In 2112, the first snow, in the alleys of Huajie in Liyuan District, there were occasionally a few dog barks.

After class on Friday, Tingting was lying in front of the slightly dirty glass window. Falling on the window was already half-melted snow particles, which made the scenery a little mottled by her vision. The gap was imperceptible, and the cold moisture that came through it made her hands rub her hands unconsciously. Linglong's small mouth opened roundly, but the white hot steam exhaled into the palm escaped from between the fingers under the friction of the hands. But she was still looking out the window at the snow.

Sure enough, the first snow of the year excites the children.

In the noisy collision of pots and pans, Tang Quan's slightly hoarse middle-aged male voice was mixed, "Tingting, come over for dinner." "Yesterday's promise to his daughter was not fully fulfilled, and he said that he would take care of the housework, but his daughter finished it before he got off work, and he had to fry two more side dishes to make up for it. At the dinner table, he hunched over and put a piece of braised pork steak in his daughter's bowl, which was the food he brought back on the way to work today. Recently, the temperature has plummeted, and there is a problem with the factory machinery, as long as the last batch of parts is finished tomorrow, Tang Quan may have to relax at home for a few days. But he is actually quite happy in his heart, he is in a hurry to work all year round, and he can accompany his daughter well in the next few days.

"It's coming, it's coming." Tingting jumped over, the school uniform on his body fit very well, and it didn't look like there was a trace of shaking. The crudely constructed benches are a bit low, and the legs of the dining table are too slender, so that the sitting Tingting can only just put his chin on the table, which is quite troublesome to eat. Her slender fingers grasped the edge of the table, her dark eyes looked at the ingredients on the small round table, her pretty little face was filled with a satisfied smile, and her lips were slightly open, "Oh, father, you have just recovered from a serious injury, and I want meat for you to eat." Also, I don't like this braised pork very much. As soon as the words fell, Tingting was about to raise his chopsticks when Tang Quan's right hand that was quickly stretched out was pressed down.

"Who believes your nonsense, it's obviously a little glutton, you don't like any meat." Tang Quan suddenly laughed, "You were talking in your dreams a few days ago." He pinched his throat with his left hand and said in an exaggerated tone, "Ahhhh ”

Tingting's clumsy lie was exposed, his cheeks flushed slightly, he pretended to be angry, and slapped his father's hand that had not yet reached back, "I don't care, I don't care, at least half of it will be eaten for you." That being said, she didn't make it good with her chopsticks, so she aggressively tore open the steak with her mouth.

Seeing his daughter's stubborn face, Tang Quan had no choice but to take it, he played with the sparse white stubble on the side of his mouth a few times, "Actually, I have recently raised my salary, we don't need to be so poor, I will buy you what you want to eat tomorrow." ”

"Really?" A look of joy flashed, Tingting looked away, "Cut, I'm not rare to eat." ”

"Oh, forget it." Tang Quan smiled evilly. Sure enough, he immediately saw his daughter's restless appearance, which couldn't help but make him secretly laugh, "Let her be stubborn, I'm embarrassed to regret it, let her feel uncomfortable first, and surprise her when I come back tomorrow when I buy a cake." He was thinking so beautifully in his heart, when he lowered his head to pick up the rice, he was already a little hunchbacked, and his back bent in a smack-smacking arc.

"You seem to be taking an exam lately, are you tired of studying?"

"I'm not tired, I finished my homework at school, just come back and read the book to review and review." Tingting shook his little head, and the single ponytail behind him also swayed smartly, looking cute.

Her daughter has excellent grades in school, and Tang Quan is not worried about her studies at all, and she is afraid that her baby daughter will be tired. Thinking about it carefully, my daughter never has to worry about herself not only in her studies, but also in life and psychology. I just need to work and earn money with peace of mind, and everything in the family is taken care of by my daughter. Sometimes Tang Quan feels that he is the one who is taken care of. "Tomorrow is the weekend, you have to take care of yourself at home alone, try to go out as little as possible, you can help in your uncle and aunt's shop, don't go out of the flower street alone, and don't go near the water."

Every weekend is Tang Quan's most distressed day, usually his daughter has the protection of the school, lunch can also be solved at school, and there should be good friends to play and relieve boredom. But on the weekend, she can only be left at home alone. The neighbors are very enthusiastic and often invite her, but when she explains to others, Tang Quan can't rest assured, her daughter will definitely be unable to help others, and when she is tired, he can't help jumping in distress? If you let your daughter stay at home quietly, it will be too boring, and maybe the skinny monkey named Pang Yu will come to the door to play. Tang Quan was very distressed, and always felt that that stinky boy would bring Tingting badly. In addition, there was a bad case recently, and he was worried that there would be criminals who abducted his baby daughter.

