Winter Returns

Chapter 210 Searching for Zhang Shutong

Sunday.

12 month 23 day.

"By the way, Qingyi, what did Teacher Song say about the fox later?"

"As far as I know, there's no follow-up. Teacher Song has no idea about the fox at all. Shu Tong showed him the photos, and he could recognize that they were taken when Teacher Song's wife was in college. Come to think of it, that was a long time ago. They met in college, but Teacher Song really has no recollection of the so-called fox, let alone the words that follow."

"That's true." Du Kang sighed. "We can't really see the background of the photo. The only thing we can be sure of is the clothes—long sleeves and a coat. It must have been taken in autumn or winter?"

"More or less," Qingyi said, holding the back of his head.

"Should Old Song come back? I'm starting to miss him."

“His situation isn’t good. He needs to recover and take care of his mother who just had surgery. Since we don’t have any leads, Shutong advised him to focus on getting better first. Coming back now would be pointless. In short, the trail goes cold here,” Qingyi said softly. “Also, could you please move your dog away? I just cleaned my shoes this morning.”

"Zorro, come here, come here," Du Kang called out. But the little black dog, true to its hunting dog lineage, immediately took off running like a rabbit.

Du Kang quickly followed suit, and the two of them circled the reeds several times before he finally lifted the dog by the scruff of its neck:
"Hey, you're pretty fast."

"Do dogs really need to eat grass?" Qingyi asked, puzzled, looking at the few blades of grass stuck to the puppy's mouth.

"I don't know either. I just read online that these kinds of dogs shouldn't be kept on a leash all the time and need to be taken out for walks more often."

“It feels…” Qingyi looked at it carefully for a few moments, “It doesn’t look like a hunting dog at all.”

"The internet says it's a foreign sheepdog, but Shutong says it sounds weird every time I call it that, so I just call it a hunting dog... Go on, be careful not to fall into the water." Du Kang put the puppy on the ground again.

The puppy once again frolicked and disappeared into the reeds. The two glanced at it, then looked away and strolled leisurely along the lakeshore.

It was another weekend, and this was a suburb in the western part of the island. There were only the two of them there, and their task was to walk the dog.

It was rare for the four of them not to get together. Ruoping invited a few of her girlfriends to go shopping in the city, determined to shake off her previous frustration.

As for Zhang Shutong—

"Is Shutong still not finished? It's almost noon. Should we call him for lunch?" Du Kang asked.

"Probably not. He said he was busy all day." Qingyi thought for a moment. "He didn't answer his phone either, and told us not to wait for him."

"What's he busy with?" Du Kang asked, puzzled. "He went to the police station yesterday. Didn't they say that the lead on his teacher's wife's side had temporarily stalled?"

"I don't know, but according to him, he was all alone," Qingyi said, shaking his head.

"I don't believe it at all, it's so secretive," Du Kang guessed. "Maybe he went to buy a gift for Gu Qiu Mian?"

"This possibility cannot be ruled out."

"Hey, are they on a date?"

"That's also a possibility."

"Shutong is really unfair, abandoning us."

Du Kang laughed. As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a dog barking from the reeds not far away. It turned out that Zorro was digging something in the frozen ground, wagging his tail as he dug, as if to say, "Master, come quickly."

"Your dog is really noisy," Qingyi said helplessly.

"That's right, let me tell you, it has a really good nose. One night I was doing my homework when I suddenly heard it squeaking in the house. It turned out a mouse almost sneaked into the kitchen. Come on, let's go see what it is..."

Qingyi had no choice but to follow. They parted the reeds and looked closely. The puppy was staring angrily at a snake. The snake was more than half a meter long and about two fingers thick. Its body was covered with patterns. It was slowly crawling in the ground, hissing and flicking its tongue, much like a prelude to a hunt.

The puppy even had time to turn around and boast to its owner, completely unaware that it was in danger. Du Kang was startled and quickly broke off a reed to lift the snake up. Qing Yi took the opportunity to grab Zorro by the scruff of his neck, and the two of them retreated a few steps and quickly withdrew from the reeds.

"How could there be snakes in this weather?" Du Kang thought with lingering fear.

“It shouldn’t be a poisonous snake, right? We’ve come here to fish before and never found any snakes,” Qingyi recalled.

