Chapter 91

In March 1960, Yunshui County experienced several shocking cases of missing persons.

Young girls around the ages of seventeen or eighteen who worked in factories started disappearing. Since early March, a girl would go missing every few days.

At first, their families didn’t think much of it. In those days, many girls working in factories lived in dormitories. They often spent long hours standing on their feet in the workshop, leaving them exhausted, with sore legs and aching bodies. Staying in the dormitory allowed them to rest more.

The most recent girl to disappear was Yu Qiuli, a local from Yunshui County. She worked as a female laborer in the cotton textile factory where Lin Yao was employed. This cotton textile factory was one of the largest in Yunshui County. The factory had been shut down for over half a year due to a famine, but now that conditions had improved, orders were pouring in. To keep up with production, the factory workers in several workshops were working in three shifts.

Before Yu Qiuli disappeared, she had worked a full day at the factory, finishing her shift at 6:30 PM. Father Yu had instructed his eldest son to pick up his sister after work. The elder brother arrived at the cotton textile factory as planned but waited for an hour without seeing Yu Qiuli. Worried, he asked the gatekeeper, an elderly worker.

The gatekeeper told him that Yu Qiuli had left the factory around 5:00 PM and hadn’t returned since.

Realizing something was wrong, the Yu family dropped everything to search for their daughter. They searched all night and into the early morning but couldn’t find her. The next day, Father Yu, overwhelmed with anxiety, suffered a spike in his blood pressure and was rushed to the county clinic. This delayed their search for another half-day, and it wasn’t until noon that they frantically reported the incident to the police.

It was Xu Xiangqian’s turn to be on duty that day. Upon receiving the report, he went to the courtyard to summon Gu Shi’an.

After all, the old police chief had gone to the provincial capital for convalescence, and Father Xu had an old back problem that acted up from time to time. So, Gu Shi’an had to take charge at the Public Security Bureau.

Gu Shi’an frowned, put down the shoulder pole he was holding, changed his clothes, and returned to the Public Security Bureau to organize the police force. Before leaving, he told Lin Yao that he might not return home for dinner.

Lin Yao had just heard Da Tou Brother explain the situation and was still in shock. She quickly nodded and let him go about his work.

Lin Yao had seen Yu Qiuli, the missing girl, a few times at the factory. Once, Yu Qiuli had come to the logistics department to collect her summer work uniform. She had a pleasant personality, spoke charmingly, and made the older ladies in the office laugh. At that time, Sister Hao in the office had taken a liking to her and even considered her as a potential wife for her nephew.

Who would have thought that in just a few days…

Gu Shi’an led the team from the Public Security Bureau in investigating Yu Qiuli’s family, coworkers, and friends. Yu Qiuli was a simple girl who lived a straightforward life, moving between the workshop, canteen, and home. She also had a dormitory at the cotton textile factory, which she shared with several other girls.

The cotton textile factory’s dormitory was a two-story red brick building, where most of the female workers lived. The corridor on the second floor was lined with the women’s laundry hanging out to dry. On Yu Qiuli’s bed, the quilt was neatly folded and covered with a piece of cloth, clearly indicating it hadn’t been slept in for a while.

The other women in the dormitory mentioned that Yu Qiuli hadn’t stayed in the dormitory for over a week.

Xu Xiangqian tapped on the dormitory wall and then looked up at Gu Shi’an, asking, “Old Gu, do you think this wall is hollow?”

Gu Shi’an, after reading through the investigation notes, glanced over indifferently.

“Why don’t you crawl in and check?”

Da Tou Brother: “…….”

After Yu Qiuli’s case surfaced, several other parents reported missing daughters within two days. Without exception, all the missing girls were beautiful, unmarried, and of marriageable age. Some of these girls were particularly attractive and were already engaged. Now that the girls had vanished, their parents, along with the families of the fiancés, were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

At eighteen or nineteen years old, they were in the prime of their lives. For seven or eight young women to suddenly disappear without a trace was deeply unsettling. Initially, the families were concerned about the girls’ reputations and future marriage prospects, so they tried to search quietly without involving the authorities. However, as time passed, the parents could no longer remain silent.

After a thorough investigation, the County Public Security Bureau discovered that this was a series of premeditated kidnappings and human trafficking cases. The traffickers targeted young, beautiful, and inexperienced girls, using various methods to incapacitate them before transporting them to remote mountain areas to be sold as wives to older, single men for profit.

The Public Security Bureau stationed officers at the Yunshui County railway station and long-distance bus terminal, conducting strict inspections of passengers, while plainclothes officers patrolled the area, keeping a close watch on the surroundings. The county militia and armed forces formed a patrol team, armed and patrolling continuously.

With the county on high alert, the traffickers went into hiding, too afraid to act. Despite several days of intense effort, the Public Security Bureau only managed to catch a few small-time criminals, whose confessions provided some clues.

Finally, the County Public Security Bureau pieced together the traffickers’ patterns of movement. Gu Shi’an held a meeting and proposed a strategy to crack the case: baiting the traffickers with a decoy to lure them out.

Xu Xiangqian was intrigued.

“Old Gu, tell us how we’ll lure them.”

He had been deeply frustrated by this case for days. So many young women, in the prime of their lives, had been ruined by those despicable criminals, and he felt powerless to stop it. The frustration was unbearable.

