Sweeping Mouse Ridge – Chapter Five : 3

Stepping out of the building, directly opposite was a small garden. The green wall surrounding it was already showing signs of fading, and most of the flowers and trees inside had withered, their branches so sparse they could be used to pick teeth. The occasional withered flower looked like a crumpled piece of paper stained with ink.

“Director Qi said he saw that pretty long-haired girl talking to Zhou Liping. Is she in this garden?” Ma Xiaozhong muttered.

“Oh, right,” Huyan Yun said, reminded. “What did you find out from Director Qi?”

Ma Xiaozhong recounted his conversation with Director Qi, then complained to Huyan Yun, “Didn’t I give you some advice before I left last night? Why did you still go to Zhou Liping’s house alone? If Little Guo and I had not arrived in time, that hothead Old Pu would have really handcuffed you.”

“I listened to you, but that person had something to do this morning and said he would not be able to come until noon. I was afraid of wasting time, so I acted early,” Huyan Yun said.

“Stop with the nonsense,” said Guo Xiaofen. “Where do we go now?”

Ma Xiaozhong said, “Didn’t Director Qi just say that we need to ask Little Luo, the agent at Yuanman Real Estate, about the details of renting a house for Zhou Liping? There’s a branch of Yuanman Real Estate across the street from the complex; I think that’s the one. Let’s go check it out.”

The three of them left the complex, crossed the street, and entered the warm yellow-fronted “Yuanman Real Estate” office. A staff member in a suit and tie quickly greeted them: “Hello, are you renting or buying a house?”

“Looking for someone,” said Ma Xiaozhong, squinting. “Who’s surnamed Luo?”

A short man wearing wide-rimmed black glasses stood up from behind a computer: “Hello…and who are you?”

Ma Xiaozhong flashed his police badge: “Come with us.”

A man who looked like the store manager stopped them. “Officer, what do you need Little Luo for?”

“You want to know?” Ma Xiaozhong grinned maliciously. “Fine, then you will come with us.”

The shop manager, startled, quickly stepped aside.

Little Luo hurriedly walked around a row of computer desks, his legs clattering against several chairs, making him wince in pain.

Ma Xiaozhong strode forward, Little Luo following behind, constantly trying to make small talk. Ma Xiaozhong ignored him, leading him all the way to the garden below Zhou Liping’s rented apartment. He plopped down on a stone bench covered with newspaper, crossed his legs, and swung his toes, saying to Little Luo, “Tell me.”

“I…what should I say?” Little Luo asked, blinking.

“You’re already here, and if you still don’t know what to say, then either you think the police are fools, or you can’t handle this kind of job of knowing people. Choose one; which do you pick?”

Little Luo chuckled awkwardly. “You’re doing this because of Zhou Liping’s case, right? I did find him the house, but I really knew nothing about that case.”

Ma Xiaozhong didn’t speak, just stared at him sideways.

Little Luo said with a mournful face, “Really, I really didn’t know. If I’d known, I would never have found him a house. I was using him as bait—” He seemed to realize he’d let something slip and slammed on the brakes, but seeing Ma Xiaozhong’s cold smile, he knew there was no turning back. He could only honestly say, “Initially, when he asked me to help him find a house, he immediately told me he was a released convict who had killed someone. I thought, ‘Oh, bait!’—this is our line of work. We find a few particularly unlucky people to act as ‘shills’ for renting rooms. The landlords only find out after they’ve signed contracts and received deposits that the tenants have a history of murder and imprisonment. Usually, landlords would rather pay a penalty than rent to such a tenant, fearing trouble. Of course, we’d split the penalty with the ‘shill’ tenants, but with someone like Zhou Liping who just got out of jail and doesn’t know the ropes, we can keep all the penalty. Of course, I will still return his deposit; I’m afraid he might stab me in the back if he gets angry, right?”

“Go on,” said Ma Xiaozhong.

“I used Zhou Liping like this four or five times, and then I was ready to stop. If he realized I was using him as bait, things wouldn’t look good. Later, when he contacted me again, I bowed and apologized, saying it was really difficult to help him find a place. It’s the rule in the real estate industry; even the toughest situations have to be handled gently. He was disappointed, but he didn’t blame me. He kept saying he was causing me trouble and planned to find a place himself. For a while, I often ran into him in the nearby community, wearing shabby old clothes, wandering the streets looking for a place. The old men and women in the neighborhood would stare at him like he was a mouse, calling him over for questioning and scolding. He just listened without any expression…”

“So why did you help him find a place again later?” Guo Xiaofen could not help but ask.

