Chapter 58 One can imagine that the suture-stitched water ghost arrived at He Zhao's usual stall location with great joy...

One can imagine the sutured water ghost arriving at He Zhao's usual stall, full of joy, ready to feast. But upon arrival, it found no one there, not even the stall had vanished. It's not hard to guess the rage that surged within the sutured water ghost at that moment, and how much it wanted to tear He Zhao to pieces.

He Zhao felt a pang of sorrow, but holding the cup in her hand, she didn't hesitate and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. After finishing, she became self-righteous again: the reason she would let go tonight was because of the suture thread water ghost, right? Now that Lin Gao has been caught, how could that suture thread water ghost still be angry with her? Shouldn't it secretly set up a longevity tablet for her to express its gratitude for her great kindness?

I just don't know if the longevity tablets made by ghosts are actually effective.

He Zhao sat down in the lounge and took out his phone to play.

To be honest, the Countermeasures Bureau was really deserted at night. Although every room was brightly lit, and the corridors were clean and brightly lit, the emptiness at night was still quite eerie. He Zhao knew this was the Countermeasures Bureau, the investigators' headquarters, and it was impossible for ghosts to invade, so he was bold enough to play on his phone without worry. If it were an ordinary person, they might have been scared half to death.

He Zhao played several games when she heard some noises outside the door, seemingly coming from the interrogation room. After a while, some people in uniform walked past the door, and He Zhao knew that Qiao Yanyu's interrogation must have been completed.

She didn't rush out, but stopped playing games, turned them off, and started watching videos. After a while, she belatedly realized that she should have asked for Wi-Fi. Before, she had no choice but to use up her mobile data when she was outdoors, but now that she was inside the countermeasures bureau, even the most bizarre bureau should have Wi-Fi.

After all, investigators are human too, and they need to use mobile phones as well.

He Zhao scrolled through her phone for a while, and soon Qiao Yanyu came to find her. The first thing she said was, "Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go."

He Zhao jumped up from her chair and followed Qiao Yanyu. Standing next to Qiao Yanyu, she asked, "Sister Qiao, is it all settled? Let's go." Qiao Yanyu nodded, "Yes, he confessed everything. All that's left is to find the body. Once we find it, we can conduct some investigation and convict him."

Hearing this, He Zhao didn't ask any questions like "Is it the death penalty?" Qiao Yanyu had already said that she wouldn't consider any other options besides the death penalty. Since she said so, He Zhao chose to believe her. What kind of person was her Qiao sister? She was a woman of her word, and she would never make empty promises.

She was so certain back then, there's no way she could have lied to herself and the suture-sealed water ghost.

The thought of the stitched water ghost still made He Zhao feel a little sad. She whispered, "It seems we left the stitched water ghost in the park without telling it we wouldn't be here tonight. We even told it yesterday we'd bring it a little drink."

Qiao Yanyu was taken aback. She had obviously not thought of this either. After He Zhao reminded her, she smiled and said, "It's alright. We helped her a lot today. If we tell her tomorrow, she will be very happy and won't remember what happened today."

Hearing Qiao Yanyu say that, He Zhao was satisfied. The two of them drove their car from the police station's parking lot and headed home. When they were halfway there and waiting at a traffic light, He Zhao suddenly noticed that there were also people setting up stalls on the side of the road ahead.

Unlike He Zhao, whose stall was all show and no substance, this person genuinely sold things. He Zhao went straight to Qiao Yanyu and asked, "Sister Qiao, are you hungry?"

Qiao Yanyu told the truth: "I'm not very hungry."

He Zhao pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm a little hungry." Actually, she wasn't hungry at all; she was just craving something. Plus, she had only drunk a little water at the police station earlier, so seeing the stall now made her even more unable to move.

Hearing this, Qiao Yanyu wasn't disappointed: "Then let's go over and get something to eat."

The two cars, one after the other, quickly arrived at the stall. Even before getting close, He Zhao could smell the aroma from afar. It was a barbecue stall, and the smoke drifted over with the wind, carrying the cumin flavor from the barbecue skewers. No wonder He Zhao's mouth watered, and he was already thinking about having a few bites.

When He Zhao arrived, he realized that the other party was much more prepared than he had been. In addition to the food cart, a small shed had been set up next to it, covered with plastic sheeting to prevent the wind from blowing in on a cold winter night and catching a chill on their customers.

There were indeed one or two tables of people eating inside right now. There was a layer of fog on the plastic film, which showed that it was very warm inside.

When they first parked their car next to the stall, the owner, seeing He Zhao's food cart, thought they were there to steal his business. The owner's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything. However, when he saw the two of them abandon their car and walk over, he was relieved—they were also there looking for food.

He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu stood in front of the stall for a long time, mostly He Zhao choosing while Qiao Yanyu listened. Qiao Yanyu hadn't eaten this kind of barbecue often, and just picked a few items based on experience. He Zhao, however, had his own preferences and chose quite a few of his favorites.

