Episode 3: Kidnapped and kidnapped in July and a half
"Deception and Kidnapping in July and a Half"
——"Travel to the Sea" series? Extra chapter
Text/Lyle
one
It was windy and rainy outside. The sound of the whistling wind, as well as the sound of water drops dripping from the corners of the eaves and splashing in the puddles on the muddy ground, made the little black egg toss and turn on the straw mat unable to sleep.
It was obviously a hot July day, but this rainy night brought a chill to the bones. The wooden windows were not closed tightly, and the cold night wind blew moisture into the house. The little black egg curled up into a ball and hugged her tightly.
He spread the cotton cloth on his body and secretly opened his eyes:
In the dark room, only the outline of the cupboard could be seen. The bamboo hat that uncle had hung on the cupboard now looked like a person. He was standing there, standing blankly...
Heidan quickly closed his eyes and listened with ears: the rain was hitting the big tree outside the house, making a dull sound. The house was quiet, there were neither ghosts' footsteps nor strange creaking sounds.
.The little guy could only hear his own heartbeat, thump, thump, in the dark night.
The little guy suddenly felt scared, so scared that he couldn't help but open his eyes: the bamboo hat was still standing there like a monster with a pointed head, but what was more frightening was not this - the little guy listened with his ears, but couldn't hear.
Uncle's usual snoring could be heard; the little guy's eyes widened and he looked towards the other side of the room: it was dark and Uncle could not be seen.
The cold wind broke into the room, and Heidan's spine went cold, and all the hair on his body stood up. No longer caring about the face of a little man, or whether he would be laughed at by his uncle, the little guy just said "
"Wow!" Get up, barefooted Ba Ya'er rushed out of bed and rushed over there:
"Uncle, uncle!"
"Um?"
The moment he rushed over in the dark, the little guy's arm turned on the stool, and there was a "pop" sound. Before he could even cry out in pain, Heidan was suddenly hugged by someone.
Uncle's hot chest made the little black egg's cold hair return to its place. The little guy couldn't help but "puff, puff" twice, and secretly smeared the two tubes of snot that had just been scared out on uncle's back.
.
"Hey! Kid! What bad things are you doing?!"
The moment he was scolded, Heidan felt that the arms holding him tightened. The next moment, uncle hugged him and stood up straight, lighting the oil lamp.
In the dim yellow light, the little guy raised his head from his uncle's arms. When he raised his head, he saw his uncle looking at him with a crooked smile:
"Hey, Brother Zhao, I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and was so scared that I cried. Is this what you call 'I have grown up and become a man'?"
The little guy stammered and remained silent. After a long while, he let go of his hands that were holding his uncle's neck, and Heidan—named "Zhao Hao"—jumped off the ground with a "boom": "Not yet... not yet."
It’s all because of you.”
"Oh?" Chen Weisong raised his eyebrows, stretched out his hand to grab Xiao Guitou's arm, and rubbed it gently. Then, he folded his hands and looked at Xiao Guitou with a funny look on his face.
"It's all your fault for not snoring today!" Little Heidan glanced at him bitterly, "If you don't snore, I will...I won't be able to sleep..."
"Haha!" Regardless of the little man's self-esteem, Chen Weisong laughed unabashedly. The next moment, like an eagle catching a chicken, he deliberately pretended to be fierce and pounced over, grabbed the kid, and
He threw the little guy back on the crib.
Chen Weisong sat on the edge of the bed, casually grabbed his clothes, and wiped the dirty little feet that Heidan had just stepped on barefoot. After wiping them clean, he lightly slapped the little feet, pretending to be angry.
He said it loudly:
"Go to sleep!"
"Well..." The kid was pressed down on the bed, watching quietly as his uncle covered him with a bed. In the candlelight, his broad shoulders were reflected on the wall. Although the shadow was dark,
Being shivered by candlelight occasionally
, but the little black egg didn’t feel scared at all, he only felt his eyelids drooping downwards. But just when he was in a daze, seeing his uncle turn around, the little guy quickly pulled his sleeves and pointed to the bamboo hat on the opposite side.
monster.
Chen Weisong turned to look and burst out laughing. He walked over in three steps, pulled off the bamboo hat on the cupboard, threw it into the cupboard and put it away. Then he turned around, sat back on the edge of the bed, and reached out to light the black egg.
Head:
"Hey! Brother Zhao, Master Zhao, can you sleep peacefully now?"
The kid nodded and closed his eyes obediently. After a moment, he secretly opened his eyes again: the oil lamp was still on, and his uncle was still sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him with a smile.
Little Heidan finally felt at ease and closed his eyes again. After a while, he fell asleep hazily.
I don’t know how much time passed, but Little Hei Dan suddenly heard a soft “squeak”. He opened his eyes in confusion, but couldn’t see his uncle. Immediately, he was frightened and woke up most of the little ghosts. Taking advantage of the light of the oil lamp,
, tilting his head and looking over there:
I saw my uncle getting dressed. The little guy squinted his eyes and looked secretly. He saw his uncle put on his clothes, took out a wine jar from the cabinet, then put on his raincoat and a bamboo hat. The uncle was about to blow out the lamp.
, but suddenly stopped and turned his head to look over.
Little Heitan quickly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, and heard his uncle walking over quietly. Then, the little guy felt that his bedding had been straightened out, pulled to his chest, and covered.
Hei Dan narrowed his eyes to a slit and took a sneak peek: after his uncle had packed up, he picked up the wine jar, blew out the oil lamp, opened the door gently, and walked out with a "squeak" sound.
Without even thinking about it, the little guy hurriedly lifted the quilt, climbed out of bed on his hands and feet, grabbed his little straw sandals, and ran out of the house like that.
As soon as he opened the door, the icy night rain immediately drenched the kid. His heart was chilled in an instant, and Heidan couldn't help but shiver. But he didn't care about that much, just
With his eyes widened, Heidan looked at the path ahead through the fine rain. Seeing his uncle's back disappearing around the corner of the path, Heidan immediately followed him without a second thought.
It was a dark night, windy and rainy. The little guy only wore a single coat and a pair of straw sandals on his bare feet. He got wet in a short time and water squeezed out of the straw rope with every step he took. But
By this time
, cold and scared, they all stood aside. The kid wiped the rain from his eyes with his chubby little hands. Seeing his uncle's back getting further and further away, Heidan quickly ran forward with his short legs, trying to keep up with his uncle.
footsteps.
