Madness of the Heart

There is a saying in the society called "Big New Year".

Chinese people value the Spring Festival. New Year's Eve is undoubtedly the most important day of the year. The Spring Festival holiday is also a refuge for countless people to escape from reality.

It seems that when the bell rings at zero o'clock, all bad luck, bad luck, and misery will be left behind in the past year, everything in front of us is brand new, and there is a lot to do in the future.

But there are also a few people who have a bad Spring Festival.

Dongcheng District, Fanglong Alley.

There are many old houses in this area, the policy has been down, and the whole house will be demolished in one year.

In big cities, demolition is undoubtedly a big happy event, usually means getting rich overnight.

This year is likely to be the last Spring Festival that the old neighbours in Fanglong Alley have gathered for decades. As early as the winter, Chen Hongbing and a dozen elder sisters who are keen to dance square dance talked about the reunion.

Before New Year’s Eve, the old sisters had been in groups for several waves. On the day of New Year’s Eve, some people moved the mahjong table outdoors at noon. Women played mahjong with sunflower seeds, and men hung lanterns to prepare New Year’s Eve dinner, trying their best to show themselves in front of outsiders. How to spoil your wife.

At 7 or 8 in the evening, the entire Fanglong Alley became more lively.

It’s not allowed to set off firecrackers privately in the urban area, but Chen Hongbing’s mouth is sweet, and he pulled a few old sisters to move them with reason and with affection. It means that they were demolished here in the year. Everyone grew up in this area. There is a ban on fireworks and firecrackers. Without the sound of firecrackers, this year will not be festive anymore. In the last year, there should be some memories.

The city administrators summed up, followed up with a report, and considered that their demands have a certain truth, and Fanglong Alley is on the fringe of the city, which belongs to the area where you can "open one eye and close one eye", so they really gave it to them. A small open area was marked and they were allowed to set off firecrackers there, but they could not make any noise.

The firecrackers were installed in a van and pulled from the small county town specializing in the production of fireworks and firecrackers to Fanglong Alley. At ten o'clock, almost all the residents living in the alley came out except for the young people who didn’t look at it. .

Chen Hongbing has a pungent personality and often plays "people crazy" when he is young. Now he is almost 50 years old and he is more open. He organizes mahjong in the afternoon and holds a small red flag in the evening to stand at the forefront of the open space to maintain order, just like the director of the neighborhood committee of Fanglong Alley.

"Sister Hongbing, Sister Hongbing!" Yang Guizhen, who danced the square dance together, shouted in a rough voice: "Come here!"

Chen Hongbing was a little unhappy, and squeezed past the crowd, "What's wrong?"

"Why are you alone?" Yang Guizhen looked around, "Where is your family? Xiaoming didn't see it either."

Like many women of this age, Chen Hongbing has tattooed eyebrows and lips, but the tattoos are not ideal. The eyebrow-shaped lip color is now outdated. In order to hide their shortcomings, Chen Hongbing will thicken every time he goes out. Makeup, from the daytime to the present, the makeup—especially the eye makeup—has been spent, and the eyeliner and eyebrows are smudged, making her stare look very funny.

"My man is staring at the pot at home! To entertain relatives tomorrow, I have to prepare the dishes tonight." Chen Hongbing's expression was a little unnatural, "Xiao Ming is big, so I don't like to join in the fun with us, so I ran away in the afternoon. What are you talking about... Go listen to the New Year's bell with your girlfriend!"

"Yeah!" Yang Guizhen was surprised, "Does Xiaoming have a girlfriend?"

Chen Hongbing raised her eyebrows triumphantly, but the tip of her right eyebrow had melted, and she couldn't raise her eyebrows.

"Then you have a good mentality." Yang Guizhen's tone was already taunting, "Xiaoming is in his sophomore year in high school. You are not anxious about his grades, and you dare to let him be a girlfriend."

Chen Hongbing smiled pretentiously: "Xiaoming has a sense of measure. Besides, my son is old, and I'm a mother who is always taking care of him. He might be hateful. If he wants to do it, he can do it. The girl has money at home. Good grades!"

Yang Guizhen rolled his eyes.

Chen Hongbing said again: "Where is Binbin in your house?"

"Hey--" Yang Guizhen said, "I'm setting off firecrackers with his dad."

