Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 619 Old Cao

Xiao Wei said, "It adds up to about a thousand yuan a month. I'll make do for now since the building isn't finished. Lunch is provided."

Hao Dawei clenched his fist and said, "I won."

When they arrived at Huang Laosi's house, Huang Laosi wasn't home; he was playing cards outside. His wife led a few people to look for him and pulled him off the card table. The stakes weren't low; there was over a thousand yuan piled on the table. Xiao Liu confiscated the money. Xiao Wei wrote down the identities of the card players. He didn't have time to deal with it today and told them to report to the police station tomorrow.

Back at Huang Laosi's house, his wife didn't say a word, and the children cried on the side. Xiao Liu said, "Look at your family's situation. You still have the leisure to gamble outside. Don't you have any sense? This fine is three or four thousand. How are you going to pay it?" Huang Laosi's family didn't look well-off.

Old Huang sat there with his head drooping, not saying a word. Xiao Wei said, "Now I'm giving you a chance to do good. If you manage to do it today, I won't hold you accountable for the gambling, I won't fine you, and I can even return whatever you lost. Are you in?"

His wife immediately stopped crying, turned around and looked at him. Huang Laosi looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Wei looked at Hao Dawei, who said, "Old Cao, Cao Sanzi, they're looking for Cao Sanzi."

Huang Laosi asked, "What do you want with Sanzi?"

Xiao Liu said, "As long as I can find someone, that's fine. What can you help me with? Can you find someone?"

Huang Laosi lowered his head and hesitated. His wife scolded him, "Huang Laosi, are you even human? Are you even a man?" As she spoke, she pinched the child, who inexplicably burst into tears. The three- or four-year-old child wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and cried, "Mommy, I'm sorry, please don't hit me." Huang Laosi's wife also started crying.

Huang Laosi swallowed a few times and said, "I'll take you there."

Xiao Liu asked, "Did you lose today?"

Huang Laosi glanced at his wife and said, "I lost, I lost more than four hundred."

Xiao Liu counted out five hundred from the money he had just confiscated and handed it to Huang Laosi's wife, saying, "Consider this a reward for his good deed today. Keep an eye on the men from now on, don't let them have any money on them, and don't help them pay off their debts. If they act tough, call the police." Huang Laosi's wife took the money and thanked him profusely.

Xiao Wei said, "Look at the state of the house. A grown man like you doesn't think about making money and has the nerve to gamble outside. I don't even know what to say to you."

Huang Laosi chuckled awkwardly, stood up, glanced at the money in his wife's hand, swallowed hard, and said, "I'll take you there; it's a bit far."

Xiao Liu asked, "What does he do?"

Huang Laosi said, "I work at the supply and marketing cooperative and don't come to the city often. I've been to his house once before, so I should be able to find it."

At this time, most of the area around Fengtian was rural, and the roads were not easy to travel. It took the four people in the car nearly two hours to reach the town where Cao Sanzi lived. By then, it was pitch black, and there were no streetlights in the town. The sound of dogs barking could be heard in the darkness.

Following Huang Laosi's directions, Xiaowei parked the car by the roadside. Huang Laosi pointed to a brick-walled courtyard by the roadside and said, "This is Lao Cao's house. It looks like they've gone to bed." Back then, people in the countryside went to bed early. They basically went to sleep as soon as it got dark, unless there was something going on or they were gambling.

The four men got out of the car. Xiao Wei surveyed the surrounding terrain by the moonlight, while Xiao Liu said to Huang Lao Si, "Let's call for help."

Avoiding Huang Laosi's gaze, he drew his gun and cocked it.

Xiao Wei whispered, "Isn't that unnecessary?" Xiao Liu looked around and said, "It's better to be careful. It's just the two of us; there aren't enough people."

Hao Dawei said, "It's okay, I'm here for you."

Xiao Wei reached out and patted Hao Dawei's arm; it was really sturdy.

Huang Laosi walked to the iron gate of the courtyard and looked inside, calling out, "Old Cao, Cao Laosan, Sanzi, it's me, Huang Laosi, are you home?"

After a few shouts, the dogs barked even more fiercely. A light came on in one of the rooms, and after a while, a man wearing a coat came out of the door, looking carefully outside as he asked, "Who is it?"

Huang Laosi said, "It's me, Huang Laosi. Open the door, I need to talk to you."

Old Cao shrugged his coat and walked over, asking, "Why are you here at this hour in the dark? What's up?" He opened the iron gate. Xiao Liu immediately rushed in, grabbing Old Cao's arm and saying, "I'm a policeman! Don't shout, don't move! Is there an empty room?"

Old Cao paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, the west room is empty."

Xiao Liu said, "Let's go, let's walk slowly."

All four of them entered the courtyard. Xiao Wei knocked on the gate and followed Lao Cao into the west room he had mentioned, where the lights were turned on.

This room had probably been uninhabited for a long time, used as a storage room. It was filled with miscellaneous items, and the kang (heated brick bed) was covered in dust. Xiao Liu looked around the room and asked Lao Cao, "Do you know Qin Aihua?"

Old Cao's expression changed. He took a deep breath, sighed heavily, and nodded, saying, "I know."

Xiao Wei asked, "What do you know? Tell me, it will only benefit you."

Old Cao said, "You police are really something, finding me in just a few days. Actually, if you hadn't come today, I would have gone to the police station tomorrow anyway. This matter has nothing to do with me, but after thinking it over, I think it's best to report it to the authorities. I'll give you some things." He turned and walked out, with Xiao Liu following him. Xiao Wei nudged Hao Dawei, and Hao Dawei followed as well.

Old Cao said, "No need, my whole family is at home. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with me directly; I just happened to be there."

The item was placed in the outer room of the west wing. There was a thick envelope in a basket on a shelf. Old Cao took it out and handed it to Xiao Liu, saying, "I'm the only one who's looked at it. I didn't touch anything. This kid has gone crazy. But you can't really blame him."

Xiao Liu asked, "Have you met Qin Aihua? When did you meet her?"

Old Cao said, "Yesterday morning, he and Xiaomei came to my house, gave me this and left, asking me to give it to his parents."

Xiao Liu said, "What did you say? Explain it clearly."

Old Cao said, "Actually, this is partly my fault. I knew about this at the beginning of the year, but I never expected that this kid would actually do it. He came yesterday morning and said he had killed someone. I was stunned. Xiao Mei even got slapped twice by me. It's all her fault."

I urged him to turn himself in, but he said murder is punishable by death, and knowing he didn't have many days left, he planned to spend those few days with Xiaomei and see what happened when he got caught. Then he left. He and I are best friends, true best friends. I didn't know what to do about this. I only just figured it out today, and I was thinking of going to the police station tomorrow to report it and hand this over. I didn't expect you guys to be so quick, arriving tonight.

(End of this chapter)