Chapter 2 2. Xibai Town

In the evening of the next day, Ji Zhonghai took the sweets and snacks given by Lao Lu and walked across several streets to his younger brother Ji Zhongchi's house. Xibai is a small mountain town, connected to neighboring provinces in the northwest, where there are many mountains, and the traffic is inconvenient. Therefore, the traffic in Xibai has always been a dead end in history - there is a way in, but there is no way out.Of course, Xibai is no longer what it used to be. A national highway passes through the west of the county and connects with neighboring provinces. New things from the outside world pour in overwhelmingly along the highway and along the radio waves.However, in Ji Zhonghai's opinion, these new century gadgets have not touched the roots of Xibai County, the old roots hidden deep under the rocks.So the old and the new are mixed together, making a big platter, and the four are not alike.You can see ultra-modern modern girls everywhere on the street. Although the clothes are rough in workmanship, they are sexy and bold, but they can catch up with Hong Kong and Paris. They have extremely tight shorts, navel-baring clothes, and boldly exposed youthful bodies at the junction of the upper and lower clothes. colored hair, purple eyeshadow and lipstick.Lao Ji is an old mind, he would never let his daughter be so flirtatious.But having said that, he couldn't deny that this kind of attire was very attractive to men, and even he couldn't help but want to take a second look.It's just that I don't dare to listen to these modern women's words, and they speak unrefined and astringent Xibai dialect, and their speech is vulgar, with a few nasty words from time to time.In this way, their attractiveness is greatly reduced.

There are Internet cafes everywhere on the street, and groups of boys and girls sit there with their eyes glued to the screens day and night, their souls have left the real world.Ji Zhonghai sometimes thinks, is this generation of young people and I don't know if they are still a breed?Not to mention spiritual mutual understanding, they can't even understand the language of these people. Next to the Internet cafe is the base of fortune-telling pioneers. There are men, women, old and young. The equipment is very simple. A short stool and a piece of white paper with Tai Chi gossip are ready for business.Ji Zhonghai deliberately avoided it, because many Gua Xianer knew him, and seeing him inevitably caused panic.To be honest, Ji Zhonghai has always turned a blind eye to these people.Since some people believe in superstition, Gua Xianer cannot get rid of the roots.If you catch the bright ones, they will set up a stall in the dark, so it is better to leave an overflow.As long as the Gua Xianers don't stir up trouble and stir up trouble, let them earn the hard-earned money, and treat it as a psychiatrist in practice.

There are also "chickens" who are hesitating in the shadow of street lamps, and the Public Security Bureau actually opens their eyes to them.Since men have that thing, that demand—he himself has experienced waking up in the middle of the night, unbearably hot—then the presence of prostitutes is nothing more than a safety valve or overflow, which can reduce a few rapes.Some sociologists have suggested that prostitution should be legalized altogether, saying that it would be easier to control the spread of venereal diseases.This is of course a scholar's opinion and cannot be realized.But you can't expect to wipe out the prostitutes once they crack down on pornography.This is a dilemma that can never be resolved.

In fact, everything is based on similar contradictions, there is no absolute right, and there is no absolute wrong.It just depends on where you choose the balance point of the contradiction, that's all. Ji Zhonghai shook his head mockingly, driving away the speculation in his mind.In front is my younger brother's home, which is located at the junction of the county and the township. There is no coquettish and weird neon lights here, only a yellow street lamp is shining feebly, as if compared with the bright moon in the sky, I am ashamed of myself.The brother’s courtyard is very large. There is an ancient locust tree in the courtyard. It is said that the tree is 800 years old. Half of it was struck by lightning 60 years ago.The house is made of blue tiles and blue bricks, and the tile roof is covered with a green carpet.Lu Zi said that he had been here when he went to the county to inspect the work, and he was full of praise for it, saying that such a large courtyard is not an extravagant expectation in Beiyang City.If it is placed in Beijing, it will be at least the treatment of the deputy prime minister!Lu Ziyue also said that when he retires in the future, if he can save some money, he will definitely come to Xibai County to buy such a one-story house so that he can spend his old age peacefully.Ji Zhongchi said that he was happy with the poor: "If he had money, he would have built a western-style house long ago. Who still lives in this dilapidated house 100 years ago."

He rang the doorbell, and his brother came to open the courtyard door.Ji Zhonghai handed him the package of food, saying that it was given by Lao Lu from the Municipal Bureau. Where is Lingling, not at home today?The sister-in-law said that she was at home and was chatting with some friends behind closed doors.After entering the house, my sister-in-law Yutong hurriedly asked if I had eaten?Tonight is just your favorite mutton paste noodle soup.Ji Zhonghai said that he had eaten it, but he didn't like it, so you can serve me a bowl.Yutong went to the kitchen to serve dinner.Ji Zhongchi called to the back room: "Lingling, your uncle is here." The inside agreed: "Got it!" But the door of the back room was not opened until more than ten minutes later.Lingling and her two friends, Xiaobing and Xiaoyu, came out chattering.The two girls bid farewell to their families and left. Lingling immediately got tired of her uncle.Ji Zhonghai said with a sullen face, "Why, come to ask uncle for snacks again? Go, there is your favorite walnut jelly in the bag." Lingling smiled and took out the jelly, and came over and leaned on her uncle's shoulder.

