Five-mao sugar-coated hawthorns. Cao Shi asked for two. Wang Zeyia rode over on his bike and smiled, "I'll pay."
Hearing this, Cao Shi's eyes lit up. "Boss, two more, please."
Wang Zeyia propped his two-eight bicycle by the roadside, watching Cao Shi happily eating hawthorns. "I visited your master yesterday. Your senior brother helped me solve a difficult problem. I assume you had something to say when you went to the police station that day."
Cao Shi nodded. "Next to the criminal investigation team, there's an Old Zhang who sells Jianbing Guozi. It's incredibly delicious. I went to his stall just to buy Jianbing. I only had one yuan, but his business was so good that the price was five mao more than others. I didn't have enough money. I heard you were investigating the suicide case of Miss Bai of the haunted house in Xizhimen, so I was going to sell you some information. I didn't expect you to drive me away."
Wang Zeyia dismissed it with a laugh. "Jianbing Guozi is one yuan and fifty cents. You were selling them for two yuan and still had fifty cents left?"
"Didn't I have one yuan left? Enough for two Jianbing Guozi."
"What information were you selling?"
Cao Shi smacked his lips. "For the sake of four hawthorns, I'll tell you. In Baishun Hutong, there's a young male prostitute named Zhang Ping, who was Miss Bai's lover. I heard Zhang Ping followed Ren Sanjie from Jinchi Street. Miss Bai couldn't take it and hanged herself."
This explanation made Wang Zeyia frown. The old gentleman in Wende Xiaoyuan had an aura that Li Jiu could detect as a staged suicide after just a few glances. Wang Zeyia had expected Cao Shi to say something astonishing, but he never imagined Cao Shi would talk about such irrelevant matters.
Baishun Hutong was one of Beijing's notorious Eight Great Hutongs, but that was before the founding of the People's Republic. It had long since been cleaned up, and there were no longer any young male prostitutes there. Moreover, this "young male prostitute" wasn't a prostitute in the typical sense but a male escort. Miss Bai, a textile factory worker, kept a young male escort in Baishun Hutong. The escort followed Ren Sanjie from Jinchi Street, and Miss Bai, unable to bear it, hanged herself!
This was absurd.
Cao Shi probably realized Wang Zeyia didn't believe him. He said, "Why don't you go to Baishun Hutong and see for yourself? Take off your police uniform, or you won't see anything."
"If I take off my uniform, anyone who approaches me should be a woman."
"That's not necessarily true. Those looking for women go to Shitong Hutong or Huoshen Temple Alley. People who go to Caijia Hutong or Baishun Hutong are after young male escorts."
Wang Zeyia imagined it in his mind: walking down the street and being propositioned by a man sent shivers down his spine.
As if sensing Wang Zeyia's thoughts, Cao Shi added, "Or, you could go find Ren Sanjie from Jinchi Street. I heard Chen Xiazi from the Ghost Market say Ren Sanjie bought an ominous silver hairpin. That thing is eerie. Chen Xiazi said Ren Sanjie is thirty-six years old and has a difficult birth year."
This statement left Wang Zeyia completely confused. He asked in puzzlement, "What is a silver hairpin?"
"Haven't you heard the part about Jin Ge in the Story of the Dream of the Red Chamber told by the storyteller under the overpass?"
"Stop beating around the bush."
"In the Story of the Dream of the Red Chamber, the part about Jin Ge, with her hair tied up by a silver hairpin... that part describes Jin Ge vividly."
It's only when you need it that you realize how little you know. Wang Zeyia had no idea who Jin Ge was. He became impatient. "Don't talk about things unrelated to the case."
"How is it unrelated? Do you know how Jin Ge died?"
"How did she die?"
"Jin Ge was engaged to the son of a garrison official. They were deeply in love, but Jin Ge's father, greedy for money, broke off the engagement and married Jin Ge to someone else. Jin Ge was strong-willed and hanged herself with a rope. The garrison official's son, heartbroken, drowned himself in the river."
Wang Zeyia became displeased. "I spent two yuan to buy you hawthorns, and you're telling me stories from the Dream of the Red Chamber? I want clues for the case."
"Then I have none."
"Fine. Fatty, don't let me see you again."
Cao Shi chuckled. "Don't be angry, anger harms your health. We'll talk about future matters later. The road of life is long, and we'll meet again. This is just a small corner of the capital, who knows when we'll cross paths again."
Wang Zeyia didn't want to say another word and turned to leave.
...
In this case, Wang Zeyia could only prove that Miss Bai did not commit suicide. He conducted routine investigations and collected information that painted Miss Bai in a positive light, with no hint of any impropriety. At work, Miss Bai was a lively girl favored by her superiors. This situation put Wang Zeyia in a difficult spot. Initially, he had placed his hopes on Cao Shi after seeing him. However, he found Cao Shi's claims hard to accept. They were utterly nonsensical.
Yet, after leaving Cao Shi, Wang Zeyia found he had no other leads and had no choice but to go to Jinchi Street to find the Ren Sanjie mentioned by Cao Shi. Ren Sanjie claimed to be a descendant of the Eight Banners, and she lived in a siheyuan. She had no regular job and made money trading antique curios. She occasionally drove a Hongqi car and often brought well-dressed men home.
This Ren Sanjie was in her forties. Both her parents were deceased. With her silver tongue, she had managed to thrive in the antique market using the family fortune left by her father.
The difference between a sanheyuan and a siheyuan is the absence of a reception room on the south side, making it smaller. The layout was similar, with red bricks and green tiles. It had snowed a few days ago, and the scene was beautifully covered in white. When Wang Zeyia arrived, the lock was open, and the door was ajar. He called out a few times, but there was no response. Wang Zeyia braced himself and pushed the door open. The small courtyard was somewhat muddy. Just as Wang Zeyia was about to call out again, he saw a figure hanging from the window.