"I know, I know, father, you have to say it every Friday, I'm obviously very obedient." Tingting's slightly pursed mouth obviously carried a little dissatisfaction with his father, but she also understood that this was her father's concern for her, and then closed her eyes slightly, "What do you want to eat for dinner tomorrow?" You are allowed to choose from the dishes of the past few days, so cherish them until you are refreshed. ”

Tang Quandeng looked flattered, and began to scratch his head and scratch his ears, all kinds of salivating dishes in his mind were made by his daughter, and he didn't know how to choose for a while. After thinking for a while, he suddenly remembered that the ingredients for tomorrow were not very rich, "Tomato and egg noodles are fine." Although the ingredients are simple, after his daughter's skillful hands, he feels that they are delicious.

"That's it?"

"Well, that's it!"

It was a little dark, but they didn't turn on the lights. Take advantage of the afterglow of the street lights that are turned on early, and enjoy the tranquility carefully. The fog on the table was absent, and they ate hot food, as if their bodies were not so cold.

On Saturday, the light sun of the whole day blew away the traces of yesterday's heavy snow. In the afternoon, Tingting, who was writing her homework alone on the small table in the back room, always felt that there was some noise outside, she pushed open the Tianzi window and saw three or two policemen looking down for something outside.

"Yo, Tingting kid? You live here. ”

Tingting heard Xu Mengheng's voice, poked her head out to confirm, and sure enough, she saw the policewoman standing with her arms crossed by the window, so she nodded in response, "Uh-huh, where is Sister Mengheng?" I'm still investigating that case. ”

"Yes, if you don't solve it sooner, the people who live here won't be at ease."

"Good work." Tingting saw Xu Mengheng showing a little tiredness, sighed in his heart, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen to pour out a cup of hot water and took it out the door. "It's so cold outside, let's drink some hot water."

Xu Mengheng took it with a smile, and when his hands touched the part of the cup wall, a circle of white and red immediately appeared, "Thank you so much, thank you a lot." The other two policemen also stopped what they were doing when they heard the sound of the chief blowing, and one of them, a yellow-haired man who looked young, teased Tingting, "Huh? This isn't the elementary school student who visited our bureau last week. What, remember me? I, Liao Xingfan. ”

"Remember, remember." Tingting still has an impression of him, the last time he was invited to the police station, halfway through the visit, Xu Mengheng's sister had something to do on the way, leaving her and driving away. It was the yellow-haired brother who took her to various floors, visited different rooms, and showed her the pistols in the warehouse. In the meantime, he was talking endlessly with his hands and feet, and he was a very talkative person.

Liao Xingfan saw that Tingting remembered himself, and his tone became familiar, "Then, pour me a glass just now." ”

"Good. Why don't my brothers and sisters come to my house and sit down? Tingting said this, but did not hear the answer immediately, and looked up to see Xu Mengheng's face was slightly hesitant, so her eyebrows also drooped a little lost, "Can't you?" Oh! It will affect the work. ”

Xu Mengheng just thought of the argument with Emperor Zhantan yesterday, and felt ashamed, at this time she laughed two crescents, "It's time to rest, then I'll trouble you." ”

After entering the house, Tingting beckoned them to sit down casually, and went to find a cup to make tea. Seeing that the tea can was about to bottom out, she simply poured out the remaining whole bottle, but she was still not satisfied, because the full leaves were twisted away early, and the bottom of the can was a lot of fine slag, and the brewed condition was also ugly. And there was nothing to entertain at home, so Tingting had to apologize to them awkwardly. Fortunately, the police officers were not impressed, the two male policemen were lowering their heads, still analyzing the case than relying on the Chinese documents, while Xu Mengheng was walking back and forth in the house to observe the four walls, nodding from time to time.

"Xiao Tingting, can I go and sit inside?" Xu Mengheng pestled at the door of the inner room.

"Absolutely." Tingting led Xu Mengheng in, but he held his hands in front of him stiffly, always worried about whether the policewoman's sister would be unprepared to make a comment.

"Wow, this is your test paper. Elementary school math, so nostalgic. Of course, Xu Mengheng will not express her opinion on this slightly shabby residence, when she was young, her family environment was not much different from now, but it evoked memories that she should miss. Wow, Tingting, your handwriting is beautiful. She looked at the delicate ink handwriting on the neat scroll, but suddenly saw two more drops of bright red on the paper. The nose was itchy, and the index finger was crossed, and sure enough, it was blood. It was her first nosebleed since her diagnosis, but she didn't panic because spitting blood from her mouth was much more terrifying.

