiaoman was nervous: "What are you doing, it's dangerous!"

"As a gentleman, you must return what you borrow... oops." Luo Fei suddenly slipped and fell into the water.

"Luo Fei! Luo Fei!..." Xiao Man yelled and ran down.

When Xiaoman sent the drowned Luo Fei back to the Suzhou police station, he couldn't wait to ask someone for news about Hovens.After Xiaoman returned to the office, she saw Luo Fei still wrapped in a blanket and sneezing.Xiaoman immediately brought the cup to Luo Fei.Luo Fei took a sip and immediately spit it all back into the cup.

"What I want is coffee." Luo Fei looked disgusted.

Xiao Man stared: "I'm sorry, only Jiang Tang, please let the big detective make it."

At this time, footsteps came from the side, and Hovans came, accompanied by a police detective.Hovans saw Luo Fei and Xiaoman and walked towards them.

Seeing Luo Fei's embarrassment, Hovens couldn't help laughing: "Detective Luo, what's the matter, why did it fall into the water?"

Luo Fei argued stubbornly: "No, I just suddenly became interested and wanted to swim."

"I guess you must have found some important clue."

"That's right. I guess Dr. Huo's interrogation of the suspect must have gone well."

Hovens took the record from the police detective and handed it to Luo Fei, Luo Fei took it with disdain and flipped through it casually.Looking at it, Luo Fei's eyes became focused.

"These... all said by Qi's mother herself?"

"Of course, I don't need to make up the testimony. The detective is here and he can testify."

The detective nodded.

Luo Fei looked at the report and muttered to himself: "Qi's mother said that Mr. Li once gave Qi Xin a large sum of ransom money in private... After Sihuadan jumped into the river, the money disappeared..."

Luo Fei raised his head suddenly: "Where's Mama Qi?"

The police detective replied: "Still in Man Ting Fang."

Luo Fei stood up suddenly and laughed loudly.

"Crazy, what are you laughing at?" Xiaoman pressed Luo Fei on the seat in confusion.

"I understand." Luo Fei looked at Xiaoman.

"What do you unserstand?"

Luo Fei stood up and stuffed ginger soup into Hovens' hands: "Please drink ginger soup, happy cooperation."

Afterwards, Luo Fei pulled Xiaoman up and left.

Hovans stayed where he was, holding a cup of ginger soup in his hand, a little confused.

Luo Fei and the two came to the alley in front of Man Tingfang's door.

Luo Fei took Xiaoman and walked quickly.

"Don't worry, Mama Qi can't run away." Xiaoman said.

Luo Fei shook his head: "Mama Qi is not the murderer, she is the murderer's next target..."

Before Luo Fei finished speaking, Qi's mother's screams suddenly came from the Mantingfang building opposite.

what--!
Luo Fei's expression changed: "It's late!"

Luo Fei and Xiao Man rushed into Man Ting Fang together.

Luo Fei and Xiaoman rushed into the hall and saw a fish jumping on the ground.

Xiaoman pointed upstairs: "On the top."

The two looked up and saw two hunchbacked women entangled and wrestling in the open corridor on the second floor.

Xiaoman yelled: "Stop, police detective!"

Then quickly rushed to the second floor.

A woman fell from the second floor and landed on the ground motionless.

Luo Fei stepped forward and turned around to see that it was Qi's mother who was dead, with a fish-killing knife stuck in her neck.Xiaoman came to the corridor on the second floor, faced the woman with Tuobei, and showed her police badge.

"Don't move, spread your hands and let me see your palms!"

The woman spread her hands and raised her head, revealing a face full of scars.

The night was dark.

In the interrogation room of the Suzhou Police Station, Luo Fei, Xiao Man and a local policeman interrogated the hunchbacked woman.

"I'm a fish seller. Passing by Man Tingfang, that crazy old woman told me to go in and said she wanted to buy fish, but she refused to pay. I fought with her, and she suddenly jumped up and beat me, and I accidentally missed... …Officer, I didn't mean to."

"What's your name?" asked the detective.

"My name is Qian Zhaodi, and everyone calls me Adi." The woman replied.

"No, that's not your real name, your real name is Qi Xin." Luo Fei said.

The woman looked up in surprise.

Xiaoman turned to Luo Fei: "Did you make a mistake, how could she be Qi Xin, she is an old woman."

"Appearance does not necessarily reflect one's real age. Life circumstances can greatly change a person's appearance, especially for a woman who has died once, am I right?" Luo Fei's sharp gaze was aimed directly at the woman's eyes.

The woman avoided Luo Fei's gaze: "Sir, you have misunderstood the person, I don't know who Qi Xin you are talking about."

Luo Fei showed the fish-killing knife: "The triangular-shaped blade is the same weapon that killed Qi Meng, Qi Yue, and Qi Xue. I always thought it was scissors before, but I didn't expect it to be a fish-killing knife. And you are killing Qi Meng and Qi Yue. Fingerprints were left at the scene of the crime, so it’s not difficult to compare them after returning to Shanghai, so you don’t have to deny it.”

