Chapter 130 Interrogation

Yu Li's expression changed, and she looked at her mother: "Mom...you took the money?"

Yu's mother retorted, "Didn't you spend that money? All those face creams, dresses, scarves—weren't they all bought with that money?"

Yu Li opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Take them away," Deputy Director Zhang said in a deep voice. "Interrogate them separately, and ask them detailed questions."

He personally led Director Zhao and escorted Yu's mother into the old deaf woman's former room.

This room has been empty for some time; the neighborhood committee hasn't arranged for anyone to move in yet. It's perfect as an interrogation room.

When Yu's mother was brought in, her legs went weak as she looked at the three men in front of her.

"Don't come any closer... I really didn't mean to..."

Deputy Director Zhang, too lazy to waste words, picked up a whip from the corner of the wall. It was left behind by the deaf old lady; he didn't know what it was originally used for.

Director Zhao stared at the whip, somewhat bewildered: "Deputy Director, you use this on women?"

Deputy Director Zhang glanced at him and said earnestly, "Don't underestimate this kind of woman. She has US dollars and is pushing her daughter to get close to Director Li. She can't be an ordinary person, can she? You have to put some pressure on her to deal with someone who's stubborn. You can't be soft-hearted in this line of work."

Director Zhao nodded, took off his belt, and held it in his hand.

He had a menacing aura about him; after all, he came from the military and had seen blood.

Yu's mother was so frightened that her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

She spilled everything out.

Two men approached her, asking her to persuade her daughter to get close to Li Jianguo. They promised to pay her and arrange for her whole family to go abroad if the deed was done.

"What do they look like? How can we contact them? When are they coming next?"

Deputy Director Zhang bombarded him with a series of questions, his eyes lighting up.

This is a first-class merit award on the go.

He patted Director Zhao on the shoulder: "Do a good job. Catching this group of people in one fell swoop will benefit you in the future."

Director Zhao's breathing became heavy. He looked at Yu's mother as if she were a medal of honor.

"Speak quickly! Don't miss a single detail!"

Mother Yu shrank back, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If I tell you everything... will you let me off the hook? I really know I was wrong, and I didn't cause any real damage..."

Director Zhao swung the belt in the air with a loud snap.

"Enough with the nonsense! I'm giving you a chance now!"

"etc."

Li Jianguo suddenly spoke up.

He looked at Yu's mother calmly: "Make a deal with her. Get her to cooperate and lure out the people behind her. She's just an ordinary woman; those people behind her are the real culprits."

Deputy Director Zhang, quick-witted, replied, "Right. With such a commotion, if the people behind us noticed and ran away, it would be troublesome."

Mother Yu quickly nodded: "Those two men said they've been watching our house! If I dared to call the police, my whole family would be in big trouble! I really didn't mean to, but they came with guns, how could an ordinary citizen like me dare to disobey..."

Before she could finish speaking, Deputy Director Zhang lifted the curtain and rushed out.

"Immediately deploy troops! Encircle this alley within a three-kilometer radius! No one is allowed to enter or leave!"

His deputy was startled: "Deputy Director, with such a commotion, what if we don't find anything..."

"There's a spy," Deputy Director Zhang interrupted him. "Take action immediately. Detain anyone acting suspiciously, regardless of age or gender."

After giving his instructions, he turned and went back into the house, staring at Yu's mother.

"Director Li pleaded for you. If you confess everything you know and cooperate with us to find the people behind this, I'll give you a major commendation. You won't be sentenced for long, and you can reunite with your family when you get out."

Mother Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

"That money..."

"You want the stolen money back?"

Yu's mother shrank back, feeling regretful. She should have spent all that US dollars sooner.

Under the watchful eyes of the three men, she recounted in detail her encounter with the two men.

Yu Li was a well-known girl in the alley, known as the "flower of the alley." She was getting older and it was time for her to find a husband, but she had high standards and looked down on the young men around her. Her husband and mother also didn't approve.

Just as they were asking a matchmaker, a capable young man arrived one day. His clothes and appearance clearly indicated that he was well-off.

