Chapter 5 Chapter Four: The Old Man Enjoying Peace and Wellbeing

I asked again: "Is there any special reason for the owner to insist on changing the design?" Chen Tuqiang shook his head: "No, or he has a special reason, but he didn't tell me!" He paused for a while when he was talking, and then said again: "Why, what's wrong with this building? If it can't be sold because of the lack of elevators, it will be very difficult to remedy!" I smiled and said, "I'm not here on behalf of the owner, I just want to know who the owner is!" The architect was stunned for a moment, but didn't answer me immediately.

I hurriedly said, "Is it because the business is secret, so you can't tell me who he is?" I am preparing in my heart, if his answer is yes, then I will tell him the matter of Luo Ding and Xiao Guo one after another. It seems that he will also be very happy about this matter , then, he must be willing to tell me. Who knew I was wrong, Chen Tuqiang was stunned for a while: "I think it's strange when I think about it now, because I didn't know his name from the beginning to the end, I only knew his surname was Wang. He comes to me every time, and I don't know where he lives, so I really can't answer your question!"

I was taken aback for a moment, and said, "Then, do you remember his appearance?" The architect nodded and said: "Remember, a thin and dry old man, he looks very rich, so much money that he can let his temper be stubborn!" I stood up: "Thank you for your interview, Mr. Chen!" Chen Tuqiang shook hands with me again. As I was thinking, I opened the door and walked out. The lady secretary was still glaring at me viciously. I made a special face at her, and then motioned to a clerk to borrow the phone. I called Xiao Guo's office, found the staff, and said, "Did you ask the owner's name and address?"

The answer I got was: "The name of the owner of the land was found, and the owner is registered in the name of the construction company." I said, "OK, is the land owner's surname Wang?" "Yes, Wang Zhiyi, the address is in the suburbs, on the 7th highway, in the 983rd section, in a place called "Juefei Garden", probably a villa." I nodded and said, "Very good, I'm going to see that Mr. Wang now!" I put down the phone and left the architect's office. I felt that I had gained a lot. After meeting the owner, I could at least know why he insisted on changing the design of the three elevators!

I drove straight to the suburbs. Highway No. 7 is the main branch line in the suburbs. It leads directly to a mountain with thick fog. There are scattered houses on the mountain. The car drives higher and higher. The beams of light one after another, the scene is very majestic. Twenty minutes after driving up the mountain road, I saw a row of brick walls covered with green glazed tile eaves, and then I saw a very majestic main entrance with the words "Juefei Garden" on it. I stopped the car, and this "Juefei Garden" was so big that it occupied the entire valley, and the walls stretched all around. I couldn't see what was inside the walls from outside the gate.

When I came to the door, the door was made of bronze. It looked heavy and stable, giving people a sense of antiquity. Judging from this door alone, one can imagine that the old man living inside must be a stubborn and old-fashioned person! I thought about it for a while, and then looked for the doorbell, but after searching for a while, there was no doorbell for this magnificent door, so I had to grab the copper ring on the door and hit it hard. The mountain is very quiet, and the sound of knocking on the door is also very deafening. About two minutes later, I heard a "click" sound from inside the door, and then, a small square hole appeared on the door, and a wrinkled face appeared from the square hole, looking at me and asked, "What's the matter?"

I said, "I want to see Mr. Wang Zhiyi, Mr. Wang." There was a puzzled look on that face, and he looked at me for a while before saying, "What's the matter?" I had already thought about it, and I said: "I am a construction businessman, and I intend to buy the building he built. My surname is Wei." That face was still stuck to the small hole, and then said: "Please wait a moment." Then the hole was closed, and under such circumstances I had no other choice but to obey orders and wait outside the door. I took two steps back, paced back and forth, time passed slowly, at least twenty minutes had passed, inside and outside the gate, there was still no sound at all, I was a little impatient.

I came to the door, just as I was about to grab the brass ring and knock on the door, the door suddenly opened. As soon as the door opened, I saw the same person standing inside the door, he was wearing a gray cloth jacket, he looked like a servant, he said: "Please come in, the master is waiting for you in the living room!" I nodded, looked up, and couldn't help but take a deep breath.What I saw was a large garden carefully arranged, which is very interesting in the arrangement of Chinese courtyards.In my experience, at a glance, there is probably only the "Humble Administrator's Garden" in Suzhou that can be compared with it.

The first thing I saw was a small covered corridor formed by dozens of ancient wisterias. There were trees, flowers, gravel-paved roads everywhere, and even a few pairs of cranes. After going through many tortuous roads, I finally saw the house. The old servant was by my side. No matter what I asked him, he always kept silent, so that I also didn’t make a sound during the rest of the journey. It wasn't until I saw the house that I couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration. Suddenly, I felt that time seemed to go back hundreds of years. The buildings that truly belonged to ancient times are no longer visible now!

