winter past

Zhao You rushed to the hot pot restaurant excitedly, Xiaoman and his friend—just the two of them, had already sat at a table for four and had eaten.The spicy hot pot was steaming hot, and the smell of pepper and hemp was tangy. Zhao You trotted to the table. When Xiaoman saw him, he introduced the friend who was sitting opposite him to Zhao You: "Wang Changming, my classmate in the police academy, who came out My old partner during the mission, my old comrade-in-arms, has recently been transferred back to Qingshi." Immediately afterwards, Xiaoman was about to introduce Zhao You to Wang Changming, and the word "Zhao" had already been spoken, before he could continue, Zhao You You stretched out both hands first, grasped Wang Changming's hand holding the chopsticks excitedly, shook it up and down, and hurriedly introduced himself: "My surname is Zhao, my surname is Zhao, just call me Xiao Zhao, brother Changming, hello, Hello, I always hear Xiaoman mentioning you, seeing it is better than hearing it a hundred times."

He was chatting vigorously, and from the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Xiaoman standing up from his seat. It turned out that when he reached out just now, he knocked over the cup in Xiaoman's hand. It also flowed onto Xiaoman's jacket and pants.From the corner of his eyes, Zhao You looked at Xiaoman holding a paper towel to wipe his clothes, he turned his head quickly, anxious to apologize to him, called the waiter to bring more paper towels, hurriedly picked up the cup, took the paper towel to wipe Xiaoman's chopsticks, and helped His wet clothes.Xiao Man didn't care, pointed to the direction of the toilet, and said, "Then you guys talk, I'll clean up."

Xiaoman lowered his head and dragged his clothes and left. The waiter came to wipe the table and changed a new set of tableware. Zhao You sat on the edge of Xiaoman's previous seat, glanced at the dishes on the table, and added a new set of tableware. A piece of crispy meat, a piece of mutton, and a piece of duck intestines.

Wang Changming asked him, "What do you drink? Beer?"

"I'm driving." Zhao You picked up Xiaoman's cup, there was still a little soy milk in it, he poured it down with his head up, and said, "Just drink soy milk."

Wang Changming looked at him with a smile, filled the cup with soy milk, and said, "Just now he told me that he made new friends and opened up new business recently. I thought he was lying to me, but I didn't expect it to be true." .”

Zhao You smiled, and a gust of cold wind from the air conditioner rolled up the hot wind that was surging above the hot pot and blew it straight towards his face. The heat and cold were mixed. Zhao You lowered his head to avoid the limelight, took some hot pot meatballs in a bowl, rinsed the meat slices, and said : "I heard Xiaoman talk about you." He said softly: "He treats you a little bit, how should I say, feel guilty..."

Wang Changming said: "He even told you about those things ten years ago? You have a very good relationship." He smiled, ate a chopstick dish, and said, "He puts everything in his heart."

The hot pot was gurgling, and the wind was blowing elsewhere. Zhao You raised his eyes and smiled at Wang Changming again, and said, "He said, it was very late that night, it must be early in the morning, and he didn't rest all those days. Well, the car broke down, and the weather is hot, people are dizzy, he is also in a hurry to solve the case, and he got confused for a while, such a big case..."

Wang Changming blinked his eyes: "Ah? Did he remember wrongly? It was about five or six o'clock in the evening. I remember that the broadcast was broadcasting on the radio station at that time, that music program, what to do with me, the host's name was An An, and the voice It’s very sweet, it’s the program where you can call in and order songs as a gift, but when you hear it again this time, it’s a different host.”

"Oh, yes, yes, evening, evening, I misremembered."

When Zhao Youjia's dishes came, Wang Changming handed them to him one by one. Zhao You put raw food into the hot pot, and the bustle of boiling soup subsided for a while.Wang Changming put down his chopsticks, looked at the copper-colored cauldron, put his hands on his lap, and said in a low voice: "I didn't know until the day I arrested that big drug lord, Kun Nu, that he and Xiaoman had revenge for killing his father. I I have been friends with him for so many years, and it was only on that day that Xiaoman told me that when he was 15 years old, he had a big fight with his mother, and he ran away from home in a fit of anger, and traveled around with a group of band players. Went to Beijing, went to Chongqing, went to Shanghai, participated in music festivals, sold and sang on the street, played all kinds of things, and only after returning home did I know that his father had left, right next to him when he ran away from home. God, he died on duty while on a mission. His mother looked for him everywhere, but he couldn't find anyone. His father's body was sent back from Yunnan. One eye was gouged out, his hands and feet were gone, and he was just thrown in a At the gate of the police station."

