mystery literature
Hóu Dàlì's Criminal Investigation Case Notes
About the Book
Plot Blurb: For sixteen years, driven by the loss of someone he loved and his pursuit of the murderer, Hóu Dàlì has repeatedly stared death in the face. He has honed his mind into a computer and his eyes into microscopes, enabling him to methodically pinpoint the crucial clues hidden within crime scenes and autopsy reports. With an almost superhuman power of observation, Hóu Dàlì cuts through even the most tangled social networks to identify a killer’s behavioral patterns and upbringing, ultimately bringing them to justice. Driven by the firm belief that no homicide should ever go unsolved, Hóu Dàlì has grown from a rookie investigator into a walking textbook of criminal investigation.
📕 TITLE OF BOOK OR SERIES
Hóu Dàlì's Criminal Investigation Case Notes
🎭 ALTENATIVE TITLE
侯大利刑侦笔记
🌎 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
China (Mainland)
🧑🏻🦰 AUTHOR
Xiaoqiao Laoshu (小桥老树)
🕵️ DETECTIVE(S)
Hou Dali
✅ SERIES STATUS
Completed
#️⃣ VOLUME(S)
10 Volumes. Generally sold as an anthology rather than individually.. Generally sold as an anthology rather than individually.
Read Chapter 2 of Hou Dali’s Criminal Investigation Case Notes (侯大利刑侦笔记) in this unofficial annotated English translation. We have made every effort to faithfully translate the author Xiǎoqiáo Lǎoshù’s (小桥老树) work from the original Chinese, preserving the author’s words, nuances, and connotations while providing notes on Chinese names, idioms, cultural references, and wordplay to help English readers experience the story as it was written.
If you see a word or phrase followed by a lightbulb (💡), it means there is a note explaining the translation or a related concept. Click on the word or phrase before the lightbulb to view the note.
Key Character List:
- Hóu Dàlì (侯大利) – High school student and young master of Guólóng Group.
- Yáng Fān (杨帆 / Xiǎo Fán) – Hóu Dàlì’s high school classmate who disappears unexpectedly.
- Zhū Lín (朱林) – Chief Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
- Xià Xiǎoyǔ (夏晓宇) – Head of Jiāngzhōu branch of Guólóng Group.
- Hóu Guólóng (侯国龙) – Hóu Dàlì’s father and head of Guólóng Group.
- Lǐ Yǒngméi (李永梅) – Hóu Dàlì’s mother, Hóu Guólóng’s wife.
- Yáng Yǒng (杨勇) – Yáng Fān’s father.
- Qín Yù (秦玉) – Yáng Fān’s mother.
Chapter 2: The Irrational Hóu Dàlì
The river surged beneath Shì’ān Bridge. The sky was filled with dark clouds that seemed to press down on Bāyuè Mountain in the distance.
Hóu Dàlì got out of the car and walked to the riverbank.
Zhū Lín and two investigators were already standing on Shì’ān Bridge. While heading to the scene of the incident, Zhū Lín received several phone calls. At this point, it had been largely established that Hóu Dàlì did not have the time to commit the crime.
The other investigative teams had made no progress. Heavy rain the previous night had nearly washed away any traces from the scene. After the rain stopped, a police dog named Dà Lǐ searched along the river using clothing worn by Yáng Fān as a scent source, but he failed to pick up a trail. The crime scene investigation team had already withdrawn, taking the bicycle left at the scene for further examination. while the interview team continued following up on known leads.
“Why did you conclude that she fell from Shì’ān Bridge?” Hóu Dàlì’s hair was soaked with sweat, as messy as a chicken coop after a rainstorm.
Zhū Lín silently gazed at the river.
Investigator Chén Yáng said, “The bicycle was found on the bridge. Yáng Fān most likely fell into the river.”
Hóu Dàlì said categorically, “She couldn’t possibly have fallen.”
Hearing the absolute certainty in his tone, Zhū Lín turned his head and asked, “Why? What’s your reasoning?”
