"So we're going to the commercial street to look?" Teacher Song was not a stupid person.
Now he had changed from his previous lazy driving posture, gripping the steering wheel with both hands, his waist slightly bent, like a big shrimp.
"Yes, there aren't many minivans on the island to begin with, so it should be easy to confirm. But I didn't see the license plate number clearly at the time," Zhang Shutong said with regret. He also didn't know about cars, so he could only use "minivan" as a substitute.
"It would be a ghost if you could remember the license plate number. That wouldn't be reasoning, that would be being an accomplice." Teacher Song finally cracked a smile. "It's a Jinbei, I forgot the model, whether it's a Haisi or something, it's not too hard to find."
"Actually, there's another angle to prove it," Zhang Shutong said thoughtfully. "Even if we don't mention the conflict on the commercial street, minivans are originally used for pulling goods, right?"
"Are you saying that person runs a supermarket?" Teacher Song immediately asked.
"Not necessarily. I'm saying that minivans could be used in places like supermarkets and restaurants, and the only place on the island where these kinds of shops are clustered is the commercial street."
"Then there's only one last question, what if it didn't drive back?"
"It shouldn't." Zhang Shutong glanced at his phone again. "I was just there last night, and many shops haven't closed yet. They're all family-run businesses, and they can't afford to be without anyone, especially places like restaurants. That's why I said we can still find it if we go now."
"Alright, I'll drive a little faster. We'll be there in at most ten minutes, I promise." The engine's RPM immediately increased. Teacher Song was indeed a good driver, and a small Ford Focus was like a rally car in his hands.
They were driving on a mountain road at night. Sometimes the turns were so sharp that it took a moment to see the road ahead clearly. Zhang Shutong's heart was pounding. He thought, "Don't let anything happen to me before Gu Qiumian gets into trouble."
"Three or five minutes won't make a difference, old man, slow down..."
"Don't worry, I've driven faster than this before. If it weren't for the rain today, I could have been even faster." With a clear mind, Song Nanshan's mood was also much better. "You're good, kid. I see you're usually so dull, why did you suddenly get so clever? Did you learn from Qingyi?"
Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes: "I can only learn about a man's mission from him."
Who knew Teacher Song would grin: "I think that's what you're missing right now."
The serious man from just now had no idea where he had gone, as if Mega Venusaur had suddenly devolved. The man had returned to his carefree, rough-and-tumble self: "I'm telling you, is your heart beating faster? Do you want me, your teacher, to sing you a song? You can't have a romantic thing like this without a song."
"Romantic?" Zhang Shutong was truly shocked. More shocked than seeing the black dog poisoned. He wondered what was so romantic about this. He was already starting to feel cold. He had been thinking about the murderer just now, and now he realized that his shoulder was almost soaked. Rainwater was running down his neck.
Zhang Shutong knew that some high-end cars had a seat heating function, but Teacher Song's Focus obviously didn't. He could only move his seat very far forward, curling his legs and hugging his shoulders in front of the air vent, listening to Song Nanshan's nonsense philosophy.
"That's what it's like to go and save the girl you love. This has been a man's romance for thousands of years. It's just that before, they rode on horseback, and now they sit in cars. I don't think the essence is any different. They're all desperately running forward. What mission, what fate. You might be bleeding, but a man's scar is a medal to the girl he loves. At this point, whether there's a song or not doesn't matter anymore, a little wind is what matters."
As he spoke, he lowered the car window, wanting to be romantic, but the cold wind poured into the car, making the two soaked teacher and student sneeze violently. Forget romance, they almost died a heroic death.
After a while, he muttered: "It seems you really don't like Gu Qiumian."
There was nothing else to do but hurry, so Zhang Shutong asked him why he brought that up again.
Teacher Song's answer was simple, because you sneezed.
Zhang Shutong really didn't know what kind of monster Gu Qiumian herself was. Could it be that people who fell in love with her would be blessed with magic and wouldn't even feel cold?
Teacher Song nodded and said that if that person was truly someone you wanted to protect, you would indeed have magic on you and wouldn't feel anything, but you didn't, so you sneezed.
Zhang Shutong subconsciously felt it was nonsense, but for no reason, he felt there was some truth to it. But he had never had this kind of experience in his life, and of course, he didn't want to.
At most, one time outside the delivery room would be enough. But what hospital has drafts?
There were no drafty hospitals, but there were drafty walls.
"There's no wall that's airtight," Teacher Song suddenly said with emotion. "You say that person is stupid or bad. What's the point of poisoning a dog when Gu Qiumian's dad isn't home? They'll still suffer afterward. Do you really think these big bosses are so soft-hearted?"
"What if they go after Gu Qiumian herself?" Zhang Shutong asked back.
"...Then it's neither stupid nor bad, it's crazy." Teacher Song was stunned. "I estimate the worst possibility is smashing a window. They'll just take advantage of the fact that no one's home these two days. No big evil, just small evil, disgusting his family every day. As for more excessive things, like throwing feces... Actually, my hometown had that a long time ago, but where do you find that stuff now? You'd just disgust yourself."
"Maybe a cornered rabbit will bite?"
"If we're being serious, it's not impossible. Anyway, Li Yipeng's situation is a minority. There are indeed people whose whole family relies on their shop for a living, and you shouldn't expect the demolition compensation to be very generous. It's not valuable commercial property in a big city. Many shops don't even have a proper ownership. They might have been built illegally in the early years, and the government just turned a blind eye."
Teacher Song thought for a moment: "Thinking about it this way, the scope of the investigation has shrunk a bit. It should be a family with worse conditions, one that's been pushed to the edge."
Zhang Shutong was about to start an analysis, but he heard Teacher Song also seem to have become clever today, saying again: "You remember, right? That kid Li Yipeng said instructed him also had a grudge against Gu Qiumian's family. Maybe we'll have an unexpected discovery on this trip."
"Let's find the minivan first." Zhang Shutong felt that Teacher Song was an optimist.
"But what if we don't find it tonight? Even if your reasoning is flawless, the plan may not be bigger than the changes." Teacher Song's tone suddenly shifted, becoming pessimistic and earnest: "Shutong, will you listen to me this time? Don't just bury your head in solving this case. I know I shouldn't discourage you, and I'm also very pleased, but this really isn't something for someone your age to do.
"Listen to me. Later, either take Qiumian to your place, or I'll take you two out to have some fun. We, teacher and student, really don't need to be going head-to-head with the commercial street. Surviving this weekend is a victory. Let her dad deal with the rest."
Why wouldn't Zhang Shutong want to? He actually didn't want to go head-to-head with the commercial street either. Ruo Ping was still calling for him to celebrate Du Kang's birthday. The first weekend after the regression should have been spent resting at home or hanging out with his best friends. His mentality had unconsciously become younger. Teacher Song had said that the Tender Beef Five-Star was delicious, and Zhang Shutong also wanted to find time to try it. This carefree teenage time was just a short period, and once missed, it would never return.
It was not impossible to take Gu Qiumian off the island and avoid a disaster, but avoiding the first day wouldn't avoid the fifteenth. The clue brought back from eight years later was so small, and the so-called regression was gone. If he didn't seize this opportunity to pull out this nail, when would the next opportunity be?
Should he solve it all in one go, or leave it there and have it become a problem that he couldn't manage?
He was a bit contradictory at times. He couldn't stand by and watch Gu Qiumian die, but he also found it troublesome to be her "knight in shining armor" all the time. So it was best to solve it all in one go.
He nodded and said nothing more, noncommittal.
Seeing this, Song Nanshan sighed.
Thankfully, the commercial street was almost here.