063 Missing

Since his mother passed away, Han Weidong had wanted to bring his father to the city, but Han Tingqian refused. In his own words, he couldn’t get used to a house without a courtyard.

Whenever Han Tingqian had nothing to do, he would rest in the small courtyard. On the western side stood a tall grape arbor, offering shade and coolness on sunny days and, when it rained, a place beneath the vines to listen to the patter while enjoying leisure.

The grapes ripened in August and September; they could be eaten fresh or made into wine. Grape vines favor abundant sunlight and dry climates, are quite hardy, and are especially suited to cultivation in the north.

Under the grape arbor stood a round table, where Han Tingqian usually took his meals.

On the eastern side of the courtyard hung a birdcage, home to two birds with vibrant green feathers that chirped incessantly.

Beside the birdcage stood a pair of blue-and-white porcelain tubs. The southern tub held several goldfish; the northern tub housed a pair of turtles.

“Meow…”

In the corner of the courtyard lay a tabby cat, its fur sleek and glossy, with alternating bands of brown-black and white, making it especially adorable. Han Bin and the others, upon returning, seemed to disturb its rest. The cat rolled lazily and licked its paws.

Unable to persuade his father, Han Weidong hired a nanny from the same village to help with daily chores—cleaning the courtyard, washing clothes, and preparing lunch.

In the mornings, Han Weidong strolled out to buy breakfast. The old house opened onto the main street, and after a few hundred meters, there was a breakfast shop with buns, fried dough sticks, soybean pudding, egg pancakes, eight-treasure porridge—everything one could desire.

In the evenings, the old man ate light meals, usually boiling some corn porridge or millet rice, accompanied by pickles and small dishes like ham. That was his daily fare.

With Han Weidong and others returning today, the nanny was given the day off. After organizing their purchases, they began preparing lunch.

Today was overcast and pleasantly cool.

Han Bin decided on barbecue, and the old man was thoroughly enthusiastic. Han Weidong and Wang Huifang simply followed along.

For vegetables, they had enoki mushrooms, eggplants, and chives. Meats included lamb skewers, lamb kidneys, beef skewers, and grilled wings. Seafood ranged from mussels to lobster, oysters, and mantis shrimp.

All four family members worked together: Wang Huifang washed vegetables and cut meat, Han Weidong and Han Bin threaded the skewers, and Han Tingqian was in charge of lighting the charcoal.

Once everything was prepared, Han Bin set up the barbecue grill and started cooking.

A gentle breeze wafted through the courtyard, a few drops of rain fell, and as they ate barbecue and sipped homemade wine, the family chatted and laughed, filling the air with lively warmth.

...

Qindao Sub-bureau.

Criminal Investigation Team Three, Group Two Office.

Han Bin spent two days at the old house, only returning to the city on Monday morning. Han Weidong dropped him off at the sub-bureau entrance.

“Morning.”

“Good morning,” colleagues greeted him.

“Morning,” Han Bin nodded in response.

Perhaps it was the attention he received on the day the banner was presented; Han Bin noticed noticeably more people greeting him.

Inside the office, Tian Li was cleaning, and Li Hui was peeling tea eggs.

Han Bin chuckled, “Brother Hui, your standards are pretty high—tea eggs for breakfast.”

“Brother Bin, tea eggs are outdated now. These days, the rich eat instant noodles with pickled mustard greens,” Li Hui winked.

“How about, when I get my paycheck, we skip the big kidneys and have instant noodles with pickled greens, to experience a wealthy lifestyle?” Han Bin said with mock seriousness.

“Let's not. We're just small-time officers; the rich man’s meal is too extravagant. If word gets out online, we might even get summoned for a talk,” Tian Li joked.

“Ha ha…”

The three burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Zhao Ming walked in, holding a bucket of instant noodles, which he placed on his desk, then took out pickled mustard greens and sausage.

“See, I told you…” Li Hui slapped his thigh. “Pickled greens and sausage—now that’s luxury.”

Zhao Ming looked baffled. “Come on… Is instant noodles really such a big deal?”

After a little more banter, Zhao Ming learned about the pickled greens joke and joined in, generously inviting everyone to try some.

“Knock knock.” Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Everyone turned to look. Zeng Ping stood in the doorway.

“Quite the lively bunch!”

“Captain Zeng.”

“You’ve finally arrived—we missed you,” everyone greeted him.

“What were you four chatting about?” Zeng Ping smiled.

“We were just discussing where to take you for a welcome meal,” Han Bin replied.

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Zeng Ping reached out and patted Han Bin’s shoulder. “I heard you did well while I was gone—even Director Dai praised you.”

“It’s all thanks to your and Captain Zheng’s guidance, and the guys giving me assists. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a chance to shine,” Han Bin said humbly.

“That’s the spirit. Bin’s the Jordan of our team, and I’m Pippen,” Li Hui gestured with his right hand, striking what he thought was a cool pose.

“You’re more like a pair of shoes,” Tian Li teased.

The room erupted with laughter again.

...

At eleven o’clock, as everyone debated where to eat and how to welcome Zeng Ping, Zheng Kaixuan entered, holding a thermos.

“Zeng, how’s the work coming?”

“All files and case records are sorted,” Zeng Ping stood up.

“Perfect—there’s a case now. Can you take it?”

“No problem,” Zeng Ping replied seriously.

“You don’t even ask what kind of case?” Zheng Kaixuan lightly punched Zeng Ping’s chest.

“No matter what it is, I’ll get it done.”

“Good.” Zheng Kaixuan smiled. “If we handle this well, Team Three will secure the Police Star award this round.”

“Yes, I promise to get it done.”

“Captain Zheng, what kind of case is it?” Han Bin asked.

“A missing person,” Zheng Kaixuan said, pointing to Tian Li. “The complainant is in reception—bring her in.”

Tian Li acknowledged and left the office.

Soon after, Tian Li returned with a young woman.

She was in her twenties, not tall, her skin slightly dark, features delicate, and she looked nervous.

“Have a seat, I’ll record your statement,” Tian Li gestured to the chair beside the desk.

“Okay,” the woman replied and sat down.

Tian Li switched on the law enforcement recorder and opened her notebook. “Name, gender, age, birthplace…”

“My name is He Ru, female, twenty-five years old…”

“Why are you reporting?”

“My sister is missing.”

“When did she disappear?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“Did she leave any note or message?”

“I wasn’t home when she left. She handed her child to her mother-in-law, said she was going out on business, and never came back,” He Ru recalled.

“How did your sister leave?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What’s your sister’s name? How old is she?”

“My sister is He Yan, three years older than me.”

“Buzz…”

At that moment, He Ru’s phone vibrated. She glanced down in surprise.

“It’s a message from my sister.”