Chen Hongbing smiled but didn't smile, "It's better to be Binbin, kiss you, unlike our Xiaoming. Alas, the only thing Xiaoming makes me worry about is grades..."

The sound of firecrackers was deafening, and immediately drowned the women's "swords". The singing and dancing are lively and lively, putting on a coat of affection and love for all the fights.

Everyone said with a smile, "Gongxi get rich", but in fact everyone hopes that others have no money to make money.

Chen Hongbing and Yang Guizhen are the organizers and lead dancers of the square dance in Fanglong Alley. Chen Hongbing was beautiful when he was young, and often participated in the theatrical shows in the factory. Nowadays, most women of the same age are bloated, but her figure is well maintained, so although she is not as good as Yang Guizhen, she becomes the first lead dancer by virtue of her figure.

Chen Hongbing's son Xiang Haoming and Yang Guizhen's son Xu Binbin were the same age. The two grew up together. They didn't see much when they were in elementary school. After entering junior high school, Xiang Haoming always suppressed Xu Binbin regardless of his looks or grades. This made Yang Guizhen especially unable to look up in front of Chen Hongbing.

Now Chen Hongbing also said that Xiang Haoming had made a rich girlfriend and went to the city center to listen to the bells and watch fireworks together. Yang Guizhen couldn't swallow this breath even more.

Even if she was crushed by Chen Hongbing herself, why didn't her son keep up?

Exaggerated laughter came from diagonally forward. Yang Guizhen saw that Xu Binbin was holding a string of firecrackers, laughing out of breath.

She stomped her feet hard and felt even more angry. She didn't understand what her son was laughing at. She was such a big person, with poor grades and stupid brains, so she knew how to make a fool of herself.

The open space for firecrackers was on the west side of the alley. The street lights on the east side of the alley were broken and dark. Only a few windows in the old houses on both sides showed light. One of them was Chen Hongbing's home.

She didn't tell the truth to Yang Guizhen.

Tomorrow, no relatives will come to her house. Her husband Xiang Lin is not busy cooking, and her son Xiang Haoming did not go to the city center to listen to the New Year's bell. Even Xiang Haoming has a girlfriend is a temporary lie by her. .

At this time, Xiang Haoming was shutting up in her room to do the problem-of course not willingly, but forced by her. Xiang Lin didn't come back yesterday, so I don't know where he went.

Chen Hongbing has lived for most of her life, loves vanity, and compares everything with the women around her. What she cares most about is her own face. She will definitely not let her neighbors know about things like her own men who do not return home at night and ignore housework for a long time. As for Xiang Haoming, she has been creating a "personal design" for her son to be smart, talented, and able to get good grades without much study for many years, so as to gain the greatest psychological advantage in small talks with Yang Guizhen and his like.

The sound of firecrackers and noise from the other end of the alley came, even if the windows were closed tightly, they could not be blocked. Xiang Haoming threw his pen in annoyance, crumpled the draft paper into a ball, and smashed it **** the ground.

There is a family portrait on the desk. I don't know how many years ago it was taken. In the photo, he is still very young and wearing a red scarf. Chen Hongbing insisted on putting the family portrait on the table. Every time he was upset when doing homework, he was even more upset when he saw it.

He wanted to smash the photo frame and tear up the photo.

The only thing he could feel about this hypocritical family happiness was nausea.

There is still a while before the early morning, and Xiang Haoming has long been unable to enter the book. He knew Chen Hongbing well, this woman—he could no longer call her a mother—will not come back until everyone is gone.

Xiang Haoming decisively changed his clothes for going out, and looked at the class group in WeChat. The group was very lively. Almost all the students were playing outside. The last time they were eating New Year’s Eve dinner at relatives’ house. Stay at home and do your homework.

Once the rebellious psychology is aroused by the 16 or 17-year-old boy, he basically cannot take it back. Xiang Haoming took out more than 800 yuan from the drawer, which was the teaching assistant fee he had deducted, stuffed the scarf and gloves into the schoolbag, and closed the door without looking back.

There was a damp smell in the corridor, and he hurriedly walked past his nose and mouth in disgust.

He really didn't understand, what are the poor people in this whole alley messing about? Chen Hongbing collected money from house to house a while ago, saying that he wanted to buy materials for the New Year's Eve dinner, red lanterns for decoration, and the cart of firecrackers.

