Resumen del episodio 3 de Hu Tong
> Resúmenes de Hu Tong
After the peaceful liberation of Beiping, the public security situation remained highly chaotic, plagued by numerous spies, robbers, and wandering bandits. These lingering enemy agents frequently engaged in subversive activities like burying mines, assassinations, poisoning, and arson, causing severe instability.
With the founding ceremony imminent, a leader convened an urgent meeting, stressing that the Party and Chairman Mao had tasked them with swiftly rectifying law and order, eliminating all enemy agents, bandits, and reactionary organizations to ensure the ceremony's smooth execution. He emphasized mobilizing the people as their strong backing to overcome these challenges. Li Hongying returned home late after a busy day, and Lin Zheng brought her a late-night snack, urging her to take care of her health.
She suggested they eat together at her dormitory, dismissing his concerns about others seeing them, as their relationship was well-known. Their conversation was interrupted when a colleague urgently informed Lin Zheng that two wounded soldiers returning from the front had mysteriously died in the hospital. One died in his bed, and another, in a wheelchair, rolled down the stairs and suffered a fatal head injury from excessive bleeding.
Lin Zheng suspected enemy agents were responsible and immediately summoned his colleague, Qin Defu, for assistance. At the hospital, the director, Dean Qin, expressed disbelief, pointing out the hospital was under military control with guards, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate. He then recalled a third wounded soldier who had died two days earlier, which had been considered a normal death. Lin Zheng ordered an immediate autopsy for that body as well.
Forensic autopsies confirmed that the first soldier died from suffocation, and the earlier deceased soldier had aconitine, a highly toxic alkaloid, in his system, leading to rapid death without external traces. This solidified Lin Zheng's suspicion that the wounded were assassinated by secret agents within the hospital staff. He tasked Qin Defu with leading a secret screening of all staff to find the murderer and requested Dean Qin to ensure the investigation remained strictly confidential.
Meanwhile, Tian Zao took Meihe and others to Chunhua Building to see Chunxi. The proprietress initially barred them, asserting ownership over Chunxi, who had sold herself to the establishment to pay for her mother's treatment. Tian Zao threatened to involve the government, leading to a brief scuffle with Meihe and the others before Chunxi intervened, asking the proprietress for leave. Over dinner, Chunxi expressed deep gratitude to Tian Zao for raising Meihe, who was now healthy and strong.
Tian Zao, acknowledging their shared hardships and the new liberated era, offered to seek help from Li Hongying to free Chunxi from the Chunhua Building. Suo Qian, waking late and hungry, went to Tong Xiaoting's room for food. Tong Xiaoting gave him some melon seeds while listening intently to a radio broadcast reporting the triumphant crossing of the Yangtze River by the People's Liberation Army, signaling the imminent liberation of Nanjing. Suo Qian, however, showed no interest in this news.
After dining with Chunxi, Tian Zao and Meihe escorted her back to Chunhua Building, where Chunxi and Meihe shared a poignant farewell. Tian Zao promised to bring Meihe back soon and, at Meihe's request, took him to watch Tie Dan practice wrestling. At the wrestling ground, Tie Dan had his apprentices teach Meihe a few moves while he chatted with Tian Zao.
Tian Zao expressed her strong desire to join the Communist Party as an activist, believing they were genuinely working for the people, and encouraged Tie Dan to join with her. Tie Dan, initially hesitant and doubtful about their acceptance, suggested he would consider joining after Tian Zao successfully became a member. Following a discreet investigation, Lin Zheng and his team identified nurse Zhou Ping as a suspect, noting her suspicious presence at the crime scenes despite not being on duty.
Lin Zheng informed Li Hongying that Zhou Ping resided within her street government's jurisdiction and requested her team to conduct a thorough household survey to gather all available information on Zhou Ping. Simultaneously, he assigned Dapeng to initiate 24-hour, comprehensive surveillance on Zhou Ping, instructing him to meticulously record all her movements and contacts without missing any clues. Both Lin Zheng and Qin Defu emphasized the paramount importance of maintaining strict secrecy throughout the operation.
