Sweeping Mouse Ridge – Chapter Five : 1

“Police Chief Ma, Comrade Guo, please have some water.” Director Qi of the neighborhood committee placed two paper cups of water in front of Ma Xiaozhong and Guo Xiaofen, his chubby, round face beaming with smiles. “Ask me anything you need; I will answer to the best of my knowledge.”

This was the street office where Zhou Liping’s rented house was located. The row of simple brick bungalows was damp and humid, only slightly dark because the buildings to the south blocked the sunlight. Even though it was 9:30 in the morning, the incandescent lights still had to be on to avoid making it too dim. When Ma Xiaozhong and Guo Xiaofen arrived, Director Qi was already waiting for them at the door. On the way to his office, he kept muttering that the local police officer had given instructions, and they had to be well received. Guo Xiaofen looked at Ma Xiaozhong, who had a smug expression, and thought to herself that this short, fat man’s connections and influence within the police force were truly not to be underestimated.

Ma Xiaozhong, while drinking water from a paper cup, said, “Director, please sit down. We are all one family, police and civilians. I’m just visiting you like a distant relative. Although it’s our first meeting, I’m not being formal, so please do not make a fuss, okay?”

Anyone would find this pleasant. Director Qi smiled broadly and quickly explained everything Ma Xiaozhong and Guo Xiaofen wanted to know.

After Zhou Liping was released, Elder Aunt’s family had already sold the house along with the basement and moved somewhere unknown. He could not and did not want to go back to Dongqing Street—few released convicts wanted to return to their pre-convict residence and endure the gossip of those around them. But during his eight years in prison, everything outside had changed drastically. To adapt quickly, after obtaining approval from the relevant departments, he chose to settle in Xiahe Street, not too far from Dongqing Street, a place where he used to ride his bicycle through the streets and alleys. When he reported for duty with his release certificate, Director Qi personally received him, asking a few questions, such as his plans for the future, and giving him a few half-soft, half-stern warnings. Essentially, he said that the social atmosphere was very positive now, and there had not been any serious crimes in recent years; the “Red Hoop Team” of the western suburbs was not just for show and would absolutely not give any illegal or criminal behavior any opportunity. Aside from answering a few questions in the simplest terms, Zhou Liping listened to the reprimands expressionlessly.

However, from their first meeting, Director Qi felt he was very different.

“Well… the ex-convicts I’ve dealt with before, whether outwardly or inwardly, were all incredibly humble. You’d say one thing, they’d nod twice and say ‘yes’ three times; you’d tell them to sit down, they’d stand; their smiles were always ingratiating. But Zhou Liping’s different. My first impression of him was that he was very polite. When he sat face-to-face listening to you, he was very attentive. Although I couldn’t tell if he agreed or disagreed, I could feel that he was genuinely listening, not just going through the motions. This made me feel a little favorable towards him—of course, I would not forget he was a murderer because of that.”

Not only Director Qi, but all the grassroots departments had never forgotten that Zhou Liping’s hands were stained with blood, and they were always on high alert towards him. After he moved into his current residence, for a month or two, during the day there were always three or more members of the “Red Ribbon Team” pretending to chat and play chess, guarding the building. At night, the joint defense team practically circled the building, but their worries were unnecessary. Zhou Liping stayed home all day except to buy essential daily necessities, rarely going downstairs.

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“I heard he had a lot of trouble finding a place to live?” Guo Xiaofen suddenly interjected.

Director Qi nodded: “Who would want to rent a house to a murderer? Apparently, several times, the contract was signed, the deposit was paid, but the landlord, upon learning of Zhou Liping’s identity, breached the contract, preferring to pay the penalty rather than rent to him. But I do not know the specifics; you will have to ask Little Luo, the agent at Yuanman Real Estate. He helped Zhou Liping run around and finally rented his current place.”

“The rent’s getting more expensive every day; how can Zhou Liping afford it?” Guo Xiaofen continued.

“The rent for that small one-bedroom apartment is not expensive to begin with. The landlord does business abroad and is not short of money, so the rent has not kept pace with domestic rates in recent years. Besides, Zhou Liping earned some money while he was in jail, which he used to pay the rent,” the director said. “Of course, he was afraid of running out of money, so after settling down, he frequently came to the neighborhood committee to inquire about jobs, but unfortunately, we have not been able to find him a suitable position…”

“What do you mean you have not found a suitable position? We are just afraid that if you found him a job, it would be harder to monitor him once he left home,” Ma Xiaozhong said with a mischievous grin.

Director Qi laughed, a little embarrassed.

However, in the end, Director Qi did find a job for Zhou Liping.

It was quite a coincidence. In the middle of the Xiahe Street community stood a small white building, originally intended to be a kindergarten. Later, it was occupied by the district examination center as an office building. A truck frequently arrived around 11:30 to deliver materials, weaving through the narrow buildings like a tidal wave. This was extremely dangerous, especially since it coincides with elementary school dismissal. The neighborhood committee had warned the driver several times, but to no avail. Even when Director Qi personally intervened, the driver, relying on his “district connections,” disregarded him completely. That noon, the truck sped by again. As the students screamed and scattered, a little girl tripped and fell to the ground. Luckily, Zhou Liping, who was on his way to the community canteen, happened to pass by and pulled her away, the wheels almost grazing her.

After the truck stopped, the driver had just opened the door and gotten out when Zhou Liping pounced on him!

