Guo Guo sat beside Xiao Lin, accustod to their usual laughter and banter, but the sudden serious atmosphere made her feel like escaping.
"What's the problem over at 'Black Crow'?" Xiao Lin stared at the cup in front of him, not looking up at Yi.
"Headquarters has confird that it's an action from Europe and the U.S. alone. I will go next week to coordinate this matter." Yi simply answered Xiao Lin's question; this was a territorial issue, mishandling it could lead to mutual slaughter.
"On my side, you just need to assign a few competent people to ."
"I can wait until you finish your business here before leaving."
"'Black Crow' is quite important." Xiao Lin rejected Yi, and the atmosphere beca awkward instantly, even Guo Guo, who had been annoyed, stopped to observe the people in front of her. "Repeat what you just told to them."
The first person to know Ah San was not Director Zhao, but Guo Guo. Once, while buying cent to fix the innkeeper's facade, she t him. It happened to be raining that day, and a hole dug by rats in one of the inn's doorways allowed water to form a small puddle inside. Her store, which stayed open at night, was the only one available.
Most hardware stores would close around six or seven in the evening, but the one Guo Guo ran also sold certain aphrodisiacs. Due to its location, business was quite good.
Ah San was a bit of a stutterer but spoke at a regular speed, coming and going several tis before Guo Guo understood what he wanted. This interaction led to their acquaintance.
According to Guo Guo, the inn now was not the sa as before because many things had changed, but she wasn't certain since she had only t Ah San one night in the rain. The cent Ah San bought couldn't be used, and since her store didn't handle returns, the boss asked Ah San to cover the costs himself. Guo Guo rembered the previous boss was harsh to Ah San, while the current one was entirely different, even providing als and wages.
"When did you realize these two were different people?" Shou asked first, struggling to catch the key points in Guo Guo's rambling account.
"About a month later, when Ah San returned to , he was cleaner, and had money in his pockets."
"Don't interrupt her; if you have questions, wait until she finishes, and pay attention to the details." Xiao Lin was hearing Guo Guo's story for the second ti and didn't want to be interrupted.
The hardware store was located on Red Street, where most visitors were outsiders. Business was naturally less brisk compared to the neighboring pharmacy, so the owner considered changing trades. I thought I'd lose my job, but soone ca to take over as soon as the ad was posted, even agreeing without bargaining.
Xiao i was a hostess from a place diagonally opposite our store. She rarely wandered around, but her rented place was above our store, and she occasionally ca down to buy batteries or sothing—a nodding acquaintance, you could say!
Once, she approached asking if our boss was in. In truth, the people who bought the store weren't our bosses but soone else. After giving Xiao i a phone number, I never saw her again until a month later when the second boss appeared. Around that ti, the innkeeper's attitude softened a lot.
Because wages were higher and Xiao i brought custors into the store, the unsold aphrodisiacs beca a hot commodity in no ti. Xiao i once asked the second boss if he was interested in bigger business. I don't know how they discussed it, but I rember the second boss soon had a large catalogue, and we stopped selling cent, switching to selling drugs, with commissions to boot.
The business blossod, attracting jealousy from the pharmacy across, who once reported us for illegal trading. The police ca many tis, each ti led by Director Zhao, confiscating a few items before everything returned in a few days. The second boss would ask to hand over an envelope to soone, presumably containing money!
Xiao i had many custors and was quite beautiful. If you ask about her relation with Ah San, truth be told, they never t. I don't know why Director Zhao lied, but I never heard Xiao i ntion having Ah San as a boyfriend.
Xiao i was kept by a wealthy man, she said as much herself, stating that she planned to get married and quit after the year. I even saw a black luxury car pick her up, with a sowhat older but very neat man inside.
The night Ah San died, if I recall correctly, it rained too. He ca looking for rope in a daze, but since we didn't carry hardware anymore, he left hurriedly upon hearing there was none. I noticed bloodstains on him; he wasn't using an umbrella, so his clothes were sared red, which was quite alarming.