These years, he often came and went to his brother's house, and Lingling could be regarded as his first half daughter.She is nineteen years old this year. She failed the college entrance examination last year and stayed at home for more than half a year. As the saying goes, women have changed eighteen times. In the past two years, Lingling has turned out to be extremely beautiful, with bright eyebrows and big eyes, red lips and white teeth, and her breasts and buttocks swelled like balloons.I often hear Lingling shouting with half joy and half sorrow: "Mom, this dress can't be worn again!" Lingling actually doesn't have any expensive clothes, but no matter what kind of homely clothes she wears, she can show charm and show curve.What Ji Zhonghai especially likes is that although Lingling is lively, she is steady.Her beauty is natural, unlike those girls nowadays who rely on exposure and sexiness to attract the attention of the opposite sex.In this regard, Lingling has the charm of her mother. Yutong was the famous school belle of Beiyang High School back then, and his younger brother's ability to capture this school belle was a victory he was proud of throughout his life.

Speaking of which, Lingling has only one shortcoming: she doesn't like to study.In Yutong's words, she is a "bad-faced fool".The failure of the college entrance examination last year did not put any pressure on her, so she continued to play happily at home.She once told her uncle, "Just play for one year, then end my teenage career and go out to work." At this moment, Ji Zhonghai patted her on the head and said with a smile: "It's a big girl! You can't stay anymore, get married!" Lingling pouted: "I don't want to marry! I just stay at home and hate you!"

Lingling's mother arranged the food again, and asked Lingling to call the old grandmother to eat.Lingling stood at the door and shouted crisply: "Honey, the meal is ready, come and eat!" Someone in the east room responded: "I'm not going, bring me back, just a small bowl." Lingling's grandmother, that is, Yutong's grandmother, is 95 years old, and she seldom leaves the east room where she lives, just like a snail that cannot leave its shell all the time.The family has long been used to her habit, Lingling didn't speak anymore, she put a small bowl of noodles and a few dishes in a small plate, Ji Zhonghai said, let me send it, and came to east house.Lingling's mother-in-law came forward in surprise: "Ji Xianggong (this is what the elders call the son-in-law), you are here, sit down quickly."

She was thin and dry, her back was bent like a big shrimp, and she had to turn her face sideways when looking at people, and she looked like a crooked neck after a long time.The ears are naturally deaf, but they are not really deaf, and their thinking is sometimes clear and sometimes confused.Different from other old people, she has a mouth full of white teeth, even brand new white teeth! This is a new set of teeth. When she was 88 years old, she had almost lost all her teeth, but two new teeth suddenly popped up half a year later, and then they basically grew together in a few years.From the moment the first new tooth came in, the old grandmother was in a state of extreme fear.Because according to superstition, the old man grows new teeth to kill offspring.Brother, sister-in-law and Lingling are not old-minded, so they didn't take this matter to heart.But the old grandmother was obviously not so open-minded.Ji Zhonghai remembers very clearly that from then on, the old man never went to the north house where her children and grandchildren lived, and she imprisoned herself in the small east house and the nearby 10-square-meter yard.

Not only that, but the old man also pretended to inquire about Ji Zhonghai unintentionally: "It is said that the old man's long teeth can kill his children and grandchildren. If this old man dies, can he still kill his children and grandchildren?" At that time, Ji Zhonghai shuddered suddenly!He knew what Lingling's grandmother wanted to do—to atone for the sins of her children and grandchildren with her own death.It was a winter night, and there were as many lights as beans (the old man was afraid of power consumption, so he only let a small 5-watt light bulb light up), and the cold wind rolled over the roof.The old man's face was determined, and his old eyes were shining with a strange light, staring at him expectantly.Ji Zhonghai smiled wryly in his heart.Over the years, he has studied genetics by himself. From a genetic point of view, it is not surprising that old people grow new teeth, because mice and elephants, both mammals, grow teeth throughout their lives or replace them many times.Therefore, the "tooth change" gene widely exists in mammals, but in human genes, this instruction is frozen after the first tooth change.According to the book, this is likely to be related to the lifespan of ape-man. The average lifespan of ape-man is only 20 to 30 years old, so in a lifetime, one set of deciduous teeth and one pair of new teeth are enough. As time goes by, the order to change teeth becomes obsolete.

