winter past

After going downstairs, Xiao Man asked Zhao You, "What car do you drive?"

Zhao You said: "Team Zhan lent me the car to drive for half a day, and I have to return it tomorrow." He looked to the side of the road, "It's the one in front of the convenience store."

The two walked towards the parking lot at the same time.Zhao You laughed.Xiaoman then asked him: "What are you laughing at?"

Zhao You said: "I think we have a tacit understanding."

Xiao Man looked ahead and said, "I want to visit Boss Wang's house."

"I just came from the village, there are many reporters." Zhao You said again: "No one should come to you to ask about the past."

"Come on." Xiao Man lit a cigarette, he thought for a while, "Is this a matter of my personal style?"

Zhao You looked at him, then at the eye in his hand.Xiaoman also looked at him, raising his eyebrows at him with the cigarette in his hand, noncommittal.The next moment, he asked Zhao You: "Why are you silent? What are you thinking about?"

"I was wondering if you were happy to see me when you opened the door just now." Zhao You told the truth, looked at Xiao Man, and smiled again.

Xiao Man also smiled, and paused for a while, as if she didn't want to answer directly, but finally admitted: "I'm very happy."

Zhao You hurriedly asked: "Why?"

"Is there a reason to be happy? Do you have to give a reason?"

"Of course there are reasons to be happy. There are all kinds of happiness in this world. For example, you are looking forward to seeing me, and I happen to appear in front of you. Seeing me, this is the joy of everything going well, for example, you want to see me, you ask where I am, coincidentally I want to see you too, I also want to know where you are, we have an appointment, we can't wait Going there and seeing it at last, this is the dust settled and the heart-satisfied happiness.”

Xiaoman smoked a cigarette and listened, with the corners of his mouth curled up, he said: "I was thinking of someone, and I saw him right away, so I was really happy."

At this time, they had already reached the side of the car Zhao You drove, Xiaoman pulled the door, which was still locked, he glanced at Zhao You, Zhao You pointed to the convenience store behind him, and said, "I am I really want to buy something to eat…”

Xiaoman shook his head, laughed dumbfoundedly, threw away the cigarette, and entered the convenience store with Zhao You.Zhao You bought a box of microwave fried rice cakes, half a box of fried chicken wings, and two bottles of iced Fanta.Xiaoman took a piece of meat floss bread.The two sat down in the dining area, Zhao You went to use the microwave, Xiaoman opened a soda, and the rice cakes were ready, they sat together and read the instructions on the back of the packaging box, and mixed the rice cakes.

Zhao You originally lowered his head, and the sauce in the rice cake box was mixed well. When he looked up, he saw Xiao Man sitting opposite him, and started laughing again, took a big mouthful of rice cakes, nodded his head and said, "I'm an important person now. Happy when things go well.”

"Eat yours." Xiaoman rubbed his hair and asked, "Are your parents' hair also very soft?"

Zhao You answered the wrong question: "The hair is soft and the heart is soft." He drank soda and said, "That's why the heart is very easy to feel uncomfortable."

Xiao Man took a big bite of the bread, stopped looking at him, and sat sideways with her face propped up.As soon as his eyes moved away, and as soon as he remained silent, Zhao You's heart was pounding, and he said: "During the time you are preparing yourself, if I regret it, I will tell you, if you think I am very I'm bored, can you tell me too, okay?"

Xiaoman glanced at Zhao You, still facing a row of shelves.He still doesn't speak.

For some reason, Zhao You suddenly wanted to tell him something.He said: "When I was a child, during summer vacation, my mother took me to swim in the open-air swimming pool. There was a small shop by the pool, which sold that kind of torch cone. The cone skin is very soft. Now there are no more. The ice cream is vanilla flavored. There are two types of ice cream, one with chocolate sauce on top, and one with a layer of chocolate skin on the outside. This kind of ice cream costs [-] cents more.

"One day, I was tired from playing in the water. I bought a cone, the one with chocolate sauce, the cheap one. I stood by the pool and ate it. I saw a boy, older than me. Some, with long hands and feet, dark skin, no swimming cap, no goggles, jumping into the water, like a fish, surrounded by so many people, I saw him jumping into the water, swimming in the pool like a fish Swim. I watched him swim while eating the cone. After eating one, I bought another one, the one that cost [-] cents more. I slowly ate the chocolate coat... I often went there during the summer vacation. I often saw him swimming in the open-air swimming pool, but I never said a word to him.

