Chapter 177: Li Kezhang Li, please taste this chicken

Hearing Xu Ning say this, Li Xuewu suddenly interrupted: "The professor who is on good terms with Hu Zhengquan also lives here?"

Xu Ning seemed to know what Li Xuewu was going to ask, and pointed to a building two streets away: "I can't find out who the professor on good terms with Hu Zhengquan is, but some of the foreign teachers from Huaqing live in this place."

"Which countries are they from?"

Xu Ning didn't expect Li Xuewu to ask this, but he was prepared and replied: "The UK. At the very least, the passports registered locally are British."

Li Xuewu shook his head and said: "Passports aren't accurate; you have to check their nationality."

Xu Ning said in a difficult tone: "We don't have the authorization for that, and you don't allow us to issue letters requesting assistance in the investigation. This is all we can find out for now."

"Have you checked the businesses across the street?"

"Checked them. Nothing unusual—the restaurant, the public bathhouse, the supply and marketing cooperative, the club, the bookstore..."

"It's fine. As long as he makes a move, he'll show his little tail. Whether these businesses have problems or not, we'll know once we put them under surveillance."

"What about our manpower?"

"You, me, Han Yating, the ten hunters who haven't started work yet, and ten dogs."

"...... Li Kezhang, we're fighting a lone battle now, aren't we?"

"Don't underestimate those ten hunters, and don't underestimate those ten dogs even more."

"I didn't mean it like that..."

"Alright, leave work a bit late tonight and go see if there are any clues on Hu Zhengquan's desk, especially in inconspicuous places like the trash can."

Bidi Pavilion

"Yes."

The trash cans in every office are handled by the sanitation staff of the service department after work. Hu Zhengquan's desk and items cannot be moved randomly; one can only start from the details to avoid alerting the enemy.

After giving instructions to Xu Ning, Han Yating also came in.

"Li Kezhang, this is Hu Zhengquan's phone record, for the 5 years since his phone was installed."

"How come there's only this little bit?" Xu Ning looked at the phone record in surprise; there were only three sheets of paper.

"This phone is rarely used. Basically, all calls are from the steel mill; there are even fewer records of outgoing calls."

Li Xuewu looked at the call records on the paper. Basically, there were four or five calls a month, all from the steel mill, and most were on weekends. It might have been the duty workshop asking for advice, or perhaps notifications for temporary overtime.

The working hours of experts are sometimes different from those of workers. Workers leave work on time and don't stay a minute longer, but experts are different. Sometimes they serve special work and will work overtime.

"Since there are few, it's even easier to check. Yating, go through this record, then find the duty logs of the corresponding phone units, see the reasons for the calls, and see who the callers and the people handling them were. Have you checked his social connections?"

"Checked them. It's especially simple, and also especially complex."

"What kind of talk is that? What's simple and complex?" Xu Ning asked with a puzzled face.

"It's simple because his relationship with his neighbors is average; they don't interact much usually. The staff of the office service department said that the cabbage and coal balls of the third-floor residents are all piled in the corridor, only Hu Zhengquan's family keeps them inside the room, and his doorway faces the window, and he doesn't allow others to occupy it."

"Anything else?" Li Xuewu asked.

"Also, he doesn't go out of his room much. Usually, he bathes in his room; he doesn't go to the bathhouse at the entrance of the residential area, nor does he go to the public water room."

"What about fishing? When does he go fishing?"

"He goes out on Sunday mornings or afternoons. Oh, usually in the evenings, he goes to the club in front of the door."

"Going to the club is also called a simple relationship?" Xu Ning asked, puzzled.

"This is what I meant by complex. Besides fishing, he only goes to the club to play bridge. Because it's a club shared by all the experts in the vicinity, the people he comes into contact with are especially complex."

"Not much more complex. The more people there are, the less easy it is to handle things."

Li Xuewu said to the two again: "Let's leave this matter as it is for now. Let's talk when I come back tomorrow. You two should go to work when you should, and go home when you should. Don't go over there."

"Understood."

Li Xuewu sent the two away, looked at that square dot matrix map again, and had no clue. He simply locked the drawing in the cabinet, tidied up, and got off work.

He called Zhao Yajun, who had already learned to ride a bike, and rode home. The dog was tied up in the guard dormitory and would be moved to the kennel tomorrow morning.

Perhaps having heard some wind, as soon as Li Xuewu arrived at the courtyard, the Third Master dragged Li Xuewu into their house, no matter what.

Zhao Yajun locked the bike and went to deal with his sister's questioning.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Yu Li serving stewed chicken with mushrooms on the table. Seeing Li Xuewu enter the room, she remembered the matter from that day and nodded very embarrassedly, then went to the kitchen to get busy.

He washed his hands and entered the inner room. There were already three dishes on the Eight Immortals table. The Third Master was really bleeding money today.

There was no one else in the room, only Yan Brother Jiecheng standing by the table, looking at him with a flattering face.

The Third Master pulled Li Xuewu to take a seat.

Li Xuewu said politely: "Third Master, what are you doing? There's already good food at home."

The Third Master insisted on pulling Li Xuewu to take a seat.

"I don't know you yet? You eat in the cafeteria eight out of ten days. If you don't go back, Old Li won't look for you either. You came back, and I haven't held a welcome party for you yet. Today, Third Master will treat you well."

Li Xuewu calculated the days in his heart and thought: "This wind is almost done blowing, right?"

He joked: "My Third Master is still the most generous."

The Third Master didn't feel it was shabby. He opened a new bottle of Fen liquor and filled it for Li Xuewu. Li Xuewu hurriedly took it with both hands.

Don't drink the new wine opened in this Third Master's house, because it must be the Imperial Jade Liquid Wine.

At this moment, Yu Li brought out another plate of scrambled eggs. That made four dishes.

In the Third Master's house, having more than two dishes counts as celebrating the New Year.

Four dishes, my goodness, I won't have to account for myself here today!

Li Xuewu stood up and said hurriedly: "Third Master, I have clothes soaking at home that I haven't washed. I have to go back."

Just as he was about to stand up, he was pressed into his seat by the Third Master and Yan Brother Jiecheng, father and son.

"Don't tease your Third Master. Just you? I don't know you yet? Still washing clothes. Today, Third Master is just drinking a little with you. It's fine, drink with peace of mind, don't be afraid."

There were only Li Xuewu, the Third Master, and Yan Brother Jiecheng at the table.

Li Xuewu thought that if it were really fine, it would be a ghost.

The Third Master offered dishes and toasted. Li Xuewu ate and drank with trepidation.

But looking at this "table full" of dishes, the Third Master and his son didn't dare to reach out with their chopsticks, which made Li Xuewu feel a bit embarrassed.

Yan Brother Jiecheng said with a flattering smile: "Li Kezhang Li, please taste this chicken. My wife is very good at making chicken."

Li Xuewu thought: "Your father is a primary school teacher, can he not lose that 'de' character? Are you not letting me eat?"

He picked up a piece of chicken, took a bite, and praised Yu Li, who was standing at the door: "Sister-in-law is really good at making chicken!"