The wind and rain were heavy, covering up the noise of the kid walking on the muddy ground, so Chen Weisong never looked back. Just like that, no matter how far he chased, the little black egg followed his uncle's back all the way, just like that.
I ran to a ruined temple on the outskirts of the county.
This dilapidated temple had been abandoned for many years. I heard from the grandmothers in the town that a person had died here. When Little Heidan saw his uncle carrying the wine jar and stepping into the dilapidated temple, he immediately felt scared.
The cold rain soaked the single clothes tightly to the body, and when the night wind blew, the little ghost's head shivered with the cold.
However, he was so scared and cold that he didn't stop walking. When he saw his uncle carrying a wine jar into the ruined temple, he quickly followed without thinking. As soon as he touched the corner of the wall, he heard
Uncle laughed loudly:
"Ha, Ruizhi, long time see."
The rain has stopped.
Uncle's laughter was very loud, and it was even louder in this empty ruined temple. Somehow, the little black egg squatted behind the wall, put his toes on his toes, and stuck his head out to look - he saw the garden full of
In the desolate courtyard of the abandoned temple, apart from wildly growing weeds, there was only an abandoned well and a stone table.
The uncle placed the wine jar on the stone table, stretched out his hand to take off his bamboo hat and raincoat. Then, he strode to the well on knee-high weeds, slapped open the mud seal on the wine jar, and poured some water into the well.
liquor.
“Aged Shaoxing.”
The sudden sound made Heidan tremble: This was not uncle's voice, but...and...it seemed to be coming from the well, and there was an echo!
Heidan immediately felt his hands and feet were cold, and he opened his mouth to look at it - he saw his uncle tilted his mouth and smiled at the dark well mouth: "Ha! That's right, you have a greedy nose!"
Immediately afterwards, there was silence. The little black egg could only hear the "tick" sound of the rainwater on the eaves of the ruined temple, sliding down to the puddles on the ground. Through the small cracks in the wall and the weeds blocking the eyes, the little guy saw
, uncle placed the wine jar next to the well mouth, and then grinned straight at the well mouth, smiling.
Then, slowly, slowly, a white hand suddenly stretched out from the dark mouth of the well! The white hand, which seemed to be skin and bones, slowly came out of the well,
Get on the edge of the well.
It's... a ghost... a ghost! A ghost!!!
Heidan's eyes widened and he let out a silent cry in his heart. At this moment, he was already shivering with cold all over his body. When he saw this ghost hand, he seemed to be frozen and could not make a sound at all.
Come, he could only watch helplessly as the second ghostly white hand followed him out of the well.
"Tsk!" Chen Weisong smacked his lips and stretched out his hand to tug on Bai Sensen's skinny hand, "Hey, even though 'Bai Wuyi is a scholar', you are still an old ghost after all, and you have a bit of momentum.
No? Don’t crawl up like a dog paddle every time, it’s embarrassing!”
The white and thin hand grasped Chen Weisong's wrist tightly. Chen Weisong exerted his strength and pulled the person - no, pulled the ghost up:
The ghost was thin and dressed like a scholar. If his face were not pale enough to look like a piece of white paper, and his cheeks were deeply sunken, he would have looked human-like just by looking at his figure and attire.
The ghost was dragged out of the well by Chen Weisong, and it was exactly as he said, stumbling down the edge of the well like a dog crawling on his hands and feet. Standing still on the ground, the white-faced ghost patted his clothes gently and straightened them out.
robe.
This action immediately caused Chen Weisong to sneer: "Hey, you nerd. How long have you still cared about this?"
"Ha, speak harshly and laugh at others. Brother Chen, please don't do more ostomy business, otherwise you will end up in tongue-pulling hell in the future. Don't blame me, brother, I can't save you." The white-faced ghost chuckled.
Chen Weisong grinned: "You don't need to tell me, I know that I am destined to go to the ground."
"Huh?" The white-faced ghost's expression froze, he was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise, "What? Brother Chen, what have you done? You might as well tell your brother directly that when you meet the King of Hell in the future, I can pray for you, brother.
plead."
"Pfft! You nerd, you still take it seriously?!"
Chen Weisong laughed loudly and handed over the wine jar in his hand. The white-faced ghost immediately reached out to take it and took two swigs. Seeing him drinking heavily, Chen Weisong smacked his lips and smiled:
"Haha, you only look good when you're having a drink!"
"It's natural!" The white-faced ghost raised his head and drank two more gulps. However, although his momentum was strong, his stomach capacity was limited. Those few gulps of good wine mostly fed the dusty robe.
Seeing this scene, Chen Weisong chuckled and shook his head. He didn't say much. He just grabbed the wine jar and drank two sips before handing it back: "Hey, I said, I want to imitate other people's way of getting drunk to relieve a thousand worries. Let's take a look.
Do you have that big mouth?"
Faced with Chen Weisong's ridicule, the white-faced ghost just laughed and said: "Ha! What Brother Chen said is too much, too much - even if you die, why do you have so many worries?!"
Chen Weisong smiled and did not answer. He just sat down on the stone table. Then he took out a bag of dry cigarettes from his arms, ground the flint, and lit it. The scattered flames flickered on and off, and Chen Weisong took a deep breath.
Dry smoke. While puffing out clouds and mist, he smiled softly and said:
"Even if there are no thousand worries, there is still hatred and resentment, resentment and regret."
The white-faced ghost froze in the act of pouring wine. After a moment, he suddenly raised his hand and threw the wine jar towards Chen Weisong. The latter caught it steadily with one hand and silently stared at the pale ghost's face with a withered face.
After a long time, the white-faced ghost suddenly twisted his mouth: "Brother Chen, what you said is wrong again."
Chen Weisong exhaled a mouthful of white smoke and responded lightly: "Oh?"
The white-faced ghost walked to the stone table, grabbed the wine jar from his friend's hand, and laughed and said: "There is hatred and resentment, but it is not the reason for drinking."
"Haha." Chen Weisong laughed, stretched out his hand and knocked the cigarette rod on the edge of the stone table. The ashes fell into the puddles on the ground and were extinguished in a moment.
The white-faced ghost raised his head and took another two sips. When he drank to his fullest, he suddenly sang loudly: "When you are about to drink, don't stop drinking. Let me sing a song with you. Please listen to me..."
