Chapter 12 Chapter Seven
By the time the streetlights outside the window came on, it was the tenth or eleventh time the fiction had asked the waiter to fill the water glasses in front of them with lemonade.Even though he had been sitting for so long, Fabrication didn't feel tired at all. He was completely attracted by the case, and he didn't even notice it after dinner.
"The general situation is like this." Cheng Lingxia closed the notebook in her hand and let out a long breath.
"Interesting, interesting, interesting," Fabricated said three "interesting" in a row, his eyes lit up, rubbing his hands as if he had won a lottery and said, "I haven't encountered such an interesting thing for a long time."
Cheng Lingxia frowned and said, "I don't think this is any interesting thing, its shadow haunts our family for three whole generations."
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure," said Fabricator with a slightly apologetic smile, "but this matter did arouse my great interest."
Cheng Lingxia signaled that she didn't mind fabricating the gaffe just now, "I've already told you what I know without reservation, and it's up to you next."
"Hmm," fictionalize pondered, "let me think about it..."
"Okay." Cheng Lingxia sat quietly without saying a word, waiting for the contemplative fabrication on the other side.This silence lasted for a full fifteen minutes before it was broken by fabricating a light snap of fingers.
"Did you think of anything?" Cheng Lingxia asked with her eyes wide open.
"We seem to have forgotten to eat dinner." Fabrication said seriously.Cheng Lingxia was speechless.
"It's not good to be starved to death on the first afternoon when you first arrive in mainland China," Zhuang said while reaching out to signal the waiter to come and pay the bill, "Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
"Hello—" Cheng Lingxia hadn't finished speaking when she saw that Fabrication had already paid the bill, put on her coat, and was about to leave the cafe.
"What do you want to eat, Sichuan hotpot?"
"You haven't said what you're thinking of."
"Compared to this, what you eat for dinner is more important, isn't it?"
Fabricated rubbed his hands, pushed open the door of the cafe, a gust of cold wind blew in his face, he couldn't help shivering.
"But……"
"In this cold weather, eating hot pot is perfect, haha, let's go, I will take you to eat authentic Sichuan hot pot - if you can't eat chili, we can order mandarin duck pot."
"Oh……"
Cheng Lingxia was reluctantly dragged out of the cafe by fabrication, got into the car and headed for the hotpot restaurant.
After the two of them had dinner that night, they fabricated Cheng Lingxia to be sent back to the hotel.Because she always talked about him during the banquet, Cheng Lingxia had to suppress her curiosity, and her words became less and less.When the two reached the hotel lobby, they made up their minds to stop, turned around and said to Cheng Lingxia, "I won't send you up, you can take the elevator up by yourself."
"Okay," Cheng Lingxia raised her head and glanced at Fabrication, then asked again, "Then what are your plans for tomorrow? Where should we start the investigation first?"
"Tomorrow..." Fabrication pondered for a while, and said, "I want to calm down and clear my mind first, so I don't have any investigation plan for the time being."
"That's it..." Cheng Lingxia showed a disappointed look.
"So I won't accompany you tomorrow." Fabricated thought for a while, and said, "You can go to the scenic spots in the city by yourself, and I will contact you tomorrow night."
"But--"
Before Cheng Lingxia could say anything, she was interrupted by the fabrication, "By the way, please send your mobile phone number to my mobile phone, and I will contact you tomorrow."
"okay……"
After dinner, for the convenience of contact, Cheng Lingxia bought a local mobile phone SIM card, but she didn't have time to remember the phone number.
"Then goodbye, sleep well tonight." Fabricated waved absently and said.
"Oh, okay, bye." Cheng Lingxia walked towards the elevator sullenly.
On the second day, Cheng Lingxia was not in the mood for shopping, but it was her first visit to the mainland after all, so she went shopping in Yanshikou and Chunxi Road, the busiest area in the city center.After shopping all morning without buying anything, Cheng Lingxia was a little depressed. She bought some snacks on the street and ate them indiscriminately, thinking it was lunch.In the afternoon, Cheng Lingxia really didn't want to go shopping, so she hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel to sleep soundly.
When Cheng Lingxia was awakened by the ringing of her mobile phone, she looked up at the wall clock on the wall, and it was almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
"hello……"
"Cheng Lingxia? I made it up."
"Oh, hello..." Cheng Lingxia's voice sounded weak.
Fabrication on the other end of the phone was silent for a while and said, "Are you sleeping?"
"yes……"
"Then do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"I'm awake, just tell me if you have anything to do."
"I want to ask if you want to have dinner together tonight?"
"sure."
"Well, I'll pick you up around 6 o'clock."
"Okay, see you at 6 o'clock."
After Cheng Lingxia hung up the phone, she got up from the bed, took a quick shower, and changed her clothes. Before she finished putting on her makeup, the phone rang.
"hello."
"Cheng Lingxia? I made it up. I've already arrived at the hotel lobby."
"Oh, please wait for me, I'll come down after I put on my makeup."
"OK."
It was fabricated that he was pacing back and forth in the lobby, and by the time he realized how wrong his move was, it was too late. The sofas in the lobby were all full of people, and no one had any intention of getting up.Out of politeness, she fabricated it and was too embarrassed to call Cheng Lingxia to remind her, so she stood by the wall and pretended to study the murals on it.After standing for a long time, when Yu Zhuang's legs felt a little numb, he saw Cheng Lingxia Shi Shiran coming out of the elevator.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Cheng Lingxia grinned.
"Oh, nothing, let's go."
Thinking of how she overslept at the airport yesterday and made Cheng Lingxia wait foolishly for a long time, she sighed secretly that this was just treating her in the same way.
