Li Chuchu tried her best to describe Li Xiaguang's appearance from her memory. "The girl named Li Xiaguang has a few freckles on her nose and cheeks. She has two ponytails, double - eyelids, and a slender figure. She has a northern accent. It's said that she came to the south to visit relatives but was lured by her aunt with the promise of a high - paying job."
The policewoman jotted down the main features. Then she sent a technician to roughly sketch the portrait and showed it to Li Chuchu again. "Is this what she looks like?"
Li Chuchu looked at the face that resembled about 60 - 70% and pointed out a few places for modification. The policewoman asked the technician to go back and redo it. After several rounds, not only the artist but also Li Chuchu felt like her eyes were seeing double.
There was a musty smell of mops in the police station.
The south was humid and sweltering, and rooms without proper ventilation often had such an odor.
The police station was in disrepair, and the sanitary conditions were poor, so it was inevitable to have this unpleasant smell.
Li Chuchu wrinkled her nose. The policewoman seemed to notice that she was exhausted and told her to go out and rest first.
When Li Chuchu came out, she saw the old police chief holding the freshly - drawn portrait, instructing his subordinates in a serious tone. "Search carefully for which factories have recruited new employees recently. Pay special attention to these blocks. Report any suspicious points immediately."
The policemen below all looked ashen. "Chief, we've asked around, but those people are as slippery as eels. As soon as they knew we were looking for someone, they went into hiding."
The old chief flew into a rage. "Then send some plain - clothes policemen. If the direct approach doesn't work, try the indirect one. Have you forgotten everything you learned about investigation?"
They looked even more embarrassed, their faces contorted. Not to mention plain - clothes, their uniforms had been unchanged for more than a decade. Even for plain - clothes policemen, they needed some incentives to get information. The police station was so poor that there was no extra money for them to confront the hostile forces.
Li Chuchu craned her neck and stared intently at the small map of various blocks in Guancheng on the wall. Surprisingly, this little thing was quite detailed. In this era, there was no navigation, and people had to ask for directions.
She thought that it would be much easier to find someone if she had a map.
After the chief finished speaking, he glanced at Li Chuchu.
Why is this person still here?
So oblivious.
Li Chuchu turned around with a smile and pointed at the map on the wall. "Excuse me, do you have any more of these? I'd like one."
"No!"
The old chief glared at her. He thought this girl was just here to cause trouble and growled roughly, "Our police station is not Xinhua Bookstore. Do you think you can just take things away?" If it weren't for her exposing Guancheng, they wouldn't be in this mess. This girl's big mouth had really caused them a lot of trouble.
Thinking of this, he looked at Li Chuchu with even more disdain.
Sure enough, after being in power for a long time, one would develop a strong official aura that made people tremble.
Li Chuchu scratched her nose and whispered, "It's just a map. Why are you so angry? Does the station provide lunch? Where are we going to eat?"
The angry chief was immediately deflated: ... Are these people really here to assist in the case?
He increasingly looked down on young people like Li Chuchu who seemed to be pleasure - seeking and reckless.
Finally, he was too lazy to deal with her. He just snorted and walked away.
...
However, the chief still (under pressure) showed mercy and arranged a place for them to eat: the canteen of the public security organ.
When it was time for dinner in the evening,
The policemen took their lunch boxes and went to the canteen to get food.
Li Chuchu and Shen Yanshan followed the policemen to the canteen. On the way, Li Chuchu discussed with Shen Yanshan, "It's highly likely that Jiang Wen didn't enter any factory. Her aunt specifically targeted girls and emphasized the good treatment in the factory. It seems more like some kind of shady industry. If she really entered a factory, Jiang Wen couldn't have not called home by now. She may have been controlled there."
This was the best - case scenario he could think of. As long as the person was still alive and within the urban area of Guancheng, there was a way to find her.
Shen Yanshan pondered. "As soon as we entered, the chief said this case was difficult. He clearly knows where the people are, but this place is too chaotic for him to control. What he said was just for show."
He glanced at Li Chuchu obliquely. "Do you want to get involved in this?"
Li Chuchu nodded seriously. "A bit."
"Then let's start investigating those shops later."
"Okay."
Xiao Liu had been listening for a long time but was still a bit confused. Weren't they here to help? Where were they going to start the investigation? What were they going to investigate?
When they arrived at the canteen,
As soon as they entered, they saw a big bamboo basket full of lukewarm cornmeal buns and a few extremely plain vegetables. The only dish that might contain meat was probably the tomato - and - egg stir - fry.
Li Chuchu couldn't help shaking her head. The police station in Guancheng was really poor. The only decent thing was the two motorcycles sent to pick them up at noon.
Li Chuchu took a couple of bites of the canteen food and felt that the coarse grains were scratching her throat. It was really unappetizing. Shen Yanshan noticed and whispered, "If it doesn't taste good, let's not eat it. Let's go out and eat something."
Li Chuchu thought it was a good idea.
She had worked so hard to earn so much money. There was no need to suffer like this.
Li Chuchu whispered to Xiao Liu beside her, "Hey, how about we go out to eat?"
Xiao Liu said seriously, "No, thanks. You guys go ahead."
Although he came from the prosperous Chuncheng and wasn't used to the coarse food here, as a young policeman who had just started working, he didn't have much money in his pocket. After sending some money home every month after getting his salary, he was almost broke.
Li Chuchu nodded regretfully. "Okay then."
After dinner, a police officer arranged a guesthouse near the police station for them. There were only two keys.
Three people, two rooms.
The police officer smiled apologetically. "There are limited rooms. You guys figure out how to distribute them."
Li Chuchu, Shen Yanshan, and Xiao Liu went back to the guesthouse. On the way back, Li Chuchu casually asked Xiao Liu, "Why did the police chief in the station address your station master as 'chief'?"
Xiao Liu replied with a smile, "Our Chief Wen was appointed as the deputy director of the railway sub - bureau at the beginning of this year. If he were just a station master, his words wouldn't carry as much weight."
Li Chuchu nodded.
She understood.
A higher - ranking official always has the upper hand.
On the way back, the sun was gradually setting. The streets were bustling with people, and the neon lights were on in the distance. Many shadowy figures were gathering there, looking like a dark and gloomy area shrouded in the night.
Li Chuchu was walking on the street when she smelled the food from the roadside stalls.