Chapter 8 Chapter Seven Old Things

Walking on slippery mountain roads covered with ice and snow, going downhill is more difficult than going uphill.Zhou Ping and the other three trekked hard on the mountain road. On the way down the mountain, Zhou Ping received two calls from Luo Fei.Hu Junkai's death made the situation on the mountain even more confusing and dangerous.Although Zhou Ping was anxious, the snowstorm made him wait patiently at the foot of the mountain.For some reason, he had a nervous premonition that even more terrifying things would continue to happen in that lonely monastery. Zhou Ping could deeply understand the pressure Luo Fei was under at this moment.Working together for seven years, Zhou Ping has a deep understanding of Luo Fei. His extraordinary calmness and tenacity have a strong rebound effect on pressure. At this time, Luo Fei will inevitably burst out with the most powerful potential.

This can be seen from the two phone calls just now, Luo Fei still maintains a clear head and a steady style of work.Based on the various situations we have learned so far, the investigation of the person "Kong Wang" is the focus of cracking the whole situation.Luo Fei grasped this point keenly, and Zhou Ping at the foot of the mountain had to do the actual work. Kong Wang - Wu Jianfei, what kind of story is hidden behind this name? With this question in mind, Zhou Ping wished he could step back into the office in one step, but his steps couldn't be quicker in the wind and snow.When they finally rushed back to the institute, it was already past one in the afternoon.

An unfamiliar passenger car was parked in the yard, and the reception room was noisy, as if there were many people gathered.But Zhou Ping ignored these matters and walked straight to his office. At this moment, police officer Jiang Shan came out from the reception room, shouting as if meeting a savior: "Section Chief Zhou, come and take a look. These people are clamoring to go up the mountain." "Going up the mountain?" Zhou Ping rolled his eyes angrily, "You let them try, I just scraped down from the mountainside, who can go up now, I will tie big red flowers and carry it down the same way for him! "

Jiang Shan put on an innocent expression: "Then you come and dismiss them, they are all the family members of the parties involved, and they have been making trouble all morning." Hearing that it was a family member, Zhou Ping couldn't ignore it, he turned around and strode towards the reception room, not forgetting to kick Jiang Shan's ass on the way: "You boy, don't let me save myself, just find trouble for me. " Jiang Shan rubbed his butt pretendingly, and said with a smile: "If I can handle everything, wouldn't I be the section chief?" In normal times, Zhou Ping would definitely take advantage of the opportunity to have a few words with Jiang Shan, but today he has no such leisure.He walked into the reception room, and when the three men and two women in casual clothes saw him, they immediately surrounded him.

"Comrade, did you come down from the scene?" A man in his fifties who walked in the front asked immediately, with an anxious expression on his face. Zhou Ping looked him up and down: "Are you a family member?" "No, it's not. I'm the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts, and here's my business card." The man said as he took out a business card and handed it over politely. Zhou Ping took the business card carelessly, on which was written the man's name: Ling Yongsheng.Zhou Ping nodded, took the initiative to shake hands with Ling Yongsheng, glanced behind him, and asked, "Who are these?"

Ling Yongsheng introduced the rest of them one by one. The two men are the relevant persons in charge of the Academy of Fine Arts, and the two women are the wives of Chen Jian and Hu Junkai. Following Ling Yongsheng's introduction, Zhou Ping's eyes passed over everyone one by one, and at the same time he said some official words: "Everyone, don't worry, our director is already on the scene. The search and rescue work is also in progress. We will Do our best to protect the personal safety of any citizen." "That's right. Let's not rush too hard. This comrade just came back from the outside, let him rest for a while and drink some hot water." A soft voice came from behind everyone.

Zhou Ping was taken aback for a moment, and was moved in his heart. He followed the sound and saw that it was Hu Junkai's wife who was speaking. The woman's stature was not tall, and Zhou Ping hadn't paid special attention to her because she had been standing behind everyone from the beginning. When he looked carefully at this time, he found that she had a special temperament.She is in her thirties, with a weak figure and an elegant oval face. She is a typical southern beauty, but between her slender eyebrows and eyes, there is a faint resoluteness of a northerner.In the crowd, she may not be very eye-catching, but when your eyes see her, it is difficult to move away from her in a short time.