Gu Shi’an glanced over and succinctly replied, “Honey trap.”

“A honey trap?”

Everyone began discussing it.

Xu Xiangqian, quick-witted, grinned, understanding Old Gu’s plan.

The key to solving the case lay in selecting a professional from within the Public Security Bureau to act as bait, while the others would remain hidden nearby, ready to pounce on the traffickers.

The County Public Security Bureau had a few pretty young women on the force, and some of them were skilled in self-defense. But Xu Xiangqian was curious which one Old Gu had chosen.

He pondered over it.

Gu Shi’an whispered a few words to Father Xu, who, upon hearing them, clapped his hands in delight.

“Good, this is a great idea! This rascal was raised as a little girl by his mother when he was young, so having him pose as one now to act as bait is perfect!”

Then, Father Xu remembered that there were a few old wigs left by opera performers in the Public Security Bureau’s warehouse. These wigs were used by actors playing female roles in traditional operas during the old society. After the liberation, fewer people performed operas, so the wigs were sent to the Public Security Bureau and stored in the warehouse. With a little trimming, they could be reused.

Father Xu called his son to go to the warehouse and find the wigs.

Xu Xiangqian naively asked, “Dad, why do we need wigs? Shouldn’t we hurry up and solve the case?”

Father Xu replied, “They’re for you to wear and disguise as a little girl.”

Xu Xiangqian: “???”

*

In March, the weather grew warmer each day. After a light spring rain, the crabapple blossoms and pomegranate trees in the courtyard began to sprout tender buds. There was one day off each week, and on this sunny noon, Lin Yao placed Gu Doudou in a baby walker and pushed him into the courtyard. She was busy loosening the soil in the vegetable garden while little Doudou toddled around in the walker.

Earlier, Gu Mancang had fertilized the vegetable seedlings in the garden, and the pungent smell lingered for several days before dissipating.

Lin Yao was particularly attentive to her watermelon seedlings, frequently checking on them whenever she had time. Yesterday, she noticed that the seeds she planted had sprouted a few delicate green shoots.

This gave Lin Yao a surge of confidence, and she became even more diligent in tending to the garden.

After finishing her chores indoors, Zhang Cuilan took a long strip of hemp cloth from the wardrobe and went outside to tie it around Gu Doudou’s chubby waist. The little guy excitedly flailed his arms and legs.

“Grandma, walk!”

The little one was becoming increasingly obsessed with walking.

“Alright, let’s walk. Grandma will walk with Doudou.”

Zhang Cuilan held onto the cloth and helped Doudou walk on the open ground in the courtyard. At first, the little chubby legs, as plump as lotus roots, struggled to gain strength, and he waddled around like a little crab.

As she helped her grandson, Zhang Cuilan chatted with Lin Yao about recent cases.

“Yao Yao, do you think those girls will ever come back? Such lovely girls, in the prime of their lives. Their parents raised them with so much care, and now they’ve just vanished. How heartbreaking it must be for their parents.”

Being a mother herself, she could deeply empathize with the anguish parents feel when their children are in danger.

Lin Yao, too, felt a bit heavy-hearted when she thought about the recent cases.

“They will, Mom. Good deeds bring good rewards, and bad deeds bring retribution, it’s just a matter of time. Didn’t Uncle Xu say so? With Gu Shi’an on the case, no crime will go unsolved. Don’t worry.”

Lin Yao tried to reassure her.

Zhang Cuilan thought about it and agreed. Her eldest son indeed had a knack for solving cases. She then looked down and saw Gu Doudou gnawing on a small steamed bun to soothe his teething gums and couldn’t help but smile.

“Doudou’s lower teeth are coming in too. When babies are teething, they like to gnaw on things. The little steamed buns you made are quite good, Yao Yao. They’re just as tasty as biscuits.”

“How did you make them? Don’t they use big ovens or stoves to make biscuits and buns?”

The Gu family didn’t have an oven.

Lin Yao glanced at her son, who was happily chewing on the small biscuit-like steamed buns, and explained with a smile.

“Mom, we don’t have an oven. I just steamed them in a regular pot.”

In these times, when babies were teething, they usually chewed on cornmeal biscuits. Since Doudou’s gums were tender, Lin Yao specially made small steamed buns in the shape of biscuits. She added sugar and eggs to make them sweet, perfect for Doudou to gnaw on.

After finishing his biscuit-like steamed buns, Doudou’s little hands were sticky. The little one, who liked cleanliness, frowned and waved at Lin Yao.

“Mama, wash my hands.”

Lin Yao looked at her son’s little dirty hands and washed them for him.

After lunch, Doudou was still full of energy. He lay on the bed, sucking on his fingers and kicking his feet, showing no signs of wanting to take a nap. Lin Yao took out a storybook and began reading to the little one as a bedtime story… or rather, a lullaby.

Before she even finished one story, Doudou, with puffed-up cheeks, was already dozing off.

By evening, the sky darkened, and a cold wind started blowing, rustling the leaves of the banyan trees at the alley’s entrance, signaling an impending rain. The families in the courtyard began to light their stoves for cooking. Today was payday at the factory, and the workers were all smiles as they carried bags of rice, flour, and meat coupons home.

The smell of cooking oil wafted through the residential areas of the county. As the rain began to drizzle outside, a beautiful “young lady” with a graceful figure appeared in a secluded alley near the train station, holding an umbrella.