Chapter 23 Section VI

Then, Detective Tanio and his team went to the dormitory.The Zhuli criminal police and others who were searching outside just now also joined them, and all the policemen entered the interior together to start the search.I overheard Detective Takenashi reporting to Detective Guwei that there was nothing unusual about the periphery, nor did I find any suspicious signs such as damage to the fence of Kennin Temple, or someone climbing over the fence. They seemed to have agreed to go into every room in the dormitory, so the police searched with impunity.Not only the toilets and bathrooms were searched, but some people even put on overalls over their uniforms and got under the tatami mats. The search was very thorough.

"Aunt Yi, when they lift up the tatami in your room, will they find an urn containing cash hidden inside?" "Don't be kidding, there shouldn't be a photo album of the young lady hidden under the floor of your room." "What's the use of hiding something like this?" The three of us sat at a table in the restaurant drinking tea and listening to the two of them bickering.Although we really wanted to watch the police search, we were too embarrassed to snoop around in other people's rooms, so we had to take a break in the restaurant first. Every time those policemen walked in the corridor, the floor creaked and creaked.

"The house looked solid, but the floorboards were very loose." Rin muttered to herself as she peeled the tangerines that went with her tea. "You also found out?" Father Tang Jianmu was the first to respond. "Xiao Lin, let me tell you, it was a good thing that Zhuji Gongwu shop did." "Takeyoshi Gongwu shop?" "Yes, Takeyoshi Gongwudian. This was twenty years ago, and this dormitory was relocated from another place." "Oh, I heard that it used to be in the middle of the garden." "Yes, yes, yes, yes," Tang Jianmu's old man shook his head happily, "At that time, the Zhuji Gongwu Store was contracted for the relocation project. Unexpectedly, that Zhuji Gongwu Store——"

Perhaps to emphasize the next words, Father Tang Jianmu knocked the teacup on the table with a "boom". "Closed before the project was finished!" "Huh? Yeah? But..." Rin looked left and right, wondering at the walls and ceiling of the restaurant. "Do you want to ask, isn't the house built? In fact, the downstream contractor of Zhuji Gongwudian helped us build it for free." "It's free—didn't Ruixiangfang pay for it?" "No, no, we have already paid the construction fee to Zhuji Gongwudian in advance, but Zhuji Gongwudian and the downstream contractor agreed to pay after the completion of the project. Unexpectedly, Zhuji Gongwudian collapsed before the project was completed. , the downstream operators did not receive a dime. There are many downstream operators in Gongwudian, such as those who lay foundations, those who make walls, those who make aluminum doors and windows, those who are in charge of hydropower projects... In short, each project has a dedicated operator , I didn’t expect that the Zhuji Gongwu shop that was originally contracted to them collapsed in the middle of the project, it’s really miserable, but—”

Boom.He knocked the teacup on the table again, and a few drops of tea splashed on the back of his hand. He was a little surprised, but continued. "Later, the signboard of Ruixiangfang played a role. Do you know what those downstream operators said? They said, 'As long as it is the work of Ruixiangfang, even if you don't get paid, it must be completed'. I was really scared, tears flowed down." Father Tang Jianmu danced and danced to describe how he was crying at that time. "Finally, the relocation was successfully completed—Xiao Lin, how is it going, isn't it touching?"

"Yes, it's really touching." "Hahaha, that's what everyone says." Downstream players at the time obviously cut corners, but of course I didn't say that.I believe that Tang Jianmu's father is also very aware of this point, besides, these words were opened because of the rattling of the floor in the corridor. Aunt Yi yawned lightly and patted her mouth with her hands.Father Tang Jianmu also seemed to be having a great time chatting, scratching his calf with his big toe. "Excuse me." Guwei detective looked around from the restaurant door, "The search of this house has ended."

"Did you find anything good?" Father Tang Jianmu asked sarcastically, and detective Guwei replied with a wry smile: "Don't worry, we didn't find anything. Finally, though, we'd like to see the cottage at the back of the house—" Aunt Yi showed a dilemma. "But the old homeowner didn't like..." "I will ask him personally. Because there is still one place left to check, everyone feels uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if we make another trip for this place, I'm afraid everyone will have a headache." What he means is that if you don't agree to the search, you will make a big mess.Aunt Yi seemed to have heard the implication, and stood up after sighing softly.

"Then I'll take you there—please move as fast as you can." "Of course, we're just looking at it." "Aunt Yi, I'll go too." "Sure, what about us—?" "Then let's go say hello." Together with the police on standby at the entrance, we walked around the back of the dormitory along the wall, along the path planted with white Japanese camellias on both sides, and walked towards the hut where the old owner of Songyue lived.This path leads all the way to the back mountain, and the left and right sides are surrounded by high fences of Jianren Temple.This place is located in the deepest part of the Ruixiang House, the same as the front entrance. The pruned black pine trees appear at both ends of the fence like gateposts, and there is a crow tail facing us behind the leaves.There are really a lot of crows here.

"Go straight along this road, and you will find the monastery of the abbot of Ci'an." Father Tang Jianmu turned his head and explained to Rin.He was holding the broom upside down, with the broom fringe just on top of his head, and at first glance it looked like a lot of hair stood up on his bald head. "From here to the right is the Japanese-style cottage where the old owner lives." There is a gap on the right side halfway through the path, and there is a bungalow in front of it.The eaves are very deep, and the thick feeling is a bit like the main hall of a shrine.There is a sliding door on this side for easy access, and there is a barrier-free ramp for wheelchairs from the ground to the sliding door.

