Chapter 194 Rice Noodle Shop
Open the car window and the wind blows in.
The March wind brings a hint of warmth, making people feel the footsteps of spring.
The rice planting season has not yet arrived, and wild grasses are poking out of the newly turned rice fields. Dots of green come into view, and the mixed scent of soil and vegetation fills the air.
Xia Mufan took a deep breath, as if he was back in his youth when he was picking grass for pigs. Everything in front of him was so familiar.
While driving, Yu Jing said happily: "The conditions in the Municipal Bureau are great. This new jeep is really comfortable to drive. When we were in the police station, we were only equipped with a few motorcycles."
Sun Xianbing, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at Xia Mufan: "Do you remember the first time we touched a car? At that time, Captain Yue lent us a car to pick up Aunt Hong in the countryside. It was my first time driving independently. I was so nervous that sweat broke out on my forehead. I was shocked when the car stalled right after I started it."
Thinking of the past, Xia Mufan smiled: "I remember this incident. Senior brother was really nervous at that time."
Yu Jing laughed: "After I was transferred from the army to the police station, I hardly had the chance to drive. I was so happy to see the car you drove back from the Criminal Investigation Brigade. As soon as I touched the steering wheel, I felt refreshed and comfortable! From now on, no one can compete with me for the job of driving."
Xia Mufan, Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing had worked together at the Anning Road Police Station. The three of them had an indescribable closeness, which made Gong Weiguo and Feng Xiaoyu feel a little uncomfortable, as if something was missing between them. The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed.
So what about the part about missing the police station? The five of us are members of the Serious Crime Unit 7 of the Hui City Criminal Investigation Brigade. We have investigated many major cases together and are good comrades who fought side by side. Now we are still united. This bond is indestructible.
Gong Weiguo asked Xia Mufan: "Captain Xia, what do you think about this case? Tao Nianqiao disappeared after leaving her father's rice noodle shop in the afternoon. The girl is inconspicuous in the county town, and no one noticed her whereabouts. It's really strange."
Feng Xiaoyu looked at Gong Weiguo: "What are you wondering about?"
As they were talking, the car had already entered the county seat of Yuntong County.
Driving along the main road of the county town, you will see sycamore trees with new buds on both sides of the street. Different from the new modern atmosphere, the buildings in the county town are relatively low, there are not many cars, and people mainly use bicycles as a means of transportation, giving it a leisurely atmosphere.
Gong Weiguo pointed at the scenery outside the window and said, "A teenage girl who comes to a strange county town will usually walk on the main road and will not go to the back streets. If a stranger approaches her, she will always be alert, right? As long as she makes a little noise, someone will definitely see her. She will not be abducted quietly like this."
Sun Xianbin said: "Have you forgotten the case of Lu Pingping's disappearance? Lu Pingping was just too kind-hearted and was taken away by bad people."
Feng Xiaoyu shook her head: "Lu Pingping is different from Tao Nianqiao. Lu Pingping's parents are still alive, and his brother and sister-in-law love him very much. Although his family is from the countryside, he has received a lot of love, so his personality is relatively naive and he is easy to trust others."
"But Tao Nianqiao is different. Her parents ignored her since she was young. She lived with her grandmother and had a hard life in the countryside. In order to study, the two tried every possible way, and Tao Nianqiao suffered a lot. Growing up in such an environment, Tao Nianqiao has a tough personality and a relatively closed heart. She can't easily trust others."
Feng Xiaoyu's analysis made everyone quiet down. Gong Weiguo looked at her with admiration: "Okay, Xiaoyu, your psychological analysis is quite accurate."
Feng Xiaoyu smiled a little embarrassedly: "We are a special operations team, so everyone must have some special skills, right? I can't have no special skills except taking notes well."
As soon as he said this, Gong Weiguo immediately gave her a thumbs up: "You are right! Since we are members of the special operations team, everyone must have some special skills."
He turned his gaze to Xia Mufan: "Captain Xia, your specialty is communicating with animals. Hey, then what do you think my specialty is?"
