Ma Yunfei walked from the main gate of Jiufa Company toward Xia Tian's home.
Not far away, there was a general store.
The storefront of this grocery store is small, and it doesn't seem to be doing very well.
A woman in her thirties sat at the shop entrance, knitting.
Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya walked over.
The young woman quickly stood up and said solicitously, "What do you two want to buy? Come in and take a look. My little shop has a wide variety of items, and the prices are very reasonable."
Ma Yunfei walked into the shop, looked around, and asked, "Are you the owner, ma'am?"
The young woman smiled and said, "This shop is owned by my family, but it's too small and doesn't make much money. So, I guess you could say I'm the boss's wife."
Ma Yunfei struck up a conversation, saying, "Ma'am, your shop is located on such a remote street, business must be bad. Why don't you open a shop on a bustling street?"
“Young man, you don’t seem like a businessman at all. If I were to open a shop on a busy street, the rent would be outrageously expensive. Even if business was good, the landlord would take all the profits. Although this place is remote, the rent is much lower.”
"That's right. Big sister, are you running the shop all by yourself?"
The young woman sized up Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya, and asked, "Young man, are you here to buy something, or to inquire about something?"
"Big sister, you have a sharp eye! You could tell right away that I'm here to ask about something."
"Young man, do you also want to open a shop here? Well, let me tell you: if you open a shop here, you can only make a living, don't even think about getting rich. There is a small restaurant up ahead, I heard it's losing money and is preparing to transfer the shop. You can go and inquire about it."
Ma Yunfei said quietly, "Sister, what time does your shop close at night?"
"This place is quite remote, and there's no one here after dark. I usually close at eight o'clock at night."
Ma Yunfei asked excitedly, "Big sister, do you sit at the door and watch the shop every day?"
"Young man, what exactly are you doing here?"
"Sister, I can tell you're a straightforward person, so I'll be frank with you. The day before yesterday, around six o'clock in the evening, my cousin went missing on this street. I'd like to ask: Did you see a girl in a dress walk by here around six o'clock last night?"
The young woman thought for a moment and said, "I seem to remember. Around six o'clock the day before yesterday, a pretty girl in a dress walked by here. In my memory, she should work nearby and seems to pass by here often."
Ma Yunfei asked with surprise, "Big sister, when she passed by here the evening before last, did nothing happen to her? For example, was she suddenly kidnapped by a man? Or did a car suddenly stop next to her and someone push her into the car?"
The young woman thought for a moment and said, "At that time, the girl walked past my shop and seemed to glance into my shop twice, but nothing happened."
"Big sister, are you knitting with your head down the whole time?"
"Yes, recently I've been planning to knit a sweater for my husband. I learned a new pattern from my best friend, so I'm focusing on knitting it."
Ma Yunfei thought that if the young woman kept her head down and was concentrating on knitting, she wouldn't notice anything happening nearby unless it was very loud.
Seeing that the young woman was quite friendly and approachable, Ma Yunfei asked, "Ma'am, are you familiar with the other shopkeepers on this street?"
"I'm familiar with most of them. We're all in business, so we look out for each other."
"Sister, I'd like to ask you for a favor. If you have time, could you please ask around and see if anything happened to the girl in the dress who was walking down this street the night before last?"
The young woman hesitated for a moment and said, "Young man, how could I have time to inquire about these things for you? You see, I'm the only one running the shop, I can't leave. By the time I close the shop at night, everyone else has already closed up and left."
Ma Yunfei could tell that this young woman had a cheerful personality and must have a good relationship with the nearby shopkeepers.
He took out two hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the young woman, pleading, "Sister, my cousin has suddenly disappeared, and my family is extremely worried. Please help me find out if anything happened to the girl in the dress on this street the night before last. Thank you so much, this two hundred yuan is just a small token of my appreciation."
The young woman hesitated for a moment, then took the money and said, "Okay, I'll go and find out for you now. You wait here and watch the shop for me."
The young woman's general store sold mostly everyday items and inexpensive trinkets, so she trusted Ma Yunfei to help her run the store.
Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya sat at the shop entrance.
The young woman swayed her hips as she walked away.
About an hour later, the young woman returned with a gloomy face and said dejectedly, "Young man, I asked eight shops, and all eight of them close after dark. I asked around, and everyone said that nothing happened the night before last."
Ma Yunfei was a little puzzled. Based on his speculation, Xia Tian couldn't possibly go anywhere else; she would only walk home from Jiufa Company.
In other words, something must have happened on this street in the summer.
The problem is that none of the shopkeepers on this street have noticed anything unusual, which is a bit strange.
Ma Yunfei asked, "Big sister, could it be that the shop owners have discovered something but are afraid to say anything?"
The young woman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Young man, there's a barbershop up ahead. It's run by two sisters, and they don't close until 10 p.m. every day. When I went to ask them about it just now, the younger sister at the barbershop looked a bit off and was hesitant in her speech. I think maybe she saw something but is afraid to say it."
Ma Yunfei hurriedly asked, "Is it that barbershop up ahead?"
"Yes, the two sisters lost their parents early and have been relying on each other ever since. They opened this hair salon five years ago, and business is doing alright."
Ma Yunfei asked, "What are the personalities of the two sisters?"
"The older sister is not talkative, while the younger sister is quite active. The older sister is five years older than the younger sister, and the younger sister listens to her older sister more."
Ma Yunfei said gratefully, "Thank you, elder sister, you provided me with very valuable information."
"Young man, when you go to the barbershop, don't tell them that I told you your sister looked strange and was stuttering. I don't want to offend either of them."
"Don't worry, big sister, I won't betray you."
Ma Yunfei said to Ye Ya, "Girl, look at you, you've never taken care of your hair properly. I think you should go to the hair salon and get a short haircut, it will look neater."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