“Because I owe him a huge favor.”

Ma Xiaozhong’s eyes lit up: “Tell me, what happened?”

Little Luo said: “Once, our company needed a two meter long foam board advertising sign urgently. It was ordered in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. I rode my electric scooter there, and on the way back, I held the sign across my legs, one hand on the handlebars and the other on the sign. A woman riding against traffic, somehow, passed me and fell to the ground. Even though she was as fat as a pumpkin, her legs moved surprisingly fast. She caught up with me and insisted I had knocked her down. The nearby residents were very unhappy with us real estate agents who rode around on electric scooters every day, so a large crowd sided with the woman. I was sweating bullets. Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly said he saw the woman lose her balance and fall, and it had nothing to do with me…”

“Zhou Liping?”

“Yes, it was him,” Little Luo said. “He happened to be passing by and came to testify for me. That woman was quite arrogant, saying that my billboard hit her knee and knocked her down. Zhou Liping said that was impossible. First, the foam board’s very soft and brittle; it’s impossible for such a collision to leave it undamaged, yet the billboard’s intact. Second, the billboard looks freshly made, and rather hastily; the primer wasn’t fully dry before the topcoat was applied, and the paint doesn’t dry easily, so—he ran his finger across the billboard, leaving a layer of paint on his finger—if it really grazed someone’s knee, it’s impossible that there wouldn’t be any paint left, but there’s not even a single oil stain on the woman’s white pants.”

Guo Xiaofen couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, that’s good reasoning!”

“Yeah, that woman was speechless. I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to slip away when suddenly she stared at Zhou Liping and shouted, ‘I recognize you! Aren’t you that serial killer? Everyone come and see! This is the bastard who killed so many people in our western suburbs back then! How can you believe anything he says?!’ I saw Zhou Liping’s face turn ugly instantly, so I quickly pulled him away. The woman was still cursing behind us, but thankfully, although the onlookers were pointing and whispering, no one dared to chase after us and throw stones.”

Ma Xiaozhong couldn’t help but curse, “Some shrewish women are like that. You try to reason with them, they will pull their pants down, and once you’ve taken yours off too, they will pull them back up and try to reason with you again!”

“Honestly, no matter how heinous a villain Zhou Liping may be in other people’s eyes, at least that day, when so many onlookers didn’t say a word for me, he stood up for me. Afterwards, I thanked him profusely, but he said it was nothing; he just could not bear to see someone wronged, which made me feel even more indebted to him.” Little Luo pointed to the building across the garden. “There’s a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of that building. The landlord entrusted me to rent it out before he went abroad. I, however, had a selfish motive; I kept it for myself, so I moved out and rented it to Zhou Liping at a very low rent… God knows how he committed such a serious crime.”

“Has Zhou Liping always lived alone here?” Guo Xiaofen asked. “Has he brought anyone else back, like a girlfriend or something?”

“For a while, when I was showing other apartments to clients in the neighborhood, I saw a long-haired girl come to see him. The two of them sat and chatted in this garden, but I couldn’t tell what their relationship was.”

“What did that girl look like?”

“She was alright, quite pretty. She’s a hostess; of course she’d be pretty.”

Ma Xiaozhong pressed on: “How do you know she’s a hostess?”

Little Luo stammered, “She and a few other girls worked at a nightclub. Last year, when I was at another branch, they asked me to find them a shared apartment. I found them a three-bedroom apartment. After settling in, they invited me to dinner once. I vaguely remember her, but I don’t know her name.”

“What nightclub? Where’s the shared apartment you found for them?” Ma Xiaozhong asked.

“It was called Jin Ye Man Tang Nightclub… but don’t bother looking for it. That nightclub was shut down at the end of last year. The girls stayed there for a while longer, then they all went back to their hometowns because of the crackdown on shared apartments…”

Guo Xiaofen glanced at Huyan Yun, who looked at her without speaking but with a determined look in his eyes. Guo Xiaofen then said to Little Luo, “This girl’s very important. You must help us find her.”

“That’s right,” Ma Xiaozhong added.

Little Luo thought for a moment and said, “How about this: I will go back to that branch another day. Our company requires clients to provide a copy of their ID and contact information for filing, whether it’s renting or buying. I should be able to find the girl who asked me to rent the apartment, and then I can inquire about the long-haired girl through her.”

“Don’t say ‘another day’; I always take that as a sign of no chance. Go do it this afternoon and let me know tomorrow.”