Listening to the white-faced ghost singing while drinking, Chen Weisong stroked his palms and sang from the side. After singing the song "Let's Enter the Wine", the white-faced ghost took another sip. Chen Weisong suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his wine jar, saying lightly:
"Ruizhi."
"Huh?" The white-faced ghost responded with a sideways glance.
Chen Weisong paused and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty... she went last month."
"..." The white-faced ghost was stunned, and after a moment, he reluctantly twitched his lips, "This... this eliminates all the resentment and regret."
Chen Weisong did not answer, but looked at his friend's face quietly: look at the white skin, the thin and protruding cheekbones, the dull eyes, and the face without any vitality.
"Brother Chen, how many times have you and I met?"
Facing the white-faced ghost's soft inquiry, Chen Weisong responded calmly: "It should be seven times."
"Ha...haha..." The white-faced ghost suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed uncontrollably, "So, counting the days, it has been ten years! I have been dead for ten years! Why did my mother deserve to give birth to me?
This unfilial son! This is an unfilial child. Not only was he unable to gain fame and honor his ancestors, nor was he unable to serve his mother until she grew old, he also asked her to give birth to someone with white hair. She has been heartbroken for the past ten years... Ha, ten years, it has actually been ten years.
Oh...haha..."
Laughing wildly and smiling, the white-faced ghost suddenly squatted on the ground. His laughter gradually weakened and finally broke into pieces: "Ha...Brother Chen, thank you very much for taking care of my mother for the past seven years..."
"Brothers, what's the word 'thank you' for?" Chen Weisong lowered his head and reached out to pat his friend's shoulder, "Ruizhi, don't worry, I've taken care of your parents' affairs, so you can relax."
The white-faced ghost said softly "Hmm". Suddenly, he straightened up and looked at Chen Weisong with raised eyebrows - his originally gentle expression suddenly became terrifying and full of hostility:
"Brother Chen, have you ever found that beast?!"
"Nothing," Chen Weisong replied without thinking, and handed the wine jar over, comforting him softly, "Ruizhi, don't worry. I will definitely bring the real culprit who killed you to justice. Not only that.
It is to avenge you, and it is also my responsibility as a policeman. However, you also know that in this vast world, it is not easy to find someone. Just wait."
The white-faced ghost raised his head, took a swig of wine, and remained silent for a while.
Chen Weisong patted his shoulder lightly and said with a smile: "Hey, you scholars, don't you often say, 'It's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge in ten years'? Ruizhi, I have always thought that you are not an impatient person."
"Hmm..." The white-faced ghost responded softly and sighed slowly.
Seeing that his uncle and the white-faced ghost seemed familiar, little Heitan suddenly felt less scary. Furthermore, when he heard these words, his little head suddenly realized:
It turns out that my uncle recognized this ghost. It seems that this ghost is not a bad person. He just killed someone, so he asked his uncle, who was a policeman, to help him catch the bad guy...
After thinking about it, the little guy suddenly felt that the white-faced ghost was very pitiful. He opened his mouth and was about to shout out, "Don't worry, Uncle Ghost, I will definitely help you catch the bad guys." But as soon as he opened his mouth,
The cool breeze poured into his mouth, causing him to cough.
"who?!"
Chen Weisong chased him out in big strides and walked around the wall. When he saw the little guy squatting in the corner, he was stunned.
"Brother Chen, who is here?" The white-faced ghost also walked over slowly.
"Ahem!" Chen Weisong quickly stood in front of Heidan, blocking the white-faced ghost's sight, "My little baby has been found somehow."
"Oh?" The white-faced ghost smiled softly, "Brother Chen, when did you get married and even have a baby, but you never told me?"
"How did I get married?" Chen Weisong said with a wry smile, "This is the little kid I picked up. Ruizhi, I'm sorry, I have to take a step forward today and send my kid back early."
"The little baby I picked up? How come I've never heard of you mentioning it?" The white-faced ghost raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "It's a cold rainy night. Don't let the baby freeze. Just go and do your work."
"Then we'll see you next year."
Chen Weisong bowed his hand to the white-faced ghost. Then he quickly picked up his coir raincoat and wrapped the little black egg tightly, holding it tightly in his arms. Then, without looking back, he strode out of the ruined temple.
That year, Zhao Haonian was only nine years old. From that day on, he knew that his uncle had a ghost friend.
Every July and a half, my uncle would bring good wine and go see his ghost friend named "Qu Xia", also known as "Ruizhi".
Once a year, rain or shine.
However, his uncle had told him: ghosts are inauspicious things and must not be seen. But in the next half of July, no matter how Zhao Hao begged, his uncle never let him follow him.
Therefore, throughout his life, Zhao Hao has only seen two sides of that white-faced ghost, Qu Xia.
two
How do you say that? Time flies by like a fleeting moment, and in the blink of an eye, twenty-four years have passed.
Of course, Chen Weisong, Mr. Chen, would not say such refined words. He would only take a puff of dry cigarette, and while pushing the cigarette rod to the corner, he sighed with a smile and said: "This little thing"
, why did you jump so high in the blink of an eye?! When I brought you back, you were the same size as the big yellow next door..."
"Smelly old man!" Zhao Hao gritted his teeth and glared at Chen Weisong fiercely, "You actually compare me with that mangy dog?!"
Chen Weisong smiled, did not answer, and just took a deep breath of dry smoke. A flicker of fire flickered on and off, disappearing into the dark night in a matter of seconds.
The old man sprayed the cigarette directly into Zhao Hao's face, which made the latter choke hard and almost coughed out. He couldn't bear it anymore, and there was no need to bear it anymore! Zhao Hao snatched the cigarette rod from the old man's hand.
, put out the fire and put it into his arms, then glared at him: "Old man, are you getting more confused as you get older or something?! You're still smoking! We are catching a thief, are you afraid that the thief can't see you?
!”
"Ha," Chen Weisong laughed, then glanced at Zhao Hao, "Kid, you are the loudest one here? Are you afraid that the thief can't hear you?!"
Zhao Hao was speechless with one sentence and could only stare at the old man. Chen Weisong smiled and said nothing more. He knew that this kid had been going through the motions since he was a child, and he was afraid that he would fall out if he was teased.
Accept it when it's good, accept it when it's good.