But for an old man with a life span of 90 years, in his long life, the function of the "tooth replacement gene" may be restored due to some accidental reasons and accidental command errors, so it is not natural for the old man to grow new teeth. Big weirdness.According to historical records, Wu Zetian grew two new teeth when she was 80 years old, and she changed her year name to "Longevity" for this reason.But he knew it was useless to talk to the old man. Talking to her would be like teaching a parrot to learn calculus or a cat to play chess. The wind was still rolling on the roof, and the room was filled with a murderous atmosphere.Ji Zhonghai knew that if he was careless, he would have to rush to the old man's funeral the next day. The old man was ready to die! , he had an idea and came up with a good way. "Grandmother, I shouldn't have said this to you. Since you asked, I can't hide it from you. As far as I know, the old man's new teeth do indeed affect the offspring." The old man's eyes are getting more and more "black", which is the color of death. "Even if the old man is dead right now, it's all right. It's like—" He gave another example.At this moment, he no longer dared to look at the old man squarely, and couldn't bear to look into her eyes, so he quickly added: "However, there is only one exception." The old man lifted his spirits and focused his gaze. "There is only one exception," Ji Zhonghai repeated, "I heard that when I was handling the case in Hubei, the old lady lived to be 98 years old, and she also had her teeth changed at 88 years old. The new teeth grew in a few years. Her children and grandchildren No one was killed, and a high-ranking official was born. I heard from Mr. Feng Shui that it is a "big evil" for the elderly to change their teeth, but as long as the teeth are aligned, they will become a "big blessing". What about the descendants of 'Wang'?" He finally dealt with it and made up the lie. The old man was obviously convinced of his words, and his face was full of relief.When he left his grandmother that night, Ji Zhonghai thought to himself: Don't worry now, the old man will work hard to live to 98 years old, and she will never close her eyes if she doesn't get all these new teeth. After this, Lingling's old grandmother really had a strong desire to live again—but she still resolutely refused to enter the main house where her children and grandchildren lived.From this point of view, she may not be completely convinced by Ji Zhonghai's nonsense. At this moment, she took the bowl and plate from "Ji Xianggong" and put it on the small table, holding "Ji Xianggong"'s hands, talking non-stop.Two rows of brand new white teeth are really incongruous in this weathered and wrinkled face.Ji Zhonghai smiled and listened to her patiently, knowing that she was talking about old topics that had been said dozens of times.For example, "In the Republic of China XX, our family lived in Zhengzhou and planted watermelons by the Yellow River. At the time of harvesting melons, a flood came down and buried the melons in the sand. We felt so uncomfortable at that time. Who knows During the Chinese New Year, the melon fields slowly reappeared, all of them are watermelons in watery sand! It was the first time that watermelons were sold on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month! That year our family was lucky!" Ji Zhonghai didn't know whether to believe her words or not.Logically speaking, he doesn't believe that watermelons can survive for several months after being buried in the sand, but hearing the old man repeat the story time and time again, it seems that it is not groundless.Sometimes he really wanted to find someone to find out if there was such a thing, but where was the living acquaintance of the old grandmother?Another story that the grandmother often retold was definitely false. "Look at the big locust tree in our house, look!" She pointed upwards, and approached Ji Zhonghai's ear mysteriously, "there is a fox fairy on the big locust tree. , They insisted on cutting down this tree to do fortification, but we didn't listen to our persuasion, no matter how much we persuaded, they came up with an axe. Well, the fox fairy appeared, and when he pissed down, the person holding the axe would be blind I was so frightened that I fell to the ground and kowtowed. In 1958, I had to cut down trees during the iron and steel smelting process. At that time, the yang energy was strong, and it was difficult for the fox fairy to show up, so I entrusted the dream to the head of the commune..." Ji Zhonghai stopped her words with a smile. These words were obviously fabricated, but maybe the old man could no longer tell the truth from the fiction.He couldn't help but think of an interesting story about the old man. During the Cultural Revolution, when she was asked to take the stage at a complaint meeting, she said with tears running down her nose, "Our common people are miserable. If we don't talk about it, let's talk about the 60 years..." The person presiding over the meeting hurriedly dragged her off the podium. At that time, she was 60 years old and already confused. Who would have thought that she would survive for another 35 years?And, just relying on this