Chapter 24 Hometown

March 1996.

Wupi Village, Xinzhang Town, Hui City.

The old camphor tree at the entrance of the village, which has experienced a hundred years of wind and rain, stretches out its branches and leaves, like a huge green umbrella. Even though it is very cold in early spring, the old trees are still green and strong.

A police car and a jeep drove into the village and stopped under the old camphor tree.

The Lantern Festival had just passed and spring ploughing had not yet begun. The men, women, young and old in the village were all very idle. Some were sitting, standing or squatting, gathered under the trees to talk and chat. When they saw a car coming, they immediately focused their eyes on the few people getting off the car.

Three people got out of the police car, including Gong Weiguo, Xiao Zhenwei, director of Xinzhang Town Police Station, and retired policeman Hao Gang.

Four people got out of the jeep: Xia Mufan, Yu Jing, Sun Xianbing and Feng Xiaoyu.

The seven people were all wearing police uniforms. The solemn olive green, gold shields, and gold epaulettes shocked the villagers so much that they dared not speak for a moment.

When they saw clearly that the person walking in front was Xia Mufan, everyone's eyes widened. This tall, sassy policewoman turned out to be the eldest daughter of the Manyin family?

An honest old man came forward and greeted Xia Mufan warmly: "Fanfan, you're back? Your grandma was talking about you becoming a police officer a few days ago. I didn't expect you to look so energetic in your police uniform!"

Returning to his hometown and hearing his hometown accent again, Xia Mufan was touched and nodded with a smile: "Uncle Hai, hello."

When the villagers heard Xia Mufan calling someone, they were immediately relieved. It turned out to be Xia Mufan who grew up in Wupi Village! Since you are just a village kid, there is nothing to be afraid of.

"Fanfan has great potential and is now working for the government."

"She was very naughty when she was little. She would fight with all the cats and dogs in the village. Her grandmother would chase after her and beat her with a bamboo broom, but she would never stop."

"I haven't seen you for four or five years. You've grown into a big girl now. You look much more calm than when you were little."

When they heard the villagers mention Xia Mufan's history of fighting when she was a child, Sun Xianbing and Feng Xiaoyu, who had been standing behind her silently, turned around and smiled.

Xia Mufan looked around, and all he saw were the elders who had watched him grow up, so he called them "Grandma", "Grandpa", "Uncle", and "Aunt", and explained, "Yes, I'm a policeman, and I came back today to investigate something."

It was just an investigation, not a report of anyone in the village committing a crime. This made the villagers, who were somewhat nervous, relax and began to extend warm invitations.

"Come to my uncle's house and sit down."

"Come to my house for dinner later. I'll steam some cured fish and meat for you."

"Fanfan hasn't been back since she started high school. Come down to grandma's house and have a cup of tea."

Xia Mufan exchanged a few words with everyone and then brought the other six people to his old house.

Backed by a large bamboo forest is a house made of earthen bricks and black tiles with five rooms. The window frames are painted red, the walls are mottled, and the eaves are covered with moss. It looks very old.

It was a rare day with some sunshine today. Seven or eight long benches were set up on the spacious ground in front of the house. Five bamboo winnowing baskets were spread on them, with peeled and cooked thin bamboo shoots drying in them.

An old woman in a blue cotton jacket walked out of the main room with a basket in her right hand. When she looked up and saw Xia Mufan, she was stunned.

But in the blink of an eye, her expression changed, she curled her lips, and said unhappily: "Oh, look who's here? Didn't you say you would never come back to this house? Why are you here today?"

Xia Mufan frowned and called out, "Grandma."

The person who came was Xia Mufan’s grandmother, Zheng Huiju. Zheng Huiju gave birth to two sons and one daughter. Her husband has passed away, and she now lives with her eldest son Xia Manjin.

Xia Mufan's father, Xia Manyin, was the second son in the family. He remarried a year after his first wife, Xu Shumei, disappeared. He married another man in the town, had children and settled down, leaving Xia Mufan in the countryside.

Xia Mufan has lived with her uncle and aunt since she was a child. Her grandmother thinks she is a nuisance and finds fault with her in every way. If it weren't for Xia Manyin sending back a lot of money every year, Xia Mufan probably wouldn't even be able to go to school.