At this time, the two of them were squatting on the roof, using the shadow of the horse-head wall to hide their figures. The moon was dim and stars were shining brightly, and they could have a panoramic view of everything going on in the city from their height.
This is a county town, big or small, with thousands of people registered, so it is generally considered peaceful. Chen Weisong, who has been a head catcher for more than ten years, has handled the most cases, that of Zhang Jiadian.
A chicken and a cow from the Li family
Small things like this. When encountering a small case such as a poor family who stretched out three hands just because of a thought, Chen Weisong would catch the person and teach him a lesson, then let it pass with a big smile. Sometimes he didn't even register, let alone the case record.
.
However, Zhao Hao, the newly appointed police officer, is different. Although he has only been in office for a few months, as a county police officer, he is determined to keep the peace of the county, so he has always been meticulous in handling things, strictly controlling, and hates evil as much as he hates evil. He will never catch a thief.
Not to mention twisting in the prison first, for him, this approach can make the thief remember the lesson, and it is in line with the law and morality. In Zhao Hao's eyes, Chen Weisong's attitude is "loose" at best, and "disorganized" at worst.
To put it simply, it is a "breach of law".
However, dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction, but after all, it was the old man who pushed him away. Even though Zhao Hao was full of dissatisfaction, he could only let out a heavy "hum" from his nostrils, and there was nothing more——
You can't say that, but the old man can only make himself sulky.
For example, right now, Zhao Hao was choked by the old man's words and couldn't recover for a long time. Zhao Hao curled up his lips and said nothing, just frowning and staring at the movement on the street below.
I don't know how long I stared like this, but suddenly I felt the summer night breeze blowing by, bringing a rare coolness, and also brought the familiar smell of tobacco from the old man.
Zhao Hao stretched out his hand and touched his nose. While touching, he glanced at the corner of his eyes. He saw that the big moon plate had stained the old man's temples with a layer of silver frost, making him look gray and white. Looking at this, he didn't know why.
Suddenly, his heart twitched. Zhao Hao quickly lowered his eyes and just stared at the tiles under his feet. There was nothing good to see. But nothing good to look at was better than looking at it, which would make him feel trembling.
White sideburns.
Just when Zhao Hao was staring blankly for a moment, someone suddenly knocked him on the shoulder. As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw the smelly old man jumping down from the roof with his old arms and legs stretched out. Zhao Hao was stunned.
I was so surprised that I immediately yelled loudly: "What are you doing!"
This roar failed to stop Chen Weisong, but instead caused a black shadow on the street to suddenly run into an alley in shock.
Only then did Zhao Hao realize that he was in trouble. He quickly climbed up, jumped down from the wall, and then chased the black shadow desperately.
Chasing, chasing after the thief, but also chasing after Chen Weisong who was running in front. Somehow, Zhao Hao suddenly remembered that rainy night twenty-four years ago, and he also chased after the old man's back in the same way.
, I chased him to the ruined temple where the ghost scholar Qu Xia was...
At that time, no matter how hard he moved, he could not catch up with the long legs of the smelly old man, which made his nose sore with anxiety. But now, he was getting closer and closer, and he was getting closer and closer.
The moment he passed Chen Weisong, Zhao Hao's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't explain the feeling of uncertainty, but he didn't have time to sort it out, so he could only run in the direction where the thief fled.
The thief escaped quickly and ran into the alley again. In this dark night, it was even harder to find. Seeing the black shadow chasing him getting farther and farther away from him, Zhao Hao felt anxious.
At this time, the thief who ran into the alley suddenly paused, then picked up the knife on his waist and rushed into the alley.
Not good! Zhao Hao's heart moved, and he rushed forward without caring about anything else. After a while, he heard the sound of close combat, Zhao Hao gritted his teeth and plunged into the dark alley——
The person who stopped Tou'er from fighting, who else could it be if he wasn't Chen Weisong?! Seeing the two people struggling together, Zhao Hao threw himself on Tou'er's back without thinking, and hugged him tightly.
He couldn't move. Just when Tou'er was struggling to get away from Zhao Hao, Chen Weisong, who had gained a neutral position, also rushed forward and pinned Tou'er down.
One of them hugged the thief tightly and refused to let go, while the other twisted the thief's arm and twisted it back. Zhao Hao seized the opportunity and threw the thief against the wall of the alley, but just as he was about to fall over, Chen Weisong reached out for him.
He was pulled back. Zhao was so impatient that he glared at the old man fiercely, but saw the man frowning and hitting the thief on the back of the neck with a knife.
The thief's legs suddenly went limp. Taking advantage of this moment, the two of them worked together to pick up the rope and tie up the thief.
After tying up and tying up, Chen Weisong also pushed the thief to the ground. Chen Weisong let out a "ha" and touched the cigarette in his arms with a smile. But after touching two handfuls, he couldn't find it. Only then did he remember that the cigarette rod had just been removed.
The kid took it away. Then, he smiled and spread his palm towards Zhao Hao.
Zhao Hao clearly knew what the old man meant, but it was not what he meant. He just glared at the hand fiercely.
Seeing that the kid refused to cooperate, Chen Weisong said "tsk tsk" twice, slapped Zhao Hao on the back of the head, and reached out to take it out of the kid's arms.
Zhao Hao raised his hand and flicked away the old man's claws.
"When you grow up, it's hard to be fooled anymore." Chen Weisong smiled and shook his head.
As soon as he heard what he said, Zhao Hao felt aggrieved. He was already in his twenties, but the old man always regarded him as the child he was back then. Zhao Hao opened his mouth with a complaint that had lasted for more than ten years:
"Don't treat me like a brat!"
Chen Weisong didn't answer, just looked at him and smiled. His attitude made Zhao Hao even more depressed. He curled his lips and no longer looked at the old man who was so happy that he seemed to have picked up two taels of silver for nothing.
The thief on the ground picked up the other person's collar with one hand and dragged him forward.
As soon as he took two steps, he suddenly heard the sound of wind. Zhao Hao immediately turned sideways to avoid the palm. However, as soon as he took half a step back, he suddenly felt a pain in his calf. In an instant, his body was unstable, and he felt someone on his chest.
Give it a light pat.
When Zhao Hao stood firm and took a closer look - he saw Chen Weisong leaning against the wall, holding his precious pipe in his right hand, puffing away the smoke with a smile:
"Boy, you are still a little young."