Images of Yáng Fān riding her bicycle surfaced in Hóu Dàlì’s mind. He walked forward a few steps, crouched beside the curb, and pointed at the faint bicycle tracks. “Yáng Fān usually rode close to the edge of the sidewalk. She had a regular route and never deviated from it. If she had intended to stop at Shì’ān Bridge, she definitely would have placed her bicycle at the bridge entrance. When Yáng Fān rode home from school, it hadn’t started raining yet. I can’t think of any reason she would have fallen into the river.”
Zhū Lín opened his clipboard and pulled out the scene diagram.
Judging by the bicycle’s position, it appears that it struck the stone-block railing. However, a heavy rainstorm yesterday washed away nearly all traces at the scene, making it difficult for the crime scene examination to produce any conclusive findings. The interview team had also failed to uncover any useful leads, so for now it was impossible to determine what had happened on the bridge yesterday. Hóu Dàlì had frequent contact with Yáng Fān and was familiar with her routines. If he could be completely cleared of suspicion, the information he provided would be the most valuable.
Zhū Lín closed the clipboard. “You said ‘if.’ ‘ That implies there must have been a reason Yáng Fān stopped on Shì’ān Bridge. What was it?”
“Yáng Fān and I were neighbors growing up, and we were close. We would often stop at Shì’ān Bridge and sit on the grass nearby; she would help me with my schoolwork.”
“Take us over to the grassy area.”
Hóu Dàlì led Zhū Lín and the others to the small patch of grass where he and Yáng Fān usually met. After the torrential rain, the area had been left almost unrecognizable. While they were examining the site, Zhū Lín received a report by phone from another team of investigators. During their inquiries, they had unexpectedly caught a car theft ring, but it had nothing to do with Yáng Fān’s disappearance.
“Is there news?” Hóu Dàlì stared intently into Zhū Lín’s eyes.
Zhū Lín shook his head. “No.”
“No one has seen Yáng Fān since school let out yesterday; which leaves all kinds of possibilities. Why do you believe she fell into the water?” Hóu Dàlì stood at the edge of the grass. The scenes of the times he and Yáng Fān had met on that little patch of grass pierced through time and space, replaying vividly in his mind’s eye. He pressed his hand against his forehead, the images in his mind compressing slightly, then immediately springing back, stubbornly maintaining their original form.
Zhū Lín said, “Based on the evidence we have so far, the most likely possibility is that she fell into the water.”
Hóu Dàlì’s face turned pale. He turned to Xià Xiǎoyǔ and said, “Get me a boat. I’m going to search along the river.”
Xià Xiǎoyǔ said, “Although the bicycle was found on the bridge, the situation is complicated. It doesn’t necessarily mean she fell into the river. Let’s wait a little longer.”
Yáng Fān is just as stubborn as her father. She is extremely meticulous in everything she does—meticulous to the point of rigidity. She wouldn’t easily change her habits. She didn’t come home last night; she must have encountered something serious. The greatest possibility is that she fell into the water. Get a boat. I’m going to search along the river.” An image of Yáng Fān falling into the river surfaced in Hóu Dàlì’s mind. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself to ward off the cold coming from deep within.
Xià Xiǎoyǔ craned his neck to glance at the rushing river and gave a wry smile. “We had a torrential downpour yesterday, and the river is still rising. It’s impossible to take a boat out. I’ll send more than a hundred people to search along the river. It’ll be just as effective.”
Xià Xiǎoyǔ disagreed with finding a boat, and Hóu Dàlì did not force the issue. He took out his phone and called some buddies from his social circle in the provincial capital. The ‘fox and dog friends‘ he associated with were all second-generation wealthy, with many resources at their disposal and influence that could not be underestimated. Not long after he began making calls, one friend replied that he could find a boat.
“I’m going into the river from Shì’ān Bridge. Money doesn’t matter. Just name your price. One hundred thousand a day? Then one hundred thousand a day. Hurry up and come.” Hóu Dàlì hung up the phone and stood by the river waiting for the search boat. An irrepressible thought surfacing in his mind: “If I hadn’t gone drinking with my buddies from the provincial capital, and had walked Yáng Fān home instead, this wouldn’t have happened.” That thought became a venomous snake, slithering through his bloodstream and sinking its fangs into every organ.
