Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After the couple left, showering him with gratitude, Lao Yu looked out at the pitch-black night sky. “The chances of that child being alive are slim,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before the body is found.

“Your sister had severe asthma, didn’t she? Is it possible…”

I shook my head violently in denial. “No. My family never resented her for it. After she went missing, I became the greatest sinner in our house. My mother hasn’t spoken a single word to me in over ten years.”

He looked at me and tapped the case file. “What about your grandmother? How did she treat you two sisters?”

I was startled. “You suspect my grandmother?”

It was true; if it wasn’t the work of an enemy, the only people who could have put sleeping pills in my water-aside from my parents-was my grandmother.

“Not exactly. I’m just considering the possibilities and analyzing the case.”

“To be honest, she didn’t treat us well. But someone testified that she was at a neighbor’s house for a prayer service that day. She has an alibi.”

Lao Yu fell silent for a moment before asking, “Did really no one see your sister?”

“That road was quite secluded, and there’s almost no one around at noon in the summer. There were only three shops along the road back then. Two were barbecue stalls that only opened at night. The only other one was a tea egg shop run by a disabled man who lived in the shop, but he didn’t open at noon either. So, no one saw her.”

Lao Yu shook his head repeatedly. “That is strange. This case really is baffling.”

Even Lao Yu was at a loss. The hope that had just ignited within me flickered out again.

I stared at the photo of the missing child on the computer screen. She was the same age as my sister, with the same clear, bright eyes. My heart felt exceptionally heavy.

Seeing my low spirits, Lao Yu encouraged me. “Xiao Yue, don’t give up. As long as a body hasn’t been found, there’s hope your sister is alive. Try to recall more details. In our line of work, we must be bold yet meticulous. If something was done, it always leaves a trace. Go home when you have time and see if you can remember anything else.”

I nodded.

It was late at night by the time I finished work. My new rental was not far from my parents’ house, and as I walked, I found myself on the very road where my sister had disappeared.

This road, which once had only two or three shops, had been transformed into a bustling snack street. Even in the early hours of the morning, some vendors were still open.

Lao Yu was right. Every bird leaves a feather; there must be some detail I overlooked.

What could it be?

“Tea eggs! Tea eggs! Five-spice tea eggs!”

The tea egg vendor had his eyes closed, his head tilted as if listening. He shouted toward me, “Is that the eldest daughter of the Yue family? Off work? Come have a tea egg, fresh out of the pot!”

His surname was Wang, and he was blind. The kids from my generation used to call him Blind Wang behind his back.

He had been running his tea egg stall on this road for over twenty years.

When we were little, my sister and I would often sneak out with money to buy his tea eggs.

Our mother wouldn’t let us buy them, saying he was blind and his food was dirty and would make us sick.

Children don’t care about such things; as long as it tasted good, we ate it.

They say the blind have keen ears, and it’s true.

Even though there weren’t many people on the road at midnight, there were still five or six people around me.

“It’s me, Uncle Wang. I’ll take two tea eggs.”

When I was young, I bought two so my sister and I could have one each.

Now, I bought two out of habit.

“Coming right up! I remember you two sisters loved tea eggs the most!”

He smiled politely as he scooped out the eggs, his face wrinkling like a walnut.

As he reached the second half of his sentence, he seemed to realize something. His hand stiffened, and his smile became strained.

“Still haven’t found her, have you? I set up my stall late that day and stayed inside the whole time, so I wasn’t much help. I’m sorry, Miss Yue.”

He rubbed his nose as he spoke.

That was a sign of a guilty conscience.

“It’s not your fault, because you didn’t hear anything back then,” I said, emphasizing the word “hear.”

His hand trembled as he held the tea eggs. He stopped me just as I was about to scan the QR code to pay. “No charge! I heard you’ve put on a uniform now, Miss Yue. You’ve brought honor to us old neighbors! These two eggs are on me!

“Here, take them. Careful, they’re hot.”

Blind Wang was notoriously stingy. Over the years, even his own brother and sister-in-law had to pay for his tea eggs. Why was he treating me today?

“Thank you, Uncle Wang!” I carefully took the eggs and scanned the code anyway. His eggs were two yuan each; I transferred ten.

As the notification “Alipay received ten yuan” chimed, Blind Wang grew anxious, waving his hands frantically. “You girl, why won’t you listen? Why did you give so much?”

I leaned closer to him. “I’m investigating my sister’s disappearance. If you have any important leads, Uncle Wang, the police station offers a reward.”

His ears twitched. He froze for a moment, then sighed. “Your sister really is a poor soul. I don’t want the reward. I’ll only tell you what I heard, but I can’t guarantee it’s true. If it helps you, just come by and buy more tea eggs in the future.”

Blind Wang’s hearing was famously sharp; he could identify anyone passing his door just by the sound of their footsteps.

That afternoon, before the news of my sister’s disappearance had even spread, someone unexpected had passed by his door.

“Girl, observe more, recall the old details, and don’t overlook a single person around you.”

That was Blind Wang’s final piece of advice.