Chapter 46 Stepping Out, Solving the Case!
Shengfang acts like an elder every day, and this uncle nags her from morning till night, like a tight rein on his head. He nags if she doesn't eat breakfast properly, he nags if she just grabs a sandwich for lunch, he nags if she works overtime at night, and even if she stays up late, he has so much to say…
Gradually, Zhu Qing got used to having a mature three-year-old uncle.
Therefore, at this moment, when the child stood before her with tears in his eyes and a wronged expression, her mind went very slowly, as if it had rusted a little.
When Zhu Qing and Aunt Ping talked about "ghost calls on the radio," little Sheng Fang didn't even lift his eyelids, showing no fear whatsoever. He believed Qingzai; she said there were no ghosts in the world, so there weren't.
As for those hanging ghosts and elevator grandmas shown on TV, they're definitely fake.
But if Zhu Qing said that there are no giant monsters in the world, Sheng Fang would absolutely not listen.
How could a giant monster be fake? If there are no giant monsters in the world, then what is Ultraman defeating?!
Fangfang firmly believes that his most beloved niece was eaten by a giant monster.
The tears welling up in his eyes gradually condensed into teardrops, which rolled down his chubby little face.
Shengfang could accept his niece being inside the monster's belly; he was willing to go in and stay with her... But now, the monster might have pulled his niece down into the toilet.
Sheng Fang's beloved colorful marbles were accidentally flushed down the toilet and never heard from again.
From quietly sobbing, to overwhelmed with grief, Fangfang finally burst into loud sobs.
His little mouth was wide open, and you could see his throat.
Perhaps he was too exhausted from crying, so he simply sat on the floor and crossed his short legs.
The crying grew louder, attracting Aunt Ping, who was in her room trying out a new radio.
When Aunt Ping entered the room, she had no idea what had happened.
The young master cried with a pained expression, his little face covered in tears. Zhu Qing was at a loss, handing him tissues and wiping away his tears.
Fangfang: "Get away from me!"
Aunt Ping found her voice amidst the chaos: "Did they... have a fight?"
Shengfang was in a terrible mood. He didn't want to say anything more to Aunt Ping. Tears streamed down his face, and his niece kept trying to comfort him.
Zhu Qing realized that Fangfang was still so young.
They're still at that age where they're easily fooled.
"Okay, okay, stop crying."
"It's me."
"There's no big monster here, I was just kidding."
"That was a voice changer, I bought it at an electronics store. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
Shengfang continued to sob.
When Qingzai put her arm around his shoulder, he shook her off; when Qingzai grabbed his little hand, he bounced away.
Finally, Qingzai mustered up the courage to speak again—
"Uncle, it's me!"
Fangfang wiped her tears on Zhu Qing's clothes, her little mouth pouting pitifully.
"Weren't you eaten?"
"No," Zhu Qing sighed softly, finding it difficult to speak, "nor was it pulled out."
The voice changer called "Phantom Sound Box" had long been tossed onto the desk. She had clearly been speaking in her own voice, yet she still managed to coax the child for quite some time.
Zhu Qing vowed that she would never dare to scare him so easily again.
Finally, as the night quieted down, Zhu Qing led Sheng downstairs and bought him a large portion of fries as an apology.
Besides fries, the niece also had to take care of her uncle, tearing open the small packet of ketchup and holding it in her hand, waiting for the child to dip his finger in it.
Autumn is approaching, and the night breeze still carries a hint of coolness.
They strolled around, walking in circles.
Sheng Fang stuffed French fries into her mouth, one, two, three...
They revisited the topic of the "giant monster".
When his niece rubbed his head and called him a crybaby, the baby was very indignant.
Children cry a lot. Even kindergarteners cry when they're putting on bibs, because some kids are really clumsy and don't know how to button them up. They get frustrated and start whimpering. Once one cries, three or five other kids will follow suit. Whenever this happens, Fangfang will cover her ears with her fingers to show how speechless she is.
“So it’s normal!” he said, chewing on his fries, defending himself. “Didn’t you cry when you were a kid?”
"yes."
"Really?!"