Xia Muhong said succinctly: "External relations."
Gong Weiguo has a handsome appearance, looks upright, has a good eloquence and is very good at dealing with the media. In the Huang Jinfeng case, it was Gong Weiguo who handled all the communications with reporters and dealings with TV stations, which was quite worry-free.
Gong Weiguo touched his head a little embarrassedly: "Well, in addition to this specialty, we still need to have some detective skills, right?"
Xia Mufan thought for a moment and said, "Investigating and collecting evidence, unraveling the mystery, and finding useful clues, this is something you are good at."
Gong Weiguo immediately became excited when he heard this: "Yes, I am good at this." He patted his chest and said, "The Tao Nianqiao case needs to be re-investigated and evidence collected. Leave this task to me."
Yu Jing said as he drove: "My specialty is driving, but it doesn't seem to be considered an investigative skill, right?"
Sun Xianbing reminded him, "Dayu, haven't you been studying the evidence collection at the scene recently?"
Yu Jing smiled innocently: "I'm not very good at collecting physical evidence, but I will work hard in the future."
Yu Jing was a former motor soldier. He was careful and alert, and was indeed very suitable for collecting physical evidence. Xia Mufan said, "It's okay. This case is a good opportunity for you to practice. Pay more attention to the surrounding environment and stay alert to any abnormalities."
Yu Jing's heart was filled with fighting spirit: "Okay!"
Sun Xianbing realized that four of the five members of the team had their own specialties. It seemed that he, who had a professional background, was the only one who hadn't spoken yet. He thought for a moment: "Captain, I really like logical reasoning, such as case analysis, social relationship analysis, and suspect portraits."
Without waiting for Xia Mufan to nod, Gong Weiguo spoke first: "Comrade Xiao Sun, logical reasoning is the most brain-burning part of case investigation. If you are willing to take over, I definitely have no objection."
Xia Mushige concluded: "Okay, everyone has their own areas of expertise, so try to study them carefully and constantly improve through actual combat. We have arrived at the rice noodle shop, let's go down and have a bowl of noodles first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the car drove past the most luxurious commercial center in the county and stopped in front of a busy rice noodle shop.
We set out early in the morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast. It's only eight o'clock now, which is the perfect time for breakfast.
Tao's Rice Noodle Shop was packed with people, and every table was occupied.
There is a long table next to the counter, on which are placed various seasonings, including Laba beans, chopped peppers, white peppers, chili sauce, minced garlic, coriander, green onions, celery, sour beans, pickled mustard, diced radish... and a big bowl of lard residue.
Just seeing so many seasonings and condiments makes one's mouth water.
Yu Jing walked to the counter and ordered a bowl of rice noodles with fried pork and chili for each person.
Yuan Qionghua was the one who cooked the rice noodles, and Tao Dazhuang was the one who stir-fried the ingredients in the kitchen. The couple worked in perfect harmony and quickly served up five large bowls of fried rice noodles.
The rice noodles were chewy and tender, the fried pork with chili was fragrant, and then sprinkled with a layer of green onions, and added with some lard, chili sauce, and pickles. The five of us ate until our noses were sweating and we kept saying it was delicious.
After finishing his meal, Yu Jing observed the business in the store: "Compared with the previous photos, the storefront has expanded."
Gong Weiguo sneered, "It seems that Tao Dazhuang's business is pretty good. Even if he makes a fortune every day, it shouldn't be a problem for him to make one or two hundred a day. By this calculation, he can make three to five thousand a month, which is not a problem at all for supporting Tao Nianqiao to study. But he refused to pay a penny and drove his daughter out of the store after she finally mustered up the courage to ask him for money. Tao Dazhuang is the culprit that caused Tao Nianqiao's disappearance and he is not worthy of being a father at all!"
Feng Xiaoyu sighed softly, "Tao Dazhuang and Zhao Qingliu don't have a good relationship, and he doesn't have any father-daughter feelings for Tao Nianqiao. He has money to expand the store, but he won't give Tao Nianqiao a penny. I just don't know if he felt guilty after Tao Nianqiao disappeared."
