Era: Starting from the local police station

Soon, a middle-aged woman in her forties walked into the house with her head down, her hands constantly fiddling with the patched hem of her clothes.

Before any questions could be asked, she stammered, "Officer, I...I really don't know. It has nothing to do with the enemy...the enemy agents, I..."

Everyone inside the house was stunned.

Jiang Zhenghua asked with a smile, "Who told you we're here to investigate enemy agents?"

Zeng's daughter-in-law immediately looked up at him, then quickly lowered her head: "That's what everyone in the courtyard is saying, otherwise why would so many police officers be here investigating?"

Jiang Zhenghua was immediately at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated.

The most terrifying thing about people is their imagination.

He immediately smiled and said, "Comrade, don't be afraid, Hou San is not an enemy agent."

Zeng's daughter-in-law immediately perked up, looked up, and asked, "What happened to him? What bad thing did he do?"

Looking at her now, full of energy and showing no signs of fear, but instead with a gossipy expression, Jiang Zhenghua was speechless.

Zhang Chongguang chimed in, "Don't spread rumors. Hou San was murdered outside, that's why we're here to investigate."

Zeng's daughter-in-law's expression froze for a moment, and she said softly, "Oh, I see."

Jiang Zhenghua asked slowly, "Comrade, you live next door, right?"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law nodded repeatedly: "My family lives in the second room on the left, and the four of us are crammed together."

Jiang Zhenghua took out his notebook and asked, "Have you noticed what kind of people Hou San associates with?"

"There are hardly any people around. He's usually a loner, leaving early every day and not coming back until dark. As for people who come and go, I met one before, a man in his late twenties, dressed in rags, probably from the countryside. I remember he called Hou San 'Sanwa'."

Upon hearing her answer, Zhang Chongguang said, "This should be Hou Shucai."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "Anything else?"

Zeng's daughter-in-law shook her head, then stole a glance at Ge Guifu, her expression hesitant.

Jiang Zhenghua said to Ge Guifu, who was standing next to him, "Comrade Ge, please make it clear to the people in the institute that we are investigating a murder case, not investigating enemy spies. Don't cause unnecessary panic."

Ge Guifu quickly replied, "Understood, I'll go right away."

After saying that, he left quickly.

After having Zhang Yi stand guard at the door, Jiang Zhenghua turned to Zeng's daughter-in-law and asked, "Can we talk now?"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law gave an awkward smile: "The main problem is that once the person I'm talking about finds out it was me, the courtyard will be in turmoil, and our family won't be able to stay here anymore."

Jiang Zhenghua said solemnly, "Don't worry, we will definitely keep this a secret for you and will never tell anyone that you told us."

Zeng's daughter-in-law stepped forward, then lowered her voice and said, "I'm talking about that shrewish widow in our backyard. Several times when I got up at night, I heard a woman in Hou San's room, and I knew it was her from her voice."

"I've run into her a few times during the day before. Widow Diao said that Hou Sanrang would help tidy up the house and would give her four yuan a month."

A hint of resentment flashed across Zeng's daughter-in-law's face: "I just didn't expect that slut would be so active even at night."

She glanced at everyone and said with certainty, "What she got was definitely not just four yuan. Otherwise, why would she have been making new clothes for the elderly and children and feeding her two sons white flour buns every day for the past two years?"

Jiang Zhenghua paused in his writing: "Has Comrade Diao's family's life changed a lot?"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law said, "That's right. Her husband's name was Wang Jiansheng. He was a worker at the Hongxing Machinery Factory. But in the summer of 1955, the steel frame that held the iron parts in the workshop collapsed, and this unlucky man was right underneath and was crushed to death. He left behind his elderly mother, his wife, and two sons. This widow was originally from the countryside, so she didn't have a job. We all thought this family was doomed."

Zhang Chongguang asked, "So Comrade Diao took over?"

Jiang Zhenghua does recall that after the Labor Insurance Regulations were revised in 1953, employees who died due to work-related or non-work-related causes were given different levels of funeral allowances and survivor's pensions for their dependent immediate family members, but there was no clause for "family members to take over work".

However, there are instances of companies taking matters into their own hands or preferential policies being implemented in certain regions.

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law shook her head: "No, at first they only gave one sum of compensation. I don't know who gave the advice, but after his mother, along with his wife and son, made a scene at the factory twice, they not only gave him a sum of compensation, but also got the widow a job at the factory as a kitchen helper, which is how the family didn't fall apart."