Zhu Qing couldn't remember the last time she cried. Perhaps it was when she fell at the orphanage as a child, her knee hitting the cement floor, the pain excruciating, and tears welling up uncontrollably, but she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
She'd known since she was little that no one would comfort her if she cried, and over time, even the feeling of shedding tears became unfamiliar to her.
"How could it be unfamiliar? It's salty!"
"You ate it?"
"Qingzai, eating tears? Are you kidding me?"
"It's drinking tears!" Fangfang corrected her seriously.
After the children finished eating their fries, they put their little hands into Zhu Qing's palms.
That's amazing.
She doesn't cry!
"Hey, you didn't wash your hands!" Zhu Qing patted the back of his hand. "You ate fries, they're all oily."
"Qingzai, I've already licked it!"
"don't want!"
"Here it comes!"
The more Qingzai tried to avoid her, the more Shengfang would try to take her hand.
The uncle and nephew were chasing each other downstairs.
He has short legs, while Qingzai has long legs. He's a kindergarten kid, while Qingzai is a police officer... Their abilities are vastly different, yet every time, Fangfang is almost able to catch up with Qingzai, just a hair's breadth away.
Zhu Qing kept releasing water, while the child behind her ran breathlessly.
He gasped for breath, squatted down, and took a break.
The children are increasingly admiring their niece.
Qingzai is amazing at everything—
It would be even more perfect if it weren't so clean!
...
Having learned from his experience of going to school a couple of days ago, Shengfang now goes to kindergarten early in the morning just like his niece goes to the police station to report for duty—it's become a natural habit.
Although he still doesn't like going to school, a three-year-old understands a lot of things. Children should always prioritize their studies.
Since Shengfang started school, Zhu Qing has been waking up even earlier.
Her doting uncle would always make her sit at the table and watch her finish her breakfast. He also mentioned that Teacher Ji had told everyone that they shouldn't play with rice grains while eating, but they also shouldn't wolf down their food, otherwise it would be difficult to digest.
"Eat slowly and carefully, Qingzai."
Zhu Qing does everything quickly and efficiently; before others can even react, she has already moved on to the next step.
These days, Aunt Ping and Zhu Qing have become increasingly familiar with each other, and watching her every move often leaves her in a daze. The way she speaks with her chin slightly raised and acts decisively is just like her mother.
In my memory, Sheng Peirong was always decisive and a woman of her word. Looking at her daughter now is like turning back time, and Aunt Ping is seeing the young lady from her youth again.
Aunt Ping had always felt that this child had had a tough journey, carrying so much on her own without even a moment to catch her breath. She so hoped that Qingqing could learn to slow down and truly appreciate life.
Now, Fangfang has finally taught his niece to slow down the pace of life.
Eat breakfast slowly and drink milk slowly.
Sheng Fang said, "Why rush to work? Arriving a few minutes early won't catch the thief any faster!"
I don’t know when it started, but Zhu Qing was influenced by him and began to savor her three meals a day.
Today, the noodles had two extra pieces of luncheon meat. The luncheon meat was golden and crispy, indicating it had been pan-fried beforehand. The milk was heated and had a layer of milk skin floating on the surface, emitting a rich aroma... In the past, Zhu Qing might not have noticed these subtle changes at all, but now, she could recount them one by one.
Aunt Ping listened with a beaming smile, and her uncle gave her a thumbs-up in praise.
Even older children like to be praised!
"I'm done eating—time to work!" Zhu Qing put down her chopsticks.
Shengfang also stood up, picked up his schoolbag with one hand, and casually tossed it behind him.
It was swayed onto my little shoulders.
Fangfang's shoulders weren't broad enough, so she couldn't hold the backpack straps up for a moment.
Fortunately, the backpack was incredibly light, allowing him to stand firmly.
This cool process guarantees at least half the success.
...
Upon arriving at the police station in the early morning, the officers from Major Crimes Unit B were already organizing their materials and carrying their files into the conference room.
The folding chairs clattered as they were pulled out, and the group had barely settled in when they started talking about You Minmin's case.
"My dad went to the market this morning, and even the fishmongers were talking about that radio program!"
"The show was taken off the air after only one day, but I heard from insiders that it may only be temporarily taken off the air."
"The whole city is talking about this now, it's even more sensational than radio stations spending money on advertising! As long as that host—Ouyang Peiling, right? As long as she can withstand the pressure..."