“You did not see him! Clenched fists, teeth clenched, his face contorted in a grimace. If I had not happened to be passing by and called out to him, he might have torn that driver to pieces!” Director Qi recalled.

Upon seeing Director Qi, Zhou Liping’s arrogance immediately diminished, and he walked away slowly with his head down.

“Who’s that guy?” the driver asked, equally frightened. “He looks like a monster.”

Director Qi said, “We just received a released convict here. He has several murders on his hands. Do not deliver goods at this time anymore. Avoid him and drive slowly.”

This once incredibly arrogant truck driver nodded repeatedly, “Thank you, Director! Thank you, Director!”

From then on, trucks entering and leaving the community started at 10:00 AM, and they entered and left slowly.

This resolved a concern for Director Qi. He approached Zhou Liping and said, “Why don’t you become a traffic assistant on the main road near our community entrance? The pay’s less for morning and evening shifts and more for full-day shifts. Which would you prefer?”

Zhou Liping chose the full day shift.

This made Director Qi feel more at ease, because the full day shift required standing at the intersection from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., which actually made it easier to monitor Zhou Liping.

From then on, Zhou Liping wore a small red hat and an orange and yellow vest and carried a small red flag, directing traffic under the traffic lights. His main duties were stopping pedestrians and cyclists from running red lights and assisting traffic police in managing traffic in case of accidents. The job was simple, but the main pressures were the physical fatigue from standing for long periods and the verbal abuse and even physical assaults from some traffic violators. Director Qi was confident in Zhou Liping’s physical strength. What surprised him was that in the months he had worked there, Zhou Liping had never argued with any traffic violators. He firmly stopped them from violating traffic rules, but when faced with those who would not listen, argued back, or even rolled up their sleeves, he simply tolerated it.

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“Has he ever been beaten?” Guo Xiaofen asked.

“How many traffic wardens have not been beaten?” Director Qi said with a wry smile. “Most of the perpetrators are big bosses driving luxury cars; they beat them up, leave a pile of money, and then leave.”

“I heard that a detective was attacked and lost his gun. The police listed Zhou Liping as a suspect. When they came to our neighborhood committee to investigate, you even said a word for him?”

Director Qi was somewhat sensitive to this question: “Actually… it was not really speaking up for him. I just felt he’d reformed quite well.”

Director Qi admitted that over time, his impression of Zhou Liping had improved. Especially one day in late July last year, in 42-degree heat, when she went out to run errands at noon, he saw other traffic wardens sitting in the shade, while Zhou Liping was standing in the sun directing traffic, his vest soaked with sweat. She felt quite sorry for him, thinking it was a pity for such a young man. Then she thought, “Sigh, what can I do? He killed so many people back then.” This was all karma!

Guo Xiaofen asked, “Didn’t you know that the sentencing only confirmed one murder?”

“Actually, everyone knows how many people he killed. That case ten years ago was huge; you couldn’t cover it up with three layers of quilts.”

“So, did any residents or officials object to our community taking in someone like that?”

“There were definitely some grumbling and complaints, but the case happened ten years ago. Times are changing so fast now; we’re too busy with what’s in front of us to care about things from ten years ago. Besides, Zhou Liping was so obedient; even the young ladies in our office said he was a serial killer, and he wouldn’t even dare to take a nail clipper… So when Sweeping Mouse Ridge’s incident came out, it really shocked us all. The old saying’s true: ‘It’s easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one’s nature!'”

“Later, how did Zhou Liping end up at Mingyi Public Relations Company?”

“One day he suddenly contacted me, saying he’d found a new job and wasn’t working as a traffic assistant anymore. My first reaction was suspicion. What new job did he find? Was he trying to get rid of our surveillance? But he was honest and gave me a copy of the relevant materials for his new workplace. I asked the colleague in charge of assisting ex-convicts to investigate at Mingyi Public Relations Company. They came back saying it was a legitimate company, which put my mind at ease. But I’m not entirely sure how he got the job.”

Guo Xiaofen glanced at Ma Xiaozhong, indicating she had finished asking her questions. Ma Xiaozhong stood up with a grin and said to Director Qi, “Alright, that’s about it. Let’s go see Zhou Liping’s place.”

Director Qi quickly stood up. “I will take you there.”

“No need; you go about your business. There should be someone keeping watch over there. We will just go directly there.” Ma Xiaozhong repeatedly urged Director Qi to stay, but he still escorted them to the door.

“By the way,” Ma Xiaozhong suddenly remembered something, “have you or any other members of our neighborhood committee seen Zhou Liping getting particularly close to anyone?”

Director Qi frowned, thought for a long time, and then shook his head.

“Think again. Even if they don’t have close contact, just someone who seems a little suspicious counts.”

At this point, Director Qi remembered, “There are two people. One’s Zhu Min, a retired teacher from Xijiao No. 2 Middle School, an elderly woman with white hair. She used to be Zhou Liping’s high school homeroom teacher. She came to the neighborhood committee to inquire about Zhou Liping’s address, so she must have visited him. The other one… I’m not quite sure, but one evening when I was leaving work, I glanced at her. She was in our community garden, separated by the green wall. It was a long-haired girl I’d never seen before, quite pretty, talking to Zhou Liping, wiping away tears as she spoke…”

Ma Xiaozhong chuckled: “Alright, every case should have a woman, preferably a pretty woman, ideally a pretty woman who cries easily. That’s what makes the case interesting.”