The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Captain Dou Xiaolong remained in his office, awaiting further instructions and taking overall command.

Yang Dalin led Wu Tiejun, who was in plainclothes, and two other plainclothes officers out of the office.

Yang Dalin took the binoculars from Deputy Captain Wu Tiejun and put them in his satchel.

After leaving the branch office, Yang Dalin glanced towards the square, and the group of four quickly arrived at a building on the north side of the square.

The building has four floors. Wu Tiejun lent Yang Dalin a room on the fourth floor.

Fortunately, this is an office used by a government agency; otherwise, it would be troublesome if it were a residential unit.

This office even has a telephone, which is quite convenient.

Yang Dalin half-drawn the curtains and opened his binoculars to scan the square across the street.

The beggar hasn't arrived yet.

The time seems normal.

It's not even eight o'clock yet.

Then, after eight o'clock, Yang Dalin looked again and saw that the street workers should be at work by now, and the sanitation worker surnamed Wang had also come to work.

Yang Dalin instructed the two plainclothes officers to inquire about the background of the man surnamed Wang from yesterday in the nearby streets.

Make sure you find out the details, and try not to ask the people in their yard.

Wu Tiejun asked, "Dalinzi, isn't this person a prime suspect?"

Yang Dalin nodded.

Wu Tiejun said, "Alright, Zhang, Li, you two go ahead. Be careful, don't go directly to their yard to ask around. Once you've found out, come back and report immediately."

Neither of them looked like a new officer; they should both be experienced.

After Wu Tiejun and the other man left, he asked, "Dalinzi, have you seen any other suspects?"

Yang Dalin put down his binoculars and shook his head: "Brother Wu, not for now."

It's probably too cold and there's still plenty of time, so they won't set off this early.

I guess I'll have to wait a while.

You only have a little over a hundred new cases a month, which means three to five cases a day. They choose their targets carefully; they don't just steal from anyone they see.

A person might only do it once or twice a day.

That's why it's so hard for you to catch them.

"We don't need to rush, they can't escape."

Wu Tiejun sighed: "Well, this case has ruined our entire team's Spring Festival. Everyone's been holding back their energy."

Yang Dalin lit a cigarette for Brother Wu and said, "Brother Wu, you can't rush things. Just wait and see."

Let me have a smoke and a drink of water first.

Don't rush.

Around 9 a.m., Yang Dalin finally spotted the beggar.

He was even preparing to sit in the seat he had sat in yesterday.

Several meters in front of him, several meters to his side, and several people behind him appeared, all dressed quite elegantly.

Three men and one woman.

The clothes are slightly different from yesterday's, but not by much.

Some people changed their tops, some changed their pants, or changed their scarves.

I reckon this group doesn't have many nice clothes, so they can't possibly change them every day. They'll probably have to share them among themselves.

That's normal.

When the group of people appeared, the man surnamed Wang, who was wearing a mask, happened to sweep a few meters in front of where the beggar was sitting. Although he had his head down, he probably said something and did some seemingly normal sweeping motions.

These people, apart from the beggar, quickly dispersed to the square.

The man surnamed Wang went back to sweeping.

Is this the morning meeting of a theft gang?

I guess the boss assigned tasks, and everyone went to do their jobs.

Just then, there was a knock on the door; it turned out that the two people who had gone to the street had returned.

Yang Dalin put down his binoculars and secretly noted down the positions and clothing of several people.

This office is great; it offers a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

The entire square is clearly visible, with no obstructions.

Yang Dalin left the window and waited for Comrades Zhang and Xiao Li to explain the situation.

Comrade Zhang said, "Team Leader Wu, Comrade Yang Dalin, we've found out that in the No. 7 courtyard of Da Yangmao Hutong, in the two easternmost rooms of the backyard, lives an old man surnamed Wang."

I'm fifty-five years old, and I live alone with no other family members.

He works in the cleaning team at the train station, a temporary job that pays him eighteen yuan a month. He's alone, and it's barely enough for him to eat and drink.

My hometown is in Henan Province. Before the Lunar New Year, a fellow villager suddenly came to visit. He said that his distant cousin was struggling to make ends meet in his hometown and had come to stay with him. He was also surnamed Wang.

A few days later, Mr. Wang got into a fight with someone while cleaning at the train station. He was injured in the leg. The assailants ran away quickly, and we couldn't catch them. His workplace called the police on his behalf.

Because of his leg injury, Mr. Wang is unable to go to work and has to stay home to recover.

This cousin surnamed Wang took over his cousin's job.

He joined the temporary cleaning team, saying he was there to work for his cousin and would come back to work once his cousin recovered.

My cousin's third day at work was the first day that the number of theft cases in our square increased.

This cousin is highly suspicious.

On the way, Xiao Li and I suspected that the beating might have been orchestrated by this cousin.

Upon hearing this, Wu Tiejun was delighted, as it was good news.

I was just about to speak.

Yang Dalin asked, "Brother Zhang, did you get a photo of this cousin Wang from the neighborhood?"

Comrade Zhang nodded and took out a file bag from his satchel.

They took out a temporary residence registration form for the old city of Beijing.

Sure enough, there was a photo of this cousin Wang above.

The registered name is Wang Dashun.

Is the thief hoping for a smooth operation? That's a pretty good name.

However, I don't know if it's a fake name.

And this photo is quite dark.

It was originally a black and white photo, so the figures appear very dark.

If this person dresses up a little, they might not be recognized.

Or perhaps he was wearing makeup in this photo.

I always feel that my facial features are a bit lacking in definition.

Yang Dalin handed the form to Wu Tiejun: "Team Leader Wu, take a look too. This photo isn't very clear, so it might not be his real face."

I suspect this cousin's identity might also be fake.

Wu Tiejun stood up and looked at the window, saying, "Indeed, why does this photo look so blurry?"

I agree with your speculation.

There was no one left at Wang's house, and suddenly a distant cousin appeared. Moreover, his leg was broken after only a few days of the cousin's arrival.

He then took over the temporary worker's shift, and on the third day, a surge in theft cases began.

This person is highly suspicious. Da Linzi, do you think we should arrest him now?

Yang Dalin thought for a moment: "Captain Wu, wait a moment."

I was thinking of confirming the other suspects as well.

Don't let the others get away.

This person is very likely the leader, and I hope we can capture them all in one fell swoop, without leaving anyone else behind.

"Shall I report this to Captain Dou now?"

"Let's wait a bit, Captain Wu, we'll report together later."

It's estimated that this cousin Wang will go home for lunch. Even if he can eat at the company cafeteria, he still has to bring food to his nominal older brother.

The other thieves probably also need to find a place to eat.

Let's plan our operation before lunch, make the arrests together, and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

"Okay, we'll do it your way."