little bit of every meal!Ji Zhonghai learned a term when he was a soldier on a torpedo boat: "engine idling fuel consumption", that is to say, the minimum amount of fuel required for the engine to maintain its own operation without external work.He thought that if the "idling food consumption" was tested for human beings, the old grandmother must be the lowest. He said loudly to the old grandmother: "Lingling called me to eat! I'll come back tomorrow to listen to you." The old man was just talking about the excitement, but she was very reasonable: "Sir, you eat first, and then our mother and son will have sex after eating. Mr. Ji, you can patiently listen to my nonsense, you are really a good person. " Everyone at the dinner table was waiting for him.Lingling had a ghostly smile on her face, and asked: "What did the old grandmother tell you today? Buried watermelons in sand? Fox fairy?" Ji Zhonghai smiled and said: "Lingling! Tell you, the old grandmother praised me today for being patient and willing to listen to her." Gossiping—that's criticizing you." The younger brother poured the wine for the elder brother, shook his head helplessly, and said that the old man's thinking was really strange. A few days ago, she suddenly got dressed and said that she was going to go to the temple fair in a bullock cart, and kept talking to herself: Why didn't the bullock cart come Why don't you come.We persuaded for a long time, saying that there are no bullock carts and temple fairs now, if you want to go out and play, can you call a taxi?In the end, she realized that there was no hope, so she persuaded herself, "Forget it, I won't go, anyway, I went there once in the morning—you see, she still insisted that I had already gone there in a bullock cart!" Several people laughed.Ji Zhonghai slurped the noodles, saying that the home-cooked food was still delicious, Lingling, bring me another bowl!Lingling came back after finishing her meal, and asked, "Uncle, have you been investigating the case of spontaneous human combustion these two days?" Ji Zhonghai looked up at her and said, "No, who did you hear that from?" Lingling curled her lips: "Okay, just keep it a secret from me. The newspaper, Beiyang Evening News, said that the deceased was named Tong Daxing, right? Tong Daxing is Xiaobing's neighbor, and Xiaobing said that Tong Daxing is an old man. His life was indeed difficult. He was alone and rented a neighbor's "Banposhan" room, which was as small as a pigeon coop. Xiaobing said that the man seemed a little crazy, he didn't talk much when he saw people, and he walked like a mouse. Who would have thought that his death would be such a sensation? When he died, he still had tens of thousands of dollars around his waist!" Ji Zhonghai was very dissatisfied with Beiyang Evening News, but there was nothing he could do.This news cannot be concealed anyway. Now that newspapers are talking about sales, it is very easy for reporters to stumble upon a sensational subject. Isn’t it like a hungry dog ​​who sees meat and bones and can let it go?Their reports must be as detailed as possible and shocking, and they will not worry about whether disclosing the scene in the newspaper will affect the work of solving the case.Fortunately, the report did not mention the specific amount of money.He had no choice but to admit: "Yes, you, Lu Bo Lu, called me to ask about Tong Da Xing's situation." Lingling is very emotional, obviously this incident made her thrilled, she forgot to eat, her chin was propped on a pair of chopsticks, Qiu Shui's eyes were fixedly looking into the distance, she seemed to be asking and talking to herself, asking why the fire was burning started?How can a person burn up when he is alone?Where did it start?It must be from the soles of the feet, the Yongquan point.Then, when the evil fire of hell rises from the Yongquan cave, burns all over the body, and penetrates the mud wall palace (top of the head), what is it like?That must be very painful!It's chilling to hear such grim words—especially those uttered by a beautiful young woman with red lips and white teeth.Lingling's mother frowned and tried to stop her, but Ji Zhonghai laughed: "Lingling! Where did you know so many nouns? You look so neurotic, like an old witch!" Lingling argued unconvinced: "It is said in Journey to the West. When Bodhi Patriarch preached to Sun Houzi, he said that there will be a catastrophe in the world for 500 years. First, there will be thunderstorms, and then fires-that is the yin fire I just mentioned. It burned under the Yongquan point, and went straight to the mud palace. The internal organs were turned into ashes, and the limbs were rotten. In another 500 years, it will be a wind disaster. As for the Kangxi dictionary - it blows into the six internal organs from the chimney gate, passes through the pubic region, penetrates the nine orifices, the bones and flesh are separated by themselves, and the body is self-resolved." Lingling's father shouted: "Okay, okay, stop!" He muttered, "It's so dark, like your old grandmother's tone. Can you wait until you are 95 years old to say these things!" Lingling looked at her parents, looked at her uncle, and changed the subject deftly. She asked her uncle: "So, have you found