Xià Xiǎoyǔ knew he couldn’t stop Hóu Dàlì, who had lost all reason. After speaking with Hóu Guólóng and immediately arranged for his subordinates to obtain several life jackets. He also had several security guards who could swim brought over from the security team, specifically to protect the Guólóng Group’s “crown prince.”
An hour later, a small motorboat arrived. Hóu Dàlì jumped aboard and tossed the life jacket at his feet. Two capable security guards followed him aboard, staying close to protect Hóu Dàlì.
The river current was swift, causing the motorboat to rock violently. Hóu Dàlì stood at the bow and said to the police officers on the riverbank, “If there’s any news, be sure to notify me.”
Zhū Lín hadn’t expected Hóu Dàlì to be so hot-blooded. He urged, “The Public Security Bureau and Shì’ān Factory have organized a large number of people to search along the river. There’s no need to take a boat out; the current is too swift. It’s genuinely dangerous.”
Hóu Dàlì did not respond to Zhū Lín. Standing at the bow, he shouted, “Start the boat!” The motorboat’s engine roared as it rocked from side to side in the swift current.
Xià Xiǎoyǔ anxiously stamped his feet on the bank and instructed his men: “The nearby villagers know the situation best. Go find several dozen villagers, pay them a daily wage, and have them search along the river. If you can’t get the villagers to cooperate, find the village leader and have him step in.”
Xià Xiǎoyǔ’s men found Jiǎng Chāngshèng, the village leader, and had him organize forty people to search along the riverbank. Jiǎng Chāngshèng had long gone into the city to sell vegetables. He was a shrewd and capable businessman. After a round of bargaining, he organized about forty villagers from two large courtyards near his home, who brought bamboo rakes, ropes, and fishing nets to search along the river for the person who had fallen in. The villagers were highly enthusiastic about the search because, in addition to receiving a basic daily wage, they would receive a substantial reward if the body was found.
For heavy rewards, there will always be brave men. The villagers knew the exact locations of the backwater pools along the riverbank. They quickly moved ahead of the people searching along the river and went to several of these pools to wait for the body to surface.
About ten kilometers from Shì’ān Bridge, a group of exhausted searchers sat on the riverbank. Among them were the deeply grieved Yáng Yǒng and Qín Yù, as well as Lǐ Yǒngméi, who had rushed over after hearing the news. Some first-year students from Jiāngzhōu No. 1 High School had also organized a group to search along the river.
Hóu Dàlì rose and fell with the surging river. As he thought of the beautiful moments he had shared with Yáng Fān, tears streamed down his cheeks, mingling with the rain until the two were indistinguishable.
The people on the shore and the boats on the river searched for two days, but there was no news.
The last faint hope remaining for Yáng Fān’s parents, Yáng Yǒng and Qín Yù, was crushed to pieces by the passage of time. Unable to bear the pressure, Qín Yù fell ill and took to her bed. Yet, after lying there for an hour, she thought of her daughter, whose whereabouts were still unknown, forced herself out of bed, and joined her husband in searching along the river.
On the third day after Yáng Fān disappeared, the motorboat reached a river bend about fifty kilometers from Shì’ān Bridge. A trace of red appeared and disappeared in the water. Yáng Fān had been wearing a red jacket on the day of the incident, which was very much like that patch of red.
The boat owner, willing to navigate during the high-water season for a high reward, could be considered the kind of daring person who was would risk his life for money. As the boat drew near, he crouched down and took one look at the red, then turned his head away as quickly as possible, not looking a second time.
Hóu Dàlì’s legs went weak, and he sat down on the deck of the boat. At that moment, the sun was covered by clouds; the sky lost its light and everything became extremely dim. His eyes stared fixedly at the red among the water plants along the riverbank, his spirit shattered by the God of Death. When people are young, they enjoy the happiness of growing up and rarely consider the great questions of life and death. Yáng Fān’s death made Hóu Dàlì had faced the death of a loved one at close range for the first time.
The criminal police officers soon appeared on the riverbank. From a distance, they saw the red floating in the water. Qín Yù let out a cry of anguish and collapsed to the ground in a faint. Yáng Yǒng knelt on the ground and violently struck his head against the earth.
The police moved Yáng Fān’s parents outside the cordon.
Unable to reach the body from the riverbank, the criminal police officers called the boat owner and asked him to pull the red object to the bank. The motorboat owner was a brave man, but superstitious, and refused to approach the body.
