Winter Returns

Chapter 26 Let's Solve the Case (5k)

The school bell rang, and Zhang Shutong stretched and walked out of the office.

The whole afternoon passed like this.

Old Song didn't continue to fly into a rage; he wanted to temporarily contain the impact of the matter within the class, but that was unlikely in reality.

Although we repeatedly emphasized not to tell anyone and to be considerate of Gu Qiu Mian's feelings, quite a few people saw it at the time, and soon other classes found out as well.

Miss Gu is quite well-known. She and Lu Qinglian are considered the two most talked-about girls in the entire grade, or even the entire school. For a time, all sorts of embellished versions of the story flew around.

During breaks, Zhang Shutong even saw Gu Qiumian's secretary bringing a few people to see her. She wondered how they only found out then. Didn't they mention it at lunch?
Old Song's investigation continued. He got photos from Zhang Shutong and started searching for people based on their handwriting. However, the homeroom teacher taught English and wasn't as sensitive to Chinese characters, so he called in the Chinese teacher, who also said there was nothing he could do after looking at the text.

Whether it's "Go to hell" on the A4 paper or the name on the toilet partition, the number of characters is too short. Moreover, the writing habits of using markers and ballpoint pens are different, so judging from the usual homework is not very accurate.

They also asked who they saw absent during the long break, and even talked to them one by one;

Therefore, he and Qingyi were both called to the office to... help out.

Old Song trusted the two's brains quite a bit, perhaps because he knew Qingyi was a reasoning fanatic; or perhaps the details from last night reached his ears, making him feel like he had a "juvenile detective group" by his side, so he let them listen in.

Although in the end there was no gain.

For the entire afternoon, Zhang Shutong moved a chair to the wall and sat there, pondering another question—

Why smash Gu Qiu Mian's castle blocks instead of something else?
If it really is a so-called "death threat," why not use a more direct approach by writing a letter and hurling more insults?
If it was just about revenge and venting anger, why not just vandalize her desk?

For example, tearing up schoolbags and books is much more damaging than smashing a pile of building blocks.

Or is it that the person isn't in this class and doesn't know where Gu Qiu Mian sits?

But if that's the case, why would they target her building blocks?
Finally, as Qingyi said, if you wanted revenge, why write your name on the partition as if you were afraid no one would find out?
Many of the issues seem to contradict each other.

And there's one more crucial point—

Even if a "suspect" is identified, how can you get them to confess when there are no witnesses or surveillance footage?

Fortunately, Zhang Shutong didn't sit there for nothing; he had almost found the answers to many of the questions.
Now, only one last step remains to be figured out, and the verification of the idea will have to wait until tomorrow, assuming everything goes smoothly.

There is another problem:
Even if the puzzle is solved, it doesn't mean the murder case is solved. There's still the question of how to investigate the demolition of the commercial street that was mentioned in the restaurant; and who is the figure appearing in the restricted area?

On a whim, he came down from the rooftop at noon and got the phone number of "Jiananhu Fish Restaurant". He called the owner. The reason he didn't ask at the time was because Gu Qiumian's table hadn't finished eating yet.

Unfortunately, the other person recognized his voice.

So he didn't inquire about the demolition, but only said that his family wanted to rent a shop and asked if his aunt could help him find out more, hoping to find some clues from that.
The other party kept their mouth shut, perhaps because Gu Qiu Mian had just treated him to lunch, and the landlady thought they were in cahoots, fearing that she was a spy.

You reap what you sow; it's simply a matter of cause and effect.

In short, the three clues at hand seem to be related, but they are difficult to integrate.

After school, I naturally couldn't go play with my best friends anymore.

He had two things to do:
The first thing was to fill my stomach.

The second thing is to go to the restricted area again.

Zhang Shutong ate at a small stall selling steamed buns near the school gate.

The steamed buns are special; the filling consists of pork fat marinated in sugar, crispy fried pork cracklings, and salted duck egg yolk.

Zhang Shutong has never liked this kind of food, but he doesn't care what he eats. He just learned from last night's experience and wanted to replenish his energy.

The snow had mostly melted, and dirty snowdrifts were piled up next to the roadside trees. Steam rose from a steamer on a small cart, and a plump woman was busy working on it.
Zhang Shutong stopped the car and was about to say hello when he encountered an unexpected person.

Gu Qiumian was also waiting by the stall.

