After fluttering in the river for a long time, Min Hui finally swam to the bank and climbed to the bank. Ignoring his body limp, he ran to the road to stop a car and asked the driver to call the police.

After learning about the situation, the police immediately launched a search and rescue, and the fire brigade also came. Everyone decided to divide their troops into two groups: one team carried out a carpet search along the river bank, and the other team drove a speedboat to search back and forth on the river for several kilometers. . More than 50 people searched for more than two hours and could not find Li Chunmiao. After dawn, the scope of search and rescue was expanded to include more volunteers, and frogmen and salvage teams were also called in and found nothing. During the flood season, the water speed is three meters per second. Unless you are a master swimmer, it is difficult to survive in such waters.

The police said that Li Chunmiao dared to jump into the water to save people, indicating that he had good water skills, and he might still be alive.

People from the salvage team said that the water conditions of the Mushui River are complicated, and it flows through countless rural cities along the way, and finally joins the big river and flows to the East China Sea. If the drowning person dies, they do not know where they will float, and it is difficult to find the body. This kind of thing happens every year, let her prepare for the funeral.

For the next three days, the police mobilized more rescue forces and went further downstream to salvage, but nothing was found. Min Hui was called to the police station for questioning and made a registration and record. At first, the police refused to rule out the suspicion of a criminal case. After all, she was the last person to see Li Chunmiao. No one knew what happened between the two. It could be sacrificing oneself to save others, or it could be murder for money. .

However, the surveillance of the hotel showed that the two girls did walk out of the lobby one after the other; the front desk clerk also confirmed that Chunmiao had asked Min Hui where she was before leaving; the surveillance on the bridge captured the moment before she dived , took off a life buoy from the viewing platform, which completely matched the one on Min Hui's body... In summary, it was characterized as a "saving accident" and was treated as an accidental missing person. Min Hui has no responsibility here either.

The policeman who received her was named Chen, from Cantonese, and everyone called him Sir Chen. Chen Sir comforted that the police would continue to search and inform her of new progress, but also made her mentally prepared. After all, the golden moment of rescue has passed.

In the past few days, Min Hui has been awake almost all night. During the day, she followed the rescue team to search around, and at night, she stayed by her mobile phone and waited for the latest news from the police. She repeatedly recalled what happened that day: Chunmiao jumped into the water decisively, quickly found her, and lifted her out of the water twice, obviously with experience in lifesaving in water. Therefore, she has a fluke mentality. At this moment, listening to Chen Sir's tone, Chunmiao's hope of surviving is not much.

The originally heavy heart panicked even more...

Chen said that the next focus is to confirm Chunmiao's identity and inform her family.

Min Hui then cooperated with the police to check Chunmiao's luggage to see if she could find something to prove her identity.

There was very little luggage, just some change of clothes and travel supplies. The bulging bag contained a bag of betel nut and a package of cosmetics, and the wallet and mobile phone were gone.

Min Hui checked in with her ID card. Although there were two people in the room, the front desk didn't ask any further questions. She recalled carefully: because she insisted on paying half the room rate, Chunmiao used her wallet once, which should have been in the pocket of the yellow jacket. As for the mobile phone, Chunmiao used it before going to bed, and said that she would add her WeChat account, and then kept charging on the bedside table. When Min Hui came back from the river the next day, the phone was no longer there, but the charging cable was still plugged into the wall. It should have been taken away when she went out at night, but now it was mostly soaked in water.

She regrets not adding her WeChat, such a chatty person, there should be a lot of clues in the circle of friends, right?

Min Hui and Chen Sir rummaged through their luggage for a long time, only to find a bus ticket. Chunmiao got on the bus from the "Yukong" station, and there was no identity information on the ticket.

"If people can't find it, what should I do with the luggage?" Min Hui asked.

"Let the hotel take care of it first, and hand it over to the family when you find them." Sir Chen looked at her with a sad face, "How about you? When are you going to leave?"

Min Hui was stunned, she hadn't thought of this question: "I'm not leaving, I want to see her family."

Sir Chen's eyes were strange: "Are you sure?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"At times like this, family members will be very emotional and will find someone to vent..."

"Then take it all out on me," Min Hui couldn't help crying. "After all, I caused all of this. If a good person is gone, the perpetrator can't run away, right?"

"You are all good girls. She volunteered to save people, and you are not the perpetrator," Chen Sir sighed. "Since you think so, just stay for a few more days. I'll go first."

Before leaving, Min Hui remembered that Chunmiao still had a jacket hanging in the bathroom, so she went in and turned over all the pockets of the jacket, and pulled out a black card: "Is this thing useful?"

It was a membership card of XX Studios, with Chunmiao's name and card number printed on it.

Chen Sir's eyes lit up: "It's useful. This kind of membership card is usually bound to a mobile phone. I'll go back and check."

The next day, Min Hui got up from the bed in a daze and realized that she had missed breakfast, so she went to the cafe on the second floor to order a muffin and a cup of coffee. The waiter was an aunt in her 40s. He heard about her and asked her to talk to her: "Girl, have you been found?"

Min Hui looked at her and shook her head.

"Alas, the police are too weak. When the time comes, the family members will come and cry and see how they will explain it."

"They've... tried their best." Min Hui's voice began to choked, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, girl. When you look at you, your eyes are swollen from crying." The aunt handed her a tissue, "How do you say it, you want to see people in life, and you want to see corpses in death. Since we haven't seen both of them, just There is still a silver lining."

Hope, is there? It's not too big of a deal to watch the fun, but Min Hui starts to get upset again, Auntie, can you let me be quiet for a while?

The aunt wiped the table seriously, and suddenly said, "By the way, is she fat?"

"Um?"

"That girl, is she fat?"

"Not fat."

"Tell you, there was a fat man who fell into the water and fainted with fright. After drifting out with the current for one kilometer, he suddenly woke up. Scared to death..."

These words have great visual effects. Min Hui was drinking coffee and almost choked. A similar scene immediately popped into her mind, and a glimmer of hope emerged in her heart.

If this is the case, she will not be afraid, but will only cry with joy.

However, four days have passed since the incident. Such a season, such a climate - in a few days, I am afraid that even the bones will not be found.

Thinking of this, Min Hui asked, "Auntie, do you know anyone nearby who would take up this kind of salvage work?"

——After the salvage team withdrew, Min Hui had approached them privately, hoping to continue the salvage at her own expense. The captain explained that it's not that he refused to help. The recent floods have been severe, and drowning and capsized incidents have occurred in many places. It is really too busy.

"There are some fishermen nearby. No one wants to do this kind of work. It's unlucky. They all call them to drink dead man's soup." The aunt thought for a while, and then said, "By the way, have you been to Repulse Bay?"

"Repulse Bay? Where is it?"

"To the south of the Mushui River Bridge, about three kilometers, there is a river bend. There are often floating corpses floating from the upper reaches. If something like this happens to someone and they can't find it, they will go there and wait. I have A relative's son fell into the water last year, and the whole family went crazy. They searched for three days and three nights without food or drink, but they couldn't find him. Finally, they went to Repulse Bay, and found him seven days later... he has changed beyond recognition."

When Min Hui came to Repulse Bay, she found that the place was quite famous among the locals. As soon as the driver heard the three words Repulse Bay, the first sentence he asked was, "Girl, where are you looking for someone?"

She smiled weakly.

"Don't go alone," the driver said again, his eyes on her chest, half-smiling, "you'll be scared. How about I accompany you?"

"No!" Min Hui glared at him fiercely, threw him the money for the car, and got out of the car angrily.

"What a stinky temper, is it a ghost?" the driver said strangely behind her.

"I'll call the police if you talk nonsense again!" Min Hui took out her mobile phone, and the driver hurriedly drove away.

Repulse Bay is a quiet river bay. After a circle, the water flow was blocked by rocks and suddenly slowed down. The water was very dirty, and there were many garbage and debris washed down from the upstream.

There was a tent by the river, a man with a stubble beard was squatting by the water to brush his teeth, with a towel draped over his shoulders, he looked like he was in his early fifties. Min Hui didn't know what he was here for. After saying "good morning" to him, she walked around the river bend, watching as she walked.

She found nothing and went back to the tent. The man was sitting on a rock smoking a cigarette. Seeing her coming, he suddenly asked, "Have you found it?"

Min Hui sighed deeply, shook her head, and the two pale faces looked at each other.

"Uncle, how long have you been waiting here?"

"Five days."

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Wife."

Seeing his miserable face, she didn't ask.

"What about you? Who are you waiting for?"

Min Hui was dumbfounded, for a while, she couldn't find a suitable word to describe the relationship between Chunmiao and herself: friend? companion? acquaintance? Same seat?

"My sister."

The uncle didn't ask any further, he said "um" and continued smoking.

Min Hui waited in Repulse Bay for three days and didn't go at night, asking Uncle to help him watch.

When went back on the fourth day in the morning, found that the uncle was closing the tent.

"Auntie found?" she asked.

