Yu Xiaoluo got a sketch from the Criminal Investigation Bureau via fax from prison. She handed the sketch to me, saying the person in it was Cat-Eye Man, whose real name was unknown.
This should be a sketch drawn by an artist based on Qin Sisi's testimony. The man looked handsome, with a high nose bridge and fine, naturally curly hair. People like this resemble idol stars and should be recognizable at a glance.
However, Yu Xiaoluo told me, "This is how Cat-Eye Man looked the last time Qin Sisi saw him."
I was extremely puzzled. What did she mean by "how Cat-Eye Man looked the last time she saw him"? Did he change his appearance?
"What do you mean?"
"This Cat-Eye Man is obsessed with plastic surgery and changing his face. Qin Sisi said that every time Cat-Eye Man came to Beijing, he looked different."
"Is he making a movie? A disciple of the great director John Woo?"
"Qin Sisi's words can't be fully trusted, but given the current plastic surgery technology in South Korea, it's unlikely to completely change into someone else's face, but changing to a different face is achievable."
Hearing Yu Xiaoluo say this, I pushed the faxed picture back into her hand. "Since he changes, it has no reference value. Don't worry, I can find him."
"How will you find him?"
"A mountain man has his own clever plan."
"Tang Nan, you're being arrogant again, wanting to be a hero, aren't you?"
I smiled. "Drop me off where there's a bus stop, and I'll get off. I need to go to the police station myself to pick up Lao Tie."
...
When I arrived at the police station, thanks to the attention from the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the procedures were very smooth. I took Lao Tie home. Lao Tie lived in a dormitory-style building in Xidan. The room was small, about eight to nine square meters, with a kitchen on the balcony. The entire room could only fit a double bed. Next to the double bed, Lao Tie had set up a small wooden table, filled with books on antique appraisal.
I sprawled on the bed, and when Lao Tie came out, I felt a sense of fatigue.
"Not bad. I'll check out of the hotel today and stay at your place."
"Why would you stay at my place?"
Hearing Lao Tie's slight reluctance to accept guests, I surveyed the small room. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No. The woman I was going to marry before heard that I was cheated in Ruili and broke up with me."
"Damn, you don't have a girlfriend, and you still don't want me to stay with you? Are you shy or what? What part of you haven't I seen grow up?"
"You're not short of money?"
"Even if I had money, I wouldn't be spending 200 yuan at a time at a hotel. How much is your rent per month?"
"350!"
"I'll pay this month's rent."
"No need. Are you staying for a month?"
"Why ask? Before you have a girlfriend, I'll stay as long as I want. Where's the toilet?"
"Outside. There's no toilet inside."
"Beijing is truly a place where every inch of land is gold. 350 yuan could rent a two-bedroom apartment in our hometown."
After speaking, I casually picked up a book on porcelain from the wooden table, flipped through it, and asked seriously, "Where do you usually source your goods for your shop?"
"I go to the ghost market in the early morning to get things at a low price. After resting for a while when it gets light, I have to be at Panjiayuan before 9 AM. That's when tourists from all over, after watching the flag-raising ceremony and having breakfast, will start arriving."
"Tomorrow, I'll go with you to the ghost market."
...
"The modest hide in the wilderness, the truly great hide in the city." I believe Cat-Eye Man is a fierce ghost hiding in Beijing's ghost market.
To break through Cat-Eye Man's human trial ground, I must understand the situation.
The ghost market is located west of Panjiayuan Bridge, not far from the antique market where Lao Tie lives. About seven or eight years ago, the ghost market formed a certain scale and began to be known.
Around a little before one o'clock, Lao Tie woke me up. We set off from his residence and walked to Panjiayuan Old Street. Normally, Lao Tie arrived later, but because it was my first time, he came earlier, as this was when the ghosts just began to appear.
The merchants in the ghost market are called "ghosts" because the origin of their goods is unknown. Some are genuine, some are fake, some are stolen, some are robbed, and some are cheated.
When we arrived, these "ghosts" had just emerged, carrying burlap sacks or snakeskin bags, and ran from the alley to the street. The ghost market has no fixed location; the selling spot is first come, first served.
After the sellers set up, they would take out a piece of old cloth from their bags, some red, some faded beyond recognition, even dirtier than the ground. They would place their so-called treasures on it, without any classification, wherever there was space.
Once they were almost ready, some "old bugs," meaning idle individuals posing as collectors or merchants like Lao Tie who make a profit by buying low and selling high, would appear.
These people would hold high-powered flashlights, searching from stall to stall, afraid of missing any potential treasure that could make them rich overnight.
...
I don't understand collectibles, so I followed Lao Tie from stall to stall. Sometimes I would look at the stall owner, and Lao Tie would pull me back, reminding me that in the ghost market, you look at the goods, not the people. I smiled and didn't say much, continuing to pretend to look at the goods while actually observing people. Then, I noticed something strange. It was pitch black this late at night, yet there were people wearing glasses. At the time, Lao Tie told me that the person he traded with wore sunglasses, and I was puzzled. What could one see wearing sunglasses at night?