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye just now, he touched the pipe back. Zhao was so angry that he turned around and walked away. After taking two steps, he remembered something, turned back and yelled at the person behind him:
"If I hadn't been escorting the prisoner, I wouldn't have fallen into your trap!"
The person behind him didn't answer, he just laughed. In the midst of the smoke, I could hear the old man smacking his mouth and making two "tsk tsk" sounds.
It would have been fine if he had said something, but those two "tsk tsk" sounds made Zhao Hao even more depressed. Regardless of the old man, he quickened his pace and dragged the thief straight to the Yamen.
three
The third day of July.
In the tavern, more than twenty policemen crowded into a table, chattering noisily and shouting at the waiter to serve wine and food.
Today is the day when the old catcher Chen Weisong resigns, and it is also the day when the new catcher Zhao Hao takes office. Everyone has long been planning to have a good drink, and has booked the tavern early. A group of big men, usually
Standing in the yamen with a serious look on his face, he still wanted to sing "Wei-wu-". But now, he was acting like a gangster with no force at all.
Chen Weisong lost a boxing move, and was immediately caught by his old subordinate and drank heavily. The young policemen nearby were making noises, slamming the table, banging chopsticks, and making a lot of noise. This policeman Chen usually
He doesn't have any official pretensions, he gets along well with everyone, and they often fool around together. Therefore, most of the brothers he works with think highly of him and are no older than him.
Willing to admit defeat, Chen Weisong said nothing, picked up the big bowl, raised his head and drank a big gulp. The brothers on the side clapped and applauded, but Zhao Hao couldn't stand it anymore, so he quickly stretched out his hand to stop him:
"Hey! Old man, stop drinking! You still think you're eighteen years old?! Don't blame me for not carrying you home at night if you keep drinking like this!"
The young catcher on the side was not happy when he heard this, and quickly spoke for his old boss: "Hey, the new catcher, you can't say that. Boss Chen is only over half a century old, he is in the prime of life, he can drink!
"
"A prime man? How can a prime man resign?" Zhao Hao sneered, reaching out and grabbing Chen Weisong's wine bowl, "Hey, your old arms and legs can't stand the torment, take it easy!"
"Ha! Brother Zhao," Chen Weisong laughed and patted Zhao Hao's shoulder, "Hey, you want to knock me out after just a few drinks?! You really look down on the old man."
"That's right, that's right!" The policemen on the side followed suit and quickly took a wine bowl and filled it for Boss Chen. Chen Weisong twisted his mouth and was about to reach out for it when Zhao Hao stopped him.
Chen Weisong looked sideways and saw Zhao Hao glaring at him. Chen Weisong couldn't help but laugh and reached out to touch his forehead: "Hey, Brother Zhao, Master Zhao, don't worry, old man, I won't be put down that easily, I know it well.
"
Zhao Haodeng blushed with anger: "Don't call me 'Master'!"
But what he said, after hearing Chen Weisong's words "you know", Zhao Hao lowered his hand and did not stop the wine bowl. Seeing this, Chen Weisong chuckled and rubbed his head. Zhao Hao was so angry that his veins burst out, and he shook his head.
He tightened his fists, but never reached out to knock off the big palm touching his head.
"Oh, what a loving father and filial son," an old policeman nearby sighed with emotion, "Boss Chen, you are so lucky! My own children are not as good to me as Xiao Zhao is to you!"
Chen Weisong grinned: "How could I have such a good life and such a good son? Brother Zhao is Brother Zhao, not the child I raised."
Zhao Hao looked up at him and saw Chen Weisong grinning with his front teeth showing. Somehow, after hearing his words and seeing that smile, Zhao Hao couldn't help but feel angry and secretly clenched his fists:
Growing up, Chen Weisong never recognized him as his adopted son and refused to let him call him "dad". When he turned fifteen, he was not even allowed to call him "uncle". He tried to
He called "Master", but the other party only laughed and shook his head and rejected it. In the end, he got angry and just called "Old Man".
Unexpectedly, the word "old man" was full of Chen Weisong's interest. The old man taught him how to read and practice martial arts, and always called him "brother Zhao" with a smile.
Just when he was distracted for a moment, Chen Weisong over there drank more than half a catty and was waving his hands and saying "No more, no more". But how could those old subordinates let him go so easily? Several people stopped him and pulled Fei
He was encouraged to continue drinking. Zhao Hao came to his senses and saw that something was wrong, so he quickly went up to "protect":
"Hey! The old man can't drink anymore!" Zhao Hao pulled the drunken man aside, then picked up the bowl of wine that Chen Weisong owed: "I drank this bowl on his behalf!"
After saying that, he raised his neck and raised his head and took a few big mouthfuls. Zhao Hao clasped the bowl, and amidst the cheers of the police officers, he picked up the old man and walked out of the house.
While walking on the road, the old man stumbled. Zhao Hao couldn't stand it anymore, so he squatted down and carried the old man on his back.
"Brother Zhao, I'm fine, I can still walk." The old man was breathing heavily from his neck.
"What the hell!" Zhao Hao glared at him angrily, "Don't show off to me! You don't think you're almost sixty anymore, you still think you're a young man!"
"Hey..." the old man chuckled, "Master Zhao, you can fly when your wings are strong. I never saw you swearing so neatly when I was a kid."
"Don't call me young master!" Zhao Hao roared angrily, directly into the old man's ear.
The old man dug his ears with his hands, laughed "hehe" twice, then began to drag his steps and let Zhao Hao pull him away, snoring in a daze.
"Boss! Boss Chen!" Suddenly, a police officer hurriedly ran up behind him. He just shouted and felt something was wrong - isn't the boss resigning and replacing him? - he quickly changed his words:
"Boss Zhao, there's a case!"
Zhao Hao stopped and raised his eyebrows: "What?"
"Yesterday's heavy rain washed away half of the back mountain, exposing the bones!"
The snoring on his back stopped suddenly.
Four
The deceased had long since rotted away to the point where only a handful of bones were left. After identification, it was estimated that he had been dead for about thirty years.
The clothes and other items were almost rotten, and not a single identifying object was left. Only a small rattle was dug out of the mud about six feet away.