After a flurry of nodding and bowing, Little Luo hurriedly left.

Watching his retreating figure, Ma Xiaozhong said, “These real estate agents, they are all so cunning.”

“The market has become much more regulated in recent years. I remember when I first came to this city; how many times did the agents swallow my rent deposits?” Guo Xiaofen glanced at Huyan Yun, who was deep in thought. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing…” Huyan Yun looked up and waved towards the distance.

Guo Xiaofen turned around and followed his gaze. She saw a chubby fellow running towards her. His thick waist stretched his suit jacket, creating folds that resembled a long gown. Each shoe print left a shallow dent in the ground. His face was broad, his nose large, but his eyes and mouth were very small, awkwardly clustered together. Only his eyebrows were far apart from them, as if astonished by their bizarre appearance.

Ma Xiaozhong stood up from the stone bench, went over, and shook hands with the newcomer: “Old Li, long time no see!” Then he introduced Guo Xiaofen: “This is my old buddy, Li Ziyong.”

Last night, at Ma Xiaozhong’s suggestion, Huyan Yun called Li Ziyong, explaining that he was preparing to further investigate the Sweeping Mouse Ridge Case but lacked police permission, and asked if Li would be willing to be his partner to help him avoid some obstacles when questioned by the police. Huyan Yun had initially thought Li Ziyong would hesitate and that he would have to use a lot of persuasion to convince him. However, to his surprise, Li Ziyong sighed and said, “Zhou Liping has been arrested. My ‘unwavering pursuit’ can end now. There’s no point in staying at Mingyi Public Relations Company any longer, so I might as well help you.” And just like that, he agreed.

That morning, he went to the company as usual to help Zheng Gui prepare for the meeting at the health product company. After finishing, he took leave and rushed over.

When Li Ziyong was a detective, he briefly worked with Ma Xiaozhong. He found the short, fat man too thuggish and did not like him much. Now, upon reuniting, he was much more enthusiastic. Ma Xiaozhong, seeing it was almost lunchtime, drove a few friends to a nearby restaurant. They ordered some dishes and, while eating, exchanged information and discussed their next steps. Guo Xiaofen, being a journalist, habitually recorded everything in her phone’s notepad, then created a WeChat group and posted the notes.

Ma Xiaozhong and Guo Xiaofen’s team’s tasks for the next two days:

1. Find Zhou Liping’s high school homeroom teacher, Zhu Min, to learn about his time at Xijiao No. 2 High School.
2. Inquire about Fang Mei’s current situation from Teacher Zhu Min and try to contact her.
3. Go to the No. 1 Prison to find out about Zhou Liping’s incarceration.

Huyan Yun and Li Ziyong’s task over the next two days:

1. Go to the Yanzhao Hotel and find Sun Jinghua, the manager of the exhibition department, to find out why she introduced Zhou Liping to the job.
2. Based on the information gathered by Little Luo, find the long-haired girl who had close contact with Zhou Liping.
3. Go to Block E of the Hefeng Hotel to investigate the situation of the “Love Charity Foundation’s Local Office.”

“Everyone, take a look; any objections?” Guo Xiaofen asked.

Everyone picked up their phones to look at what she had posted in the group chat. The others did not say anything, but Li Ziyong sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Guo Xiaofen asked. “Don’t sigh; just tell me if you’re having any difficulties.”

Li Ziyong said, “The difficulties are not really anything… I know quite a few people at the ‘Love Charity Foundation’s local office,’ so taking Huyan to Block E of the Hefeng Hotel shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just that since it’s an investigation, we will inevitably need to get information from relevant people. If anyone has any suspicions and reports it to Xing Qixian, Cui Wentao, and the office director Zhai Tienan, getting fired’s a minor issue; I’m afraid it will implicate General Manager Zheng…”

The other three at the table exchanged bewildered glances. Finally, Ma Xiaozhong spoke up, saying slowly, “Old Li, to be honest, it was I who persuaded Huyan to come back. Why did I do that? Because I consider all these years you’ve been an undercover investigator at Mingyi Public Relations Company. Even though you’ve retired, your heart remains with the cause. Don’t think that just because you’re older; many retired police officers, even those who have been retired for years, will rush in with their canes when the safety and interests of the people are threatened… Now, such a major case has occurred—an adult and three children lying dead on the ground. As a police officer, you should put aside personal relationships and prioritize apprehending and punishing the criminals. If you can’t even do that, then you’ve truly and completely left the police force.”

Li Ziyong’s face flushed slightly, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, “Old Ma, you’re right!”