"Are you the police?"

"Yes, we found a skeleton by the river."

"I heard about it." The middle-aged woman put the child down, and the child ran ahead, trembling slightly. She turned back to talk to Qin Feng. "Who is this person? Such a tragic death, I heard it was a dog that dug it up."

"Do you guys never go to that area?"

"Back in 2004, the land was converted into forest; all the farmland here was planted with trees. Our villagers only go there to deliver some stuff to the fishermen. After delivering, they leave. Who would dig underground?" The woman took out a key to open the door. On the red-painted door were the simple words "Lodging."

"Do you need food?"

"That would be great." Qin Feng didn't want Lin Fan to go hungry; such an old case couldn't be rushed.

"Here is the room, take a look."

Qin Feng took Lin Fan inside. The room had two beds and was painted clean white. The hygiene was acceptable. Qin Feng walked out, and the woman asked, "What would you like to eat? I'll cook."

"Lin Fan." Qin Feng called to Lin Fan, "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything is fine," Lin Fan replied.

"There are ingredients in the kitchen. Shall I take you to see?"

Qin Feng looked around, and Lin Fan nodded, "Sure."

She followed the woman into the kitchen. Qin Feng walked out of the yard and lit a cigarette by the door. Curious villagers approached him. Qin Feng offered them a cigarette and asked, "Where does your village head live?"

"See that two-story building? It's the only one in the village."

Lin Fan followed the woman into the kitchen. "How about I cook, and you help me?"

"You can cook?" The woman's eyes turned quickly, showing a shrewd look. "How could I let you do that?"

"You'll still get paid," Lin Fan smiled innocuously. "Just help me with the fire."

"You're quite a capable city girl, not delicate at all."

"I'm from the mountains too." Lin Fan found tomatoes and washed them, cleaned the cutting board. "Has anyone in your village gone missing in recent years?"

"Not that I've heard."

"What about nearby villages? Any mentally challenged or disabled people gone missing?"

Most of the six-fingered people Lin Fan had seen had some intellectual disability. An adult, wearing a t-shirt with some advertisement, and no money—why would he be killed? The binding was done with plastic rope, though faded, Lin Fan, who lived by the river, recognized it as fishing net rope. Originally green, very durable, and not easy to decompose.

"There are missing mentally challenged people, but does it relate to your case?"

"Not really, just asking."

"Not in our village, but I heard there's one in a neighboring village who went out to work and never returned. His family couldn't find him. But such people, when they have an episode, could die anywhere."

"Have you heard of anyone with six fingers around here?"

The woman lit the fire, thought for a while, and shook her head. "Our village had one with six fingers, but he drowned years ago. Other than that, I don't know."

Investigating such cases in rural areas is tough. Missing persons are often not reported. The noodles were ready when Qin Feng returned. It was completely dark outside. Lights were strung up in the yard. Lin Fan served the noodles on the stone dining table outside and sat down.

The woman said, "You eat here, I'll go outside."

After she left, Lin Fan asked, "How's the missing person investigation at the police station?"

"No missing persons reported in the past five years." Qin Feng had eaten half his noodles, went to the kitchen for two glasses of water, came back, and pushed one to Lin Fan. "Could the person be an orphan?"

"In rural areas, many missing cases are not reported," Lin Fan said. "Even if they have parents, some don't report. Many rural areas have subsidies. Not reporting a missing person means they can still receive government money. The quota remains, and they enjoy the benefits. I have a rather wild idea, tell me what you think. Could the deceased have been mentally challenged?"

Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Possible."

Seeing his reaction, Lin Fan continued, "The autopsy said the person was around twenty-two, right? A person in their twenties carrying a coin? Either extremely poor or intellectually challenged. His clothes indicate he wasn't well-off. Someone who stole from and killed such a person wouldn't leave money on him. I can't understand who would do something so cruel. Tied up, beaten to death, buried in a pit."

"The clothes are too decayed to conclude anything for now." Qin Feng continued eating. Lin Fan's cooking was quite good, he liked it. "The coin might not belong to the deceased. We need test results. We can't rule out the possibility of the victim being mentally challenged."

Lin Fan responded with an "oh" and said, "I was just guessing."

"Let's eat."

After eating, Qin Feng went out again without Lin Fan. Lin Fan chatted with the host, looked at the stars. Tonight's night sky was beautiful. The Milky Way spanned the deep blue sky, the moonlight bright, illuminating the land as clear as day.

It wasn't Lin Fan's first time sharing a room with Qin Feng. He didn't suggest separate rooms, and the host only left them one room. So she had no choice. By ten, Qin Feng hadn't returned. The host had gone to sleep.

Lin Fan washed up and lay on the bed, staring at the white ceiling, her mind filled with the skeleton. She couldn't see souls; there was nothing in that pit except the smell of the corpse. Hearing footsteps outside, Lin Fan became alert. Soon the door opened. Lin Fan sat up, hand on the knife in her bag.

Qin Feng walked in, looking at Lin Fan, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Any results?"

"Xiao Wang went back to the county, took the items for testing." Qin Feng sat on the opposite bed, bent over to take off his shoes. "So far, three missing persons, all missing for over five years. One had no parents; the other two were mentally challenged."

Lin Fan lay down, looking away from Qin Feng. "The body might have been transported by boat."

"Yes."

Qin Feng went to shower, came back quickly. He had his pants rolled up, exposing a bit of his calf. He got on the bed, picked up his phone to read the detailed report on the bones.

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It was hot, and there was no air conditioning. Only Lin Fan weirdly wrapped herself in a quilt as if it were winter. Qin Feng leaned against the headboard, fanning himself with a book.