Two criminal police officers boarded the boat. A middle-aged detective picked up a bamboo pole and forcefully pushed the body, slowly moving it toward the riverbank.
After seeing the red in the water, Hóu Dàlì seemed to have an invisible barrier around his body, separating him from the outside world. He could not hear sound or see light. When the male detective used a bamboo pole to push that patch of red, a hole appeared in the barrier; sound, light, water vapor, and everything else surged in. Only then did Hóu Dàlì reconnect with the outside world, and a hoarse voice suddenly rang out: “Don’t push. She’ll hurt.”
The male detective had seen life and death many times and possessed a strong inner resolve. He said, “A corpse cannot feel pain. We still have to get it to shore.”
“I told you, stop. She’ll hurt.” Hóu Dàlì snatched the bamboo pole, stood at the side of the boat, and carefully supported the red. As it was being moved, the red tilted to one side, then completely turned over. Hóu Dàlì saw the face emerging from the water clearly. With a “wa,” he retched violently. After vomiting, he began to sob uncontrollably, yet he insisted on continuing to support and move the red with the bamboo pole.
After the body reached the shore, Zhū Lín said, “That’s enough. Don’t bring it out of the water just yet; wait for the forensic examiner to arrive before bringing it ashore.”
The female leader from the Shì’ān Factory union said with tears in her eyes, “Captain Zhū, let’s pull her up. Yáng Fān’s parents are watching from the shore; it’s not appropriate for her to remain in the water.”
Zhū Lín fixed his eyes on the red in the water, glanced again at the crowd on shore, and patiently explained, “A body decomposes faster when exposed to air than when left in water. To secure better conditions for solving the case, let’s wait a little longer. The forensic examiner is already on the way.”
He was purely standing from the perspective of a criminal police squad leader, discussing the matter according to the facts, and trying his best not to include personal emotions. The union leader often invited Yang Fan, the “little princess” of Shi’an Factory, to perform at the factory and had deep feelings for her. Hearing Zhu Lin’s professional words that contained no emotion, she became angry and turned to leave, secretly cursing that public security personnel all had hearts of iron and stone.
The red was brought ashore and covered with a white cloth. Qín Yù was the first to collapse unconscious, followed by Yáng Yǒng, and finally Hóu Dàlì, whose physical strength had been completely exhausted.
The residents searching along the river had gone as far as a little over twenty kilometers downstream. After learning that the body had been found fifty kilometers away, they regretted having stayed too close. They missed the large payout and only got a small hardship fee.
While Hóu Dàlì was searching the river, the Major Crime Division of the Jiāngzhōu Criminal Investigation Department investigated countless leads. In the end, they tentatively set the direction of their investigation as a crime of passion: Yáng Fān’s life was extremely regular; every day she went from her home to school and back, and she never had contact with men outside her social circle. If it was a crime of passion, the greater possibility was that the suspect was a student. There were five students who had expressed affection for Yáng Fān (including Hóu Dàlì), and further investigation was still needed.
Following a forensic autopsy, the body showed the following characteristics: slight traces of water were present in the mouth; the pupils were dilated, with bleeding on the mucous membranes; the eardrums were ruptured with bleeding; there was fluid accumulation in the lungs; silt and sand were present in the mouth and nose; and the protruding areas of the body surface had abrasions with irregular edges.
Conclusion: Yáng Fān died by drowning.
Hóu Dàlì slept soundly for an entire day. After waking, he went to the Criminal Investigation Department and found Zhū Lín.
Zhū Lín sized up the spoiled young master who had lost an entire circle of weight, his expression softening slightly as he said, “You were very brave. You drifted on the river for three days.”
In just a few days, Hóu Dàlì lost seventeen or eighteen jin, and his appearance looked ten years older. That flash of red floating in the river had severely affected him, causing psychological trauma. “Yáng Fān was truly meticulous in what she did. When crossing Shì’ān Bridge, the wheels of her bicycle were always about one meter from the edge of the bridge, with almost no deviation. Because of this, I once teased her, saying she was timid.”
He paused slightly and said with absolute certainty, “If there had been no unexpected incident, Yáng Fān absolutely would not have fallen into the water.”