She gave an awkward laugh and lowered her voice, saying, "I heard that Wang Jiansheng had a good relationship with a leader in the logistics department before he died, and that person secretly gave him pointers. That leader also put in a lot of effort to get this widow a permanent job and transferred her to the kitchen."

Do you know which leader it is?

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law shook her head repeatedly: "I don't know about that. I'm just a woman who spends all day at home around the stove, how would I know about those things? I just heard it from gossip."

"Do you know how Wang Jiansheng's prestige collapsed when he got into trouble?"

"I don't know either. He had already passed away when our family came to this yard. I heard, I heard, that he himself was largely responsible, and it almost didn't even qualify as a work-related injury."

After Zeng's daughter-in-law finished speaking, she immediately lowered her head.

"Go on, tell me more about the Wang family."

Where was I?

Zeng's daughter-in-law looked up in surprise: "Oh, right, she was filling in for someone else. Wang Jiansheng was originally a fitter in the workshop, and after his wife filled in, she was also assigned to the workshop. But she's a woman with delicate skin, how could she handle it? She couldn't take it after only a few days."

She deliberately lowered her voice and said, "I heard she went to the workshop director, but he didn't agree. So she went to the office of the logistics department leader and asked for his help. Apparently, she stayed in that office for two hours, and when she came out, her legs were a little weak, and she had buttoned her shirt wrong..."

Zeng's daughter-in-law was beaming with delight, a hint of disdain on her lips.

Jiang Zhenghua interrupted her: "Tell me the result."

Zeng's daughter-in-law was taken aback at first, then realized that this was not the time to gossip, so she smiled awkwardly: "In the end, within two days, Widow Diao was transferred to the canteen as a kitchen helper. I heard that her mother-in-law fell seriously ill not long after, and not only did she spend all the compensation money, but she also had to borrow a lot of money."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "And then?"

"We moved into the courtyard five or six years ago. When we arrived, the Wang family was really struggling financially. They ate cornmeal and wild vegetable porridge every day. Her mother-in-law was also brewing Chinese medicine soup every day. The two children were dressed in tattered clothes. I felt sorry for the children, so I gave them a pair of shoes that my youngest son had worn."

A hint of smugness flashed across Zeng's daughter-in-law's face.

She continued, "In the latter half of the year, Hou San moved in..."

Jiang Zhenghua quickly interrupted her: "Wait, you mean Hou San will move in in five or six years, six months from now?"

"Yes. It's around this time, around August."

After thinking for a moment, Zeng's daughter-in-law nodded firmly.

Geng Jianwu, who was standing nearby, interjected, "Deputy Director Jiang, the time Ge Guifu mentioned is about the same; they moved here at the end of August."

Jiang Zhenghua quickly flipped through the notebook, found the pages with Hou Yongshou, and saw the clues he had provided.

In mid-1955, Hou San decisively went to the city, saying, "Even pulling a cart is better than toiling in the fields."

Jin Hong lit a cigarette: "Hou Yongshou was saying that Hou San entered the city in 1955, right?"

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "That's right. So there's a one-year difference between them."

He marked the two spots, then looked up at Zeng's daughter-in-law and said, "You continue."

"Not long after he moved in, I discovered that this shrewish widow had appeared at the Hou family's house. When I asked her, she said that Hou San had hired her to do laundry and clean the house, and he paid her four yuan a month."

Zeng's daughter-in-law paused for a moment: "I ran into Hou San once and asked him about this. He said he saw that the Wang family was living a hard life, and since he didn't have a wife and was too busy to take care of things, he thought he was doing a good deed and helping them out."

Geng Jianwu interjected, "So, you were too embarrassed to offer to do it yourself, right?"

Zeng's daughter-in-law blushed slightly but nodded nonetheless, saying frankly, "That's four yuan, enough to buy about forty jin of cornmeal, enough for one person's food for two months. How could I not be tempted?"

"However, what I didn't expect was that I later discovered that this shrewish widow would sometimes come over at night and stay for a long time. A man living alone and a widow sharing a room... Humph."

She snorted coldly, her face full of disdain.

"When did you find out that the Wang family's life was getting better?"

"It was during the Spring Festival last year that I discovered that on New Year's Eve, the Wang family not only made dumplings, but the two children also wore new clothes, and even her mother-in-law wore a new jacket."

"Are you sure it's not after the Spring Festival?"

Zeng's daughter-in-law nodded emphatically: "I'm sure. You can ask the people in the courtyard about this; they're all amazed by the changes in the Wang family. But her mother-in-law said that the factory leaders rewarded Widow Diao with a batch of fabric, plus the fabric coupons she had saved up over the years, for her good work at the canteen."

