He Kao: "What are you saying, that I illegally possessed dangerous goods? That's not true... I work in the city, and also rent an apartment there. I don't even live in Pugang Town."
Hu Ke: "We called you at noon, why couldn't we reach you?"
He Kao played dumb and asked back: "I don't know what's going on over there, why couldn't you reach me?"
Section Chief Hu: "Why was your phone busy the whole time?"
He Kao: "I was on another call at the time."
Section Chief Hu: "Was someone tipping you off to move the illegal items in advance?"
He Kao: "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't live there, and I've never hidden any illegal items."
Section Chief Hu: "We found clear evidence of explosive residue in your residence. We hope you can come to the bureau to voluntarily explain the situation and cooperate with our investigation. Our policy is..."
He Kao interrupted him: "Sorry, didn't you hear what I said earlier? That's not my current residence. I live in the city; it's impossible for me to store explosives there. What do you mean by explosive residue? I don't understand."
Section Chief Hu: "Technology is very advanced now. Even if you moved things away, traces can still be detected. There's enough evidence to prove you once stored flammable and explosive dangerous goods there."
The police didn't find anything today, so they were calling He Kao. Otherwise, they would have gone straight to bring him in.
He Kao couldn't help but secretly admire Huang Xiaopang for knowing how the police operate. Regardless of whether this had anything to do with He Kao, they'd scare him first by pinning it on him.
Detecting explosive residue sounds complex but is actually simple. Every airport entrance has this. A small absorbent swipe over clothes and bags can reveal the presence of nitrate ions in just a few seconds with specialized equipment.
Things in the main room were moved out in time; the police didn't find them, but the residual traces were still easily detectable.
Civilian reports can't be used as evidence, and without finding anything, the police can't convict him. The result of the explosive residue test only indicates suspicion. They don't even have enough grounds to detain He Kao.
Section Chief Hu's mention seemed irregular; this should not have been discussed over the phone but in a formal inquiry. Yet at the grassroots level, with complicated tasks and scarce resources, this is often how things are handled.
He Kao very straightforwardly emphasized again: "I didn't, I've never done such a thing."
Section Chief Hu: "When did you move to the city?"
He Kao: "After Chinese New Year this year. I graduated from my Master's program and started working in the city... Actually, I've been staying on campus since going to college seven or eight years ago, only coming home during holidays."
Section Chief Hu: "Are you sure you never stored any flammable and explosive hazardous materials at home?"
He Kao: "Does buying fireworks and firecrackers for the New Year count? Apart from that, no."
Section Chief Hu: "You did store fireworks and firecrackers. Where are they now?"
He Kao: "Where would they be moved? Every household sets them off during New Year!"
Section Chief Hu: "How many and what kinds?"
He Kao: "Things like firecrackers, strings of red, flower firecrackers, not many, I spent about fifteen hundred in total. I borrowed a tricycle and hauled them all back at once."
Section Chief Hu: "The total value was fifteen hundred bucks?"
He Kao: "Yes, do you know how expensive fireworks are now? Especially those that fly into the sky, a single one is several hundred."
Section Chief Hu: "Where did the stock come from?"
He Kao: "From my aunt's place; she set up a small business."
Section Chief Hu: "Your aunt's name is Zhou Yan, right?"
He Kao: "Right, my uncle's name is He Changshan."
Section Chief Hu: "Are the fireworks and firecrackers they sell legal?"
He Kao: "They should be legal. If they weren't properly licensed, who would dare sell them publicly? You should talk to her about these details. I'm just a customer."
Section Chief Hu: "Do you still have to pay when you take goods from your aunt's place?"
He Kao: "Let me think, my aunt and uncle weren't there at the time. My cousin was watching the stall. I asked how much, she said fifteen hundred, didn't mention it was free, so I scanned the code to pay."
This section is mostly the truth. He bought and set off the fireworks himself during the New Year as some kind of ritual, both a commemoration and a farewell, as well as an outlook and celebration.
Section Chief Hu: "Were they all set off at the time?"
He Kao: "I guess they were all set off. Maybe there's some firecrackers and firecrackers left, I can't really remember. I got the job notice then and rushed, rather hurriedly, to report to the unit... Aren't you going to check?"
This sentence is half-truth, half-lie. He was mentally prepared, of course, to answer readily.
Section Chief Hu: "We detected explosive residue; it shouldn't just be the items you mentioned. By the way, I forgot to ask, since after the New Year till now, you must have returned home, right?"
He Kao: "I've returned three times, each just for the weekend. The most recent was two months ago, tidying up the house and yard, that's all."
Section Chief Hu: "Please come forward voluntarily, explain the situation and cooperate with the investigation, and strive for a lenient treatment."
He Kao: "I definitely will go back. I heard from Sister Liang next door that you broke two locks at my house at noon today. Can I file a complaint for compensation?"
Section Chief Hu got angry: "Aren't they just locks? I'll find someone to fix them for you!"
He Kao: "Our unit is quite busy. I'll go back on the weekend to talk to you about compensation."
Section Chief Hu: "No need to look for it, I'll compensate you personally!"
He Kao: "Forget it, for locks like those, I'll just replace them myself. Just let me know who gets the invoice when I'm done?"
Section Chief Hu: "I ask you again, since you no longer live there, who else has the keys to that place?"
He Kao: "My aunt has them."
Section Chief Hu: "Other than your aunt?"
He Kao: "I wouldn't know, probably no one else, unless someone made copies of the key."
Aunt Liang had the house keys, requested by her at first, to help look after things daily. In fact, Xiaopang's family also had keys, but He Kao didn't mention that.
He Kao understood why Section Chief Hu was upset. If lawful property is damaged during enforcement, compensation is required by regulation, especially since the police didn't find any illegal items during the search.
If this were to go through formal procedures, the involved parties would be embarrassed, and it would be a slight hassle. Just two locks, it's better to compensate privately than to write a report.
That evening, a department overtime shift occurred, and over dinner, Huang Xiaopang asked about He Kao's situation, leading He Kao to recount the exchange with Section Chief Hu.
Huang Xiaopang gave a disdainful look: "It's no longer about you! They aren't fools; they should know it has nothing to do with you. But you still ought to ask for compensation for the locks; otherwise, it looks you're hiding something."
After the overtime, returning to the apartment, He Kao glanced at his phone frequently, feeling ambiguous about whether he was expecting or disappointed. He was waiting for a call, possibly from Aunt Liang's house, even a message would suffice.
It was still the one-bedroom old apartment, instead of the new one-bedroom with a living room he rented today. His things were still there, he just instinctively returned.
Sitting in the apartment, he picked up the phone several times, hesitated for a long time, and finally dialed. He hadn't even spoken when he heard Uncle He Changshan's voice: "Xiao Kao, I was just about to call you, and here you are. Something happened here today..."
He Kao: "I already heard from Aunt Liang next door. Someone reported you and my aunt... resulted in my yard gate and living room door being forced open there, heard they found nothing in the search. Are you alright over there?"
He Changshan: "We're fine, not a thing wrong, what could go wrong!" First, he denied three times, then sighed, "These days people are envious; they think we made a lot of money, but in reality, how much do you earn selling fireworks?"
Uncle didn't want to tell He Kao the truth, didn't want to admit what he'd done, so it created a deadlock. He really wanted to ask if He Kao discovered them and moved them, and where they went, but couldn't bring himself to ask.
**