“After the preliminary investigation, suicide can be ruled out. At present, there are also no criminal facts pointing toward homicide. The possibility of accidentally falling into the water is the greatest. As for the reason she accidentally fell into the water, due to limitations in the circumstances, it will be difficult to determine.” Zhū Lín’s view of the boy before him quietly changed, and he patiently explained.
Hóu Dàlì said, “I understand Yáng Fān. She must have been harmed; otherwise, she would not have fallen into the water. For example, if someone deliberately pushed her into the river, this would be very similar to an accidental fall into the water.”
“This is the report requesting approval not to file a case. I am about to submit it to the deputy bureau chief in charge. The autopsy does not support homicide, and no other leads have been found. Investigators located the drivers of several nearby passenger buses. Only one bus driver saw the bicycle lying in front of the railing, and nothing further was discovered.”
“The bus driver saw the bicycle?”
“The location where the passenger bus driver saw the bicycle was consistent with the location of the bicycle recorded by the crime scene investigators. Based on the scene analysis, if someone had wanted to harm Yáng Fān, they could have simply thrown the bicycle into the river as well. That would have made the investigation even more difficult.”
“So many villagers crossed Shì’ān Bridge. Why didn’t anyone pick up the bicycle?”
“The heavy rain. That was probably the reason.”
“There should be fingerprints on the bicycle, right?”
“Fingerprints are classified into latent (sweat-based) fingerprints, patent fingerprints, and plastic fingerprints. Any fingerprint may be lost through movement, compression, or shaking, and rainwater can also wash them away. Crime scene technicians only recovered partial fingerprints from the bicycle handlebars; after comparison, they were confirmed to be Yáng Fān’s.”
Hóu Dàlì left the Criminal Investigation Department with a somber expression and made his way to Shì’ān Bridge. He sat on the bridge and closed his eyes. The scene of Yáng Fān riding her bicycle quickly across Shì’ān Bridge surfaced in his mind once again, and he immediately imagined the various possible circumstances in which the accident might have occurred.
A motorcycle or car collided head-on with the bicycle; in her panic, Yáng Fān’s bicycle veered off course.
Someone was chasing the bicycle, causing Yáng Fān’s bicycle to change its trajectory.
Several people blocked the bicycle. Yáng Fān tried to force her way through, but lost control.
Someone called out to Yáng Fān. She got off the bicycle, and for some reason, a conflict occurred.
The scenes in his mind were vivid, as if the event had actually happened; Hóu Dàlì was not merely imagining things, but replaying the “facts” in his mind.
Based on the bicycle’s last known location and Yáng Fān’s habitual riding route, Hóu Dàlì repeatedly reasoned through the possibilities by the bridge; he simply could not accept that Yáng Fān had fallen into the Jiāngzhōu River without some external force involved. Passersby, seeing this young man behaving crazily and recalling that someone had once fallen into the water at this very spot, hurriedly walked away from the ominous place.
After running through the possibilities for so long, Hóu Dàlì was exhausted in both body and mind. He sat on the stone railing, pressing his hands firmly against his temples. The past replayed in his mind like a movie, and everything related to Yáng Fān was exceptionally clear.
