Life-Savings Stolen

Jiang Xia didn't hesitate when Wu Suo called her name — she just followed. That much money was like the sky falling for an ordinary family.

She had to check the scene for any leftover clues, ideally solve the case. She hopped on her bike and sped after Wu Suo.

Donghua Road never got apartment buildings; workers still lived in single-story houses. They used to be neat, but in recent years everyone expanded, turning the residential area into a maze.

A first-timer would definitely get lost. But Wu Suo had worked here over twenty years and knew every inch. He led the team off the main road into a narrow alley, zigzagging without a single wrong turn, and reached Dong Aihua's house in under fifteen minutes.

By then, the place was packed with people buzzing. 'This is too tragic...' 'Her whole family of three is in the hospital needing money.' 'Whoever did this has no conscience!' ...

'Move aside, police coming!' Wu Suo got off his bike, leaned it against the wall, and pushed through the crowd blocking the doorway. Jiang Xia copied him, parked her bike, and hurried in.

As she crossed the courtyard gate, she saw an old woman about fifty slumped on the ground. Her hair was a mess, face swollen and tear-streaked, hands still reaching up to slap her own cheeks.

'I shouldn't have gone out!' Two women grabbed her arms on each side. 'Auntie, auntie, don't do this!' 'That was the life-saving money for my family of three!

I finally scraped it together, and I lost it all! How can I go on?' The pale words offered little comfort. With her hands held, Dong Aihua couldn't hit herself anymore, so she started banging her head forward, wishing there was a wall to smash into and die.

Jiang Xia's expression grew heavier. The situation was worse than she thought. Dong Aihua had lost money meant for medical treatment.

Theft cases weren't high-profile, but they were hard to solve. The biggest challenge wasn't catching the thief — it was recovering the cash.

Most thieves spend it immediately. By the time cops track them down through clues and stakeouts, there's usually little left.

The patients in the hospital couldn't wait. The faster they solved it, the better the chance of getting the money back. She had to identify the suspect quickly.

Jiang Xia scanned the scene. Dong Aihua's house had two rooms: the main room faced east, with a side room built to the south — its door locked.

The north side was the neighbor's back wall. Three sides enclosed a small courtyard. The east side was the gate, with a short wall about two meters high — easy to climb over.

She looked down at the base of the wall. Yep, footprints everywhere. Before the alarm was raised, plenty of people had come into the yard.

In the 80s, you couldn't expect much scene preservation awareness. The footprints were useless for now. Better listen to the situation first, Jiang Xia thought.

'Chief Wu, you're finally here!' Bao Wei Kezhang was pacing anxiously in the yard. Seeing the police, he hurried over and offered a cigarette.

Wu Suo took it but didn't light it. He asked directly, 'What's the situation here?' 'The money was for surgery.' Bao Wei Kezhang had only arrived recently.

He sighed. 'Her little grandson poured boiling water on his own feet a few days ago. Severe burns — needs surgery or amputation.

The boy's mother, her daughter-in-law, is eight months pregnant. She saw it and went into premature labor from shock. Now three people are in the hospital, all needing money to survive.' He gritted his teeth.

'They scraped together loans from everywhere. And some bastard stole it all in the blink of an eye.' Three lives. Wu Suo's hand trembled.

He tucked the cigarette behind his ear, took a deep breath, and asked, 'How was it stolen, and how long ago?' 'Less than an hour, maybe forty minutes?' Bao Wei Kezhang recalled. 'She went to see off a relative, came back, and found the house burglarized.

Money gone.' Too vague. Wu Suo figured he wouldn't get anything useful from Bao Wei Kezhang. He turned to question Dong Aihua, but saw Jiang Xia already crouched in front of her.

She pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the woman's tears, and soothed her. 'Auntie, I know you're hurting, but we need to catch the thief and get all the money back.

Calm down and tell me: when exactly did the money go missing? What did the house look like when you came back?' Huh? Wu Suo paused.

This girl reacted fast. He glanced right. Hu Wei, also new, stood beside him, face red with anger — but that was all. The rookie had no clue what to do.

And Old Lü still stood at the door... that old slacker, forget it. Wu Suo stepped forward and stood behind Jiang Xia. 'I, I saw my brother off around eleven.' Dong Aihua clung to the police like a lifeline, forcing back tears, but she'd cried so long she couldn't stop hiccuping.

'He was in a hurry to get home, but the roads here are bad. I said I'd walk him to the main road. I locked the main room door and the gate before I left.

When I came back, the gate was fine, but as soon as I entered the yard, I saw the main room door open. My heart sank. I went in and saw the cabinets all ransacked.

The borrowed money was gone!' 'I heard auntie shout that there was a thief and came out,' added the woman holding her. 'That was around eleven twenty?' Jiang Xia pulled out a notebook and jotted down the time and sequence.

'So, auntie, you were only gone about twenty minutes?' Dong Aihua nodded. 'Roughly.' 'That fast — the thief is probably a habitual criminal.' Wu Suo glanced at Jiang Xia's notes, a mix of approval and regret in his eyes.

A police academy grad, quick and organized. Too bad... never mind. He pushed the thought aside and analyzed. 'Outsiders can't navigate this area.

To pull this off so quickly, it has to be a local. Probably someone who saw Dong Aihua borrowing money these past few days and targeted her.' Life-saving money couldn't wait.

Wu Suo made a decision. 'Hu Wei, Lü Fusheng, and... Jiang Xia, don't just stand around waiting for the criminal investigation team.

Split up and ask the onlookers if they've seen any local punks hanging around recently!' 'Yes, chief!' Hu Wei immediately ran outside to question the crowd. Lü Fusheng followed slowly.

Jiang Xia didn't move. She thought Wu Suo's analysis was broadly right, but too hasty — he hadn't even looked at the scene before jumping to a conclusion.

That was common nowadays. Domestic criminal investigation was just starting. Grassroots cops, even some detectives, relied mainly on personal experience, emphasizing confessions over evidence, which led to oversights.

After glancing at Dong Aihua's cloth shoes, Jiang Xia stood up, walked to the main room door, and looked inside. The room was about seven or eight meters long, with a wall dividing it into two: the outer part for receiving guests, the inner part a bedroom.

The bedroom wardrobe and bedside cabinets were all open, clothes pulled out and tossed on the bed and floor. The guest area was untouched except for an empty biscuit tin on the floor and a few footprints.

Jiang Xia stared at the tin and footprints for a moment, a vague idea forming. But it wasn't enough. She looked outside.

A padlock thrown on the ground caught her eye. It had several red marks — from being smashed with a brick. 'Xiao Jiang, didn't you hear the chief tell you to go question people?' Lü Fusheng was annoyed that Jiang Xia wasn't interviewing anyone but standing at the door staring.

He drawled, 'What are you looking at over there?' 'Chief Wu, I found something.' Ignoring his sarcasm, Jiang Xia picked up the lock and walked to Wu Suo. 'Look at this lock — it was smashed with a brick.' Lü Fusheng curled his lip.

'What's so special about a padlock?' Wu Suo was being tugged by Dong Aihua's sleeve. He glanced at the lock, also puzzled.

'It was smashed open. So what?' Jiang Xia stated directly, 'I suspect the thief isn't a habitual criminal.' 'Not a habitual?' Wu Suo wasn't angry at having his judgment challenged.

Since she was from the academy, she must have some ability. 'Tell me your reasoning.' 'This single-row pin padlock is cheap and easy to open.

Anyone who's stolen a few times knows how to pry it with pliers or a wrench — quiet and fast, the most common method. But carrying pliers and wrenches is tiring and conspicuous.

More skilled thieves carry a piece of wire and a thin metal sheet to pick the lock — faster and more discreet.' Jiang Xia rotated the battered lock as she spoke. 'But this lock was smashed.

Look — it took over a dozen hits. That makes a lot of noise. What if someone came? And smashing is a gamble — you never know which hit will break it.

Only a rookie who's never picked a lock would do that.' 'Hiss—' Wu Suo inhaled softly. He took the lock, examined the marks, and was eighty or ninety percent convinced.

Indeed, ordinary people don't know how to pick locks. If they lose a key and don't want to call a locksmith, they use a hammer — loud enough for the whole building to hear.

Same here. No experienced thief would dare. He hadn't thought you could judge a criminal by their lock-picking method. Wu Suo looked at Jiang Xia with surprise.

'Does the police academy teach lock picking?' 'Uh.' Jiang Xia gave a standard smile. 'The academy doesn't teach lock picking.

I studied it myself.' Current police academy courses include criminal investigation, but very little on trace evidence, and nothing on lock picking. Her expertise came entirely from the System.

Burglary was still theft, and master-level thievery had to include picking locks. She just didn't expect to use the skill here.

She studied lock picking herself? And knew exactly what tools and methods to use? Wu Suo stared at her, a strange look in his eyes.

He probed, 'You wouldn't happen to know how to open locks, would you?' 'A little.' Jiang Xia nodded directly. 'Since I know the theory.' That made sense.

Knowing the theory meant she could do it a bit. Wu Suo gave her a long, hard look, memorizing her face. He didn't say more.

Solving the case came first. Seeing no one paid him any attention, Lü Fusheng came back to assert himself. 'If the academy doesn't teach it, don't blabber.' He criticized Jiang Xia directly.

'Comrade, you just graduated and don't know anything. Do you realize how much extra work it is to change the investigation direction?

Newbies? There are plenty of newbies around here. Where are you going to check?'