"Director Gu, is the Che family's case a little eyebrow-raising?" A man in the line asked.

This question was asked too early, but it more or less represents the simple wishes of the neighbors.

"I don't have a clue, auntie, can you remember anyone who came to you to flush the water?" Director Gu said.

"Why don't you remember, although my old woman is older, she has a very good memory, as long as she comes to me to flush the water, I can remember him."

This is exactly what Zhao Zimeng wants.

"Not only can the people who come to flush remember, but even the tenants in this area, I can remember."

If Aunt Li can really remember all the tenants in the neighborhood, then the tenant of No. 157 must be no problem, because No. 157 is in the alley diagonally opposite the tea stove of Aunt Li.

I hope Aunt Li is not exaggerating.

"Aunt Li, the tenant of No. 157 is like a marquee, and it changes often!"

"This-I know, in this area, the number of cars and houses are changed quickly, no matter who it is, they will have to move away before they live in two or three months. The Che family's house is a lot weird, no, now there is such a big thing. After that, it will be more difficult to rent out the house. "The old man is very talkative, she talks a lot, but she never digresses.

"Auntie, please recall, in the three years from 1985 to 1987, among the tenants of No. 157 - or among the people who have a particularly close relationship with the tenant of No. 157, was there a man between the ages of fifty-six and fifty-eight?"

"There wasn't one among the tenants, but there was one of the people who walked with the tenants. Can you tell me how big this guy is? ”

"This person" means the deceased.

"One meter seventy-one."

"I'm talking about the same height as this person." Aunt Li's thinking is very jumpy, but her thinking is very clear. This leap in thinking reflects a natural state of mind.

"What's this man's name?"

"All I know is that his surname is Wei. Wait a minute, I'll call someone to ask. ”

Aunt Li put down the water scoop, walked out of the tea stove, walked into a fried food shop next door, shouted twice into the store, and after a while, a woman in her forties walked out of the store and came to the tea stove.

"Xiuqin, five years ago, when Hongmei lived in No. 157, was the man who often came to Hongmei surnamed Wei?" Aunt Li wanted to confirm her memory through Xiuqin's mouth.

The woman said: "Yes, it's surnamed Wei." ”

"What's his name, do you know?"

The woman shook her head: "I don't know, if Hongmei doesn't say it, who will know?" ”

"Who is Hongmei?" Section Chief Min was a little confused by the second monk.

"Hongmei is the tenant who rented a house five years ago, and she lived in No. 157 at the end of '86."

Zhao Zimeng seemed to remember something, he took out his notebook from his pocket, and in his impression, there seemed to be such a tenant.

Inside the notebook were two pieces of paper — the same two pieces of paper that Che Huating had filled with information about the tenants.

Zhao Zimeng opened the two pieces of paper and looked at it, and there was indeed a person named Chen Hongmei on it. Aunt Li's memory is really good. Zhao Zimeng has a little confidence in the next investigation.

The person's information is as follows:

Chen Hongmei, about 40 years old; From November 1986 to January 1987, he rented the second east house; Current address: unknown, work unit, warehouse (administrator) of Baixia District Material Company.

Combining this information with the information provided by Aunt Li and Xiuqin, there are at least three aspects of the content that are consistent with the case:

First, the age of the mysterious man coincides with the age of the deceased.

Second, the house rented by Chen Hongmei coincided with the scene of the crime.

Third, the time of Chen Hongmei's rental was also relatively close to the time of the crime (the time of the deceased's death was around May 1986). ）

After listening to Aunt Li's following words, I have to add a point of relevance.

"Auntie, what is the height of this man?"

"It's about the same height as Director Gu."

"I'm one meter seventy-one." Director Gu said.

This should be the second time that Aunt Li has raised her height.

"Aunt Li, I'll help you flush the water, and you go to the house to talk." A woman about fifty years old said to Aunt Li.

So, Aunt Li and Xiuqin led the five people to the back room.

Behind the tea stove there was a larger house with a bed, a large table and several benches.

The woman named Xiuqin helped Aunt Li to sit on a long bench. Linghu Yunfei moved two benches out from under the table, and the five of them sat opposite Aunt Li and Xiuqin. The place is cramped, so I can only sit like this.

"Auntie, sister-in-law, please tell us about Chen Hongmei and that man."

"Chen Hongmei has been divorced twice, and she works in the warehouse opposite." Aunt Li said.

"Chen Hongmei has been divorced twice because of her bad style, but she is really beautiful." Xiuqin's words were more direct.

"Isn't it? Hongmei likes to talk to men," Aunt Li continued, "She was kicked out by men after her divorce, and she had no place to live for a while, so she lived in No. 157 'Impermanence Lane'. ”

In the Kyocyoshi dialect, "talking to a man" means having an improper relationship with a man.