"Looks like I'll have to use a leash next time I walk the dog." Du Kang rubbed the dog's head angrily. "Almost caused trouble. Let's go."

Now that things have come to this, I no longer feel like walking the dog.

The two boys climbed onto the bicycle one after the other, and Du Kang put the dog in the bicycle basket:

"Send the dog home first, then find a place to eat?"

"it is good."

When two boys get together, they're always very casual about what to do or eat; they can decide on a location with just a few words.

They rode their bikes slowly onto the lakeside road. It was a quiet weekend morning with few people around. The reeds on both sides of the road trembled in the wind. There were no pedestrians and not even a car in sight.

It was really cold. Even though they were wearing gloves and earmuffs, the cold wind felt like knives cutting across their faces. It wasn't just the people who were cold; even the dogs huddled together in the bicycle basket.

The only bus route still in operation is the one on the island.

From a distance, Du Kang saw the bus stop next to the bus stop.

"Why do we have to ride bikes in this cold weather instead of taking the bus?"

Why don't Kamen Riders take the subway?

"That's true." Du Kang thought it made a lot of sense, and for a moment he pedaled a little faster.

Just as they were about to approach the bus, Du Kang suddenly slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching on the frozen, hard ground.

He opened his mouth as if to see a ghost:

"The person who just got on the bus looks like Shu Tong to me."

"Have it?"

“It’s definitely… Hey, Shutong, Shutong!” Du Kang raised his voice, but before he could finish shouting, the bus had already started moving.

Amidst a plume of black exhaust fumes, Du Kang paused for two seconds, "I shouldn't have seen wrong, where did he go..."

“If I’m not mistaken,” Qingyi stroked his chin, “then that’s strange. What would he be doing here in this weather? And when have you ever seen him take the bus? He’s always riding a bicycle or a motorcycle…”

"I'll make a call and ask." Several seconds later, Du Kang hung up the phone, completely bewildered. "No answer, what's going on?"

The two exchanged a glance:
"Absolutely something."

"Shall we chase after them and see?"

"Walk."

Without hesitation, the bicycle wheels started rolling again, but this time the speed was much faster. Qingyi analyzed:

"The next stop is closer, if we ride faster we should be able to catch up..."

"I know, I know," Du Kang shouted into the wind, "Brother, didn't you see the dog hairs are all standing on end!"

Ten minutes later, the two stopped the car, panting, and watched the bus start moving from the bus stop.

"Continue!" Du Kang gritted his teeth.

"Wait a minute," Qingyi said, panting, as she grabbed him. "At this rate, we'll be exhausted and still not catch up. Let me think... We're heading south after two more stops... and those two stops are in the suburbs, not much to see. Let's bet he'll get off in the city and take a shortcut!"

As they spoke, the two turned the car around and onto a rugged path.

"What if he gets off halfway?" Du Kang couldn't help but ask.

"He wasn't riding a bike, so even if he got off, he should at least find a way to get back!"

"Damn, it really is!" Du Kang exclaimed in realization.

"Alright, hurry up." Qingyi bent down. "I want to hurry too," Du Kang said, on the verge of tears, "but the dog is almost being tossed around!"

Another ten minutes or so passed, and the two men and the dog were all panting by the roadside, while Du Kang drank the mineral water in one gulp.

"So... this time... we should be able to make it, right?"

"I just asked..." Qingyi was also exhausted. "The next bus hasn't arrived yet."

"Let's just get in the car and go find Shutong. At least let me know if there's anything going on," Du Kang thought to himself. "Even answering a phone call would be fine."

Qingyi nodded upon hearing this. The two locked the car, glancing at their phones every now and then, until finally—

The bus made a sharp turn and headed onto a road in the city.

The car door opened quickly.

Du Kang stepped forward, glanced around the carriage, and then paused, startled:
"What about people?"

Today, not only are there very few pedestrians, but there are also very few passengers on the bus; you can see everyone's face at a glance.

"You two young men, go to the back first. Also, don't bring the dog up here."

While he was still in a daze, the driver reminded him.

The two then hurriedly jumped out of the car through the front door.

"You didn't see it just now, right?" Du Kang confirmed.

"No." Qingyi shook her head.

"That……"

"Wang!"