"There is no need to rest, I can understand your feelings." Looking at the other party, Zhou Ping suddenly felt a little sad: this woman is completely unaware that her husband is no longer alive. "Is there any news about the rescuers? Is there any hope for Chen Jian to survive?" As soon as Ling Yongsheng asked this question, Chen Jian's wife immediately stared at Zhou Ping in panic. "The specific situation will not be clear until the rescue team returns. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will not give up." Zhou Ping said this, but he knew in his heart: Under such weather conditions, the prospect of rescue work is really difficult to be optimistic.

"Is my husband still on the mountain? Do you have any news about him?" Hu Junkai's wife's tone was full of concern. "Hmm..." Zhou Ping subconsciously avoided the other party's gaze, and he hesitated, "He's a little sick...he's resting on the mountain." "Sick?" A trace of anxiety flashed in the woman's eyes. "Oh, it shouldn't be a big problem." Zhou Ping said comforting words against his will, "Maybe it's just freezing." The woman hesitated for a moment and said, "Then can you take me up the mountain? I am his wife."

Zhou Ping shook his head: "It's impossible now, the mountain road is blocked by heavy snow. A few comrades and I just evacuated from the mountainside." Hearing the bad news, the woman lowered her eyes in disappointment, and Ling Yongsheng and the others also made a little commotion. "Everyone, don't worry. Our director has already gone up the mountain first, and he will handle the situation on the spot. As soon as the snow stops, we will find a way to go up the mountain as soon as possible." After Zhou Ping finished speaking, everyone looked out the window.The heavy snow is falling happily, and there is no sign of stopping at all. It may be impossible to realize when it will be possible to go up the mountain.