After her mother disappeared, Xia Mufan lived under someone else's roof and was looked down upon. She was often beaten for her rebelliousness.

After going to high school in town, Xia Mufan only went home with her father during the Chinese New Year. After entering college, she was too lazy to even go home. Zheng Huiju was full of resentment when she saw her: "Don't call me grandma, I don't have this blessing. I raised you for more than ten years, but you didn't know how to be filial to me after you started working, and you didn't even show up during the Chinese New Year. You are such an ungrateful person!"

Not satisfied with the curse, Zheng Huiju glanced at her uniform and said, "Pah!" "You're such a big deal about being a police officer? With your lone wolf personality, you're not popular anywhere."

Feng Xiaoyu looked up at Zheng Huiju who was cursing, and defended Xia Muchan very seriously: "Xia Xia is quite likable."

Zheng Huiju felt a tightness in her chest after hearing what Feng Xiaoyu said. "You two are in the same group, so of course you should speak for her. Humph! You can tell a person's future from a child's age when they are three, and a person's character when they are five. How could I not know the details of a troublemaker? Ever since her mother died, she has been like a firecracker, biting everyone she sees. I don't know how much I have to be careful with her. If the villagers hadn't pitied her because her mother died and didn't bother to argue with her, I'm afraid she would have been beaten to a pulp long ago."

Xia Mufan lowered his voice: "My mother is just missing, not dead!"

Zheng Huiju was startled by the coldness in her voice: "The government said she was dead and cancelled her account, so how could she not be dead? Only a dead girl like you would lie to yourself all day long!"

Xia Mufan glanced at her coldly, put his hands together and whistled.

Three calico cats and two big yellow dogs ran out happily from all over the village as if they had heard an order, and ran straight to Xia Mufan.

“Meow——”

“Woof woof!”

[Xia Xia is back!] 】

[You haven't been back for a long time——]

Xia Mufan was very happy to see his childhood friends whom he hadn't seen for many years. He squatted down to touch this one and hug that one.

Zheng Huiju looked disgusted and muttered, "You play with cats and dogs all day long, you don't look like a girl at all."

As soon as she finished speaking, the extremely excited cats and dogs jumped around vigorously, wagging their tails around Xia Muchan, and knocked over the large basket that Zheng Huiju had placed on several long benches, causing the dried bamboo shoots to fall all over the floor.

"Oh my god..." Zheng Huiju was no match for these cats and dogs. She stamped her feet in anger as she looked at the muddy bamboo shoots. "You debt collector! As soon as you get home, you order these bad guys to make trouble. Why did I raise such a bastard like you~~"

Xia Mufan had heard countless unpleasant words since he was a child, and he just thought Zheng Huiju's curses were just a passing breeze. She took out dried fish and dried meat from her pocket and fed them to the cats and dogs, then touched their heads. After not seeing them for a few years, it’s great to find that these “little brothers” in the village are still as lively and cute as before.

Zheng Huiju was so tired of scolding Xia Mufan that she saw no response from him, and she was so angry that her teeth were itching. He wanted to go up and beat her up, but seeing that she was a head taller than him, with long arms and legs, and a sense of strength hidden under her police uniform, he knew he couldn't beat her, so he just threw the basket in his hand away, sat on the ground, and started howling.

"What kind of fate is this for me? My own granddaughter bullies my grandmother. God bless you to be struck by lightning—"

Gong Weiguo and Feng Xiaoyu grew up in the county town. Their parents were both employees of a unit, so they grew up in a relatively civilized environment. The first time they saw an old man sitting on the ground and rolling around, they were dumbfounded. For a moment, they didn't know whether they should sympathize with Xia Mufan... or give a thumbs up to Xia Mufan for his good interaction with cats and dogs.

Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing were from the countryside and were familiar with this kind of situation. They exchanged glances, took two steps forward, and supported Zheng Huiju's elbows, one on the left and one on the right. They lifted the old lady up and put her on a long bench. Then they showed their police IDs and shouted, "Comrade Zheng Huiju, please cooperate with our investigation."

Zheng Huiju was unable to react at all, with her legs still crossed, her whole body left the ground, and with a "pop" she was lifted up and sat on a long bench.

When she looked up again, Zheng Huiju was dazzled by the two police ID cards in front of her. Her heart was pounding and her face turned pale. "Investigate...investigate what?"