Li Hongying subsequently provided Zhou Ping's household registration details, listing her origin as Handan, Hebei Province, prompting Lin Zheng to dispatch Qin Defu to conduct an external investigation there. After two weeks of secret surveillance, Dapeng reported to Lin Zheng that Zhou Ping's activities appeared normal, consisting of work, meals, shopping, and theater visits. However, Lin Zheng noticed a critical three-hour gap in her movements. Dapeng confessed he had lost track of her during that time in the bustling streets.
Lin Zheng was furious, emphasizing that three hours was sufficient for significant clandestine activities. Soon after, Qin Defu returned from his external investigation, revealing that Zhou Ping's household registration, provided via Li Hongying's department, was entirely fake; no such person existed in Handan, Hebei Province. Lin Zheng, channeling his anger, tasked Li Hongying and Dapeng with conducting a discreet, detailed door-to-door investigation among Zhou Ping's neighbors to gather more reliable information, ensuring not to tip off Zhou Ping.
Meanwhile, Tong Xiaoting practiced singing opera in the courtyard, captivating a mesmerized Suo Qian, as well as Tian Zao and Xiulan, who were doing laundry. Li Hongying’s team then interviewed Tian Zao, who provided a breakthrough: Zhou Ping was not from Handan, but from Jingxian County, Hengshui, Hebei Province.
Tian Zao explained she discovered this by observing Zhou Ping use a specific local term, "Lao Dang," for sparrows, a term she recognized from another child, Dayong, who hailed from that region. Li Hongying was immensely relieved and grateful for this vital clue. Tian Zao once again expressed her desire to join the Party as an activist, highlighting her proven usefulness, but Li Hongying gently deferred, saying Tian Zao was still too young and should wait two more years.
Dapeng remembered that he had lost Zhou Ping in Cigarette Bag Slant Street. Lin Zheng, accompanied by Qin Defu and Dapeng, visited the street, observing its many shops. Lin Zheng theorized that Zhou Ping's mysterious three-hour disappearance indicated she might have used one of these shops as a contact point or to access a secret passage, allowing her to evade surveillance.
Qin Defu proposed a "fire investigation and fire prevention" inspection as a legitimate cover to check every shop without alerting suspects. Lin Zheng approved the plan, instructing Dapeng to coordinate with the fire brigade for inspections starting the next day. He also assigned Li Hongying's street government to investigate the background and identities of all shop owners for any suspicious connections.
Dapeng and a team of firefighters commenced the door-to-door fire safety inspections along Cigarette Bag Slant Street, checking fire exits and safety measures in each establishment. Despite their thorough efforts, they initially found no concrete clues. Dapeng, however, grew suspicious of a ready-to-wear shop, particularly a large cabinet wall filled with ready-made, expensive clothing. The shop owner vigorously tried to prevent Dapeng from inspecting these garments, claiming they were custom-made for clients and feared they would be soiled.
Dapeng insisted on a brief inspection but ultimately found no immediate abnormalities on the wall. Upon returning to Lin Zheng, Dapeng reported the lack of direct findings but highlighted his lingering suspicion about the ready-to-wear shop, especially given that no customers seemed to ever collect the "custom-made" clothes. Lin Zheng acknowledged the peculiarity but, cautious of "startling the snake," decided against a direct re-investigation. Instead, he instructed Dapeng to maintain a constant vigil on Cigarette Bag Slant Street.
While one person would continue to shadow Zhou Ping, Dapeng himself was to lead a team to stake out the street, waiting for Zhou Ping to eventually return and reveal her connection to one of the shops. Meanwhile, Tian Zao again pressed Li Hongying to accept her as a Party activist, citing her proven helpfulness, but Li Hongying once more told her she was too young and would have to wait.