"Then I-" Auntie Yi walked up the ramp first, called out outside the sliding door, said two or three words, and then her surprised voice came. "Is it okay?" Then, looking back at detective Tanio, he said a little confused: "The old homeowner said, you can go in, no problem." Detective Guwei bowed, and immediately led the police up the ramp, took off their shoes, and filed into the room.Father Tang Jianmu glared at them sideways, and finally followed in.Inside came the faint voice of Songyue's old homeowner calling Aunt Yi, and Aunt Yi also walked in. After a while, Aunt Yi pushed the old house owner of Songyue who was sitting in a wheelchair and came out.

"It's so noisy, how could it be possible to find anything—ah, it turns out that Mr. Writer is also there." "Hello." Seeing Songyue's old homeowner waving, I walked up the ramp. "Fake Buddhist statue researchers, those two people who came all the way from Tokyo come here too." The old house owner of Songyue actually called Zhenbei and Rin in this way. Aunt Yi looked at us and asked in a low voice: "Are you fake?" "No, it means we don't belong to any research institution, because I belong to a non-governmental organization, so I can do research at will." Zhenbei is very clever to cover up the past. "Aunt Ji, you also go in and watch them with Tang Jianmu, lest they rummage around. Also, close the sliding door, it's too noisy." Hearing Songyue's old homeowner's instructions, Auntie Yi nodded, walked into the house and closed the sliding door. Only the three of us and the old house owner Songyue were left outside the house. "The sun is so dazzling. Aunt Ji is right. I might really become a gopher." Speaking of gophers, I just remembered that I mistook them for corpses. "People who live here are like gophers." "What's the meaning?" Really prepared to ask.The old homeowner of Songyue squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. "We work in the mountains all year round, from morning to night, in this Ruixiang house surrounded by high fences. If I were a gopher, everyone would be a gopher - this is the gopher village, and the gophers are busy The ground moves its claws, carving Buddha statues every day and night." His voice was empty and open. The old owner of Songyue was wearing a kimono, sitting on a wheelchair with arms folded, looking at our faces in turn, and suddenly said to us: "I think it's almost time for you to go back." His tone was not harsh, but seemed to be worried about us. "It's not suitable to stay here for a long time, otherwise it may hurt you." "Complicated—what do you mean?" Zhenbei asked quietly.The old homeowner of Songyue didn't answer, and raised his deep eyes to look directly at Zhenbei. "You are watching the police search - have they found nothing so far?" "Yes, it seems so." "Have the police searched beyond the fence?" "Yes, there is a search." "Have you found nothing, too?" Shinobu nodded, watching the other person's expression.Even Zhenbei seems to be unable to guess what the old house owner Songyue is thinking. "You—Mr. Writer." "Yes, I am." The old owner of Songyue didn't go on talking immediately, but looked at me intently. "Did you show the photo to the police?" "photo……" I froze for a few seconds before I understood what he was saying. "Oh, you mean the picture of King Wushu Samoming bleeding. No, I didn't show it to the police—" "In this case, don't show it to the police in the future." "Uh, but..." "Not only the police, but also don't let anyone in Ruixiang House see it. Also, what you saw and heard that night—forget it all." The old owner of Songyue looked at me with sharp eyes that seemed to penetrate the body, and exhorted again: "Do you understand?" This short sentence is heavy and cold, and no one is allowed to refute.Although I was confused, I could only nod like a robot, but I couldn't figure out his mind at all. "Even if I ask you the meaning of the sentence just now, you probably won't tell us?" Zhenbei asked, and the old homeowner Songyue nodded silently. "But can you tell us another thing. The day before yesterday, you said outside the workshop——Mr. Okajima is probably no longer alive." "Did I say that?" Zhenbei ignored Songyue's old homeowner's reaction and continued to ask, "How do you know?" "Ah—I don't remember very well." "Your daughter, Ms. Jasmine, and the Buddhist statue master Ryuzawa Ryuzo, who disappeared with her twenty years ago, have anything to do with what is happening in Ruixiangfang?" Hearing Jasmine's name, Songyue old house owner's thin cheeks twitched.After a while of silence, he let out a long breath and lowered his head weakly.The neckbone at the back of his neck is painted out like a knot. The old owner of Songyue opened his mouth, but he asked me a question. "Didn't you hear—that child's name? Didn't you hear that in front of the Huotou Temple carved by Long San the night Cong Yi disappeared?" "Yes, Molly—I did hear that name called several times." Like weeping like complaining.Call out loudly. "I'll tell you something." The old homeowner of Songyue raised his head slowly and said: "The only ones who call that child 'Jasmine' are me, Songyue, and Ryuzo. Songyue and I haven't mentioned that name for a long time." His deep eyes looked at us in turn. "—Do you understand what it means?" After the old owner of Songyue finished speaking, he turned the wheel of the wheelchair with his hands full of veins, and turned his back to us. "Aunt Ji." Hearing his cry, the sliding door in front of him gently opened.The old homeowner of Songyue shook his dummy-like hand and disappeared into the room.At this time, I found a brown thorn caught in the path that the wheelchair passed. "It's the dead leaves of the cedar tree..." Zhenbei said softly on the side. After a while, the policeman, Father Tang Jianmu, and Auntie Yi all came out of the room. Looking at the expressions of the two detectives, Guwei and Zhuli, it was clear that they also found nothing in the hut.