Zhao You watched the pink meat in the hot pot slowly turn brown, the duck intestines slowly curled up, and said in a low voice, "I only know that his father died in the line of duty in Yunnan..."

Wang Changming said again: "He took his father's death on his shoulders, but what does it have to do with him? He was in Qingshi, and his father was in Yunnan, separated by thousands of miles. The special police officer took over his father's duty, and his mother became a monk and became a nun, but she never saw him again, and said that she and him were done with each other, and there was no need to see him again."

Wang Changming said: "I never blamed him, really, I have talked to him several times, I completely accept his explanation, I can understand, really, I didn't say that to comfort him, he suddenly thought I found new clues, and felt that it would be dangerous to meet that person, and after all, it was not in line with the regulations for me to be a special policeman following the criminal investigation to run the case, so he went alone with a gun...but he..." Wang Changming smiled wryly , picked up the chopsticks again, and put them into the hot pot that was showing signs of churning again. He looked at Zhao You and said, "Let's go, the more I talk about it, the more sorry and embarrassing he is, so I won't talk about it anymore. I won’t talk to him about it anymore. Sometimes I think that he might be under a lot of pressure seeing me.” Wang Changming took a deep breath, pressed it down in his throat, and said, “My dad originally asked him to When I come to my house for dinner, he gets scared when I mention it. He is willing to come out to meet me today. I am very happy for him. Listen to you, he is also willing to talk to you about his past. How should I say it? , take your time, you know what I mean?"

Zhao You nodded vigorously, looking in the direction of the toilet, Xiao Man came out and was coming towards them, raising his arms and mouth to greet him.Zhao You raised his glass to clink with Wang Changming, and said, "Let's not talk about the past."

Wang Changming smiled and clinked glasses with him. When Xiaoman came back, he took out his mobile phone and showed Xiaoman and Zhao You the photos of him taking his family to Hainan to play a while ago.They chatted about Hainan, whether "the ends of the earth" is worth visiting, whether black goat meat is worth eating, what equipment to bring for diving, where to go to get a diving certificate, and so on.Nobody said a word about life right now, or the words "police" or "case."

Wang Changming saved a lot of photos of the seabed that he took while diving, and Xiaoman flipped through them one by one, looking very carefully and carefully.After watching those underwater scenery, he couldn't sit still, and he didn't eat. He just rubbed his fingers, touched his pockets, and licked his lips.

Zhao You knew that his addiction to cigarettes was on the rise.He said, "Anything else to add?"

Wang Changming said: "I'm full." He looked at the time, "I have to go home and take a bath for my son."

He called for the bill, rushed to pay, and the three parted in front of the hot pot restaurant. Zhao You offered to send Xiaoman back.On the way the two walked to get the car, Xiao Man lit a cigarette and smoked most of it in one breath.Zhao You said, "Don't worry, you can still smoke when you get in the car."

"Stop smoking, turn on the air conditioner, it's too hot."

After getting into Zhao You's car, Xiaoman happened to have finished smoking, so he really sat in the car with his arms folded and blowing on the air conditioner.Zhao You looked at him and didn't say anything. After driving more than half a block, he caught a glimpse of an ice cream shop and stopped the car.Xiaoman glanced at him, Zhao You said: "Jianghuo, the temperature is not very high today, you must have a high internal fire." He mentioned, "Just now I wanted to order a bowl of jelly, fifteen and a bowl , and it’s too expensive, I can see that your friend wants to treat you, so I don’t have the nerve to order it.”

Xiaoman laughed: "You can tell that he wants to treat you?"

Zhao You said: "When you went to the toilet to wipe your clothes, listening to what he was talking to me, I felt that he cared about you."

Xiaoman got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and said to Zhao You, "I'll wait for you outside."

He stood by the car and smoked.Zhao You went into the ice cream shop, ordered a chocolate single-ball cone, and then a mango single-ball cone, and walked back with a cone in one hand.He handed the mango-flavored cone to Xiao Man, and said, "Let's lower the fire."

Xiaoman smiled, but didn't take the cone.Zhao You handed over the chocolate again, and looked at him suspiciously.Xiaoman took the mango-flavored cone, threw away the cigarette butt, and took a small bite.Zhao You said, "Let's go."

