The first day of October is the day Gao Cun is released from prison.
Five years ago, Gao Cun was sentenced to five years of hard labor for burglary. Originally, the crime of theft did not require such a long sentence, but that year was particularly unlucky. The case of the Peach Blossom Murderer occurred in Yidu City, and many more came. Bandits were fishing in troubled waters. In order to maintain the stability of people's livelihood, the government strictly tried and punished all crimes. Wu Zhengqing, the head catcher at the time, kept catching thieves day and night, almost filling the prison.
Five years passed in a blink of an eye, and when he walked out of the prison door, Gao Cun felt like he was in another world.
The jailer gave Gao Cun a bag, which contained the standard three-piece suit for release after serving his sentence, a change of clothes, fifty copper coins, and a road guide (identity certificate). He patted Gao Cun on the shoulder and said, "Old Gao, you have performed well in prison these past few years, which shows that your nature is not bad. After you are released from prison, be a good person and don't come back again."
Gao Cun bowed respectfully, and the jailer closed the door with a satisfied expression.
Gao Cun took two deep breaths of fresh air, found a secluded corner, put on new clothes, tidied up his appearance, left the government office, crossed Yuhong Bridge, and walked into Jinli Night Market.
Xu hour has passed and the sky is dark. The criminals from the city department climbed up and lit lamps one after another. Gao had been in the prison for too long and was suddenly plunged into such dazzling light. He was very uncomfortable and could only try his best. Walk where the lights don't shine.
The Jinli Night Market was crowded with people, and the vendors on the roadside were shouting with all their strength.
Fruit candies, white cakes, minced meat porridge, and plum pancakes all smell disgusting. The red incense from Persia, the silver hip flask from the Great Food Country, the ten-year-old ginseng slices from Goryeo, and the water and wood utensils from Fusang were all ridiculously expensive. The fifty cents Gaocun had on him was not even enough to buy a grate. Water-polished mirrors, coarse porcelain cups, powder paste, and silk fans are all broken things used by women.
Begonia flowers bloomed all over the street. The white-flowered scholars were like a bunch of brainless sheep, noisily rushing past. Gao Cun avoided them with disgust, and the women with heavy makeup and coquettish headbands swaggered through the market. Gao Cun lowered his head, drooped his eyelids, stared at the groups of skirts passing by, and licked the corners of his mouth with his tongue.
"Big brother in front, be careful! Give way, give way! Ah!" The salesman rushed over with a steaming load. Gao Cun was knocked staggering. The salesman apologized repeatedly, took out a piece of sugar cake from the basket and stuffed it to him. Gao Cun left in a hurry. Gao Cun took a bite, it was so sweet that he wanted to vomit, and he threw it on the roadside.
Jinli Night Market was noisier and more annoying than before. Gao Cun quickened his pace and left the city gate at the last moment when Changxuan Gate closed. After crossing Qingyuan Bridge, we walked another seven miles north and finally saw an abandoned farm. The familiar broken door panel, the familiar old locust tree, even the crow's call remained unchanged - Gao Cun smacked his mouth twice - it still smelled the same.
Walking straight to the ancestral hall in the backyard, Gao Cun kicked open the door and pulled off the tattered curtains. Half of the Buddha statue lay silently on the altar table, like a shriveled corpse.
Gao Cun picked up the Buddha statue and wiped it. He dug out a wooden wedge at the bottom of the Buddha statue with his fingers, revealing a black hole. He put his index and middle fingers together and dug in, and pulled out something.
It is a pitch-black iron hairpin with a black iron peach flower embedded at the top. Because of the time, the five petals have become rusty.
Gao Cun looked at the peach blossom hairpin, smiled infatuatedly, and murmured, "Those people said that I have no peach blossoms in my life, and that I will never be able to marry a wife. What a fart, but I want this peach blossom to bloom on all women, one or two." One flower, ten flowers, ten flowers...hahahahahahaha——"
"It turns out you hid the peach blossom hairpin here. It's really unexpected."
Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Gao Cun without any warning. Gao Cun turned around with a start, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
In the vast darkness of the night, a young man appeared, dressed in snow like flowers and as handsome as a demon. He waved his fan leisurely and looked at him with a smile.
What the hell is this? Ghost or vixen? !
All the hairs on Gao Cun's body stood up, and the iron hairpin stung his palms. He suddenly came to his senses. This young man had a shadow and legs, and was a human being.
Gao Cun: "Who are you?!"