After making their selections, the owner recommended some of his signature dishes, including one that wasn't available at other stalls: grilled fish on a hot plate. The fish wasn't big; it was just a very ordinary crucian carp, weighing less than a pound each, and priced at 25 yuan. He Zhao was tempted and immediately ordered one.

He also grabbed a large bottle of soda and dragged Qiao Yanyu into the shed.

The atmosphere inside the shed wasn't great. After all, at this hour, there are very few girls who would go out alone to eat in a place that makes them think they're going to poop. So, the two tables inside the shed were occupied by men.

The main reason for the bad atmosphere was the smell of smoke. The shed was already enclosed, and if someone smoked, the smell lingered for a long time. If they also lit up a couple of bottles of alcohol, the combination of smoke and alcohol made it even more unbearable.

In this situation, changing locations is the best option.

But it was the dead of winter, and late at night, and He Zhao had no intention of making herself suffer by sitting on a small stool outside in the wind. She even found it too much trouble to take the heater down from her food cart. Besides, this place was for customers to eat; why should they change seats?

She couldn't help but think that ghost customers were still better than human customers; at least people don't think about smoking after they die. At least so far, she hadn't encountered any customers eating there who looked like they were smoking.

He Zhao was unwilling to suffer herself, so she wanted everyone else to suffer with her. Seeing that the two tables of guests were still smoking and drinking as usual, she got a little angry, reached out and pulled the plastic film on both sides of the tent door to the side. The cold wind outside blew, and the smell of smoke inside immediately dissipated a lot.

A gust of cold wind blew, and the guests inside shivered, turning to look at the two women. One of the guests, who was rather short-tempered, immediately yelled, "Close the door! It's freezing!"

He Zhao was just getting into it when Qiao Yanyu stopped him. But Qiao Yanyu didn't want He Zhao to suffer any injustice. She said in a calm voice, "The smell inside is too strong. Let it dissipate for a while."

Upon hearing this, the other guests inside realized what was happening. To keep themselves warm, they had no choice but to put out their cigarettes and eat properly. Of course, some were unwilling and continued smoking, but He Zhao defied them, letting the whistling cold wind sweep away all the smoke.

There was no other way; I wanted to smoke, but I was even more afraid of the cold, so I put out the last two cigarettes.

Perhaps because Qiao Yanyu was there, these men were particularly easy to talk to and didn't have any conflicts with He Zhao. By the time the owner came in and delivered He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu's share of barbecue, the smell in the shed had almost dissipated.

He Zhao opened a bottle of soda, filled disposable cups for himself and Qiao Yanyu, and the two began their pleasant late-night snack adventure.

The first dish served was grilled fish on a hot plate. It smelled delicious, and He Zhao was extremely excited. He had seen it at the stall earlier; it wasn't a pre-made dish, but rather something the owner prepared himself, piece by piece. The small fish was placed next to him, gutted and bloody, but judging from the look in its eyes, it was definitely a freshly killed fish that day.

The owner also said that he personally selects the fish from the market early in the morning; if you go late, fish of this size are sold out. This business is primarily a barbecue restaurant, not a fish restaurant, so the fish needs to be a good size. If they're too big, customers can't finish them; if they're too small, they're gone before they even get a taste. But fish like this are hard to find.

Just by the fact that the owner laid out all the fish directly, you know that the grilled fish must taste good.

The owner is meticulous; he first lays a layer of onions under the hot plate, then places the fish on top, followed by various seasonings. After cooking, he sprinkles on chopped green onions and chili peppers, and pours hot oil over it. Just the aroma alone is irresistible.

When Qiao Yanyu saw the chili peppers, she told He Zhao to wait a moment before taking a bite herself. Confirming that the peppers weren't spicy, just fragrant, and that even He Zhao could handle them, she then let He Zhao eat some too. He Zhao had been craving them for a long time, eagerly watching Qiao Yanyu waiting for her conclusion. Now that she had the chance, she couldn't resist taking a bite.

He poked the fish skin open with his chopsticks, revealing the white fish meat inside. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The fish meat was very tender and delicious, with no fishy smell at all. Coupled with just the right amount of seasoning, even with a touch of chili, it was exceptionally tasty.

The garlic flavor was very pronounced, and the onion underneath added a subtle yet delicious flavor to the fish. He Zhao picked up a piece of onion and found that the onion, soaked in the seasoning and with its original spiciness, was actually even tastier than the fish.

Taking a sip of a beverage at this moment feels absolutely amazing.

In the dead of winter, staying in a warm shed, enjoying a bite of grilled fish and a sip of a beverage, is truly a paradise. He Zhao, thoroughly enjoying his meal, picked up a disposable cup and gestured towards Qiao Yanyu: "Sister Qiao, cheers!"

Qiao Yanyu smiled, picked up her glass, and clinked glasses with He Zhao.

"cheers."

When Qiao Yanyu came out of the interrogation room, she wasn't in a good mood; in fact, she felt rather heavy-hearted. But the moment He Zhao raised his glass, she felt as if her troubles had left her behind.