Cheng Lingxia wore a light brown leather jacket, a black turtleneck sweater inside, a black and white checked scarf with a gray background, a pair of black high-top leather boots on her feet, and a brown-red bag on her shoulder on the shoulders.Cheng Lingxia's face was covered with a light layer of foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner, blush and lipstick, and she seemed to be wearing colored contact lenses. Her image immediately changed from a youthful and lively schoolgirl to a sexy and mature city girl.
Fiction walked in front and pushed open the glass door of the hotel for Cheng Lingxia, couldn't help but turned to look at her again, and said, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Whatever, you make the arrangements, and I will listen to you." Cheng Lingxia said with a smile.
Fiction scratched his hair and said to himself, "Tomorrow we can act together."
Early the next morning, Wen Zhuang came to the hotel to pick up Cheng Lingxia.According to the itinerary agreed last night, today the two will go to Houli Town, where the case happened, to start an investigation.
"Hi, good morning." Cheng Lingxia said hello and got into the car. She was still wearing the leather jacket from yesterday, but the high-top leather shoes on her feet were replaced by a pair of flat shoes.
"Good morning."
Fabricated was wearing a black woolen coat with a black background and gray plaid stand-up collar shirt. He calmly threw the woolen scarf on the passenger seat to the back seat, and then turned on the radio.
"When I think about starting the investigation today, I'm so excited that I can't sleep." Cheng Lingxia said with an exaggerated expression, clutching the satchel in her hand tightly.
"Really?" Fabricated stared straight ahead.The voice is neither high nor low.
"Yes," Cheng Lingxia twisted her body, and said, "I tossed and turned last night, and it took me a long time to barely fall asleep. Look, my eye circles are still dark."
"Then you can sleep in the car for a while," Yu Zhuang still didn't intend to turn his head, he stretched out his hand to change gears, and said, "We'll have to drive for about two hours to get to the rear."
"I can't sleep now," Cheng Lingxia leaned on the back of the chair and said, "Maybe I can sleep for a while later when I'm sleepy."
Today happened to be the weekend, and the traffic going out of the city seemed a bit congested. He made up a left and right turn, and managed to squeeze onto the expressway.Compared with the city, the number of vehicles on the expressway has not decreased at all, and there are many more trailers and tankers carrying goods. He made up his mind and tried his best to drive to 80 yards. He looked helplessly at the endless traffic ahead, He said to himself: "At this speed, it's good that we can arrive before lunch, and I hope we don't encounter traffic jams on the expressway."
"I brought a deck of tarot cards," Cheng Lingxia said while taking out a card box from her bag, and said, "We can play cards if there is a traffic jam."
Fabricated looked ahead vigilantly, and said, "I was stuck on the expressway for more than two hours during the National Day, and I don't want to be stuck in a second time."
Fortunately, although there were many vehicles going out of the city that day, there was no congestion at all. When Yu Zhuo drove down from the exit of the expressway, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hmm..." Cheng Lingxia opened her eyes and said vaguely, "Are we there yet?"
Fabricated while looking in the rearview mirror, he replied: "We just got off the expressway, and it will take about half an hour to get to Houli Town. You can still sleep for a while."
Cheng Lingxia tidied her hair, and asked worriedly, "Did I just talk in my sleep?"
He turned the radio back on and said, "No, I see you've been sleeping very well."
"Oh, that's good," Cheng Lingxia said with a sigh of relief, blushing slightly, "I had a dream just now, and I dreamed that the two of us were chasing the murderer in a dark cave. I woke up before we caught the murderer. Fortunately, I didn't cry out in my sleep, otherwise I would really lose face."
"You don't have to worry, I didn't hear any sound." Fabrication smiled and said.
"Well, then I can rest assured." Cheng Lingxia said while taking out the makeup box from her bag and began to touch up her makeup.
Houli Town is a very small town. A secondary road passes through the town. Most of the shops and houses are built on both sides of the road, and the town government is no exception.Fabricated looked at his watch, it was almost lunch time, he moved the car closer to the side of the road, slowed down, looked around, trying to find a restaurant that looked clean.
"This is my great-grandmother's hometown." Cheng Lingxia looked left and right curiously, taking out a digital camera from time to time to take a few photos.
He found a restaurant with a large facade, and before he could park the car, a teenager wearing a coarse cloth apron rushed to the door and directed him to park the car on the sidewalk.
"Master, are you two?" The young man helped them open the door of the restaurant with his hands and feet.
"Two."
Fabricating glanced at the interior of the restaurant, and sat down at a seat against the wall.
"What do you two want to eat? We have stir-fried vegetables, steamed vegetables, boiled vegetables, and dry pots here." The boy took out the menu and asked courteously.
"Ladies first." Fabricated handed the menu to Cheng Lingxia.
"I don't know how to order, and besides, I don't have any taboos, as long as it's not too spicy, you should watch and order." Cheng Lingxia waved her hand and handed the menu back to Fabrication.
"Then I'd rather be respectful than obedient." Zhuan took the menu and ordered roasted pork with bean tendons, steamed eggs with simmered dumplings, stir-fried anchovies, and sauce-flavored dumpling soup.
While waiting for the food, Cheng Lingxia leaned over and asked in a low voice, "How did you arrange this afternoon? Where do we start?"
Fabricated took a sip of tea, and said slowly: "First of all, we need to confirm the location of the Shen family compound, and then go for a field trip. After that, I want to go to Longyuan Mountain for a while."
"Oh," Cheng Lingxia nodded and said, "But how do we determine the exact location of the Shen family compound?"
"Let's try to ask the local elders first," Fudge thought for a while, and said, "If it doesn't work, let's go to the town government to ask."
"Okay, then it's up to you this afternoon."