Tingting had already taken out a tissue to wipe the policewoman's sister, and squatted down to pinch her right hand, her tone was anxious, "Sister, you haven't looked good lately, are you too tired?" ”

"It's okay, it's okay. When this case is over, just get a good night's sleep, I was born with this physique. Xu Mengheng tilted her head, but the bleeding did not stop, and it was still pouring into her esophagus through her nose, and the rusty smell in her mouth also made her nauseous and nauseous. Tilting her head, she saw that there was a small crack in the half-layer frosted glass of the Tianzi window swimming, and when she looked away, the crack was still in front of her eyes, and her vision was blurred a few degrees, she smiled helplessly and asked, "Xiao Tingting, do you like roses?" ”

"Like. As long as it's a flower, I probably like it. ”

"Do you prefer red roses, white roses, or blue roses?"

Tingting sensed the intriguing nature of his words, and after a moment's thought, he replied, "White Rose." ”

"No wonder you have a white rose in front of your house. So, do you prefer a whole plant in a pot, or a single flower lined with a few green leaves in a vase? Xu Mengheng glanced at Tingting, who was worried about how to answer, and became more and more curious about the meaning of the white rose on the lintel, but she said something she didn't know what to say, "I also love flowers, but I don't like to stuff the flowers into the vase with fine mouths." People always try to leave good things behind, but they don't know that excessive covetousness can only accelerate the withering of beauty. can't turn into spring mud, even if it is unbelievably beautiful, it can only float for a few days. I love a flower, from the small bud to the lush, and when the stalk is strong enough to lift the green buds out, the daily tiredness and increase of anticipation, is not a kind of joy? Little Tingting, what about you? ”

"I ...... It's probably the same as my sister. The process of beauty is also a different kind of beauty. ”

"Oh? Whoever lies will swallow a thousand needles. Xu Mengheng said with a smile, "You have a good relationship with the flower shop proprietress here, I know it." But if I were you, I would be begging to find some flowers. It's just that guarding those few handfuls of soil every day doesn't take too much energy. And you leave the flowers that you should love outside the door, and you don't feel sorry for the traces of their wind, you are not a lover of flowers, but only covet their beauty, don't you? ”

"Yes, I just think they are beautiful, and it must be a good feeling to face my family when I see such a brief beauty before entering the door every day."

"Yes, beautiful things always evoke the conscience of human nature. But ah, Xiao Tingting, you say, if everyone in the alley had such a plant in front of their house, wouldn't this murderer case not happen? ”

Tingting was nervous, she knew that the policewoman sister had been questioning the flowers that shouldn't exist in front of her house, but she heard something in the seemingly unintentional words, and the policewoman sister seemed to be hinting at something.

"Don't be nervous." Xu Mengheng smiled again and took Tingting's hand, "It's New Year's Day soon, these days will carry the anticipation of next year, and the beauty in front of your house is about to wither, wait for you to make up for it, so that the fresh beauty will continue until a new beginning." The petals don't have to be spring mud and thick soil, they can also nurture new hope. ”

Tingting nodded in agreement, but there were many thoughts in her heart, and the policewoman sister in front of her seemed to tell her euphemistically, "I know why you are arranging flowers in front of the door, but I want to remind you that flowers must not wither before the arrival of the new year." In this way, it seems that she knows all the inside information, and if the policewoman's sister now says that she is a member of the Red League, she will probably believe it.

"Alright, we're pretty much done, we're going to continue. Xiao Tingting stay at home and don't run around. When this case is done, I will take you to eat delicious food. Xu Mengheng picked up the hat with the emblem and buckled it heavily on her head, she usually didn't wear it, but the weather was too cold, and her scalp was cold close to the tips of her hair.

"Okay, but sister, pay attention to rest, don't get tired."

When the policemen left, Tingting stood under the lintel, carefully examining the white petals. After a few moments, she was about to take it off, but suddenly remembered the bottom of her purse when she bought the ingredients this morning, and she took her hand back. It's just that the tip of the petal is a little yellow, and it should be no problem to stay up until tomorrow, she thinks that tomorrow on the 31st, her father will also pay her salary, and it is not too late to buy another one.

At ten o'clock in the evening, Tang Quan's machinery factory was close to the end of work. The doors were closed all day to avoid the cold, causing the air in the factory to be a little boring, and even the sound of the machines running was artificial.