"Her name is Situ Peiling!"
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Who cares what a host's surname is? What matters is the deceased's name, You Minmin... They're spreading weird rumors that her surname is You, and yet she died in the water. It's like a destined water ghost looking for a substitute."
When Uncle Li came in carrying a thermos, he still smelled of cigarette smoke.
He casually put down his cup and laughed, "Is this a police station or Temple Street? You guys are even more eccentric than the charlatans under the Temple Street overpass."
Of course, casual conversation aside, the case must ultimately be investigated professionally.
Investigating cases requires solid evidence. In the past few days, everyone in the team has been traveling around visiting people and summarizing the clues they have collected. Every record and every detail has been carefully examined and scrutinized, leaving no room for carelessness.
“You Minmin’s parents gave formal statements at the police station. They said that You Minmin was very well-behaved and had never caused them any trouble since she was a child.”
"The people who called the radio station at the time were Yu Minmin's high school classmates. They weren't familiar with Yu Minmin; they just happened to hear her voice on a paranormal program. They were just joking when they said they wanted to do a listener call-in... No one expected that it would later be confirmed that Yu Minmin really did die in the bathtub."
"We got their statements, and there was nothing unusual; it was definitely a coincidence. However, these people will probably be traumatized by these urban legends from now on, especially the water ghost stories. They probably won't dare to participate in activities like this, where they gather to listen to paranormal radio shows again."
Xiao Sun opened You Minmin's personal profile.
“Since her parents moved in with their son, You Minmin would occasionally go to her brother and sister-in-law’s house for a meal, but most of the time, she would quietly eat her own meals. After all, her brother and sister-in-law had their own lives, and it was inconvenient for her to bother them often. You Minmin’s parents said that she has always been so sensible.”
“You Minmin’s family and old classmates all mentioned that she didn’t seem to be the type to hold grudges. Everyone said that You Minmin never offended anyone. She was too quiet, sometimes like a transparent person, so quiet that… even if she disappeared on the spot, no one would notice. But who knew that her death would attract so much attention in the end.”
Mo Zhenbang took the documents handed to him by his subordinates: "Has the autopsy report come out yet?"
"Zhu Qing is in charge of the autopsy report," Zeng Yongshan said. "I guess they're still chasing it up."
“I remember Dr. Cheng mentioning that the autopsy was completed, but the report was still pending, and the samples were waiting in line at the government laboratory for testing.”
"When will we wait?"
Liang Qikai glanced at his watch: "According to standard procedure, the earliest would be tomorrow noon."
...
Zhu Qing knocked on the door of the forensic doctor's office.
Dr. Cheng's voice came from inside the office. She turned the doorknob and went in.
Cheng Xinglang was slowly and methodically attaching labels to the microscope.
"Dr. Cheng, report."
This wasn't the first time Zhu Qing had come to the forensic office to urge them in the past two days.
In a corner of the office, the folding bed had already been put away, and Cheng Xinglang's white coat was still draped over the back of the chair.
On the desk, the autopsy report for You Minmin's case was already laid out. Dr. Cheng had anticipated that Madam would come to urge him, so he had even placed his pen next to the report beforehand.
“The water temperature is abnormal.” He ran his long fingers across the data bar. “The bath water temperature is significantly lower than normal. The murderer must have added ice.”
"The respiratory foam was evenly distributed, and the diatom test was positive, confirming drowning."
"Drugs and a large amount of alcohol were detected in his stomach, both of which he had taken shortly before his death."
Zhu Qing: "So, the murderer used drugs and alcohol to hasten her unconsciousness and create a drowning scene?"
Dr. Cheng did not answer directly, but simply turned to the next page of the report.
“There were cotton fibers in the wound on the corner of her mouth, the same material as the bathrobe she was wearing.”
“The strangest thing is that the nylon rope binding marks on the deceased’s ankles are very deep, and they are double loops tied behind the wrist. But—” Dr. Cheng pointed to two comparison photos, “the marks on the wrists are much shallower.”
"The rest is your job." He closed the report.
The only sound in the office was the scribbling of a pen on paper. Zhu Qing kept her head down, oblivious to a stray hair slipping from behind her ear, still focused on recording every detail.