"I still remember him."

After talking about this matter, Zhao You regretted it.Because Xiaoman's eyes moved away again, he looked down at the meat floss bread in his hand, chewing silently.What does this memory of his have to do with Xiaoman?Was he waiting for him to say he was the dark boy?Was he waiting for some fateful reunion?That boy looks nothing like Xiao Man.That boy couldn't be Xiaoman at all.Even if you want to share your thoughts with Xiaoman and deepen our mutual understanding, why did you choose to share in the convenience store next to this hotel chain?Is there anything more ordinary, ordinary, and inconspicuous than this?Also eat microwave food, junk food...

Zhao You lowered his head and ate in silence. He didn't know why he wanted to mention that dark-skinned boy to Xiao Man, and he didn't know why he wanted to mention the torch cone, the expensive fifty cents wrapped in chocolate coat and Xiao Man's again. What does it matter?It just makes him sound like a very talkative, self-centered guy.Perhaps Xiaoman still thinks that he has never met his kind in the past twenty years, and it is only because he met him—another man who likes men that he has a good impression of him and pursues him so hard.Long drought meets rain.Desert meets oasis.

But it's not like this...but...

Xiaoman spoke softly: "I used to have a neighbor who was five or six years older than me. When I was in junior high school, he was already in college. His family opened a fruit shop near our house. He Sometimes he would go to the store to help, and he was very good at using a small shovel-like knife for peeling pineapple. When the small shovel knife circled the pineapple, the black spots fell off the pineapple in a circle. He He will press the top of the pineapple with one hand, and after peeling, he wipes his hands on his clothes.

"I bought pineapples home, cut them into slices and soaked them in salt water for half a day. Sometimes they still taste hot when I eat them. I just thought of him, and I don't know why..." Xiaoman looked at Zhao You and smiled, "Zhao You ,now."

Zhao You wiped his mouth, he finished eating, Xiao Man also finished eating the bread, and the two went out with a bottle of Fanta each.Zhao You drove, closed the windows for ventilation, the car turned, changed lanes, and shook frequently, and his heart also wobbled, moving to the "happy" road for a while, and approaching the curve called "uneasy" for a while. , After a while, I swayed into the lane of "rejoicing", and I couldn't tell whether this uneasiness would lead to an unknown end, whether this reassurance meant a direction of relief, whether I felt happy, uneasy, or anxious for a while It doesn't matter to him whether he is happy or not.It doesn't matter whether it is forgotten, missed, an inseparable part, or a consumable item that can be discarded at any time.The weather is still so sweltering, he smells the rain in the air, it is very fishy, ​​like a corpse, he and Xiaoman are sitting in the air-conditioned car, drinking iced soda, he should also be thinking about the corpse, he may be full The brains are all corpses, those who died under Lin Midong's hands...

Zhao You closed the window.The only smell in the car was the air freshener plugged into the vent, citrus.He and Xiaoman took a sip of soda at the same time.The air bubbles were jumping up and down in his mouth, and he seemed to have become as light as these air bubbles. The car drove on the straight road. Zhao You knew that this road would lead to Huangguozi Village. Now, at this moment, he He and Xiaoman are going there together.Now, at this moment, is what matters most.

Zhao You said: "Chen Wan'er said that she received Cao Lv at about five o'clock, and her own car just broke down, so she drove the car under the name of her daughter Yan Feifei. We have verified this point, and she Went to have a wedding, the car was parked in front of the hotel, was hit by a drunk, the car is still in the garage.

"The person she picked up near Hongyun, it is said that Cao Lv was in a panic at the time. He didn't bring a bag or anything. He said he didn't know what happened. Before that, he was taking a nap at home. When he woke up, he was here. I only had a mobile phone with me, so I had no choice but to call her. She said that something like this happened before. Cao Lv came back from Nanjing, sleepwalked in the middle of the night, and ran out by himself in the middle of the night, instead of using the elevator, he took the stairs. Wandering around in the downstairs community, she just stared at a puppy, wanted to catch the dog, and almost abused the dog. She followed her a few times, and Cao Lv's behavior was really abnormal, as if he had changed into a different person. He, he has no memory of that period of time, and because of this, she was even more sure that Cao Lv had indeed suffered from a split personality.

