Chapter 83: Without a Trace
Old Su reluctantly shut her mouth, but inwardly, she hoped the police would arrest Su Qing. Though she no longer dared to cause trouble for Su Qing, she hated her to the bone and wished for some great misfortune to befall her.
After hearing Zhao Youcai’s words, the police officers’ impression of the Old Su Family soured, and their expressions grew even more stern. "Su Qing’s matter is just a common dispute. We hope you can resolve it yourselves. Additionally, if you have any information about Su Tao, please inform us in a timely manner and cooperate with our investigation."
After they finished, the two officers turned to Zhao Youcai and Wang Xuehong and said, "We hope you two will also cooperate fully."
Zhao Youcai and Wang Xuehong quickly nodded. "Yes, of course. Don’t worry, Officers. We will definitely cooperate."
Having gotten a general understanding of the situation, the two officers left. Old Su plopped right down on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing, "Oh, no! This is a disaster! That damn girl, Su Tao! What sins did our Old Su Family commit to deserve something like this?"
Zhao Youcai frowned as he looked at the wailing Old Su on the ground, then turned to Old Su and said, "Uncle Su, this matter is of great importance. It also concerns the reputation of our entire village. If you get any news of Su Tao, you must tell me immediately. If Su Tao really is the killer, no matter what, our village cannot afford to get a reputation for harboring a fugitive."
"Yes, yes, I know, I know." Old Su was also at a loss. In his entire life, this was the first time he’d ever encountered something like this, and he felt completely unnerved.
And soon, the news that Su Tao was the prime suspect in a major murder case spread through the entire village as if it had wings.
Everyone was shocked.
Some didn’t believe it, some said she deserved it, and others were skeptical. In any case, discussions were rampant, and even Su Qing couldn’t escape being pestered for news by the village aunties.
Meanwhile, Su Tao was hiding in a dilapidated, abandoned house behind Lihua Village. It had originally belonged to a lonely old man. After he passed away, the house was left empty and untended. Over time, it fell into disrepair, with even most of the roof having collapsed.
Su Tao shivered in a corner of the room, her eyes staring blankly into space. She still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. ’I actually killed someone. I killed three people!’
That night, after she killed the three members of the Sun family, she had ransacked the place and finally found where they hid their money. Besides cash, there were also quite a few ration coupons. She had wanted to run away immediately, but she didn’t have a letter of introduction and didn’t dare ask the brigade leader for one. For the time being, she had no way to leave. Then, she discovered the police were investigating the Sun family’s case. Consumed by guilt and fear, she had secretly fled back to Lihua Village. This was the place she knew best. She knew about this dilapidated house and, more importantly, that no one lived nearby. That was why she had hidden here.
Hiding in the ruined house for two or three days, Su Tao didn’t dare go anywhere. She only ventured out in the middle of the night to secretly dig up a few potatoes from the fields, which she would cook and eat back in the house. For the past few days, she had survived on just those potatoes. It was also during this time that she overheard the news that the police had identified her as a prime suspect.
At this, Su Tao panicked even more. ’I can’t go anywhere,’ she thought. ’The moment I step outside, the police will catch me.’
And what would happen if they caught her?
’Three lives... I’ll get a bullet to the back of the head, won’t I?’
The thought of that consequence made Su Tao tremble uncontrollably.
’No, I can’t get caught. I absolutely cannot get caught! If they catch me, I’m dead!’
So, she had to escape!
But where could she escape to?
Su Tao felt that no matter where she went, the police could find her. Except...
Su Tao paused, her gaze turning toward Baihua Mountain...
Su Tao seemed to have vanished into thin air. No one saw any trace of her, and the police manhunt failed to find her. Because of what happened with Su Tao, the people of Lihua Village kept an even greater distance from the Old Su Family. Living next door to the Old Su Family, Su Qing would often hear Old Su scolding Tian Aixiang.
Su Qing was simply delighted by all of this. Seeing the Old Su Family’s misfortune brought her a sense of satisfaction.
Over the past few days, Su Qing had gone into the mountains twice more. She had caught a few wild boars, plenty of wild pheasants and rabbits, and had gathered a large pile of mushrooms. The only regret was that she still hadn’t found any Purple Danshen.
Looking at all the things she had accumulated in her space, Su Qing found some time to make another trip to the county town, planning to find Zhang Erlai and sell off another batch of her goods.
Meanwhile, in the county town’s black market, A Cheng was asking Zhang Erlai, "Has that Aunt Feng you dealt with last time been back?"
Zhang Erlai quickly shook his head. "Not yet, Brother Cheng. Are we short on wild game now? If we are, I can see about acquiring some more from other sources."
A Cheng shook his head. "Not the game, the mountain goods. Remember the mushrooms we bought from that Aunt Feng last time?"
Zhang Erlai nodded quickly. "I remember."
He had even sent someone to buy some of those mushrooms. At the time, one of his guys wanted some mushroom soup, so they bought a small amount. But when they made the soup, they found it was exceptionally savory—much tastier than other mushrooms. So, he had his man go back and buy a whole bunch more, giving a large portion of it to A Cheng.
Zhang Erlai was surprised that A Cheng still remembered those mushrooms.
"When you see that Aunt Feng again, remember to buy more mushrooms from her. The more, the better. You should try to negotiate with her about a regular supply," A Cheng instructed.
Zhang Erlai nodded eagerly. "Got it. Don’t worry, Brother Cheng. The moment I see Aunt Feng, I’ll bring it up with her."
A Cheng nodded, inwardly hoping he could get his hands on the mushrooms soon. The young master had already finished the last batch. It seemed the young master had taken a special liking to those mushrooms and had been eating them almost every day. But now, they had been out of mushrooms for several days. A Feng had mentioned that the young master’s appetite had worsened considerably, which was making him and Uncle Tian frantic.
Just as the two were talking, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
A Cheng and Zhang Erlai heard someone outside the gate laugh and say, "Well, hello, Aunt Feng! Long time no see."
A Cheng said to Zhang Erlai, "Remember about the mushrooms."
Zhang Erlai nodded quickly, and A Cheng hurried back into the inner room, leaving Zhang Erlai to greet the guest alone.
"I’m here to see the Mr. Zhang from last time," said Su Qing, who was currently disguised as Aunt Feng and carrying a bamboo basket on her back.
"He’s here, he’s here," the man who opened the gate said with a smile. "Our Brother Zhang is in the house. I’ll take you in."
"Thank you."
Seeing Su Qing come in, Zhang Erlai was delighted. He hurried forward to greet her. "Aunt Feng, welcome, welcome! Did you bring more game?"
Su Qing nodded. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Erlai’s eyes lit up when he saw the mushrooms in her back basket. "Aunt Feng, how many of these mushrooms do you have?"