Cheng Lingxia felt relieved when she saw that she was confident. She took a sip of boiled water and waited for the food to be served wholeheartedly.
This restaurant is very efficient, and it didn't take long for all three dishes and one soup to be served.He made up a taste of roasted pork with bean tendons, and the taste was unexpectedly good. He began to feel glad that he had chosen the right place.
"This dish tastes good." Cheng Lingxia ate a piece of meat and quickly praised it.
"Well, it's okay." Xu Zhuo took a sip of the hot soup and said vaguely in his mouth.
There was nothing to say during the dinner, the two wolfed down their lunch and decided to come to this restaurant for dinner as well.After eating, while paying the bill, Zhuao found the owner of the shop and asked, "Are there any old people who have lived in the town since childhood?"
The owner of the store is a fat middle-aged woman. She counted the money and said, "Uncle Zhang who runs the grocery store in front, his family has been living here. You can go and ask."
"Okay, thank you." Xu Zhuang glanced outside the store and said, "Is that the grocery store with a tricycle parked at the front door?"
"That's right, you can park your car here and walk there." The proprietress collected the money and said.
"Thank you." Xu Zuo strode out of the restaurant, Cheng Lingxia closely following behind him.
This is a very ordinary self-built two-story building. The first floor is a grocery store. You can see a small yard behind the grocery store. The second floor should be the owner's residence.A thin, gray-haired old man sat behind the counter and smoked a cigarette leisurely. He glanced at Fabrication, as if asking him what he wanted to buy with his eyes.
Fabricated pretended to look around, then pointed to the glass cabinet and said, "Master, how much is a pack of Yuxi soft packs here?"
"Twenty-two dollars."
"Take a bag, and a lighter."
"Okay." The thin old man stood up, took out a pack of cigarettes from the glass counter and put it on the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have any change on me." Xu Zhuang fished out his pocket for a long time, and finally took out a one hundred yuan bill with an apologetic expression.
"It's okay, I can find it."
The thin old man took the one hundred yuan, looked at it carefully, then took out the change from a cardboard box on the table behind him and slowly counted it.
"Listen to the accent, are you a local?" Fabricated inquired.
"Yes, born and bred here." The skinny old man replied slowly.
"That's great." Fabricating took out a business card from his pocket as if conjuring, and said, "I just wanted to interview a local old man, and I didn't expect to meet one when I was buying cigarettes."
The thin old man grabbed a pair of presbyopic glasses from the table, put them on, looked at the fabricated business card, and asked in surprise, "Are you a reporter?"
Fabricated smiled noncommittally, and said politely, "Excuse me, sir, what is your name?"
"My surname is Zhang." The skinny old man replied quickly.
"Uncle Zhang will live a long life this year?"
"I'm sixty-one this year."
"The uncle was born in 1949?"
"yes."
"I heard that there was a Shen family compound here before the founding of New China. I would like to ask about the situation in this regard. I wonder if you have heard of it, Mr. Zhang?" Fabricated asked while pulling out a cigarette from the cigarette case and handing it to him. Uncle Zhang.
"Oh, I know about the Shen Family Courtyard." Uncle Zhang took the cigarette, nodded, and said, "That is the landlord's courtyard. After the founding of New China, it was converted into a school. I studied there when I was young." .”
He also smoked a cigarette himself, borrowed some fire from Uncle Zhang, and said while smoking, "Then where the Shen Family Courtyard was probably built, do you still remember?"
"It's the school," said Uncle Zhang, pointing in the direction, "there has always been a school."
"There are nothing left of those old houses now, right?"
"Yes," Uncle Zhang narrowed his eyes and thought for a while, then said, "Those old houses have never been taken care of, but one year there was an earthquake, many old houses were shattered, and the school didn't dare to use those houses any more. . Later, the brigade sent people to demolish the old houses and rebuild the school."
"Then what about the original owner of the Shen family compound?"
Uncle Zhang shook his head and said, "I don't know. I've never heard of it. It should be before the founding of New China."
"How do you get to school then?"
"Go along this road, turn left at the intersection ahead, and just keep going."
"What's the name of the school?"
"It's Houli Elementary School. It's such a big brand that you can see it at a glance."
"By the way, is there any older retired teacher in the school, I want to interview."
Uncle Zhang thought for a while and said, "Then you should go to Principal Deng, he lives in the school."
"I see, thank you, sir." Fabricating stubbed out the leftover cigarette and threw it into the trash can, making a goodbye gesture.
"No thanks, let's go slowly." Uncle Zhang exhaled a puff of smoke, and said goodbye to Fabrication with a smile.
"What business card did you just take?" Cheng Lingxia curiously asked after walking a distance.
Fabricated smiled and said: "Because I often write articles for a magazine I know well, they printed a special correspondent's business card for me, and sometimes they use it to bluff people, which is quite useful."
"Oh," Cheng Lingxia nodded and said, "Then we are going to school now?"
"Yes." Xu Zhuan walked back to the entrance of the restaurant, and drove towards Houli Primary School following Uncle Zhang's instructions.
Principal Deng is an old man with a very kind face. He is wearing a dusty yellow jacket, his gray and thin hair is combed back, and his slender fingers have long been yellowed by cigarettes.When he made up his introduction that he came here to interview about Shen’s compound, Principal Deng turned around and took out a thick photo album from the bedroom, “Here are some old photos from the old houses that have not been demolished. You can take a look at it.”
Fiction took the photo album from Principal Deng and flipped through it casually.This is a very old photo album, most of which are black and white photos taken by Principal Deng when he was young, some of which were taken by him standing in front of the Shen family compound which was the school building at that time.Judging from the photos, the building at that time was already very dilapidated, with several obvious cracks on the mottled walls, and the wooden beams also looked crumbling.
