The courtyard gate was wide open.
Shen Xin stepped through the gate, then a thought suddenly struck him. 'Something's not right.'
When Zhang Jian asked me to come along, he didn't know Wu Zhicun had tenants. Telling me to pose as a college student looking to rent must have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
'Then why did he bring me along before we even entered the village?'
A few months ago, during a rotation, he was always complaining that I was a pain and holding him back, so he just had me do odd jobs at the office.
As he was lost in thought, someone called out to him.
"Who are you looking for?"
It was a middle-aged woman. She came out of the room on the right, an electric kettle in her hand.
Shen Xin snapped back to reality and hurriedly asked, "Hello, ma'am. Are there any rooms for rent here?"
"No."
The middle-aged woman's reply was curt. She turned and went into the main house directly ahead.
She even pulled the door shut behind her.
Leaving Shen Xin standing there in the courtyard, feeling completely lost.
Before entering, Shen Xin had been thinking about how to conduct his reconnaissance.
Based on his own analysis, the blind Wu Zhicun couldn't possibly be Fan Jie's supplier.
So it had to be the tenant.
Therefore, the focus of the investigation should be on the tenant.
Shen Xin's plan was to use renting a room as a pretext to get friendly, ask about the rent and such, get a conversation going, and then slowly pry for information.
Who knew? The friendly old folks in TV dramas, who practically tell you their entire family history, were apparently just a plot device.
In reality, you just get cold strangers who can't even be bothered to say a single word to you.
The crucial thing was, he was stuck.
Logically, after asking if there was a room for rent and being told no, he should have just left.
Going back to knock on the door and press the issue would be completely abnormal.
Besides, he had already used the excuse of renting a room; he didn't have any others.
He couldn't just say, 'I've been walking for ages and I'm tired. Ma'am, could you get me a glass of water?'
This wasn't some goddamn historical drama.
After standing there agonizing for a full two minutes, Shen Xin walked out, dejected.
'As expected, undercover reconnaissance isn't that simple.'
'I messed up right from the start. I should have tried to build rapport first, then revealed my purpose.'
'If you state your purpose right away and they shut you down with one sentence, there's no way to continue the conversation.'
'No wonder Li Dongsheng always says I'm still green and need to observe more and learn more.'
'He really wasn't wrong.'
Across the road, Zhang Jian was already back and waving at him.
Shen Xin ran over, too embarrassed to look at them.
"What's wrong? Didn't manage to find out anything?" Chen Chao's tone was slightly teasing.
Shen Xin was so embarrassed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Zhang Jian, however, defended him. "He's a rookie. We all started out like that."
Shen Xin stole a glance at Zhang Jian.
'It feels like Zhang Jian's attitude toward me has really changed a lot.'
'Maybe it's because I saved him during Fan Jie's arrest.'
"Let's go."
Zhang Jian called out and led the way toward the courtyard.
As they entered, they happened upon the middle-aged woman coming out again. Her eyes landed on Shen Xin behind Zhang Jian, and she frowned. "Why are you back? I told you, there are no rooms for rent."
Shen Xin felt even more awkward now.
Zhang Jian didn't waste any words. He pulled out his police ID and said with a serious expression, "We're the police. We need to ask you some questions."
'A police ID really works wonders.'
The middle-aged woman, who had been completely dismissive before, instantly paled. She said, flustered, "I... I don't know anything. What do you want to ask me?"
"Don't be nervous, it's nothing serious. We just want to ask about the tenant in this room."
Zhang Jian pointed to the room on the right.
Wu Zhicun's house was a three-room bungalow. There was another room to the right, which was probably the original kitchen.
"Oh, and we'll need to see your IDs for registration," Zhang Jian added.
The middle-aged woman said, "Oh," and hurried back to get their IDs.
Her husband also came out, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and looked nervously at Shen Xin and the others.
The woman pointed to the kitchen and said, "My son lives there. He works the night shift, so he's not home. I'll have to look for his ID."
Zhang Jian handed their two IDs to Shen Xin and then began asking about the previous tenant.
