Chapter 171: Granny Liu Goes to the City

February 12th, the third day of the lunar new year.

While the police were still working overtime on Lu Zhendong’s case, Chen Shi, this “good-hearted citizen,” could relax at home and enjoy the holiday.

A heavy snowfall had blanketed Long’an City. Early in the morning, Tao Yueyue, dressed in a new bright red outfit that made her look like a little chili pepper, excitedly went outside to make snowballs and insisted that Chen Shi join her for a snowball fight.

“I have to go out. Be good at home and don’t wander too far when playing in the snow. Be careful not to get taken by bad people,” Chen Shi said.

“Going to bring food to Sister Lin again? Hmph, you don’t even care about me,” Tao Yueyue said playfully and then laughed. “Do I sound like Sister Lin?”

“Little brat! I only brought her food those two days because she couldn’t order takeout. It’s not like I do it every day,” Chen Shi blushed as he defended himself.

“Alright, alright, go ahead. I’ll play for a bit and then go back to study.”

“Go back and play games. You’ve finished all your winter break homework. What are you studying for?”

Today, Chen Shi was meeting someone named Lu Qixing, or rather, he was invited to meet him.

Driving to Lu Qixing’s hotel, a server escorted him upstairs. In the spacious, empty room, Lu Qixing sat by the window, looking at the snowy landscape with a bottle of champagne in his hand, his back radiating loneliness.

“Happy New Year, Mr. Lu!” Chen Shi greeted.

Lu Qixing slowly turned his head like a puppet, and after a moment, he said, “Officer Song…”

“My last name is Chen!”

Lu Qixing shakily stood up to get a glass, but Chen Shi said, “No, no, I’m driving.” He helped himself to a cigar from the bedside table.

“Look at me. Everyone is celebrating with their families for the new year, but here I am, all alone!”

“Serves you right. You know about the case. Your eldest son is truly your offspring, displaying the same shamelessness you did back then!”

“I’ve dined with half the celebrities from the Spring Festival Gala, even slept with some, but none of them would watch the Gala with me.”

“Is that a boast or a complaint?”

“Sigh, coming home to an empty house and locking the door when I leave… such a bleak old age!”

“You might as well just die.”

Lu Qixing glared at him. “Would it kill you to comfort a lonely old man?”

“Does an old scoundrel deserve comfort? Why didn’t you spend the New Year in a detention center? It’s lively there, full of talented people with sweet talk.”

“I gave the kidnapped woman a sum of money, so she won’t sue me.”

“Money is great!”

“Isn’t it? Don’t you want money?”

“Nope!”

Lu Qixing took a sip of his drink and shook his head. “If only Zhenjie were still alive. He was no good, but he was my favorite!”

“That eldest son of yours was an accident, huh?”

“Zhenjie, oh Zhenjie, if you needed money, you could have just asked me. Why go through all this?” Lu Qixing sighed, then went to pour Chen Shi a drink.

“I’m driving!”

“Drink with me. Let’s get drunk!” Lu Qixing commanded.

“I’m driving.”

“Drink this!” Lu Qixing brought out a bottle of non-alcoholic cocktail.

Chen Shi reluctantly had two drinks with him. The old man vented his feelings, mentioned his second son five times, and brought up his eldest son once. Then he remembered the case and said, “I’ve already talked to the media. They’re planning to put this case on the front page. I’ve said what I said and can’t take it back. Your police department needs to make it look good… be mindful of what you say!”

So that’s why he called me, Chen Shi thought. He didn’t want to be in the spotlight, so he said, “I can discuss this with the department, but I have one condition: not a single word about me! Let me review the article before it’s published!”

“Agreed!” The old man surprisingly answered straightforwardly.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Worried that the old man might forget, Chen Shi wrote down the agreement and left it on the table.

As Chen Shi was about to leave, the old man called out, “Is the murderer who killed Zhenjie still at large?”

“The police are still hunting him.”

“So, he’s not caught yet! I want to see that bastard executed before I die. I’ll offer a reward of one million, no…” The old man held up five fingers, “Five million! If you catch the killer within a month, the five million is yours!”

Chen Shi wanted to laugh. “Mr. Lu, I’m just a driver, not a cop. How would I catch someone?”

“You’ve proven you can do it. I believe in you. Don’t you want five million?”

“Nope!”

“I’ve said it: one month, five million, no reneging! I want the one who killed Zhenjie to pay with blood!”

Chen Shi didn’t say another word and walked out. He recalled that the main culprit in the kidnapping case was named Ji Chunma. After the case was solved, he had been on the run with no trace. Finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

To hell with it. The old man would probably forget about this once he sobered up.

Chen Shi drove back, the snow falling heavily, and there were few pedestrians and vehicles on the road. As he passed Jidong Road, he saw an elderly woman dressed in rural attire and a child sitting on the steps outside a bank, the woman clutching her chest.

Chen Shi reversed the car and asked, “Granny, are you here to visit relatives in the city?”

The old woman didn’t realize he was talking to her at first, then she saw Chen Shi and smiled. “I want to find out how to get to this place…” She put on her reading glasses and opened a crumpled piece of paper. “How do I get to Jinling Huafu?”

“Get in, I’ll take you there!”

“Oh, oh, Dog Egg, help Granny into the car.”

The old woman and the child got into the car. Chen Shi said, “I forgot to mention, this is a taxi.”

“Is it expensive to get there? If it’s too much, I’d rather take the bus.”

“Let me check…” Chen Shi pretended to look at his phone. “Five yuan will do!”

“Alright!”

The old woman opened a handkerchief, which served as her wallet, and took out some crumpled notes to hand to Chen Shi. He handed her his water cup, and she thanked him profusely. Though her own mouth was parched, she gave the child a sip first, then took a small sip herself before handing the cup back to Chen Shi.

Half an hour later, Chen Shi brought them to the community. The old woman had a thick accent, and the security guard couldn’t understand her. Chen Shi got out and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“My niece, Wang Xifeng.”

Chen Shi relayed this to the security guard, who impatiently checked the resident information and said, “There’s no one by that name.”

“Check again!”

“Really, there’s no one.”

Chen Shi said, “The resident might be under a family member’s name. Granny, is your niece married?”

“She’s in her thirties, so she should be married.”

“What’s her husband’s name?”

“Huh? You mean her family? I don’t know! The last time I saw her, she was this tall.” The old woman gestured with her hand.

“Do you have any other relatives in Long’an?”

“No, my sister just passed away last year. I couldn’t make it to the funeral, so I’m bringing my grandson to visit her daughter during the New Year.”

“Do you have her phone number?”

“No!”

“Do you have her ID?”

“I don’t know.”

Chen Shi smiled helplessly. “Alright, I have a friend who’s a police officer. I’ll ask her to look it up.”

“Thank you so much!”