To stabilize the emotions of the family members, Zhou Ping asked Jiang Shan to stay and continue to receive Ling Yongsheng and others, while he rushed back to the office. Xiao Liu and Duan Xueming were already sitting in the office, eating box lunch heartily.Seeing him coming in, Xiao Liu asked first, "What should we do next?" "I can only wait and see, and do some peripheral investigations at the same time. Go and find me Xu Lijie's contact information." "Looking for her now? I knew I would have left her behind." Xiao Liu joked with a smile.Xu Lijie was originally a staff member in the institute. She was young and good-looking, and she often showed her affection for Zhou Ping both openly and secretly.But for some reason, Zhou Ping always lacks the initiative in this kind of matter.Half a year ago, the girl was transferred to the archives department of the Municipal Bureau, and since then we have seldom contacted each other. All jokes are jokes, Xiao Liu's subordinates are not idle.After searching for a while, he found the phone number of Xu Lijie's office. Zhou Ping dialed this number, and the ringer had just rang two or three times before the other party answered: "Hello, hello." It was Xu Lijie's voice. "Xu Lijie, right? I'm Zhou Ping." "Zhou Ping?" Xu Lijie looked a little surprised. Zhou Ping hastily grabbed the conversation: "I want to ask you to do me a favor. Find someone for me." "Let's talk." Xu Lijie answered with some disappointment. "Wu Jianfei, Koutian Wu, healthy Jian, flying Fei, male, date of birth is November 9, 1934. Please help me look up this person's information." After Zhou Ping said this, he thought for a while , and added, "Thank you in advance, I will treat you to dinner later." "You're welcome." Xu Lijie finished taking notes on the other end of the phone, and replied calmly, "Just wait for my news." Zhou Ping put down the phone, looked up, and found that Xiao Liu and Duan Xueming were looking at him with ill intentions. "Do we have a share of the meal?" Xiao Liu asked with a smirk. "You have to pay for it!" Zhou Ping pouted, "Eat your box lunch!" About ten minutes later, Xu Lijie called. "I searched on the computer just now, but I didn't find anyone who meets the requirements in this city." "Really?" Zhou Ping was a little reluctant, "Will the records of all the population in this city be saved in the computer?" "As long as there are household registration records within ten years, they will be archived in the computer. I searched for a total of twenty-five 'Wu Jianfei', but none were born in 1934." in ten years?If that "Kong Wang" became a monk earlier, it is very likely that he has not registered for a long time.Thinking of this, Zhou Ping said with some embarrassment: "Can I trouble you to check the records that have not been archived before? Maybe I can find the person I am looking for." "Oh my God!" Xu Lijie exclaimed exaggeratedly on the other end of the phone, "Do you know how troublesome it is? And most of the people on these records have been dead for many years-do you want me to look for it alone?" Zhou Ping sensed something from the last sentence, and quickly added: "Of course I don't want you to look for it alone. I'll come right here. You just need to help me." "Then hurry up. Call me when you arrive, and I'll pick you up at the gate of your unit." Xu Lijie's tone was tinged with pride. "Okay, okay! Then you wait for me." Zhou Ping hung up the phone and was ready to leave immediately. Xiao Liu pointed to the boxed lunch on the table: "You don't want to eat it? I'll keep it for you." "I can't take care of it, you should share it, don't you always say that one portion is not enough?" "Hey, what are we two doing here?" Xiao Liu shouted. "Standby!" Zhou Ping said as he walked into the heavy snow. Zhou Ping got into the car and just drove out of the hospital when Wang Yifei and others who went to the mountain to search and rescue came back from the direction of Nanming Mountain. Zhou Ping poked his head out of the car window and asked, "How is the situation?" Wang Yifei shook his head in frustration: "Nothing was found! The snow in the valley was more than a foot deep, and all possible traces of clues were covered. The search is impossible!" "Then you should be mentally prepared, a group of family members in the reception room are waiting to ask you for someone!" Zhou Ping said gloatingly, stepped on the gas pedal, put into gear and drove away. Due to heavy snowfall, low visibility and slippery road surface, Zhou Ping could only be patient and control the speed at 20 to 30 miles per hour.Not to mention, the bustling roads in the urban area have become congested.The usual 30-minute journey took me almost two hours of unsteady tossing. When he arrived at the gate of the Municipal Bureau, Zhou Ping immediately called Xu Lijie.Xu Lijie was getting impatient for a long time: "I thought you wouldn't come!" "Of course I will." Zhou Ping hurriedly explained, "I'm more anxious than you, but the road is really difficult. I didn't even bother to eat all day." "What case? Are you so busy?" Xu Lijie felt a little distressed, "Let's have some dinner first, I should get off work soon. I have the key to the file room. After dinner, I will settle down and look it up slowly." Zhou Ping was indeed too hungry to bear it, and he replied straightforwardly: "Okay! I invite you." While eating, Zhou Ping told Xu Lijie about the case. "Are you telling a story? Or are you trying to scare me on purpose? Let me tell you, I never believe in ghosts." After hearing this, Xu Lijie looked at him with extremely suspicious eyes, as if she would never be fooled posture. "You don't believe it? I don't even believe it!" Zhou Ping pouted innocently, "But this is the testimony of the person involved, first-hand information, understand? It has the greatest effect among all the evidence." Xu Lijie tilted her head slightly, and said solemnly: "Then I can only think of the following three possibilities: 1. There is something wrong with your client's eyes; 2. Your client is lying to you; 3. You are lying to me." "You can think so." Zhou Ping also had a serious expression, "But I personally firmly oppose your third point of view." "Okay, let's get back to business. What does the person you want to investigate have anything to do with this case?" "The author of 'Father Painting', the dead monk Kong Wang, his real name before he became a monk was Wu Jianfei." "Oh. The materials in the archives are classified by surname. There is at least one thick pile of men surnamed Wu!" Xu Lijie used her hand to draw a height of one meter, hinting to Zhou Ping that the task was arduous. "Then let's hurry up and act." Zhou Ping picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, then waved at the waiter not far away, "Check out!" Xu Lijie brought Zhou Ping to the file room.At this time, it was completely dark, and the staff who went to work normally went home one after another, and the already deserted file room became even more silent.Xu Lijie divided the relevant files into two thick stacks, and the two began to search at the same time. Zhou Ping had never done this kind of work that tested patience.After browsing for more than an hour, I felt a little dizzy, and I didn't close my eyes all day, and my head sank involuntarily to the table... "Crack!" With a crisp sound, Zhou Ping was hit hard on the back of the head.He woke up immediately, and saw Xu Lijie standing behind him holding a stack of documents, her almond eyes widened: "Okay, I'm here to do hard work for you, and you took the opportunity to doze off!" Zhou Ping laughed "hehe" twice: "Chairman Mao, no no, Comrade Lei Feng said: you can only work when you have a rest. I am not doing this to improve efficiency." After speaking, he straightened his sitting posture and put on a It looks like it's going to be a big fight. "Come on." Xu Lijie threw the document in front of him, "Let's see if it's this person." "Have you found it?" Zhou Ping exclaimed happily, holding the document in his hand: In the upper right corner is a black and white close-up photo. The person on it is a man in his forties, thin, but looks very energetic.In the next file column it says: Name: Wu Jianfei Date of Birth: November 9, 1934 ... "That's right." Zhou Ping said excitedly, "It should be him!" But Xu Lijie poured cold water on him: "Don't get too excited. Look clearly, this person died in 1978, how could he go to Nanming Mountain and be a monk for so many years? " Zhou Ping looked at where Xu Lijie's finger was, and it was indeed so in the record.He scratched his forehead: "How could this be? Is it such a coincidence that these two people have the same name and were born on the same day?" "How about this, let's check his immediate family members first to find out the situation, and then confirm whether it is this person." Xu Lijie seems to be more experienced in handling archives. "Well... it says here that there is a daughter: Wu Yanhua, but how to find her, according to the address on this document?" Xu Lijie gave him a blank look: "The information is more than ten years ago, of course not. His daughter should be able to find it from the computer database. Come with me, the computer is in the office opposite." Sure enough, Wu Yanhua's relevant information was quickly found from the computer.Looking at the photo on the file, Zhou Ping suddenly let out a strange "huh". Xu Lijie turned to look at him: "What's wrong?" "Could it be her?" Zhou Ping frowned, pointed at the screen with his hand and said, "Pull down, pull down, let me see her detailed file." Xu Lijie dragged the scroll bar on the page with the mouse, and suddenly Zhou Ping yelled: "Stop!" "Look here, it's really her!" The unexpected major discovery made Zhou Ping unable to suppress his excitement. Xu Lijie looked at his finger: "Immediate family relationship...Father: Wu Jianfei...Mother: Wang Mingfang...Husband: Hu Junkai...Son: Hu Xiaohua, what's wrong? Oh, tell me quickly, what's going on?" "This Hu Junkai is one of the three people who went up the mountain, the one who died of illness today. This woman is actually his wife..." Zhou Ping looked at the photos and files carefully again, "She is already forty-three years old? She looks really young .” "So, Hu Junkai is Wu Jianfei's son-in-law? There seems to be a lot of content in it." Xu Lijie tasted the mystery of this relationship in the case, "It seems that Wu Jianfei is what we are looking for, but why is it recorded in the file? So he died in 1978?" "There must be something wrong here, and it is exactly what we want to investigate. I want to