Chapter 35
Eating melon

The tricycle stopped outside a shop selling premium cigarettes and alcohol.

The shop was small, but the lights were on inside. As Tan Yi opened and closed the door, Xie Qing saw a man behind the counter with graying hair who looked to be around forty years old.

It turned out it wasn’t a woman; Hou Zi’an was just buying cigarettes here.

Xie Qing and Li Ke were a bit disappointed.

Two minutes later.

Tan Yi came out with a pack of cigarettes and said, “The owner has seen Hou Zi’an. He said Hou Zi’an has bought cigarettes here a few times and probably went to Sunshine Community.”

Sunshine Community was just across the street, with an eighty percent chance of being the right place.

Xie Qing nodded and pulled Li Ke along to follow Tan Yi across the road.

They entered the community and walked along the pedestrian path. The community wasn’t small, with eight buildings, and every household had their lights on. Curtains in pink, red, or blue adorned the gray buildings, blocking people’s view.

Li Ke said, “Qing Qing, how are we going to find him?”

Xie Qing also pondered this question: “Let’s walk around. We’re bound to run into some elderly folks taking a walk after dinner.”

Li Ke nudged her, “Good idea.”

Tan Yi walked ahead with his hands in his pockets. His large leather bag, simple in design, hung by his side, bouncing with each step.

This gave Xie Qing a slight sense of being back in her original world. She couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for that era, its technology, and its people.

Soon, they heard the laughter of an elderly couple ahead.

Tan Yi approached them, “Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

The couple looked at Tan Yi warily, “What is it?”

Li Ke smiled and said, “Sir, Ma’am, we’re police officers from the city bureau. We’d like to ask you something.”

Xie Qing cooperated by taking out her police badge and showing it.

“Oh…” The elderly woman smiled and said to her husband, “These two girls are so pretty, and they’re police officers. Amazing.”

“Very good,” the elderly man nodded, “Clean and neat, unlike those heavily made-up ones. You can tell they’re not good kids.”

This…

Li Ke said, “Sir, Ma’am, police officers aren’t allowed to wear makeup.” It’s not that they don’t want to.

The elderly woman said, “That’s good, that’s good. Proper and well-behaved, you can tell they’re good kids.”

Tan Yi said, “Sir, Ma’am, I’m their leader. We’re here to ask you something. The heavily made-up girls you mentioned also live in this community, right?”

“Yes,” the elderly woman nodded emphatically, “Quite a few of them, all living alone, not working, just dressing up and littering. No manners at all.”

The elderly man said, “Someone’s paying for them, why work? They’re no good.”

Tan Yi asked, “Do you know where they live?”

The elderly woman pointed to a nearby building, “Third floor, see that balcony with the underwear hanging? That’s one of them. I heard she even had a child, no idea how she got registered.”

Xie Qing asked, “Are there more?”

The elderly woman pointed to another building, “Over there, Unit 2, Room 201, I think. There are a few more, but I don’t know exactly where.”

The elderly man said, “Why, are the police handling this now?”

Tan Yi said, “We have other matters to attend to. Thank you both. We’ll go ask around.”

The elderly woman waved her hand, “Go ahead, drive them out. They might corrupt my granddaughter.”

The three of them said goodbye.

Li Ke muttered, “It’s not that bad, just makeup.”

Xie Qing said, “Generation gap. Older folks who are used to simplicity can’t stand our young people’s things.”

Li Ke nodded, “That’s true. My mom only wears lipstick. I bought her one with my first paycheck. What did you buy for your parents with your first paycheck?”

Xie Qing smiled, “They don’t need anything, so I didn’t buy anything. I’m saving it for something suitable.”

Tan Yi smiled, “That’s a sensible answer.”

Li Ke said, “You’re so patient. To be honest, I spent my entire first paycheck buying something for everyone, even if it wasn’t valuable. My mom said it didn’t matter. She was happy with my thoughtfulness.”

Xie Qing thought that children from happy families don’t need to worry too much in front of their families. Li Ke was luckier than the original Xie Qing.

They went up to the third floor, and Li Ke knocked on the door. Inside, they heard a child’s faint crying. After a long wait, a sweet-voiced woman asked, “Who is it?”

Li Ke said, “We’re from the neighborhood committee. We need to ask you something.”

The woman said warily, “I didn’t throw anything downstairs. Go ask someone else.”

Li Ke said, “It’s not about the trash.”

The woman finally opened the door, “What is it?” She looked about thirty, with above-average looks, holding a two or three-year-old child.

Xie Qing showed her police badge again, “Sorry, my colleague didn’t want to scare you, so she didn’t tell the truth.”

The woman quickly said, “I’m alone with my child. I don’t have time to go downstairs. I only threw one bag of trash, and I watched it. It didn’t hit anyone.”

Li Ke said, “If it hit someone, you’d have to pay. Denying it won’t help. We’re police officers…”

Tan Yi interrupted Li Ke, “It’s cold with the door open. Can we come in?”

The woman didn’t understand but stepped aside.

The three of them entered.

Tan Yi took out a photo, “We’re investigating a case. Please look at this. Do you know him?”

“A case?” The woman looked at the photo, “Oh, uh… I don’t know him, I don’t know him.”

Tan Yi said, “Think carefully. This person is dead. If we find out you…”

“I know him,” the woman changed her tune, “He’s an old friend of one of my girlfriends. He lives in this community. I saw his photo when I visited her.”

Tan Yi asked, “Which building?”

The woman said, “Building 3, Unit 3, Room 201.”

…

A few minutes later, the three of them stood outside Room 201.

A beautiful young woman with a pregnant belly opened the door and asked, “Who are you? What do you want?”

Xie Qing showed her police badge.

Tan Yi held up the photo, “Who is he to you?”

