Miss Forensics – Chapter 33

Injured

“Plumber, 20 yuan per hour.”

“Experienced housekeeper, only 80 yuan per day.”

“Construction site labor needed, requirements: under 40 years old, in good physical health, hardworking, males only.”

……

It’s said to be a talent market, but it’s really just a few sunshades set up where job seekers and employers gather. Many people are holding signs, writing their age and skills with crooked chalk. The employers and intermediaries are shouting loudly with megaphones, like haggling in a vegetable market.

As soon as Song Yuhang entered, several intermediaries surrounded her. “Miss, are you here to hire or to find a job?”

Before coming, she had bought a pack of cigarettes from a small shop and handed out one to each of these people.

“We’re hiring. The boss is renovating his house and needs high-quality solid wood furniture, preferably crafted by skilled artisans.”

Upon hearing this, the intermediaries, knowing there was money involved, became enthusiastic. They knew the boss behind her was probably wealthy, and their faces lit up with smiles.

“Sure, sure, we have plenty of carpenters here, guaranteed to satisfy your needs!”

Song Yuhang shielded the flame with her hand and lit one for herself, giving them a sidelong glance. “You intermediaries are expensive and not very good. I think I’ll find someone myself.”

As she said this and attempted to walk past them, the leader, a short, stout man, reached out and stopped her, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a strong northern dialect.

“Don’t be hasty, miss. Even though we’re intermediaries, we have professional ethics. If the boss has a need, we’ll surely provide the best people. Don’t be fooled by the number of people here in the talent market; there aren’t many skilled carpenters, but they’re all in our books.”

He patted the thick green-shell notebook in his hand. “I’ve been in this business for over twenty years. I know who’s good at what and who’s not better than the King of Hell. You can find someone on your own if you want, but it might take some effort, and if something goes wrong with the boss’s project, it won’t be good.”

Song Yuhang pondered for a moment, halted her steps, and appeared somewhat cautious. “What about you guys…”

The stout man waved his hand and said, “Not much at all. If the deal goes through, we’ll only charge a 3% intermediary fee. If it doesn’t work out, we won’t ask for any money.”

Song Yuhang smiled and handed over another cigarette. “That price seems fair enough. Alright, let’s proceed.”

The man took out his precious book and showed it to her, dipping his finger in saliva to flip through the pages one by one, providing a detailed introduction. “This is Zhang San, 46 years old, he’s been a carpenter for twenty years…”

Song Yuhang shook her head. “He’s too old; I need someone younger, someone who can bring vitality to the designs.”

“Alright, let’s take a look at this one.” The man turned another page and pointed to a name. “Li Si, in his twenties, young and strong, can even handle other tasks…”

Song Yuhang shook her head. “He’s too young and lacks experience.”

The man’s mouth twitched. “You have quite a list of demands; it’s like you’re selecting a beauty queen rather than a carpenter.”

“Then how about this one, Xu Bing, 35 years old, started learning the craft at the age of fifteen, and he’s well-known in our provincial capital area. Recently, a wealthy family hired him to make their furniture…”

Song Yuhang furrowed her brow slightly. “If he’s that renowned, he must be expensive. Let’s keep looking.”

It wasn’t until the man had flipped through several more pages, nearly wearing out his lips, that she reluctantly settled on Xu Bing.

The stout man wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead, his face full of flattery, but in his heart, he cursed her a thousand times over.

She didn’t want to spend too much money yet wanted to find someone good – what a dream!

After some negotiation, Song Yuhang obtained Xu Bing’s contact information, which was different from the one he had reported to the police, the one belonging to He Miao’s cousin.

As she left the talent market, she sent the phone number to Zheng Chengrui: “Trace this number.”

He quickly replied: “Alright, Captain Song, we are currently tracking it.”

* * *

Lin Yan followed Xu Bing for two blocks, changed her appearance, added a duckbill cap to her head, wore a sun-protective shirt, put on sunglasses, and held a sunshade umbrella. She looked no different from an ordinary tourist.

Xu Bing walked into a vegetable market not far away, and Lin Yan folded her umbrella and followed. She maintained communication with Song Yuhang throughout.

“He’s entered the vegetable market, probably going to buy groceries for cooking at home. I’ll tail him all the way to his place.”

“Alright,” Song Yuhang added after a moment of thought, “Be cautious, and if things don’t seem right, withdraw.”

Lin Yan snorted, “With someone like Xu Bing, dealing with ten of him is child’s play.”