Yu's mother initially thought he was there for a blind date, and she was quite pleased with herself.

As a result, the young man gave her another option.

"Your daughter is so beautiful, who wouldn't be good enough for her? Isn't the most successful person in this alley that Director Li? Let her give it a try. If she succeeds, not only will you get a large sum of money, but you can also send your son abroad to live a life of luxury."

Yu's mother was persuaded. She took the deposit from the young man—a stack of US dollars.

She inquired about Li Jianguo's background and became more and more satisfied with what she found out. However, knowing that he already had a girlfriend, she didn't tell her daughter directly, but only hinted at it indirectly.

A mother understands her daughter.

She knows her own daughter's character perfectly well. She can easily sway her with just a few words.

The day Yu Li first met Li Jianguo, he came straight to her door.

The money was just lying on the table.

They were wrapped in kraft paper, a neat, square stack. Mother Yu counted them three times later, her hands trembling more and more with each count.

They said they would provide whatever we needed.

As Yu's mother spoke, her eyes were still glancing at the money, as if the stack of bills were still there.

So all the things Yu Li bought during that period—snow cream, wool coat, imported high heels—were paid for by other people.

Who would have thought?

We've put in so much effort, and now we don't need it anymore.

"They usually reach out to me on their own initiative."

Sitting in the interrogation room, Yu's mother rested on her knees, her fingers intertwined. A trace of red remained on her fingernails, painted by Yu Li last month; most of it had fallen off, leaving only a few flakes, which looked rather shabby.

"If I need to contact them, I leave a note under the tree by the door. It's that crooked locust tree; there's a hole at the base of the tree. I just slip it in there, and they bring it over."

At this point, Yu's mother had completely relaxed. She spilled everything, both what she should and shouldn't have said. As she spoke, she wiped her nose, the back of her hand brushing against the tip of her nose, a glimpse of her red fingernail flashing before her eyes.

"That man is interested in my daughter."

She suddenly looked up, glanced at Deputy Director Zhang, and then quickly looked down again.

"But I can't stand his character. He's as skinny as a stick and stutters when he speaks. Anyway, I didn't let Yu Li have any contact with him."

In that sense, Yu Li was unlucky.

She is greedy. But after being fooled by her mother, she's beyond saving.

After listening, Deputy Director Zhang's cigarette burned down to the filter. He stubbed it out in the ashtray, which was enamel with the words "Advanced Worker" printed in red on the bottom.

"We're letting you go back today."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to his mother.

"Go back and write a note saying your daughter got married. But Li Jianguo is very angry, and you plan to give him gifts and make them give you money."

"real?"

Yu's mother was taken aback and looked up at him. A light flickered in her eyes, like a match suddenly struck in the night.

"Fake."

Deputy Director Zhang turned around and stared at her.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life in jail?"

"understood."

Mother Yu was dejected. Her head drooped, her neck seemingly unable to support itself. Her red fingernails twitched again, and she hid her hands under her legs.

Director Zhao immediately went out to assign tasks.

He's an expert at surveillance. He became a reconnaissance soldier at sixteen, able to lie in the bushes for three days and three nights without moving. No one is more suitable than him.

He walked to the door, then turned back and leaned half his body inside.

"Deputy Director Zhang, those three over there, should we interrogate them or not?"

"Trial."

Deputy Director Zhang walked back to the desk from the window and sat down. The chair creaked.

"We have to go through them all. This whole family is a ticking time bomb. We need to give them a good talking-to, so they don't cause us any trouble in the end."

While waiting for someone, he glanced at Li Jianguo.

"I'm sorry Director Li had to go through this difficult time."

He carefully chose his words. As a policeman, he'd seen too many couples break up because of work. There were some things he needed to say upfront.

"The fewer people who know about this, the better. As for you and Comrade Jiang Min... I'll personally explain to her after this is all over."

Li Jianguo thought of Jiang Min.

I remembered the last time she came to the factory, she stood at the gate waiting for him to get off work, carrying a lunchbox in her hand. The lunchbox was wrapped in a towel, so it wouldn't get cold. She smiled when she saw him, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.