After learning about what happened to Xiao Tao Laizhao, I decided to go to the East Railway Station the next day and ask the local people to find out the whole story.
Maybe there will be unexpected gains.
It's not that far from my place to the East Station, just past the Second Store and further ahead.
That overpass bridge is a railway bridge. Under the bridge is the railway line. After the overpass bridge is Daokou Street, and ahead is Hanjiawazi.
If you go further, you will leave Harbin city.
Do you still remember Hanjiawazi?
It was the place where the incident of the little daughter-in-law climbing up the tree happened. It was also where Uncle Ma and I met Badger Zixian.
What I am going to now is Daokou Street, which is a cluster of old bungalows. Many of the small alleys inside are so narrow that even cars can’t get in. They look backward and dated.
I parked the car on the side of the road, walked around a bit, found a warehouse and went in.
Because this kind of place has the most people coming and going, it is easier to inquire about things.
I first bought a pack of cigarettes, then lit them for myself, and then handed one to the boss.
The boss is a guy in his thirties, with a round face and short stature. His hair looks like it hasn’t been washed for several days and is stuck to his scalp.
I lit a cigarette for him and asked him where Fatty Liu lived near here before.
The boss was stunned and said, why are you asking about this? Fatty Liu has been dead for half a year.
I said that I lived here when I was a child and knew Fatty Liu. When I heard that he was dead, I wanted to come here for a walk and feel nostalgic, but I forgot where he lived.
The boss looked at me and didn’t say much. He pointed outside and said that it’s in the alley next to me. After you enter, keep walking. When you see a public toilet, go to the left. Then go to the right at the second intersection and go to the end. On the left, it's about the fourth iron gate. Further ahead you can see the coal unloading yard of the train station, which is quite easy to find. But there is no one in his house now, and the door is locked. You can't see anything when you go there. "
I said I didn’t want to see anything, I just wanted to take a stroll and reminisce about my childhood. After that, I thanked the boss and walked in according to the route he told me.
As soon as I reached the public toilet, I was confused.
The roads here are messy. There are two roads to the left from the public toilet. I don’t know which one the boss is talking about.
After hesitating for a while, I decided to try them one by one and come back later.
As a result, I got lost when I walked in. I walked around for a long time and couldn't find the way back. This shitty place became like a maze.
After walking around for about ten minutes, I don't know why, but I found that I came to a wall. Inside were many tall piles of coal, and next to it was a small alley.
I remembered what the boss said, isn't this the coal unloading yard of the train station?
There is a gap next to the high wall of the coal unloading yard, and some coal is scattered nearby. It is estimated that residents nearby must have stolen coal.
So I hurriedly walked along the alley. Not far away, I saw a broken iron gate with a lock on it.
There was no one in the alley. Looking at the surrounding low-rise houses, dilapidated streets, and gloomy atmosphere, I somehow vaguely remembered the streets in the underworld.
It seems, almost the same.
At this moment, a door on the opposite side creaked, and an old man walked out of it.
I stepped forward to inquire and asked the old man if this was Fatty Liu's house.
The old man looked up at me, his eyes a little stunned.
In fact, when I saw his look, I was a little stunned.
It's because his eyes are a bit severely squinted. On the surface, he seems to be looking at me, but in fact, one eye is to the left, and the other is... further to the left.
"Ah, ask Fatty Liu, look for him. He has been dead for half a year. There is no one at home. Stop looking for him."
When the old man was talking to me, his eyes were looking to my left. I was a little puzzled, thinking who was he looking at? There was no one over there.
I asked him: "Uncle, I'm not looking for Fatty Liu. I just want to ask, he has a child named Xiao Tao Laizhao. After Fatty Liu died, where did the child go?"
The old man still didn't look at me and said, "Ask that kid. I don't know. He seems to have left. He doesn't have any relatives here, and he may not want to stay here anymore."
I asked again: "Then where did he go? Does anyone know?"
The old man thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't know. There are many outsiders living in this place, and no one inquires about people coming and going. Besides, he is a child, he is very light-footed, he can just walk away, and he won't starve to death." Where can he go to make ends meet?"
I sighed secretly. It seemed that even the people across from me didn't know Xiao Tao Laizhao's life and death, so I guess I couldn't find anything out here.
The old man stopped paying attention to me and went out. I looked at the iron gate again, a little reluctant, but there was nothing I could do.
I can't just jump into someone's house in broad daylight and look for clues, right?
If someone calls the police again and is arrested as a thief...
Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly discovered that there was a strange feeling inside the iron gate.
Logically speaking, no one was living inside, but I felt a whimpering sound coming from inside!
This made me get goosebumps all over my body. When I got closer and listened, the sound disappeared again, but I still felt like someone was crying.
It seems like this place is a little weird.
My curiosity was aroused, and I couldn't help but rub my hands. After checking that no one was around, I gritted my teeth and grabbed the iron gate and climbed in.
It's not that I'm very skilled, but that this iron gate... is actually only as tall as a person, very crude.
Don't talk about me, any other dog would be able to get in with all his strength.
Uh... isn't that a good metaphor?
After entering the yard, I discovered that the yard was full of mineral water bottles and beverage bottles, bags after bags, piled up like a hill.
What the kid said last night was indeed right. Fatty Liu really is a bottle collector.
But what's even more disgusting is that there are actually a lot of daddies in this yard, and the stench is overwhelming.
Fortunately, this is winter, and the daddy is also frozen and covered with a layer of snow. It looks like...
Forget it, I still won’t describe it.
I pinched my nose, resisting nausea, and went to the window to look inside.
The yard was small and dilapidated, and so was the house. There was little light in the house, not even the sun could shine in.
This is my first time to come to a place like this. It seems that there are also poor people in this big city. Even the courtyards and houses are not as good as the houses in the countryside where I am from.
I lay on the window and looked inside. It was dark inside and nothing could be seen. It seemed to be a kang.
That's right, inside this room, there is just a kang and nothing else. The area is probably only three or four square meters.
I came to the door again and tentatively stretched out my hand to pull it open.
I thought the door must be locked, but unexpectedly, I just pulled it gently...
The door opened with a creak.
