(2) Hiding

The night in Xuzhou City was dark, with the Milky Way spilling across the sky and stars shining brilliantly.

The small town was shrouded in darkness, with only a few scattered streetlights still illuminating the city.

Shen Wanwan first heard the sound of cicadas before she opened her small eyes.

A hot breeze carried a smell of burning, and black ash blew toward her. Shen Wanwan took several steps back.

She kept retreating until she backed into some charred wood, then finally stopped.

Looking around, she seemed to have reached Zhang Yingming’s house. There were traces of fire all around, but since she was too short, she couldn’t see much.

Shen Wanwan felt confused.

Up until now, she had only gone to the homes of criminal suspects at night, so why was she at Zhang Yingming’s house? And why had she transformed into…

Shen Wanwan glanced at her hands.

…quite cute.

For a moment, she didn’t believe her own eyes and crawled her way out.

Zhang Yingming’s house wasn’t large, yet it took her quite a while to reach the small path in front of the door.

There was a puddle by the side of the path. Shen Wanwan rubbed her hands together and looked into the “mirror.”

The face in the reflection was sharp and had the features of a not-so-cute… rat.

Great, another night of hiding and sneaking around.

At least it was nighttime—if it were daytime, she’d surely be beaten to death.

Shen Wanwan sighed for a moment before turning back.

But as soon as she turned around, she realized something was wrong.

She had seen the house burned down earlier and thought it was Zhang Yingming’s, but now that she looked again from the road, this was not the entrance to Zhang Yingming’s house.

Zhang Yingming’s house was next door, and the door she was standing in front of was actually Fang Qinghua’s house.

Fang Qinghua was a suspect.

A thought exploded in Shen Wanwan’s mind.

Just then, a middle-aged woman with short hair was sneaking along the wall, glancing around suspiciously, seemingly with ill intent.

Shen Wanwan hid near the door.

The woman walked up to Fang Qinghua’s door, confirmed that no one was around, then quickly slipped inside.

Shen Wanwan stealthily followed her.

She had been a cat, a dog, and even had eight legs before, now, walking with four legs was already very agile.

The woman smoothly snuck into Fang Qinghua’s bedroom. Shen Wanwan jumped onto a stool to observe, and only then confirmed that this was indeed not Zhang Yingming’s house. The damage here was much lighter compared to Zhang Yingming’s house.

Although Fang Qinghua was also one of the victims in this case, due to the limited investigation into her compared to Zhang Yingming, most people believed she was just implicated by Zhang Yingming.

Even so, all the necessary procedures had still been followed. Tao Jiang had ordered a search of Fang Qinghua’s house, and both Zhang Yingming’s and Fang Qinghua’s homes had been sealed, but the woman still dared to sneak in, which meant she definitely wasn’t here for good reasons.

After entering, the woman started rummaging through the cabinets, muttering to herself, “Where is it? Where did she hide it? Oh God, please help me find it quickly…”

Shen Wanwan had no idea what she was looking for, so she crept closer.

The woman, however, had sharp hearing. She looked over at the sound and was startled to see a rat nearby.

Both the woman and the rat stared at each other, wide-eyed, and the woman screamed, while Shen Wanwan also shrieked.

The woman shouted, “Where did this rat come from?!”

Shen Wanwan responded, “Rat life, rat life, gotta save the rat’s life!”

Although the rat was scary, the woman had seen many of them before and quickly regained her composure, the sense of duty to protect food from rats kicking in.

The woman bent down and picked up the fallen broom.

Shen Wanwan thought, “… The rat’s life really might be over!”

Without hesitation, Shen Wanwan turned and ran.

Although she didn’t have the memories of a rat, in dangerous situations, rats could activate some hidden potential. She dashed around erratically, and in the process, Shen Wanwan discovered a rat hole.

Without thinking, she squeezed into the hole, and soon, she was lost in the intricate maze of tunnels.

Shen Wanwan thought, “…”

It turned out that rat holes weren’t only large, but also had branches.

She even saw a food storage warehouse and another rat.

The two rats looked at each other, seeming to recognize one another.

Worried that the other rat might recognize she wasn’t a real rat, Shen Wanwan quickly slid into another tunnel.

The tunnel was empty, and Shen Wanwan could rest.

If she went out now, the woman would definitely hit her. Anyway, Shen Wanwan had already memorized the woman’s appearance. The woman recognized Fang Qinghua, and since she was familiar with the alley, she was likely a nearby neighbor.

She could come back tomorrow.

Shen Wanwan adjusted her posture and prepared to sleep.

Just before falling asleep, she suddenly thought of something.

It was one thing to worry about someone discovering her secret, but why was she afraid of being discovered by a rat?

Sleeping in a rat hole wasn’t pleasant. Shen Wanwan even once thought she might die there.

Around five or six in the morning, she finally returned to her own body. Sleeping on the dirt was extremely uncomfortable, so Shen Wanwan slept for another hour before getting up. She called Tao Jiang at the store to request going directly to the scene, and Tao Jiang approved.

After spending a few days with Tao Jiang, Shen Wanwan realized that Tao Jiang was actually a good leader.

He didn’t stick to rigid rules, nor did he purposely suppress anyone. As long as the case could be solved, many things were negotiable.

For breakfast, Lin Yuying made fried sauce noodles. She even served Shen Wanwan a spoonful of meat sauce, a privilege that had previously only been given to Shen Zhuo.

Lin Yuying felt somewhat complicated inside. She thought of herself as loving her daughter, but in the past, she never considered these things. Perhaps, in her mind, her daughter was already an adult who could help with chores, while Shen Zhuo was still a child in need of care.

