I looked up and my sister standing at my doorway wearing her pajamas.
"What happened?" My sister asked me, curiously stretching her head to look at the file on my desk. "What are you looking at?" The bear on her stomach was stretched, making it slightly funny to look at.
My mood relaxed and closed the file and answered her: "Work stuff. Go to sleep early, don't read your books too late."
"Ok. I'm going to go to the bathroom, first. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." I closed my computer and organized my stuff and went to sleep.
I went to work the next day and handed Zheng Xiaorui's contact information to the thin man. He was so grateful that he kneeled down and hugged my thighs and kissed my shoes.
"Alright, enough. Go find the people." I was crying and lauging at the same time when I pushed the thin man away.
Guo Yujie called for me. "The neighborhood committee made a call, Uncle Wang has returned."
Uncle Wang's full name is Wang Hongzhang and is a resident of the Gongnong village. One of me and Guo Yujie's goals were to be responsible for "bringing the parties into agreement.' Shortly after the establishment of the demolition office, he went to other places to see his daughter's family. We haven't seen him until now.
This Uncle Wang is listed in our goals to bring agreement upon both parties since the neighborhood committee gave us some information.
His only daughter does not live in this city. He wasn't much of a stubborn man when it comes to his daughter and it would be better if he moved the demolition office to a place nearby his daughter, but Uncle Wang's wife went out to by groceries two years ago and disappeared. He still couldn't find her. Auntie Wang did not have Alzheimer's. The surveillance showed that after she left the market, she entered an alley and never came out again. The police searched that area for a long time, they searched all around, and did not find anyone. It became an cold case. Suddenly, it was something about killing and dead corspes, or being kidnapped by aliens, so many different theories. The only reasonable way of viewing it was that Auntie Wang got into an accident and made it hard for her to go back home. The police filed the case for two years, but there was no leads nor any evidence. Uncle Wang was probably irritated and upset and became a bit imbecilic. He firmly believed that his wife would one day walk out of that alley and come back home. If his wife isn't mentioned, Uncle Wang is just like any other normal person, but once she's mentioned, he becomes crazy and starts to babble nonsense, and others can't say much about it. That kind of Uncle Wang would never approve of the demolition office to move someplace else and that his daughter has to send him there, he's not happy. At most every year, during summer and winter vacations, he would go to his daughter's to take care of his grandson.
Both me and Guo Yujie knew about the trouble with this Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang's story no doubt had the style that "moved China" as compared to Qingye Supernatural Office where who knows if the people are dead or alive. The manliness in Guo Yujie even becomes soft and she cries after hearing the story. But work is always more important and if Uncle Wang's situation continues to go on, I really don't know what is going to happen. His daughter is very worried and neighbors can't do anything about it.
We arrived at Gongnong village and was accompanied by the neighborhood committee to find Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang looks like an genuine old person, happily inviting us to come in, nodding to me and Guo Yujie and went to ask the director of the neighborhood committee: "Xiao Mao, what is it today?"
"Uncle Wang, these two are Xiao Lin and Xiao Guo from the demolition office," Director Mao said as he introduced me and Guo Yujie to Uncle Wang.
"Demolition office." When the three words came out, the smile on his face faltered and asked us with a start tone: "Are we going to demolish this place?"
"Depends on what you say! Our old community has been looking forward for the demolition for so many years, right? Now the government's plan has arrived here, the demolition office has been established, and before long they will actually start the demolition work," said Director Mao with a smile and a warm tone.
What she said wasn't wrong, there are indeed many old people at this small community who were looking forward to the demolition. After the demolition, there will be new houses, and there will be compensation fees, which is like money falling from the sky. Many people who were unwilling to the demolition was because of the price, it's a method for bargaining with the demolition office. When encountering such a person, the demolition office always has a solution, but Uncle Wang isn't such a person.
"I won't move. My wife hasn't come back yet. If I moved away, can she find me when she comes back?" Uncle Wang said in a worried tone.
" [SIGH] Uncle Wang..." Director Mao sighed and looked ar Uncle Wang with some pity.
"Either ways, I am not moving. Don't the demolition people have to somekind of survey? I won't allow this!" Uncle Wang said unhesitating.
"What you're saying is the demolition purpose survey. That survey, as long as 80% of the residents agree, the demolition work will finally proceed," I explained to Uncle Wang.
"Even if others agree, I don't agree, and I won't move." Uncle Wang went to sit in the sofa behind him, it was like a little kid making a scene.
Guo Yujie said persuasively: "Uncle Wang, we've heard about your situation from Director Mao before. Our demolition office's meaning is like this, we will help you contact the public security bureaus of various provinces and cities to the check the traces of your missing wife. What do you think?"
Uncle Wang stared at her blankly.
Director Mao also started to support Guo Yujie, "That's right, Uncle Wang. The director of the demolition office was an old leader, he will not only help you notify the police station in the district and the city public security burea, but also the national public security bureau, who can also help you find your wife."
Uncle Wang was silent and readjusted his sitting.
Guo Yujie and I were relieved.
What Guo Yujie said before was not nonsense and it wasn't to trick Uncle Wang. She has already talked about this to our old leader. Old leader has already talked about this with his comrades and subordinates. He has always been a low-ranking official, and he often does grassroots work, but his experience is particularly rich. He is also very old-fashioned. People who were originally at the bottom, most of them have already climbed to the top, which is why they have the nickname of "Old Leader" and he is well worthy of that nickname. It is not difficult for him to ask the public security bureaus of various provinces and cities to check the surveillance videos to find an old lady.
The whole situation isn't difficult, but I am not very optimistic about this search. A person can't be gone for no reason and it has been two years. Lost traces in the surveillance, means that something must have happened. You couldn't even find the person in the city. Then, searching around the country, it will be even less likely. Moreover, the person missing is an old woman, not a child, or a young woman, and definitely was not a strong man. The possibility of Auntie Wang being alive is very low. This is also the police station's conclusion, they believe that the innocent Auntie Wang was dragged into another case and was murdered and buried. They went to investigate it and decided to follow that reasoning, but on that small street and its surrounding areas, no clues were found.
Uncle Wang started to talk: "Are we really allowed to search the whole country?"
"Yes, really!" Guo Yujie nodded fiercely.
"Then...when she's found, I will allow," said Uncle Wang hesitantly.
Director Mao did not know whether she should cry or laugh, "Uncle Wang, the demolition office will do a survey next month. This country is so big, how can the results arrive next month?"
"I won't move unless I see my wife." Uncle Wang glanced at me and Guo Yujie. "How do I know if you guys are lying to me or not? When I agree, the demolition will start, and then you guys won't go search. Then who am I suppose to go crying to?"
Guo Yujie wanted to persuade him again.
At the moment, my phone rang and I apologized to Uncle Wang, and went away to pick up the call.
The call was from the thin man, but there wasn't any noise on the call.
"What's going on?" My heart was thumping hard.
The thin man sighed on the phone: "Brother Qi, are you playing with me?"
Hmm, what if Uncle Wang actually killed his wife, but he doesn't remember it or is faking it. *DUNDUNDUN*
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