There was still more than half of the candy Qiu Tingfang bought before her death!

This was an unexpected delight for Chen Xiao and the entire special task force.

The group took Pan Huiping’s car back to Sanshui Town again.

They met the little girl, about five or six years old, and her parents.

By the looks of her parents, they seemed to be quite mindful of the child’s diet.

In Chen Xiao’s view, it ought to be that way.

How can kids indulge in candy?

Once their teeth are damaged, it’s very bad!

Chen Xiao accepted the bag of candy and placed each piece on the table.

The child’s parents were somewhat worried about getting into trouble, and with some concern, they asked:

"Officer, we’ve always taught our child not to accept rewards without merit. She’s still little, maybe she thought she helped someone that day and was definitely tempted, which is why she accepted it."

Listening to their cautious tone, Chen Xiao reassured them:

"Don’t worry, it likely has little to do with you."

Saying this, Chen Xiao looked at the candy.

The quantity was quite reasonable.

It wasn’t an entire big bag, just a few handfuls.

The brand of the candy was Hsu Fu Chi.

Commonplace in later years.

But in 2006, this brand wasn’t cheap.

Chen Xiao unwrapped a piece of nougat and put it into his mouth.

He noticed that as he ate the candy, the little girl kept watching him eagerly.

Chen Xiao grinned, unwrapped another piece, and handed it to the girl.

She looked at her parents and only opened her mouth happily when they nodded.

Chen Xiao patted her head and said with a smile, "Eating too much candy isn’t good, but eating it in moderation is alright."

"Thank you, uncle."

"You’re welcome. Uncle should thank you; otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of eating candy."

The little girl savored the candy, tilted her head, and asked, "Uncle, does your mom not let you eat candy either?"

"No, it’s because uncle has a wife. She also loves sweets, but she says eating them makes you gain weight easily. As long as I don’t eat, she won’t crave it."

"Oh, I see. She means sweet things should be eaten together!"

"Ah, that’s really clever!"

Chen Xiao seemed to be in a good mood.

At least he was in the mood to taste candy and play with the kid.

Pan Huiping couldn’t make out any deeper meaning in this conversation.

In fact, there really wasn’t any depth to Chen Xiao’s questions.

He was merely getting closer to the little girl.

After finishing a piece of candy, Chen Xiao held out his hand and smiled:

"Little friend, can you show uncle how you met that sister that day? Hmm, uncle hopes you’ll demonstrate the whole process."

The little girl looked at her parents again.

Seeing her parents’ agreement again, she held Chen Xiao’s outstretched hand:

"Uncle, I’ll take you there."

Chen Xiao glanced at her parents and then followed the little girl outside.

They reached the end of the street in town.

The little girl pointed to the road beneath her feet: "It was after school that day; there’s our school, and I was walking home with my backpack when that sister stopped me."

"Hmm, what did she ask you when she stopped you?"

The little girl pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said, "She didn’t ask me anything. She just suddenly stopped me and said my skirt was pretty."

"Really? What kind of skirt were you wearing that day?"

"The skirt is at home. An aunt of mine brought it back for me, and it was an old one. It rained a lot back then; the clothes at home weren’t dry, so my mom took it out of the box for me to wear."

"Did she talk about anything else?"

The little girl thought for a while then said, "She was squatting and looking at my skirt, and then I noticed her hair was a bit messy. I’ve known how to comb hair since I was little, so I helped her tidy it up."

"I don’t know if I pulled her hair, but she suddenly seemed about to cry. So I quickly apologized. She said it was fine and then took me to the supermarket to buy me candy, saying thanks for tidying her hair."

The girl pointed to a nearby supermarket as she spoke.

It was the only big supermarket in Sanshui Town.

Chen Xiao held out his hand again.

Now the little girl was very sensible and took his hand herself, leading him to the supermarket.

Inside the supermarket, Chen Xiao stopped her:

"Did she ask if you like candy or did she just take you to where the candy was being sold?"

"She just went there directly; she didn’t even ask, just knew I love candy the most!"

The little girl said.

Chen Xiao smiled, and together with the girl, they went to where the candy was displayed.

Throughout the bulk section, there were no fewer than four or five candy brands.

Some more expensive than Hsu Fu Chi.

Chen Xiao observed and asked again: "Did she just take you to weigh these candies?"

"Yeah, she didn’t ask which ones I liked. Actually, I really wanted to eat those jellies that day, but I didn’t dare say it."

The girl nibbled at the bulk jellies nearby.

This information made Chen Xiao more certain of a certain suspicion.

He picked up a bag and weighed a large bag of jellies.

The girl, surprised, covered her mouth with her hands and asked, "Uncle, you’re not going to buy these for me, are you?"

"Of course, uncle already said sweet things are for me to share with my wife, so these are bought just for you."

The girl was very happy.

But she seemed a bit worried.

Chen Xiao knew what she was worried about, so he seriously said:

"What your mom and dad taught you isn’t wrong; it’s best not to accept gifts from others easily. But, uncle isn’t just anyone."

"Hmm, you’re the police uncle!"

"Yes, if you’re ever in danger, remember to find a police officer, any one of them."

"I will!"

Chen Xiao got the jellies weighed and went to the checkout counter to pay.

After paying, Pan Huiping was already waiting outside the supermarket.

Chen Xiao glanced at Xiaoji and said, "Take this girl home, then bring that little skirt of hers. We’ll head towards Leigong Mountain, and you can catch up after you’ve done that."

Xiaoji nodded and took the girl home.

Pan Huiping looked and asked, "Did you think of anything?"

Chen Xiao shook his head: "I found something odd, but I don’t exactly know what’s peculiar about it."

"Tell me."

"The brand of the candy and the skirt that caught Qiu Tingfang’s attention. The photo of Qiu Tingfang, and the little girl we just saw, had a similar height and build."

Upon hearing this, Pan Huiping said:

"You mean that perhaps the young Qiu Tingfang also had a similar skirt? But that was more than ten years ago."

"Yes, it was over ten years ago, but the girl said it was an old dress given by a relative. The skirt is very old, so it might be from those years. After all, ordinary families often store clothes in a box and forget how many years they’ve been kept."

As Chen Xiao explained, Pan Huiping nodded silently.

After walking a short distance, Pan Huiping looked at Leigong Mountain in the distance and said:

"But what hidden meaning does the Hsu Fu Chi brand really have?"