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墨書 Inktalez
After hearing the story of Old Lady Wang, we couldn't help but feel a wave of melancholy. Perhaps every hurried person we pass by has their own story. Maybe every seemingly ordinary individual has experienced things beyond our imagination. Sometimes, judging a person just by appearances is futile.
After a moment of silence, it was Gu Chen who spoke first: "Although Old Lady Wang is deaf, she became deaf later in life. Even if she can't speak, at least we can ask her about the Murderer through writing. If we can find any clues from Old Lady Wang, perhaps we can turn passivity into initiative."
Gu Chen's words made sense, and I added, "That's right. Based on the timeline, we have reason to believe that Old Lady Wang must have seen something."
The Old Village Chief nodded and said, "It's not that I don't understand this logic; it's just that you probably won't get much from her. Since she was fourteen, she has lived alone. After turning forty, she hasn't communicated with anyone for twenty years. Even if she could communicate through writing, she would need to know how to write, wouldn't she?"
At that moment, Li Danan suddenly chimed in: "Exactly! This person in our village is like a ghost. She doesn't interact with others and is completely elusive. If it weren't for hearing Wei Village Chief's story about Old Lady Wang today, I would have thought she was mentally ill."
The Old Village Chief shot Li Danan a glare and then said, "It's a pity that when Wang Meizhi found her, the old lady was already too old. Otherwise, if she had taught her for a few more years, Wang Meizhi might have become a normal person. But sometimes fate is just like that. This is the life that Wang Meizhi has been dealt."
"Wang Meizhi," the Old Village Chief added, "she can only write her own name; she can't write anything else."
Guan Zengbin seemed anxious and said, "But she must have communicated with people at some point; she can't possibly live her whole life without contact. How does she survive? How does she buy rice or noodles? She must know some sign language; I know a little myself. Although I'm not fluent, I can manage some communication."
The Old Village Chief waved his hand and replied, "Well, here's the thing: that old lady had no relatives. When she was dying, she left all her inheritance to Wang Meizhi. Although it wasn't much, Wang Meizhi inherited the old lady's tailor shop and worked on mending clothes as per what people paid her."
"The farthest she goes is to the market by the National Highway to buy some thread and daily necessities," the Old Village Chief continued. "At the market, there's no need for conversation; she hands over the items to the cashier, who gestures a price with their hands, and then she pays."
Sighing, the Old Village Chief went on: "But if it comes to discussing complex matters, that's beyond her capability."
I patted the Old Village Chief on the shoulder and said, "Regardless of anything else, Old Lady Wang is currently our best chance at finding clues as an eyewitness. Even if we don't find anything useful, since we're already in the village, there's no reason to give up on contacting Old Lady Wang without trying."
Seeing my determination, the Old Village Chief didn't argue further but turned to Li Danan and said: "Li Danan! Go fetch Old Lady Wang."
Halfway through his sentence, he waved his hand again and said: "No, no! She definitely won't come if you go alone. Let me go find her instead. When I was around ten years old, I was somewhat of a childhood friend with Wang Meizhi. In this village, she's probably only able to communicate with me a little bit."
Then the Old Village Chief spoke as if reassuring both us and himself: "After all these years—over fifty—I followed her around when I was three or four years old while she played at ten."
As he spoke, the Old Village Chief began to shake his wheelchair to head outside. I quickly stopped him and said: "Old Village Chief, it's windy outside and there's snow on the ground; you're not young anymore—don't exert yourself. How about Gu Chen pushes you? We can all go together to Old Lady Wang's house."
Captain Zhou stood up and said: "That's right; Wei Village Chief is right—let's all go together."
The Old Village Chief nodded and replied: "Alright then; let's go together. Li Danan, you stay here. If anyone comes looking for me or needs anything, just let them know I'm at Old Lady Wang's house."
Li Danan nodded in agreement: "Understood, Village Chief."
We walked towards Old Lady Wang's house.
We had entered the village from the West Village Entrance, with the Village Committee located in the center of the village. Old Lady Wang's home was to the east, while the crime scene was beside the road on the eastern side. At the far east end of the road lay the city and the National Highway.
Gu Chen pushed Old Village Chief forward, while Captain Zhou and Guan Zengbin stood nearby chatting.
I walked alone behind them, pondering our earlier conversation.
From our previous discussion, I learned that there was a National Highway running straight out from the eastern road of the village. If that were true, it raised questions about whether the murderer was a villager from Tou Gou Zi Village. Vehicles frequently passed along the National Highway, and many drivers familiar with Tou Gou Zi Village might have been passing through.