make a call first." Zhou Ping said as he picked up the receiver and dialed the number of the reception room. The phone was connected, and Jiang Shan's voice came from over there: "Hello, Nanmingshan Police Station." "I'm Zhou Ping, are the family members still here this afternoon?" "Yes, when are you coming back?" "I'll hurry back now. You told that woman named Wu Yanhua to wait for me in the prison. Don't leave." "Don't worry, you won't be able to drive her away even if you want to." "Okay then, I'll hang up first." After a few short conversations, Zhou Ping hung up the phone, and then looked at Xu Lijie with some embarrassment: "Look, I have to go now..." Xu Lijie curled her lips: "Leave if you want, anyway, I have no use value." Zhou Ping smiled: "You have helped me a lot today, I will never forget it, and I will repay you in the next life." "Come on, you are poor, go to your business." "En." Zhou Ping put away his smiling face and nodded. He suddenly remembered that the People's Hospital was not far from the Municipal Public Security Bureau, so he decided to stop by to see Zhang Bin's situation. Twenty minutes later, Zhou Ping came to the ward of the hospital. Zhang Bin was half lying on the bed talking with a young man next to him, looking in good spirits. Seeing Zhou Ping coming in, Zhang Bin leaned forward and made a gesture of greeting, and the young man also stood up. "This is my son Zhang Feng, and this is Police Officer Zhou who took your father to the hospital." Zhang Bin introduced them to each other. Zhang Feng kept thanking Zhou Ping, Zhou Ping said a few polite words cheerfully, and then looked at Zhang Bin: "How is your body?" "It's nothing, just resting. What's the situation on the mountain now?" The dangerous situation at the scene is obviously not suitable for Zhang Bin to know, Zhou Ping vaguely perfunctory: "The heavy snow has blocked the mountain road, and now I can't go up. The search work can't be carried out either." Zhang Bin let out an "oh", looking rather worried. Zhou Ping didn't want to waste any more words, and directly cut to the point: "Do you know Wu Jianfei?" "Wu Jianfei?!" Zhang Bin looked at Zhou Ping in surprise, "Of course I know!" "You know him very well?" Zhou Ping was a little surprised.From the point of view of time, whether Wu Jianfei became a monk or the date of death on the file was before Hu Junkai's marriage, it is more likely that Zhang Bin did not know that his colleague had such a father-in-law. "He is my master." Seeing Zhou Ping's confused look, Zhang Bin continued to explain: "In the early days, there were no art colleges, and children learned to paint under the name of master and apprentice under the name of the older generation. I, Hu Junkai, and Chen Jian were all Wu Jianfei at the beginning. apprentice." "Oh?" Zhou Ping didn't expect that there was such a relationship in it, so he couldn't help but get excited, "As far as I know, this Wu Jianfei is Hu Junkai's father-in-law?" "That's right. Hu Junkai later married my master's daughter." Zhang Bin scratched his head in confusion, "How did you mention this?" "This Wu Jianfei is the Monk Kongwang you mentioned." Zhang Bin stared at Zhou Ping in a daze, and grinned in disbelief.After a long time, he came to his senses and murmured: "So it's him, no wonder no wonder. With such deep painting skills, who else but him..." "Don't you think this is strange?" "Of course it's strange, I didn't expect him to become a monk on Nanming Mountain, and it's such a coincidence that we will see his works. And the 'murderous painting' he painted..." "I don't mean this." Zhou Ping shook his head, "I mean, don't you think it's impossible? Don't you know that he was registered as dead more than 20 years ago?" "Oh, I know that. But it's not an exact death, it should be considered a disappearance." "Missing?" "Yes. For more than ten years, no one has known the whereabouts of Wu Jianfei. According to the law, those who have been missing for more than two years in this way can be recorded as dead." So it is!From this point of view, Wu Jianfei reported his disappearance in 1976, and two years later, he was considered "dead" legally.If Wu Jianfei became a monk in secret, the two situations can be regarded as matching. The gains from Zhang Bin have far exceeded Zhou Ping's expectations. He continued to hold on to this clue, hoping to find more: "What is the reason for Wu Jianfei's disappearance? Or, what happened before he disappeared?" Things, are you clear about these situations?" Hearing this question, Zhang Bin, who had been speaking quickly, seemed hesitant. After a moment of silence, he turned his head and said to his son beside him, "Xiao Feng, please wait outside for a while. Police Officer Zhou and I have something to talk about." .” Wu Feng agreed, walked out of the ward, and gently closed the door. Zhou Ping looked at Zhang Bin, waiting for his next words. Zhang Bin sighed, leaned his body on the edge of the bed, looked at the ceiling and said slowly: "When I talk about this matter, I feel guilty in my heart. Alas, so I don't have the face to mention it in front of juniors. But then again, Who didn't do one or two stupid things when they were young..." The situation became more and more interesting, Zhou Ping leaned forward: "Maybe it's not convenient