She was still wearing that signature red scarf, her small face hidden inside, her hands tucked into her coat pockets, silent.

Zhang Shutong glanced around and found that the black Audi was not there.

To be honest, he hadn't spoken to Gu Qiu Mian all afternoon. Old Song had wanted to call her to his office to listen in, but the girl didn't go and gave the same excuse. He was already in a bad mood, so he didn't want to make himself unhappy.

Therefore, it's difficult to judge her mood.

If things went well, his face would be icy cold all day, only brightening up in the morning. Unfortunately, that brightness only lasted less than a morning reading session before he irritated me, and then he threw his building blocks. You can imagine how I felt.

If things weren't so bad, she would have had time to take a group of people to a restaurant at noon, and now she's in the mood to buy snacks from a roadside stall.

Perhaps it was because the steamed buns were delicious—small steamed buns, six in a steamer, both savory and sweet;
Moreover, unlike shrimp cakes and sandwiches, which are common local snacks, this is the only shop on the entire island that sells them, and the owner is even from out of town.

No matter how delicious others thought it was, Zhang Shutong always held a different opinion:

He used to think this kind of filling was strange, it was either salty or sweet, why did it have to be both sweet and salty?

Just like how both sweet and savory tofu pudding are acceptable, what exactly is sweet and savory tofu pudding?
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would definitely have thought this kind of steamed bun was a made-up, bizarre dish, but in fact, it does exist, and it's right in front of him:

At this moment, the woman is making steamed buns. Next to her is a large bowl full of fillings, with sweet lard and salty egg yolks mixed together, and glistening pieces of meat mixed in with the golden color, all wrapped in the dough.

They were meant to be so contradictory.

Zhang Shutong felt uncomfortable watching, but Gu Qiumian watched very seriously. She didn't even notice when she got closer. She remembered that someone had said she liked sweet and sour pork at noon today, which Zhang Shutong thought was a contradictory dish.
Perhaps it's related to the fact that Gu Qiu Mian herself is a contradictory girl—

Her radiance, her aloofness, her nonchalance—if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you would never have imagined that they could all be combined in one person.

That's why Zhang Shutong said he didn't understand her.

Whether she understood or not, it didn't stop her from greeting him. Gu Qiu Mian glanced at him and nodded in response.

So cool.

"Thank you for what happened at noon. I'll bring the money tomorrow."

“No need,” Gu Qiumian said expressionlessly, staring at the oil pan. “You helped me first, and I don’t like owing favors to others.”

When she's expressionless, she's quite different from Lu Qinglian. Lu Qinglian genuinely shows no emotional fluctuations, while Gu Qiumian's cold expression is quite obvious.

Is this considered being arrogant?
She asked herself that question as she went down the stairs, thinking it would end there, but she's actually remembered it ever since.

Zhang Shutong changed the question:
"Did you tell your dad about that?"

"No, he's away on a business trip." Gu Qiumian's tone was even colder.

But Zhang Shutong realized it wasn't directed at her; it seemed... the relationship between the father and daughter wasn't as good as she had imagined.

But the key point is:
"Have you been alone these past few days?"

He froze for a moment.

“And a nanny.”

Zhang Shutong instinctively wanted to ask, "Where's your mother?", but then some guesses suddenly formed in his mind, and he simply said:
"Then be careful lately."

“That person wouldn’t dare do anything,” Gu Qiumian said, emphasizing each word. “Besides, I said it’s just a toy.”

"That's why you're not angry?"

Just then, the steamed buns came out of the steamer and were handed to her in a plastic bag. Gu Qiumian had a unique way of eating them. Instead of using her hands to hold the buns, she pulled the plastic bag by the handles and squeezed the buns to her mouth.
I took a bite, but it burned me, so I held it in my hand, blew on it a few times, and carefully tore off a strand with my teeth.

"Of course it's alive." The steamed bun seemed really hot; she chewed while sucking in air, even managing to maintain the indifference in her voice. "But didn't we search for it all afternoon and still not find it?"

"Maybe tomorrow..."

“Since we can’t find it,” she said, whether she didn’t hear Zhang Shutong’s words or deliberately ignored them, swallowed her food, calmed her voice, and said decisively, “then we might as well not think about it. That way we can be happier.”

The girl said this, but there was no sign of happiness in her voice.