Dr. Cheng leaned against his desk, waiting patiently.
This madam is like a top student in school, meticulous even in writing punctuation marks.
She didn't look up until the last period fell.
"Can I take this report with me?" Zhu Qing put away her notebook and reached for the autopsy report on the table.
"Wait a minute—" Before Dr. Cheng could answer, she turned around deftly.
Madam came and went in a hurry, leaving only a crisp farewell, but the tone of her voice was inexplicably light at the end.
"I'm leaving now."
With a soft click, the office door closed gently.
...
When Zhu Qing returned to the criminal investigation team, the office was empty, and no one was at their workstation. The clerk, Sister Zhen, gestured towards the conference room.
Pushing open the door, I found my colleagues gathered around the whiteboard, analyzing clues.
Zhu Qing's appearance did not attract much attention, but when she placed the autopsy report on the table, Mo Zhenbang's eyes lit up.
"No need to send an expedited request to the forensic department, Madam Zhu must have a lot of influence." Haozai flicked his finger on the report cover.
Mo Sir took the report, opened it, and saw the issuance time of 3:00 AM printed in the lower right corner.
Clearly, Dr. Cheng worked overtime last night on this case.
Liang Qikai looked up from the case file and his gaze fell on Zhu Qing.
The once aloof junior at the police academy seemed to have slowly transformed. She learned to be cunning and managed to extract the autopsy report from Dr. Cheng ahead of time. He should have been pleased with her progress, but for some reason, the image of her training alone on the parade ground kept replaying in his mind… The setting sun cast a long shadow of her, stubborn and lonely.
Perhaps he was overthinking it. This junior sister treated everyone with a professional attitude, but she was indifferent and somewhat evasive towards him.
Liang Qikai snapped out of his thoughts and pushed another file over: "This is You Minmin's psychological counseling record."
Mo Zhenbang had quickly reviewed the autopsy report and handed the document to the other officers.
"The test results of the deceased's stomach medication were consistent with those of a common antidepressant, which were found in the pill bottle next to the bathtub."
"The alcohol concentration is not right. The blood alcohol content is too high. There are at least 200 milliliters of unabsorbed red wine."
Xu Jiale: "Taking medicine with alcohol?"
"This is no small amount of alcohol; perhaps someone is trying to force her to drink."
Zeng Yongshan's expression changed: "It's the murderer!"
"As for the time of death," Mo Zhenbang wrote down the information from Dr. Cheng's autopsy report on the whiteboard, "there is a discrepancy between the stomach contents and the body temperature, but we don't know when our antique instrument will produce the results; it will probably have to be sent to the laboratory headquarters."
Zeng Yongshan continued to flip through the documents in her hand: "The call that the radio station received came from the deceased's home."
"According to the forensic report, the murderer added ice to the bathtub to interfere with the determination of the time of death." Zhu Qing wrote the key points on the whiteboard. "What we need to determine now is whether that 'ghost call' was made before death or after death."
"The technical department colleagues analyzed the original recording provided by the radio station and, through voiceprint comparison, confirmed that the call was a live conversation and not a pre-recorded tape."
“Since it wasn’t a ghost call, then You Minmin was still alive when she made the call.”
If this hypothesis is followed, the time of death could be pushed back.
In other words, at least when the show started airing, You Minmin was still alive.
"Could it be coercion?"
“During that phone call, You Minmin repeatedly mentioned that she was dead... and even gave her home address.”
"Could it be—that she's trying to get help this way?"
"Boss." Sister Zhen knocked on the conference room door and peeked in. "The deceased's brother called and said that her sister seems to have a boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Mo Sir frowned. "Why haven't you mentioned him before?"
"He said the deceased rarely talked about dating, and it seemed they met at a record store."
"Should we call them over?"
Mo Zhenbang: "Don't rush, find out the man's identity first."
...
Fangfang discovered that kindergarten might be more fun than home.
During the day, when Qingzai is at work, only Aunt Ping is at home with him, which inevitably feels a bit lonely. But kindergarten is different; there are many children in the classroom, and people are constantly talking, so there's rarely a quiet moment. Only after experiencing it firsthand did Shengfang understand why Qingzai said he was like a chattering little sparrow…
Now, surrounded by these naive children, he often feels like he's in a duck farm.