"Principal Deng, can I retake these photos?" After flipping through the photo album, Fabricate asked, pointing to a few photos with Shen's compound in the background.
"Yes, yes." Principal Deng nodded repeatedly.
He made up a signal to Cheng Lingxia to take photos of these photos with her own camera, and Cheng Lingxia quickly took out the camera and began to take photos seriously.
"By the way, Principal Deng, do you still remember the layout of the Shen family compound at that time?" Taking advantage of Cheng Lingxia's remake, he fabricatedly asked.
Principal Deng leaned back and thought carefully for a while, then said: "I can remember the general location, but I can't remember the specific details for a while."
"There's no rush," Zhuang took out a pen and notepad from his backpack and handed them to Principal Deng, "Please think about it slowly, it's best if you can draw it."
Principal Deng pondered for a while, and took a pen to draw on the notepad.Although it is a memory from decades ago, the old man can still accurately draw the general layout of the entire Shen family compound.
"Here, look, this should be the atrium of the compound. At that time, we tore down this wall and connected it with the outer courtyard to serve as the school's playground.
"And here, it should be the backyard, which was used as a teacher's dormitory at that time.
"This row of houses has poor lighting and is used by the brigade as a warehouse.
"The houses here are divided by one room, which serves as classrooms.
"And here, the wall was broken through and a door was opened." Principal Deng explained to the fiction while drawing.
Fabricated looked thoughtfully at the sketch drawn by Principal Deng. Cheng Lingxia had already drawn a sketch of the Shen family compound according to her grandfather's description before, but the sketch drawn by Principal Deng was more detailed and the details were more accurate. .
When Principal Deng's explanation was over, Fan Zhuang already had a general understanding of the structure of the entire Shen family compound. He solemnly put away the notepad and said to Principal Deng: "Your memory is really amazing. It really helped us a lot to remember what happened years ago."
Principal Deng chuckled and said proudly: "It's nothing. I had a better memory when I was young, but now that I'm old, my memory has declined a lot."
He made up offering a cigarette to Principal Deng, and said, "The entire Shen family compound faces south, so behind the compound is Longyuan Mountain?"
"Yes," Principal Deng said, pointing in the direction, "The school is also facing south from the north. Behind the teachers' dormitory is Longyuan Mountain. There used to be a Longyuan Temple on the mountain, but it was demolished during the Cultural Revolution. The temple All the monks here have returned to vulgarity. There is also a Longyuan Spring on the top of the mountain, but the spring water has long since disappeared, and there are still a few old stone tablets around the spring. If you are interested, you can go to the mountain to have a look."
"I'll check it out, thank you so much."
After coming out of Principal Deng's house, Zhuang was in a good mood. He walked briskly out of the teachers' dormitory building, stood on the school playground and looked towards Longyuan Mountain behind.
"Have you gained anything?" Cheng Lingxia asked.
"It's hard to say now, but I have a hunch." Fabrication said with a smile.
"Oh, what premonition?" Cheng Lingxia asked curiously.
"Standing on that mountain and looking far away, the scenery must be pretty good." Fabrication replied with a smile.
Yongyeon Mountain has been developed into an orchard by local farmers, and the entire mountain is full of orange trees.Xu Zhuan led Cheng Lingxia up the mountain along a stone road.
"Look at this road," Xu Zhuan pointed at his feet, and said, "These stone slabs look quite old, maybe this road led directly to the mountain gate of Longyuan Temple back then."
Cheng Lingxia stopped to look at the stone slab carefully, and said, "You are right. So, those monks saw the so-called vision of the so-called fire dragon ascending to heaven on this road?"
"It should be like this," Yu Zhuao nodded, then turned his head to look down the mountain, and said, "Standing on the top of Longyuan Mountain, you can see the whole picture of Houli Primary School. Thinking about it, you must have seen the Shen Family Courtyard back then." look."
"It's a pity that Longyuan Temple is no longer there." Cheng Lingxia sighed faintly.
"Yeah, it's a pity." Fabrication said in agreement.
The two walked towards the top of the mountain while chatting. Longyeon Mountain is not high, so there is no need to rest halfway, and the two climbed to the top of the mountain in one breath.The flat land on the top of the mountain was also full of orange trees, and Cheng Lingxia followed carefully behind him.
"The Longyuan Temple should have been built on this flat land back then?" Cheng Lingxia took out the camera from her backpack and asked.
Fabricated scratched his head, and said with emotion: "Yes, it has all become orchards now, I think Long Yuanquan should still be behind."
The two walked forward for more than ten minutes, and they had reached the end of the path.At this time, Fabrication seemed to have discovered something, turned around and walked towards the grass by the roadside.
"What are you looking for?"
"It should be around here... Wow——"
Just as he was muttering to himself and looking around, his feet slipped suddenly, followed by a scream, and the whole person fell to the ground.
"Ah, what's wrong with you?" Cheng Lingxia hurried forward and asked nervously.
"Hmm..." Xu Zhuo stood up in embarrassment and said, "There is a hole in the ground, and I accidentally fell."
"Are you alright?" Cheng Lingxia forcefully helped Fabricate up.
"It's okay..." Fabricated patted the mud sticking to his body, then rubbed his thigh, with a painful expression on his face, "I seem to have sprained my foot."
"Then sit down and rest for a while." Cheng Lingxia found a big rock, and sat down while supporting Fabrication.
"This should be Long Yuanquan." Xu Zhuan pointed to the big pit where he tripped and said.
