It was already mid-December, and after two rains, the weather finally cleared up in a county in the neighboring province.
There are many ancient towns here and the tourism industry is developed. Many places have been deliberately maintained and still maintain the ancient architectural style from many years ago. Looking from a distance, there are not many high-rise buildings.
As soon as you go out, you can see the blue sky, white clouds and rolling mountains.
Chang Jin picked up his bag and walked out. When he was about to lock the door, he was still talking in a low voice to the room.
"I have something to do this time and I have to go out for a while. It won't be too long."
"It was a friend I met in the army who asked me for help. His name is Gu Xingze. I told you, remember? The girl he likes is in some trouble."
"I won't be away from home for half a year like I did when I returned to the team. I didn't even bring two pieces of clothes in my bag, so I can't run too far."
No one responded inside.
Just as he was about to take the key out of the lock, he stopped and opened the door again the next second.
"Do you want to join me?"
The gardenias in the living room were swaying in the wind, and Chang Jin lowered his eyes and smiled.
"Okay, then I'll take you with me."
He went to get Zhang Lin Qingqing's photo again, unzipped his jacket and put it into the thoughtful inner pocket.
Five photos have been installed there, with a slight curvature protruding from the heart.
After placing the photo, he picked up a gardenia and finally walked out.
From here to Yinyun County, we have to cross several provinces. Even if we change to the fastest local transportation every time, it will take three days.
The last means of transportation is the bus in the countryside.
It was dusty and covered with dried mud, driving on the uneven mud road.
If you drive a little faster, the car window glass will make a deafening vibrating sound, and it looks like it will be scrapped on the road at any time.
There are many winding roads in Yinyun County, and a long section of the road is on a hillside. I heard people on the car say that if you drive up or downhill after it rains, the car will spin and all the people in the car will have to push it.
By the time the bus stopped, half of the people in the car had gotten out and vomited.
The driver saw that he didn't look like a local and was worried that he might be laughing, so he explained: "They rarely take this kind of car, and there are many detours here. Are you the son-in-law here?"
Chang Jin knew a little of the dialect of this province, shook his head first, then handed over a cigarette, frowned and asked:
"I would like to ask where the police station is here? I have a sister who came to play at her classmate's house and got lost."
The driver cherished the good cigarette and held it to his ear.
"Stay away from the police station and I'll send you there. I happen to be passing by to pick someone up."
Chang Jin said thank you and asked casually: "The police station here is very busy. I called them and heard that there are quite a few people missing."
"We don't know how much." As soon as the car started to drive, the driver could only shout at the top of his lungs.
"But I did see a few people looking for someone, crying and screaming until the police refused to let them go. There was also a family. The boy in the house had very good grades in school, but when he went out to play, he couldn't be found. He was still alive.
People die without leaving their bodies, and that family is so crazy that they are leaving each other. If you walk there, you might even meet them and get a photo to ask you."
Chang Jin frowned.
"Is it a girl?"
"Hey! When a girl is thrown into a trap and a boy is thrown into a trap, the boys are kidnapped when they are young and used as pot-breakers. The girls are kidnapped when they are old enough to be used as wives."
"Didn't the police station help find it?"
"It's so easy!"
The driver shook his head and turned the steering wheel skillfully.
Chang Jin looked outside and saw a woman wearing a cotton-padded jacket carrying a child in front and carrying a basket on the back, holding a steel scale and going to sell persimmons.
The quality of the bright red persimmons looks very good. In Haicheng, they are probably a high-quality product in supermarkets. They sell for more than ten or twenty yuan and are often snatched up by people.
It's just a few yuan for food here.
He looked away and asked again: "Master, the road here is not ready to be repaired? More people will come after it is repaired."
"If you want to get rich, build roads first, who doesn't know this? But it's not us who has the final say. We know which rotten worms are doing the immoral things!"
"That's true. But your roads are not repaired. The only car running from outside to here is yours. I waited for a long time. I wanted to take a taxi but didn't see any good ones. I was afraid of getting a black car."
"Hey, with your physique, you are still afraid of riding in a black car? But although we are poor here, as the saying goes, there are rich people in poor places, and there are still a few families who have good cars!"
"Then have you seen any good cars? Big ones. If I find someone, I will take my sister and my classmates back with me."
"A bigger one? Yes, you can go to the hotel and ask in the building materials city. They all have bigger vans. If you spend more money, they should be able to take you there. By the way, do you want to stay in a hotel when you come? I can do that.
I recommend two to you and it depends on whether you want the cheaper one or the better one.”
Chang Jin's lips curved slightly: "It's cheaper. I'll have to spend some money to find my sister."
"Then let me show you some directions. Turn right from the police station and walk two blocks, then turn left. There are many cars and hotels on that road."
After saying that, we arrived at the right place.
He thanked him, walked to the noodle shop opposite the police station, and ordered a bowl of noodles.
While waiting for his face to come up, he looked around vaguely for a few times.
The police station was also dusty, with mud splattered on it and it hadn't been cleaned for who knows how long.
On the two electric wire piles nearby, there are also wanted letters for murderers and missing person notices.
There was no sound of police cars coming and going on the street, nor was there any noise of arguments. Everything was peaceful and peaceful. The customers and the owner of the noodle shop were chatting and laughing as they shared the happy news at home.
However, when a person finds a cockroach under the sun, it means that there are too many cockroaches in an invisible place.
The quiet small county is a hot spot for crime.
After eating the noodles, Chang Jin still didn't walk into the police station.
He noted the location and went to a hotel first.
Gu Xingze didn't give many clues, he had to find out first.
The notification of the police station's assistance in handling the case should have been sent here, but it may be useful, or it may alert the snake.
Others who come to investigate may not be able to find anything for the time being.
So he had to change his approach.
The hotel I'm looking for is next to a three-way intersection.
Cars heading to villages and towns in the dilapidated station will stop here to collect passengers and shout "you can get on" at the top of their lungs.
Cars from villages and towns heading here will also stop here for a few minutes, and then the hotel owner will come out to pick you up.
It costs thirty yuan a night. Before staying here, it was hard to imagine that such a hotel existed.
In a damp and small room, a wooden bed almost takes up the entire space. The old stained glass windows are pushed open, facing the sewer at the back and the electric piles wrapped with aging wires.
Most of the people living here are migrant workers, middle-aged men with gray hair, taciturn women, and of course young girls.
He is about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing an unsightly low ponytail, his clothes are old, and the look on his face is unclear whether he is ignorant, numb, or just accustomed to it.
They come out to work. After working for two years and saving some money, they will go back to get married.