Du Kang's face darkened. He patted Zorro on the shoulder and asked again:
"So he really got off the bus halfway through?"

"First, make sure you're not mistaken," Qingyi said helplessly. "What if the person who got on the bus wasn't Shutong at all?"

“Absolutely,” Du Kang assured.

“That just means he got off halfway,” Qingyi pondered. “But those two stops are in the suburbs, just overgrown weeds and lakes, what’s there to see…”

"Wait a minute," Du Kang suddenly exclaimed, "Could it be that clay figure has reappeared? Is Shu Tong searching for that thing behind our backs?"

"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be more convenient for him to look for it on his family's motorcycle?"

Both of them could see the doubt in each other's eyes.

"Forget it, let's wait a bit longer." Du Kang wiped his sweat. "If we still don't see him on the next bus, I guess something really has happened, and it won't be a joke."

"Okay." Qingyi looked solemnly toward the corner of the road.

Another ten minutes or so passed before they finally caught the next bus.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Du Kang jogged towards the front gate.

"Wait a minute," Qingyi suddenly said, "I think I saw him, he really is in the car..."

"where?"

"The third to last car window."

Du Kang quickly turned around. Who else could that face in the car window be but Zhang Shutong?
She has a pale complexion and likes to wear black clothes; all these characteristics fit the description. Most importantly, her looks are definitely striking.

Du Kang suddenly felt a bit itchy:
"I told you not to answer the phone... please give me a hug."

Du Kang handed the dog over to Qing Yi.

"Hey……"

Qingyi instinctively took Zorro, but before he could speak, Du Kang rushed forward. The car door opened right in front of Du Kang's nose, and his best friend was already impatiently charging forward:
"That's a bit unfair of you, Shu..."

Two seconds later, Du Kang suddenly turned around and jumped out of the car.

"What's wrong?" Qingyi's tone unconsciously became serious.

"He...he..." Du Kang stammered, "When did he suddenly become enlightened?"

"what?"

Du Kang's eyes widened:
"There's a girl sitting next to Shu Tong!"

"Who?"

"do not know……"

"Then why did you come down here?"

"Hey, right, why would I jump off?" Du Kang turned around in confusion, just as the bus doors were about to close.

"Let's go up and talk about it." In her haste, Qingyi grabbed him.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" The driver asked in horror as two masked men and a masked dog got into the car.

But the other person just quickly tossed in a coin and then found a seat by the window.

Du Kang glanced at it a few times, then turned back and whispered:
"I think I know who that girl is."

"Who?"

"do not know."

"..." Qingyi's face went blank.

"I really don't recognize them, they just look a bit familiar, like I've seen them before, but I just can't remember who they are." Du Kang quickly changed the subject, "These two seem to be on good terms."

Qingyi also secretly turned her head. In her line of sight, the two were talking softly. Zhang Shutong would occasionally point out the scenery outside the window to the girl beside him, as if he was introducing something, and the girl had a gentle smile on her face.

"Look, they definitely didn't meet today!" Du Kang exclaimed in surprise. "But Shu Tong knows other girls? How come I didn't know?"

"It's alright." Qingyi had lost interest. "Alright, your curiosity has been satisfied. Let's get off at the next stop."

"Getting off the bus so soon? Aren't you going to observe for a little longer? Fine, fine..." Du Kang muttered.

Although he was still very curious, it was a bit inappropriate for him to secretly follow his best friend on a date with a girl.

"Forget it." Du Kang rubbed the dog's head. "I'll ask him when I have time. It's a loss since it's just the two of us. Let's know when to stop. If Ruoping were here... well, if Ruoping were here, she'd probably gossip him to death."

He suddenly looked at Shutong with pity.

As they spoke, the two put on the hoods of their down jackets, preparing to walk to the back door of the bus before Shutong noticed.

"Excuse me……"

While walking, the car braked suddenly, and Du Kang accidentally bumped into someone.

The other person turned around, and he looked at them for two seconds, but still couldn't see their face clearly.

There was even a masked person!

Three masked men were hiding in the small car.

"Senior!" The masked man took off his hat, revealing a girl with prominent canine teeth. She smiled awkwardly at them, secretly putting a finger to her lips. "What a coincidence..."

(End of this chapter)