The Bank Burglary Case (8)

Chapter 8

This house had been built by the old couple when they were young. It started as a simple thatched hut, but through years of constant repairs and additions, it had evolved into a house with earthen walls.

Only the two of them had ever lived here. When relatives visited, they were never invited inside. The couple guarded this old house, slowly growing old within its walls.

At first, their relatives had been understanding, knowing they had lost their children and choosing not to hold their reclusiveness against them. Later, however, the relatives grew annoyed. So many years had passed; they couldn’t understand why the couple couldn’t just move on.

Consequently, the old couple became even less inclined to associate with them.

In all these years, this was the first time so many people had entered the house.

After the sun rose, sunlight spilled inside, lending a touch of warmth to the earthen walls.

The atmosphere allowed everyone to slowly relax. The only sound in the room was that of Yun Song eating her breakfast.

She sipped the porridge, accompanied by slices of pickled cucumbers.

The pickled cucumbers had the unique flavor of Tonglin Town.

Yun Song noted that these cucumbers had clearly only been pickled for two days. They were crisp with just the right hint of acidity. It seemed the elderly couple still maintained a normal routine in their daily lives.

The Liao couple truly had no talent for crime.

The others stood by, watching Yun Song finish a bowl of corn grits porridge and two pickled cucumbers.

Just as she finished, Tang Chao arrived with the village chief and two villagers.

The village chief was extremely anxious. “Put the knives down, quickly! These really are police officers from the city.”

Only then did the old couple believe them. They looked like people who had done something wrong and didn’t know how to make amends.

Yun Song and the other two weren’t angry; after all, there was a reason for the misunderstanding.

Yun Song checked the two seniors’ physical condition. They had some underlying health issues, but overall, they were doing fine.

Only then did they have time to question the elderly couple about the details of the incident. Once their statements were finalized, Yun Song and her colleagues had to return to town.

The village chief kept apologizing, fearing that Yun Song and the others would take offense at the seniors threatening them with knives.

“They lost two children when they were young, and their mental state hasn’t been quite right since. They gave you a real scare this time.”

Only then did Yun Song learn the history of the old couple. No wonder they had kept insisting during questioning that the Liao couple was bullying them because their children were dead.

She asked, “Were the children’s bodies never found?”

“The flood washed them away. How could they be found? Sigh.”

Yun Song fell into deep thought. Soon, they returned to Tonglin Town.

The young Liao couple wanted to go back to their own home to sleep. “We’re exhausted after these past two days. You surely can’t send us back to the city right now. If we have to keep walking, what if we die of exhaustion?”

“Then go back and sleep,” Yun Song reminded them. “Don’t get any more sudden bright ideas. Your last ‘bright idea’ was just to steal a little money, and look how that turned out.”

Tang Chao added from the side, “And if you have a sudden bright idea to run away, remember that you’ve lived in this town your whole lives. You have no idea how dangerous it is out there.”

The young couple waved their hands frantically, signaling that they would absolutely not run away.

Yun Song said, “Go on then, go back and sleep.”

The couple quickly departed.

“Huh? Are we just letting them go back?” Tong Jin was a bit worried they might flee.

“Let them go back for now. I suspect they know more about the bank burglary than they’ve confessed.”

“The three of us will take turns catching up on sleep today. One person will stay behind to watch them.” They were still afraid the pair might run.

If they ran, it wouldn’t just be bad for the police; it would be bad for the couple themselves.

As police officers, it was their duty to prevent them from straying further down the path of crime.

Soon… there was no need for the three of them to take turns sleeping.

Because the Liao family’s “good neighbor,” Old Lady Zhang, had arrived again.

The old lady peered left and right, and only after confirming no one else was around did she approach Yun Song. “That money… when will you give it to us?”

“Ma’am, the Liao family didn’t rob the bank.” However, the old lady had indeed provided clues that helped them. Yun Song intended to find a way to get her a small reward.

Tong Jin and Tang Chao had originally agreed to the rotation, but at this moment, as they looked at this energetic little old lady, an idea suddenly struck them.

But Yun Song was still there.

The two of them were embarrassed to let Yun Song know. For some reason, they felt Yun Song was a person of great principle. It wasn’t exactly fear, but rather a feeling that they would be ashamed to do anything slightly “shady” in front of her. So, they said to her, “Sister Yun, you go sleep first. We’ll talk things over with the old lady.”

Yun Song trusted the two of them, and since she really did need to catch up on sleep, she headed back.

Once Yun Song left, the old lady looked at the two remaining officers and began her old sales pitch.

She asked, “Does this mean you’ll never be able to solve this bank robbery?”

“Officer, look, if you can’t solve the case, you can’t go back to the city. You need someone to turn in… I have a son here…”

The old lady didn’t feel she was framing her son. In her view, if her son went to prison, he would have free food and housing, and it would help him quit gambling. For her unrepentant son, it was actually a bright future. The old lady’s logic was quite sound in her own mind.

“Ma’am, what you’re suggesting is illegal. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, but you mustn’t say it again.”

Tong Jin spoke up from the side. “Ma’am, could you do me a favor? I can give you five yuan.” To Tong Jin, it wasn’t much, but to an elderly person with no income, it was a significant amount.

After a moment of whispering between the three of them, the old lady took three yuan and headed home happily.

On the other side, the Liao couple was also trying to catch up on sleep during the day.

The two of them couldn’t sleep at all. Their bodies were exhausted to the limit, but their nerves remained taut, unable to relax.

When a person cannot relax, sleep is naturally impossible.

The young couple lay on the bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

“How long do you think we’ll be locked up?”

“No matter how long it is, people will definitely talk about us… what will happen to the three children then?”

This matter was truly something they couldn’t dwell on. The moment they thought about it, it felt as if a knife was being driven into their skulls, making their temples throb with pain.

“Forget it, let’s go out for a walk. We aren’t going to get any sleep anyway.”

When they stepped out the door, the Old Lady from next door was right there, her eyes fixed intently on them.

They went downstairs, and the Old Lady followed. They started to run, and the Old Lady began to run as well.

“Old Lady, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Just getting some exercise,” the Old Lady replied.

The young couple had no choice but to return to their home. Once inside, they started stitching shoe soles again. Since they couldn’t sleep, they figured they might as well finish a few more pairs.

Time dragged on minute by minute. They could feel the sun moving sluggishly across the sky, never having realized before that a single day could feel so incredibly long.

Night fell.

The couple stitched their shoe soles while listening to the sounds outside. At first, there were still people walking around, and they could hear voices drifting up from downstairs.

Gradually, as the night deepened, the only sound left was the distant bark of a dog coming from somewhere far away.

Only then did the couple stand up.

They had to accomplish one more thing tonight. If they succeeded, their children would have a way to survive, even if the two of them ended up in prison later.

The couple moved through the silent streets. The roads that were bustling during the day were now completely deserted.

Fueled by adrenaline, they walked faster and faster, soon arriving at the far end of Tonglin Town.

There was a Li Family residence here. They raised pigs and had a large manure pit.

This was the place. The couple still remembered that day when the people who robbed the bank threw something inside.

The couple reached the edge of the manure pit, covered their noses, and began to fish through it.