A cold light flashed in Xia Mufan's eyes: "It doesn't matter whether he feels guilty or not. What matters now is to find Tao Nianqiao."
Sun Xianbing said: "According to the investigation of the police station, Tao Dazhuang was the only one in the store that day, and Yuan Qionghua was at home taking care of the children. Tao Dazhuang said a few words to Tao Nianqiao and then drove her away without any courtesy. He didn't even pay attention to which direction Tao Nianqiao went after leaving the store. However, the police speculated that it was likely that she turned left and went to the bus station after leaving the store. They interviewed the people near the bus station."
The five people did not alarm Tao Dazhuang. After paying the money, they walked out of the store and stood at the door looking around.
Sun Xianbing asked: "Turn left to the bus station, what about turn right?"
Yu Jing opened the map: "On the right is the post office, department store, business bureau, cultural bureau... oh, and the county's No. 1 Middle School."
Sun Xianbing slapped his thigh and said, "Is it possible that after Tao Nianqiao was frustrated in asking her parents for money, she didn't give up hope. Didn't she already get the admission letter from No. 1 Middle School? Is it possible that she went to No. 1 Middle School to ask the principal or teachers for help, such as reducing tuition fees or working part-time?"
Feng Xiaoyu said: "Tao Nianqiao usually stays in the countryside and town and rarely comes to the county town. She has limited experience. Logically, she would not think of reducing tuition fees or working part-time to earn money for her studies."
Sun Xianbing insisted on his own judgment: "Is it possible that she just wanted to come and see the school she was admitted to? Even if she can't afford to go to school, it's okay to take a look, right?"
Feng Xiaoyu said: "The police officers at the police station actually thought of this possibility, but they didn't find any useful clues. But we can go and take a look."
Everyone got in the car, Yu Jing turned right, and after driving for seven or eight minutes, they arrived at the county's No. 1 Middle School. It was class time and the door was closed. Through the railings you can see the spacious playground and the brand new teaching building inside.
Xia Mufan sat in the car, listening to the sound of reading coming from the campus, imagining that there was a little girl with pigtails looking at everything in the school with longing, hoping to become a part of it, and his heart ached.
If I had not been so strong and mobilized all my strength to fight for the opportunity to continue my studies, I would never have been able to get into the police academy and become a criminal police officer. I would probably have ended up working like many other rural girls who dropped out of school.
Gong Weiguo jumped out of the car, took out Tao Nianqiao's photo and asked the guard at the reception room: "Have you seen this child five years ago?"
The security guard was a middle-aged man. He squinted at the photo and shook his head. "Five years ago? I just came here two years ago, so I don't know. Besides, the girl in the photo looks similar to many students in our school. I can't recognize her."
Gong Weiguo returned to the car somewhat frustrated: "It's been so long, it's really hard to find any useful clues."
Xia Mufan had anticipated this result: "Then let's hurry to town, so as not to keep Grandma Zhao waiting too long."
It takes about half an hour to drive from the county seat to the town, and commuting mainly relies on minibuses. The starting point of the minibus is the county bus station. It stops at several towns along the way, and Jiyang Town is the third stop.
Sun Xianbing and Gong Weiguo talked the most along the way.
“The county seat and the town are actually quite close.”
"Yeah, it'll take about two hours if we walk."
"Maybe Tao Nianqiao plans to walk back by himself. After all, taking a bus costs money, and he wants to save money for his studies."
"Tao Dazhuang is so cruel. His daughter finally came to the county town. Even if he doesn't want to give money for her education, he should at least give her some money for travel and food."
"Tsk! He didn't even cook a bowl of rice noodles for Tao Nianqiao."
Xia Mufan sat in the car with his eyes closed, listening to the conversation between Sun Xianbing and Gong Weiguo, his brows furrowed even more.
If Tao Nianqiao walked home, the search range would be even larger.
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