The real ancient buildings are completely different from the fake antiques that look antique but are actually just to please Western tourists. When you walk into the lobby, the spacious and comfortable feeling is refreshing. All the furnishings in this large living room are ancient. The old servant invited me to sit down on a marble chair inlaid with natural landscape patterns, and then he left. Qing's tea came: "Please wait for a while, the master will come out!" After he finished speaking, he withdrew, the whole house was so quiet that there was almost no sound, only sometimes when a gust of wind passed by, the green bamboo clumps in front made some rustling sounds, which were extremely pleasant to hear.

I waited for about 20 minutes. During these 20 minutes, I was not in a hurry at all, because the books and paintings hanging in the hall would take ten times more time to appreciate, and I would not be able to finish them all. I heard footsteps, turned around, and saw an old man of medium stature, with a red face, in excellent spirits, but with a walking stick in his hand, walking in. I looked at the old man, and he also looked at me. When I looked at the old man, I couldn't help but think in my heart, if this old gentleman wears an ancient toga with long sleeves, then it seems more suitable for the environment here!Naturally, this old gentleman, wearing a long gown, looks quite out of the world. He looked at me for a while, then walked forward: "I am Wang Zhiyi!" I saluted him respectfully, and at the same time, I secretly felt that Chen Tuqiang's ability to describe a person is really poor. At least according to his description, I absolutely can't imagine that this Mr. Wang Zhiyi actually appeared today. This is what it looks like before my eyes. I said: "Mr. Wang, I'm sorry to bother you, you live here, you can really live like a fairy!" For those who are accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life, my words are by no means excessive compliments. Wang Zhiyi smiled lightly and asked me to sit down. The old servant came out again and brought tea to his master. We talked about some irrelevant things first, and then it was Wang Zhiyi who spoke first: "Mr. Wei, are you very interested in my building?" I hurriedly said: "Yes, the location of this building is quite good, it shouldn't have been built for so long, and even one floor cannot be sold." Hearing what I said, Wang Zhiyi just smiled lightly: "Anyway, my current life is not a problem. Since no one buys it, let it be empty!" I couldn't help being stunned for a while when I heard him say that, and at the same time I knew that if I didn't get to the point quickly, I'm afraid this time it would be in vain!So I straightened my body and said, "Mr. Wang, before I came to see you, I met the designer of this building, Mr. Chen Tuqiang." Wang Zhiyi nodded and said, "Yes, I remember him." I looked directly at each other: "The original design of this building has three elevators, but at your insistence, it was changed to one!" I invited you here, and paused on purpose to observe the other party's reaction, but Wang Zhiyi's expression was flat, as if this matter was not worth making a fuss about. I had no choice but to ask directly: "Mr. Wang, is there any special reason for you to change the original design?" Wang Zhiyi still just smiled lightly: "I don't like modern things—" As he spoke, he spread his hands and pointed to the surroundings, and said: "The elevator is too modern. People are locked in a cage and hung upstairs. Why don't people go by themselves? People have two legs. Let's walk!" He answered me like this, which made it difficult for me to catch up.Considering his living environment and way of life, his answer is very reasonable, and there is nothing to refute him. However, I always feel that there must be something weird and weird about this building that I don't know about, and I should always get something from the other party's mouth. I forced a smile: "Mr. Wang, this building of yours is more than 20 stories high. You don't necessarily want the residents to walk up and down!" Wang Zhiyi smiled: "What is that? The ancients lived on the mountain, which one didn't spend a lot of time climbing the mountain every day? Moreover, I still have an elevator now!" I said again, "Have you visited the building after it was completed?" Wang Zhiyi said: "I went to see it once, and only once. I don't like the city, so I don't go out very much!" I immediately said: "But, you have met architect Chen Tuqiang several times, it seems—" I originally wanted to say: "This seems to be a bit contradictory to what you just said." It is obvious that his words are contradictory. If he really hates the modern life of the city so much, then fundamentally, he It should not have been thought of building a building in the urban area. If he thinks of building a building, he can go to see the architect several times, and he will never see the architect only once after the building is completed, because he hates the city! However, I didn't say that sentence, because before I finished speaking, I found his eyes flickering, which was a hidden expression of anger. In an instant, someone saw through some secret, That will be it. Although his expression was fleeting, it was enough to make me think that my words might have gone too far. And he still said calmly: "The house is finished, and someone will manage it for me. Of course, I don't need to look at it any more. Mr. Wei, if you are interested, you can buy it." I looked at him: "Mr. Wang, to be honest, I have been to your building many times. Although I didn't encounter anything, there were two people who encountered strange things in the elevator one after another. One of them , who has been missing for several days because of this, is my good friend!" Wang Zhiyi fixed me with a strange expression: "Strange thing? In the elevator, what strange thing?" I said: "After they got into the elevator, the