Ah San is a bit foolish. I stopped him to ask what happened, and he just laughed sheepishly, saying he got money but later broke into tears. He behaved so erratically that night. I packed up around midnight and left; who ca by afterward I have no idea.
For a long ti, Xiao i didn't bring in custors. I assud she truly got married and joked with the second boss about it. Unexpectedly, upon hearing Xiao i's na, he changed the subject, quite unlike his usual crude talk about her around . That night, he acted possessed, desperately avoiding speaking of her.
The hardware store had money collected on the fifth and tenth of each month, but I never saw the big boss. It was only once, when the second boss was slightly drunk and happened to et that luxury car on pickups, that he started swearing, hinting that Xiao i's benefactor was the big boss of the hardware store. But whether that's true or just drunken ramblings by the second boss, I can't say.
Subsequent events you know well: doctors ca buying many drugs and later, Xiao i and Ah San's bodies were discovered, and the second boss was dead.
Oh, by the way, Zhang Qiang didn't have a sister nad Zhang Qian. I know Zhang Qiang; he's quite handso and ca for collections, always with soone else, unlike the others. He stood aside while the other person collected the money.
Once, he ca over on a day not scheduled for collections, said sothing utterly baffling to , and drowned a few days later, now deceased too.
Guo Guo looked at the people sitting in front of her; their faces were grave. She swallowed several tis and picked up her cup to drain a few gulps. "That's all I know." She looked at Xiao Lin, wishing she could walk her dogs if possible.
"What do you all think?"
"Logically, it doesn't add up!" said Hong, wearing a thick coat and seated in a chair. "Though it sounds coherent, there are many loopholes." He glanced at the others. "First, this lady's role is peculiar. You know everyone but are not involved intimately, which raises doubts."
"Second, Ah San and Xiao i were not acquainted, and from your account, he should be her killer, hence having money. But you ntioned the innkeeper provided him als and wages. If a man's life is stable, he wouldn't crave more, especially since you also said Ah San was slightly stuttering and foolish. When he had enough to eat and so pocket money, why would he want more?"
"Third, replacing the hardware store owner – even if soone took over the business, the initial buyer wasn't your boss. The real boss you t only appeared when Xiao i approached you, and it coincided with selling illicit drugs; the second boss erged around then. I can't comprehend what role the second boss played – a collector or a distributor?"
"Fourth, Xiao i's lover being your big boss is sothing you discovered through the second boss, yet your words suggested discord between your bosses, contradicting basic business logic."
"Fifth, what did Zhang Qiang say to you?"
Hong aired his misgivings in one breath. Zimu slid the ward milk in front of him. Xiao Lin tilted his head, showing no reaction to Hong's concerns. "Shou, what were you thinking of saying earlier?"
"I haven't thought as deeply as Hong. I just wonder if the inconsistent behavior of the innkeeper ans the previous owner is dead and the current one is soone Four Master planted in the North District, and the inn renovations might mark an alternative hub for him."
"I can answer that; both the innkeeper and his wife are imposters. The innkeeper's wife was killed by Zacks in the underground lab, and the current innkeeper's fate is unclear. As for whether there's another story at the inn, we'll discuss it later.
"I have a question!" Zimu glanced at Zacks. "All the key players in this matter are dead. If what was said is true, shouldn't you be the one who's most deserving of death?"
Zimu's aning was clear: everyone involved is dead, so why has the person selling drugs all along not died? She surely knows the most, despite her claims of no relation to the others. Given Four Master's character, he wouldn't spare her.
"Girl!" Xiao Lin leaned back against the chair, which had a low backrest, suitable for people halfway their height, not very comfortable for soone as tall as Xiao Lin. (To be continued. If you liked this work, please visit Qidian to vote with recomndations or monthly tickets to support the author—it's their motivation.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers