Disappeared?
The remains buried in the ground had actually vanished?
One had to know that after a human body was buried, it would take almost a year to decompose into bones. Of course, this also depended on the environment of the tomb, temperature, the airtightness of the coffin, and preservation measures.
But regardless, for a skeleton to disappear, it would take at least ten years. Yet, the longest time these missing skeletons had been buried was no more than five years, which was puzzling.
Who? Was someone stealing the bones?
"Then shall we go find the descendants of those whose remains went missing and have a chat?" Lü Qingqing asked.
"Not for now, we need to go somewhere else first," Hu Jia said.
"Where? Back to the special task force?"
"You don't have the qualifications to join my team yet."
Huh?
Lü Qingqing almost doubted her ears. Was she mishearing, or was this man just too arrogant?
"Consider this case your assessment. If you want to follow me, I won't take you if you're not capable," Hu Jia added.
Hearing this, Lü Qingqing really wanted to spit on him. She hated pretentious people the most.
An assessment?
I, Lü Qingqing, am a well-known police officer in Jiangjin!
It’s not bragging, if you say my fashion sense is lacking, I admit it. But if you say my case-solving skills are bad, then I, Lü Qingqing, would rather die than admit it.
"You've only been working in Chongqing for a few years longer than me," Lü Qingqing said curtly. "Don't underestimate the abilities of us women."
Hu Jia's lips twitched slightly. "I don't look at gender, I only look at results." Without waiting for Lü Qingqing to reply, he pointed across the river. "North of the city, go to Zhang Ji Xiu He Zhuang, and have a look at the qipao."
Qipao? In other words, a wedding dress. Lü Qingqing realized, this was where they were going to check out the place where those embroiderers had worked before they died.
"From now on, you are my fiancée," Hu Jia said leisurely.
Huh?
"Pretend to be my fiancée," Hu Jia specifically added.
Lü Qingqing: ...
No wonder Hu Jia had requested a female team member. It turned out he needed someone to cooperate with him in acting at a bridal shop.
Oh, right. Before they left, Hu Jia specifically asked Lü Qingqing to change into a qipao, put on a pair of high heels, and reapply her makeup. However, this request was sternly rejected by Lü Qingqing.
What kind of place is this Chongqing? It's a mountain city! Climbing hills and slopes, it's exhausting.
And high heels?
"Have you ever seen a bride wearing a police uniform when shopping for a wedding dress?"
"Then there's no need to wear a qipao, is there?" Hu Jia was not accustomed to wearing qipaos. With that high slit, if she had to chase a thief, she wouldn't dare lift her leg.
"To be my subordinate, first, you must obey orders. Second, you must disregard personal gains and losses," Hu Jia directly rejected Lü Qingqing's request. "Which wealthy family wouldn't wear a qipao for their wedding? Shouldn't you dress up to look the part?"
Lü Qingqing gritted her teeth.
Fine, you win this round.
Soon, the two arrived at the qipao embroidery shop. Standing at the entrance, Hu Jia proactively bent his arm. "Here, take my arm!"
Huh?
"We are here to look at wedding attire. See the act through!" Hu Jia said.
Lü Qingqing's face turned ashen, yet she had to maintain a smile.
Hmph, alright.
Just you wait until I find an opportunity, and we'll see who gets hurt!
"Boss, show me the styles of this qipao," Hu Jia said as he naturally greeted the shop owner after entering Zhang Ji Xiu He Zhuang.
"Oh, sir, you have a discerning eye. This is our latest design, perfect for your wedding day," the boss said enthusiastically.
Hu Jia took the qipao and pretended to examine it. Lü Qingqing, on the other hand, appeared clumsy. She wanted to feign a compliment about the dress being beautiful but was at a loss for words. Finally, she managed to squeeze out, "It's good, it covers very well."
The shop owner was unsure how to respond to such a compliment and had to change the subject. "This must be the bride, right? Look, she's naturally beautiful. If she wears our Zhang Ji's attire and a bit of our fragrant cream, and gets dolled up, it will surely make your wedding even more distinguished."
"The boss is right. Women do need to be dolled up," Hu Jia agreed.
"I look just as good without makeup as I do with it," As a woman, no matter how rough she was, Lü Qingqing had to retort when it came to her appearance.