The young woman nervously stepped back, “He’s no one to me. Who are you to him?”

Tan Yi said, “He’s dead. We’re police officers.”

“What?” The woman was shocked and pointed at Tan Yi, “Nonsense! How can diabetes kill someone? Are you his son? Even if you are, you can’t curse him to death! What kind of person are you?”

The door across the hall opened, and an elderly woman peeked out. A second later, a middle-aged man also peeked out.

Tan Yi showed his police badge.

The woman saw the name and photo, her face turned pale, and she staggered, “Come in and talk.”

The three of them sat on the sofa.

The woman cried, “Was he murdered?”

Tan Yi said, “Yes.”

The woman took the tissue Xie Qing handed her and covered her eyes, “Do you think I killed him?”

Tan Yi said, “We’re here to understand the situation. Please tell us everything you know.”

“I… wah…” The woman started crying again.

Li Ke sighed, wanting to speak but holding back.

Xie Qing and Tan Yi sat quietly.

The woman cried for nearly fifteen minutes before she stopped and began to tell the story of her relationship with Hou Zi’an.

Her name is Jia Xiaoli, and she is twenty-nine years old. From the beginning, she and Hou Zi’an were inseparable, but later, Hou Zi’an cheated on her with a younger woman. They were together for eight years.

The new woman Hou Zi’an found also lives in this community—Hou Zi’an was involved in the construction of this community and kept three small units for his mistresses.

The new woman is named Wu Meili, twenty-three years old. Jia Xiaoli said she is average-looking but has a great figure. Since Wu Meili came into the picture, Hou Zi’an rarely visited Jia Xiaoli, and when he did, it was just a brief visit.

Jia Xiaoli confronted Hou Zi’an and argued with him, but she never won. Hou Zi’an warned her that if she continued to cause trouble, they would break up, and she wouldn’t get any benefits. So, Jia Xiaoli had to back down. On the advice of her close friends, she secretly got pregnant, hoping to secure more benefits with the child and have someone to rely on in her old age.

However, when the child was only five months old, Hou Zi’an passed away.

Both money and love lost!

Jia Xiaoli said that Hou Zi’an liked to brag and rarely talked about business matters with her, but he did complain about a subcontractor named Bao Qiang, who was greedy and demanded high-quality work. If the work wasn’t up to standard, he wouldn’t pay without rework.

When Hou Zi’an had his accident, Jia Xiaoli was at home sleeping, so no one could prove she hadn’t been to the hospital.

As they were leaving, Li Ke asked Jia Xiaoli, “What are your plans for the future?”

Jia Xiaoli gritted her teeth, “The house deed is in that old man’s name. Now that he’s gone, I have nothing. I’ll have to abort the child and go back to my hometown to marry a bachelor.”

After leaving Jia Xiaoli’s house, Li Ke said, “Qing Qing, I think she might be a suspect.”

Xie Qing replied, “A little, but not much.”

Li Ke nodded, “True, she clearly values benefits more. With Hou Zi’an gone, she loses everything, so the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Plus, being pregnant, she’s not very agile.”

As they approached Wu Meili’s building, Li Ke said, “I never thought we’d visit three mistresses’ homes in an hour, and two of them belong to the same old man. I’ve seen enough; most men are no good, except for my dad and grandpa.”

Xie Qing knew she was taking a jab at Tan Yi, getting back at him for an earlier slight.

It’s good for young girls to have a temper so they don’t get taken advantage of by men. Besides, she believed Tan Yi could handle it.

Sure enough, Tan Yi remained unfazed, not even turning his head.

Wu Meili, being young, lived on a higher floor, the sixth. She opened the door as soon as they knocked.

“Old…” The woman was stunned, “Who are you looking for?”

As Jia Xiaoli had said, Wu Meili’s facial features were average, but her figure was excellent. About 1.7 meters tall, her tight leggings accentuated her long, straight legs, full chest, and slender waist. If you ignored her face, she was a stunning beauty.

Tan Yi said, “We’re the police.”

“Did I break the law?” Wu Meili panicked, “Is that idiot Jia Xiaoli causing trouble for me?”

Li Ke said, “We have questions about Hou Zi’an. Do you want to talk here or let us in?”

Wu Meili invited them in, “What’s wrong with Old Hou? We’re just friends.”

Li Ke said, “He’s dead.”

“What!?” Wu Meili jumped up, “You think I did it?”

Tan Yi got straight to the point, “Where were you early this morning?”

Wu Meili said, “I was at home, right here.”

Tan Yi asked, “Do you have an alibi?”

“…” Wu Meili hesitated, “Yes, I do.”

Xie Qing and Li Ke exchanged glances, both looking curious.

Tan Yi asked, “Who is your alibi?”

Wu Meili, distressed, scratched her head, “My boyfriend. He stayed over at my place last night.”

Tan Yi continued, “Where is he now?”

Wu Meili replied, “He went home. He lives in Lijiagou. We’re getting married after the New Year.”

Wu Meili’s family is from Wujia Village, similar to Lijiagou, both located in the suburban-rural area of Anhai City. Wu Meili didn’t like working in the fields or on boats, so she found a job in a city restaurant. Her boyfriend, Li Xiaoming, manages fishing boats at home. Both families have average conditions, and since they were engaged, they started living together early.

Hou Zi’an often dined at the restaurant where Wu Meili worked, and his generosity led to their affair.

Wu Meili juggled both relationships, with Hou Zi’an leaving and Li Xiaoming arriving, without any issues. She swore that Li Xiaoming always believed the house was rented by her and had no idea about Hou Zi’an’s existence, begging Tan Yi not to reveal the truth.

But how could Tan Yi easily agree?

The three of them left under Wu Meili’s desperate gaze.