Chapter 20: What can’t Xiao Jiang do?
Inside the Dragon King Temple, everyone crowded around the male teacher, eager to print as many portraits as possible and brainstorming ways to make the ink dry faster.
Though everyone was anxious, there actually wasn’t much work to do. Before long, the parents had taken over all the tasks.
Lu Yixing found himself with nothing to help with.
Watching them carefully hang the portraits up to dry with utmost caution, he quietly stepped back, intending to inform Captain Tan first.
Before leaving, Lu Yixing glanced at Jiang Xia once more.
She was leaning against a pillar with her eyes gently closed. A trace of fatigue lingered between her brows, while her right hand, hanging loosely at her side, trembled almost imperceptibly.
Lu Yixing frowned slightly.
He walked over to an elderly Taoist priest and whispered a few words in his ear. After the priest nodded, Lu Yixing thanked him and hurried out of the temple.
The old Taoist washed a teacup, poured it full of hot water, and carried it over to Jiang Xia’s table.
Setting it down in front of her, he asked, “Officer, you’ve been drawing for so long. Your arm must be exhausted, right? I know a little massage therapy. How about I give it a rub?”
“Huh?”
Jiang Xia’s arm was aching badly.
She would recover gradually if she rested for a while, of course—but who would turn down a proper massage when someone offered?
Everyone had been busy just now, so she hadn’t wanted to trouble anyone.
She hadn’t expected the elderly Taoist to volunteer.
Naturally, Jiang Xia wasn’t about to refuse.
She extended her arm toward him. “Then thank you very much, Daozhang.”
“Oh, don’t mention it.”
The white-bearded Taoist waved a hand dismissively, pulled over a stool, and sat down. With practiced fingers, he began kneading the acupoints around Jiang Xia’s wrist.
“We’ve only provided the venue. It’s nothing compared to what you police officers have been through. You’ve been working nonstop all this time and haven’t even had a sip of water.”
“Those child traffickers deserve to be thrown into a vat of boiling oil.”
As he spoke, the old Taoist naturally drifted back to the topic of the traffickers. Worry crept into his expression.
“I just wonder whether those three children can be found.”
Jiang Xia didn’t know the answer to that either.
Still, deep down, she was cautiously optimistic.
With transportation still so inconvenient these days, it would be difficult for two traffickers to move three children quickly to another city. As long as they hadn’t left by tonight, the children’s portraits could be posted all over the city.
By then, there would be no way for them to take the children away unnoticed.
But until the children were actually rescued, it was only a prediction—not a result.
Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.
Jiang Xia offered a silent prayer.
…
Meanwhile, at the marketplace, Tan Bingyi was so frustrated he was on the verge of cursing.
Staring at the jet-black police dog, he demanded irritably, “Did this dog skip its meal or what? It’s been circling the same spot forever!”
The dog handler replied helplessly, “There’s nothing we can do, Captain Tan. There are too many people here, and quite a few spice vendors. The scents are overwhelming. Lightning can’t pick up the missing children’s scent at all, so all he can do is keep circling.”
“Enough, enough. It’s always one problem after another. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let’s move.”
Tan Bingyi waved him off impatiently before turning to Chen Dong, who had just returned, drenched in sweat.
“How’s the printing factory?”
Chen Dong wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.
“The master engravers have already started carving the plates. They said the drawings are easy to carve. The first plate should be finished and ready for printing around four o’clock, and the first portrait should come off the press by five. They’re also working on the other two plates. Two of the master engravers said they’ll take turns doing only the parts each of them is fastest at, so all three portraits should be ready at about the same time.”
Tan Bingyi raised his wrist and checked his watch.
It was already a little past two.
That meant they would have the portraits in just three more hours.
That was good news.
His mood improved ever so slightly as he straightened up.
“In a bit, call the district substation and have them send someone to pick them up from the printing factory.”
“No problem.”
