Chapter 518: The Father’s Remains

Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow, “Do you cops always assume the worst about people’s families?”

Chen Shi shook his head with a smile, “Your grandfather’s bones were found inside your shop’s wall. What do you think I’m supposed to think? Should I come up with a ghost story?”

“I don’t know how he disappeared or how he died. I was never close to my grandfather. He was a grumpy old man, and I didn’t like him at all. Investigate all you want, just don’t interfere with my business. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I have a clear conscience.”

“Alright, I’ll find you if we discover anything new. You won’t be leaving Long’an anytime soon, will you?”

“You’re welcome to visit my shop anytime.”

The interrogation ended, and it was getting late. Chen Shi waited until Lin Dongxue returned. “I’m starving,” she said.

“Come have dinner at my place,” Chen Shi offered.

“Sure.”

On the way, Lin Dongxue shared, “I talked to Zhang Hao’s wife for a while and got some useful information. They met when they were both working out of town. His wife isn’t from here. Zhang Hao went back home after a few years because things weren’t going well, financially.”

“What year was that?” Chen Shi asked.

“She said it was their third year of marriage, so around 2000.”

“Oh, that’s right around the time his grandfather disappeared.”

Lin Dongxue continued, “Later, Zhang Hao settled down here and brought his wife to live with him. She initially didn’t want to live with her father-in-law in that small loft. Zhang Hao didn’t plan on taking over the shop initially; he wanted to find a decent job. He has a degree in sociology…”

“That’s a broad field with lots of opportunities but can be tough to find a job,” Chen Shi noted.

“That’s what his wife said. During that time, Zhang Hao was looking for work while helping out at the shop. His father-in-law often made inappropriate comments to his wife. Once, when he was drunk, he even tried to grope her. Zhang Hao found out, but his father-in-law blamed the wife, and they had a huge argument.”

“And they still lived together after that?”

“Apparently, yes.”

Chen Shi thought there might be more to the story that was being hidden.

When they arrived at Chen Shi’s home, Tao Yueyue was already back. Chen Shi had a habit of preparing meals for the next day in the evenings, so Tao Yueyue would have something to eat if he got home late.

Tao Yueyue had just started school again, and Chen Shi asked, “How’s school going?”

“You don’t care about my school. Why ask?” she responded.

“Just asking.”

“Well… we got a new teacher.”

“Really?”

At that moment, Lin Dongxue entered, greeting Tao Yueyue warmly. Tao Yueyue stopped talking and went back to her room.

Lin Dongxue observed, “You two haven’t been talking much lately, have you?”

“Yeah, things have been hectic lately. Think about how many cases we’ve had recently… Maybe I should take her on a trip during the October holiday?”

“See, you’re treating her like a kid you can just placate with a trip.”

Chen Shi called out loudly, “Yueyue, want to go on a trip during the October holiday?”

Tao Yueyue replied from her room, “No, it’s too crowded. I’d rather stay home.”

“See? It’s not me being negligent,” Chen Shi chuckled.

Lin Dongxue sighed, “I can already see what kind of father you’ll be.”

“I have no plans to become a father. I doubt I’d be a good one, so I’d rather not risk it.”

“Good awareness!”

Three days later, with the case gaining some clarity, Chen Shi compiled a timeline for Zhang Hao. Interviews with his two old employees revealed that Zhang Hao returned home around the 2000 Spring Festival. His grandfather’s disappearance was reported shortly after the festival and declared dead in 2002. From 2000 until his father’s disappearance in 2016, Zhang Hao, his father, and his wife lived together, with his father sleeping downstairs and the couple in the loft.

After mapping out the timeline, things seemed clearer. Chen Shi hypothesized, “The grandfather was probably killed during the 2000 Spring Festival. The shop was closed for seven days, providing the perfect cover. Zhang Hao likely knew or even witnessed it and held it over his father’s head. This was a ticking time bomb between them.”

They then reviewed unidentified remains found over the past two years. One particularly notable item was a skull, painted with metallic paint and fitted with screws. It had been used as a decoration by an illegal street racer before police confiscated it. When they found out it was a real human skull, it had been kept as evidence until now.

The skull’s DNA matched Zhang Hao’s at 99.99%, confirming it was a direct relative, likely his father, who had disappeared after the incident.

There were no pre-mortem injuries on the skull.

Lin Dongxue noted, “It seems Zhang Hao’s father is dead, but this evidence isn’t enough for an arrest warrant.”

“Yeah, even if we questioned every customer, they wouldn’t know they were eating human meat. This method is cunning!” Chen Shi sighed.

“I looked up beef essence online. It’s a recent phenomenon. In 2000, beef was 20 yuan per pound. They wouldn’t have used beef essence to cut costs.”

“Don’t forget, Zhang Hao’s father worked at a cannery that produced beef products. He would know about these additives. I’m sure he used them.”

“But it’s still just your theory.”

Chen Shi shook his head, “Whether the shop sold human meat isn’t the key. What’s important is how the people died and who killed them!”

Lin Dongxue’s phone rang. “Officer Luo, what’s up?… Okay, I understand.”

She hung up and said, “The local police say Zhang Farong and his son are causing trouble at Zhang’s noodle shop, claiming the place sells human meat and driving customers away.”

“You coordinated with the local police?”

“Yes, I asked them to keep an eye out.”

“Good job! Let’s go!”