Apparently, while Shen Xin was coming up empty, Zhang Jian had already figured things out.
The middle-aged woman, having regained her composure, started to gossip. She asked if the man had committed a crime, saying she'd long felt something was off about him. He was cooped up in his room all day, always wore a mask, and never even said hello when they saw each other.
However, she added that her family had moved in at the end of May, and the man had moved out just a week later, so she didn't know the specifics.
Zhang Jian nodded and walked toward the main house.
Of the three rooms at the front, one was rented to the couple and had its own separate entrance. Wu Zhicun lived in the remaining two.
The lights were off now; it seemed no one was home.
'No, that's wrong!'
Shen Xin cursed inwardly. 'The man's blind, why would he turn on the lights?'
Chen Chao didn't follow them, instead telling the middle-aged woman he wanted to see her son's room.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jian had already pushed the door.
It was unlocked and swung open.
It was pitch-black inside. As his eyes adjusted to the light from outside, Shen Xin's heart suddenly clenched.
Directly opposite the door, three memorial portraits were hanging above an altar table.
Below them, two electronic ever-burning lamps were lit.
In the dark room, the red glow from the ever-burning lamps cast an upward light on the three portraits, making the faces look eerie. The old woman's face, in particular, seemed to come alive, her eyes narrowed as if she were staring at him with a cold, sinister gaze.
Fortunately, Zhao Shouchuan flicked the light switch on the wall next to the door.
'He must have been here before.'
There was only one incandescent bulb in the room, and it wasn't very bright.
This must have originally been the main hall. Now, aside from the traditional square table in the center, there was a long, low table against the wall with an induction cooktop and some bowls and chopsticks.
"Old Wu."
Zhao Shouchuan called out.
No response.
He led the way into the inner room and flipped on the light there as well.
Shen Xin followed, getting a clear view of the inner room.
The furniture was very simple.
An old man was lying on the bed—it had to be Wu Zhicun.
He had a messy shock of white hair, and his dark skin was covered in wrinkles.
He was also thin, dressed in a loose-fitting, navy blue long-sleeved shirt.
He was wearing headphones.
'He's blind and doesn't have many forms of entertainment, so it's perfectly normal for him to wear headphones to listen to opera or something.'
'The key thing is these headphones.'
'If I'm not mistaken, the over-ear headphones on Wu Zhicun's head look like an entry-level Sennheiser model, which should cost several thousand yuan.'
'And the phone connected to the headphones is a flagship model from last year, worth over six thousand.'
'An old man using such expensive headphones and a phone... that's a bit unusual.'
'What's even more unusual is...'
Shen Xin furrowed his brow, looking strangely at the left side of the room.
Below the windowsill, there was a... toilet?
'What kind of genius designed this, putting a toilet in the bedroom!'
"Old Wu!"
Zhao Shouchuan went up and nudged Wu Zhicun.
Only then did Wu Zhicun take off his headphones and ask who it was.
"It's me, Lao Zhao, from the local police station. Remember me?"
"How could I forget?"
Wu Zhicun's tone was aggressive. He let out a cold snort and sat up straight.
Zhao Shouchuan didn't seem to mind. He introduced Zhang Jian, explaining they had something to discuss and wanted to ask about the previous tenant.
"The young man who always wore a mask and lived here for over three months."
Zhao Shouchuan leaned in closer and spoke loudly.
"You're here looking for him?"
At the mention of this tenant, Wu Zhicun's expression suddenly changed. There was some surprise, but more than that, a sense of disbelief.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did that kid get into trouble?"
Zhang Jian and Zhao Shouchuan exchanged a look, and Zhang Jian immediately asked, "Sir, do you know something?"
"Of course."
Wu Zhicun's expression changed again, becoming composed. He crossed his arms and said, "I know everything. But if you want me to tell you, you first have to help me catch my grandson's murderer!"
As he spoke the last words, his tone turned frigid, his hatred palpable.
Zhang Jian was stunned.
Shen Xin was also a bit dazed.
'Wait, does this count as threatening the police?'