The young man's eyebrows were curved, "Gaocun, forty-six years old, lives at No. 104, Qulian Street, West Sifang. He mainly makes a living by working as a laborer on the dock. His father is an alcoholic and died young. His mother is unknown. Because of his poor family, He is dull, not good at speaking, and not enterprising. He is still unmarried when he is over forty. He was imprisoned for theft five years ago and was sentenced to five years in prison. When the neighbors heard about it, they all felt sorry for him and said: He is an honest man."
Gao Cun broke into a cold sweat.
Young man: "What a pity, they don't know that this so-called honest man is the famous Peach Blossom Murderer in Yidu!"
Gao Cun roared angrily, raised the iron hairpin and rushed towards the young man. After a while, a black shadow came through the air. Gao Cun only heard a click, his throat was tightly strangled, and his feet left. to the ground.
The person holding his neck was a young lady in black clothes with black hair. Her eyes were as sharp as knives. With a slight mistake of her fingers, Gao Cun's eyes went black. He was suffocated and almost died. Suddenly, the restraint on his neck was loosened again. Gao Cun fell heavily to the ground. He retched and coughed for a long time, and his vision gradually recovered.
There were government officials and bad guys standing all around, holding torches and lighting up the whole ancestral hall. The leader was Wu Da, the head catcher of the Yidu government office, who saluted the young man respectfully and said, "I have seen Hua join the army." "
Gao Cun was dumbfounded, "Why, why?!"
"Do you want to ask why it was found on you?" Ling Zhiyan took a step forward, "It's simple, because of Pi Xi."
Gao Cun's eyes bulged and were gradually covered with spiderweb-like bloodshot eyes.
Ling Zhiyan: "After Tu Yan was beheaded, the Peach Blossom Demon disappeared. Everyone thought that Tu Yan was the real Peach Blossom Demon. In fact, there is another possibility. The Peach Blossom Demon had to stop for some reason, such as being convicted of other crimes. Prison, there is no way out.”
Hua Yitang: "In prison, you must have been surprised and happy to learn the news that Tu Yan was executed. Perhaps, at that time, you discovered that there was a little thief named Pi Xi who worshiped the Peach Blossom Demon very much, ah Yeah, if it were me, I would definitely try my best to brainwash this Pixi and shape the Peach Blossom Demon into a great hero, and then reveal the Peach Blossom Demon's murder location to him bit by bit, so that one day, When Pi Xi goes out, he can become the first Tu Yan."
Hua Yitang sighed again, "Unfortunately, although Pixi knew the location of the Peach Blossom Demon's murder scene, he did not know the details of the Peach Blossom Demon's murder. It only took a little deception to expose the flaw."
Ling Zhiyan: "Why would a person who is not a Peach Blossom Demon know the place where the Peach Blossom Demon kills? There is only one explanation. Pixi has been in contact with the real Peach Blossom Demon. Pixi's interpersonal relationships are not difficult to check. You can find them after a simple screening. The most suspicious people are the criminals he saw in the prison."
Gao Cun clenched the hairpin in his hand, blood oozing from his fingers.
"Ah, talking about this, you must be wondering again. There are so many prisoners in the prison, how to identify the real Peach Blossom Demon?" Hua Yitang shook his fan, "It's also very simple, just screen out Tu Yan's quilt Catch the prisoners who have been imprisoned before and after, then release them in batches, and then follow them one by one. If they are the real Peach Blossom Devil, they will definitely reveal their flaws." Hua Yitang smiled brightly, "In other words, from the moment you are released from prison, you will be in prison. Once caught in the dragnet, there is no way to escape."
Gao Cun's whole body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
"Gaocun, what else do you have to say?!" Ling Zhiyan shouted angrily.
Gao Cun's body was shaken, he struggled to get up, his eyes were red and he roared, "Do you know why I killed those women?! You don't understand! You don't understand! How deeply I was hurt by women! You don't know how deep I am!" How miserable, how much I hate——"
"Boom!" With a sound, Lin Sui'an kicked Gao Cun hard in the face. Gao Cun's nose bone was broken and his face was pressed to the ground. He was like a dying fish gasping and vomiting blood, and his whole body was shaking violently because of fear.
"I have no interest in your history of eating shit," Lin Sui'an said, "I just want to see how you die!"
Hua Yitang sneered, Ling Zhiyan waved her hand, "Take her back to the prison!"
Jin Ruo was sitting on the carriage, happily counting the gold leaves in his purse. Count one piece, rub it, count two pieces, rub it twice, count... Well, he counted ten pieces in total, and looked up, extremely surprised. Reluctantly, he took out a piece and handed it to Lin Sui'an, "The real Peach Blossom Demon has finally been caught. Master, you should be happy!"