They took a walk along the narrow road. There was a commercial plaza nearby, which contained KTV, sports club with rock climbing classroom, indoor playground, cinema, and fashionable restaurants. It was very popular among young people. The narrow roads are also full of young men and women, and the small shops on the road are also arranged in a romantic way. Many small colored lights are hung on the street trees in front of the shops.From time to time, Zhao You and Xiao Man have to make way for couples in pairs.The two often walked in tandem, with Zhao You walking in front for a while, and Xiao Man walking in front for a while.Xiaoman's body was covered with colorful light, and when he moved, the light followed him, flying around behind him like a butterfly.

Xiao Man suddenly said, "I'll move as soon as I find a house."

Zhao You said: "It's okay, she let you live, so you can live."

Xiaoman looked back at him: "Did her ring fall?"

Zhao You pointed to a street park ahead, and the two walked in. A marble fountain pool was built in the park, which was small and exquisite. In the center of the pool stood a chubby Cupid, with a bow in one hand and a short love arrow in the other , clear water gushed out from under your feet.The tap water near the fountain is very smelly.Zhao You walked past the fountain and said, "She dumped me."

Xiao Man said: "Should I say a few words of comfort at this time? But looking at you, it seems that you don't need comfort."

There are many zelkova trees planted in the park, with luxuriant branches and leaves, and tall street lamps look out from the open canopy to look around the world.There seemed to be a clearing hidden in the depths of the zelkova trees.Zhao You walked towards the looming open space and said, "She and I probably buy each other's insurance..."

Xiaoman didn't answer.Zhao You looked at him, Xiaoman was walking beside him, concentrating on driving away mosquitoes, eating a cone, after a while, he walked under a street lamp, his face lit up, his black hair and eyes glistened After a flash, Zhao You looked at him and said, "She suspected that I was a gay cheating marriage."

Xiaoman looked behind him and said, "It seems to be a place for children to play."

Zhao You followed his gaze, and what he was talking about was the open space behind the tree.Before they knew it, they had already reached the front of the clearing.The clearing is not empty, there are a few small metal ponies with spring bases, a sandpit, many sunflower-shaped sprinklers with bent necks, slides, climbing frames...it really looks like It's a place for children to play.

Next to the sandpit are two swings suspended from a horizontal bar.Xiao Man sat on a swing, continued to eat the cone silently, looked at the sky and the tree from time to time.

Zhao You walked over, sat on the swing next to him, and said, "Wang Changming seems to think I'm gay too..."

Xiaoman laughed loudly, nodded continuously, stretched his feet forward, touched the ground with his toes, leaned back, and swayed back and forth with a sense of inertia.

Zhao You looked at him: "Isn't that why you came to me?"

Xiao Man stopped laughing, glared at Zhao You, shrugged his shoulders with his arms drooping on the chain hanging from the swing.

"You're really annoying." Xiaoman said while nibbling on the crispy skin of the cone.

Zhao You scratched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head.Xiaoman asked him: "What are you thinking about? What are you thinking about me?"

"I like you very much." Zhao You said with his head down.

"What are you doing?"

Zhao You turned his face slightly to look at Xiao Man: "I'm going to express my feelings directly."

After hearing Zhile, Xiaoman was speechless again, and swayed even harder on the swing, chewing the crispy skin of the cone.Zhao You asked him: "Do you want to go to Hainan?"

"Why are you going to Hainan?"

Zhao You took out his mobile phone, searched for the price of a round-trip ticket to Hainan, and found a flight to show Xiaoman.

Xiaoman still asked: "Why are you going to Hainan?"

"Go diving? I don't know, I haven't been."

Zhao You searched for Hainan diving strategy again, and showed it to Xiaoman. At this moment, Suyin's WeChat just came, and it flashed on the screen: The dummy is booked, and it will arrive the day after tomorrow. Today 05 and 92 I wrote you a report on the shooting results of the two guns and the bullet marks left in the room. Do you want to keep the guns?If you don't keep it, I will go back.

Xiao Man looked away, looked at his feet, and said, "Let's go, take me back."

Zhao You replied to Suyin: Let's keep it for now.