Qi Xin lowered his head and could only remain silent: "Can I have a cigarette?"

The policeman looked at Luo Fei, Luo Fei nodded, and the policeman handed him a cigarette.Qi Xin took two deep puffs of cigarettes with trembling hands, and began to tell: "I grew up in the Yuyingtang. At the age of 16, I was sold to Man Tingfang as a prostitute. The old man who likes to abuse women... Alas, those who work in our line of work seem to be pampered on the surface, but only I know the suffering behind the scenes. Anyway, I can't live a day like this, and I just want to leave Manting as soon as possible Fang. At this time, I met Mr. Li. Although he has no skills, he has a good heart and really loves me..."

He took another puff of smoke in his heart: "The two of us made a private decision for life. In order to redeem me, he sold his family property. I thought that we would be out of the sea of ​​suffering from now on. Who knows..."

Qi Xin flashed back the scene of the corridor of the brothel back then:

Qi Xin is teasing the parrot hanging on the porch.

Qi's mother hurried over: "Qi Xin, it's not good, something happened to Mr. Li, he was hit by a car and died."

Qi Xin was startled: "How is it possible, you lied to me!"

Qi Meng, Qi Yue, and Qi Xue also chimed in: "Mom Qi didn't lie to you. We all saw it. It's on Guiyang Road. There's blood all over the ground."

Qi Xin was about to rush out, but Qi Meng and others stopped her.

Three people: "Don't go, the body has already been taken away by the Li family, you won't see him if you go."

Qi Xin: "Impossible, impossible, he said he would pick me up tomorrow, and he said he would treat me well for the rest of his life!"

Qi's mother made a comforting statement: "Don't be sad, there are so many men in the world, if there is one less Mr. Li, there will still be Mr. Zhang and Mr. Wang who will take a fancy to you."

Qi Xin leaned into Qi's mother's arms and wept bitterly.

Qi Xin in the interrogation room wept silently: "I cried in the room for three days and three nights. I didn't eat or drink, and I didn't want to see anyone. I wanted to go to Huangquan to see Mr. Li until the third night..."

Flash back to a room before my eyes

The door of the room was opened, and Qi Meng, Yue, and Xue came in with a bowl of porridge.

Qi Meng: "Qi Xin, have some porridge, you will starve to death if you continue like this."

Qi Xin sat on the bed blankly: "Leave me alone, just let me die."

Qi Yue said at this time: "Our good sisters have sworn not to be born on the same day in the same year, but to die on the same day in the same year. How can we ignore you like this?"

Qi Xin wept silently: "Why is my life so hard?"

Qi Xue sighed: "The few of us are born to suffer. We are not worthy of a good life in this life. Let's join a good family in the next life."

Qi Meng: "Yeah, don't look at being surrounded by young masters and buddies now. In a few years, you will grow old and look bad, and you will still be an old lady that no one wants."

Qi Yue: "Even if you become a good student in the future, you will be looked down upon outside."

Qi Xue shook her head: "Do you still remember Sister Yanhong? I heard that she left Man Tingfang for two years, and she couldn't make it through. She threw herself into the river."

Qi Xin said cruelly: "Sooner or later you will suffer, it is better to die cleanly."

Qi Meng winked at the other two, and then said: "If you really don't want to live anymore, we will go with you. Qi Xin has a puzzled expression."

In the interrogation room, the ugly and dejected Qi Xin sneered and said, "Just like that, they chatted with me all night, and the more we chatted, the more sad we became. At dawn, the four of us decided to throw ourselves into the river together..."

"I see." Luo Fei nodded, and the scene from that year appeared in front of his eyes:
At daybreak, four women came to the river.

The four of them walked into the river slowly hand in hand, and the water gradually reached their chests.

Qi Meng let go of Qi Xin's hand, and Qi Xin was washed away by the water.

Luo Fei suddenly asked: "Wait a minute, where is the money that Mr. Li left you to redeem yourself?"

"Mr. Li left me a silver note of 1 taels. The other person is gone, and that money is meaningless to me. I didn't want to leave it to Mama Qi, so I sent it to the newspaper office together with the suicide note, and asked them to pass it on to Mr. Li. family."

Luo Fei was thinking: "You watched Qi Xue put the letter into the mailbox, but you didn't know that they had prepared two envelopes."

Qi Xin nodded, her sneer turned into a wry smile: "Yeah, I'm so stupid, I didn't have any doubts, and I believed what they said."

"Qi's mother wanted to get the 1 taels of silver notes, so she sent three goddaughters to lie to you and tell you where the money was hidden. Unexpectedly, the three of them saw the money and tricked you into committing suicide with Qi's mother. He took this money privately and flew away." Luo Fei sighed, also full of embarrassment.

(End of this chapter)