If that were the case, then our scope for investigation would widen significantly. I might need to consider an additional category of people in my criminal profiling. However, even though I had a vague suspicion about this, I dared not delve deeply into speculation while on the road.
Moreover, there was a puzzling issue I couldn't quite grasp. According to Captain Zhou and Old Village Chief, Tou Gou Zi Village had been known as a Disabled Village for several years. Logically speaking, there must be marriages among those living in Tou Gou Zi Village, and it didn't make sense that all children born to disabled parents would also be disabled.
This raised a question: it was impossible for everyone in this village to be disabled. Were Captain Zhou and Old Village Chief exaggerating, or was there something more to it?
For some reason, I felt that this village might not be as simple as we thought.
But now was not the time to contemplate what was truly going on in this village; what mattered most was capturing the murderer.
After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at Old Lady Wang's doorstep.
Old Village Chief maneuvered his wheelchair to the door and tugged on a rope that extended outside.
As he pulled on the rope, he explained, "This rope is connected to a weight inside the house. If Old Lady Wang sees the weight move, she'll know someone has come to visit her. All her regular customers know this, and everyone in the village is aware."
After a few tugs, we heard a creaking sound as the door opened. An elderly woman stood before us; she appeared to be in her sixties but had fewer wrinkles than Old Village Chief. If we didn't know that Old Village Chief was ten years older than Old Lady Wang, we might have thought she looked younger than him.
But considering she was over sixty and still able to walk over an hour to reach the National Highway for shopping and then return to Tou Gou Zi Village, it seemed Old Lady Wang was in good health. In contrast, Old Village Chief sat in his wheelchair and could not move around at all, which naturally affected his physical condition.
At that moment, we finally witnessed what Old Village Chief referred to as his "minimal communication" with Old Lady Wang.
Old Village Chief gestured with his hands while shouting loudly as if raising his voice would help her understand better. Meanwhile, Old Lady Wang frowned suspiciously at us and showed no intention of letting us in. Captain Zhou took out his Police Badge and displayed it in front of her.
He mimicked shooting with his hand and then made gestures indicating handcuffs. After some time, Old Lady Wang finally understood. She acknowledged our identities with a respectful gesture before allowing us inside.
It seemed that Old Lady Wang was not as unapproachable as Li Danan had been; perhaps their difficulty in communication led Li Danan to feel that way. Now observing her smile as she welcomed us inside gave her an amiable appearance. Perhaps age truly softened people; deep down, she might just long for companionship.
In the house, there was a stove where Old Lady Wang was cooking noodles, accompanied by a stew of potatoes and cabbage. This was a typical lunch for an ordinary family. Captain Zhou quickly took over the cooking duties, smiling as he said, "Let me cook for you. When I was younger, I always prepared my own meals, and they were delicious and full of flavor."
"You all," Captain Zhou continued while boiling the noodles, "if you have something to ask, think of it quickly. I see this will take some time; by the time I finish cooking, you might not have any questions left."
We took turns trying to communicate. I attempted to draw to convey our message but failed miserably; Mrs. Wang couldn't understand what I was trying to illustrate. Then Guan Zengbin tried using sign language with the old lady, but that too proved futile.
We struggled for a whole hour while Captain Zhou had already pulled the noodles out, added the side dishes, and handed them to Old Lady Wang. She watched us as if we were performing tricks, all the while eating her meal. Occasionally, she gestured for us to join her, as there were still noodles and vegetables left.
The last one to step up was Gu Chen. He stood in front of Old Lady Wang for a long time without making a move. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "There's really no way to communicate. But it's noon now, and honestly, I'm quite hungry."
In the end, Old Village Chief said, "Stop trying; it's noon now—time to eat. I already told my wife to prepare more dishes so we could eat at my place."
I waved my hand and looked at Old Lady Wang. "Old Village Chief, I really can't comply this time. How about this: tell your wife not to wait for us and just eat by herself? The food here with Old Lady Wang is quite good; I've been in Dongxing City for a while and haven't had such home-cooked meals in ages—I'm a bit nostalgic."
After repeated persuasion from Old Village Chief, none of us agreed. He had no choice but to call home and let his wife know not to wait for us.
The meal was plentiful and delicious.
Although Old Lady Wang couldn't hear what we were saying and we had no idea what she was thinking, happiness is always contagious. Looking at the smile on Old Lady Wang's face, even though it seemed impossible to uncover anything from her, I felt an unusual sense of calmness growing within me.
"Not good!" Li Danan's voice suddenly came from outside the door. "It's bad news, Wei Village Chief! You all need to come out!"
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