out where Tong Daxing's money came from? It must have come from a wrong way. Think about it, he is so poor that he jingles four times. Where did you get 100,000 yuan? 100,000 yuan!" Ji Zhonghai was shocked!In order not to interfere with solving the case, the exact amount of Tong Daxing's money is kept strictly confidential. How does Lingling know?Did she get it right by accident, or did she hear something?He pretended to be unintentional and asked: "The more rumors become more mysterious, who told you it was 100,000?" Lingling rolled her eyes at him: "Okay, keeping secrets is an excellent quality of a public security officer, but Uncle, your keeping secrets is useless to me, I have a reliable source of information." "Okay, then tell me your reliable news. If it helps solve the case, I will apply for a reward for you." "Award for what?" "whatever." Lingling blinked her eyes and thought about it for a while, but the reward she asked for was unimaginable: "I think——I want to see the photos of the scene. Really, I want to know what it would be like to burn a person to death with Yinhuo. " Ji Zhonghai exchanged glances with his younger brother and younger siblings, all three of them strutting and frowning secretly, feeling unhappy: Lingling seemed to be obsessed with this matter.Ji Zhonghai changed the topic: "That matter is easy to handle, tell me, where did you hear the reliable news." Lingling said that the wholesale news was from Xiaobing. Xiaobing’s cousin Qin Qiaoju once had a date with Tong Daxing. It was quickly rejected by the introducer.But Tong Daxing obviously took a fancy to her and never forgot.Not long ago, I went to find her, and murmured that he had won a prize of 100,000 yuan, and asked Qin Qiaoju if he was interested.Qin Qiaoju didn't believe his words at all, and robbed him: "The prize is yours, why tell me!" She immediately drove him away.After the death of Tong Daxing, Qin Qiaoju revealed the matter, saying that she never imagined that this meat twister could really win a grand prize of 100,000 yuan!If I knew it was true, I might as well marry him—but it’s better not to marry him, that person is born with a fortune, even if he hits the big luck, he can’t afford to enjoy it, so he is burned to death by "blessing" La. Ji Zhonghai listened, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and he said, "Lingling, this information is indeed very important. After dinner, you can lead me to this Qin Qiaoju." Lingling smiled brightly: "It's really important? OK, I'll take it." you go!" Half an hour later, Ji Zhonghai and Lingling came to Qin Qiaoju's wonton stall. There were not many diners at the moment, and the calcium carbide lamp on the wonton stall was spitting out small flames, which reflected the flames in the hearth.Qin Qiaoju is a rough-skinned girl wearing a blue apron. When she sees the guests coming, she immediately stands up with a professional smile on her face.She recognized Lingling, and after Lingling explained her intentions, she sat them down and said bluntly, "Lingling is right. About half a month ago, Tong Daxing did approach her and said that he had won a grand prize of 100,000 yuan and would go to Zhengzhou tomorrow." accept the award.Ji Zhonghai stared and asked: "Did he say it was 100,000 yuan very accurately, or did he say it casually?" Qin Qiaoju thought about it and said, "He said it very solidly, it must be 100,000 yuan," Ji Zhonghai asked again, and he What kind of award do you want, and where can you go to Zhengzhou to receive it?Qin Qiaoju shook her head: "I didn't hear that clearly. I didn't believe what he said at all, so I didn't listen to him. Besides, I already had a boyfriend and didn't want to get involved with him, so I quickly sent him away. I vaguely remember him saying it was 'fire. What stone' company, Huoyushi? I can't remember. Thinking about it, this thing is quite weird," Qin Qiaoju said in puzzlement while skillfully wrapping wontons, "Let's say he came to lie to me, and he repeated it again and again. Repeatedly: He has never bought any lottery tickets, how can he win a prize? He wonders if someone is teasing him, or the person who gave out the prize made a mistake—you see, this does not seem to be deceiving. But This man has always been divine, I can't say for sure." Ji Zhonghai told her again that it was time to go to receive the award with the big star. At this time, the diners came, and Qin Qiaoju greeted her with a smile on his face: "Here you come? Sit down, delicious chicken wontons!" Ji Zhonghai pulled Lingling up Say goodbye to her. Lingling's high-heeled shoes sounded crisply on the stone road, which is the only stone road left in the small town, and the moon reflects the black shadows of the surrounding mountains.Lingling took her uncle's arm and asked eagerly, "Is it valuable? Are these clues valuable?" Ji Zhonghai said it was very valuable, but don't tell anyone, remember? After sending Lingling back, Ji Zhonghai returned to the duty room of the County Public Security Bureau and immediately wanted to call Lu Ziyue.He asked in a tone of voice: "Is this Comrade Donkey Day?" The other side said angrily: "It's Lu Ziyue! What kind of donkey day is Ma Ziyue—it's you!" Who: "It's your old dick!" Ji Zhonghai laughed loudly, chatted with Lao Lu for a while, and then said: "Okay, let's return to the main story, here we found an important clue." He briefly introduced the investigation situation, and Lu Zi said thoughtfully: " 'Fire', what's 'stone'? 