Chapter 21 The Disappearance of the Young Girl

As he spoke, a shudder ran through Gu Hansheng.

“Is the restaurant far from here?” he asked.

Xiao Zhou, not quite understanding the reason for the question, answered honestly, “Not far at all. We can walk there.”

Gu Hansheng nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Yi, however, knew exactly what was on Gu Hansheng’s mind: he was simply worried that if the restaurant were far, Xiao Zhou would insist on driving them in that van filled with poultry again—making their recent bath all for nothing.

Xiao Zhou, shrewd as he was for having worked with the mayor, noticed Gu Hansheng’s relief and seemed to realize something. He hastened to reassure them, “Officers, please don’t worry. That was just an accident—the van is already being cleaned, and someone will bring us a new vehicle soon. Our little town isn’t exactly convenient for transport. We don’t have taxis, and even basic buses or subways haven’t arrived yet.”

He sounded a bit embarrassed as he spoke. Their small city was indeed poor, having only recently shaken off poverty. It would be more accurate to call it a small town rather than a city.

Shi Yi couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth at his words. No taxis, no buses or subway, but an airport? Truly peculiar.

As they followed Xiao Zhou out, they continued to ask about the case.

“The three missing girls this time, I heard they’re all left-behind children. Have their families returned?” someone asked.

Xiao Zhou adjusted his glasses. “About that…” he sighed, “They did return. The school already notified their parents. The disappearances were first noticed by their grandparents. At first, the school didn’t take it seriously, missing the golden window for rescue. Later, when one of the girls’ grandmothers brought the matter to the education bureau, they sent someone to investigate. Only then did they realize all three girls had already been missing for several days.”

Mi Chen listened quietly, her expression indignant. “That school is so irresponsible! Parents entrust their children to the school, and yet when a student misses class for days, no one cares?”

Xiao Zhou could only offer a helpless smile.

“Actually, it’s not that they don’t care. Our town’s only high school, No. 1 High, does have responsible teachers. But ours is an ethnic region, with each group having its own customs. It’s extremely hard to manage.”

“The three missing girls were all lively types—what people on the internet call ‘wild girls.’ Skipping class, getting into fights, those were everyday occurrences for them. There were times when they didn’t show up at school for ten days or half a month, and the teachers just assumed they’d gone off somewhere to play. They always came back after a while.”

“No one expected that this time, they would never return. Now, there’s no sign of life or death.”

As they spoke, they arrived at a modest little shop.

“This is the place,” Xiao Zhou said. “Don’t be fooled by the humble look—this restaurant has been here for over ten years.”

Inside, Xiao Zhou called out to the owner as if he were family. “Boss, a pot of wild mushroom chicken soup!”

The shop was rather dim. Hearing the order, the boss responded enthusiastically, “Coming, coming!” He hurried over, switched on the main lights, and confirmed, “Wild mushroom chicken soup, right? Excellent. The mushrooms were just picked today—fresh and delicious. I’ll start cooking for you right away!”

With that, the owner disappeared into the kitchen.

Wild mushrooms… Shi Yi frowned. She’d read about them online before. These mushrooms, especially the ones from the southern region, were famous but highly poisonous if not cooked properly—enough to send someone to meet their ancestors.

Xiao Zhou grinned at their concern. “Rest assured, this place has been open for years and never poisoned anyone. These mushrooms are a local specialty—you can’t find them this good anywhere else.”

He motioned for everyone to sit. Shi Yi nodded, reassured.

Feng Ming, puzzled, asked, “Uncle Zhou, since you said the girls were wild types, why was one grandma so certain they were missing? Why did she go all the way to the mayor?”

While pouring tea, Xiao Zhou explained, “Don’t judge these girls by their antics—they’re actually quite filial. Even if they skipped school, they’d always go home and let their grandparents know they were safe. One of them, Shen Hanbai, would always tell her grandmother if she was going to be away. But this time, after school, she vanished—no one saw her again, not even her grandmother. That’s why her grandmother was sure something was wrong and went to the school for answers.”

“Were there no surveillance cameras?” Mi Chen pressed.

“None, really… Our town is poor. The infrastructure isn’t great. There’s just one camera at the school gate—not enough to cover all angles. All we know is that the girls left through the main entrance and never returned.”

As Xiao Zhou spoke, he suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh, that’s right! The last time they were seen on camera, the three girls hurried out of the school gate, looking like they were in a rush.”

Gu Hansheng’s voice was steady. “Can we see the footage?”

“Of course, of course!” Xiao Zhou nodded vigorously. “I’ll call the school right away and ask them to pull up the surveillance. Once we’re done here, you can watch it immediately.”

Gu Hansheng nodded in satisfaction.

“Chicken soup’s ready!” The boss emerged with a steaming pot, placing it in the center of the table.

“Please enjoy!” he said.

As the lid was lifted, a rich, appetizing aroma filled the air, making Shi Yi’s stomach rumble.

“It smells amazing…” Mi Chen couldn’t help but smack her lips. She pointed to the mushrooms floating on top. “Boss, are these the wild mushrooms you mentioned? I didn’t know they looked like this when cooked.”

The boss, a burly bald man, grinned. “You must be from out of town, right? After the rains, the mushrooms here are especially abundant and delicious, a perfect match for chicken soup. My prices are high, but it’s worth every penny!”

“They don’t even let people pick mushrooms on Panlong Mountain anymore. There are fewer places to forage, so I went early this morning to the next mountain and picked these myself—big and fresh. Enjoy your meal!”