After checking a few stalls, I saw that most of the glasses were like that, stored in old boxes. When folded, they somewhat resembled old cars.
We came to another stall. I pointed at a pair of glasses and asked, "Boss, how much for these glasses?"
The boss ignored me. I looked up at him, and he turned his head away. I looked at Lao Tie, puzzled. Lao Tie asked me, "What are you buying that for?"
"I like it."
"I have them at my shop for 120 yuan each. I'll give you one when we get back."
I shook my head and pointed at the glasses again, saying to the boss, "Will you sell it for 120?"
The boss still ignored me. What was going on? Weren't they here to do business? Lao Tie sighed, took the glasses in his hand, and asked, "80!"
"Here you go!"
He wouldn't sell to me for 120, but Lao Tie bought them for 80. Is the boss at the ghost market crazy? After leaving, I asked Lao Tie, "Does the ghost market often have people with water in their brains?"
Lao Tie smiled and said, "These are smart people. If you don't hold the item in your hand, they won't sell it to you for 20,000. For example, if you say 120 for the glasses and they agree, and you take the Ming Dynasty teapot lid next to it, wouldn't they be at a loss?"
"They sell fakes but are afraid of being cheated?"
"They don't sell fakes. The low price is because the origin is unknown."
"Isn't anyone managing this?"
"Yes, but they don't come every day. They're not awake yet."
Someone would manage it, around dawn. However, everyone wasn't afraid. There were people who specialized in this; they collected money from each stall, then stood in elevated positions or at intersections, by garbage bins, displaying a few inexpensive items, doing business openly, but actually keeping an eye out everywhere.
Lao Tie and I were getting tired from browsing. Suddenly, I heard someone shout, "The urban management is here!"
At this, I finally understood the use of those cloths. The stall owners quickly packed their goods back into their sacks and ran off. Lao Tie grabbed me and ran too. I was still okay because of my fitness, my breathing was sufficient. Seeing Lao Tie panting, I asked puzzled, "Why are we running? We're not selling anything."
"The origin of these goods is unknown, and buying and selling are equally punishable."
"If the origin is unknown, it must have a source, right?"
"Why do you ask that? Don't ask anymore in the future. We can't afford to offend those people."
This was getting interesting. I didn't ask further. I returned to the small room and slept. Then I went to find Yu Xiaoluo. The guard wouldn't let me in, saying that you and your girlfriend had a domestic argument, and you come to the unit every day to apologize. Aren't you affecting your girlfriend's work? I laughed heartily and gave the temporary pass Yu Xiaoluo had gotten for me yesterday to the guard, and only then did I enter the compound.
I told Wang Zeyu my plan, looking at him pitifully. "Team Wang, do you think my plan is okay?"
Team Wang didn't answer, looking at me with a half-smile. "Tang Nan, what's your education level?"
"High school."
"Have you ever considered going to a police academy or something in Beijing?"
"I've never really thought about that."
Wang Zeyu laughed heartily. "Don't think of yourself as a thief. If you're considering going to university for further studies, I can pull some strings for you at the police academy and get you in as a transfer student."
"Thank you, Team Wang. What about my plan?"
Wang Zeyu nodded and called Yu Xiaoluo, asking her to take me to the urban management department near Panjiayuan. Yu Xiaoluo came to coordinate the work.
This morning, as soon as the urban management arrived, the vendors took off running. There were always some slower ones. I asked Lao Tie what happened to those who were caught. Lao Tie told me their collectibles were confiscated.
The urban management doesn't have the authority to confiscate private property; it requires a legal judgment. Therefore, most of the items confiscated by the urban management are temporarily held by them, and they are retrieved after paying a fine.
Some collectibles have unknown origins, and no one comes to pay the fines. Thus, a large number of genuine and fake artifacts are piled up at the Panjiayuan urban management department. Therefore, I set my sights on these collected items.
Cat-Eye Man's usual MO is to start with a swindler, appearing as the prey. And for me to understand the situation, the first thing I must do is to join this swindler family.
Where are the swindlers?
Some of the vendors at Panjiayuan are swindlers, but these are small-time operators. In Beijing, there is a group of people who control the ghost market. From a commercial perspective, they are the source. Even Lao Tie has never met such people. However, everyone who frequents Panjiayuan knows that there are such "grandpas" in the antique world who never show themselves but wield absolute power.
If I bypass these people and become a member of the ghost market directly, I should be discovered by them. Then, I can follow the clues to find this group of "grandpas."
...
With Yu Xiaoluo's coordination, I will select some of the unclaimed collectibles from the urban management to use in solving the case. I specifically chose some sturdy ones that I could understand, like jade and jewelry. I would spread these on a cloth, and when the urban management arrived, I could still run. Finally, I also saw a yellow jacket. I wasn't sure if it was genuine, but it felt suitable when I wore it, so I took it.
Yu Xiaoluo looked at me wearing the yellow jacket and said dismissively, "You look like a monkey trainer?"
I put on a smile. "Then you'll have to cheer me on. My monkeys have quite a background, maybe even the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven."