"Xiao Shengnan! Comrade Xiao Shengnan?" Chen Qingfeng heard the doctor calling out in the corridor, so he found a seat and sat down quietly, observing who Xiao Shengnan was.
Back then, they had the same case, but since Master Su and him were inexperienced with murder cases, they overlooked the significance of the skin flakes under the victim's fingernails.
But after being a policeman for so many years, now returning with decades of experience, he found this case very simple when re-evaluating it.
This is the power of experience!
Everyone was misled by this case at first, spending a lot of energy investigating male suspects. This time, Chen Qingfeng did the opposite, focusing on women.
He wanted to see if Xiao Shengnan was scratched by a cat or came to the hospital for some other reason.
When the nurse walked to the middle of the corridor, a woman suddenly rushed out from the bathroom.
"Hello, comrade nurse, I'm Xiao Shengnan!"
"Come in with me!"
Since it was a gynecology treatment area, as a man, Chen Qingfeng felt embarrassed to go in. However, he changed seats and tried to get as close as possible to the gynecology examination area.
In those days, hospitals couldn't have good environments; the floors were cemented, and there was a smell of cresol in the air. But what made the gynecology examination area different was that there was a blue screen in front of the door.
The steel frame and blue curtain completely blocked the view inside, providing patients with basic privacy.
Although they couldn't see inside, Chen Qingfeng, who was closer, could vaguely hear their conversation.
"Comrade! I want to take a sick leave!"
"Sick leave? What's wrong with you?"
"I... I have stomach pain. These few days..."
"Stomach pain? If everyone comes to the hospital for sick leave because of stomach pain, do we need people to work anymore?"
"No! I work at an ice cream factory. My stomach has been hurting badly these few days, and it's abnormal... I just want to rest for two days. When I feel better, I'll go back to work immediately!"
It seemed like a young female doctor inside. She didn't directly agree to her request. At this moment, an older female colleague said:
"Just give her sick leave and let her rest for two days! Places like ice cream factories are cold. If it affects her menstrual cycle, it might affect her fertility in the future!"
"Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Xiao Shengnan quickly thanked them when she heard someone speak up for her. Soon after, the conversation stopped.
Chen Qingfeng sat by the door. Not long after, the girl who had rushed out of the bathroom earlier left with a sick leave note in hand.
Chen Qingfeng stood out in his uniform.
So he put his hat in his bag and took off his white short-sleeved uniform.
Wearing a hurdle shirt in those days wouldn't cause much attention on the street.
Chen Qingfeng changed his outfit. He didn't know if Xiao Shengnan saw him before.
He wore blue pants and a red tank top with an August 1st emblem on it. The tank top was a prize he won while playing basketball in the army.
With this outfit, Chen Qingfeng followed her outside. Xiao Shengnan hurriedly went to the station and waited for a bus. After a while, she got on it.
Chen Qingfeng watched as the bus slowly drove behind him on its way out of town. Although there weren't many cars on the road, there were plenty of bicycles and pedestrians. Buses couldn't drive fast in towns.
Soon, the bus arrived at the edge of the county. It was the final stop. Chen Qingfeng stopped at an intersection and saw Xiao Shengnan walk to the roadside.
Not long after, a tractor slowly approached. Xiao Shengnan waved her hand to flag it down and spoke with the driver before climbing aboard.
Chen Qingfeng knew that if he got on the tractor too, he would be too conspicuous riding his bicycle behind her.
He guessed that Xiao Shengnan wanted to escape to the countryside to avoid trouble.
So Chen Qingfeng went to the bus station and knocked on the window of the office.
Inside was an elderly lady around forty.
Seeing someone knock on the window, she frowned and asked irritably,
"What are you doing? If you break the glass, will you pay for it?"
"Comrade! I'm from County Public Security Bureau. Can I use your phone?"
Hearing that he was from the County Public Security Bureau, the lady immediately changed her tone and invited him into her office, pointing towards the phone.
Chen Qingfeng called the County Public Security Bureau. No one answered for a while.
Just as he considered whether to chase after the tractor on his bicycle,
A woman's voice finally came through,
"Hello? County Public Security Bureau Crime Prevention Department!"
"Fengxia! It's Chen Qingfeng..."
Chen Qingfeng recognized that it was colleague Feng Xia from County Public Security Bureau.
He remembered her because he had eaten their wedding candy when she got married back then.
"Feng Xia! The leader mentioned you just now. Why did you offend him?"
"Not now. Feng Xia! I need your help with something!"
"What is it?"
"Well... There's a woman I suspect of something. But as a male officer following her, I'm worried about causing trouble!"
"There's something suspicious? Are you talking about this morning's case?"
"Are you coming or not?"
"Chen Qingfeng, should you report any situation to Master Su?"
"Oh my God, you're killing me..."
Chen Qingfeng told Feng Xia over the phone that he was waiting at the bus station and then rode his bicycle after her.
The midday sun was at its most intense. Under the scorching sun, Chen Qingfeng pedaled down the path leading to the countryside. His legs accelerated constantly until he heard the sound of a tractor far ahead.
Chen Qingfeng gritted his teeth and chased after it. However, he found that Xiao Shengnan wasn't on the tractor.
"Comrade! Where is that girl you pulled over just now?"
"Girl? Who are you? Why should I tell you?"
"I'm from County Public Security Bureau! That woman got on a bus not far from here just now!"
"Oh! She got off just now at Yangyang Village..."
Looking at this tractor driver wearing glasses, Chen Qingfeng pointed in the direction they had come from!
"Thanks!"
Saying this, Chen Qingfeng turned his bicycle around and planned to head back.
But at that moment...
"Snap!"
Chen Qingfeng felt his ears swell up fiercely and then everything went dark as he fell to the ground.