Chapter 2446: Searching for Someone

"A black mole?" Zhao Xian seemed deep in thought, touching his own brow tip. "You mean here?"

"No, here." Chen Yin pointed again.

Zhao Xian slapped his thigh: "What a coincidence! That unknown person who was knocked out has a black mole right there too, and the other details match. Why don't you go take a look?"

Hearing there was a lead, Chen Yin immediately agreed.

"The person's at the hospital at Huanghua Temple outside the city. I'll accompany you tomorrow morning!"

By now it was getting dark. Huanghua Temple sat on the northern slope of Yuexiu Mountain outside the Great North Gate—a desolate place with few visitors even in broad daylight, let alone rushing there now when the city gates were probably already closed.

Early the next morning, Chen Yin and Zhao Xian left through the Great North Gate and headed for Huanghua Temple. After the plague ended, Mayor Liu had renovated both the city interior and exterior, especially clearing out the large number of public cemeteries, charity houses, and temples storing coffins outside the Great North Gate. Unattended charity houses were all demolished. Bones and coffins cleared from cemeteries and charity houses were concentrated in a newly built public cemetery. Though it was still quiet outside the Great North Gate, the former "land of the dead" no longer carried its eerie atmosphere.

The cleared land was now managed by the City Resources Company under Guangzhou Municipal Government, leased to suburban farmers as vegetable gardens. The formerly grave-studded wasteland now mostly had fences erected and vegetables planted.

The two came along the newly built main road to Huanghua Temple—now called "Guangdong Province Temporary Shelter." Besides continuing to care for elderly without family and orphans, it also received people picked up by police during patrols and vagrant roundups, registering and sorting them for placement.

A free clinic was specially attached to the shelter. The unlucky fellow beaten unconscious in the brawl a few days ago had been sent here for treatment since his identity was unknown—following standard procedure.

Because it was outside the city, the welfare home had previously had National Army soldiers responsible for security. Recently, with improved security conditions, this duty was transferred to police.

Since Zhao Xian was a police officer specifically bringing someone to identify a person, the welfare home naturally didn't obstruct them. Mao Xiuyu happened to be free and personally led them to the clinic.

The shelter's clinic was converted from an old temple hall. Bamboo lattice walls partitioned off the consultation room and pharmacy; everything else was used for hospital beds—a full thirty or forty of them. About half were currently occupied by patients, with orderlies making rounds.

"How's Patient Eleven doing?" Mao Xiuyu asked the orderly. He knew the sheltered persons' situations like the back of his hand.

"He woke up this morning," the orderly said. "But his mind isn't quite clear. He's asleep again now."

"And his wounds?"

"The head wound is just superficial—not serious." The orderly said. "The doctor said this morning he probably just has a concussion. No danger to life or risk of disability."

"Can he receive visitors?"

"Yes." The nurse led them to an observation room with a single bed.

On the simple bamboo-plank bed lay a man, covered with a thin military blanket, his head still wrapped in white gauze. Chen Yin recognized him at one glance—who else could it be but Chen Ding!

"It's him!" Chen Yin nodded.

No wonder searching for him had been like looking for a needle in a haystack—he hadn't been in Guangzhou city at all!

Zhao Xian hadn't expected to find the person so quickly and was also pleased: "Truly effortless when things go smoothly! Your luck is really good, and your clan uncle's luck is even better!"

He turned to Mao Xiuyu: "This is Chen Yin. He's the patient's clan nephew."

Mao Xiuyu was happy that this unknown person now had a lead. He immediately asked about Chen Ding's name, age, and place of origin. Chen Yin asked if he could take him away. Mao Xiuyu said he hadn't fully recovered yet—they'd need to wait for the doctor to examine him before deciding. Better come back in a few days.

Just as they were speaking, Chen Ding on the bed woke up. Chen Yin hurried over to call to him. This time Chen Ding wasn't confused. Though Chen Yin, his clan nephew, wasn't very familiar to him, he knew of him. After a few exchanges, they naturally warmed up. Chen Yin learned that Chen Ding had arrived in Guangzhou several days ago. Shortly after disembarking, before even entering the city, he had suddenly lost consciousness from a blow to the head.

"...Probably showed my money on the road, and someone tried to kill me for it!" Chen Ding sighed. "What a pity—the several hundred taels of silver I brought..."

Zhao Xian listened but realized something was off. He interrupted their uncle-nephew conversation: "That's not right. You were injured in the January 11th brawl incident, and the injury location was on Main Market Street—the case file is still on my desk."

But Chen Ding adamantly denied this, saying the last place he'd reached before losing consciousness was near the old Wuyang Post Station site outside the city. Because he needed to relieve himself, he had wanted to use a public toilet. He had just reached the alley entrance when someone hit him with a sap.

"I'm a stranger here with no acquaintances. How could I have gotten into a brawl with anyone? The Main Market Street area isn't where any of my relatives or friends live—what would I be doing there?"