"Not two days after I moved into the alley, the man came to my tea stove to inquire about Hongmei's residence. After that, the man came for several days. Sometimes he came during the day, sometimes at night, and if it was night, he would have left before dawn the next morning. ”

"You can tell what kind of relationship they have at a glance." Xiuqin added.

"What does this man do?"

"What to do, we don't know, he is not from the south of the old city, he is very raw, but at a glance, he knows that he is very rich. Auntie, am I right? ”

Aunt Li nodded.

"On what basis do you see that this man is rich?"

This information is very important. Murder is nothing more than murder of money, love and vendetta. Money often unmakes the men who make it.

"The man's hair was shiny and shiny, and he was dressed very unusually, he wore a black woolen coat on his upper body, and the woolen coat was open, and inside the coat was a suit, and under it a pair of trousers, and a pair of leather shoes on his feet, and whenever he came, the leather shoes were always shiny. He was wearing a very valuable watch on his hand - this was said by Master Zhong on the other side. Xiuqin pointed across the street.

Where Xiuqin pointed was a watch shop—right next to the fried food shop. The name of the shop is "Clock Clock".

"He smokes a different cigarette than others."

"How is it different?"

"His cigarettes were thick and long, and the color was not right – the wrapping paper on the outside of the cigarette was gray. We've never seen it. ”

Xiuqin was talking about cigars. People who can afford to smoke cigars can indeed be considered wealthy.

"Chen Hongmei was supposed to live for three or four months — by the way, Chen Hongmei lived in that room — the room where the workers found the dead. I don't know what the reason is, Hongmei moved out in a hurry after living for less than two months. ”

Xiuqin swallowed her saliva and continued: "What's even more strange is that after that man came a few times, he suddenly stopped coming. ”

Xiuqin's voice was very low, and she was careful that the people standing outside heard her voice, so when she spoke, she turned her head sideways and glanced out from time to time, "After that, we haven't seen this person again." ”

"Xiuqin's point is good, I originally thought that Chen Hongmei was trying to avoid that man, but after Chen Hongmei moved away, that man never came, and until now, we haven't seen him." Aunt Li's words and the information provided by Xiuqin corroborate each other. ”

"Is Chen Hongmei still working in the warehouse now?"

"It's still there."

"Where does she live now?"

"She's married again, and she lives somewhere, I don't know, I'm referring to a person, and you go to him and ask him—he must know."

"Sister-in-law, please speak."

"Director Tao of the material company. You go to him, he should know the whole thing about Chen Hongmei's situation. ”

"Where does Director Tao live?"

"It's at No. 365 Qixingmen Street, just in the alley to the west of Kelaitang. Director Gu, you just lead them there. ”

"I'll tell you something." Aunt Li frowned.

"Auntie, please speak."

"When Hongmei lived in Impermanence Lane, she was the only one at No. 157."

"How long has Chen Hongmei lived alone at No. 157?"

"How long it is, I can't say it, Sister-in-law Gao lived in the second Westinghouse on the front and back feet of Hongmei."

"Who is sister-in-law Gao?"

"It's Mrs. Gao who lives on the east end of Zhonghe Street."

Zhao Zimeng unfolded two pieces of paper, and there was a text below Chen Hongmei.

"Zimeng, this is what they are talking about." Linghu Yunfei pointed to the words on the paper.

The contents of the note were: Mrs. Gao, age: about seventy years old; From November 1986 to January 1987, he rented the second Westinghouse (the second son got married, and the old lady vacated the house she lived in for her son to get married).

"Yes, it's this Mrs. Gao, sister-in-law, let's see if it's this person." Zhao Zimeng said.

Xiuqin stood up, walked up to Zhao Zimeng and looked at it, and then said, "Yes, it's her." ”

The information provided by Che Huating is consistent with the situation provided by Mrs. Li, but there is a difference in time.

"Auntie, you go on." Zhao Zimeng felt that Aunt Li still had something to say.

"Hongmei told me before she moved out that she was going to stay for three or four months, why did she move out after only living for less than two months? After Hongmei moved into No. 157, there was another man running to No. 157. ”

"Auntie, what do you mean: Chen Hongmei had an affair with two men at the same time?"

"Whether Hongmei is talking to two men, I dare not say, but the other one later became Hongmei's man."

"What does this man do?"

"I don't know. But soon after Hongmei and this person got married, they bought a small yard. ”

In the 80s of the twentieth century, "10,000 yuan households" were considered wealthy, and at that time, there were very few people who could afford to buy a house. Chen Hongmei and her husband have the conditions to buy a house, either her man made a lot of money in business, or suddenly had an unexpected windfall.