These adorable three-year-olds are like little ducklings—
"Gaga gaga gaga gaga".
It's so noisy.
However, compared to him and Aunt Ping staring at each other at home, going to school is still somewhat interesting.
After reluctantly accepting the reality that she had to go to school, Shengfang had new hopes for kindergarten.
If only they could set him free.
He can attend class when he wants, and when he doesn't want to attend class, he can sneak off to the outdoor activity area to swing on the swings.
Shengfang thought this way, and she did it.
During break, he used the dodging technique that Zhao Lin had taught him, dodging left and right, trying to escape.
Suddenly, someone grabbed his clothes from behind, and his collar got stuck around his neck, forcing him to use his foot to brake.
"Let go!" Little Coconut's eyes lit up. "Where are you going?"
Three minutes later, they appeared together in the large outdoor activity area.
The activity area has swings, slides, and a horizontal bar for toddlers. There are no other children; everyone is diligently attending class.
As Shengfang swung on the swing, the beads she had strung in her pocket fell out.
The day before, he and Teacher Ji reached a secret agreement.
As long as he didn't lie down during class, he could take the strung beads home. He carefully put the beads into the inner pocket of his schoolbag, planning to give them to Qingzai as a bracelet.
Last night, while Aunt Ping was busy in the kitchen, he packed his schoolbag.
Kindergarten life was mundane and boring, but Fangfang came up with a good idea. He decided to move his toys from home to the kindergarten like an ant carrying its load.
However, to my surprise, when I reached into my schoolbag while sitting on the school bus in the morning, I found nothing.
Aunt Ping actually took all the toys he was planning to smuggle out!
Sure enough, experience counts. Only a string of beads remained in his bag when Sheng Fang realized he'd forgotten to give his niece the gift.
Fangfang put the bead in his pocket, intending to deliver it later that evening. But then the bead fell out, and he immediately squatted down to pick it up.
"Do you think Qingzai will like it?" Shengfang asked.
Little Coconut nodded vigorously: "Of course!"
The swing was very low, and the two babies' legs were so short that they couldn't touch the ground at all.
Gradually, the swing stopped swaying. None of them got off to push it; they just sat there steadily, using all their strength to bounce around in place, hoping the swing would behave.
This is really not an exciting game.
Shengfang recalled, "Qingzai doesn't seem to like shiny things."
Little Coconut was shocked: "There are actually people who don't like shiny things!"
The two children chatted about everything under the sun, from their favorite foods to their least favorite flavors.
Fangfang suddenly remembered something: "Zhaolin definitely doesn't like you."
Zhaolin said he doesn't like any coconut-flavored food, toiletries... he doesn't even eat coconut candy!
"Who is Zhaolin?" Little Coconut asked.
“A colleague from the police station.” Sheng Fang sounded a bit mysterious, and even a bit arrogant.
It was as if he were his own colleague.
Coconut shreds furrowed their brows.
They don't know each other, and they never will. Why does this guy named Zhaolin dislike her for no reason? Yesi is still young and can't understand so many things. She just thinks he's impolite.
Little Coconut: "Then I don't like him either."
Ms. Ji searched the entire classroom and found two children missing. She was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. She handed the children in her class over to two childcare workers and rushed out.
The sun was shining brightly outside, and when she saw two children in the activity area, her heart, which had been pounding in her throat, finally calmed down.
Shengfang and Xiaoyesi are chatting.
Children of the same age understand each other's thoughts better. They have wild imaginations, but they all know what the other is talking about, and they can smoothly continue each other's conversations.
"Little Coconut, do you have an English name?"
Shengfang and the other children have exchanged nicknames, and now they're starting to exchange English names.
Their friendship has reached a new level.
"I have many English names, but I don't like any of them."
I'll give you a name.
Shengfang has taken many English classes and has experience in choosing English names.
Little Coconut: "No problem!"
Blooming: "Yes!"
"good!"
"Yes!"
"Get up!"
"Let's call it Yes!"
On a quiet afternoon, two children hang side by side on a children's horizontal bar.
They were upside down, heads down, feet up, looking incredibly relaxed and carefree.