This reminded Zhang Shutong of when he met her at school, when her father told her to be happy. Only now did he realize the profound meaning behind those words. Most parents would just tell someone to study hard, listen to their teachers, and not cause trouble, but they would never tell someone to be happy.

Therefore, let's talk about lighter topics, such as life and death, rather than how we feel.

Why aren't you going back yet?

This was his biggest concern. Gu Qiu Mian had always been driven to and from school, so she should be very safe. Why was she here alone today?

"I'm a little hungry." She said without looking up.

But this also shows that they are not really "aloof". According to Zhang Shutong's own experience, a cold person might say that they are buying something, waiting for someone, or even say that it is none of your business, but they will not explain their state.
This is more like deliberately shortening what you usually say.

It seems I'm still in a bad mood.

But Zhang Shutong was helpless. The young lady had countless capable people around her, and he had spent an entire afternoon trying to make her laugh, but she remained cold and aloof. What did Zhang Shutong do to deserve this?

He could only nod and echo:
"Yes, it's a good thing that you can eat."

To everyone's surprise, Gu Qiumian paused, stopping her bite of the bun;

The girl glanced at him for the first time.

But he just rolled his eyes.

"Why are you talking nonsense..." she muttered, "Did you come all this way just to annoy me?"

"I mean, you just had a big lunch and now you're hungry again, which doesn't mean..."

“I barely ate any,” Gu Qiumian frowned unhappily. “But you, why aren’t you hanging out with your friends?”

"It's urgent."

"What's the emergency?"

"Secret."

"cut."

Just then, the steamed buns Zhang Shutong ordered were ready. This kind of snack is always available to eat as you go. As long as you don't take it to go, the owner will take another one from the steamer every time you finish one, until you pay the bill.

Having learned from Gu Qiumian's experience, Zhang Shutong didn't rush to eat; he simply held the dough to his mouth, inhaling its aroma.

He glanced at Gu Qiumian, who, like him, was holding a steamed bun in front of her face, staring at what seemed to be either the bun or the road ahead, but that didn't stop her mouth from moving incessantly.

I thought you were in a bad mood today.

"It's very bad."

"Didn't I just say I didn't care?" "That depends on the degree. Even if it's something unimportant, it's still yours. Who wouldn't care if someone destroyed their things?"

Why do you think that person would target your building blocks?

"You think I cherish it? I brought it here specifically to put on the bookshelf," Gu Qiumian said indifferently. "Actually, I might as well do something else."

"We're about to run into each other," Zhang Shutong warned.

Gu Qiumian didn't notice as she spoke that Baozi was getting closer and closer to the scarf.

She then snapped out of her daze, tucked the scarf inside a little further, and pouted:
"In short, this whole thing is very important, but the building blocks are irrelevant. Is that clear?"

"So you're in a state somewhere between being in a bad mood and not in a bad mood?"

Zhang Shutong felt that women were truly mysterious creatures.

"wrong."

"what is that?"

"It's very bad."

Zhang Shutong was speechless:

"But you're still eating steamed buns."

"Can't I be hungry?"

"Shall we go to a restaurant for lunch?"

"Wherever you eat, it's still eating."

"I think I understand." Zhang Shutong could only nod.

It turns out I still don't really care.

"You don't understand at all," Gu Qiumian said with dissatisfaction. "You're just curious why I didn't cry or get angry."

"Uh……"

It seems she was right.

Zhang Shutong really couldn't figure this out. That's why he had never been able to understand the other person. Why was he indifferent to things that didn't matter? Why did he only take things seriously when they did matter?
He felt he was close to the correct answer, but this wasn't a math problem; he was just one calculation away from solving it.

There was no follow-up from Gu Qiu Mian; she seemed unwilling to explain further, or perhaps she felt that explaining would only invite schadenfreude from others.
This is a really smart girl. He simply shut up. By then, the steamed buns were almost cold. The winter wind was very cold, and even the hottest food would lose its heat in a few dozen seconds.

Gu Qiumian's first steamed bun was about to be gone;
Actually, as long as she didn't have a stern face, her voice was always soft and gentle, as were the sounds she made while eating steamed buns. Zhang Shutong felt a little hungry just listening to her.

He silently took a bite of the steamed bun, breaking through the soft outer skin to reveal the filling: sweet and glutinous fatty pork, savory egg yolk, and crispy fried pork cracklings… It was undeniably tempting, yet something still felt contradictory. This wasn't a math problem; some love it intensely, others hate it intensely, but Zhang Shutong didn't belong to either category. He was simply indifferent. Suddenly, he heard someone whisper in his ear:
"Because, that would mean being defeated."