He finished the cone in two or three bites, and Xiaoman also finished eating, got up, patted his butt, and walked back.Zhao You followed him.Don't mention Hainan, don't mention diving, don't mention anything, don't say a word anymore.He drove Xiaoman to Yin Miaozai's house, but Xiaoman didn't say a word, even leaned against the car door and fell asleep.

When the car arrived at the community, it happened that Yin Miaozai was picking up the package in front of the express cabinet near the gate of the community. When Zhao You saw her, he stopped the car, lowered the window and said to her, "Come on, I'll take you back."

Xiaoman woke up, rubbed his eyes and yawned. Yin Miaozai took the package and got into the car, patted Xiaoman, and said, "It happens that you two are here, let's sit together, we are in a meeting."

"Us?" Zhao You looked at her from the rearview mirror.Yin Miaozai smiled: "Yes, alas, let's go up and talk about it."

The three entered Yin Miaozai's house together.Yin Miaozai changed shoes in the hallway, put the package on the shoe cabinet, and said, "I bought some sticky notes, markers and the like."

There are two pairs of unfamiliar men's shoes in front of the shoe cabinet, a pair of leather shoes, which are very old, and a pair of sneakers, which are quite new.Zhao You looked into the living room and saw Xiao Jing and Xing Tianxiang sitting in the living room.

Xiaoman said at this time: "I forgot to tell you..."

Zhao You walked into the living room, and the living room changed.The sofa is gone, and where the sofa used to be is now two whiteboards, one with the words "Aegean Sea Killer, Mummy Killer" written on it, and one, two, three, four, five "technical features" are listed below, all It is Yin Miaozai's handwriting.The whiteboard next to it is covered with newspaper clippings and single-person photos, with various interlaced lines drawn between the photos.

There are four tables in front of the whiteboard, each with a chair, two computer monitors on one table, two cardboard boxes stacked on one table, some snacks on the other table, a lot of wires can be seen on the ground , Two sleeping bags can still be seen on the ground.

Standing behind Zhao You, Xiao Man said, "All in all, this is a gathering place now..."

Yin Miaozai also entered the living room with the package in her arms, and said, "What kind of gathering, this is the detective branch."

She patted Zhao You, and said: "Let me introduce formally, Xiao Zhao, our police dog is mainly responsible for running around, smelling, looking, looking, and inquiring, but because it is very pleasing and pleasing, no one hates it." He, a friendly reminder to everyone, don’t bark a dog that bites.”

Xiaojing raised his hand and said, "Zhu Jixiang, responsible for technical support."

Zhao You asked Yin Miaozai: "Huh? Use a fake name? Then I don't want to be called Xiao Zhao..."

Yin Miaozai gave him a gouged look, and grabbed a large handful of markers from the express box.

Xing Tianxiang cupped his hands at Zhao You with a smile, and said: "Old Xing is also responsible for running around, smelling, looking, looking, and inquiring, but he is not very likable, a bereaved dog, a bereaved dog."

Yin Miaozai said: "Miding Shitai, in charge of logistics and providing venues."

Everyone looked at Xiao Man, and he looked at everyone one by one, and he said uncertainly: "I am mainly responsible for investigating cases? Uh, stray dogs?"

Xiaojing yelled strangely: "What's the matter? Wangwang team is holding a meeting?"

Yin Miaozai asked: "What is Wang Wang team?"

"What's your name?" Xing Tianxiang looked at Xiaoman with a smile, "Why should I call you little?"

Zhao You said: "A cartoon...is all about dogs."

Xiaojing stared at Xiaoman, put his hands in his sweater pockets, sat on a table, and said: "I know who you are, since we all gather here, of course the purpose is not the same, but we all come here. Here, we want to share information and resources, and we all come here with a cooperative attitude.”

Zhao You interrupted with a smile: "As expected of the son of a great reporter, he has first-class language skills."

Xiao Jing ignored him, with a cold face and cold eyes, still staring at Xiao Man: "Can I ask what happened in 404 that day?"

Yin Miaozai interrupted: "That corpse..."

Xiao Jing said, "It's not that day, it's that day."

Xiaoman said generously: "Yes."

Xiao Jing asked him: "What time did you arrive at the Aegean Sea Hotel? Why did you go alone? Why didn't you go with your partner Dai Rou? Since you think Lin Midong is very suspicious, shouldn't you act more cautiously?" Why? Why go to the meeting alone?"

The atmosphere was tense, but no one raised any objections. It could be seen that everyone present was very interested in this matter and how Xiao Man would answer.