"She didn't remember what time she got home that morning on the 5th. It felt like it was dawn. When she got home, she asked Cao Lv to rest in the study. She was also very sleepy, so she went back to her room to sleep. According to the elevator monitoring in the community, they It was the building I entered at 5:35 in the morning on the 774th. After that, Cao Lu was not photographed by the elevator, but Yan Feifei’s car left the parking lot of the community at [-]:[-]. The road surveillance showed that the Volkswagen Tange I drove directly to Fafa Slaughterhouse. Shanshui Yayuan is very close to Fafa. I can pass by the highway. The car arrived at the periphery of the slaughterhouse at [-]:[-]. It stopped on the side of the road, and the surveillance camera captured a person running down the road. After getting out of the car, looking at the back, it looks like Cao Lu. Also, the monitoring at the entrance of the slaughterhouse shows that at [-]:[-], a car from Blue Sky Cleaning, tail number [-], drove out of the factory area. Blue Sky Cleaning often has cars parked at the slaughterhouse In the field, the car is equivalent to an office of the cleaning company in the factory area. There are a lot of large-scale cleaning equipment in it, such as carpet washing machines, as well as a lot of disinfectant and protective clothing. It is common to drive in and out The security guard will not ask too much about the matter, and will not take a second look, so it is impossible to say whether it is Cao Lv who is driving.

"The 774 was driving towards the Wetland Park. At 07:30, it disappeared from a surveillance camera near the entrance of the Wetland Park. In the parking lot of the park, it was not photographed at several entrances and exits. Later, it appeared near the Wetland Park. According to the monitoring, it was 45:[-], and then the car returned to the slaughterhouse. At [-]:[-], a person suspected of Cao Lu got into Yan Feifei's car and left the vicinity of the slaughterhouse. At [-]:[-], the car returned to the slaughterhouse. In the parking lot of the community, a person suspected of Cao Lu got out of the car, but he was still not seen in the elevator monitoring, and he might still be walking up the stairs.

"Dr. Chen said that after her daughter went to work at nine o'clock, she went to the study and woke up Cao Lu, and took a taxi to take him home. According to Cao Lu's roommate, he went out again after returning at 09:30 in the morning. Ask him Don't say where you're going."

"He went back to Qingshui Garden again? If according to your guess, Cao Lv is the mummy killer, the one who killed the old couple in 304. He was interrupted by Zhang Li in the middle of processing the corpse, and then killed Zhang Li. After disposing of his body, and Dr. Chen said that when he received him in Yanzigou, he did not bring a bag with him. Judging from the items found at the scene and the condition of the body, the mummy killer must have an embalming liquid And bags of other equipment, that is to say, his bags are likely to be left at the 304 scene, maybe he hasn't finished setting up the scene yet, so he went back to clean up the scene?" Xiao Man also asked: "Dr. Chen's daughter usually goes to work at this time?"

"Cao Lv lived in her house for a period of time, so he may have figured out their routine at that time," Zhao You said.

The car drove into Huangguozi Village, and a row of cars parked on the dirt road could be seen from a distance.Xiao Man said, "Just stop here."

Zhao You said, "You go first."

Xiaoman nodded, and the two got out of the car. Xiaoman walked away first, and Zhao You shouted to the open space: "Boss Wang! Where are you going! Don't run away!"

After a while, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. A large group of people held their mobile phones and cameras rushed over.Zhao You hid behind a tree.

"What about people?"

"What about people?"

"There it is!"

"Is that his car!"

People whispered to each other, looked around, the flashes flashed, and some people turned on the headlights to illuminate a piece of farmland. The mountain village in the dark night was suddenly as bright as day.

"Boss Wang! I'm a reporter from Today's News!"

"I'm from Express!"

"Give way!!"

Zhao You avoided these people, and found near the grocery store. There were a few young people sitting in front of the store, all of them lazily, either looking at their mobile phones or smoking.He also avoided these few people, walked around the plowing field to the back door of the grocery store, and there were several people guarding the edge of the field.Xiao Man was chatting with them and giving them cigarettes, and they sat around together.Xiaoman caught a glimpse of Zhao You, and gestured to send business cards to the group of people.