"Really?" Cheng Lingxia noticed a section of rocks in the grass. She stepped forward to push the weeds away, and found a big pit hidden in the grass. The bottom of the pit was covered with a layer of soil, and grass grew on it. So it is not easy to be found.Looking carefully, the soil at the bottom of the pit is not thick, and the stone slabs covered under the soil can be vaguely seen.
"This is really Longyuan Spring!" Cheng Lingxia said excitedly.
Fabrication didn't look excited at all, he frowned and said, "I didn't expect this place to be so deserted, luckily I didn't touch my head."
"Is your foot really okay?" Cheng Lingxia asked worriedly, "Should I call someone for help?"
"Who can we call here?" Fabricated sighed, and said, "I'm not seriously injured, I should be able to walk after a short rest."
"Oh..." Cheng Lingxia looked at Fabrication in doubt, as if she was still thinking about asking for help.
"Sit down too." Fabrication waved and said.
"Okay." Cheng Lingxia found a nearby stone and sat down.
"This should be the highest point of Longyuan Mountain, but the surrounding view is blocked by the orange trees. Let's go to the front to have a look later." Fabrication pointed to the front and said.
"There is a cliff ahead." Cheng Lingxia craned her neck to look around and said.
"Well, you should be able to see the whole picture of Houli Elementary School from there," Fudge thought for a while, and said, "You must also be able to see the whole picture of the Shen family compound back then."
"It seems that's right." Cheng Lingxia nodded slightly.
"Hmm..." Zhixuan stretched his legs and moved his ankle tentatively, a painful expression immediately appeared on his face.
"Do you want some water?" Cheng Lingxia said seriously.
"Do you have water?"
"No."
"..."
"How about I go down the mountain and ask someone to carry you down."
"It's really not necessary, just rest for a while."
"But……"
Fabrication leaned his back against an orange tree and said, "This place reminds me of my childhood."
"Ok?"
"When I was young, there was a small mountain like this not far from my home. I often climbed to the top of the mountain alone, and then lay in the grass on the top of the mountain to bask in the sun. In the mountainous area of western Sichuan, except for summer, it is rare to see the sun. It was overcast most of the time, or it was raining. So being able to bask in the sun in the grass on the top of the mountain was a very pleasant thing for me at that time.”
"But what's the connection between lying in the grass and staring at the sun and spraining your ankle?"
"Once I was climbing a mountain alone, and I accidentally fell into a ditch. Fortunately, it was winter, and there wasn't much water in that ditch. I choked on a few mouthfuls of water, and finally climbed up with my hands and feet. At that time, I was standing on the side of the road wet all over, and I felt the fear of death for the first time - there was no one around, no one could hear a teenager calling for help, if it was summer when there was plenty of water, I would definitely drown In that ditch."
"You were very courageous when you were young, weren't you?"
"On the contrary, I was very timid when I was a child. Since I fell into the ditch, I have been full of fear of water for a long time. The consequence is that until now, I can't swim."
"..."
"But now that I think about it, falling into the ditch was a relatively lucky thing. If I fell into a cesspit, I'm afraid I will suffer from the shadow for the rest of my life, hahaha." Speaking of this, Fabrication couldn't help laughing.
"It's disgusting!" Cheng Lingxia frowned and said.
"However, most of the villages with better conditions have converted the cesspit into a biogas digester, and the open-air cesspit is becoming less and less common. Ah—" Zhuan said while laughing, and suddenly he stopped, frozen in place like a stone statue .
"What's wrong?" Cheng Lingxia asked nervously.
"I thought of one thing..." After a while, Fabrication ended his petrified state, and replied thoughtfully.
It was fabricated that he rested on Yongyeon Mountain for about an hour before limping down the mountain.Cheng Lingxia looked very worried along the way, but fortunately, the two of them walked down the mountain safely in the end.
"What are we going to do now?"
Although it was only after 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was already getting dark, and Cheng Lingxia anxiously asked about her next plan.
"It looks like it's going to rain," Wen Zhuang looked up at the sky and said, "I'll take you to the passenger station later, you can go back by car first. I plan to stay here today, and some things need to be investigated one time."
"What?" Cheng Lingxia waved her hand and said, "I won't go back, I'll go with you."
"It's inconvenient for you to stay here," Fudge thought for a while, and said, "I can't help you any more, so let's go back first. If everything goes well, I'll go back tomorrow, and I'll contact you then."
"But--"
Fabricated said in an unquestionable tone: "Let's go, if I take you to the passenger terminal now, you should still be able to catch the bus, if it is later, it will be difficult."
"No, I'd rather be with you."
"You are too conspicuous here and will affect my investigation work."
"Then I can keep silent."
"There's a lot to investigate, and I don't have time to take care of you."
"I've been taking care of you since you sprained your ankle. Also, are you sure you can let the girl go back by car alone in a place she doesn't know?"
"I see you have pepper spray in your backpack."
"..."
"Anyway, you just listen to me, otherwise I won't take this case." Fabrication resorted to his trump card.
"Then at least tell me what you plan to investigate here." Cheng Lingxia said dissatisfied.
"I will definitely tell you when I go back, but it's not the time yet," Fabrication said impatiently, "Let's go, I promise to contact you as soon as I go back."
"Okay then..." Cheng Lingxia reluctantly followed Fabrication into the car.
"After you go back, take a good rest, and you can go out for a stroll tomorrow," Zhuan Zhuang said while driving, "Since you're here, you should have a good time."
"You're so mysterious, I'm not in the mood to play." Cheng Lingxia protested.
"It's the detective's job to be mysterious." The corners of his mouth rose, revealing a smile.