Gong Weiguo and Feng Xiaoyu's mouths formed an "O" shape at the same time. It turns out that there is this method to deal with such people who are throwing tantrums and making trouble? After all, these were comrades trained in grassroots police stations, and their smooth movements and tacit cooperation opened their eyes.

Someone called the village committee director Xia Changchun over. Xia Changchun recognized Hao Gang, the retired policeman who was once in charge of their area. He smiled and walked over, pulling out a few cigarettes from his pocket. "Officer Hao, why are you in the village? Why didn't you call in advance? I would have brought the village cadres to greet you."

Hao Gang waved his hand and did not take the cigarette he handed over. He introduced Xiao Zhenchuan to Xia Changchun: "Director Xia, this is Director Xiao of our town police station. The two of us came here together to assist five criminal police comrades from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Municipal Public Security Bureau to investigate an old case in the village. I hope you can cooperate."

Public Security Bureau, Criminal Investigation Brigade, Criminal Police?

Xia Changchun's eyebrows jumped when he heard these three terms. He glanced at the seven police officers present and said with a smile, "Cooperate, I will definitely cooperate! I don't know what old case it is that has troubled Director Xiao and the comrades from the Municipal Bureau to come here in person."

Xiao Zhenwei turned his gaze towards Xia Mufan and the others with a cold face: "These comrades are the criminal police of the serious crime team. If you have anything to do, please follow Officer Xia's arrangements."

Following Xiao Zhenwei's gaze, Xia Changchun looked at Xia Muchan.

The policewoman in front of me looked both familiar and unfamiliar. He is clearly the younger generation whom I have watched grow up, but now he is wearing a uniform and looks so solemn that people both respect and fear him.

Xia Changchun tried hard to force a smile: "Xia, Officer, if there is anything you need my cooperation with, just tell me."

In terms of seniority, Xia Mufan had to call Xia Changchun "Uncle". She didn't say anything polite and went straight to the point: "Uncle Changchun, we are here to investigate the case of my mother's disappearance sixteen years ago."

Xia Changchun was immediately overwhelmed when he heard this: "That happened sixteen years ago..."

Of course he knew about this. Xu Shumei's parents were from Santang Town. She was married to Wupi Village through a matchmaker. She was gentle and thrifty. Although she and Xia Manyin only had one daughter, they had a good relationship. Xu Shumei is a junior high school graduate. She has a gentle appearance and her manner of speaking and temperament are very different from those of ordinary women in the village. The elderly and children in the village especially like to be close to her.

Sixteen years ago, it was spring when Xu Shumei disappeared. Xia Changchun was 32 years old at the time. He had already started a family and a career, but he was not yet a village cadre. It was said that Xu Shumei disappeared on her way to deliver lunch to the brick factory in town at noon. It was not until that evening when Xia Manyin returned home hungry that he realized something was wrong and called the police. The comrades from the police station investigated the case for more than a week but found no clues.

It was seven or eight miles from the village to the town. Someone in the village saw Xu Shumei carrying a basket and going to the town. They exchanged a few words on the way, but no one saw her again after she arrived in the town. Xia Manyin waited for his wife to bring him lunch at noon, but it didn't happen. He thought that something had happened at home, so he had to drink a few bowls of cold water to fill his stomach. When he got home from get off work, he heard that his wife had not returned from bringing him lunch, so he panicked.

Xia Changchun remembered that six-year-old Xia Mufan had been crying loudly while hugging the big camphor tree at the entrance of the village since that evening, crying and calling for her mother. She cried until she was hoarse, and refused to leave no matter how others coaxed her. It was not until Xia Manyin came home and picked her up that Xia Mufan pointed at the path and shouted: Looking for my mother, looking for my mother.

The whole village helped to look for him, using torches and flashlights to search along the road to the town, but there was no news until the early morning.

Later, the police intervened, but there was no clue at all, and the case was finally treated as missing.

Two years later, Xia Manyin no longer held out for luck and went to the police station to go through the account cancellation procedures. Xu Shumei thus became a "dead person".

Later, Xia Manyin got married, had children, and moved to the town to live.

After Xu Shumei disappeared, the originally well-behaved and lovely Xia Mufan became full of thorns. She stubbornly believed that Xu Shumei was still alive, and would rush forward to fight anyone who dared to say "your mother is dead".