Teacher Ji initially couldn't help but laugh, but halfway through, realizing the situation was getting out of hand, she turned to sighing.
From now on, Shengfang and Yesi will become her main focus.
...
The child was criticized for holding the flower.
The teacher said he shouldn't have sneaked out to play during class.
What if I lose myself?
Fangfang thought the teacher shouldn't make a fuss. The kindergarten gate was locked, and he wasn't flying. Kidnappers who abduct children can't fly either, so he wouldn't get lost.
However, Fang Fang, being a wise man, didn't argue back.
He was worried that Teacher Ji would complain to Qingzai.
After returning home from school, Sheng Fang kept a close eye on Zhu Qing's attitude.
She seemed lost in thought, even taking notes while eating.
The soup Aunt Ping served Zhu Qingsheng was almost cold. She didn't use a spoon, but picked up the small bowl and drank it directly, her eyes fixed on her notebook as she scribbled notes.
Dr. Cheng said the water temperature in the bathtub was abnormally low.
She suddenly realized a contradiction—
If the murderer put ice in the bathtub to delay the time of death, then why did he force You Minmin to make that phone call during the live radio broadcast?
The fact that her death occurred after 10 PM, coupled with the interference of the ice, should have led the police to believe that the death took place after midnight. However, the "ghost call" at 10 PM ironically pinpointed her time of death to the time the program was broadcast.
Unless the murderer acted without any method or logic, such an action is completely self-contradictory.
Or perhaps, adding ice was a way to cover up some other truth?
This is something Zhu Qing couldn't understand.
She silently wrote it down in her notebook and kept it safe.
Shengfang tilted her head and thought, "This notebook is really Qingzai's treasure."
Just like Ultraman, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... they are all his treasures.
Qingzai has too few hobbies.
Shengfang shook her head, just about to encourage her niece to cultivate more hobbies, when she suddenly saw her open her notebook and make a phone call based on a string of numbers.
The child's eyelids twitched wildly.
Should we call Teacher Ji?
The guilty child immediately sat up straight.
"Yongshan." Zhu Qing held the mobile phone and drew a line on the to-do list in her notebook with her pen.
What time do you think the record store opens?
The flowers, no longer sitting upright, have slumped over again.
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Qing glanced at him and asked, "What have you done that you feel guilty about?"
Fangfang sat up obediently: "No, there isn't."
...
My niece not only failed to notice the trouble Shengfang caused at kindergarten, she even took him along—
Step outside, solve the case!
Zhu Qing took Sheng Fang to the record store where You Minmin had worked before her death.
In the afternoon, Sister Zhen from the police station received a call. The deceased's brother suddenly remembered that his sister seemed to have a boyfriend, but he didn't know the specifics.
He said that perhaps the record store owner and his colleagues could provide more information.
The children brought delicious food and fun toys and followed Qingzai around.
As his niece laid down the three rules with him, the baby covered his mouth.
Just follow along, don't say anything, and behave yourself.
This record store stands out on the street corner; the owner is a former rock band guitarist, and he opens the store whenever he feels like it.
Police officers came during the day, and the shopkeeper next door said that the owner was nocturnal and sometimes didn't open for days at a time.
Zhu Qing took Fangfang out for a walk, just to try her luck. Unexpectedly, they were very lucky. When they found the record store according to the address, a young clerk wearing seven or eight earrings was tidying up the shelves.
"What are you looking for?" the female shop assistant asked, "Classic rock or a new album?"
When Zhu Qing showed her police ID, her finger paused for a moment on the record cover.
She glanced instinctively at the cashier's counter, where the spot that used to belong to You Minmin was now empty.
The female shop assistant's voice was so soft it sounded like she was talking to herself: "Minmin and I usually sit there and take inventory."
The death of You Minmin was the talk of the town; everyone knew about it.
The female shop assistant cooperated with the police's questioning, her brow furrowed the entire time.
"Minmin joined the store at the beginning of the year. She doesn't talk much, but she has an exceptionally good memory. She's also very responsible. The owner has some rare, out-of-print DVDs hidden in the warehouse, and she can find them right away..."
“Some regular customers will specifically ask her for help when they come.”