Lin Sui'an, whose remaining anger had subsided, was coaxed by his apprentice and finally felt more comfortable. He threw the gold leaf to Jin Ruo with his backhand. Jin Ruo cheered, "Thank you Master, Master is generous, Master is mighty!"
Lin Sui'an couldn't laugh or cry, "Didn't Jingmen reach an agreement with the Hua family? All the information Hua family needs is free, so why do they have to charge money this time?"
Jin Ruo slapped his thigh and said, "Master, you don't know that Wu Zhengqing, in order to make meritorious service, arrested hundreds of thieves and put them in jail. Hua also asked every prisoner who was released from prison to be followed. Don’t miss it, such a large-scale crowd tracking technique will of course come with a different price!”
Lin Sui'an was stunned, Hua Yitang shook his fan, looking unconcerned, "Of course money should be spent wisely."
Jin Ruo tightened his purse and stuffed it into his arms, clasping his fists and saying, "Thank you for your patronage. If any good things like this happen in the future, you must leave it to Jingmen first!"
Hua Yitang made a "cut" sound, raised the car curtain with her fan, and looked out the window at the night. The colorful light was flowing in the black pupils, like the endless Milky Way.
Lin Sui'an felt that Hua Yitang had something on his mind, and thought for a while, "Is it okay to just let Ling Sizhi go back to the government office alone?"
"The case of the Peach Blossom Demon is over. Ling Liulang must be so excited that he can't sleep. He has to stay up all night to sort out the files. I am a delicate and expensive dandy, and I can never bear such suffering." Hua Yitang said, "I can't sleep well. , people will be ugly.”
Jin Ruo rolled his eyes to the sky, and Lin Sui'an held his forehead.
Suddenly, Hua Yitang knocked on the fan and said, "Stop the car."
The carriage stopped in front of a liquor store.
It was a very ordinary wine shop, with five broken tables and only seven or eight wine jars on the counter. One was empty, and the remaining one even had the name of the wine written on it. It must be inferior wine.
Xiao Yi lay on the counter and fell asleep, drooling all over the account book. The account book was empty and the business was miserable.
There was only one person in the entire wine room, an unshaven man, drinking sips of wine, and the side dishes that accompanied the wine were all gone.
It's Wu Zhengli.
Hua Yitang stood quietly at the door of the winery, just watching without going in.
Lin Sui'an and Jin Ruo looked at me and I looked at you. They didn't know what this dude wanted to do, so they were in perfect agreement and didn't say anything.
After a long time, Hua Yitang unfolded his fan and strolled to the opposite side of Wu Zhengli. He sat down and said with a smile on his face, "Master Wu, it's been a long time."
Wu Zhengli raised his eyes, "Hey, isn't this Huajia Silang? Why do you have time to drink with me, a down-and-out person?"
Hua Yitang: "You still have money to drink, which shows that the head of the Wu family is not depressed enough."
Wu Zhengli hummed, "You must be very happy to see me like this, right?"
"Hua is not happy at all." Hua Yitang shook her fan, "Even Xiaoshuang is dead, Qu Hui is dead, and even Wu Zhengqing is dead, but you are not dead yet. It's really blind to the sky."
Wu Zhengli laughed loudly, raised his head and drank a glass of wine, "I'm not dead yet, but life is worse than death! Life is worse than death! Hahahahahaha, life is worse than death, life is worse than death——"
Hua Yitang watched quietly, watching as Wu Zhengli finished laughing, finished drinking, and fell asleep on the table. He stood up, smoothed his sleeves, threw a bag of gold leaves into Wu Zhengli's hand, turned around and walked out of the bar. .
Lin Sui'an and Jin Ruo looked at him in shock.
Jin Ruo: "Hua, are you crazy? Wu Zhengli is just a bastard, why did you give him money?!"
Lin Sui'an: "Do you... sympathize with this kind of person?"
Isn't this guy soft-hearted?
Hua Yitang turned around and walked towards the carriage, "Whether it's life or death depends on how he chooses."
The moonlight dances in the wind along the petal-like clothes, as cold as water.
The moonlight shone on the empty street, and Wu Zhengli was sweating profusely as he ran wildly.
He had a whole bag of gold leaves in his arms. This was a pity for God, a windfall. With his ability, he could turn over his fortune and regain his life in just one night!
Soon, Wu Zhengli saw the sign of Fangyuan Gambling House, the largest gambling house in Yidu. He had made a rapid rise!
The casino was crowded with people, and the shouts were loud. Wu Zhengli smelled the familiar smell, and the pores in his body stretched. Crazy, struggling, greedy... This was his territory, his future, and his life!
