Hongdou took the book and said to Qin Xuekai: “Senior, may I take this book home to make copies from it?”

Qin Xuekai said: “All these materials were gathered from various places by past fellowship members over the years. If you want to take one home for personal use, you’ll need to register it first.”

So saying, he took a thread-bound register from another commonly-used bookshelf and copied down the book’s title page—Records of the Mysterious Ancestor’s Wilderness Tales.

The three of them then returned the materials they had pulled out earlier to the shelves, one by one, and left the storage room.

Just as they were about to reach the school gate, Qin Xuekai glanced at Hongdou and suddenly said: “Do you two have any other plans this afternoon? I heard from a classmate yesterday that the Grand Theatre is showing Bai Yulong’s new film. Since there’s no class this afternoon, why don’t we go to the Grand Theatre together?”

Hongdou’s mind was entirely occupied with finding Cousin Yuqi, and she feared missing the chance—she had no thoughts at all of watching a film. She hurriedly said with a smile: “There’s an urgent matter at home, I need to hurry back as soon as possible. Thank you for your trouble today, Senior Qin—next time Gu Yun and I will treat you to a film.”

Qin Xuekai had long since lost count of how many times Hongdou had turned him down. Disappointed as he was, he wasn’t discouraged, only smiling helplessly: “Next time, then.”

After Qin Xuekai left, Gu Yun said to Hongdou: “What exactly are you looking into? You won’t tell Qin Xuekai, but surely you can tell me?”

Hongdou tucked the book onto the back seat and mounted her bicycle: “I can’t say for now, but as soon as I get to the bottom of the truth, I’ll be sure to tell you first thing. I still have things to do—I’m off.”

She had ridden a short distance when she looked back and saw Gu Yun still standing at the school gate holding her books. She turned back and said: “Go home early if you have nothing else to do. Don’t go out alone by yourself these past few days, especially not to lively places like the train station.”

Gu Yun knew Hongdou’s temperament quite well; hearing this, she calmly voiced her own guess: “I knew you were definitely looking into something. Tell me—did something strange come up in a case at your brother’s police station?”

Hongdou waved her hand and rode off without a backward glance: “Just go home first anyway. See you tomorrow morning.”

Earlier at lunchtime, Hongdou had arranged with Yu Chongyi that if she found anything at the fellowship, she would go straight to the Public Concession police station to find him.

When she arrived at the police station, the old man at the gate recognized Hongdou and said with a chuckle: “Hongdou’s here to see her brother again.”

Hongdou got off her bike and smiled sweetly: “Uncle Gong, could you please go in and pass word to my brother that I have an urgent matter to discuss with him?”

After a while, Uncle Gong came back out from inside: “Your brother’s coming right out.”

It wasn’t long before her brother came out—but accompanied by several other colleagues from the police department.

Among them was a rather imposing man, about forty-some years old, dignified in bearing, though his complexion looked somewhat murky, as if from long indulgence in wine and women.

Hongdou recognized this man as Commissioner Bai, for whom she had no particular fondness. Seeing them come out, she hurriedly wheeled her bicycle off to the shade of a tree nearby and turned to look at the scenery across the street.

Commissioner Bai, surrounded by a crowd, walked toward the car and was just about to get in with an air of arrogance when his eyes suddenly fell on Hongdou. He paused, looked her up and down, then turned and waved distantly at Uncle Gong.

Uncle Gong hurried over at once.

Commissioner Bai pointed at Hongdou: “Where did that young girl come from?”

Uncle Gong bowed slightly: “Reporting to Commissioner Bai, this is Officer Yu’s younger sister. She says she has an urgent matter to see her brother about, and she’s about to leave.”

Yu Chongyi frowned slightly.

Commissioner Bai turned to Yu Chongyi with great interest: “Your sister? Well then, why not introduce us?”

Yu Chongyi’s smile stiffened slightly; mindful of his position, he had no choice but to answer cautiously: “I left something at home—I had my sister bring it over for me. She’s leaving right away. Commissioner, weren’t you headed to the French Consulate about the Chen Baidie matter? It’s getting late, you should get in the car.”

Commissioner Bai gave a low chuckle: “Yu Chongyi, you’ve worked under me for years now, and you still haven’t learned to speak properly. Your sister seems a good deal sharper than you. Well, never mind—go quickly and come back quickly. After the consulate, I’ve got a meeting with a friend. You said just now you’re going out to work a case as well?”

Yu Chongyi said: “I want to look into the overlap between Chen Baidie and Wang Meiping’s social connections.”

Commissioner Bai said meaningfully: “No wonder you said you had business and didn’t want to come along to the consulate. Very well then—see you later.” He looked Hongdou over a few more times, then finally got into the car.

Once the car had driven off, Yu Chongyi pulled Hongdou aside: “Don’t come to the station looking for me again.”

Hongdou watched the departing car with obvious distaste: “What was that man asking just now?”

Yu Chongyi said: “Just asking who you were, nothing else. Anyway, don’t come here again next time—if there’s anything, wait until I get back.”

Recalling the look in Commissioner Bai’s eyes as he left, he couldn’t help feeling a quiet unease. Commissioner Bai’s wife had been a notorious shrew in the city, and out of fear of her temper, Commissioner Bai had kept himself somewhat in check while she was alive. But ever since she had fallen ill and died the previous year, Commissioner Bai had been like a beast freed from its cage, indulging himself everywhere, determined to make up for what he called the “misfortune” of his past twenty years of marriage with redoubled dissipation.

At the same time, word had gotten around: having suffered under his former wife, this time he was determined to find someone both beautiful and accomplished. He had since taken several concubines one after another, still unsatisfied, and had now set his sights on female students. Only, he had not yet found anyone to his liking, so the matter of remarrying had for the time being been shelved.

But Hongdou’s mind was on something else entirely; she nodded: “Mm, I won’t come again.”

That way her brother’s superiors wouldn’t see her and needlessly find fault with her brother.

Yu Chongyi said: “Wait here a moment—I’ll go tell my colleagues I’m heading out to work a case. With Commissioner Bai and the others just now, it wasn’t convenient for me to take out Wang Meiping’s autopsy report.”

Hongdou asked in surprise: “Why do you need to take out Wang Meiping’s autopsy report?”

“He Yunqin wants to see it.”

Hongdou pursed her lips—so her brother really was taking He Yunqin’s words seriously: “Brother, aren’t you afraid He Yunqin has some ulterior motive?”

Yu Chongyi, his mind wholly set on solving the case, gave a bitter smile at this: “In my years as a policeman, I haven’t gained many other skills, but I do have some judgment of people. Whatever purpose He Yunqin has come with, he’s no bad person, that much I’m sure of. Right now I just want to find your cousin as quickly as possible. Even if I end up leaking something I shouldn’t, I’ll accept the consequences—worst case, I stop being a policeman and find some other line of work.”

Hongdou froze. So her brother truly didn’t want to be a policeman anymore. Thinking back to how restrained and uneasy he’d looked in front of Commissioner Bai just now, she could dimly grasp her brother’s difficulties.

A jumble of mixed feelings washed over her, and she said nothing more.

Yu Chongyi soon returned, now carrying a cloth bag, and walked straight up to Hongdou, wheeling the bicycle: “Let’s go to Fuhua Lane to find He Yunqin first. We agreed on five-thirty, and it’s nearly time. Since he went to Wang Bide’s place to look for materials, he might have had some luck too, just like you.”

Hongdou pouted and got onto the back seat.

The two of them arrived at Fuhua Lane. They had expected to have to wait a while, but He Yunqin was already there.

Yu Chongyi braked the bike: “Mr. He.”

He Yunqin had already noticed Hongdou was carrying quite a lot of things in her arms, and guessed the siblings had gained plenty that afternoon, so he said: “How did it go—did you bring Wang Meiping’s autopsy report?”

Yu Chongyi said: “I brought it.”

Hongdou saw that He Yunqin, the moment he opened his mouth, asked about Wang Meiping’s autopsy report without a single mention of what she herself had found at Wang Bide’s place. Wanting to reclaim some initiative for the siblings, but finding her brother unwilling to cooperate, she felt a lump of frustration building in her chest with no outlet, and simply tilted her head back to look at the sky, using the clear blue expanse to vent her displeasure.

He Yunqin found this secretly amusing, and pretending not to notice Hongdou’s obvious displeasure, suggested: “It’s not convenient to talk on the main street. There’s a café across the way—let’s talk there.”

The three of them arrived at the café and found a secluded corner to sit.

Yu Chongyi handed the bag to He Yunqin: “This is Wang Meiping’s autopsy report, along with all the statements from everyone around Chen Baidie before and after her disappearance. It’s all here.”

He Yunqin opened the report and frowned: “So Wang Meiping only died last week.”

Hongdou was greatly taken aback: “Only died last week? Hasn’t Wang Meiping been missing for three months? Why would they wait three months to kill her?”

He Yunqin looked at Hongdou: “Miss Yu, didn’t you go to the school fellowship to look for clues earlier? Did you find anything?”

Hongdou thought it over, then took out the book Records of the Mysterious Ancestor’s Wilderness Tales with her left hand, and opened her right palm toward He Yunqin: “Didn’t Mr. He also go to Inspector Wang’s place to look for materials? What did you find? Why don’t we compare notes?”

He Yunqin faced her down for a moment, then smiled without a trace of shame: “Wang Bide wasn’t home, so I wasn’t able to find any materials. But I promise you, I’ll go back to his place again tonight, and if Miss Yu doesn’t mind, you’re welcome to come along.”

Hongdou hadn’t expected him to be so brazen—clearly he’d decided to get something for nothing—but, eager to discuss the case with her brother, she only shot him a glance before generously turning to that page: “Look at the wooden peg drawn here—is it the same kind as what was on Wang Meiping’s body?”

Yu Chongyi frowned and looked, saying in mild surprise: “It does look like the same kind. Huh, what book is this—did you get it from the fellowship?”

He Yunqin took the book in hand and leafed through it: “Records of the Mysterious Ancestor’s Wilderness Tales?”

Hongdou pointed something out to them: “Look at this passage beside it. It says here that after a person dies, driving wooden pegs into the corpse can scatter the person’s soul. Setting aside whether this method holds up to scrutiny, don’t you two find the murderer terribly strange? Killing Wang Meiping wasn’t enough—they had to use this method to harm her too. Wang Meiping had only just come to Shanghai—where would the murderer have had the chance to develop such deep enmity with her? Brother, did you check into Wang Meiping’s history in Shaoxing? Did she ever have a feud with anyone back in her hometown?”

Yu Chongyi shook his head: “Her parents both said Wang Meiping was ordinarily honest and dutiful. This time coming to Shanghai, she meant to have her uncle find her a position locally—partly to save up a dowry, partly to help support the family. Her uncle and aunt also said Wang Meiping was gentle-tempered and rarely quarreled with anyone.”

Hongdou fell quiet for a moment, then voiced a conclusion she’d reached earlier: “The last place Cousin Yuqi was seen on Saturday was a jewelry shop under the name of Yuan Ruoli’s ex-wife, while Wang Meiping went missing at the train station—and as it happens, there’s also a Yuan family Western clothing shop at the train station… That is to say, these two disappearance cases are both connected, more or less, to the Yuan family. Brother, have you verified yet whether that Western clothing shop at the train station currently belongs to Yuan Ruoli, or to his ex-wife?”

“That… I haven’t had time to verify yet. The Yuan family’s divorce case was settled quietly and wasn’t reported in the papers at the time, so we have no way of knowing exactly how their assets were divided. That Lihua Jewelry Shop does such large business that everyone knows the current proprietress is Yuan Ruoli’s former wife. Why, what are you asking this for?”

He Yunqin stared at the page and answered without looking up: “She’s suspecting these cases are connected to Yuan Ruoli’s ex-wife.”

Yu Chongyi froze: “That’s too far-fetched. She’s a wealthy lady who wants for nothing—why would she kidnap and harm people?”

Hongdou glanced at He Yunqin, unable to deny that this man’s mind worked faster than her brother’s—there wasn’t the slightest hitch in how he followed the case.

She thought it over, imitating the tone of Peter’s column: “I’m just looking for what these missing people have in common. Brother, did you look into why Yuan Ruoli divorced his former wife?”

Yu Chongyi said: “I checked. They were married ten years and she never bore children—Yuan Ruoli went through with the divorce for the sake of having heirs.”

Hongdou nodded inwardly. Could it be that out of guilt, Yuan Ruoli had allotted his ex-wife so much property at the divorce?

She continued trying to find what the three missing women had in common: “Then did you check on the relationship between Chen Baidie and Yuan Ruoli—do they know each other?”

Yu Chongyi wore a pained expression: “Chen Baidie’s social network in this city is far too complicated—no small number of people have dealings with her. Yuan Ruoli is, after all, a respectable wealthy merchant, so it wouldn’t be strange if Chen Baidie knows him. I just don’t know whether, beyond their surface-level social dealings, there’s any other personal relationship between them. That would require going and questioning the people around Chen Baidie in detail again.”

He Yunqin said: “No need to check further. I know who Chen Baidie’s current benefactor is—the two of them have been together for over two years, and Yuan Ruoli only divorced last year. Before that, and after, there’s no possibility he could have had any other relationship with Chen Baidie. By the way, Miss Yu, do you remember when Lu Jingheng of Nanbao Trading Company showed up at that tea party?”

That playboy? Hongdou decided to answer that question later, and only pressed further: “Who is Chen Baidie’s benefactor?”

He Yunqin evaded the question: “That’s unrelated to this case.”

Hongdou asked in surprise: “How do you know for certain it’s unrelated?”

He Yunqin glanced up at her, and was just about to reply when the café door was suddenly pushed open, and a group of people came in from outside. The two in front were talking as they walked: “This Chen Baidie business has thrown our whole police department into chaos, top to bottom—we haven’t dared sleep a wink looking for her. Those foreigners at the consulate are nothing but empty talk, no help at all besides adding to the mess. I was just about to go find them, but on second thought, better to find you to discuss it instead.”

Commissioner Bai? Yu Chongyi and Hongdou exchanged a glance and hurriedly hid the autopsy report under the table as fast as they could.

The man saw Yu Chongyi and paused in surprise: “Yu Chongyi?”

Yu Chongyi stood up: “Commissioner Bai.”

Commissioner Bai saw Hongdou and immediately grew greatly interested. Holding a cigar in one hand, he pointed at Hongdou with the other and asked Yu Chongyi in an exceedingly refined tone: “Is this your sister?”

Yu Chongyi’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant: “Yes.”

Commissioner Bai gazed at Hongdou with a smile for a while, narrowed his eyes, and was just about to have Yu Chongyi bring Hongdou over for a formal introduction, when he suddenly caught sight of He Yunqin across from Hongdou, and recognized him, saying with a laugh: “Isn’t this old He’s second son? What, you know this brother and sister too?”