'Fire Jade'? There are millions of people in Zhengzhou, there are as many companies as a cow's hair, and there are quite a few companies with the word 'fire'. There are many such things as 'fire phoenix', 'fire pepper' and 'a fire' , try to find it. Or, Tong Daxing is completely lying, trying to trick his former girlfriend back?" "There is such a possibility. However, according to my estimation, it should be more likely to win the prize, because at least it is certain that he already knew that the money was 100,000 yuan when he left Xibai County, which is exactly the same as the situation at the scene. It matches. Did he get the money in his hands before he left Xibai? Probably not, otherwise, he would show off to Qin Qiaoju. Then, the exact amount can be known before the money is in hand, and 'stealing' and The possibility of 'robbing'. Think about it, no matter how clever a thief or robber is, he can't predict the harvest of the next crime, right?" "That's right, you're still a stern old dick, thanks to your hard work in the past few years. Or, which millionaire accidentally drew lots to draw a winner? The spirit of Lei Feng has attached to the rich man?" "I don't think so." "Hey, to be honest, if the 100,000 grand prize falls to you, would you dare to take it?" "Why don't you dare!" "Aren't you afraid of evil fire?" "Who is going to burn the Yin fire? Lord Yan? He dares! Don't look at who we brothers are? If he dares to make trouble, first use the electric police stick to beat him!" The death of Tong Daxing caused a few ripples in the small town of Xibai, and soon it returned to calm.Here he had no relatives, no friends, not even many colleagues, and the death of a stranger hardly aroused long-term interest.Only Ji Lingling kept paying attention, and every three to five days, she called Ji Zhonghai: "Uncle, is there any progress in the Tong Daxing case? I have a new idea..." Then she talked about her conjecture: Maybe Tong Daxing was the illegitimate child of a rich woman before marriage. The rich woman found him and gave him a sum of 100,000 yuan in compensation for her feelings, but when the rich woman's husband found out, he sent someone to brutally assassinate him. It may also be because Tong Daxing ate a lot of snacks in those days, (the hotel attendant testified this), but by accident, some two kinds of food had a chemical reaction, and a fire broke out in his internal organs... to her As long as Ji Zhonghai was not too busy at the time, he would listen patiently to the weird talks and add a serious sentence: "Very good. These ideas are very inspiring for us to solve the case. Keep thinking, keep reasoning, and be a female Sherlock Holmes." This afternoon, when her parents were not at home, Lingling went to help the old grandmother clean up, and when she entered the door, the old grandmother grabbed her hands, pulled them to her side, held her hands happily, and praised her: "The longer you grow, the more beautiful you are! It looks like a beautiful fetus, let's see which man is blessed!" Lingling's face was reddish, and she pretended to be annoyed: "My wife is not allowed to talk nonsense, please let go of my wife, and I will clean up for you." The old grandma didn't let go, her withered, yellow, dry, and aging hands tightly held Lingling's plump, white hands, forming an extremely sharp contrast. The old man was half sober and half raving, muttering and repeating: "What beautiful hands, what a beautiful girl, I was also a flower in my head, your grandpa fell in love with me the moment he saw me, and walked up to the door with a big sedan chair..." Lingling wanted to change the subject: "Grandma, do you know? Something strange happened in our county. A person ran to a hotel in Beiyang City and burned himself..." "What is spontaneous combustion?" Lingling described Tong Daxing's death vividly.The old grandma's eyes opened wider and wider, and the originally cloudy eyes suddenly became very penetrating, and her face became more and more frightened. "It's self-igniting, it's being caught by a dragon!" She said firmly, "That person with the same surname must have done something wrong! God's eyes are bright, it doesn't matter where you hide!" Lingling said disdainfully: "Honey, you are superstitious!" "What superstition!" the old grandmother said angrily, "It's not Tianlong who arrests people, how can good people get caught? You young people, if you don't believe what the old people say, you will suffer sooner or later!" She dragged Lingling to the door and pointed That half-withered and half-glorious locust tree, "Look, this is also caught by Tianlong! Back then, your grandfather did something wrong and was almost caught by the dragon. I persuaded him to eat fast and recite the Buddha's name, so..." Lingling's eyes widened in surprise, this was something she had never heard of before!Has the old man done something wrong?Was caught by Tianlong and escaped under the dragon's claws?The old grandfather died early. In Lingling's mind, he already