Though the orderly thought Chen Ding's account was post-concussion syndrome, Chen Ding insisted he had been attacked outside the city and had lost his luggage, which contained two hundred taels of silver.

"This two hundred taels—half was my savings, half was capital from my father-in-law! I never expected to be robbed as soon as I arrived in Guangzhou!" Chen Ding said, stamping his feet and beating his chest in regret.

This complicated matters. Originally, this was just a brawl case. Moreover, both parties arrested on the day of the incident said they didn't know Chen Ding, so he was merely a passerby accidentally caught up in it. But now the situation was that Chen Ding had been robbed, and the amount was particularly huge.

Zhao Xian was uncertain. He half-believed what Chen Ding said. If it was syndrome-induced rambling, he spoke with such vivid detail and absolute certainty. But if it was really true—what robber had lost his mind enough to knock someone out with a sap, steal the silver, and then carry the victim into the city specifically to dump him at a brawl scene? Besides, the robber couldn't have known that National Army soldiers would be fighting with shop clerks near Main Market Street that day!

Under normal circumstances, Zhao Xian wouldn't have bothered with this matter. After all, Chen Ding had no proof, and no one could corroborate his story. But since Master Wu valued him, this couldn't simply be left alone. At minimum, there needed to be some explanation.

To be thorough, he asked Chen Ding again about his entire journey from Sanliang Market to Guangzhou up until losing consciousness. Chen Ding's answers were clear and logical, completely unlike someone whose head had been knocked silly. Moreover, based on Zhao Xian's people-reading skills, Chen Ding wasn't a crafty person. These words weren't fabrications.

"I think this matter will still require Master Ding to report a case at the police station himself. First, Master Ding is still involved in the brawl case and needs to give a statement." Zhao Xian said. "Second, two hundred taels of silver is no small sum—it qualifies as a major case. This isn't ordinary thugs' work. Probably some master thief has come to the city—for public and private reasons, we need to catch the criminal."

Chen Yin hadn't originally cared much about this, but hearing Zhao Xian's reasoning, it made sense. He quickly said: "This matter will have to trouble Brother Zhao..."

Zhao Xian said he could only help—since he was with the Public Order Division, and once reported this would be a criminal case, he had no jurisdiction.

Chen Yin wanted to process the paperwork to take Chen Ding out of the hospital and back to the Wu household. But Mao Xiuyu said since the person had been found, there was no rush for today—after all, his head wound hadn't healed. Better to observe a day or two before leaving. Zhao Xian also said not to rush. As for reporting the case, Chen Yin could handle it on Chen Ding's behalf. Have Chen Ding write a power of attorney and detailed account first, and with Zhao Xian's help, get the case filed.

"...So I gave Master Mao one dollar to take good care of Master Ding and buy whatever's needed. Zhao Xian and I went to the police station, then I hurried back to report."

Wu Yijun thought this was too bizarre! But he couldn't figure out what was going on either. Hearing that two hundred taels of silver had been stolen, he couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement. Traveling so far alone with so much silver—this Chen Ding was really bold!

Still, risking danger to bring a large sum to Guangzhou meant he must have had some scheme—either planning to use silver to pave his way, or intending to do some business in Guangzhou. Regardless of Chen Ding's original plans, he was now injured, robbed, penniless, and desperate. Extending a helping hand now would most certainly earn his gratitude.

"Chen Yin, go tell the steward to prepare the west courtyard. Get everything ready. Also, prepare some inner and outer clothing according to Master Ding's measurements."

Zhao Xian returned to the bureau and first retrieved the Main Market Street brawl case file to study.

The case wasn't complicated. At noon on January 11th, five soldiers from the National Army's Wuzhou Battalion resting in Guangzhou were dining in a restaurant on Main Market Street. Growing drunk, they quarreled with the restaurant staff, smashing tables and dishes. Clerks from nearby shops came to "reason," and a brawl broke out. They fought from inside the restaurant to the street. Meanwhile, other National Army soldiers strolling nearby and clerks from nearby shops all joined in, ultimately forming a melee of over twenty people. This caused a crowd and blocked traffic. Patrolling officers discovered the situation and, since military personnel were involved, summoned a nearby joint military-police patrol team to bring the situation under control.

In the end, the joint patrol arrested twenty-one people at the scene, including nine National Army soldiers and twelve civilians. Eleven were injured, of which three had serious injuries requiring hospitalization. Also found at the scene was one unidentified person with a head injury who had lost consciousness...

The file also contained statements from those arrested. Zhao Xian skimmed through—none mentioned Chen Ding. Looking at the list of items confiscated from them, there were no large sums of money either.

Obviously, these people had little connection to Chen Ding. They also hadn't robbed Chen Ding. The silver—if it really existed—had been taken by someone else.

This was truly strange. Zhao Xian studied the file for half a day but still couldn't figure it out. Actually, until now, he still doubted whether these two hundred taels even existed.

Forget it. Leave this for the detectives to handle, Zhao Xian thought.

(End of Chapter)