She hated her father for canceling her mother's household registration, was unwilling to live with her stepmother, and was determined to stay in the old house and wait for her mother to come back. Facing his grandmother Zheng Huiju, uncle Xia Manjin, aunt Zhou Lannie and cousins, with whom he lived day and night, Xia Mufan would never allow them to say that Xu Shumei was dead. As long as they said a bad word about his mother, Xia Mufan would make trouble and retaliate.

Because of this, Xia Mufan's relationship with his family became very tense.

She is also known in the village as an "annoying person", "troublemaker" and "naughty girl".

Now seeing that she has become a criminal police officer and is leading other police officers to reopen an old case and find out the truth behind her mother's disappearance, Xia Changchun feels very uncomfortable.

To be honest, he admired Xia Mufan's persistence. From the age of six to now, she should be in her early twenties, and she has always remembered her mother and wanted to find her. He has never seen such tenacity in anyone else.

But he was also a little worried. Back then, the entire village and many comrades from the police station were mobilized but failed to find Xu Shumei's whereabouts. Now, sixteen years have passed, how can we still find her?

Thinking of this, Xia Changchun asked, "Fanfan, your mother disappeared in March 1980, right? At that time, the whole village helped to look for her for a whole night, and called the police the next morning. The police station visited the village for five days and asked many people in the town, but they didn't find any useful information. How do you want to start the investigation now?"

Xia Mufan took out a palm-sized notebook with yellowed paper from his pocket.

When I opened the notebook, what caught my eye was her childish handwriting from a child. She didn't know how to write some of the characters, so she used pinyin.

Xia Mufan was taught by her mother at the age of five and learned pinyin at an early age. After entering primary school at the age of six, she began to take notes in a notebook, writing down all the rumors and news about her mother in the village.

"Let's start by investigating the source of these rumors in the village."

As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. Who is it that fabricated the rumors and threw dirty water on the mother? Now Xia Mufan wants to check them one by one.

Those who deliberately distort the facts all have criminal motives.

"Rumor?" Xia Changchun's heart tightened.

Xu Shumei had a gentle personality, was well-educated, and was pretty. Some ignorant gossipers in the village were jealous of her. When they were bored and guessing where she had been, they inevitably said some unpleasant things. The rumors became more and more outrageous, saying that she ran away with someone, abandoned her daughter to enjoy a good life in the city, had an affair with someone and was murdered.

Unexpectedly, Xia Mufan wrote down every detail?

This kid...really holds a grudge.

If Xia Mufan was still as naughty as he was when he was a child, Xia Changchun could use "children should not interrupt when adults are talking" to prevaricate;

If Xia Mufan had not appeared in police uniform, Xia Changchun could have responded by saying, "It's been so long since the incident, who would remember what I said?"

But now Xia Mufan had a serious face, and behind her stood the police station chief and the criminal police of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Facing her questions, Xia Changchun had to take them seriously and could not be perfunctory.

"I didn't expect that Fanfan could remember things so early. You must have been only six years old at that time. Okay, tell me how to check. I support you."

Zheng Huiju's attention was attracted by the tattered little notebook in Xia Muchan's hand.

She suddenly thought of something, stood up from the bench, rushed to Xia Mufan, and tried to snatch the yellow paper notebook: "Okay, you annoying idiot, your eyes are as small as a needle tip, you have been holding grudges since you were six or seven years old, I want to see who you have made up!"

Xia Mufan moved aside slightly and put the notebook into his pocket with his left hand: "Don't worry, let's start with you first."

Xia Changchun hurriedly stepped forward and pulled Zheng Huiju back: "Aunt Hui, Fanfan came back to do official business. We are all police officers here. You can't act like a grandmother anymore. Otherwise, you will be arrested and imprisoned for obstructing public service."

Xia Changchun's words successfully calmed Zheng Huiju down. Her eyes flickered and she shrank her neck, obviously still afraid of the police.

Xia Mufan stared at Zheng Huiju's face and said, "After my mother disappeared, you told my grandmother and uncle that she had been flirting with an educated youth in the village, and that she must have run away secretly. Let me ask you, which educated youth did my mother flirt with, and who did she run away with?"