Ren Sanjie's hair was neatly combed, with stray strands held at the top by a silver hairpin, revealing her bare forehead. Around her neck was a thin hemp rope, which reminded Wang Zeyia of Jin Ge from the Dream of the Red Chamber, who hanged herself with a rope.
...
The scene was one of apparent suicide, with no obvious clues.
Wang Zeyia and Old Qu interviewed people who knew Ren Sanjie. None of them believed Ren Sanjie had committed suicide. Two months ago, Ren Sanjie had sold a Qing Dynasty jade bracelet and had a full wallet. When asked about young male escorts, everyone shook their heads. Ren Sanjie was peculiar; she had short hair and a flat chest, and she liked women. Therefore, no one believed Ren Sanjie would seek out a young male escort.
That evening, a weary Wang Zeyia returned without success. He looked at the impatient Old Qu and patiently asked, "Old Qu, did you find anything out?"
"Ren Sanjie recently acquired an antique. Everyone knew that antique was a curse, a curse related to Jin Ge's suicide in the Dream of the Red Chamber. When Ren Sanjie bought it, everyone advised her not to. Ren Sanjie didn't listen. She thought it was just an accessory from the late Qing Dynasty with no connection to the Red Chamber. She even bought this silver hairpin at a low price while everyone else had their reservations."
"Old Qu, we can't believe in this. We are atheists."
"I don't care if you believe in atheism or superstition, Xiao Wang. Although I'm older than you, you are in charge. I'm asking you, will you close this suicide case?"
"If this is not a suicide, it's likely a serial murder. We can't let the murderer get away."
"I don't care about serial murders. I just want to tell you that I'm retiring. I don't want to deal with this matter. If you want to be a detective hero, don't drag me into it. I'm afraid of being possessed by these evil spirits and dying a terrible death."
Wang Zeyia looked at Old Qu, wanting to speak but unable to. Old Qu was retiring at the end of February. After the New Year, he would only work a few more days before going home. The captain had said Old Qu wouldn't be coming after the New Year; he had taken leave pending retirement.
From the era of communal dining to the reform and opening up, Old Qu had always been a person who valued peace and safety. It wasn't that he couldn't solve cases, but he wasn't proactive. Especially with retirement approaching, Old Qu would rather go home and look after his grandson than investigate murder scenes.
ID: 563743675
...
Wang Zeyia couldn't write a closing report. He couldn't let Miss Bai and Ren Sanjie die mysteriously just because Old Qu was retiring. He returned home and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. His wife said, "It's rare for you to be home early. Go to bed and rest."
"How is the child's homework?"
"It's fine. You don't need to worry about it."
His wife handled all the household matters, and she also tutored their daughter. Wang Zeyia was often away on cases, and his wife had grown accustomed to it. Moreover, their daughter looked at her father with a hint of unfamiliarity.
He decided to lie down for a while. Wang Zeyia went to his room alone, turned off the lights, and tossed and turned, his mind replaying Cao Shi's words. He flipped over and sat up, turning on the light and getting dressed.
"It's so late, where are you going?"
"I just remembered something. I'll be back soon."
Wang Zeyia had participated in raids when cracking down on prostitution before, and he had seen women in revealing clothing. However, he really didn't know about the matter of young male escorts.
It had snowed yesterday, and it had melted a bit during the day. The neon lights at night, filtering through the icy branches of the trees, cast a slightly hazy glow on the world. Wang Zeyia arrived at Baishun Hutong. There were fewer people at night, and some courtyards had red lights on, evoking suggestive thoughts.
Wang Zeyia gritted his teeth and knocked on a door. He had found out that this place belonged to Zhang Ping. Inside was a man wearing a skirt, with high cheekbones, kohl-rimmed, alluring eyeshadow on his fish-like eyes, large earrings, and yellow hair. This appearance sent shivers down Wang Zeyia's spine. He glanced at the environment: a bed with unwashed sheets, a small, greasy table, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts.
"When did you start liking this kind of thing?"
"That's none of your business."
Zhang Ping giggled in a high-pitched voice, grating on Wang Zeyia's nerves. Wang Zeyia frowned. Zhang Ping said, "No tricks for new customers. Fifty yuan with the lights off, one hundred yuan with the lights on!"
Wang Zeyia took out fifty yuan from his wallet and handed it over. Zhang Ping grinned and went to turn off the lights. Wang Zeyia grabbed his hand. As he moved upwards, Wang Zeyia pushed him away. "I have a question for you."
"An hour of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Why so much nonsense?"
"Does Ren Sanjie come here?"
"Ren Sanjie? Go ask at Huoshen Temple."
Wang Zeyia's ears perked up, sensing an opportunity. He pressed further, "What about Miss Bai? Do you know her?"
"Bai the earthworm? She's not from this area."
Zhang Ping said this while reaching to turn off the lights. Wang Zeyia shouted, "Don't turn them off, I'm a police officer."
"So what if you're a police officer? You're not cracking down on prostitution today, and no one will know. How about I give you a fifty percent discount? We'll keep the lights on tonight."
Wang Zeyia was at a loss. Blushing, he fled. Outside, he heard Zhang Ping say, "Fifty yuan can get you a genuine Peking Duck. I'll get your money back."
To be fair, Cao Shi went in and said a few words, and he actually got the fifty yuan back. Afterward, Wang Zeyia immediately asked him, "Why are you here?"
"It's too late to eat Peking Duck now. There's a copper pot under the overpass, and after midnight, there's a ghost market. The bosses all close at twelve. Let's get two pounds of lamb and a bottle of Erguotou, and we can talk."