The female shop assistant glanced outside; the flashing neon lights emboldened her.
She mustered her courage and asked, "Madam, is it really not a water ghost looking for a substitute?"
Before Zhu Qing could answer, she shook her head again and said to herself, "It's definitely not, otherwise you wouldn't have come to ask me these questions."
Zhu Qing noted: "I heard she has a boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend? You must have got it wrong." The female shop assistant paused, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait, are you talking about Chui Shui Hui?"
The "chatterbox" that the female shop assistant mentioned is Xie Donghui.
He was a layabout in the neighborhood, who usually helped move goods in the store, collected debts, sold pirated CDs, and did all sorts of odd jobs.
"They're not even boyfriend and girlfriend!"
“Chui Shuihui is a glib-tongued person who often says frivolous things to Minmin… I’ve told Minmin many times that this kind of person is completely unreliable.”
"And then this silly girl turned around and told him everything I had said..."
The female shop assistant shook her head, her tone helpless.
“Minmin usually doesn’t even add an egg to her bowl of noodles, and he borrows her salary as soon as she gets it.”
"He said it was a loan, but I've never seen him come to pay it back!"
"Now look what's happened, we've lost both our money and our loved ones..."
The female shop assistant said that not long ago, the boss paid out salaries, and Chui Shui Hui came again.
He borrowed all of You Minmin's savings and, just like before, used sweet words to coax her.
“The next day, Minmin came to work with red eyes, clearly having been crying,” the female shop assistant said. “I asked her what happened, but she wouldn’t say. After all, we’re just colleagues, and she might not tell me some private matters. Especially since I had previously spoken ill of Shuihui.”
“You just mentioned financial disputes or personal grudges—” she finally said with certainty, “You should go to Chui Shui Hui.”
As they left the record store, Sheng Fang skipped and hopped behind Zhu Qing, his mouth stretched from ear to ear in a wide grin.
Police investigations are the most fun game ever. He memorized the scripts, preparing to play the cops-and-robbers game at kindergarten tomorrow.
The blossoms silently revisited in my heart.
If you don't understand something, just ask.
"Qingzai, what does 'chui shui hui' mean?"
"His name is Ahui, and he loves to brag, so he's also called Boastful Hui," Zhu Qing explained.
During a nighttime investigation, the car that the uncle bought for his niece came in handy.
By the way, you can also take a drive around.
He opened the car window, rested his cheek against the window frame, and felt the cool breeze on his face.
Time flies so fast; the hot air turned into cool air in an instant, just like adjusting the speed of a hair dryer.
"Qingzai, let's go buy glow-in-the-dark stars!"
Sheng Fang suddenly remembered that Zhu Qing had promised him that she would cover the walls of the children's room with glow-in-the-dark stars.
The children's products store is located in Causeway Bay, in the same spot as the record store.
But by then, the car had already driven two streets away.
"We'll have to turn back again, that's such a hassle," Zhu Qing suggested. "How about we buy it another day when we're passing by?"
"All right."
Shengfang readily agreed.
After a long while, Zhu Qing heard three faint words drifting behind her—
"Blowing water and clearing skies."
...
To get rid of the nickname "Chatterbox Qing," Zhu Qing opened her notebook and wrote a line of small characters on it.
Buy glow-in-the-dark star stickers for Shengfang.
An important entry has been added to this little notebook used for work.
It's related to Fangfang the little one.
Shengfang, however, was unaware that she had long since forgotten about the matter.
When he woke up the next morning, he poked half his body out of the children's room.
"Qingzai, Qingzai—" Shengfang asked sleepily, her voice trailing off, "Is it the weekend today?"
Ever since she started school, Shengfang has asked this question every morning.
Is it the weekend yet? Is it the weekend yet?
The weekend won't arrive in the blink of an eye!
Zhu Qing drew a small red circle on the calendar: "Today is Thursday."
Aunt Ping smiled and said, "Young master, count the days, how many more days until Saturday?"
Shengfang turned her little head away, then became shrewd again: "Do we still need to count?"
The child slammed the door shut.
When they came out again, they had even changed into their school uniforms.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, opened the door, and effortlessly braced himself against the doorframe with one hand.
"If I miss the school bus, I won't go."
