Chapter 212: A Strange Marriage

2022-05-20

After I finished speaking, I glanced at the two of them. Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin exchanged confused looks—they clearly hadn’t caught on to the details.

“What’s a USB-to-COM adapter?” Gu Chen scratched his head, puzzled.

I explained, “It’s just a cable that converts a USB port to the old COM network interface that computers and printers used to have, way back when. You hardly see those ports now. If there’s a USB connector, then it means there should be a computer or at least a phone. I’ve never been to the other rooms, but from what the old woman said, we know she doesn’t own any of those devices.”

Turning back toward the battered wooden door, I ran my fingers through my hair and continued, “So, there are two explanations. Either the old woman lied and really does have these devices, or someone else left them behind by accident when she wasn’t looking.”

“Makes sense,” Gu Chen said.

I raised a finger and shook it, adding, “Here’s the catch—I later asked the old woman if any friends or family had visited, and she told me no. She said no one’s been over in ages. But that doesn’t match up with what we’ve found.”

Guan Zengbin chimed in, “So, it’s either someone has actually been to her place and left that cable behind, or she really does have a computer or phone she hasn’t told us about.”

I snapped my fingers. “Exactly. Either way, that old woman has been lying to us.”

“But why would she do that?” Guan Zengbin asked.

I shook my head as I walked outside. “That’s still a mystery. But I have this feeling it’s all tied to our case. Isn’t it too coincidental that the old woman’s brother’s family of three just happen to fit the zodiac animals of chicken, dog, and pig? It’s almost as if this trio is just waiting to be targeted.”

Guan Zengbin frowned. “But even if the three of them match the chicken, dog, and pig signs, would the killer really know that? And is the killer really after these three? Setting aside whether the killer would strike all three in one go, it’s not that rare to find a family matching those zodiac animals, right?”

She paused, then added, “Come to think of it, the three of us match those zodiac signs too.”

“So why is Xiao Liu convinced the killer will go after that specific family?” I asked. “There has to be more to it. Xiao Liu must have picked up on something we’re missing.”

“So do you think the killer will really show up?” Gu Chen looked up at the darkening sky.

I followed his gaze. The sky was thick and gray, weighed down like a storm about to break—just staring at it made it feel as if the whole sky was pressing down, choking the breath out of me.

Guan Zengbin glanced up, too, and mused, “But whether the killer acts alone or has accomplices really doesn’t matter—all that matters is who the next target is.”

She was spot on. Whether there’s one killer or they’re working as a team doesn’t change their target. In Xiao Liu’s mind, catching any one of the killers would lead us to the rest.

“Should we check it out?” Guan Zengbin asked.

I shook my head. “It’s already five in the afternoon. If we head back to the city now, we won’t get there until nine. By then, I’m guessing the fourth story will be up online. If the killer’s after that family, Xiao Liu’s ready—us going or not probably doesn’t matter. But if it isn’t that family… we’ve only got an afternoon left to solve the case.”

“Plus,” I said as we reached the car, “now we know the old woman’s been lying—and people only lie for a reason, to hide the truth. Nobody lies about something they think doesn’t matter. Once someone tells a lie, even if it seems small, it reveals what they’re really worried about.”

I climbed into the car. “If this really does have something to do with her, then tonight will be the killer’s night to strike. I think the old woman will make a move too. Of the twelve bowls, we’ve only found four so far. The rest—who knows where they are? Maybe they’ll have some clue.”

Gu Chen got into the driver’s seat, but didn’t start the engine. “So what do we do now?”

I thought for a moment, then said, “Find the village chief. We’ll stay in the village for now, but we can’t let the old woman know. If she suspects anything, she’ll be way more cautious than usual. We’ll make it look like we’ve left and keep watch from the shadows.”

Guan Zengbin gently tapped the car door and said, “Still, I find it hard to believe that old woman could really do anything. Do you think she could be working with the killer?”

I glanced at her, knowing that behind Guan Zengbin’s cold, tough exterior was someone easily moved and quick to trust people who seemed decent. If only people’s hearts were as calm as still water—trouble has a way of stirring up out of nowhere.

Seeing the look on her face, I sighed. “The old woman isn’t likely the killer herself. But if she were truly uninvolved, she wouldn’t need to lie. Which means, even if she hasn’t colluded with the killer, she’s definitely kept something from us.”

“Then why’s she doing it?” Guan Zengbin pressed.

“That’s exactly what we need to find out,” I said.

We called Mary and asked her to get in touch with the village chief of Xingdong Village. It took less than half an hour for her to get back to us. We parked the car in the chief’s courtyard, explained why we were here, and he promised to help however he could.

We gathered in the courtyard, chatting while the chief’s wife cooked for us. The conversation stayed light for a while.

After a bit of chit-chat, I got to the point. “To be honest, we’re here on official business. You’re the chief, so there’s no need to hide it. A homicide happened in Dongxing City. Our investigation has revealed that the set of twelve zodiac bowls made at the Red Mill Factory seems to be connected to the killer.”

“Huh?” The chief looked puzzled, not recognizing the Red Mill Factory.

I frowned. The chief was in his fifties—he should know about the Red Mill Factory. Then I remembered, Mary had only given us an address—she’d never said the factory was actually near this village.

That thought hit me hard. I quickly asked, “You know that woman, Wu Xiufen, in your village? She wasn’t originally from here, right? Wasn’t there a small Red Mill ceramics factory in Xingdong Village decades ago?”

“No,” the chief shook his head, handing me and Gu Chen a cigarette. “Really, no. I’ve lived here all my life—never heard of a Red Mill workshop in our village. I’m over fifty now, and even if it went under before I was born, my parents would have known about it. But they never mentioned it. Definitely not.”

Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat. Something flickered just out of reach in my mind, gone before I could catch it.

I pressed on. “So, if that’s the case, Wu Xiufen isn’t a native, is she? Did she move here later?”

“That’s right.” The chief nodded, puffing away on his cigarette. “Wu Xiufen is basically from here now, since she married in. That was over thirty years ago. My father was still the chief then—I even went to the wedding.”

He paused, then made a surprised noise. “Wait, are you guys suspecting Wu Xiufen?”

I shook my head, lighting up a cigarette. “Not exactly. It’s just that we’ve learned Wu Xiufen used to work in the Red Mill, as a glazing specialist. We’re hoping she can help us clarify a few things.”

The chief nodded. “You know, her marriage really was memorable at the time.”

“Memorable?” I echoed.

He nodded again and began to explain, “Yeah, it stood out. Wu Xiufen was a cut above us all in terms of money—though none of us ever asked what her family did. But she showed up for the wedding alone, with no family at her side. On her wedding day, it was just people from the village, no one from her own family. Pretty odd, don’t you think?”

I nodded. It did seem that after her father died, her relationship with her brother wasn’t great.

“And, to be honest, Wu Xiufen was very pretty when she was young,” he said, exhaling smoke. “Rich and attractive—she could’ve found a nice guy in the city, no problem. Even if she preferred the countryside, she could have picked someone decent. But instead, she up and married a guy from our village. That always seemed strange to me.”

“Why is that? Who did she marry? What was so strange about it?” I asked, curiosity piqued.

The chief coughed and glanced at the sky, then looked around as if checking for eavesdroppers. “It’s not great to talk about the dead, but we’re helping with an investigation, so I have to be honest. If I offend anyone, please don’t take it personally.”

His careful tone made my skin crawl a bit, almost like someone was watching us from the deepening twilight.

“So what was it?” Gu Chen couldn’t hold back any longer.