Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 354 Past Events Like Smoke

Wishing all lovers in the world a happy ending and a wonderful pregnancy on this auspicious day!

Mu Lijuan and Mu Qiqing left with their two brothers, while Xiao Wei pulled up a broken stool and sat down at the restaurant entrance to smoke.

About half an hour later, Liu Sui and Director Qin arrived at the restaurant in two cars, carrying seven people.

Upon entering the restaurant, Director Qin looked at the exposed doorway and asked, "Is this all the way back? How big is it?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's bigger than outside. On the first floor, there's a room here, and inside is a large hall with several bicycles, a sidecar, a bunch of pickaxe handles, and a few bayonets. There's also a staircase leading upstairs. On the second floor, there's a row of houses. The interrogation room is open, but the rest are all locked. Some of the rooms have curtains drawn so you can't see inside. There's a toilet and a storage room. On the third floor, there's a conference room. I just glanced at it from the door and didn't go in."

Director Qin glanced at Liu Sui and said, "Alright, you guys wait here. We'll go in and see if we have a hammer or crowbar or anything."

Xiao Wei pointed to the supply store and said, "We just used a nail screwdriver from Angkor Wat."

Director Qin glanced at the scene and sent a policeman away: "Go borrow some tools, and get a flashlight." He then retrieved a large, five-section flashlight from his car. The policeman quickly returned with a nail screwdriver and the flashlight. Brother Wu, following behind, walked up to Xiao Wei and whispered, "What's wrong? What are the police doing here?"

Xiao Wei said, "This house has been sealed off for so many years. Let the police go in and take a look. We'll feel more at ease using it in the future." Brother Wu glanced at Liu Sui, then turned to watch Director Qin lead his men into the restaurant.

Liu Sui looked around, sat down on the broken stool, and said, "It's nothing, just sit and wait. You're really thoughtful; it's definitely better to have them come over like this."

Xiao Wei pulled out another chair and sat down next to Liu Sui, saying, "No, I really felt something was inside. The feeling was so strong that my hair stood on end. To be honest, I wouldn't have opened the door to the conference room upstairs if it weren't for those guys. I'm not a timid person, but something really wasn't right here."

Liu Sui turned her head and glanced into the house, saying, "It's nothing. Old houses are all like this. It's normal for them to be a bit gloomy after being sealed off for so many decades."

Xiao Wei looked into the room, bit his lip, and said, "The smell inside is abnormal. There's a foul odor. Although it's been around for many years and the smell has mostly dissipated, it's still there. But now that it's been open for so long, it doesn't smell as strong anymore. It smelled quite strong when it was first opened. The musty smell isn't like this."

As they were talking, Director Qin came out carrying his large flashlight, frowning. He glanced at Liu Sui and Xiao Wei, then whispered to Xiao Wei, "There are some documents in that room that might involve some past matters. Luckily you called me over. If anyone asks about this, just insist you never went in, understand?"

Xiao Wei nodded. Director Qin stretched and said, "It feels gloomy inside, makes me feel uneasy. You guys are really brave, daring to go in just by touching things. Hehe, want to know what's in those rooms behind the curtains?"

Xiao Wei nodded and looked at Director Qin. Director Qin took off his hat, scratched his head, and whispered, "Dead people, three. They're rotten to the bone. Two of them are clearly beaten to death, and one probably starved to death. I was wondering why they sealed it up so tightly. It's like they sealed that person inside. It was a woman. Judging from the bones, she wasn't very old, probably around twenty years old at the time. The wall was torn to shreds. She was tied to the bed."

Xiao Wei glanced at Liu Sui, who paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Things from that era...it was chaotic. What are we doing now?"

Xiao Wei asked, "So, is this house still mine? Can I still use it?"

Director Qin laughed and said, "You paid for it, who would dare stop you from using it? It's not your problem, don't worry, it's fine. Just don't talk nonsense."

Xiao Wei chuckled and said, "I thought this house would be sealed off for investigation or something, but it seems like it'll never end!"