for me to ask, but these are probably related to the case on the mountain." "Related to the case?" Zhang Bin glanced at Zhou Ping in surprise. "Don't think too much, you don't know the current situation on the mountain. Just tell what you know now." "Okay." Zhang Bin took a long breath and began to recall the past, "It was the period of the Cultural Revolution. Although you haven't experienced those days, you should have some understanding, right?" Zhou Ping nodded. "My master was regarded as a decadent feudal literati at the time, and he was the main target of criticism. Several of us also participated in it, especially Chen Jian and me. During those days, we...we did a lot of things that violated our conscience. The specific things... I don't want to mention it again..." Every Chinese is familiar with that period of history.During those ridiculous days, many ridiculous things happened. Seeing Zhang Bin's remorse, Zhou Ping couldn't help but comfort him: "You don't have to blame yourself too much. In such a big environment, it is difficult for individuals to distinguish right from wrong." Zhang Bin said with emotion: "Yes, the society at that time distorted people's normal personality, and exposed the dark side of human nature without any scruples. Chen Jian and I were just sixteen or seventeen years old at that time. Child, Master scolded us a lot before, and we took the criticism as a good opportunity for revenge. What we did to him can be described as "torture". " "Where's Hu Junkai?" Zhou Ping noticed that Zhang Bin didn't mention this person, "Isn't he the same as you?" "Hu Junkai is our big brother. Although he is also a young revolutionary, he always tried his best to protect Master when he was really criticizing. It may be because he is old and understands things more clearly, or it may be that Master usually treats me well. He's a good reason." "So, your master still treats you disciples differently?" Zhang Bin nodded: "Master is very strict and even mean to other apprentices, but he is very caring to Hu Junkai. In my impression, Hu Junkai seems to have never been scolded by him. If you know my master at that time character, you will understand how incredible it is." "Why?" Zhou Ping couldn't help being curious. "Because Hu Junkai's talent is higher than ours." Zhang Bin replied without thinking, "Only he can understand the realm that Master has reached. Perhaps from a very early age, Master has already set him in his heart as his son-in-law. That’s what makes it different.” "Then what's the matter with your master's disappearance?" Zhou Ping realized that the topic was getting too far, so he quickly took it back. "At that time, we took Master out to criticize him during the day, and locked him in the cowshed at night, and everyone took turns guarding him. Later, when Hu Junkai was on duty at night, Master disappeared." "Hu Junkai let him go?" Zhou Ping guessed. "That's right. He was suspected by everyone the next day, and he didn't deny it himself. He suffered a lot for this, but no matter what, he always insisted that he didn't know the whereabouts of the master. After a while, That’s all for it.” "Could it be that Hu Junkai hid your master in the Dead Wood Temple? Then he should know that Kong Wang is Wu Jianfei." Zhou Ping frowned, thinking about the mystery. "No way?" Zhang Bin recalled the situation last night, and then said firmly: "No, he must not know that Kong Wang is the master. At that time, he was very excited and asked Shunde to bring his business card. He must meet this." Empty forget'." "After those days passed, no one went to see Wu Jianfei?" "After Hu Junkai and Wu Yanhua got married, they went to look for their master, but they couldn't find it. Since then, my master has become a missing person." "Yeah." Zhou Ping lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked, "What happened to the relationship between Hu Junkai and you guys?" "Relationship? Very good." Zhang Bin was startled for a moment, as if he didn't understand what he meant. "Didn't he blame you for Wu Jianfei's disappearance? And as you said, he himself suffered a lot for this matter." "No." Zhang Bin shook his head, "As a big brother, Hu Junkai has always treated us as younger brothers. He didn't take the mistakes we made when we were young. Maybe it is because of this kind of mind that he can reach the artistic level." Such a high achievement." It can be seen that Zhang Bin does have a kind of respect and trust for Hu Junkai as a brother to his elder brother. If he knew that Hu Junkai had passed away on the mountain at this time, what kind of mood would he feel?And what is the relationship between the grievances and resentments between master and apprentice during the Cultural Revolution and the series of events that happened on the mountain? This day's investigation made the incident seem to reveal a little clue, and Zhou Ping eagerly wanted to convey these developments to Luo Fei who was trapped on the mountain.At this time, his location was beyond the range covered by the power of the walkie-talkie, and he had to rush back to the mountains as soon as possible to get in touch with Luo Fei.At the same time, another important person related to Wu Jianfei, Wu Yanhua, was waiting for him at the police station at the foot of the mountain.