To be honest, I don’t have much confidence in trying to persuade Han Kun.
Back then, my parents gave their lives so that Junran could survive. Now I can’t figure out how my mother could have gone to her death so graciously and calmly back then, with the kind of strong determination they had that seems unimaginable to me now.
It is for this reason that Han Kun, although alive, has always been influenced by my mother. In his own words, he has lived a life of so much suffering, with everyone leaving him and Ji Shao Qian, that there is only one belief that can keep him going and living, and that belief is Surran, my mother’s belief.
“Third Master, go and approach this medical team and see if you can come to the country to treat Uncle Han.”
“Pick up the whole team and bring them to the country?” Third Master was shocked, “That’s a lot of money.”
“If this medical programme can mature in the country, it will also be something that will benefit the people. Junran’s side has always been in the property business, but we can’t put all our eggs in one basket, and the medical side can also be used to start some new businesses.”
The third master said, “This is the big thing that the whole company has to discuss together.”
“You go ahead and approach them, if the people are okay, I’ll figure out the money, the sooner the better.”
The third master was excited, “I’ll get on with it then, young master, thank you so much.”
“There’s nothing to thank you for, I can’t repay Uncle Han for his kindness to me.”
The Third Master sighed, “A while ago you and Mr. Han were so frosty, I thought you would never let go, but now it’s better.”
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly, how could I blame Han Kun? Ever since I’d read my mother’s diary, my heart had been tied in a hundred-leaf knot, a belly full of hatred, and nowhere to vent it again except on Jiang Ming’s head.
Probably Han Kun had this same layer of reason for not letting me investigate, and as the hate came and went, I realized that the mastermind was the victim.
I said Happy New Year to Master San and then sent a text message to Chu Xiaoxiao, by which time Zhao Zichen had also finished his New Year’s call to his family.
“It’s New Year’s Eve and none of the shops on the street are open, I’m hungry, now where are we going to fill up our bellies?” Zhao Zichen asked.
Yue Man Gong said, “It’s time for me to go back to Qianmen.”
“It’s just the two of us who are hungry.” Zhao Zichen said.
“I’ll go back and cook you some instant noodles.” I said.
“sh*t.”
Liu Hao said, “You all go to my house, my parents have cooked a reunion dinner.”
“No big New Year’s dilly-dally arrived.” I said.
Liu Hao said, “No, you guys come home with me, I have some things to discuss with you. Zhang Chao, you are investigating the gun trafficking case, right?”
When he finally said it, I put away my playful smile and nodded seriously.
“Son, why didn’t you come back until now, what’s going on with this whole thing?”
The three of us stood at the door, all messed up, as Liu Hao’s parents opened the door for us.
The two old men hurriedly let the door open for us and a little teddy came over to lick our shoes.
Liu Hao was very tired and said with a smile, “Mom and Dad, make something to eat, these are my colleagues.”
I was so embarrassed that I hadn’t had a New Year’s Eve since I was seven years old, except for the big celebration in the army.
I can warm up with strangers, but once I encounter a warm family atmosphere, I will be at a loss for words.
“Yo, uncle and auntie, you two must have some kind of special power to calculate that we are coming today, so you have made so much on purpose. Good New Year, Uncle and Auntie, congratulations and prosperity.”
Zhao Zichen was much more able to fool the elderly than I was, and Liu Hao tugged him, “Come on, don’t drag your horse’s ass, come here, I want to tell you something serious.”
“No dinner?”
“We’ll eat later.”
Liu Hao dragged us both, into the study, and then closed the door behind us.
“The situation is urgent, let me talk to you guys about the current situation first.” Liu Hao said, and as he said that, he handed me the button, “This is the button of our uniform, how come they have it?”
“Could it be a coincidence?” I asked.
Zhao Zichen said, “No, if it was a coincidence, it wouldn’t be pinched in the palm of his hand on his deathbed, I think he was trying to convey something to us, to tell us that there are ghosts within the police.”
I shook my head, “Then you’re overestimating their consciousness. Who is he to point us in the right direction when he’s dead? Was this man your informant?”
Liu Hao shook his head, “I don’t know. But I don’t think it’s a frame-up ……”
“Why?”
“If it’s a frame-up, where did you pick up this buckle, you wouldn’t expect to have it with you today, or if you bought a buckle, then you shouldn’t be able to buy such an old version, our police uniform in Ningcheng just changed a set three years ago, this buckle is the old style.”
I said, “Let’s think the worst of everything and we can rule out the possibility that the new cop is a mole.”
Liu Hao nodded, “The most suspicious thing is how the old ghost was exposed, the old ghost is a very cautious person, our way of communication is to add microblogging, only in the microblogging friends circle to send each other code words, I am worried that something will happen to him, let him not need to take pictures, I just need to understand how many of these people there are, whether there are up and down on the line, he is a timid person, in order to help me to go undercover, has been doing He’s a timid guy who went undercover to help me, and he’s been doing a good job.”
I thought of the phone call Liu Hao had taken in the car and asked suspiciously, “Then why did you suddenly go to him?”
“Don’t mention it, yesterday afternoon, I suddenly received a phone call, the old ghost said he might have been exposed, he wanted to go home for the New Year, he couldn’t get through to his family, then their head kept not letting him go and said a lot of strange things, he wanted to sneak home, so I agreed to come and pick him up in the middle of the night, I didn’t expect …… ”
I know all about the latter, that is, Liu Hao was betrayed.
Zhao Zichen dragged his chin and asked, “The old ghost is undercover this thing, in addition to you have no one else know?”
“Yes, but not many. Because I was investigating this case, I discussed with Bureau Zhou at the time that this was a very important matter and had to be kept completely secret. But Old Ghost is an informant and his identity is going to be cleared in the future, so I had to endorse for him.”
I said in a deep voice, “Do you think it could be?”
Before I finished my sentence, Liu Hao had already firmly denied it, “That’s impossible, it could never be the few leaders above me. You outsiders might be suspicious, but I have lived in this city for decades and I know very well that our leaders in Ningcheng are all true men. Even if there were ghosts within us, it wouldn’t be them. Let’s go, no matter what, I’m going to take a look at the old ghost’s family.”
Liu Hao was right, if something happened to the old ghost, I’m afraid his family would not be spared.
“Zhang Chao, don’t follow, can you manage with this leg?” Liu Hao asked.
I said, “I can jump up faster than you, let’s go, it’s not safe for me to stay at your house all the time. Since that gang has their eyes on me and I keep coming to your house, I’m afraid they will soon treat your parents as enemies.”
Liu Hao was surprised and asked, “Didn’t all these people die last night? There were a few that ran out, what can become is a big deal, a scattered mess.”
I shook my head, Liu Hao did not know that the opponents were not a group, they were an underground group and in collusion with the jianghu.
Zhao Zichen said, “Let’s not talk about it, let’s go find the old ghost’s family quickly. I don’t feel good, maybe something has happened to his family.”
The Old Ghost’s family lived in the urban village of Ningcheng, a place with a great location, but because of this, the developers couldn’t afford to demolish it, and over time, it became a “slum area” instead.
On the way, Liu Hao told us that the Old Ghost loved his wife and daughter and was willing to help him as an undercover agent because Liu Hao had promised to apply for 50,000 yuan for external expenses and his daughter had to buy a piano for her piano lessons.
“Take a trip to the mall.” I said to Liu Hao.
“What time is it, and you’re still going to the mall?”
I said, “By the way, you’re going to someone’s New Year’s Eve to pay your respects, empty-handed?”