Taking advantage of no one's attention, Zhao You slipped into the backyard of the grocery store and touched the edge of the back door, which was locked. He took out a master key and quickly unlocked the door, and entered the house.He searched the house carefully, and found that the place in front of the store and the back of the store were just daily necessities, and there was no trace of Cao Lv's life here.He turned around, returned to the living room, looked up at the photos on the wall, and took down the big photo frame that was full of photos.He flipped out all the photos inside and looked at them one by one. It turned out that the young Boss Wang was holding a kite, and a boy was photographed next to the photo with a man who looked like his father.The boy was very small, standing behind Boss Wang's father, leaning on his arm, looking sadly at the kite in Boss Wang's hand.The kite is blue.

Zhao You had only seen a one-inch photo of this little boy not long ago.The boy is Cao Lv.He no longer saw the boy in other pictures.

Zhao You took this photo and went out.He walked deep into the village for a while, and Xiaoman followed.Zhao You handed him the photo, and Xiaoman looked forward. Number 64 is right up ahead.The two walked side by side in that direction.

Xiaoman returned the photo to Zhao You, and said: "Fu Yuanyuan, from Tongcheng, Zhejiang Province, was married once. Because of her husband's domestic violence, she brought her son to Qingshi. She originally came to seek refuge with her aunt. The family stayed for a few days before leaving, and was introduced to sell beer at a bar in Yanzigou, and later started a business in a small building near the bar. His child Fu Weiqiang first studied in Yanzigou Migrant Workers’ Children School because of his good grades. , the school recommended him to go to Heishan Primary School to study the top class, and he usually lives in the school. As for herself, because the price is cheap, she rented a house in Huangguozi Village, so she met Wang Youpeng, who opened a grocery store at the entrance of the village. Da's father. After going back and forth, she became friends with Wang You, who had a family.

"The school is quite far from here. Fu Weiqiang only goes home during the holidays. She often goes to school to watch the children. The teachers think that the mother of the child is in business and sells insurance. She is very busy and often travels. The child is smart and not He is talkative and very popular with the teachers, knowing that the child is a single-parent family and the mother is often not around, many teachers will take the initiative to take him home for dinner."

Zhao You said at this time: "He skipped grades, he is much younger than the children in the class, and he is very popular with the teacher."

Xiaoman nodded: "It is very likely that some psychological shadow has fallen in elementary school, you can ask his elementary school classmates."

Xiaoman said: "This is the path that Fu Yuanyuan has traveled, and it is also the path that Weng Qing has traveled."

"It's the path that Lin Midong walked, and it's also the path that Cao Lu...Fu Weiqiang walked."

"Cao Lu is not considered an outsider to the villagers, nor is he considered a familiar face."

Zhao You nodded, and the two of them walked to the door of No. 64. The surroundings were quiet. Zhao You pushed the door first, but it couldn't be opened. Looking through the crack of the door, the two wooden doors were blocked with a large wooden bolt from the inside.Xiaoman knocked on the door and said, "Fifth, it's me."

After a while, the door opened, and the homeless fifth stood in the door, looking at Xiao Man, and then at Zhao You.Xiao Man arched Zhao You, and Zhao You asked, "How many of you are there?"

The fifth child stretched out five fingers, then rolled his eyes, pointed at himself, and said with a silly smile: "Including me, it's..."

He made a "six" and shook his hand.

Zhao You gave him 300 yuan.Xiao Man said, "I'll borrow your place to have a look." She was about to go inside.But the old fifth was still blocking the door, stretching his neck and saying: "The reporters who came today, those who shoot Kuaishou and Douyin must have this number."

He compared "eight".Xiaoman smiled, and the fifth child said politely: "Officer Xiao, we are old friends, I will give you this number."

He compared "seven" again.

Zhao You smiled, took Lao Wu's hand, and said warmly: "Old Brother, don't wander around Hongqi Bridge after you still have your ID card. The police patrol there three times a day. Check your ID card, if you find out, you will be deported to your country of origin, or have you sold your ID card to Master Jiu? Ordinary people will give this number, right?"

He wrote "four" in the palm of the fifth child.

Lao Wu swallowed his saliva, took 300 yuan, and let them into the yard. He blew his whistle, and saw five homeless men come out of the house one after another.Zhao You looked over one by one, he had seen them all in Montenegro before, and asked, "Have you seen Xue Zuoshou recently?"

The fifth child said, "The place of origin has been repatriated." He saluted Zhao You and smiled apologetically, "You two take your time and watch as long as you want. We will wait outside."