Xia Mufan had just turned six when her mother disappeared, but she had an early memory and clearly remembered that her grandmother and two uncles had come to their house to make trouble, but were later humiliated by Zheng Huiju's tantrum and throwing a tantrum. In addition, the mediation by village cadres and comrades from the police station eventually came to nothing, and the two families completely lost contact.

Although relatives from his mother's side no longer have any contact with the Xia family, Xia Mufan will never forget the words his grandmother cursed him with.

Zheng Huiju was stuck for a moment.

After Xu Shumei married into Wupi Village, Zheng Huiju couldn't stand Xu Shumei's affectionate relationship with her youngest son, and she also disliked the fact that she only gave birth to a daughter. When Xu Shumei's family came to look for her missing, Zheng Huiju threw a basin of dirty water on Xu Shumei in order to evade responsibility. She didn't expect that Xia Mufan remembered it so clearly.

Xia Changchun sighed, "Aunt Hui, the rumor that Xu Shumei ran away with an educated youth was indeed spread by you. At first, five male educated youth came to our village and settled down in the utility room of the brigade. Later, in 1977, when the college entrance examination was resumed, two of them passed the college and left the village. In 1978, another one passed the exam and left. Finally, the remaining two found ways to return to the city in 1979. These educated youth were all high school students in the city, and they were all well-educated and well-mannered. You said Xu Shumei had an improper relationship with them. Which one was it?"

Zheng Huiju started to act like a rogue: "How do I know which one it was? Anyway, she thought she was educated, and she would borrow books and talk about poetry with those educated youth all day long. Those educated youth went to college and wrote letters and sent things to her every now and then. They had a very good relationship. She thought our family was poor, and that it was shameful for Manyin to work in a brick factory, so she climbed up the social ladder and ran away with someone else. Who knows if she died outside, or changed her appearance and remarried and had children? Anyway, I can't afford to lose face!"

Xia Mufan's face turned ugly: "Which educated youth did my mother communicate with? Do you have any evidence?"

Zheng Huiju rolled her eyes: "When your mother died, I threw away, burned, and lost all her things!"

Xia Mufan didn't want to get entangled with her anymore, so he turned to look at Xia Changchun and said, "Uncle Changchun, please tell us the basic information of those five educated youths, and I will check them one by one."

Since you don’t know which one it is, just check them one by one!

Xia Changchun nodded and agreed: "Okay, okay, the village committee still has a copy, I will go find it right away."

After obtaining the information of the five educated youth, Xia Mufan handed it to Feng Xiaoyu.

Feng Xiaoyu understood immediately: "With their names, places of origin, and routes back home, I will immediately contact the relevant household registration police to start the investigation. Don't worry, the educated youth who were admitted to universities will have their academic records, and the educated youth who returned to the city will have their family addresses and social connections. We will definitely be able to find these five people."

Xia Mushi nodded: "Okay, I'll leave it to you then."

Hao Gang was one of the police officers who participated in the investigation of Xu Shumei's disappearance. Although he is retired, he still remembers what happened back then. He watched Xia Mufan quickly open up the case based on his childhood memories, and he immediately became interested: "Officer Xia, when Xu Shumei disappeared, the five educated youth had already left the village, so we ignored this clue. You should start investigating from here now, maybe you can really find something."

Xia Mufan shook his head: "I don't believe my mother would leave me alone. Her disappearance must have external factors, such as being kidnapped, held hostage, or..."

Xia Mufan didn't want to say that word, but she was a police officer investigating a case, and she had to consider all possibilities. She took a deep breath and finally said the word: "Victimized."

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely heavy.

Sun Xianbing looked at her dim eyes and said softly, "Think positively of everything first, don't worry."

Xia Mufan gritted his teeth, looked at the farmland in the distance where only rice stalks were left, and said word by word: "If he's alive, I want to see his body. If he's dead, I want to see his body."

Her voice was filled with a determination not to give up until the person was found, and also contained a trace of sadness buried deep in her heart, which made Gong Weiguo feel as if something was grabbing his heart and making it difficult for him to breathe. He didn't know how to comfort Xia Mufan, so he could only say loudly: "Don't worry, team leader, we will help you."

Xia Changchun's gaze shifted from the farmland to Xia Mufan's face. Thinking of how this child had always believed that his mother was still alive and had fought with countless other children for this, he couldn't help but sigh, "Fanfan, who are you going to investigate next?"