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Notes
为爱追凶 (lit. “for love pursues the murderer”): The phrase suggests that Hóu Dàlì is driven by the death of someone he loved, and that avenging or solving their murder is the motivation behind his actions. ↩
HOH dah-lee ↩
yahng fahn / shee-ow fahn ↩
joo leen ↩
shyah shee-ow yoo ↩
HOH gwoh-long ↩
lee yong-may ↩
yahng yong ↩
cheen yoo ↩
Note: Yáng Fān always rode close to the edge of the sidewalk and so not close enough to accidentally fall from the bridge with her bicycle. If she had intentionally stopped at Shì’ān Bridge, perhaps to look at the river, she would have moved her bicycle to the open area at the bridge entrance rather than leaving it where it was found. ↩
Note: This line relies on an implied chain of reasoning that is more natural in Chinese than in English. Zhū Lín notices that Hóu Dàlì says “if she intended to stop,” suggesting he doubts Yáng Fān stopped of her own accord. Zhū Lín then infers that, if she did not intend to stop on Shì’ān Bridge herself, something else must have caused her to do so. ↩
Note: Lit. washed so that its face was completely changed. ↩
Note: This is a physical metaphor to describe Hóu Dàlì’s memories. He is pressing on his forehead as if to physically suppress the memories. The images in his mind briefly “compress” and then “spring back,” still vivid and clear. ↩
Note:狐朋狗友 (húpéng gǒuyǒu) literally means “fox and dog friends.” It is an idiom used to describe unreliable companions, disreputable friends, or people who associate mainly for leisure and questionable pursuits. These people are not criminals; rather, they are wealthy youth whose lifestyles and social connections may be viewed as questionable. ↩
Note: 太子 (tàizǐ) literally means “crown prince,” the heir apparent to an emperor. In modern Chinese, it is commonly used figuratively to refer to the son and presumed successor of a powerful business leader or influential family. ↩
Note: 公安 (gōng’ān) refers to the organization that handles China’s public security police system, the primary law enforcement authority responsible for criminal investigations and maintaining public order. It is often translated as “police” in English but the “Public Security Bureau” (PSB) is the formal name of the institution in China. ↩
Note: 生产队长 (shēngchǎn duìzhǎng) refers to the leader of a rural “production” team, a village-level collective farming unit that existed under China’s former people’s commune system. In this context, the term refers to a locally influential village leader whose involvement would help mobilize residents. “Production Team Leader” would be more literal but does not communicate well in English. ↩
Note: 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) literally means “to guard a tree stump while waiting for a rabbit.” It comes from a traditional Chinese fable about a farmer who, after one rabbit accidentally runs into a tree stump and dies, abandons his work and waits by the stump hoping another rabbit will appear. The idiom now describes passively waiting for an opportunity or expected outcome rather than actively pursuing it. The villagers are using their knowledge of the river’s backwaters and waiting at likely locations where the missing person might be found. ↩
Note:要钱不要命 (yào qián bù yào mìng) literally means “want money, not life.” It describes someone who is so driven by the desire for money that they are willing to take extreme risks, even risking their own life. ↩
Note: The repeated use of “the red” rather than “the body” is deliberate ant true to the original Chinese. ↩
Note: “Little princess” is a term of affection rather than a formal title. By calling Yáng Fān the “little princess of Shì’ān Factory,” the author shows how warmly she was regarded by the factory community. ↩
Note: Literally referring to the children of wealthy families who wear fine silk and live indulgent lives, 纨绔子弟 is a traditional expression for a privileged young person perceived as spoiled or lacking hardship. ↩
Note: 瘦了整整一圈 (shòu le zhěngzhěng yì quān). Literally: “lost an entire circle of weight.” This is a Chinese expression describing someone who has become visibly thinner all around. The person’s entire body has noticeably shrunk, as if a full layer has disappeared. ↩
Note: Approximately 19-20 lbs (8.5-9 kg) ↩
Note: About 3.5 feet ↩
Note: Chinese forensic terminology divides fingerprints into three categories based on how the impression is formed:
1. 潜汗性指纹 (qiánhànxìng zhǐwén) — Latent (sweat-based) fingerprints
- Literally: “hidden sweat-type fingerprints.”
These are fingerprints left behind by the natural sweat and oils on a person’s skin. They are usually invisible to the naked eye and require chemical or powder processing to reveal.
2. 附着性指纹 (fùzhuóxìng zhǐwén) — Patent fingerprints
- Literally: “attached-type fingerprints.”
These are visible fingerprints created when a substance on the fingers—such as blood, ink, dirt, grease, or another material—is transferred onto a surface, leaving a visible impression.
(Note: English forensic terminology usually calls these patent fingerprints, rather than “adhesive fingerprints.”)
3. 减层性指纹 (jiǎncéngxìng zhǐwén) — Plastic fingerprints
- Literally: “layer-reduction fingerprints.”
These occur when a person touches a soft material and removes or displaces part of the surface layer, leaving a three-dimensional impression. Examples include fingerprints left in wax, clay, dust, paint, or other soft materials.
(Note: In English forensic terminology, these are called plastic fingerprints because they are three-dimensional impressions.) ↩