belonged to history. Unexpectedly, another dusty past was dug up today.Lingling's mind was spinning rapidly.She knew that asking about the "wrongful things" done by the elders did not seem very bright. Confucius also said, "Take care of the elders".But if she didn't ask about it, she couldn't help it—think about it, a legend of "Tianlong arresting people" was actually related to her elders!Finally she pretended not to ask: "Old grandma, it was you who rescued old grandpa from the dragon's claws? Back then he was..." But the old grandma's ignorance has passed, and she never said a word about this long-sealed secret. She urged Lingling to take out the incense burner, futon and porcelain statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and set up an incense table under the big locust tree. Kneel down and pray silently.A wisp of green smoke curled up, and when the breeze blew, the green smoke quietly dispersed and melted into the emptiness.The old grandmother looked solemn, her thin white hair fluttering in the breeze.Although Lingling doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, the mysterious and solemn scene moved her, and she clapped her hands behind the old grandmother and prayed silently. Doorbell rang.Lingling ran to open the courtyard door, and shouted happily: "It's Uncle Si!" Uncle Si came in with a smile. Today he was wearing a linen Chinese-style summer dress, which looked even more refined and elegant.Uncle Si is a well-known scientist (studying "medical science" is a mouthful).Lingling only met him two or three times, but she had a very good impression of him.This scientist from Beijing can be regarded as a "banished immortal" in Xibai County. With his outstanding temperament, you can recognize him at a glance in the crowd.He doesn't have much contact with people in the county, and he often has such a detached demeanor.In short, this is a guest Lingling is proud of. Walking through the corridor, Lingling suddenly thought of the old grandmother who was kneeling and praying in front of the incense table. She felt that it would be too embarrassing for Uncle Si from Beijing to see this scene, so she took two steps forward and tried to help the old grandmother up.But Uncle Si waved his hand to stop her, walked to the incense table, took out an incense and lit it, folded his palms and prayed silently, and then carefully inserted the incense into the incense burner. While he was doing this, the old woman looked on with her head on one side, without saying a word.She nodded with satisfaction, and nodded tacitly, as if she and Mr. Si were a close friend who had known each other for many years, then she pushed Lingling's support away and staggered back to the hut. Lingling and Uncle Si entered the living room, and asked childishly, "Uncle Si, do you also believe in Guanyin Bodhisattva?" Uncle Si smiled slightly: "Of course I don't believe it, but I respect other people's beliefs." Lingling said, my parents will soon Come back, Uncle Si, sit in the living room first, I know you like Xibai's sesame leaf noodles, I'll make it now.Uncle Si said, okay, I'm waiting to try my niece's handicraft. Lingling went to the kitchen to get busy, and sometimes she poked her head to look around. Uncle Si sat quietly in the living room with his eyes closed, his body straight and his chest heaving slightly.She knew that Uncle Si's hometown was in Beiyang City, and he was a classmate with his mother in high school. After high school, his mother was not admitted to university, and Uncle Si was admitted to the biology department of Peking University.She also accidentally learned a little secret between Uncle Si and his mother.It was the night when Uncle Si came to visit for the first time. Lingling got up to urinate and overheard a conversation between her parents.Mom teased Dad: "Are you jealous? A big man with a small chicken stomach!" Dad said in a dull voice, "I'm so jealous!" Mom sighed, "Don't think about it! I'm not the school girl back then, he He is not a senior high school student back then, but a well-known great scientist in the whole country. People, if there is such a time difference, it will make a world of difference." Analyzing this conversation, Lingling came to a conclusion: First, there is no doubt that her mother was the beauty of the school back then. Although her age has passed, her charm still exists.Second, she and Uncle Si must have been in love back then, there is no doubt about it, a talented man loves a beautiful woman.Thirdly, their love must still be in the twilight stage, and there was no covenant, so later, Si Bobo was admitted to university, made his way to the top, and broke up with his mother who returned to Xibai County, but his mother had no complaints against him. This time Uncle Si came to Xibai County, I heard that it was for a DNA study, because according to him, the more remote the place, the more complete the human genetic lineage is, and the easier it is to screen for a certain disease-causing disease. Gene.Before that, he had just spent half a year in a small county in Fujian. The Hakka people there were actually orthodox people from the Central Plains. They had migrated south since the Eastern Jin Dynasty and stayed there for nearly a