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The village chief's reception room was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. I sat in a redwood armchair, surveying the decor around me: several landscape paintings hung on the walls, and a set of exquisite celadon porcelain was displayed on the tea table, all of which seemed quite valuable. This stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated state of the village outside.
"Officer Ku, please have some tea," Zhang Shouren offered as he poured me a cup of strong tea. "You must not have had breakfast yet, should I have someone prepare something for you?"
I politely declined his kind offer. "Village Chief Zhang, I would like to understand the details of the recent missing persons case first."
He sighed deeply, his gaze suddenly turning profound. "This is not an easy matter to discuss. On the night the first child went missing, I was attending a meeting in the county. By the time I returned, the child had already disappeared."
"Did the family provide any clues?"
He hesitated for a moment. "Why don’t you ask them yourself? I’ll have someone take you to the home of the missing children. A Hu!"
A lean man with a hunting knife at his waist walked in from outside, his sharp eyes watching me with a hint of caution.
"Take Officer Ku to the Wang family," Zhang Shouren instructed. "Make sure to cooperate well with him."
Following A Hu out of the village chief's house, I noticed his gait was somewhat awkward, as if he were deliberately slowing down. We passed through several narrow alleys and arrived at a rundown farmhouse. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and a clothesline held a few faded pieces of children's clothing.
"The Wang family isn’t home," A Hu suddenly spoke up. "They moved to stay with relatives in town after their child went missing."
"What about the other family?"
"The Cui family? They moved away too." His tone was flat; no one wanted to stay here.
I frowned. "All the families of the missing children have moved away?"
A Hu did not respond but pushed aside the weeds blocking our path and continued forward. As we passed a small shop, I signaled that I wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes.
The shopkeeper appeared to be in her sixties, her face deeply lined with wrinkles. When she saw me pull out my police badge, she froze for a moment, nearly dropping the change she was holding.
"Ma'am, I’d like to ask you something." I took out three photographs of the missing children. "Do you recognize these kids?"
The shopkeeper glanced at the photos and then at A Hu outside before shaking her head. "No, I don’t know them."
"You’ve been running this shop for many years; surely all the village children must have come by to buy snacks?"
"I can’t remember," she replied, lowering her head and starting to tidy up the counter. "Business has been bad lately; I'm thinking of closing down."
I noticed a paper box on the counter filled with colorful candies. One type of packaging matched what missing child Wang Xiao had last purchased.
"Have any children come in recently to buy this type of candy?"
The shopkeeper’s hands trembled slightly. "I—I don’t remember." After saying this, she quickly retreated into the back room. "I need to rest now; you all please leave."
As I stepped out of the shop, I spotted several elderly people sitting at the street corner basking in the sun. A Hu tried to stop me, but I strode past him without hesitation.
Several elderly people greeted me, and I said, "Amitabha." Before I could finish, an old woman began to chant the Buddha's name, invoking divine protection. The others lowered their heads, some reciting prayers, while others simply stood up and walked away. Only one old man glanced at me, trembling fingers pointing towards the village entrance and then to the sky.
Instinctively, I looked up to see a flock of crows flying overhead, their harsh cawing piercing the air. When I turned back, the old man had vanished.
"Officer Ku, it's about time to head back," A Hu said, a hint of impatience in his voice. The village chief had instructed him to take me out for lunch.
"First, let’s visit the last missing child’s home."
"The Zhou family?" His expression shifted to one of discomfort. "That place isn’t very convenient."
"Why not?"
"Miss Zhou Jing has returned." He lowered his voice. "She isn’t keen on meeting outsiders."
"Zhou Jing?" I recognized the name from my files; she was the sister of the last missing child, who had hurried back when her brother disappeared.
"Then we definitely need to see her," I insisted.
A Hu shook his head helplessly and led me down another small path. As we passed a courtyard, I noticed a pile of children’s toys in the corner, some covered in moss. Just as I was about to take a closer look, an eerie melody drifted from the yard, reminiscent of a music box playing.
"Don’t look," A Hu tugged at my sleeve. "The child from that house has been gone for years."
"Gone? There was no case of a missing child listed in the files."
"Some things are better left unknown," he said meaningfully, "especially before the night of the full moon."
I followed him thoughtfully. This seemingly quiet village appeared to harbor untold secrets in every corner. The villagers' silence felt like a heavy fog, concealing certain unspeakable truths.
In the distance, the sound of bells echoed—those were the morning bells from the village temple. The sound reverberated through the empty village, strikingly clear. I glanced at my watch; it was ten in the morning. In just ten hours, it would be time for another full moon night.
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