Chapter 6: The Happiness That Once Was

After identification, two members of the missing family of three have been confirmed dead. Only the woman of the house, the one who reported the case and the sister of the caller, remains unaccounted for. However, based on Xia Wuyou’s perception, it is largely certain the woman has also fallen victim.

Due to the severe condition of the two bodies, uncovering further clues will require more time.

"Xiao Wang, how is your canvassing of the restaurant staff going?"

So far, aside from Xia Wuyou’s observations, all the clues are objective facts. Yet, for the overall circumstances of the case, a subjective assessment is still missing.

"Captain Su, the background checks on the staff are basically complete. Apart from the earlier discovery that the victims once had a verbal dispute with the restaurant next door, there’s nothing suspicious."

"But everyone said that quarrel was just a common disagreement, nothing that would escalate into a criminal case." Xiao Wang spoke with conviction.

"Alright, I’ll join you for another round of interviews. Let’s see if we’ve overlooked anything. Besides, we need to wait for the autopsy results anyway."

Su Tianmu felt certain there was something they had missed. Three healthy people don’t just die for no reason. There must have been something unusual in their daily lives.

"Okay, I think no one has left yet. Most of them are from out of town, but the restaurant provides food and accommodation, with dorms for the staff," Xiao Wang added.

"I’ll get in touch with them right away. If it’s convenient, we can have them come to the station."

"Good, go ahead," Su Tianmu replied, reviewing Xiao Wang’s preliminary analysis for an initial understanding of the staff.

Despite its modest size, the restaurant employed a considerable number—thirty-five in all. Besides ten chefs, the rest were servers, mostly women, with a male manager in the main hall.

"Officer, what’s happened to the boss’s family? We’ve been on leave for a long time now—when can we get back to work?" asked one man, whose accent revealed him as a non-local and whose physique hinted he was a cook.

"How long have you been off? During this time, you haven’t returned to the restaurant at all?" Su Tianmu asked. Though he hadn’t begun a thorough interrogation, his years as a detective told him this man was likely uninvolved.

"We’ve been closed for over a month now—what day was it exactly? Let me think..." The short, stout man scratched his head, looking every bit the honest type.

"Right, it was the second of last month, so it’s been almost forty days..." This information matched the caller’s report; the crime occurred about a month prior.

"I’m just the buyer—I don’t know much about what goes on out front. I do the shopping each day, then help out in the kitchen. I keep out of everything else," said a woman in her fifties, who looked shrewd despite her insistence that she knew nothing.

"My accounts for the groceries are all clear, I swear—there’s nothing wrong there!"

She began explaining herself before anyone had even questioned her, making Su Tianmu shake his head and signal for the next person to enter.

This time, the person who came in was much more presentable—a man in his thirties, solidly built yet with a gentle, quiet air. He was fair-skinned, with neatly trimmed hair, thick brows, and expressive eyes, and even his voice was pleasant.

"My name is Zhang Jun. I’m the hall manager."

Su Tianmu thought to himself that no wonder they’d chosen him as manager—after seeing so many people, this was the first one who truly stood out.

"Where are you from? How long have you worked here?"

"I’m a local, been here about half a year. Since I have some education, the boss made me the hall manager," Zhang Jun replied unhurriedly, much more refined than the previous workers.

"What’s your impression of the boss’s family? Were they good to you?"

Su Tianmu asked casually, as if making small talk.

"They’re very nice, always took good care of us. Especially the lady of the house—she has a wonderful temperament, always kind to everyone," he replied, then immediately asked, "Did something happen to them? Why bring us to the police station for questioning? If something did happen, that’s truly a shame—they’re a great family."

"It’s nothing," Su Tianmu replied lightly. "The woman’s brother just couldn’t reach her and was worried, so we’re just asking around."

"Alright, you can go back for now. We’ll contact you if anything comes up..."

Next came several young female servers, who were not at all nervous and chattered away with all sorts of gossip—who had fallen out with whom, who used to be close, and so on.

A girl named Meiling said their boss was very charming—the idol of the young women there. Not only was he good-looking, but he had a great personality, always greeted them with a smile, offered generous pay, and cared about their lives. They all liked him.

As for the lady of the house, since she spent most of her time looking after the child and rarely involved herself in the restaurant, she was less a topic of their conversations. They only mentioned that she was pretty and seemed gentle.

Only one girl, Lili, seemed particularly interested in the hall manager. She praised his competence, mentioned that he worked out and had a great figure. When she spoke of Zhang Jun, she positively blossomed, like a flower about to bloom.

"But compared to the boss, he seems to prefer our boss’s wife," she said with a hint of jealousy.

"Once, we asked him who among us he thought was the prettiest, and he actually said none of us were as attractive as the boss’s wife."

"Officer, what do you think? Are we young girls really no match for a woman in her thirties?" Lili’s sudden question left Su Tianmu momentarily speechless.

He and Xiao Wang exchanged a helpless smile. After all this, they’d ended up listening to a string of gossip.

Still, Su Tianmu now had a rough profile of the victims and a basic idea of the restaurant’s operations and the family’s daily life. In his mind, a suspect had begun to take shape—it just wasn’t the moment to say it out loud.