thousand years, with a very complete genetic lineage.Si Bobo said that he had discovered two disease-causing genes there. At the dinner table, Si Bobo smiled peacefully and praised Lingling's craftsmanship.Lingling glanced at him and her father secretly, and had to admit that, comparing the two, her father was inferior. Although her father had good features and must have been a hard-core young man back then, most of his heroism had been eroded by the years.Looking at Uncle Si again, he is still very heroic, his black hair is black and shiny.In particular, the tolerance of the two of them is even worse.Dad's speech and behavior are far from vulgar, but Si Bobo is more elegant and elegant, with a strong bookish air. In this comparison, Lingling will inevitably regret for her mother. It seems that it was more appropriate for her mother to marry Uncle Si back then.Of course, if Dad becomes Uncle Si, he will only give birth to Si Lingling, and there won't be such a sad Ji Lingling.The book says that the union of a man and a woman is like a life-and-death contest, with hundreds of millions of sperm flicking their tails desperately, swimming towards the only egg.By the time the first sperm has penetrated the outer membrane of the egg, some chemical changes occur in the egg that reject new sperm from landing.In this way, the birth of everyone (including myself) is actually the accidental favor of the god of fate.Maybe Mom and Dad have sex on another day, or even a little change in posture, it may be that "another" Ji Lingling is born instead of this Ji Lingling. Someone called her loudly in her ear, and Ji Lingling was stunned for a while, she couldn't help but blush at her own thoughts, her mother smiled and complained to her: "What are you in a daze for, Uncle Si is asking about your job." Mr. Si said: "Lingling has been on a break for a year, and it's time to find a job. My investigation team just needs an assistant, so let Lingling go." Lingling was very pleasantly surprised, as an assistant to Si Bobo?Be an assistant to a famous scientist in China?She muttered, "Can I do it?" “行。在西柏的工作只是收集整理资料，工作性质很简单的。当然，最好你会抽血、穿刺、化验。我想把你带到北京培训几个月。” 全家当然很高兴，玲玲尤其兴奋得几乎不能自制。她知道自己的命运会因为司先生不经意的几句话，来一个巨大的变化！妈妈喜笑颜开，叮咛她出去要听司伯伯的话，玲玲鸡啄米似的点头。 后来四个人又把话题扯到被天火烧死的仝大星身上。玲玲瞪大眼睛问：“司伯伯，人体真的能自燃吗？世上真有这样的事儿？” “能。”司明简洁地回答，“人体自燃无非是一种化学反应，化学反应能否自发地发生，归根结蒂是看这种反应是放出能量还是吸收能量。人体是由碳水化合物和脂肪组成，都是可燃物质，它的燃烧属于放热反应。至于为什么一般人不会自燃？我打个比喻，这就象是放在斜坡上一个凹坑里的球，它具有对外作功的势能，平时它能在浅凹坑里保持静止，但这种静止是不稳定的，只要受到外力，就会一直向坡下滚去。”司明总结道：“人体也是这样，它平时不能燃烧，那是一种不稳定的平衡。如果用某种方法打破这种平衡，它就会猛烈地燃烧。你知道面粉厂容易发生爆炸吗？面粉平时是不会自燃的，但如果飘浮在空中的面粉与空气混合，一点火星就能引发猛烈的爆炸。” “到底用什么方法能使人体自燃？”玲玲着急地问，玲玲爸妈也侧着耳朵等他的回答，司明笑了：“很可惜，我不知道。我只是从理论上断定人体自燃是可能的，至于究竟用什么方法可以引起自燃，那不是我的研究课题。” 9点钟，司明告辞。玲玲抢先穿上外套：“爸，妈，我去送司伯伯！”妈妈犹豫着说：“天已经很晚了，外面不安全。”司明知道玲玲可能有话要说，便低声告诉玲玲妈：“不要紧的，一会儿我再把她送回来，”玲玲妈说：“好吧，早点回来。” 玲玲很自然地挽起司伯伯的胳臂，就象挽着爸妈在街上散步，她觉得司伯伯与自己特别投缘份。出了门司明说：“玲玲，街头新开了一家咖啡馆，走，我请你喝咖啡。” 这家咖啡屋叫“顺水人情”，霓虹灯组成闪闪流动的水波，内部装璜极为现代化，墙壁上是裸体的爱神和小天使，轻曼的音乐从天竺葵的浓绿中流淌出来。从室内装潢水平看，这儿一点儿不亚于北京的咖啡厅。不过，看来西柏人还不习惯这种消费，偌大的厅堂里只有六七个人，而且，他们的装扮和气度明显与屋内的环境不协调。所以，当潇洒飘逸的司明挽着美貌的玲玲进屋时，老板和顾客们都觉得眼前一亮。 司明要了两杯咖啡：“玲玲，你好象有什么话要对我说？” 玲玲说：“其实没什么话，我只是觉得，多亏了司伯伯，我的生活马上要起一个大的变化，我一定好好学习，做好你的助手。” 司明微微一笑：“其实，你做我的助手不一定合适。” 玲玲急了：“为什么？司伯伯，你可不能改变主意！” “别急，傻丫头，我不会改变主意的。但是，搞科学研究不是人人都能干的，第一要坐得住，要能吃苦；第二要有悟性。玲玲，司伯伯说话很坦率，在这两点上你恐怕都不行……别急别急，我的话还没说完呢。但你另有过人之处，你天生丽质，是一种不加雕琢的美；你风度宜人，丝毫不带县城的'小气'。据我观测，你在艺术上也很有悟性，很有天份。所以，我带你到北京去，只是让你有一个浮出水面的机会，相信你在演艺界或艺术界一定会出人头地的。” "real?" “真的。你唯一缺乏的是对自己的自信。这点一定要改！千万不可妄自菲薄！比如说，”他压低了声音，“你注意到自己对那位年青人的魅力了吗？从一走进咖啡厅，他的眼睛就没离开过你，那人在你左后方。” 按照司伯伯的指点，玲玲向左后方悄悄扫了一眼，果然那儿有一位衣冠楚楚的青年男子，T恤衫，白色西裤，白色皮鞋，风度俊雅，一眼就能看出他是从大城市里来的。他确实一直关注着这边，当与玲玲目光相接时，他微微一笑，意欲搭话，不过玲玲已红着脸转回目光。那个青年男子多少有点懊恼地转过头去。 玲玲忽然想起老外婆的话：“不知道哪个男人有福哇。”她的脸更红了。为了从窘迫中逃出来，她匆匆忙忙转了话题：“我真有艺术细胞？……可老外婆老说我命不好，说自古红颜薄命……当然我不相信她的话，她是个老迷信。司伯伯，你今天给观音菩萨烧了香，你也信佛吗？” 司明沉思着，他的回答令玲玲吃惊：“不要尽指责老人们，实际上有很多迷信也有合理的内核。比如，西游记上说人类500年有一劫，你信不信？肯定不信，对吧。但我信。人们总觉得科学会使生活越来越美好，但常常忘了，科学所造成的灾难也会越来越大：臭氧空洞，DDT，疯牛病，艾滋病，吸毒……历史上从未有过的灾难接踵而来，它们都是跟随科学降临人世的。” 玲玲担心地问：“那么——真的每500年就有一次劫难吗？” “哪儿用得上500年！随着科学的威力越来越大，劫难的周期也越来越短，我是研究遗传病的，就是用基因修补法来治疗人们的先天性疾病，象先天免疫缺损症，蒙古痴呆症，费城基因病（即白血病），血友病等等。这是不是好事？当然是好事，这些技术使千千万万病人过上健康人的生活。可是从另一方面说，它又是天大的坏事。过去大自然是用死亡来进行自然选择，虽然很残酷，但它有效地控制着病人在人口总数中不致超过某一个比例。如果能用人工的方法去修补错误基因，使病人也能生育，能活到天年，那这种自然淘汰就失效了！经过一代一代的累积，最终会造成这么一个结果：每人身上都存在众多不良基因，都需要去修补，最终，天文数字的医疗费用将使人类社会破产，那时将出现更大的人类劫难。你看，非常人道的做法导致了最不人道的结果。”他笑了：“和你谈这些，太恐怖了吧。”他想，真不该和鲜花一样娇嫩的姑娘谈这些事，这些痛苦本该是由人类中的智者来承担的。 玲玲苦着脸说：“司伯伯，难怪你说我干不了科学家，你说的话就象天书，连听着都费力！” 两人哈哈大笑。 玲玲回到家已是10点30分了，她觉得很兴奋，睡不着觉，便关上房门，拨通小冰家的电话，听见小冰妈带着睡意的声音：“找小冰，已经睡了。”接着是小冰的声音：“妈，我已经把这边的话筒拎起来了，你挂断吧！” 那边咔嗒一声挂断了电话，小冰神秘地低声问：“是谁？玲玲，有啥关紧事？”玲玲说：“没啥，今天我司伯伯说要带我去北京培训，给他当助手，学抽血、穿刺、化验。我的生活马上要大变了！”小冰不以为然：“不就是当护士么，每天血煳淋拉的，叫我去我都不去。咦，你这么兴奋怕不是光为这件事吧，”那边小冰敏感地问：“是不是爱上那个司先生啦？” “胡说八道！”玲玲又羞又恼，“他比我爸还大一岁呢！” “年龄大一点怕啥！司先生风度翩翩，气度非凡，哪个女人见了不动心？你一定是看上他了！” 玲玲一急，连粗话也出来了：“放屁放屁！他和我妈……还谈过对象呢”情急之中，她连这桩战略秘密也透出来了，小冰的兴趣立即又提升了八度：“真的么？我听说，你妈妈当年也极漂亮，还是校花呢。可惜没把司先生俘虏过来——当然你爸爸也不错，不过比起司伯伯到底差那么一点。” 玲玲对此颇有同感，也就没有反驳，小冰那边仍不放松：“司先生跟你妈妈谈过对象又有什么关系？他和你又没任何血缘关系，真的，年龄不是障碍，现代女性才不管这种陈腐之见呢。” 玲玲气恼地说：“不和你说了！不说了！八成是你看上司先生了吧，你说是不是？” 小冰笑着说：“我看上也没用呀，有你亘在这儿，谁能看得上我？算了，睡觉睡觉。” 玲玲挂了电话，好长时间睡不着觉。司先生的音容风貌老在眼前晃动。一丝不苟的头发，悦耳的京片子，目光中的睿智和深沉……她当然不会爱上司伯伯，年龄倒是次要的，主要是他与妈妈曾处过朋友，让女儿爱上妈妈过去的男朋友，总有那么一点不对味儿……司伯伯真是个好人，他对自己怀着长辈之情……她成了演艺界的明星，接受追星族的欢唿，司伯伯安祥地坐在第一排观众席上……一个衣冠楚楚的年轻男人为她送来好大好大一束花，她的脸埋在花束里，忽然她发现那个男人在“顺水人情”咖啡屋里见过……她在这些美梦碎片中入睡。