An old murder case was discovered as soon as he took office. Zhao Hao, the new police officer, immediately started investigating. All the files from thirty-five years ago to twenty-five years ago were retrieved. All the unsolved cases were investigated.
Check them all one by one with this corpse.
Fortunately, Changning County is a small county and has always been relatively peaceful. Most of the cases in those ten years have been solved, except for two:
First, thirty-four years ago, Qu Xia, a scholar who went to Beijing to take the exam, was pushed into a well in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the county when he was passing through Changning County and starved to death.
Second, thirty years ago, a woman in the county reported to the government that her husband and four-year-old child had disappeared for three days.
Detective Zhao Hao stared at the file in a daze: He recognized this case. That scholar Qu Xia and Qu were clearly the white-faced ghost who followed the old man and saw him once in that ruined temple when he was a child!
It turns out that the old man has been going to see him every July and a half every year for so many years, just because to this day, he has not caught the real culprit and cannot give an explanation to Qu Xiucai.
After thinking about it like this, Zhao Hao secretly clenched his fists and vowed to help the old man fulfill his wish and give justice to that ghost uncle back then!
As for the second case, he thought that there was a rattle left next to the bones, which must be related to the child. Zhao Hao immediately decided to go to the woman to ask the case.
True to his word, Detective Zhao quickly went to investigate the case. Unexpectedly, the woman could not find her husband and children, and had already left Changning County and remarried someone else.
After making a futile search, Agent Zhao went back to the Yamen and carefully studied the files. As he was thinking about it, he suddenly slapped his thigh: "Isn't my old man the same police officer back then? If you have any clues, just ask the old man!"
Immediately I rushed home, and as soon as I opened my mouth to discuss matters with the old man, I saw the old man twitching his lips and smiling faintly:
"Brother Zhao, after all, I have taught you reasoning and case handling for so many years, why is it so difficult for me to use my brain melon seeds?"
Chen Weisong reached out and touched Zhao Hao's forehead, then lowered his hand, stepped back a few steps, and then said with a smile: "Stupid boy, don't you know how to connect two cases and read them together?"
Seeing Zhao Hao frowning and starting to think, the old man sat down on the threshold, took out the cigarette rod and took two puffs:
"Brother Zhao, you must be thinking about that kid's age, right?" He knocked the cigarette rod against the threshold, took a deep puff, and then exhaled a puff of white smoke.
In the smoke, the old man’s face was unclear:
"Your father died because of me. You were the baby who was less than four years old back then and I took him away."
five
Thirty-three years ago, when the later old catcher was just a rookie catcher, Chen Weisong, who had just entered the yamen, was given a difficult problem by the senior catchers -
Let’s investigate a murder case two years ago: the murder of scholar Qu Xia who fell to death in a dry well.
During those days, Chen Weisong was very busy with only one case. He walked around the ruined temple every day looking for clues, but he could never find any clues. Think about it, it has been more than two years, even at the scene of the crime,
What else can be left behind?
But that case was Chen Weisong's first job. As a young boy, he still investigated it day and night. Finally, that day came - half July.
Chen Weisong was sitting in a daze by the well, thinking and thinking, but the sun set without noticing. He was just about to pat his butt and leave, and come back to think about it tomorrow. At that time, a pale hand came out of the well.
Exploded out.
In his twenty years of life, he had never experienced such a horrific incident. Chen Weisong was so frightened that he recited from "The sky is spirited and the earth is spirited" to "The Supreme Lord is as urgent as a law" and then to "Amitabha".
Finally, my legs gave out and I sat down on the dirt floor. I could only shiver at the mouth of the well.
The face that emerged from the well was full of rage. The expression of wanting to tear the person into pieces made Chen Weisong feel weak in his calves. He could only say "You...you, you, you..." and was speechless.
Come.
But at that moment, when the atmosphere was extremely weird and frightening, the ghost who crawled out using his hands and feet stumbled over the edge of the well and fell down, chewing mud.
Forgive me that at that time, Chen Weisong was just a young man in his early twenties and did not understand the principle of not laughing at others. When he saw the monster that was so menacing just a moment ago, but at this moment he was on all fours with no momentum at all, Chen Weisong couldn't help but twitch.
The corners of his mouth curled up, and he burst into laughter.
This smile made his head suddenly clear. He bravely spoke: "Are you Qu Xia?"
"Yes." Qu Xia slowly got up, patted the ashes on his body with his pale and skinny hands, straightened his robe, and then nodded and said: "I'm Qu Xia, courtesy name Ruizhi."
It seems that he is still a reasonable and polite guy. After thinking about this, Chen Weisong grinned stiffly:
"That... that, I'm not a bad person. I'm a police officer from Changning County. I want to help you investigate the case and restore your innocence. I... I didn't expect to meet you..."
Having said this, Chen Weisong touched the back of his head and said with a smile: "But that's the case, that's even better! Tell me, who killed you? I will arrest him immediately!"
Seeing that the other party was a police officer who had redressed his injustice and settled the case, Qu Xia raised his hands and saluted: "Thank you for your help. Let me explain the situation. I am from Fengyang City. I went to Beijing to take the exam and passed by Guixian County. Because I didn't know the way, I asked the local passers-by.
.Who would have thought that that man actually wanted to take away my financial burden, so he lured me to this temple and pushed me into a well."
Chen Weisong nodded when he heard this and couldn't help but clenched his fists tightly: "It's really hateful! Do you know the name of that evil person? I will definitely bring him to justice!"
Qu Xia shook his head and said: "I don't know. But I remember this person's face clearly. If you can get me pen, ink, paper and inkstone, I can draw the face of the real murderer."
Chen Weisong quickly nodded and said yes, rushed into the city like flying, opened the study shop in the middle of the night, and asked the boss to buy pen and ink. Just as he was about to run back, he suddenly remembered that Qu Xia was as skinny as a stick - according to the old policeman, Qu Xia
Xia was not dead when she fell into the well, but starved to death.
Thinking of this, Chen Weisong knocked on the door of the restaurant again and asked the shopkeeper to quickly prepare steamed buns and a few side dishes overnight. Then, he rushed back to the ruined temple with a food basket in hand.
In the courtyard of the ruined temple, I saw Qu Xia, all white, sitting on the edge of the well with his head buried. Chen Weisong immediately felt unbearable: I thought that when the crime occurred two years ago, Qu Xia was only in his early twenties. He studied hard for ten years.
