Trafford’s Trading Club

This was the second time for Officer Ma and Wang Yuechuan to meet the girl in front of them.

This high school student looked even more frightened than last time.

She called the police when she was threatened for the first time. However, this was the third time already.

“Was this threatening letter still sent to the school?” Ma Houde was looking at this girl and frowned.

She nodded her head… She didn’t dare to tell her parents about this.

The students started to guess the truth ever since the cram school closed down. So they tried to avoid contacting each other, even if they were friends or acquaintances.

“Sir! I heard that… the dead victims were all… Sir, I don’t want to die. Save me, Please! I know I was wrong.”

“Don’t worry, we will take care of your safety.” Ma Houde said seriously, “We have taken action to protect you since the last time. The bad guy will be arrested at once if he approached you. Relax.”

But the girl was still anxious, “But why could… the threatening letter… still be sent to the school…”

This was what Officer Ma couldn’t explain.

The letter was mailed to the school directly, but they couldn’t find Zhao Ru’s picture on the surveillance system of the post office… So, the only conclusion was that she placed the letter into the mailbox herself.

The problem was that they were too many people putting letters into that mailbox in one day. It was difficult to trace who was the suspect… And they couldn’t investigate one by one, which would wake the sleeping dog.

“Do you want to resolve this matter?” Wang Yuechuan asked the girl suddenly.

The girl was stunned. This was the second time she met Wang Yuechuan.

He was cool… and handsome. But he said nothing last time.

She nodded subconsciously… She heard her heart beating quickly upon seeing his handsome face. Compared to Officer Ma with the big belly, Wang Yuechuan seemed more reliable in the girl’s eyes.

“Then give me a hand.” Wang Yuechuan continued, “I need you to plan a suicide…”

…

Officer Ma said nothing when the girl was on the scene.

He couldn’t help asking Wang Yuechuan when the girl left. “Wang Yuechuan, I think your plan will put the girl in danger. It’s ridiculous!”

“If we can’t find the murder, the other students are in danger, too.” Wang Yuechuan added his point, “There are more names on that paper. Anyone of them could be the next victim. But now, only this girl was willing to cooperate with us.”

“It sounds reasonable, but!”

Ma Houde couldn’t agree with him totally. “But we aren’t sure where Zhao Ru is hiding. What if she didn’t threaten them but killed them herself? This is not a joke. It concerns a life!”

“What she can do is merely come into contact with the criminal.”

Wang Yuechuan said, “According to what we have, the threatening letter was sent one after another. When the students collapsed, the murderer would send the final letter to make the students commit suicide… When the final letter comes, it’s me, who shall step onto the roof.”

…

Different waste pickers had their own places to working… In other words, they would occupy a place like a ‘fixed site’.

Here was the ‘fixed site’ of Uncle Mai.

“There are so many cardboard cartons here!” Old Mai said happily.

The staff who brought Old Mai here responded, “Yes. People opened their packages and threw the cartons here. And also, the rest package materials can be recycled, too. You can pick them up if you like.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Old Mai patted his grandson’s back—he just picked the boy up from school.

“Xiaojun, you go over there. We can go home after I finish working!”

Mai Xiaojun jumped over there. He turned back to see his grandpa. Seeing he was busy with work, Mai Xiaojun inserted an envelope into the mailbox right away.

Sister Xiao Ru told him that she would buy ice cream for him… if it was not discovered by others.

…

…

It got dark outside.

Old Feng found that the light reflected from the window was too dark that he couldn’t concentrate on his work.

He took off the glasses and rubbed his eyes. A phoenix had already been embroidered on the upper part of the dress.

But there were more patterns that needed to be embroidered, such as more phoenixes and propitious clouds and so on.

Making the patterns took much time.

Old Feng was frightened when hearing someone knocking the door just as he was about to turn on the light.

This was a quiet place. And he was the only one living in this building. Who would look for him… at this time?

It couldn’t be Zhou Zihao as it was not their meeting time now.

Old Feng didn’t make a sound. He walked closer to the door lightly to see who was outside.

It was… the club boss!

Old Feng hesitated for a while and chose to open the door. It would be easy for this club owner to come in if he would want to.

But… why would he come here?

Old Feng was not trying to find out who was behind that mask. He asked, “Are… you looking for me?”

“It seemed that you are the only one living here.” Luo Qiu said gently, “We will perform an after-sale service sometime. Please relax… Have you eaten anything? I brought some food for you.”

Old Feng led him in.

Luo Qiu took a dining box. Old Feng smelt a familiar flavor from the box.

Luo Qiu took a glance around and noticed Old Feng was absent-minded. He said, “The noodles were bought from the restaurant downstairs. Neighbors here said the noodles were delicious and had never changed these years.”

“I know that restaurant…” Old Feng sunk into his memories. He nodded, “It was opened ever since I came here. I would go there to order food if there was no time to make dishes.”

There was a father as well as his daughter running that restaurant.

Old Feng recalled old memories, “I made the wedding dress for his daughter when his daughter got married.”

Old Feng looked at the old pictures on the wall.

That was a wonderful time.

“Their smiles look beautiful.” Luo Qiu came close to Old Feng, “Can you tell me the story of them?”

“Story?” Old Feng was stunned.

Luo Qiu nodded with a smile, “It’s fair. I paid for the noodles, and you can tell me something about them. It won’t take very long, I think.”

Maybe the noodles reminded him of the past.

Maybe he felt lonely.

Maybe time for a meal was enough for him.

Old Feng nodded, “Fine, who would you like to know about?”

“Er… how about her? ” Luo Qiu pointed at one woman in the picture.

She was a gentle and elegant woman.

Old Feng walked to the working station and wore his glasses. He took off the picture and looked at it carefully. “I remember this woman as well as her husband.”

Old Feng sighed, “They impressed me the most.”

Luo Qiu was curious and asked, “Why?”

Old Feng smiled bitterly, “I was arrested by her husband. You… should have known that already, which was why you selected this picture.”

Luo Qiu shook his head… He merely wanted to know the story.

The story of his mother.

“We can change another one if you recalled something sad.”

“No.”

Old Feng shook his head and sat down, “I told you I deserved it… I regretted what I did these years. Prison was actually a relief. I can tell you all of it.”

“Yes, please.” Luo Qiu gave him a cup of water.

The old man didn’t drink the water. He thought for a while and started, “I forgot their names. But I remembered the couple came together with an infant in their arms.”

“An infant?” Luo Qiu was shocked.

Old Feng nodded his head, “The infant was born only for a few days. I heard from the man that he was too busy work to hold a wedding ceremony. So he wanted to customize a wedding dress for his wife. That was why they came here with their baby.”

…

“…The baby never cried.”

“But the baby fell down from the chair when that woman went to try on a dress… That baby fell down from this sofa and his mother was terrified, but he didn’t cry.”

“Let me think… Oh right, that woman always wore a hairpin with a blue butterfly on it…”

Luo Qiu listened carefully without saying a word. He knew that Old Feng could recall more and that the old man didn’t hold any hatred towards anybody.

He also knew that he had been here before, long long ago.