"Or perhaps your makeup skills are just that bad?" Hu Jia added.
Huh?
Lü Qingqing shot Hu Jia a look. Did this person speak without thinking?
Hu Jia deliberately smiled affectionately at Lü Qingqing.
Ugh!
Lü Qingqing exclaimed internally: What bad luck!
Then she heard Hu Jia say to the boss, "Boss, I heard you have an embroiderer named Yun Yi here, whose embroidery is the most impressive. Do you have any of her patterns?"
Yun Yi was the only survivor from the carriage. Since the descendants of the three embroiderers claimed they had no grudges with anyone, Hu Jia wanted to find Yun Yi to ask, as they had worked together for so long, perhaps she might know something.
"Yun Yi?" As expected, the boss's expression changed. "Sir, where did you hear her name?"
"A friend introduced me," Hu Jia replied. "I want to give my wife the most beautiful gift, so naturally, I must find the best embroiderer."
The boss hesitated, about to speak, when a man in a jacket suddenly hopped into the store from outside.
Yes, he hopped. And behind him was a bald man.
"Boss? What are you...?" The jacketed man's eyes were shining, looking Lü Qingqing up and down with surprise, as if he had discovered something extraordinary.
Hu Jia was taken aback. These were his two subordinates; the jacketed man was Li Yang, and the bald man was Luo Wenwu.
"My fiancée!" In front of the shop owner, Hu Jia could only introduce her this way.
"Fiancée? Sister-in-law?" The jacketed man's mouth dropped open.
Sister-in-law? Lü Qingqing was speechless. Who on earth is this sister-in-law?
Lü Qingqing was so shocked by this address that she was stunned, and for a moment, she forgot to react.
Seeing Lü Qingqing remain silent, Hu Jia whispered in her ear, "See the act through."
Lü Qingqing was speechless.
Acting, huh?
"Oh, you're Old Hu's friends! Our Old Hu is a bit slow and doesn't know how to behave. If he ever does anything wrong at work, please be understanding."
Huh?
Regardless of how astonished the three men looked, Lü Qingqing continued her performance. "If he really causes trouble, just tell sister-in-law, and sister-in-law will help you teach him a lesson."
As she spoke, Lü Qingqing fiercely pinched Hu Jia's arm.
Hahaha!
Great!
Serves you right for saying my makeup skills were bad.
Serves you right for making me wear high heels?
And a qipao with a slit?
All of these are crimes!
Hu Jia's pupils widened from the unexpected pinch, but he maintained his composure. "Hehe, your sister-in-law likes to joke around."
"Do I look good?"
"Beautiful! Just like you haven't put on any makeup."
Hu Jia looked at Lü Qingqing, and she, in turn, looked back at him triumphantly.
Indeed, women are not to be trifled with.
"Where are you guys going?" Hu Jia quickly changed the subject.
"Qixinggang. We heard there's trouble there again, with many people protesting the relocation of graves," Luo Wenwu replied.
"Mm!" Hu Jia nodded. "Don't use force, talk it out properly. It's normal for people to be unhappy about disturbing ancestral graves."
Li Yang and Luo Wenwu responded, "Goodbye, Sister-in-law."
I really don't want to see you!
After the two men left, Lü Qingqing smugly leaned towards Hu Jia. "Did I perform the whole act well?"
Hu Jia smiled. "Crude!"
Hmph.
You don't look at gender, you only look at results. As for me, I don't look at the process, I also look at the results.
Because of Li Yang's interruption, when they looked back, the boss was gone, and only another employee remained in the store.
"Where's your boss?"
"He wasn't feeling well and went home."
"When did he leave?"
"Just now."
Lü Qingqing and Hu Jia exchanged glances. It was unusual for a boss to slip away while still serving customers. This person indeed had something suspicious about them.
"Miss, do you know Yun Yi?" Hu Jia suddenly asked.
"Ah?" The young woman paused. "I don't know! I just started working here recently."
"Then could you please call Ms. Yun Yi for me?" Hu Jia asked again.
"She has already returned to her hometown and is no longer working here," the employee replied.
Heh heh.
Hu Jia pursed his lips and smiled. "Didn't you just say you didn't know?"
Lü Qingqing really wanted to give Hu Jia a thumbs up. Clever. With just a few sentences, he had confused this girl.