After fabricating that Cheng Lingxia was sent to the passenger station, he bought a ticket for her and told her the transportation route in detail.However, it seemed that Zhuang was really in a hurry, and left in a hurry before Cheng Lingxia got into the car.The bus at the passenger terminal departs only once an hour, and Cheng Lingxia was bored alone in the waiting room playing mobile games, scolding the fabrication more than 1,800 times in her heart.When Cheng Lingxia returned to Chengdu by car, it was already dark. She took a taxi back to the hotel and ate something hastily, only then did she feel exhausted.
Originally expected to gain something from this trip to Houli, who knew that the fabrication not only sent her back to Chengdu talking to herself, but also refused to reveal anything. Thinking of this, Cheng Lingxia felt that the fabrication was really abominable.After taking a bath, Cheng Lingxia was blowing her hair with a hair dryer while thinking about what she could gain from fabricating her back.Noisy commercials were playing on the TV, disturbing people, Cheng Lingxia became more and more angry, she simply turned off the TV, jumped on the bed and got under the covers.Although there was a lot of resentment accumulated, Cheng Lingxia was indeed tired after traveling all day today, and she fell asleep not long after.
When Cheng Lingxia opened her eyes the next day, it was almost noon.She looked at her mobile phone, but there was no text message. It seemed that Fabrication had no intention of contacting her.Cheng Lingxia sighed, got dressed slowly, and after washing up, the hour hand had already pointed to 12 noon.
What should I do in the afternoon, I really can't stand that detective talking to himself, alas, I'm so hungry, forget it, let's eat something first and then talk.
Cheng Lingxia cleaned up briefly, ordered a meal in the restaurant next to the hotel lobby, and devoured the food without any ladylike temperament.With something in her stomach, her mood improved a lot. After ordering a cup of after-dinner hot drink, Cheng Lingxia began to think seriously about what to do in the afternoon.Opening the travel brochure, she found that she hadn't been to any of the scenic spots above, so Cheng Lingxia decided to go to Wuhou Temple in the afternoon.
The plan was made, Cheng Lingxia went back to her room and changed her clothes, dressed up carefully, then took a taxi to Wuhou Temple.At this time, Wuhou Temple was bustling with tourists, and Cheng Lingxia wandered aimlessly with the crowd, taking pictures around to pass the time.When she finished her tour and came out of Wuhou Temple, the sky had already darkened. Cheng Lingxia followed the directions in the tourist brochure and went to Jinli next to Wuhou Temple to taste local snacks.
Just as Cheng Lingxia was feasting, the phone rang in her ear.
"Hey--"
"Cheng Lingxia? I made it up."
"You finally thought of contacting me. What's the matter?" Cheng Lingxia snorted softly and said sarcastically.
"My investigation work in the back has been completed." The fabricated voice sounded very calm.
"Oh, what's the catch?"
"The harvest has been great, but there are still some problems to be solved."
"Could you please tell me what you've gained from this trip?" Cheng Lingxia hummed.
"No problem, but after I come back." Fabricated's tone didn't change at all, and he still sounded very calm.
"Are you still in the back now?"
"Yes, it's too late today, I can only stay here for one more night, and I'll be back early tomorrow morning."
"Then can I invite you to meet tomorrow?" Cheng Lingxia continued to sneer.
"Did you go out to play today?" Fabrication suddenly changed the subject.
"Huh? I went to Wuhou Temple today."
"Then you are still outside now? I heard a loud voice on the phone."
"Yeah, I'm in Jinli now."
"Oh, you can still take a look there. I can take you to Qingyang Palace tomorrow."
"Why do you suddenly want to go to Qingyang Palace?"
"Have you been here for a few days and haven't been anywhere yet?"
"Yes, I have only been to Chunxi Road and Wuhou Temple."
"You can still visit the Qingyang Palace."
"You don't realize that you want to make up for me, do you?"
"I don't mind if you think so."
"What about the investigation?"
"Actually, I went to Qingyang Palace to investigate one thing."
"whats the matter?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
"I've been doing it for a long time for the investigation. I said that you wouldn't be so kind to accompany me to play."
"Young people should still focus on work."
"Hmph, you're still playing mystery at this point, and you won't tell me anything."
"When the time comes, we will find out."
“你——”
“我准备休息了，今天忙了一天，对了，你要是逛完了也早点回酒店休息吧。”
“好，明天再说。”
"bye."
“拜拜。”挂掉电话，程绫霞恨不得现在就飞去后里，在杜撰的床底下安上一颗炸弹。
第二天一早，程绫霞便被杜撰打来的电话叫醒了。
"Hey……"
“还在睡吗？”
"yes……"
“那你再睡十分钟就起床吧，大概再过四十分钟我就到酒店了。”
"okay……"
电话那头的杜撰沉默了一阵后开口说道：“那个……其实你素颜也蛮好的，不用花那么多时间化妆。”
“你提醒了我，今天我一定要精心打扮一下。”
"Hey--"
“好了，那就先这样吧，酒店大堂见。”
程绫霞带着得意的笑容挂掉电话，她开始认真琢磨用什么办法来报复杜撰才好。虽然嘴上说要精心打扮，但程绫霞并不打算在化妆上浪费时间，她还急着从杜撰口中听到调查工作的新进展呢。
四十分钟后，程绫霞如约走出电梯，一眼就看见杜撰已经等在大堂里了。他穿在身上的呢子大衣沾了不少灰，衬衣领子也显得有些皱了，一副风尘仆仆的模样。看到程绫霞准时出现，杜撰如释重负地出了一口气，微笑着打了一个招呼。
“你刚到吗？”程绫霞点点头，问道。
“是啊，一大早就从后里赶回来了，直接到这里来接你。”杜撰拍拍衣服上的灰，答道。
“我们现在是直接去青羊宫吗？”
“对呀，昨天不是在电话里说好了吗？”
“我完全搞不懂你葫芦里究竟卖的什么药。”
“我会向你详细解释的，请先上车吧。”
程绫霞看了杜撰一眼，将信将疑地上了车。杜撰坐进车里，从杯架上拿起一杯热奶茶，说：“还没吃早饭吧，我买了奶茶和核桃蛋糕。”
“哦，谢谢。”程绫霞显得有些意外，她接过奶茶和蛋糕，脸上的表情缓和了一些。
“怎么样，味道还可以吧？”
“蛮好吃的。”
“早上路过蛋糕店，发现买两块蛋糕可以送一杯奶茶，我就顺便给你也买了一块。”
"..."
