“Fine.” Chen Xiaomeng smiled, “Give me the address. I’ll register a membership to see if it’s as great as you make it out.”
“Sure.” Jiang Cheng said easily, “Give me your phone number first.” He continued shamelessly. “After all, I’m from the high-class group. Not everyone can meet me. You have to book me in advanced.”
Chen Xiaomeng shrugged and sighed in regret. “Never mind then. I hate trouble.”
The two walked and talked along the way. There were quite a bit of people on the street. However, since they had changed, no one paid them any attention. They turned a few corners and entered a two-story building. The place was rather isolated. A wooden board hung from the pillar beside the front door. The board said Local Topography Centre.
“We’re here.” Chen Xiaomeng raised her head. The door was open. The two stood outside for a while before walking in. The interior was quite spacious but simply decorated. A few long wooden tables greeted them once they entered the door. It was the reading corner. There were large wooden shelves that were as tall as a human. The shelves were stacked with files. A worker appeared to be sleeping on one of the tables. A few traditionally bound books were scattered around him.
Jiang Cheng went to tap his shoulders, “Brother, wake up.”
The man, who looked around twenty, opened his eyes blurrily. It was unclear what drained him so the night before. “You…” As he began, Jiang Cheng interrupted him with a stern look. His voice was even and cold, “Who gave you the right to sleep during working hours?”
The man’s drowsiness disappeared completely. He thought Jiang Cheng was his superior who came to supervise the place. Plus, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng looked too sophisticated to be from the town. The man before him was dressed normally, but he exuded an aura that made him superior to others, especially from the curl of his lips. The young worker had encountered officials from the county before. They had the same presence as this man did. It was not easy for him to get this cushy job. He had to use a lot of connections. Therefore, he quickly stood up and put on a respectful expression.
“You… No. What do you need?” The worker probed carefully. He pretended he couldn’t recognise the superior who had come privately to supervise the centre. However, his attitude was a lot better.
The worker was startled for a moment. Then, he nodded slowly, “Yes.”
“Kid, you have a good eye.” Jiang Cheng studied the man and narrowed his eyes. “It looks like you’ve already guessed our identity.”
“You’re superiors sent by the county government.” The worker said in a whisper because he assumed the superior’s identity had to be hidden. He licked his lips. “We received the notification not too long ago. We didn’t expect you to come so soon. And…” The man smiled, “In this manner.”
Jiang Cheng didn’t clarify. He leaned on the chair comfortably and lifted his chin. “There was a horrible case at Little Ravine Village twenty years ago. Do we have the record here?”
“Yes.” The worker ran to the dark corner of the place. He took out a ladder and placed it before a secluded shelf. He took down a book from the highest layer. Then, he jogged back and handed the book over. “Sir, it’s all here. It might not be too detailed. You’ll have to visit the police station for that.”
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng frowned.
Jiang Cheng was still smiling as he accepted the book with one hand. His other hand reached into his pocket to grab a sharpened iron piece.
Chen Xiaomeng shook her wrist. A hairpin slid into her palm. She casually looked around, but she was really scanning the surroundings.
The case at Little Ravine Village happened twenty years ago. It was the definition of a cold case. To be honest, the case was older than the worker. The record book was placed at the top layer of a secluded shelf, and one had to use the ladder to reach it. This meant that not many people would check it out.
However… this dull-looking worker managed to locate the record instantly and accurately without needing to check any other references…
Jiang Cheng’s first reaction was that they had fallen into a trap. The village head from Little Ravine Village had assigned people to this local topography centre as well. However, since they were in the open and the enemy was in the dark, Jiang Cheng was glad to drag this out. Chen Xiaomeng didn’t go on the offensive either.
Jiang Cheng smiled as he flipped through the book. It did record the case from twenty years ago. He read through it quickly. The information was similar to what they had grasped so far. The latter pages had the name, origin and kidnapping location of the 29 women. Most importantly, their future movement after they were rescued. Jiang Cheng looked through the pages. Chen Xiaomeng guarded him to deal with sudden accidents.
The worker widened his eyes to look at them. When Jiang Cheng reached the last page, his finger paused. The page had the record of a woman called Su Yin. She was 21 years old. She was a student from the big city who majored in arts. Most importantly, according to the records, after she was rescued, her face was ruined, and her voicebox was destroyed. Since she came from a prestigious local family, they couldn’t accept this incident happening to her. They refused to take her back. They gave her money and told her to leave.
The book didn’t record what happened next. It only said that she stayed near An Ping Town, but there were no specifics. This was probably to protect the woman from further harm.
Jiang Cheng closed the book and studied the worker. Even though he was young, his disguise was perfect. Even Jiang Cheng didn’t notice the flaw at first.
“Why are you staring at me?” Jiang Cheng suddenly asked the man.
The worker was stunned. He was curious about the man’s shift in tone. “It’s nothing… It…” He hesitated as his eyes moved towards the book.
“Are you interested in this case?” Jiang Cheng waved the book.
“No.” The man quickly shook his hands. “It’s just… I’m curious why so many people come to research this case recently.”
Chen Xiaomeng’s eyes flashed, “Did someone else come to check out this file recently?”