Jiang Zhenghua recalled Hou Yongshou's words: "At the beginning of last year, Sanwazi ran back saying he had connections..."

This case is interesting.

A capable countryman, a widow whose life suddenly improves...

"Who in this courtyard is close to Hou San?"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law shook her head: "I don't know about others. It seems like they don't interact much with others. They just nod and greet each other when they meet. Besides, there aren't any women in his family. They don't even gossip with each other, so they're all just so-so."

Zhang Chongguang asked, "What about the people outside? Besides that country bumpkin, has anyone else come looking for him?"

"No, I think so..."

Zeng's daughter-in-law suddenly paused, looked up and said, "I almost forgot. Last March, a man came to see him a few times."

Jiang Zhenghua pressed further: "What kind of person is he? What does he do for a living?"

After a moment of recollection, Zeng's daughter-in-law said, "That man was very tall, almost 1.75 meters or more. He was dressed very plainly, and his clothes were covered in patches."

"Any special features? Like birthmarks, moles, or the like?"

"I really didn't see him. He always came over at night, so I never got a good look at his face. Oh, and his accent seemed to be from Shandong, similar to the accent of Wang's wife in our courtyard. I remember they always closed the door when they came in. I only vaguely remember the first time he said, 'Take me with you,' and the second time he said, 'Anyway, you won't need me anymore, so I definitely won't let you suffer.'"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law seemed to be recalling something as she said, "The last time he came, he brought braised meat and wine. They drank until midnight, and I never saw him again after that."

Jiang Zhenghua asked, "Do you know what he does for a living?"

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law replied, "I asked him, and he said he was running errands for someone, always going back and forth. But I heard from Aunt Ge that Hou San is doing odd jobs, and Uncle Ge even ran into him."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion erupted in the courtyard.

Just as Jiang Zhenghua was about to get up to check, he heard Zeng's wife exclaim, "Oh dear, the men in the family are back from work, and I haven't cooked yet."

She looked at the officers and asked, "Officers, may I leave now?"

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "You can go back now. Thank you for your cooperation."

The Zeng family's daughter-in-law smiled and said, "Of course."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the house.

After she left, Zhang Yi came in, closed the door, and said, "Many workers in the yard have come back from get off work, including Diao Cuihua."

"No rush to find someone, we'll invite someone over later."

After Jin Hong finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Zhenghua and handed him a cigarette: "What do you think? I feel like something doesn't add up."

Jiang Zhenghua stood up and took the cigarette: "The timeline is wrong. First, there's a gap of about a year between Hou Laicai's arrival in the city and his move here. Second, there's a gap of one Spring Festival between the time the Wang family started to get by and the time Hou Laicai brought people to the city to do temporary work."

Zhang Chongguang slapped his thigh: "I knew something was wrong, and this is it. Logically speaking, before the Lunar New Year last year, Hou San was just a cart puller or a temporary worker doing odd jobs, not earning much money. Given his family's situation, he shouldn't have been able to afford much for Diao Cuihua."

Jin Hong continued, "Therefore, the source of Diao Cuihua's goods is questionable. It's possible that Hou San had already made his fortune, but the people of Houjia Village didn't know; or perhaps she had another source."

Geng Jianwu continued, "As for the reward from the factory leaders, it's a bit excessive for a kitchen helper, unless the logistics department intervenes..."

They all understood that he hadn't finished speaking.

Zhang Chongguang said in a deep voice, "I'm starting to feel that Wang Jiansheng's death is a bit suspicious."

Jiang Zhenghua exhaled a smoke ring and glanced at the group: "We need to look at the case files from that time. I actually have some questions about this myself."

Jin Hong said, "I'll go back and check the branch office's archives. Generally, these kinds of cases are filed with the police station. Maybe the Yu'er Hutong Police Station has the case file."

After finishing his cigarette, Zhang Chongguang said, "Speed ​​up the work. Lao Geng and I will go visit the residents' homes, and you guys stay here and ask questions. How does that sound?"

Jin Hong nodded: "Okay, Zhang Yi, go and invite Diao Cuihua over."

Zhang Yi responded and left.

Zhang Chongguang said with a smile, "These widows are no simpletons; they're probably not easy to handle."

"Indeed. But no matter what, she's still just a woman."

"We need to make some arrangements to put some pressure on this woman."

"Deputy Director Jiang, I didn't expect you to have such an understanding of human nature."

Shortly after Zhang Chongguang and Geng Jianwu left, Zhang Yi brought Diao Cuihua in.