Chen Dong nodded. Glancing around the marketplace, which had mostly emptied out, he asked, “Captain Tan, what’s the situation now?”
The question immediately rekindled Tan Bingyi’s anger.
“We’ve searched the entire market and found absolutely nothing! By the time the families realized the kids were missing, those bastards had already taken off.”
Everyone had already considered this possibility, but no one was willing to gamble on whether the traffickers might be brazen enough to hide in plain sight.
That was why Tan Bingyi hadn’t dared overlook anything. He had insisted on searching every nook and cranny of the marketplace, paying particular attention to baskets, burlap sacks, woven bags, and any other containers brought by vendors or customers that could conceal a child.
Although the search had turned up nothing—which made it seem like a wasted effort—it had at least narrowed down the search area and helped establish when the traffickers had left. That information would still prove valuable for the investigation going forward.
Even so, after putting in so much effort and still failing to crack the case, it was impossible not to feel frustrated.
“At this point, it’s already too late to set up roadblocks,” Tan Bingyi said with a sigh. “All we can do now is hope the neighborhood officers we sent out searching bring back some good news. But so far, not a single one has reported in.”
Chen Dong shook his head.
The marketplace had been packed with people. There were countless individuals matching similar descriptions, and the roads led not only into the city but also toward the surrounding communes. Expecting the hundred or so local officers they’d pulled in to track the suspects down by following the roads was wishful thinking.
Just as they resigned themselves to waiting for the printing factory, Lu Yixing, one of the detectives, came running over at full speed.
“Captain Tan, Brother Chen.”
After greeting them, he spoke rapidly.
“Jiang Xia used a mimeograph machine to print over a hundred portraits of the missing children. They’re drying right now. Shouldn’t we gather some people and get ready to distribute them to every major intersection?”
Tan Bingyi immediately seized on the important part.
“Over a hundred portraits already?!”
“This is a lifesaver!”
A little over a hundred wasn’t a huge number, but it was more than enough for the search teams to carry along the roads and ask passersby for information. Tan Bingyi’s spirits instantly lifted.
“Hurry! Xiao Lu, Old Chen! Round up as many people and vehicles as you can and head to the Dragon King Temple. The more, the better!”
With that, he took off running toward the temple himself, eager to see the portraits.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw that the bluestone courtyard was already covered with sheets of paper spread out to dry.
He casually picked up one of the sheets.
The same three children stared back at him, but this time the portraits had been drawn in yet another style. They consisted entirely of lines—even the hair was rendered with nothing but strokes.
This Jiang Xia was really something.
Who would’ve thought a single portrait could be drawn in so many different ways?
Clicking his tongue in amazement, he carefully returned the still-wet print to its place in the sun to continue drying. Then he looked around until his eyes landed on the mimeograph machine the male teacher was still operating inside the main hall.
He froze.
His eyes slowly began to shine.
Who would’ve imagined that something as useless as a mimeograph machine could be put to use like this?
If, in the future, every officer sent out to search for suspects carried a portrait like this…
He hardly dared imagine how much easier investigations would become.
No.
Once this case was over, even if he had to cling to Chief Duan’s leg and bawl his eyes out, he’d make sure Jiang Xia was transferred to his team.
Tan Bingyi made up his mind.
Meanwhile, Lu Yixing and Chen Dong quickly rounded up seven or eight people, all on bicycles. Once the ink had dried enough, each of them took several portraits and hurried off along different roads to deliver them to the neighborhood officers conducting the search.
…
Dawang Village.
Wang Leihu and his partner, Guo Yongnian, rode into the village on their bicycles.
Their team was responsible for the road leading toward Hongxing Commune.
There had been plenty of people along the way, with farmers returning home from the fields on both sides of the road.
There was no shortage of witnesses—but when they asked whether anyone had seen a woman in a gray jacket and black pants carrying a child around five years old, the answers were all over the place.
One person claimed they’d seen one such woman.