, but instead of being able to express his ambition, he died here. He refused to speak out his injustice, and even died miserably, starving to death. This must be so painful.
Feeling more compassion than fear in his heart, coupled with the fact that he was born with a weak head, Chen Weisong went up and patted Qu Xia on the shoulder: "Brother Qu, don't be sad. I will definitely find the real murderer for you!"
With that said, Chen Weisong handed over the pen and ink and the food basket. As for Qu Xia, although he was full of sorrow and resentment, and although he was a scholar, it can be forgiven that in front of a starving ghost, the attraction of food was overwhelming. The thin scholar,
With his hands that were skinny and boneless, he grabbed the steamed bun and ate it. Chen Weisong was frightened when he saw it, and couldn't help but reach out and pat him on the back:
"Eat slowly, eat slowly, don't choke."
Qu Xia glanced at it gratefully, and then continued to make waves. By the time he finished eating the entire basket of steamed buns and side dishes, Dongfang was also turning fish belly white.
One person and one ghost were immediately dumbfounded.
Chen Weisong laughed dryly and twitched the corner of his mouth: "Then... what, that picture, you can draw it next year. I will come back next year."
"Thank you very much." Qu Xia bowed his hands and then climbed into the well on his hands and feet.
Chen Weisong saw him stumbling and quickly offered a hand to help. Just when Qu Xia entered the well and the first ray of sunlight was about to peek out, Chen Weisong suddenly thought of it and asked casually:
"I will bring food next year. By the way, do you want wine?"
"If you don't know Du Kang, you don't know Li Bai." - In other words, one word: Yao.
In July and a half of the second year, Chen Weisong brought wine and food and was waiting by the well early.
A lesson learned. This time, when Chen Weisong saw Qu Xia, he quickly handed over the pen and ink. Qu Xia painted the face of the murderer in just a few strokes.
Chen Weisong quickly put away the painting. Next, the two of them drank and chatted. They talked about the work of the young policeman and anecdotes about studying for exams. As they chatted, Qu Xia suddenly fell silent. Seeing that he looked gloomy.
, Chen Weisong also guessed a bit, and quickly patted his chest:
"Brother Qu, don't worry, I will take care of your father-in-law. Every year from now on, I will come to inform you of your current situation."
Qu Xia stood up and wanted to salute Chen Weisong to thank him. Chen Weisong quickly stopped him: "Since calling 'Brother Qu' means we are brothers, why are you so polite?"
Qu Xia immediately put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "Just call me 'Ruizhi'."
After going back and forth, the two of them paid homage to their brothers at night. They toasted to the bright moon and drank wine. They chatted all night long. At dawn, the two of them made an appointment to see each other again next year during the Chinese New Year.
That year, Chen Weisong looked at the portrait painted by Qu Xia and soon found the real murderer. But when he rushed to the prisoner's home, he saw that the man's family was poor. All the money he got from the murder of Qu Xia was spent on those who were under two years old.
, a frail and sickly young son.
Chen Weisong failed to capture the prisoner back to the Yamen.
In the third year of Zhongyuan, Chen Weisong did not tell Qu Xia that he had seen the real murderer. Qu Xia was furious when he saw that the murderer could not be found after a year. But after he was angry, he became even more sad.
His best friend died in vain. If he does not find the real culprit, he will not be able to escape from the well and will be reincarnated. Chen Weisong saw this and was very sad.
Afterwards, Chen Weisong couldn't help but go to the culprit and clarify the matter. Unexpectedly, the real culprit committed suicide in fear of the crime. In front of Chen Weisong, he jumped off the mountain and broke his neck.
The case could have been settled here. But for some reason, Chen Weisong was obsessed with it. When he thought that the day the case was solved, it would be the day his best friend returned to the underworld and re-entered reincarnation. After thinking twice, Chen Weisong buried the body of the real murderer.
In the mountains, he took back the baby who was less than four years old that day.
In the fourth, fifth, and sixth years, they met each other every year in Zhongyuan, and they drank and talked happily, and then added a set of lies about "the vast sea of people has not found it yet".
Until the seventh year, the little guy followed him. He was afraid that Qu Xia would see something from the little guy's appearance and that he would hurt Zhao Hao in anger. Chen Weisong quickly blocked Qu Xia's sight, hugged the little guy, and left quickly
.Then he told the kid not to follow him again.
Then, suddenly, more than thirty years have passed.
In less than half a month, it will be Zhongyuan again.
Counting the days, this is the thirty-third year, and I'm afraid it's also the last year.
six
After listening to Chen Weisong's words, Zhao Hao finally understood why for so many years, the old man never let him call him "father", never let him call him "uncle", and never let him call "master";
I will give him a single name with the character "hao" (hao), which means "hao" (hao) for "good person".
Old man, this old man...
Zhao Hao clenched his fists, but he still couldn't muster the energy to hit Chen Weisong's face with his fists.
In the misty smoke, today's young catcher is just like the kid back then, turning around and running away, leaving only one sentence:
"Stupid old man! That's not what I want to hear!"
The old man took a puff of cigarette and did not stop it. While puffing away the smoke, he let out a long sigh.
Zhao Hao never returned to that home, but occasionally looked at it from a distance.
I saw the old man taking advantage of the good weather to clean the mat he used to sleep on, take it out of the house and dry it in the sun, as if he was still there.
Zhao Hao remembered that rainy night fifteen years ago. He couldn't sleep because of the heavy wind and rain. He couldn't hear the old man's snoring. He was so frightened that he couldn't sleep. He couldn't help but get up with a grunt, and ran down to the ground shouting "Uncle, Uncle"
Go and be hugged by that old guy.
The hot chest, the tightened arms, the old man who allowed him to rub his nose on him, the old man who sat on the edge of the bed and wiped his dirty feet...
Zhao Hao watched silently, watching the old man sitting on the threshold, smoking a bag of cigarettes, and then took the mat back into the house when the sun went out.
Zhao Hao suddenly felt that he was still the stupid boy nicknamed "Black Egg" back then, who could only look at his uncle's back furtively.
In the blink of an eye, it’s July and a half again.
That night, the moon plate was hanging in the sky, illuminating the path with silver frost. The old man carried wine and vegetables, staggering towards the ruined temple. Zhao Hao was behind, following secretly, just like
then.
