Jiang Si received a call from Mother Huo in the evening, learning that the package had been sent by the Yu family.
She frowned slightly. "Mom, I'll mail the items back to the compound tomorrow, and you can return them."
"No need to go through all that trouble."
As soon as Mother Huo got home, she had discussed the matter with Grandpa Huo and Grandma Huo.
After some deliberation, they decided it wasn’t worth the hassle.
Mother Huo said, "Your grandparents think the local specialties won’t keep well anyway. We’ll just convert them into cash and return the money along with the 200-yuan money order to their family. That way, you won’t have to bother mailing things back and forth."
Jiang Si had no objections and agreed obediently.
Then, Mother Huo sighed. "It’s just that they’ve moved out of the compound, so getting in touch with them is a bit of a hassle now."
"They moved out?" Jiang Si’s first thought was whether Army Commander Yu had been demoted.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
At his rank, officials usually weren’t demoted unless they committed a serious breach of principles—at most, they might be reassigned.
Perhaps her tone betrayed her surprise, because Mother Huo briefly explained.
"Remember how their daughter, Manli, was seeing someone from Qiongzhou Island?"
"Not long ago, the man’s family came to propose marriage, but Army Commander Yu’s family refused. The man’s family made a scene outside the compound."
Mother Huo wasn’t entirely clear on the details, having only heard rumors from others in the compound.
The confrontation had turned ugly, and apparently, the police had been called.
After that, the Yu family moved out.
Where they went, Mother Huo didn’t know.
"Let’s not dwell on their affairs."
It was rare for her daughter-in-law to call, and Mother Huo didn’t want the conversation to be soured by such matters.
"Let me tell you..."
And so, Mother Huo chatted for nearly half an hour.
Hearing the excitement in her mother-in-law’s voice, Jiang Si had an inkling of what it might be about.
But since Mother Huo didn’t mention it outright, she pretended not to know.
After a long conversation about everyday matters, the two finally hung up.
Back home, Jiang Si divided the local specialties.
There was too much for her to finish alone, so she gave portions to Sister-in-law Hu and Sister-in-law Xu.
The rest, she planned to deliver to Uncle Zhong later.
The next day, Jiang Si woke up naturally.
Just as she was finishing her morning routine, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, she was surprised to see He Ping.
"What brings you here?"
He Ping relayed his orders from his superior. "The regiment leader asked me to accompany you."
He then handed her a few medical-grade masks. "Sister-in-law, these are military-grade masks. Make sure to wear one when you go inside."
"And if you feel unwell, just say so. I brought some preserved plums and oranges."
Originally, he had also packed anti-nausea medication, but before leaving, the regiment leader had instructed him to replace it with ginger.
Jiang Si knew how obedient He Ping was to Huo Tingzhou’s orders.
So she didn’t argue and simply nodded. "Alright, let’s go together then."
Around ten in the morning, officers from the Public Security Bureau arrived.
The moment he saw Jiang Si, Captain Sun couldn’t help but praise her. "Comrade Jiang, you were right on the mark."
After her suggestion, they had cross-referenced missing persons reports from nearby cities and counties.
But none matched the victim’s description.
They then conducted a more detailed search through household registration records and narrowed it down to two women.
"The first is a 23-year-old named Guli, a senior at a teachers’ college."
"The second is Aliya, 26, a worker at a provincial agricultural research farm."
"Both applied for travel permits a week ago, claiming they were returning home to visit family."
"We’ve contacted authorities in Xinjiang, and so far, neither has arrived."
They had obtained photos, but no one could confirm whether the victim was one of them.
So they still needed a facial reconstruction to compare.
Jiang Si nodded. "What did the forensic examiner say?"
Captain Sun replied, "The examiner estimates the victim was around 25 years old. Time of death was likely between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on the 24th. Cause of death was asphyxiation."
"Asphyxiation?"
"Yes. She was pushed from behind. Upon impact, she was only temporarily unconscious."
"But with multiple fractures, she couldn’t move. When the tide came in..."
He trailed off, unwilling to continue. After a pause, he added,
"Her limbs were wedged between the rocks, which is why the waves didn’t carry her away."
Jiang Si sighed at the tragedy. Then Captain Sun suddenly let out another heavy breath.
"The examiner also found she was two months pregnant."
Thankfully, they had conducted an autopsy—otherwise, there would have been no way to tell.
As they spoke, the car pulled into the county Public Security Bureau.
Before entering, Captain Sun warned her,
"Comrade Jiang, brace yourself. The body was recently autopsied."
"Another case came up in the neighboring county, so the examiner was rushed. The suturing is... rough."
"I understand."
Jiang Si adjusted her mask and turned to He Ping. "You don’t need to come in. Just hand me the drawing board."
He Ping shook his head. "Sister-in-law, I’ll go with you."
He was a grown man—he wasn’t afraid.
Jiang Si gave him a look. It wasn’t about fear—she would be inside for two or three hours.
"No, wait outside. I’ll call if I need anything."
"But—"
"No buts. You’ll distract me."
Hearing that, He Ping reluctantly agreed. "Fine. I’ll be right outside. Call me if anything happens."
Jiang Si nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
When she emerged two hours later, Captain Sun was waiting anxiously.
"Well? Did you finish the sketch?"
Jiang Si handed him the completed portrait—a young woman in her early twenties.
Thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose with a slight bump—distinctly ethnic features.
Captain Sun froze, then quickly compared it to the two photos in his hand.
His gaze settled firmly on the left one.
"It’s her!"
Now that they had identified the missing person, the investigation could proceed more efficiently.
Only locals knew about that stretch of tidal flats.
Captain Sun said, "I’ll check how many students from the area attend that school—"
Jiang Si interrupted, "Don’t just check students. Look into local faculty members too."
Captain Sun caught on immediately. "You think the killer could be a teacher?"
Jiang Si wasn’t certain.
But in this era, students’ household registrations were tied to their schools. Getting married only required school approval.
In other words, if they wanted to, they could register their marriage anytime.
Moreover, they even had a child together.
Unless the other party was unwilling or unable to marry her!
If that were the case, then everything would make sense.
After finishing her work, Jiang Si didn’t dwell on these matters. She returned home and took three hot showers.
Then, she soaked in spiritual spring water for half a day before finally getting rid of the lingering unpleasant odor.
Over the next few days, Jiang Si rarely left the house.
Time flew by, and soon it was the 10th.
Today was He Ping’s banquet day, coinciding with the Southern Little New Year’s Eve.
In the north, Little New Year’s Eve falls on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, while in the south, it’s the 24th.
Hu City is a bit peculiar—it doesn’t follow either tradition.
There, only the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is called "Little New Year’s Eve."
But since they were now on Qiongzhou Island, they had to observe the local customs.
Sure enough, early in the morning, Uncle Zhong and Third Grandpa came over.
By the time Jiang Si woke up, they had already finished wrapping the tangyuan (glutinous rice balls).
"Miss Jiang Si, go freshen up. I’ll start boiling the tangyuan now," Uncle Zhong said with a chuckle. "You know, your face seems a little rounder these days."
Hearing this, Third Grandpa also glanced over. "Hmm! It does look rounder."
Jiang Si pinched her cheeks. "Really?"
"Mm-hmm," they both nodded in unison.
Just then, Third Grandpa tilted his head and stared at the calendar on the wall.
"Jiang Si, what do these red circles mean—?"