elevator kept going up again and again, and it went up to nowhere!" Mr. Wang Zhiyi was stunned for a while, and then laughed "hehe": "I don't understand what you are talking about. If the elevator doesn't go up, what's the use of asking it to come?" I gestured: "Of course the elevator is going up, but it took too long to go up, I mean—" At this point, I paused again, because I found that it was really difficult to explain this matter clearly, so I had to ask: "Mr. Wang, of course you took the elevator, didn't you?" I think that I can definitely get an affirmative answer, so it will be much easier to go on. Who knew that Wang Zhiyi shook his head: "I'm sorry, I've never taken an elevator before!" I was stunned for a moment. It was impossible for a modern person who had never taken an elevator before. I hurriedly said, "You said that you have visited your own mansion, and you have also visited architects several times—" My words were still Before finishing speaking, Wang Zhiyi nodded his head: "Yes, but I'm all going up." For a moment, I didn't know what to say, but Wang Zhiyi's next words seemed to explain the doubts in my heart, and he said: "I don't take the elevator, and there is another reason, because I am a little afraid of that kind of thing. People go in, the door is closed, and people are locked in an iron cage, and they don’t know where they will be sent, that’s a terrible thing!” I had no choice but to smile wryly. To a person who has never taken an elevator, it is impossible for you to explain to him the strange things that happened in the elevator like Luo Ding, because he has no knowledge of elevators. It seems that I have gained nothing this time! I looked depressed, sighed secretly, and stood up: "I'm really sorry for disturbing your secluded life, I'm leaving!" Wang Zhiyi looked at me: "Wait a minute, you just mentioned that one of your friends is missing, what's going on?" I had no choice but to say casually: "I don't know what he saw in the elevator. He went up alone, and I waited for him below. I haven't seen him get down for a long time. Later, he rushed down, drove away, and disappeared." I knew it was useless to talk, so I just said it in passing, and it seemed that Wang Zhiyi was only listening to me because of his politeness. This can be seen from his casual demeanor. After I finished speaking, he just said "Oh!" to show that he understood what I said, and then he also stood up. When he stood up, he called out, "Ah Cheng, send Mr. Wei out!" The old servant came in at the sound. At that moment, a doubt suddenly rose in my heart. I asked, "Mr. Wang, where is your family? Live here too?" Wang Zhiyi smiled indifferently: "I have no family, only me and Ah Cheng, living here." I didn't make a sound, and walked out. When I was about to step out of the living room, I turned around and said, "Mr. Wang, I may come to disturb you again in the next few days!" Wang Zhiyi frowned, his attitude was very reluctant, and then said: "Yes, you are welcome to come anytime!" I thanked him and walked out. The old servant named Ah Cheng was still following me and sent me out of the gate. The gate closed behind me. I walked towards the car. The trace of doubt in her heart became even more serious at this time. What I doubt is that the garden of this house is so big, that old servant must have a lot of things to do, if there are only two of them in the house, unless when I came just now, the old servant Ah Cheng happened to be leaving The gate is not far away, otherwise, how could he hear someone knocking on the door? Although the sound of the brass ring hitting the door was very loud, but I can also be sure that if the two of them were in the room, then the knocking sound would never be heard. My doubts continued to expand, to the point that Wang Zhiyi must have something to hide from me! When I got in the car, I couldn't help but sighed a long time, thinking in my heart, why do all the people seem to be hiding something from others?Luo Ding gave people this feeling, and Wang Zhiyi also gave people this feeling. Although that's just my feeling, I don't have any evidence to prove that they are hiding something, but my feeling is so strong! Driving the car absent-mindedly, after a while, when I turned around, "Juefei Garden" was no longer visible.I was thinking in my heart again, Wang Zhiyi must be a rich man, and he is also a person who knows how to enjoy life, but why would a person like him suddenly want to build a mansion? I sighed again, there are too many questions, and my top priority is to find the missing Xiao Guo.Perhaps, the Xiong Du of those two staff members was right, I went the wrong way, I desperately tried to find the answer in my vain imagination, but it didn't help Xiao Guo's disappearance at all. After entering the urban area, cars and pedestrians were all crowded together. After finally returning to Xiaoguo's detective agency, I opened the door, and several staff members said together: "Mr. Wei, you are back!" Judging from their tone and expressions, they must have something very urgent waiting for me, so I hurriedly said, "What's the matter?" A staff member said: "Colonel Jack of the police has called you seventeen or eight times and asked you to see him." I raised my eyebrows and said, "He didn't say anything?" Another employee said: "He didn't say it, but we have already found out that the manager of that building, Chen Mao, is dead!" I was shocked, and the clerk said again: "The colonel and his people are in that building, please go immediately!" Without delaying even half a second, I turned around and left. Things seemed to be getting more and more serious. At first, someone was frightened, then someone disappeared, and now, death! I was so anxious that I honked my horn all the way, crossing left and right, looking for a way to get there a second faster. When I rushed up the slope leading to the building, the speed of the car was so high that I was surprised.