Gu Qiumian quietly gave the answer.

Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment. He turned his head and saw that the girl's lips were still greasy with food, making them look even redder. The way she ate was no different from when she drank yogurt at noon. Although there was a group of people around her at noon, she was all alone now.
Or rather, it's the other way around: when she's alone, it's no different from being surrounded by a group of people.

He had recently encountered a girl who was also eating alone. She was sitting on the edge of the rooftop, eating dry, cold rice and wilted pickled vegetables, but she didn't say whether she liked it or not, she just said she was used to it.

What about Gu Qiu Mian?

She stood on the red brick road, with gray-black snowdrifts at her feet and the bare branches of the roadside trees above her head. Her face peeked out from under her red scarf, calm but never showing weakness.

It turns out she wasn't indifferent; she was just in a bad mood. But even in a bad mood, she wouldn't care what was written on that A4 paper, wouldn't go to the block castle to see how her princess was doing, wouldn't lose her appetite, wouldn't have red eyes, and wouldn't throw a tantrum.
Instead, she still led a group of people to a restaurant, and after returning, sat in the classroom for an entire afternoon under the various gazes of the students. Even now, biting into a half-salty, half-sweet bun, she never said whether she was used to it or not, but instead resolutely declared—

Because, if we did that, we would be defeated.

Zhang Shutong even forgot to chew; his taste buds told him that the contradictory flavors had reached an amazing balance at that moment.

……

Gu Qiumian ate only one steamed bun before leaving.

Or rather, the person she was waiting for had finally arrived.

Zhang Shutong watched her walk across the road and open the door of a red car.

Zhang Shutong remained silent for a long time, watching the girl get into the car and ride away on her bicycle.

……

On Thursday, December 6, 2012, at 6:23 PM, four days before the murder occurred;
Zhang Shutong rushed to the waters designated as the "restricted area";

He found a secluded spot to sit down and stared at the gloomy water until 8 p.m.

Again, nothing was gained.

……

On the way back, I went to the commercial street again.

A few shops were lit with warm yellow lights.

He found a clothing store.

……

I got home at 9 p.m.

The house was empty; everything was the same as before.

He watched Detective Conan on TV for a while, but found it didn't help with the real-life cases.

The target needs to be changed.

The figure inside the "restricted area" is not necessarily the murderer.

……

Before falling asleep, I always lie in bed and think of one sentence over and over again:

"Because, that would mean being defeated."

……

The pressures we face in life vary from person to person.

But it is undeniable that;
He was once a man who had been defeated.

……

Friday, December 7, 2012;
the weather is nice today.

The campus was quiet.

There are three days left until the murder.

……

At 10:00 a.m. sharp, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

The activity during the long break is doing radio calisthenics.

Exercises that make you sweat slightly in cold weather.

Zhang Shutong got up with the crowd and was the last to leave the classroom, lining up to go downstairs.

……

A few traces of white remained on the playground;

Sunlight shines on the snow, reflecting a silvery light.

The music playing on the radio was probably some kind of "seven-colored sunshine" theme.

"The ninth set of broadcast gymnastics, now beginning—"

10 points.

"Walk in place—"

A huge crowd marched in unison.

"Chest expansion exercise, ready, go—"

Zhang Shutong stretched lazily, ignoring the astonished looks around him, and walked through the line.

The only problem was that this damn exercise made me stretch my elbows, so I got hit a few times.

……

The boy in the middle of the fifth row from the bottom is named Du Kang;
The boy next to you in the seventh row from the bottom is Qingyi.

Zhang Shutong patted the two of them on the shoulders.

The music suddenly became more rousing.

"One, two, three, four; five, six, seven, eight—"

It's inevitable to speak a little louder:

"Come here."

"what happened?"

"Leg kicking exercise, ready, go—"

Zhang Shutong first glanced at the figures at the front of the line. Gu Qiumian was also doing exercises, and she did them with great skill, causing the hair ornaments on her hair to bounce.

The silver pendant seemed destined never to fall to the ground.

So Zhang Shutong decided to become the young lady's henchman for once.

10:12 AM;
He glanced at the screen and put the phone back in his pocket:
"Come with me back to catch the culprit who smashed the castle. The timing is perfect."

(End of this chapter)