“挺划算的吧。”
“搞了半天只是为了占便宜啊。”
“你不吃可以给我啊。”
“我才不要，你专心开车啦。”
没过多久，两人就到了青羊宫。杜撰停好车后，排队买了门票，带着程绫霞走进青羊宫。青羊官的山门为重檐歇山顶，看上去十分宏伟。山门里是灵祖殿，供奉的是玉枢火府天将的神像，即道教的护法神。
从灵祖殿走出来，两边的厢房是旅游纪念品商店，正前方是混元殿。程绫霞原本打算去逛逛纪念品商店，却被杜撰一把拉住。
“干吗啊？”程绫霞白了杜撰一眼。
“出来的时候买纪念品也不迟，现在还是先朝里面走吧。”杜撰指了指前方。
“什么都不跟我说，还不准我去买东西啊？”程绫霞没好气地说。
“我保证今天之内会向你说明的，先跟我走吧。”杜撰换上了一副严肃的表情，说。
“好吧，姑且再相信你一次。”程绫霞嘟嘟嚷嚷地跟在杜撰身后，走进了混元殿。
混元殿中供奉的是手持混元乾坤圈的混元祖师，整个大殿远望为单檐硬山式结构，殿中香火旺盛，香客不绝。
“你知道这混元祖师是谁吗？”站在殿中，杜撰突然开口问道。
“不知道。”程绫霞摇摇头。
“这巴蜀之地本是道教的发源地，汉末沛国丰邑人张陵为修成仙之道，在北邙山和龙虎山修炼，后来入蜀，在鹤鸣山创立五斗米道。张陵死后，其子张衡、其孙张鲁分别在巴蜀传教，三人被依次称为天师、嗣师、系师。”
“咦，张鲁？这个名字好像在哪里听过……”
“你没玩过三国游戏吗，里面割据汉中的便是这个张鲁。”杜撰露出鄙视的眼神。
“哦，原来如此。”程绫霞恍然大悟。
“到了张鲁的时代，五斗米道在巴蜀地区极为兴盛，共分为二十四个教区，即'二十四治'。因此早到汉末三国时代，便已有青羊观的记载了……”
程绫霞打断杜撰的长篇大论，开口说道：“喂，说了半天，你还没说混元祖师到底是谁呢。”
“我不正要说吗？”杜撰翻了个白眼，说，“相传当年老子骑青牛出函谷关，曾嘱咐关令尹喜千日后到成都青羊肆寻他。千日之后尹喜依约前往，果然在成都青羊肆看见一个小孩，这就是老子的化身，他在这里继续讲演道法，于是人们便在这里建起了道观。唐朝皇帝大多信道教，他们奉老子为先祖，追封他为'太上玄元皇帝'，因此改青羊观为玄元观。黄巢之乱时，唐僖宗入蜀避难，曾住在观中。相传当时在观中挖到一块玉砖，上面写着'太上平中和灾'的古篆。后来黄巢败亡，唐僖宗返回长安，下诏将玄元观改名为青羊宫，并赐库钱两百万进行大规模的修建——我们现在看到的青羊宫格局，基本就是那个时候形成的。到了宋朝，也有不少信奉道教的皇帝，宋真宗就封老子为'混元上德皇帝'，所以混元祖师也就是老子。”
“你直接说是老子不就好了吗，啰啰唆唆讲这么一大堆……”
“我好心好意给你讲解青羊宫的历史，还被你嫌啰唆，真是吃力不讨好。”
“我又没请你给我讲解，是你自说自话讲了这么一大堆。”
"..."
两人穿过混元殿，迎面便是青羊宫里最有名的建筑——八卦亭。这座亭子修建于清朝同治、光绪年间，整座亭子建于重台之上，石基分为三层，分别是方形、八角形和圆形，暗合天圆地方、相因相生、八卦相和的义理。亭檐上覆盖着黄绿紫三色琉璃瓦，亭子四周装饰有龟纹隔门和云花镂窗，柱上檐上，横挑屋脊，皆雕飞龙，大小共有八十条飞龙。
杜撰指了指八卦亭后，说：“这八卦亭后便是青羊宫的正殿——三清殿。道教最开始尊奉的神仙是太上老君，后来渐渐吸收了佛教三身佛的理论，将主神分为三位，即玉清元始天尊、上清灵宝天尊、太清道德天尊，所谓'三号虽殊，本同一也'。”
“原来如此，那倒要去看看。”程绫霞兴致勃勃地朝前走。
“你看到三清殿门口的一对铜羊了吗？”
“你说那个铜羊吗？”
程绫霞看到三清殿前摆放着一对一人高的铜羊，左边那只为独角，右边那只是双角，两只铜羊都被过往香客摸得通体发亮。
“这两只铜羊是青羊宫的标志性物品，”杜撰滔滔不绝地讲解道，“左边那只独角铜羊是清朝雍正年间大学士张鹏翮自北京购得，送给青羊宫的，右边那只双角铜羊是道光年间本地信众请匠师铸造后送给青羊宫的。传说这两尊铜羊可以驱邪治病，头痛的话就摸羊头，腿痛的话就摸羊腿，所以你看这两尊铜羊早被人摸得锃光发亮了。”
“哦，那我也去摸一摸。”
“你打算摸哪里啊？”
“摸遍全身啊，有病治病无病强身。”
“不要贪心不足蛇吞象。”
"Leave me alone."