"No." The uncle's voice was a little hoarse. While he rolled the flat tent into a large bag, he threw paper money into a small fire, "I'm not looking for it. There are two children at home. It's over. After so long, she should be... gone."

Min Hui looked at him silently, unable to think of any words of comfort.

"A female corpse floated down from the river in the morning. It has changed. She looks very young. I tied her to the tree. Would you like to take a look?"

Min Hui's heart jumped, she turned around and ran towards the tree, but was grabbed by the uncle. He picked up a long iron hook from the ground: "I'll go with you. If it's really your sister, it's a tough job to drag it up."

The corpse was on its back, floating among a pile of colorful garbage. The limbs are open, the top is rolled over, revealing the pale green skin, the lower body is a red and white mini skirt, and the long hair floats in the water.

The body can no longer be seen because it is so swollen. Min Hui imagined her size down. She was similar in size to Chun Miao, but her coat was not a yellow jacket, which might have been washed away by the water. Min Hui didn't remember her wearing short skirts, but she didn't rule out that she would wear them like that, white sneakers... Well, she hadn't noticed what kind of shoes Chunmiao wore. There must be something wrong with the hair, she remembered it was permed, curled up in a crooked way, soaked in water for so long, maybe it got straight?

"Is it her?" The uncle pulled the corpse to the shore with a hook.

Min Hui was trembling all over, her teeth rattling, and she was so nervous that she couldn't say a word for a long time.

"uncertain?"

She shook her head.

"Want me to turn it over for you? Look at your face?"

She gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously.

It is very difficult to turn a dead person over. The uncle tried all his strength to turn it over, and the iron hook stabbed hard in the water——

"Forget it!" Min Hui suddenly covered her eyes and shouted, "Don't touch her!"

The uncle looked back at her and smiled bitterly: "Let's take a look, it's already turned over. Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth, if it's really your sister, go to the earth and ascend to heaven..."

Min Hui had to go over and take a look, the face in the water bulged like a deformed inflatable doll, and she was so scared that her legs went weak. Bees, Min Hui ran to the side and overturned Haiti and vomited.

The uncle chased after him and asked, "Is it her?"

"No." Min Hui said blankly, and then shook her head vigorously, trying to shake what she had just seen out of her mind.

However... that terrible face, she will never forget it in her life.

Because of the appearance of an unknown floating body, Min Hui had to report the case again. After Chen Sir received the call, she asked her to come to the institute and explain something. Min Hui faintly felt that there must be news from Chun Miao's family.

But the news made her even more confused...

"We found her address and also her hometown." Chen Sir said, "This girl is 25 years old. She is a working girl and works in the 'Lanjinge Foot Bath' in Jiangzhou City. Her hometown is in the mountainous area of ​​Guangxi. , a very remote place."

Sir Chen took out two printed documents and put them in front of her: "She worked there for a year and a half and lived in the staff dormitory provided by the boss. She has done it in other foot bath shops before. According to the boss's wife, she was 16 years old. I came out to work and did a lot of work: restaurant waiter, female garment factory worker, hotel cleaning, etc.”

"Where are her parents, brothers and sisters?" Min Hui asked, "Are they in their hometown?"

"She is an orphan, and her parents have passed away. There used to be a younger brother in the family, who was lost when he was over a year old and never found again. There are only a few distant relatives in the hometown, and the relationship is average. Because it is too far, they say it is inconvenient to come here. , let us handle it ourselves."

"Do it yourself?" Min Hui frowned, "How to deal with it?"

"Let's go through the procedure. We will post a notice of missing persons. This situation is regarded as 'unaccounted for in an accident'. If no one is found after two years, you can apply to the court for a declaration of death."

Although she didn't have to face Chunmiao's family, Min Hui's mood became heavier.

A person just disappeared from the world, no one cares about her, no one looks for her, no one even wants her relics... It seems that she has never lived in this world at all.

"People from the foot bath shop said that she went out temporarily, and there were some of her personal belongings in the dormitory. If no one wanted them, they would be thrown away."

"Who said no one wants it?" Min Hui put the printed paper into her small bag, "I want it."

"Then please take care of her luggage in the hotel?" Chen Sir said.

"Row."

Chen Sir looked at his watch and stood up: "You can go home. Let's contact you on WeChat, and we will notify you at any time of new news."

"Over at Repulse Bay—"

"We've searched it for a long time. Don't trust the locals."

Min Hui stood up, but refused to move: "It's just a matter of one life?"

"Man's life can't beat the destiny." Chen Sir patted her on the shoulder, "This matter has come to an end."