Zhu Qing covered her uncle's mouth.
He talks too much.
You won't miss the school bus. Even if you miss this one, there's another one every thirty minutes.
Zhu Qing accompanied Fang Fang downstairs, but did not wait with him for the school bus, instead handing the child over to Aunt Ping.
Last night, after Qingzai got home, Shengfang overheard her contacting her colleagues.
She returned to the police station early this morning, determined to find the runaway Chui Shui Hui without delay.
"Chuishui Qing is going to catch Chuishui Hui."
"Young master!" Aunt Ping quickly reminded him, "You can't call your teachers that at school, you know?"
"Aunt Ping, what's Teacher Ji's name?"
Aunt Ping shook her head.
Although she was always completely under the thumb of the young master, she certainly couldn't go along with his words right now.
"Young master, what would you like to eat tonight?"
"Aunt Ping is good at changing the subject," Fangfang said in a childish voice.
As expected of an adult, neither Aunt Ping nor Qingzai are so easily fooled.
As the school bus was about to stop, Shengfang inadvertently touched the small pocket of her pants.
It's been two days, and he still hasn't given the bracelet to Qingzai.
Between 8 and 9 a.m., the school bus runs every half hour.
The child begged and pleaded to go to the police station to deliver the bracelet.
Children's thoughts are always so simple and pure.
The things that mattered to them were completely different from what adults cared about. Aunt Ping led Shengfang by the hand toward the Yau Ma Tei Police Station, taking each step with great care.
Aunt Ping learned from Fangfang's niece and tried her best to protect this unique innocence that belongs to children.
Since the young master started school, he hasn't patrolled the Yau Ma Tei Police Station for a long time.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, he saw the dejected Weng Sir.
The young master had long noticed that Zhao Lin's attire was always different from that of his colleagues.
"Wear a suit and tie, okay?" Sheng Fang waved. "You look the most dashing."
Amidst the comings and goings of police colleagues, Ong Siu-lun stopped in his tracks.
"No respect for elders."
The child stood very close, tiptoeing, and exclaimed, "Your dark circles are so big!"
Weng Zhaolin subconsciously touched the area under his eyes: "Is it that obvious?"
Shengfang tilted her head to look at him, wrinkling her little nose.
He looked so bitter, even more bitter than the herbal tea brewed by the old lady at the herbal tea shop in Wan Chai.
"You need to take a rest!" the elder said earnestly.
In just a few words, Weng Zhaolin was completely touched by Sheng Fang's words, and his heart softened.
“There’s never been a quiet investigation. Now the whole of Hong Kong has heard it on the radio.” Weng Zhaolin rubbed his temples with a wry smile. “The higher-ups insist on a three-day time limit. Investigating a case isn’t like launching a rocket; you can’t just solve it overnight.”
Weng Zhaolin sighed, "Honestly, why am I telling you this? You wouldn't understand—"
Before he could finish speaking, he heard the sincere, childlike voice of the young master of the Sheng family.
I understand you!
Weng Zhaolin was stunned.
He understood that people in this position would always hear gossip.
The young people in the police station often said he was annoying, that he only liked to show off and put on a show for "Police Training"... Even his colleagues who worked with him day and night thought so. But now, a three-year-old child has actually seen through his thoughts.
The little boy, with his tender face upturned, was willing to understand him!
"You're under a lot of pressure too."
Weng Zhaolin sighed softly and patted Shengfang's little shoulder.
He met a kindred spirit.
The two, one adult and one child, walked towards the CID apartment.
When the colleagues from Major Crimes Unit B saw the two people, they held their breath instantly.
“John,” Fangfang called out casually.
The CID room was completely silent.
How did this young master manage to sneak in!
It's well known that Inspector Weng has been in a terrible temper these past few days; he's been incredibly irritable.
Someone is not handling official business properly and brings children to work... At this moment, I just happened to run into his line of fire and can only accept my bad luck.
Everyone cast sympathetic glances at Zhu Qing.
That's terrible.
Fangfang puts her two chubby little hands together and raises them above her head.
"John, it's been so long since anyone picked me up from school."
Zhao Lin, the most disliked officer in the entire police station, solemnly ordered—
"Zhu Qing, you go."
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