Another insisted they’d seen two.
After eliminating the sightings that had already been verified as unrelated and combining the remaining reports, there were still six women matching the description who couldn’t be ruled out.
There was nothing for it.
They would have to follow each lead themselves.
So the officers split into pairs and headed to different villages to verify each sighting.
The woman Wang Leihu and Guo Yongnian were investigating was in her early fifties. According to a witness, she had been seen heading toward Dawang Village.
So the two of them could only pedal their bicycles all the way there.
The rural dirt road was rough and uneven. Not only was it impossible to ride fast, but every bump and rut jolted them relentlessly, leaving them utterly exhausted.
As soon as they entered the village, Guo Yongnian got off his bicycle and began pushing it.
It was already past noon, and most of the villagers were resting at home. The village roads were nearly deserted.
He turned his head from side to side, searching for anyone in sight while chatting with Wang Leihu.
“This is the second one already, isn’t it? We’ve come all the way to another village. I’m telling you, it’s probably just another villager who took a kid to the market.”
As he spoke, Guo Yongnian suddenly stopped. His nose twitched a couple of times before he turned toward a nearby house.
“Oh! They’re making kimchi in this house!” he exclaimed. “Smells incredible. How about we buy some and snack on it while we’re on the road?”
Right on cue, Wang Leihu’s stomach let out a loud growl.
He hadn’t eaten a single bite since the morning.
With a sigh, he said, “Let’s finish asking our questions first.”
They walked a few more steps and arrived at the gate of the house.
The gate stood open. A little boy of four or five was squatting on the ground playing with mud, while an elderly woman, dressed in black trousers, a gray jacket, and a heavily patched apron, was scrubbing bowls with a pig-bristle brush.
“Ma’am.”
What a coincidence.
The very first identifying characteristics matched perfectly.
Wang Leihu got straight to the point.
“Did you take a child with you to the Dragon King Temple fair today?”
“A police officer?”
The elderly woman looked up. Seeing two uniformed officers standing at her gate, she was visibly startled.
She hurriedly explained, “I did go, but all I bought was a sickle. That’s not against the law, is it?”
“No, of course not. We just want to ask you a few questions.”
Wang Leihu continued, “On your way back, did you happen to see any strangers carrying young children?”
The woman thought carefully for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, I didn’t.”
Another false lead.
Disappointment was written all over Guo Yongnian’s face.
He couldn’t help grumbling, “At this rate, when are we ever going to find them?”
“That’s how door-to-door investigations work.” Wang Leihu waved him along. “Come on, let’s grab a couple of bites to eat and head to the next village.”
Guo Yongnian let out a weary sigh.
Wang Leihu didn’t have any better ideas. Trying to keep his partner’s spirits up, he took some money out of his pocket and bought two coarse-grain steamed buns and some pickled napa cabbage from the elderly woman. He handed one bun to Guo Yongnian, and the two of them squatted at the entrance of the village, washing the food down with well water. In no time, they had polished everything off.
After washing their hands, they gathered themselves and prepared to head for the next village.
Just as they were about to leave, a neighborhood officer came racing toward them on a bicycle from the distance, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Officer Wang! Don’t go yet!”
He quickly rode up, stopped his bicycle, jumped off, and hurriedly pulled a thin sheet of paper from his shoulder bag. As he handed it over, he said excitedly,
“We’ve got an expert in our department! They drew portraits of all three missing children. Headquarters says to use these to search from now on—we don’t need to keep looking for a woman in black pants and a gray jacket anymore!”
“Portraits? That’s fantastic!”
Searching with an actual likeness was far easier than checking people one by one based on a vague description.
Guo Yongnian immediately sprang to his feet and eagerly took the paper.
“Wow, these portraits look incredibly lifelike. You can tell they’re children at a glance. Hey, when did our department get someone this talented?”
The officer delivering the message grinned.
“Just recently. She’s a young woman, too!”
“What?”
Guo Yongnian’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”
Meanwhile, Wang Leihu stared at the portraits as if he’d been struck by lightning.
Instantly, he remembered the young female officer he’d met just a few hours earlier.
His mind was in complete turmoil.
She had actually been able to draw the portraits?
She wasn’t some well-connected nepotism hire after all?!
The more he thought about the things he’d said to her, the hotter his face burned.
Damn…
I’ve really made a fool of myself this time.
When we get back, Chen Dong is never going to let me live this down.
Hearing Guo Yongnian continue asking which station the young officer belonged to, Wang Leihu became so embarrassed that he could barely stand still.
He hurriedly urged them,
“Uh… now that we’ve got the portraits, let’s not waste any more time. We should get moving and start asking around!”
With that, he pushed his bicycle forward and hurried off.
“Hey, Old Wang! Why are you in such a hurry?”
Watching him rush off, Guo Yongnian looked utterly baffled.
For some reason, Wang Leihu’s retreating figure seemed… strangely flustered.
…
On the city roads, Chief Wu’s team had also received quite a few reports of possible suspects.
The roads in the city were much better, allowing them to travel quickly by bicycle. Before long, the few people assigned to his team had all been located and ruled out.
With nothing else to do for the moment, he returned to the intersection to wait for the other teams to report back.
Several people were already there. Wang Huoda and Hu Wei had returned even earlier.
The four of them had barely exchanged a few words when a traffic police officer rode over.
“Chief Wu!”
The officer got off his bicycle and carefully counted out four portraits from his satchel before handing them over.
“Here. These are the newly issued portraits of the missing children. Headquarters wants everyone to switch to searching by the portraits immediately. Please take them and distribute them to the officers conducting the search.”
With that, he climbed back onto his bicycle and promptly headed for the next intersection.
“So Xiao Jiang actually managed to draw them!” Old Hu, who often worked with Chief Wu, pulled out one of the portraits.
After studying it for a couple of seconds, he suddenly noticed something odd.
Holding it up to the sunlight, he exclaimed in surprise,
“They’re printed? Looks like they used a mimeograph machine… Huh. She even knows how to engrave mimeograph stencils? Chief Wu, tell me—what can’t Xiao Jiang do?”
“How should I know?”
Chief Wu held the portrait in his hands, his emotions thoroughly mixed.
He was delighted because Jiang Xia had produced the portraits, which meant finding the children would be much easier.
But he was also worried.
Once these portraits were distributed, everyone—from the Municipal Public Security Bureau all the way down to every local station—would learn that their station had someone this talented.
How much longer could they possibly keep her?
It probably wouldn’t be long before the transfer order arrived.
Sure, this apprentice of his had some unusual hobbies…
Her talents were a little unconventional…
And she had an uncanny knack for giving him headaches…
But she could solve cases.
He’d only had her under his wing for less than a month.
He hadn’t even had time to properly “break her in,” and now someone was already going to poach her.
He let out a long sigh.
Chief Wu let out a long sigh before forcing himself to focus again.
“Now that the portraits are here, let’s not stand around. Old Hu, take these two to the officers who haven’t come back yet. Have them retrace their routes and ask everyone again.”
“Got it.”
Old Hu agreed, tucked another portrait carefully into his bag, mounted his bicycle, and rode off to find the others.
Chief Wu then called over Wang Huoda and Hu Wei, who had already returned, and the three of them headed back into the city.
Although they had already searched that stretch of road once, there was always the chance they had overlooked something. It would be more reassuring to go over it again with the portraits in hand.
The three rode along, stopping every so often to question passersby.
Unfortunately, everyone they asked said they hadn’t seen the children.
As the day grew hotter, their throats became parched from asking the same questions over and over. Spotting a small farmhouse just ahead, they rode over, hoping to ask for a drink of water.
The gate stood open.
An elderly man was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. Seeing the three officers walk in, he looked at them curiously.
“Huh? You again? Didn’t you come by around noon? Why are you back?”
Chief Wu recognized him at a glance.
The courtyard sat close to the road. If anyone had been outside, they would certainly have seen what was happening on the road, which was why he’d stopped by earlier that morning. Unfortunately, the old man had been inside all day making straw brooms and hadn’t gone out once, so he hadn’t seen anything.
Hu Wei, never one to mince words, said, “Sir, we’ve been running around all afternoon and we’re dying of thirst. We were hoping to ask for a bowl of water.”
“Oh.”
The old man nodded in understanding and pointed toward a corner of the courtyard.
“The water jar’s over there. There’s a dipper inside. Help yourselves.”
None of the three officers stood on ceremony. They scooped cool water from the jar with the dipper and took turns drinking.
Chief Wu finished first.
While waiting for the other two, he habitually pulled out one of the portraits. Even though he knew the old man hadn’t left the house, he still held it out and asked,
“Brother, have you seen any of these three children?”
He had expected the usual answer.
Instead, the old man pinched one corner of the portrait and studied it carefully for quite a while before suddenly saying,
“I think… I’ve seen this chubby-faced one.”
“What?”
Chief Wu froze for a moment before immediately snapping back to attention.
“Brother, when did you see them?”
“It was this morning,” the old man recalled. “Around eleven o’clock, I think.”
“A husband and wife stopped by to ask for some water. The man was carrying a shoulder pole, and the woman was holding this child.” He pointed at the portrait. “She’d put a straw hat on him, covering most of his face. If she hadn’t needed both hands to drink and set the child down for a moment, I wouldn’t have seen him at all.”
“Oh, right. I don’t know if the little boy was just worn out or what, but he was asleep on the woman’s shoulder. She put him down and picked him back up again, making quite a bit of movement, yet he never woke up.”
The moment he heard that, Chief Wu was already seventy to eighty percent convinced.
Children around five or six were bundles of energy. A five-minute nap could leave them bouncing around for the next two hours, and they were light sleepers. It was highly unusual for one to remain completely unresponsive while being put down and picked up again.
There was a good chance the child had been dr*gged.
The couple’s suspicion level immediately skyrocketed.
Especially the man.
He had been carrying a shoulder pole with two baskets hanging from either end—large enough to hide the other two children.
Chief Wu hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you remember what the couple looked like? What they were wearing? Which direction they went?”
The old man thought for another moment before shaking his head.
“The man never came over, so I didn’t get a look at his face.”
“But I remember the woman. She was around forty years old, wearing a blue jacket and blue trousers. About five foot three. She had a square, rounded face, thin eyebrows, and her lower lip was thinner than her upper one.”
“After they finished drinking, they continued along that road toward the city.”
Blue clothes?
No wonder they hadn’t found them.
These traffickers had a much stronger sense of counter-surveillance than they’d expected.
They had simply changed clothes.
With the suspects no longer matching the witness descriptions they’d been chasing all afternoon, it was no surprise the search had come up empty.
As the thought crossed his mind, Chief Wu glanced down at the portrait in his hand again.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a smile.
The traffickers could never have imagined that their station had someone with such an extraordinary talent—or that even in this little farmhouse courtyard, Chief Wu would refuse to skip asking one last question.
“Old Wang, we’ve got a lead!” Chief Wu exclaimed, instantly energized. “This gentleman saw the traffickers! There were two of them, and they headed back toward the city. Let’s move!”
His spirits completely revived. Raising his voice, he turned to Hu Wei and ordered,
“Xiao Hu, you’ve got the stamina. Take this gentleman to the Dragon King Temple and have Xiao Jiang see if she can draw portraits of the traffickers. If we can’t catch them ourselves…”
“…then we’ll be relying on her.”
He refused to believe the traffickers could change their faces as easily as they’d changed their clothes.
<< _ >>