Chapter 1: When there's something you're responsible for, take charge and get it done (8)

  Old Lady Wang bit her pen and thought for a moment before writing on the paper: There was a lump on her forehead, about the size of a walnut, which didn't seem to be caused by a bump. It might be some kind of tumor. She had never spoken to me before, so I don't know what accent she has, but judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to be from out of town.

  "Did you see her again later?" asked Peng Yuanda.

  Wang's mother wrote: I don't remember accurately, and later on I was on vacation, so I don't know if I went or not.

  At this time, Da Lizi poked Peng Yuanda again and pointed to the watch on his wrist, reminding Peng Yuanda that it was time to get off work and have dinner. At that time, there were not as many restaurants on the street as there are now, and even if there were, a small policeman like Peng Yuanda couldn't afford to eat at them unless he didn't want to live anymore. Peng Yuanda was a bachelor, eating in the cafeteria every day, and after dinner time, he would often go hungry, unable to bear his hunger, so he had to search everywhere for food, which was a very troublesome thing. Therefore, like most bachelors, Peng Yuanda wouldn't dare not report to the cafeteria on time unless something special happened.

  Peng Yuan looked at his watch and found that it was already past meal time. If he went back to the cafeteria late, even the cold rice would be gone. He stood up and bid farewell: "Auntie Wang, thank you, your information is very important. I'll stop here for today and come back tomorrow to continue our conversation."

  The old lady Wang didn't write on the paper, but drew a picture and said a string of words that sounded like "gibberish", although they couldn't be understood, her intention was clear: don't let them leave. At this time, Xiaolan in the next kitchen translated for them: "My mother says that at this time you won't have dinner if you go back, so let's eat at our house and then continue talking."

  This was a rare opportunity for Peng Yuanda, having dinner at Wang Dama's house could avoid the worry of going back late and being hungry, and he could also have dinner with Xiaolan at the same table. After dinner, he could continue to investigate the situation with Wang Dama... In short, the various benefits of eating at Wang Dama's house flashed through Peng Yuanda's mind in an instant, and he was about to happily accept the invitation when Da Lizi stood up and walked out while declining Wang Dama's kindness: "Forget it, Peng is still busy with his case tonight, and I haven't asked for leave from my wife either. Let's go, Peng."

  Da Li Zi refused to be persuaded, and Wang Da Ma couldn't persuade them anymore. Peng Yuan Da had no choice but to follow Da Li Zi out the door, but in his heart, he was furious with Da Li Zi. When Old Huang snuck up from behind to ambush Da Li Zi, Peng Yuan Da didn't make a sound. Da Li Zi had already been on guard against Old Huang when he left the house and felt something was off. He jumped to the gate and crouched down, pretending to pick up stones. Old Huang didn't dare chase after him again and instead stood at the door, barking and scolding him. Knowing that Old Huang wouldn't bite anyone except Da Li Zi and wanted to show off in front of Xiao Lan, Peng Yuan Da walked past Old Huang with a fearless expression, but his heart was racing. Old Huang only scolded Da Li Zi and ignored him.

  Get on the car, Da Lizi said: "Xiao Peng, let's go, to my home for dinner, this time back to the cafeteria are all closed."

  Peng Yuanda was still sulking about not being able to get a free meal at Wang Dama's house, and said in a huff: "I'm not going, I have something else to do."

  "Little Peng, you can't eat at Wang's house, let's go to my place instead. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it after dinner."

  Hearing him say this, Peng Yuan couldn't help but ask: "Why can't we eat at their home?"

  "His family is really struggling," said Da Li Zi in a low voice. "Xiao Lan just came back from the countryside and hasn't found a job yet. Her dad was ill for a long time, accumulated a lot of debt, and passed away without paying it off. The debt still hasn't been paid off until now. Their family relies on Wang Dama's monthly salary of 35 yuan to get by. You see how old Xiao Lan is, but her clothes are still patched up. What else do they have besides their bed and table? If we were to eat at their house, they would definitely add one or two dishes, which may not be a big deal for us, but it's an extra burden for them. So, let's not eat at their place."

  Peng Yuanda felt a bit bitter and ashamed, he saw a store still open on the side of the road, jumped off his bicycle and went in to buy a can of meat, came out and said to Da Lizi:

  "Come on, let's go to your home for dinner and get familiar with the place. From now on, you're my friend."

  In the following days, Peng Yuanda almost went to Wang Dama's house every day. Sometimes he was accompanied by Da Lizi, and sometimes he went alone. To the point where if he didn't go one day, his heart would feel empty. He explained this as needing to understand the situation in order to solve the case, which also conformed to reality. After multiple contacts with Wang Dama and gaining a deeper understanding, the suspicious woman became clearer and clearer in Peng Yuanda's mind. Now the problem was finding this woman, which couldn't be done without Wang Dama's help.

  Wang Dama was in charge of taking care of the women's bathroom at the bathhouse, sweeping and cleaning, guarding the door, and preventing men from accidentally entering the wrong room. As a result, she was very familiar with the regular old customers who came to bathe there. Under her guidance, Peng Yuanda found those old customers one by one to investigate, and then through those old customers, he found people who did not often come to this bathhouse. After half a month, almost all the female customers who had been to the bathhouse during that time were found, except for the woman who might be the thief. When he asked about the woman's situation, the answers were similar: they had seen her, had an impression, but didn't know where she came from or what she did. This made Peng Yuanda even more convinced of his inference: that woman was the thief. Because other customers all had relative stability, even if it was occasional visitors, after careful and meticulous investigation, their whereabouts could be found. Some people were not suitable for the case due to age, some bathed at times that did not match the crime scene, and some did not have the opportunity to be alone while bathing. Only that mysterious woman matched the conditions of the case: she was of an age that fit the case, she bathed multiple times at the crime scene, and she had multiple opportunities to leave the sight of other customers, who could not say what she was secretly doing.