Thousands of tens of thousands of dollars, why not improve the living environment, but instead use it to engage in those imaginary activities?

A group of worms living at the bottom of the society are just looking forward to the demolition. They need to be incapable of skills, have no background, and have to work hard to create a friendly neighborhood.

Xiang Haoming felt that the "play house" of the insects was really ridiculous.

But what is even more ridiculous is that he was born here, and he is also a weak bug.

Thinking of this, Xiang Haoming wanted to immediately escape from Fanglong Alley, his pace could not help speeding up, and he changed from fast walking to running.

"what--"

An unpleasant cry came along with the pain in his chest. Xiang Haoming frowned, and it turned out that it was Xu Binbin who had hit him.

"Hey! Xiaoming, are you at home?" Xu Binbin was naively stupid. "Then why didn't you just come and set off firecrackers with us?"

Xiang Haoming doesn't hate Xu Binbin, but he doesn't like it either. In his eyes, Xu Binbin is a fool.

Xu Binbin followed Yang Guizhen. At this time, Yang Guizhen's weird eyes were falling on Xiang Haoming.

Xiang Haoming immediately understood what Yang Guizhen was thinking.

Doesn't this superficial woman love to "contend for beauty" with Chen Hongbing?

Xiang Haoming was very happy to embarrass Chen Hongbing, so he pulled out a dry smile, "I have been at home, but my mother forced me to do homework at home."

As soon as he said this, the smile on Yang Guizhen's face could no longer be concealed, "Oh, Hong Bing sister just told me that you and your girlfriend went to the city center to listen to the bell."

Xiang Haoming shook his head, "I don't have a girlfriend."

Yang Guizhen seemed to be completely pleased, with a distorted smile.

"I won't tell you anymore. Before my mother comes back, I still want to feel the festive atmosphere." Xiang Haoming said harshly, "Aunt Guizhen, don't tell my mother that I saw me here."

Yang Guizhen waved his hands one after another, "Go, go, Auntie doesn't say anything!"

Xiang Haoming had a smile on his face, but when he brushed past Yang Guizhen's mother and son, the smile disappeared instantly.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, the Chinese New Year event finally ended. The open space was full of red confetti. After zero o'clock, Chen Hongbing led the old square dance sisters to dance a few dances and received countless applause.

Although tired, Chen Hongbing enjoys this pursuit very much.

When he got home, there was no light in Xiang Haoming's bedroom. Chen Hongbing expected that his son was already asleep, and cursed Xiang Lin in a low voice while removing his makeup.

She could not wait for Xiang Lin to die, so when the demolition, the demolition expenses belong to her and her son, and Xiang family members don't even want to take it away.

Chen Hongbing in front of the neighbors and Chen Hongbing in front of his family were totally two people. Chen Hongbing turned off the lights and went to bed when he was too addicted. He thought about getting up in the morning to cook glutinous rice **** for his son, but because he was too sleepy, he woke up until noon.

"Xiao Ming?" Chen Hongbing knocked on the bedroom door, "Have you had breakfast? Let's go out to eat at noon."

Nothing happened.

Chen Hongbing was very puzzled, Xiang Haoming had always been behaved and would never ignore her.

"Mom came in." Chen Hongbing opened the door, only to see the curtains bulge, and there was no one in the room.

Fanglong Street Police Station.

All the police were on duty last night. Now some people go back to rest, and some people still stick to their posts.

"Don't worry, clarify the situation." The female policeman Xiao Wang pacified Chen Hongbing with a pair of dark circles under her eyes. "When did your son leave home? What is his mobile phone number and social network number? Which middle school you study... You have to tell us the basic information before we can look it down."

Chen Hongbing was anxious, a man who was usually so sharp-toothed, his son lost his square inch, and he didn't explain the matter clearly for a long time.

After discovering that Xiang Haoming was not at home, she first called Xiang Haoming and then sent a message, but Xiang Haoming had shut down, and "the other party is typing" did not appear on WeChat.

She had the phone numbers of Xiang Haoming's classmates and the head teacher, and they called one by one to ask, and they all said that Xiang Haoming had not contacted her.

She called Xiang Lin, and Xiang Lin actually shut down.

Unable to think of where Xiang Haoming could go, Chen Hongbing had to call the police.

Under Xiao Wang's enlightenment, Chen Hongbing finally made the necessary information clear. She grabbed Xiao Wang's hand and her eyes were red: "We Xiaoming won't have any trouble, right? He is very good, and he never matches those who are not incompatible. People have good results, and you must help me find him!"

In a big city like Dongye, "missing" is too common. A small number of disappearances are related to the case, and the vast majority of disappearances are only short-term misunderstandings, misunderstandings, or even mischiefs.

However, the police have always attached great importance to the missing of the juvenile, and even if the police were already exhausted, they immediately launched an investigation.

Surveillance showed that at 11:12 on New Year’s Eve, Xiang Haoming passed through the east entrance of Fanglong Alley alone without being followed. Since then, he has not appeared in any public surveillance.

Communication records show that Xiang Haoming's mobile phone was turned off at around 4 am on the first day of the new year, and it cannot be located at present.

Until the evening, the police station could not find Xiang Haoming. The police asked every classmate Xiang Haoming could be contacted. No one knew his whereabouts.

Throughout the Spring Festival holiday, sanitation workers take turns. Of course, there are people doing cleaning at any time in key places in the city center. However, in places like Fanglong Alley, sanitation workers are hardly seen for most of the day. On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Old Xu Tian went out to sweep the street before it was light-it was his turn today, and he wanted to finish it earlier and go home early to continue the New Year.

The people living in Fanglong Alley drew several carts of firecrackers a few days ago to set them off. No matter what they did, the confetti and boxes after the explosion were all piled up in a pit, and no one wanted to clean them up.

Old Xu was swearing, he didn't want to worry about it. He definitely couldn't clean such a big dirt pit by himself. It's better to wait for everyone to go to work and transport a truckload of dirt to bury it on the spot.

But Lao Xu had some selfishness. He heard that the firecrackers were not exhausted at all. He picked them up and sold them to those who were engaged in the firecracker business. Maybe he could make a hundred or eighty yuan.

The sky didn't get up for a while, so Old Xu went into the pit tentatively, threw the empty box outside, and walked deep.

Suddenly, he realized that he seemed to be kicking something, shaving away the scraps of paper, and taking a photo of it with a flashlight. When he saw clearly what it was, he screamed out of fright.

The dense fog dispersed, and the warning band separated the scene from the lively residents.

Several police cars were parked outside Fanglong Alley, not only from the Dongcheng Sub-bureau, but also from the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

Old Xu's face was pale, and he couldn't get up on the bench, "Then, that person's skin was stripped, all blood holes, scared, scared me to death!"

Ming Shu got out of the car and walked quickly towards the scene.

A woman with a disheveled hair rushed from the side crying and almost ran into him.

"The eldest sister's son disappeared on New Year's Eve." Policeman Xiao Wang said: "She is worried about the inside..."

Ming Shu nodded, glanced at the woman, pulled the guard, and walked in.

The woman is Chen Hongbing, her face is extremely haggard, and the face that has lasted for decades is torn apart by these difficult days. She sits on the ground and cries, fearing that the "blood man" in the pit is her son Xiang Haoming. .

If it was just an ordinary murder case, the serious crime team might not be dispatched immediately, but it is now during the Spring Festival and the time is special. According to the reporter, Lao Xu, the scene was very strange. The skin of the deceased was peeled off and the whole person was taken off. Buried in red confetti. In some villages and towns around Dongye City, a century ago, there was a backward custom of peeling the skins of the living people and taking the bones of the heavens to pray for the elimination of diseases. The people who were killed were all healthy but extremely low-ranking poor people, and the people who killed them were all powerful and powerful people who eliminated diseases for themselves.

This cruel custom has long been eradicated, but now it seems to be reappearing in the urban area.

Ming Shu has a shift today. He had already planned to drive with Xiao Yuan to the western suburbs for a ride. After receiving the clue, he immediately cancelled the trip and hurried there.

The red confetti and boxes in the pit have not been completely removed, and the "blood man" has been moved outside the pit.

The **** smell at the scene was not serious, and the most obvious thing in the air was gunpowder fumes.

Ming Shu put on gloves and a mask, frowned, and walked behind Xing Mu, "Really peeling?"

Xing Mu shook his head. He didn't know if it was too cold or the condition of the body was too bad. His voice was a little trembling, "It's not skinning, these injuries were caused by firecrackers."

Ming Shu's eyes tightened, "Firecrackers?"