The croupier came up to him, smiling so hard that he showed eighteen teeth, "Oh, Mr. Wu, you are such a rare visitor. Come on, come on, come on, we are here to invite you!"
Wu Zhengli covered the gold leaf in his arms, looked around, and lowered his voice, "Have there been any new openings recently? I'm lucky today, so I'm going to bet on a big one!"
"It's a coincidence that it's better to come sooner than later. There's a new guy in our casino. He's a lucky guy. Anyone who bets with him will win a lot of money."
"Take me there quickly!"
"Please, please——"
Wu Zhengli followed the dealer and turned left and right until he reached the wing on the first floor. He pushed the door and walked in. He saw a glossy mahogany gambling table, surrounded by a circle of gamblers. In front of each gambler was a pile of gold bars, shouting and shouting. Yelling, crying and laughing at the same time, Ying's eyes turned red when he saw it.
Wu Zhengli couldn't wait to squeeze in and found that this table was betting on dice, which he was best at. He was overjoyed and took out the gold leaves in his arms and slapped them on the table.
The croupier in the center of the gambling table raised his head and glanced at Wu Zhengli.
The croupier was only fourteen years old, with blond hair and blue eyes. He spoke with a strange curlicue, "If you make a deal, you will never regret it -"
At the beginning of the morning, Wu Da hurried into the Justice Department and almost knocked over the flower tea that Mu Xia had just brewed.
"Hua joins the army. At the first quarter of today, a body was found in the Yujiang River next to the West Fourth District!"
Lin Sui'an, who was dozing in the Taishi's chair, opened his eyes. Hua Yitang leaned on the soft cushion and breathed, "Male or female? Has the autopsy been done?"
"Fang Wuzuo has already experienced it. He fell into the water and drowned." Wu Da paused, "The West Fourth District is a famous gambling district in Yidu. Every year... every month... the number of gamblers who fall into the water - I can't count. "
Hua Yitang took the teacup handed over by Mu Xia, "Actually, you lost the bet and committed suicide by jumping into the river?"
"……yes."
Lin Sui'an sat up straight without realizing it. Hua Yitang blew tea foam with his eyelids lowered, "Has your identity been verified?"
"It's confirmed, it's Wu Zhengli."
Lin Sui'an's heart stopped for a beat.
Hua Yitang took a sip of tea, put down the tea cup, picked up a volume of files and slowly looked through them. A faint glint of water flashed in his eyes, and he muttered something.
Wu Da didn't hear clearly, "What are Hua Canjun's instructions?"
"Let the Wu family identify the body."
Wu Da agreed and quickly retreated.
Lin Sui'an stared at Hua Yitang for a while, then looked away. With her strong ears, she could hear clearly what Hua Yitang said - "Sure enough, I still chose the road of death."
Lin Sui'an couldn't tell what it was like. After thinking about it, he could only say one sentence:
You will not live if you do your own thing!
"Hua Canjun, thanks to you for turning the tide this time and catching the real Peach Blossom Demon, otherwise Chi Taishou and I would have been scolded as pig heads by the Yushitai!" Qihua Yitang drank all the tea on the table in one gulp, "The Governor of Peach Blossom Demon's Archives has already read it. It's brilliant! It's brilliant!"
Lin Sui'an rolled his eyes secretly, grabbed a piece of sugar cake and chewed it. Good guy, the sugar content is too high. No wonder Jin Ruo only gained weight every day when he shouted to lose weight.
Hua Yitang stood up and returned the gift, "Xia Changshi is too complimentary. This is what a subordinate should do."
"Yi Duhua joined the army, it is really a great blessing for the people!" Xia Changshi patted Hua Yitang's shoulder happily, "Today is such a good day, double happiness. Xia is really happy! Happy!"
Hua Yitang was startled, "What else is there to be happy about?"
Xia Changshi clicked his tongue twice, took out a gold-plated invitation from his sleeve and stuffed it into Hua Yitang's hand, "The Su family in Suizhou is reborn from the ashes. Tomorrow is the succession ceremony of the new head of the family. I have been specially invited to go with you. Can Hua join the army?" Don’t refuse!”
Hua Yitang's eyes widened, "Who is the new head of the Su family?"
Xia Changshi was proud, "Of course he is the most talented person in Yidu, Su Yiyun."
"Pfft--" The white sugar cake in Lin Sui'an's mouth spurted out a foot away.
small theater
Ling Zhiyan stared at the invitation that Xia Changshi had just sent, puzzled:
Alas, can anyone be the head of a household now? :,,