But no matter how old Shen Wanwan got, she would always be Lin Yuying’s child. Lin Yuying should be her harbor, where she could shelter from the storms.

Shen Zhuo was holding back a breath. He was determined to show Shen Wanwan how amazing he was. He was going to prove his strength by getting first place in class!

He finished the noodles in just a few bites, deliberately waving his textbook in front of Shen Wanwan, then made sure to tell Lin Yuying before leaving, “Mom, I’m going to school. There’s self-study in the morning.”

Seeing Shen Zhuo being diligent made Lin Yuying happy.

She sighed to Shen Wanwan, “In the past, it was hard to wake Xiao Zhuo up. Now, he wakes up by himself every day when it’s time. Wanwan, I think he really wants to show you.”

Only then did Shen Wanwan lift her head. “Huh? Shen Zhuo left?”

Lin Yuying was speechless.

If her son knew his sister hadn’t even noticed him, would his performance have been in vain?

Shen Wanwan really hadn’t paid attention to Shen Zhuo, her mind was on other things.

The fried sauce noodles Lin Yuying made were actually quite delicious, perfectly seasoned and aromatic. Especially the noodles, which were made by Lin Yuying herself. They had great texture. She was a good cook, and Shen Wanwan even knew how to make the popular noodles of the 21st century. If she opened a shop, there would definitely be customers.

If she wanted money, she needed to find a way to earn it. Scrimping and saving could only accumulate a meager salary.

Shen Wanwan now had two thousand yuan in savings, so she could think about it more.

Shen Wanwan discussed with Lin Yuying, “Mom, can you make a list of the noodles you know how to make? Like fried sauce noodles, tomato and egg noodles, plain noodles, anything.”

Although Lin Yuying didn’t understand what use this would have, she still agreed.

After breakfast, Shen Wanwan headed straight to the scene.

She contacted the neighborhood committee in charge of managing the area and had them lead the way, going door to door to find people.

Shen Wanwan still remembered the direction the woman came from. She came from the east, so she focused on searching the east side.

She was in luck. When she reached the sixth house, Shen Wanwan saw a woman washing dishes.

The neighbors all called her Liang Sao.

Liang Sao had just turned forty this year and was very close to Fang Qinghua.

Her family wasn’t very wealthy. She had three sons who were still in school, and her husband worked as a bicycle repairman. Recently, his business had been struggling, and they didn’t earn much.

In addition, there were two elderly people at home—one was bedridden, and the other, though still able to walk, could only take care of themselves.

Liang Sao was not only a friend of Fang Qinghua’s but also… what was she trying to find?

Shen Wanwan introduced herself, and Liang Sao invited her in.

The living room was simple, without even a proper sofa, just a few wooden chairs.

Liang Sao looked at Shen Wanwan uneasily, even forgetting that there was still water boiling on the stove.

Shen Wanwan reminded her, “The water should be boiling.”

Flustered, Liang Sao rushed to the kitchen.

After she tidied up, Shen Wanwan got straight to the point. “You’re friends with Fang Qinghua, so why would you steal from her?”

Liang Sao, who had been pouring Shen Wanwan hot water, froze at the words. The scalding hot water spilled over the edge of the cup.

Without reacting, Shen Wanwan calmly handed her a cloth.

But Liang Sao didn’t pay attention to it. She anxiously explained, “I didn’t steal anything, I really didn’t.”

“Oh? But someone said they saw you enter Fang Qinghua’s house last night. Fang Qinghua’s house is the crime scene, and it’s still sealed with tape. You’re not allowed to enter without permission. Didn’t you know that?”

Liang Sao had purposely gone to Fang Qinghua’s house late at night, and she had confirmed multiple times that there was no one nearby before daring to enter. She never expected that she would still be seen.

Or rather, she should say, she was seen by a mouse.

With a “thud,” Liang Sao knelt before Shen Wanwan. “Please, spare me. I didn’t do it on purpose. I really… I just couldn’t keep going. My father is still sick, and we can’t even afford his medicine. My husband doesn’t earn much, and no matter how many odd jobs I do, it’s still not enough for their medicine. I’m truly desperate!”

Shen Wanwan quickly realized that Liang Sao had gone to steal money.

Although Fang Qinghua didn’t have the same burdens as Liang Sao, she didn’t earn much either. Even if she left behind some inheritance, how much could there be?

Shen Wanwan remained calm and said, “Be honest.”

“I heard Qinghua say her daughter had a gold necklace, and it was quite big. I went to look for that gold necklace.”

Shen Wanwan remembered that Fang Qinghua’s daughter had passed away. “It was her daughter’s belongings?”

Liang Sao hesitated and muttered, “I think it’s something passed down from her family.”

“Fang Qinghua kindly told you, and now she’s been murdered, and you’re still thinking about her daughter’s things?”

“No, no,” Liang Sao shook her hand and said, “Qinghua never talks about her family. I happened to see a picture of her daughter, and there was a necklace in the photo. I asked about it, and that’s when I found out it was a gold necklace. Her parents were from a big city, but later they fled to the village.”

Liang Sao’s words made Shen Wanwan think. She realized that she hadn’t seen any photos of Fang Qinghua’s daughter at her house.

If she missed her daughter, at least there should have been a photo somewhere to remind her constantly.

Liang Sao explained, “She said looking at her daughter’s photo made her sad, so all the photos were kept in a box. The box was locked, and I was over there when she was organizing the photos, and that’s when I happened to see it.”

Why would photos need to be locked away?