“那尊独角铜羊其实是十二生肖的混合体，分别是鼠耳、牛鼻、虎爪、兔背、龙角、蛇尾、马嘴、羊须、猴颈、鸡眼、狗腹和猪臀。”
“是吗？那我得仔细看看。”
“不过摆在外面的这两尊铜羊其实是复制品，真品收藏在青羊宫的文物陈列室里面。复制品比真品要大，看起来比较威风。”
“你不早说……”
两人走到三清殿前，只见殿门口竖着一块广告牌，上面罗列着做各种法事的价目，从“度人十转”到“南斗祝文”一应俱全，价格也从两万八千元到一千二百元不等。
“你看，做法事明码标价呢。”程绫霞指了指那块广告牌。
“那当然，道士也要吃饭嘛。”杜撰指了指殿门，说，“你看，这就是以前那种用门闩的老式木门，你有什么办法能让木门自内闩上吗？”
程绫霞仔细看了看殿门，喃喃自语地说：“用铁丝或者绳索一类的东西应该能让它自内闩上吧。”
杜撰抓抓头发，脸上露出似笑非笑的表情，说：“在房门自内闩上的房间里，出现了一具无头男尸，凶手和人头都消失不见了，这便是所谓的密室杀人吧。不过以当时房屋的构造来说，其实那根本称不上什么密室。如果列举机械诡计的话，我现在就能说出至少三种让门自内闩上的办法。”
“哦？”程绫霞似乎有些不相信，说，“那说出来听听啊。”
“第一种，”杜撰竖起一根手指，说，“凶手用细绳将门闩吊起45°角之后微微关上房门，然后慢慢放下绳子，让门闩自然落入闩槽之中，最后再将细绳收回即可。”
程绫霞摇摇头，说：“你这种方法是建立在门关上后还留有一丝缝隙的基础上，如果门关得很紧的话，那这招就不管用了。”
“那我说第二种方法好了，”杜撰笑了笑，竖起两根手指，侃侃而谈道，“那种老式的木门是有门环的吧，凶手用一根细长的类似铁钉一样的东西从门环边缘将木门钉穿。铁钉穿过木门之后刚好在门闩槽的上方，这样关上门后，门闩刚好斜斜地被架在这根铁钉上。这个时候从外面小心翼翼地拔出铁钉，门闩失去支撑物，落下来正好掉进门闩槽内。由于铁钉是从门环边缘穿进去的，所以钉痕很难被发现，再加上木门随后就被管家用斧子劈坏，如此一来更是死无对证了。”
程绫霞立刻反驳道：“拔出铁钉的时候如果用力过猛，门闩就会掉到地上而不是落进门闩槽内，这个方法成功率太低了吧。还有，用力把铁钉钉进去，难道不会发出声音吗？这样很容易就会引起别人的注意吧。”
“只要小心翼翼的话，是能够成功，至于钉铁钉的声音，可以隔着一层垫子把铁钉钉进去，这样就不会发出太大的声音。”
“不管怎么想，这个解释还是太牵强了……”
“你真啰唆，”杜撰撇撇嘴，竖起三根手指，说，“那我再来说说第三种方法。即使在炎热的夏日，申家大院的厨房里仍然保存有消暑用的冰块。凶手从厨房里弄一块冰放在门闩槽内，然后关上门，让门闩落在冰块上。那个时候天气那么热，用不了多久冰块就会融化，之后门闩就自然而然地掉进门闩槽里了。”
“可是去厨房弄冰的话很容易被人发现吧？”程绫霞不依不饶地说。
“你这个人怎么这么喜欢挑刺啊？”杜撰咳嗽了一声，说，“根本无所谓用什么方法制造出密室，那间密室本身并不是解谜的关键所在，所以我也没有兴趣去做穷举题。”
"..."
“殿里好像有道士在做法事，我们进去看看吧。”
杜撰自说自话地走进大殿，程绫霞只好跟着走了进去。只见大殿内三清神像前用木栅栏围了一个四方形，一群道士站在栅栏内郑重其事地做法事。为首的道士看上去三十岁上下，长相十分清秀，他头戴紫金道冠，身着团龙纹紫袍法衣，手执笏板，口中念念有词。紫袍道士身边站着两个黄袍道士，似乎在辅助他作法，神像两边各有一队红袍道士，正用锣鼓奏着法乐。
“你看到他们穿的法衣了吗？”杜撰压低声音对程绫霞说。
“嗯？”程绫霞愣了一下，说，“看到了，怎么了啊？”
“正中那位道士穿的法衣叫九龙降衣，法衣的两袖和衣身都绣有金丝滚边。道士穿上九龙降衣展开双臂，两袖与衣身恰好展成四方形，象征地之四角。”
"oh, I see."
“你见过中国传统戏法的表演吗？”
“什么戏法？”
“比如变金鱼缸，魔术师穿着一件长袍，用布蒙住手，然后凭空变出一个装着水和鱼的鱼缸。”
“哦，你说那种魔术啊，我在电视上见过啊。”
杜撰笑了笑，说：“如果魔术师穿的是这种宽大的法衣，即使藏一个金鱼缸也不是什么难事吧。”
“嗯，的确如此……”程绫霞皱着眉头，说，“你怎么突然想起说这个？”
“整件案子的秘密，就在这里。”
Notes:
Notes: