Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The missing person was named Wang Xianghong. Three years ago, she married Cao Liang from Tiandong Brigade.

According to local customs, on the second day of the New Year, she should return to her parents' home. However, the Wang family waited anxiously but did not see her come back, which made them uneasy.

Considering the distance between the two places and the possibility of some delay, they were puzzled but did not take it too seriously.

But when she still had not returned by the fifth day, the Wang family could no longer sit still.

Unlike some families that favored boys over girls, the Wang family treated their daughter just like their son, always doting on her.

Thus, there was no such thing as "water spilled out" once a daughter was married; all family members would still care for her.

During holidays, they would always invite Wang Xianghong to visit, and her room was always kept for her.

Yet, during such an important festival, Wang Xianghong did not return home, which was very unusual.

It was her second brother, Wang Xiangzhi, who reported the case. He was more knowledgeable in the family, so the Wang family sent him to report to the commune.

Wang Xiangzhi said, "Initially, our family did not agree with this marriage. Everyone wanted my third sister to marry someone closer, so we could look after each other. But she seemed to be under some spell and insisted on marrying her current husband far away."

The Wang family's Red Flag Commune was separated from Red Star Commune by another commune, and Cao Liang's brigade was in a remote area. It took a whole day to travel between the two places, including hiking through mountains and taking a bus.

They had to leave before dawn and arrive only when it was dark.

For the Wang family, this was considered a distant marriage.

They preferred Wang Xianghong to marry someone within easy reach, unlike now, where even meeting once was difficult.

Moreover, the Wang family's situation was quite good. Their brigade had its own factory, and every household had someone working there.

Thus, besides income from farming, they had additional earnings, making their lives more prosperous than average farmers.

On the contrary, the Cao family was not well-off. Cao Liang's brigade was in a mountainous area, a typical impoverished region.

How could the Wang family be satisfied with such a marriage? Marrying someone from the same village would have been much better.

Even if not in their own brigade, marrying someone nearby would have been fine.

But Wang Xianghong fell for Cao Liang and insisted on marrying him.

"At first, my third sister even quarreled with the family. My parents locked her up, but eventually, they gave in," Wang Xiangzhi said with a bitter smile.

He then added, "Although we initially disagreed, once she was married, we had to accept it. We only required that during holidays, the Cao family must let her return home."

Because of this, when the Wang family did not see Wang Xianghong return home, they started to worry and sent Wang Xiangzhi to Red Star Commune to inquire about the situation.

Although women now had the freedom to move around, some families still restricted their daughters-in-law from interacting closely with their natal families.

When Wang Xiangzhi arrived at Red Star Commune, his brother-in-law Cao Liang claimed that Wang Xianghong had already returned home on the second day and wondered why she had not come back yet.

Hearing this, Wang Xiangzhi's heart skipped a beat, fearing something had happened to his sister.

After inquiring in the village and at the bus station, he found no trace of her.

Realizing something was amiss, he confronted Cao Liang and beat him up. Cao Liang then admitted that Wang Xianghong had run away with someone else and lied to save face.

Song Weiguo said, "Wang Xiangzhi insists that his sister would never do such a thing. She was deeply devoted to Cao Liang and insisted on marrying him. How could she suddenly run away with someone else? He believes there is definitely something wrong and came to report it."

"On the other hand, Cao Liang claims that although Wang Xianghong was initially devoted to him, she later grew tired of his poverty and started having affairs. He suspects the Wang family of falsely accusing them because they looked down on him and wanted to break them apart. He believes Wang Xianghong's disappearance is related to the Wang family."

Although identification letters were required for travel, determined people could still manage to run away.

Regardless of the specifics, finding her was the priority.

"Wang Xianghong has disappeared. Some say they saw her heading into the woods early on the second day of the New Year. We searched everywhere but found nothing, so we thought you might have some ideas."

After hearing the details, Wang Heizi said, "I remember a woman from the neighboring brigade who also ran away. Our brigade had one too. Why are there so many women who run away?"

Zhai Hongyi replied, "If she ran away, it would be better."

Wang Heizi was puzzled. "How is that better? Giving a man a green hat is not right!"

Zhai Hongyi glanced at him without saying anything, leaving Wang Heizi confused.

"Brother Yi, wouldn't you be angry if you were given a green hat? Ow—"

Zhai Hongyi hit Wang Heizi on the head, causing him to stumble.

Song Weiguo, who had not yet reached a conclusion, provided these details to give Tang Qingqing more information for her investigation.

Cao Liang's brigade was quite remote. If someone really ran away, it would be hard to encounter anyone on the way.

Their brigade was westward, across several mountains, leading to a small train station.

Some trains stopped there, and if someone was determined to escape, they could take a train south.

Song Weiguo had previously investigated in Tiandong Brigade but found no clues.

Questioning Cao Liang, he maintained that his wife had run away.

With no sign of life or death, and no breakthrough from Cao Liang, the case remained unsolved.

Due to limited technology, cases of missing persons and human trafficking were challenging to solve. The Public Security Bureau worked tirelessly day and night, but the number of successful recoveries remained limited.

Moreover, many cases of wives running away were not reported.

Even if reported, what use would it be to find her back? Once the green hat was worn, reconciliation was unlikely.

As for the in-laws, since their own daughter ran away, they feel it's unreasonable and embarrassing, so they don't like to mention this matter.

There are also those who care about their own daughters, such as the Wang family.

But if she married nearby, it would be fine. If she married far away, by the time they get the news, it's too late, and there are no clues left. They can only register her as missing.

In such cases, unless the person who ran away contacts their family themselves, it is very difficult to find them.

Unless that person gets into trouble and is caught, there might be a chance to find them and notify their family.

Tang Qingqing understood the situation and immediately offered to go to Tiandong Brigade to check things out.

"Don't rush. Let's go to the cafeteria for a meal first. Tiandong Brigade is even farther than your Rongshan Brigade. You need to eat well before you set off."

Although Tang Qingqing was anxious, she knew that sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting.

She was indeed hungry now, and for her own health, she needed to eat first, no matter how busy she was.

Zhai Hongyi thought for a moment and said, "Can we investigate on our own?"

Song Weiguo was taken aback. "You want to go on your own?"

"Yes, you've already been to Tiandong Brigade and investigated everything without finding anything, right?"

Song Weiguo didn't get angry at being called ineffective; he admitted it.

"Since you investigated as a public security officer and found nothing, I think we can investigate as ordinary people and perhaps get more clues."

Song Weiguo raised an eyebrow. "You sure have a lot of ideas."

Zhai Hongyi looked determined. "There's no loss in us three going to scout around first. If we make no progress, you can come over then."

"Just the three of you? Can you really handle it?"

"We won't know until we try."

Song Weiguo hesitated and then said:

"I need to report this to my superiors. If they approve, I'll allow you to investigate on your own."

"Is Wang Xiangzhi still here?"

"Yes, he's staying at the guesthouse, saying he won't leave until he finds his sister."

Initially, it wasn't just Wang Xiangzhi who came, but the expenses were too high here, so they left him here while others went back, coming again if necessary.

"We want to talk to him to understand the situation. Can you ask him to come over?"

Song Weiguo agreed.

Soon, Song Weiguo returned with the approval from his superiors for them to start the investigation, but with the strict instruction to ensure Tang Qingqing's safety.

"She is now our bureau's treasure, so we must take good care of her. If anything happens, don't force it; wait for us to send reinforcements."

Wang Heizi, feeling the weight of the task, puffed out his chest. "I guarantee to complete the mission!"

Song Weiguo then looked at Zhai Hongyi, who also assured, "If I'm safe, she will be safe."

Upon hearing the news, Wang Xiangzhi rushed over from the guesthouse, full of energy and urgency.

"Is it about my third sister? Do you have news?"

Song Weiguo replied, "Don't rush. We've brought in a tracking expert and need to ask you some questions."

Wang Xiangzhi was disappointed but tried to muster some spirit. "Where is the expert?"

Song Weiguo nodded toward Qingqing. "This is her."

Wang Xiangzhi felt a surge of anger. If this were not the Public Security Bureau, he would have cursed outright.

This was a joke, wasn't it? What kind of expert was this? Clearly just a young girl. How could the Public Security Bureau be so irresponsible!