Lin Fan stared at the book in his hand, which had a half-naked woman on the cover, feeling uneasy. She turned over, "Are we going back tomorrow?"

"Not yet. If the body was transported by boat, we'll need to check all the villages along the river again."

Lin Fan hadn't noticed the book when she came in. Now, the more she looked, the more annoyed she felt. The woman on the cover wore very little. Feeling self-conscious, Lin Fan pulled her head under the quilt, looked down at her modest chest. She stuck her head out again, glaring at Qin Feng's hand. "Are you hot?"

"Not really." Qin Feng was looking at his phone, the woman's picture swaying with his movements.

Lin Fan pursed her lips, "I'll turn off the light."

"Okay."

Lin Fan turned off the light, preferring not to see or think about it. She closed her eyes, not knowing when she fell asleep, and had a terrible dream. In the dream, Qin Feng was seduced by a big-breasted woman. Lin Fan shot up, sweating, breathing heavily in the dark.

"Lin Fan?"

Qin Feng was awake too. He turned on the light, saw her sweating, and came over to feel her forehead, which was cold to the touch. "Had a nightmare again?"

Lin Fan looked up at Qin Feng, not speaking.

Qin Feng pushed her to the side and sat down beside her. "What did you dream about?"

Under the light, his gaze was deep, and his hoarse voice was particularly seductive in the quiet night. Lin Fan's throat was dry, and her face was burning hot. "What time is it?"

Qin Feng yawned, also tired, and raised his hand in front of Lin Fan. It was 3:30 AM, not even four yet.

Lin Fan felt a bit embarrassed, especially recalling the content of her dream, making her even more uncomfortable. Scratching her ear, she said, "Go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you."

Qin Feng didn’t leave, instead indicating with a tilt of his head for Lin Fan to move inside, then got on the bed. "You sleep inside."

Lin Fan's eyes widened in shock.

Qin Feng ruffled her hair. "Hurry up and sleep, why are you spacing out?"

Lin Fan, feeling stiff all over, moved to the inside and curled up on the bed.

Qin Feng lay down on the outer side, his tall frame taking up most of the bed. Lin Fan edged towards the foot of the bed, and Qin Feng opened his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Bathroom."

Lin Fan, like a little mouse, jumped off the bed and dashed out of the door. Qin Feng smiled and closed his eyes. Half asleep, he felt Lin Fan return and lie down beside him. Qin Feng turned over and kissed her on the face, his voice low, "Don't be afraid."

Lin Fan, looking at his face so close to hers, almost stopped breathing. She quietly watched him. Her palms were sweating. Her previous nightmares were about ghosts, but this one was about Qin Feng.

His eyelashes were long, and his features handsome. After a long time, Lin Fan exhaled quietly, turned off the light, and closed her eyes.

The next day, Qin Feng woke up first. Lin Fan was still curled up sleeping in the corner. The sound of roosters crowing could be heard outside. He got out of bed, tidied his clothes, and glanced at the magazine on the table. He frowned.

What rubbish! He picked it up and threw it in the trash. This family had no standards.

After washing up, the county police arrived. Qin Feng hurriedly finished breakfast, and Lin Fan came out just then. Qin Feng pushed the porridge to her, and Lin Fan ate ravenously.

Qin Feng stood up and pressed her shoulder. "I'll wait for you outside. No need to rush; we have time."

Lin Fan nodded.

The initial task was to investigate the missing persons in the area, which wasn’t complicated but time-consuming. After others had left, Qin Feng’s phone rang, and he answered.

"Based on the level of decay and the discovered tissue components, it can be concluded they were buried at the same time as the body."

"I understand."

"How's the investigation going?"

"Should be soon," Qin Feng said. "Keep me updated if you find anything."

"Will do."

Hanging up, Qin Feng put his phone back in his pocket and walked towards the yard. Lin Fan was already shouldering her bag, ready to leave.

Qin Feng paid for their stay, put away his wallet, and followed Lin Fan out. "The coin was likely buried with the deceased. Your theory yesterday was interesting."

Lin Fan, rarely praised, smiled back. "Does that mean we’ll solve the case soon?"

"Not too long."

In the villages along the river, they identified fifteen missing persons, more than expected. Four matched the age and gender. Qin Feng sat in the car, flipping through their files, frowning. He looked up at Lei Weiyu. "Any missing ones?"

"We asked door to door. There shouldn't be any missing."

The sky suddenly darkened. It had been clear just moments ago. Now, raindrops as big as beans pelted the car windows, growing heavier until it poured. The oppressive air seemed to be washed away by the rain.

The wipers cleared the rain from the windshield, and through the rain, Lin Fan saw an old man and a young person walking slowly on the road ahead. They seemed unbothered by the heavy rain, moving slowly. Lin Fan clenched her fingers, finding the scene odd.

Both had their heads down, making it impossible for Lin Fan to see their faces.

"In such heavy rain, who knows how long it will last." The rain drummed loudly on the car windows, and Lei Weiyu sighed.

"Why are those two walking in the rain?" Lin Fan rolled down the window, reaching out, the rain stinging her hand. "And so slowly, aren’t they in pain?"

"What people?" Lei Weiyu turned back to look at Lin Fan. "I don't see anyone. Close the window, the rain is coming in."

Lin Fan rolled up the window and pointed at the two figures who were still in the same place despite the rain. "Up ahead, an old man and a young person."

Qin Feng looked up at the mention, glancing ahead. The road was empty, only the heavy rain pounding the ground.