At this moment, a message from Zheng Chengrui came in, and she temporarily cut off communication with Forensic Doctor Lin.

“Captain Song, this phone number is not registered with real-name authentication; we can’t trace the owner.”

Song Yuhang’s heart skipped a beat. “Continue tracking. Where is the current target location?”

Zheng Chengrui typed away at the keyboard. “Inside the vegetable market at the intersection of Haixi Road and Jiefang Road in the provincial capital.”

Song Yuhang compared this location with the coordinates Forensic Doctor Lin had sent and breathed a sigh of relief without showing any signs.

“Alright, also track Forensic Doctor Lin’s phone. I’m heading there now.”

* * *

“Boss, is this fish fresh?” Xu Bing walked up to a familiar shop to buy fish, pointing at the lively river fish swimming in a tank.

“It’s fresh, all caught this morning. Our shop has a rule not to sell overnight fish.”

“Alright, then give me one.”

“Sure, coming right up.”

The shop owner reached into the tank, scooped up a lively fish, and placed it on the counter for immediate preparation and processing.

While Xu Bing waited for the fish to be prepared, Lin Yan slung a basket, of unknown origin, over her shoulder to buy vegetables. With a serious expression, she haggled with the shop owner.

“What?!” Lin Yan raised her voice slightly. “Blue cauliflower for ten yuan per pound? Why aren’t you rushing to buy it?”

“Oh, miss, these are organic vegetables. We use only natural farm fertilizers, completely pure and pollution-free. Look, we just picked them this morning, still covered in dew!”

The shop owner handed the processed fish to Xu Bing, and as he counted the money, he whispered, “You’re being followed.”

Xu Bing immediately turned to look, and the shop owner held onto her hand with the money. “Don’t turn around. That person is an old pro. Keep walking along this road, and at the end of the alley, Lao Ba will meet you.”

Xu Bing took the money, and a smile appeared on his face. “Thanks, boss, you’ve given me another fifty cents off.”

However, behind the scenes, he was seething with anger. “Didn’t they say that as long as I bring the person, I’m not involved anymore? Why are they complicating things now? This is going to draw unwanted attention. What am I supposed to do?”

“Oh, come on, you’re a regular customer, visiting three times a day. I’ll throw in some fish maw for you.” The boss with a scar on his face continued talking while scooping up some fish maw from the counter and putting it in Xu Bing’s pocket. He lowered his voice.

“Don’t worry; since the boss is here, they just want to show some authority to those small fries. Be bold and go on. The authorities won’t come bothering you again.”

Hearing this, Xu Bing’s anxiety subsided. He accepted the bag and turned to leave. “Well then, thanks a lot. When the crab season comes around again in a while, don’t forget to set aside some good ones for me.”

“Of course, of course. Take care.”

The boss sent the customer off with a warm smile. When he saw Lin Yan walking by, humming a tune and carrying a basket of vegetables, his gaze darkened. He pressed the miniature microphone on his collar.

“Lao Ba, the fish is hooked.”

* * *

“Driver, to the Haixi Road vegetable market.”

Song Yuhang hailed a taxi and got in.

Lin Yan followed Xu Bing out of the vegetable market, taking a meandering route with numerous turns. She memorized the path back, keeping a safe distance to avoid being noticed. Approximately fifty meters away, Xu Bing turned into an alley.

She quickened her pace to catch up, but he had disappeared. Lin Yan sensed trouble and swiftly turned around. Two burly men were following her, but she kept walking calmly.

“Target disappeared, I’m being watched.”

Song Yuhang’s heart tightened. “How many people? Give me their exact location.”

“Two,” Lin Yan coldly chuckled. “They really underestimate me.”

As she spoke, a shadow fell in front of her. Two young men wearing masks and carrying baseball bats blocked her path, while two burly men quietly approached from behind.

Lin Yan was trapped in the middle of the alley, with no way to advance or retreat.

“Lin Yan?!” Song Yuhang raised her voice and called out, startling the taxi driver ahead, who immediately turned to look at her in surprise.

Song Yuhang focused. “Driver, please hurry.”

She then lowered her voice and contacted Zheng Chengrui, “Send me the precise coordinates of Forensic Doctor Lin.”

The two moving red dots on the map instantly disappeared. Zheng Chengrui broke into a cold sweat. “Report, the coordinates for Xu Bing and Forensic Doctor Lin have disappeared. The last known location was near 351 Alley, next to the Haixi Road vegetable market.”