Ding, ding-dang-ding-dang…
Pushing open the glass door of "Panda Express" in front of you, the wind chimes hanging above make a crisp sound, and the sweet and sour aroma in the air also surges.
A lady who was mopping the floor looked up. She had her hair simply tied up with a silk scarf. She was not wearing any makeup. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes showed a bright smile. Even before she opened her mouth, one could feel her friendliness and efficiency. It was obvious at a glance that she was a good worker.
"Sorry, we still need another thirty minutes to open. Could you please come back later?"
The lady in front of me has an Asian face and looks to be over 40 years old. Her English pronunciation is not standard and has a slight accent, but she does not feel inferior or stutter because of this. Her graceful demeanor reveals a kind of confidence, and her every move is refreshing and refreshing.
Accent is no longer important.
Kirk smiled and said in standard Chinese, "So, if I want to practice Chinese, I've come to the wrong place, right?"
The lady was slightly stunned, then she clapped her hands and laughed heartily, and switched to Chinese mode, "Not all Panda Express owners can speak Chinese."
Moreover, he did not mind at all that the guests found the wrong door, and switched back to English to give instructions generously, "If you want to practice Chinese, go out from here, there is a small park at the end of the street, many people play squash there, there is a Chinese corner there, you can practice as much as you want, and occasionally you can also exercise with young people."
In just a brief encounter and a few words, I could feel the other party's straightforwardness and friendliness, worthy of being a businessman.
Kirk guessed that this should be the boss lady that Wallace mentioned, but he didn't know whether it was Ann or Sun.
The store in front of you is the Panda Express where Wallace works.
Kirk believes that he needs to get to know this person better, not from the text in the archives, but from the fragments of words from friends, colleagues and classmates, to piece together a real image with warmth and edges, and to capture the hidden truth from those casual conversations.
Kirk did not forget his mission, so he did not continue with the pleasantries or introduce himself, but continued to perform his role faithfully.
"Actually, I came here to look for the black guy who works here."
"Ah, Wallace! He's on the night shift today and hasn't come yet." The lady answered enthusiastically, "What do you want to see him for?"
Of course, Kirk knew that Wallace had classes this morning and did not come to work, which was why he made a special trip to visit him.
But on the surface he cooperated very well, showing a regretful expression, and pointed outside the door in the direction of a crossroads beyond the intersection.
"My dog ​​got lost accidentally a few days ago. I just learned today that he was found here last night, dying. Fortunately, someone found him and sent him to the animal hospital, saving his life."
"I just wanted to come over and say thank you in person, thank you, thank you so much."
As he spoke, Kirk became a little excited, and his words were a little incoherent and his words were not clear enough to express his excitement in this way.
Although this short speech did not explain the whole story clearly and there were some loopholes, it was more convincing.
It can be seen from the proprietress's expression that Kirk succeeded.
"So, how is your dog now? Is everything okay?" she asked with concern on her face.
Kirk had just gone to the animal hospital to confirm. "It's out of danger now, but it still needs to be observed for a while." He looked frightened. "Luckily it was treated last night, otherwise... otherwise it might never be seen again."
The words were slightly choked.
The lady boss came up and patted Kirk on the shoulder. "You are learning Chinese. I wonder if you have heard the old saying, 'Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future.' Believe me, after you get through this, you will be able to stay together for a long time in the future. We should be thankful that the danger is over."
Simple words, yet with a touch of warmth.
Kirk felt a little embarrassed to continue to lie, so he stopped talking and changed the subject, "What did you say his name was?"
"Wallace." The proprietress gave the answer straightforwardly. In order to ease the atmosphere, without Kirk continuing to ask, the proprietress spoke herself.
"He's really a good guy."
"He is hardworking, willing to endure hardships, and willing to learn. He is very down-to-earth. He asks questions when he doesn't understand and learns when he doesn't know. He has been with me for less than a month and has done all the work inside and outside the house. I like him very much."
"Besides, he's kind-hearted."
As she was talking, the proprietress seemed to remember something, patted her thigh, and words came out in a crackling sound.
"It was not long ago."
"We are open every day, and it is always difficult to control the food portions. We eat the leftovers every day, and after a long time, it is hard for us. But it is a pity to throw away all the food as food waste."
"At that time, Wallace suggested that we distribute the surplus food to the homeless. This would not only solve the problem of food waste, but also do good deeds. The Panda Express where Wallace used to work also did this in Flushing."
"He is a good kid, not only smart, but also kind and most importantly, down-to-earth. This is rare among young people nowadays."
The clues all fit together, but there was a small difference -
Wallace said it was the boss' idea.
The proprietress in front of him said that this was Wallace's idea.
So, who is lying?
But the really funny thing is, why lie?
This is not something illegal, nor is it something worthy of praise, so there is no need to lie. However, the statements of both parties do not match, which is very interesting.
Of course, there is also a possibility that Wallace was lying and this was indeed his idea, but he was just being modest and gave the credit to his boss. After all, without the boss's consent, this idea could not be implemented.
There's no need to make a fuss.
Kirk is trying to avoid being misled by his own preconceived subjective judgments and conduct investigations based on evidence as much as possible.
When investigating a case, it is often easy to fall into a misunderstanding and identify a person as a criminal suspect, thus making a preconceived conclusion.
During the subsequent investigation, any anomalies and any doubts were involuntarily attributed to the suspect. The suspect was considered suspicious no matter how they looked at him, and a judgment was made arbitrarily before any evidence was provided.
This is not only a misunderstanding, but also a taboo, because it often makes it easy to overlook the real clues hidden in the evidence.
Now, the only thing that is certain is that Wallace is indeed hidden in a fog and doubts are slowly emerging, but that's all.
Those doubts, those weirdnesses, those coincidences, all remain in the fragmented stage, with no way to be connected together. There is a key missing. It feels like a scattered puzzle, and the correct arrangement and combination of the puzzle has never been found. It is not enough, this is far from enough.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Buzz buzz buzz.
At this moment, Kirk's cell phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and then looked up at the proprietress.