Director Qin said, "How could that be? Let alone things from the last few decades, even now it's just a matter of getting the person out of there and that's it."

Liu Sui asked, "How should this matter be resolved in the end?"

Director Qin scratched his head, put his hat back on, and said, "It's been so many years, what are we going to do? I'm thinking about what to do too. I'm going back to the station, don't go in." He stood up, got into his car, started the engine, and drove off. Xiao Wei swallowed and said, "I just felt something was off."

Liu Sui whispered, "You can't talk about this anywhere, you hear me? Nobody can untangle the mess from back then. Don't drag yourself into it." Xiao Wei nodded, and Liu Sui said, "This is terrible. What are you going to do about the house? You've already bought it."

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "Let's find someone to tear it all down and rebuild it. It'll be a good opportunity for a major overhaul. We'll tear down all the non-load-bearing walls, open up the sealed doors and windows, remove the broken doors and windows and replace them with new ones, and lay bricks all over the floor and re-plaster the walls. I don't know if we need to replace the roof tiles."

Liu Sui looked Xiao Wei up and down in surprise and asked, "Aren't you afraid? It's still usable?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "People die all the time, so why not go to the hospital? We can just tear it all down, do some major repairs, open the doors and windows, leave it for a while, and nobody will know. There's also a big door in the back, and we'll need to separate the two ends for future use."

Liu Sui asked, "Would you dare to live here in the future?"

Xiao Wei looked up at Liu Sui, bit his lip for a moment, and said, "I don't dare. I'd probably feel terrified over there. Let's take it slow. Besides, what's the point of me living here? We'll be opening a factory later."

Liu Sui asked, "What factory? You own a factory?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'm in a food factory, making bread, cakes, cookies, and stuff like that. I've always wanted to make instant noodles, but I haven't gotten around to it yet."

Liu Sui nodded and said, "Instant noodles are good. Look how well Danxia sells them. It used to be just a small factory, but it's become a big business in just a few years."

After talking for a while, the sun was shining warmly, and the chill that had been lingering on Xiao Wei finally subsided. Director Qin also returned, bringing three more people with him. Without saying a word, the group went inside with several black bags. A little while later, several policemen carried the bags and boxes filled with things out and put them in the car.

After a group of people worked inside and outside for half an hour, the truck loaded with goods was driven away by three other people. Only then did Director Qin come out and stand next to Liu Sui, saying, "Alright, it's all taken care of. This matter needs to be kept quiet, understand, Xiao Wei?"

Xiao Wei nodded. He wasn't stupid; he wouldn't go around telling others about this.

Director Qin said, "The documents and bones have all been taken away. They'll probably just burn them when they get back. Let's just leave it at that, as if nothing happened. The house has been tidied up. A truck will come to pick up the tattered blankets, broken sheets, books, and stuff later, so don't worry about them. Once everything's cleared out, you can tidy up however you like. You think you can't use this house?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "After spending that much money, are we just going to leave it lying around? We have to use it somehow. I'll get someone to dismantle everything that can be taken apart and do a major overhaul."

Director Qin nodded, glanced back into the shop, and asked, "Are we still using the kitchen and everything?"

Xiao Wei said, "No need. Tear everything that can be demolished, leave nothing except the load-bearing walls, repair the roof frame and replace all the roof tiles."

Director Qin nodded and said, "I'll find someone to handle it for you. Just don't mention anything. Afterwards, you give him a personal bonus of ten or twenty thousand yuan, okay?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, when do we start?"

Director Qin checked the time and said, "I'll make a call right now. Just tell him if you need anything." He stood up and walked towards the supply store. Xiao Wei said, "I don't need anything except the house. Oh, by the way, can we keep that sidecar motorcycle?"

Director Qin turned his head and said, "You want it? If you want it, I'll find a place to fix it for you, as long as the engine works."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll take it if it can be fixed. I've never ridden one before."

As Director Qin made a phone call, Liu Sui sighed and said, "Time, everything eventually turns to nothing but smoke, leaving nothing behind."

(End of this chapter)