After entering the ruined temple, the old man helped pull Qu Xia out of the well as usual. Then, the old man insulted his friend as usual, and Qu Xia retaliated as usual. Then, the old man opened the seal of the wine jar as usual.
Mud, letting the aroma of wine spread throughout the abandoned courtyard.
Qu Xia said with great joy: "The number one scholar has been hidden for thirty years!"
"Yes, it was thirty-one years ago," the old man smiled and poured a glass for his best friend, "Ha, do you still remember when I asked you if you wanted to drink? It was the second year we met, and I buried it with my own hands."
"..." Qu Xia suddenly fell silent. He just frowned and looked at his friend. After a while, he said, "Are you okay?"
"Haha, you are worthy of Ruizhi! I just turned my back on my butt, and you knew what I was going to fart!" The old man laughed, "Well, I'm already old, and I don't know if I can survive next year.
.Why not get up early and let’s have a good drink!”
Zhao Hao had never realized that his old man was actually counting the days. He couldn't help but secretly go to see the old man's expression when he said these words:
I saw the moonlight shining on the old man's body, dyeing his temples white. But Qu Xia still looked like the scholar he once was.
I don’t know which one is more deplorable, an old man who has experienced the world in his late sixties, or a young man who is always in his early twenties.
"Rui Zhi," the old man said suddenly, "your case is solved."
Qu Xia stared at him blankly: Thirty-five years ago, he died here tragically. Today, his friends tell him that the case has been solved?
The old man raised his head and took a sip of wine, and let out a long sigh: "It was broken long ago. Thirty years ago, the murderer died. He committed suicide out of fear of crime and jumped off a hill to his death."
"You...why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
The old man looked at his friend and grinned: "It's rare to meet a drinking buddy like you who has such a similar temperament. How can I let you go to bliss so early? Doesn't that make me boring?"
"..." Qu Xia was speechless for a long time, just staring at his friend in a daze.
Zhao Hao couldn't help but feel frightened when he saw the anger on Qu Xia's face. Just as he was thinking about whether he should rush forward and pull back his crazy old man, he suddenly saw Qu Xia laughing and saying:
"Hey, Brother Chen, do you think I'm just here to hear whether that beast is alive or dead during these many years of meeting Zhongyuan?"
The old man twisted his lips and threw the wine jar in his hand. Qu Xia reached out to take it, but put it aside: "I won't drink anymore. You'd better seal it and drink again in ten years."
"Ha, Ruizhi, you think that I am too capable," the old man laughed. "In ten years, I will be almost seventy! Whether I am still alive or not is a question! Are you not afraid of drinking?
Don’t you want this good wine?”
"Not afraid." Qu Xia said with a faint smile.
"But, I'm afraid," the old man suddenly suppressed his smile and said in a deep voice, "I owe my kid a life. When his father's body appears again, God is clearly going to take my life to pay for it."
"What are you doing?" Qu Xialang said loudly, "In the universe, retaliation for retaliation. His father's death deserves to repay me for this crime!"
The old man spread his hands and said with a smile: "But I deceived him, forced his biological father to death, took him away from his biological mother, and hid it from him for more than thirty years. Isn't this a crime?"
"..." Qu Xia was speechless upon hearing this. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled and said, "That's all. Let's get to know each other and be a companion on the road to Huangquan."
"Ahem!" The old man touched his nose and smiled, "As long as you don't mind Brother Yu's verbosity."
"Ha, it's not the first time I've heard you talk!"
The two of them held the wine jar and drank sip after sip. As they drank and got high, the old man started chatting: "Ha, you're suffocating me to death! I've been suffocating me for more than thirty years and I haven't even mentioned my kid to you.
.Rui Zhi, let me tell you, that stupid boy, tsk tsk, is so short-sighted..."
Qu Xia laughed and said: "If you are really a heartless and stupid boy, how can you smile like a flower while talking? You haven't mentioned him for more than thirty years because you are afraid of my revenge.
If your heart is not broken, will you take revenge on the kid? How about you have blocked the kid tightly back then, for fear that I would see his face?"
Zhao Hao heard about it and squatted silently in the corner. The rainy night many years ago seemed to be still clearly visible: the old man carefully wrapped him in a raincoat and held him in his arms so that Qu Xia wouldn't see him...
Cheating and kidnapping, what kind of life has that stupid old man been living for these many years?!
The one who tricked him was his father who committed murder, the one who abducted was his child whom he had raised for more than thirty years, and the one who deceived him was Qu Xia, a ghost scholar whom he mistakenly became his best friend and met every year...
I'm afraid it's the old man who is confused.
The old man has blamed himself for most of his life for forcing his father to die. He has raised a child who will one day fall out with him and may even take his life. He also has a ghost friend who may cause harm to others because of being cheated.
...That stupid old man is so stupid!
Thinking about it, Zhao Hao buried his head on his knees.
The sounds of drinking and chatting gradually faded away. When Zhao Hao came to his senses, he heard the two saying goodbye with a smile:
"next year?"
"Ha, I'm afraid it won't take that long."
"Okay. I'll wait for you."
Zhao Hao squatted in the corner and waited quietly, waiting quietly for his old man to stagger out of the courtyard - so that he could yell at him as a "stupid old man" and then carry the drunk old man home.
But Zhao Hao waited for a long time, but still couldn't wait for the old man to come out. When he couldn't bear it and stretched his head to look, he saw the old man leaning by the well, his mouth snapping.
Zhao Hao walked over with an unkind expression, stopped in front of the old man, and squatted down.
The old man narrowed his eyes, twisted his mouth, and suddenly stretched out his hand to tug at the corner of his clothes:
"Hey, Brother Zhao, Master Zhao."
"what?"
"Call 'Uncle'."
"Stupid old man, it was you who told me not to call you 'uncle'."
Zhao Hao turned around to glare at him, but saw the man leaning by the well, closing his eyes with a smile.
Zhao Hao's heart twitched, and he stretched out his fingers to poke under the old man's nostrils.
No sound.
Zhao Hao threw himself into the old man's arms, shouting "Uncle, Uncle" non-stop, just like the little black egg who couldn't sleep when he couldn't hear his uncle's snoring.
The first ray of sunlight from the east hit the old man's face, illuminating the smile lines at the corners of his eyes and the gray on his temples.
It's dawn.
[End of the extra "Secret and Abducted in July and a Half"]