"Old Tang, since this little star came to power, our side is not very peaceful." The one who spoke was a short, middle-aged fat man, with two peasy eyes on his plate face, and an exaggerated double chin that seemed to put a fleshy collar on him. This exaggerated posture is Pang Yu's father, and there is no doubt that he is "fat".

Big Fat's full name is Pang Deqing, but it seems that except for Tang Quan, no one will call him by his name.

"Huh? What's wrong? Tang Quan didn't stop what he was doing, but just inadvertently replied to this few friends.

"Ah, it seems that another child has disappeared outside Flower Street, and his relatives are gone. I don't know who did it, but I'm crazy. Maybe it's the scum of those magicians who are engaged in a power struggle again, and they don't even let go of other people's children. The fat man scratched the back of his newly sprouted neck, rustling, "But then again, those missing don't seem to have anything to do with the gang." Zhang Hengyuan, who lives in our alley, you know, feels like an ordinary office worker. How could it be related to those gangsters, it's strange. ”

"Well, I've heard about it, and I've been making people panic lately."

Tang Quan is not interested in these black social news, as long as his daughter is okay, others? Whatever. He still kept his head down, skillfully assembling a bunch of small parts of the machine, which was a relatively good product in their factory. At this time, the fat man's eyes resembled that of a professional detective, and his fat hands stroked the soft and collapsed chin back and forth, pretending to have an unfathomable expression, "But I seem to remember that this Zhang Hengyuan used to belong to the Second Regiment of the Demon Regiment, and he was a thunder attribute gunner. Hey, Don, do you have any impressions? Feel...... There's nothing strange here, is it? You have to be careful, I don't want to see anything happen to our little pavilion. ”

When Tang Quan heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched, and his brows lowered slightly, "From the Demon Regiment, right?" He was slightly surprised, and silently stared at the unusual lines in his palm. Years of peace have diluted the memory of his military career.

After a short time, Tang Quan stretched his brows, he felt that this was probably just a coincidence, even if the murderer came to target the people of the Demon Empire Group, he would never find out about himself, after all, there were only four people who knew his secret now, including himself. didn't have an accident on the same day as Zhang Hengyuan, which has already proved that he was very successful in disguise and lurking, and he just lived as usual. Thinking of this, Tang Quan suddenly shouted, and his tone was very unpleasant, "What do you call us?" Roll on, Tingting is me alone, what's the matter with you! ”

"I knew I would have taken the lead in adopting Tingting before you, cut, it's really unpleasant." Squinting at the already small bean eyes, the big fat squinted at Tang Quan, "You have been guarding Lian'er's flesh and blood, and you plan to be single for the rest of your life?" Anyway, it's not good to be too infatuated. Now that Tingting is getting bigger and bigger, and her appearance and personality are becoming more and more like her mother, I'm really afraid that you will have some crooked thoughts when the time comes. ”

"How is that possible!" Tang Quan seemed to be poked to the sore spot by these words, and suddenly his eyes were terrifying, and his hands danced like ghosts, "I treat her as my own flesh and blood!" It's the crystallization of my love with Lian'er! ”

Seeing that Tang Quan was already a little nervous overreacting, the big fat Pang Deqing shook his head, sighed secretly, and thought, "It seems that Tang Quan has completely brought his role into fantasy." So he could only say according to Tang Quan's setting, "I know that you treasure your own daughter, but you can't be with her for the rest of your life, you finally raised her, and you don't have to entrust it to other men." By the way, it's better to marry my boy in the future, our family is not far away, isn't it good to see her every day. ”

"Go ahead, forget that bastard boy with two sleeves and a snot and a sick face. Our fairy can't be arched by your pig like this. Tang Quan seemed to have forgotten his neurotic speech just now, and his disgusted expression was not hidden at all.

His son was scolded, and he was not angry, but he touched his round nose in a sneer, "You can't say that, thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi, maybe our kid will be a talent in the future." ”

Tang Quan didn't say anything more, because some workers in the distance were already packing their things and preparing to go home. With some eagerness, he reached into the coat pocket under his overalls and pinched his rather thick wallet, feeling a little steady.

It was noticeably darker than yesterday, and when I came out of the dessert shop, the sky was already red and purple. The brilliant color made Tang Quan's eyes sour a little, his neck shrank and shrunk into the collar, and his steps quickened, it seemed that he wanted to eat a bite of hot noodles early. His still lean body, wrapped in thick clothes, trembled slightly, and the scattered afterglow of the setting sun left a long shadow on the floor tiles, following his hurried pace, but he didn't care at all about the two looming figures behind him.